The Body Among The Pines: A Novel by Esther P. Goodwin

Author:Esther P. Goodwin [Goodwin, Esther P.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Immersive Books Publishing
Published: 2023-07-11T23:00:00+00:00

So far, I've had no genuine leads—not one thing that could point me in the right direction. I only had a hunch that Griffen was hiding something. But what? Having a hunch wasn’t enough. Yes, I could get Leonard to search the database for any registered firearms in Griffen’s name, but that was only if they were registered. Knowing him, they could all be illegal.

I could get a warrant to search his place, hoping to find the murder weapon. However, without probable cause, the judge wouldn’t sign off on it. So, I was back to square one. Even with Griffen’s criminal record, what could have been his motive for killing James Edlin? Let alone Charles Carter? All the emails Charles had traded with his student only mentioned Griffen and Blake’s names—nothing else.

Sheriff Wells wasn’t much better, either. Yes, I’d worked with him for a few years, so I knew what he was like—how he handled things. If he were responsible for Charles Carter’s death, let alone James’, I strongly believed he’d know how to get rid of the evidence. His willingness to answer my questions and quickly remember everyone’s names was a little concerning. Granted, it was a traumatic experience for a teenager, so it made sense. However, even haunting traumas could be forgotten in time.

Then came Mrs. Carter—the first suspect on my list of people to investigate. She was a widow, and they were always the first person of interest in a homicide. But the only reason she had for killing him would be that he was cheating on her. But the M.E. report didn’t mention anything out of the ordinary. If she had murdered her husband, there likely would have been multiple gunshot wounds or stab wounds to his body, showing signs that it was a crime of passion. But there weren’t any. Only his badly beaten face. But that wasn’t enough evidence to convict her.

And last but not least, there was Victor. As I sat, thinking of ways to question a suspect who wasn’t necessarily credible, Linda came up beside me and rested her hand on my shoulder. “There are a few exercises we do with patients who suffer from memory loss and dementia to try to get them to remember things.”

“Exercises like what?”

“Doing these might not be how you’d typically question a suspect, but we can give it a shot.” Linda turned and headed for the door. “I’ll be right back.

Once she left, I sat in silence alongside Victor. When she returned, she had a small portable table under her arm and a plain brown rectangular box in her hand. I shot up from the chair and assisted her in unfolding the table. As we did, I noticed Victor getting excited from out of the corner of my eye, as if he knew what he was about to do.

“Are you ready, Victor?” she asked, opening the box she held.

Victor started clapping and smiling beyond belief.

When Linda opened the box, a chess set was inside.

“Grab a seat,” she instructed, pointing over at the one in the corner of the room.

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