The Mountain View Murder by Patrick Kelly

Author:Patrick Kelly
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chaparral Press LLC

TWENTY-THREE

After having them rush back to the station, Alex kept Bill and Mitch waiting outside his office with the door closed while he finished a phone call. Alex spent most of the call listening, offering a comment now and again in a measured voice. Not being able to hear Alex clearly, Bill reflected on what he’d learned from Rachel Dunn.

Didn’t it stand to reason that either Marty Capaldi or Victor Bishop had run over Lou Thorpe? They each had access to the vehicle. Joel Turner must have asked one of them to watch over the Pilot in his absence. As a next step, Bill would move on to motive and opportunity. He must interview the men and their wives, separately if possible. But first, he’d return to Jeanne Thorpe and see how she reacted to her husband having a mistress on the mountain.

The door to Alex’s office flung open, and he stepped out. “Good. You’re here. Come in.”

Alex closed the door behind them and let the drama build as he settled into his desk chair. His eyes locked on Bill. “Forensics came back on the SUV. We’ve found our driver. It’s Andre Lewis.”

Bill thrust his head forward, and his eyes widened. Andre Lewis? The thru-hiker kid? He glanced at Mitch.

Mitch observed him through the corner of his eye with a bit of a smirk on his face.

“Don’t say it,” said Bill.

Alex chuckled. “They found prints all over the car from five or six different people. Of course, some of those are likely old, probably from the Turners. Andre’s prints were on the passenger side door and leather seat.”

“Wait,” said Bill. “The passenger side?”

“Yeah. The way I figure it, Andre came into the garage and approached the parked SUV from the passenger side. He found the door unlocked and the keys lying on the seat or the console. Then he took the Pilot out for a ride and ran into Lou Thorpe.”

Bill shook his head. It sounded so improbable.

“Andre has a cool head,” said Alex. “I have to give him that. He had the presence of mind to drive the car around and ditch it in the picnic area. Forensics found no prints on the steering wheel, which means Andre remembered to wipe it clean. But in his haste, he neglected to wipe down the passenger side door.”

“Where is he now?” said Mitch.

“Nobody knows,” said Alex. “Still up on the AT, presumably. They tried his cell phone—no answer.”

“I’m not surprised,” said Mitch. “He turned it off so no one could trace it.”

“Or maybe his battery ran down,” said Bill.

“State is working with his mobile service provider to get records,” said Alex. “That should tell us where he went and who he called before his phone went dead. In the meantime, the National Park Service is organizing a search on the AT. Mitch, I volunteered you for the search team.”

Mitch squared his shoulders. “I’m ready, Chief. I’ve hiked that section of the AT twice. It’s not difficult.”

“How far do you think he’s gone?” asked Alex.

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