Turn to Stone (novella) by Brian Freeman

Author:Brian Freeman [Freeman, Brian]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction, Mystery
Publisher: Quercus
Published: 2014-01-06T05:00:00+00:00

15

Stride returned to Shawano in time to see the Andrews house overrun with county and city police. Two local news crews shot video and photographs from a discreet distance outside the property. Sheriff Weik stood in the middle of the snowy lawn. He barked at one of his younger cops who was carrying a sealed evidence bag out of the house. The entire search looked more focused and efficient than Stride had seen in the woods the previous day. The stakes were higher. The target of the investigation had changed, from a dead cop to a woman who had disappeared.

Weik’s flat-brimmed brown hat was perfectly level, not even tipped a degree off center. An unlit cigar was clamped between his teeth under the fur of his mustache. He looked like a pit bull who didn’t let go once his jaws bit into something. That was the image he wanted to convey to the voting public. In control. In charge.

The sheriff spotted Stride on the street near Kuckuck Park. He jabbed a finger, beckoning Stride closer. It wasn’t a request. Stride turned up the collar of his leather jacket against the wind and wandered onto the lawn.

“Where is Kelli Andrews?” Weik demanded.

“I have no idea.”

“No idea? You were here last night.”

Stride nodded. “Yes, I was. Hope Hamlin fired a shot at Kelli. I intervened.”

“You were the last person to see her,” Weik said. “Why did she run?”

“I don’t know. We were talking about the discovery of Greg Hamlin’s body. Kelli became agitated, and she left through the bathroom window. She didn’t tell me where she was going.”

“Have you been in contact with her since then?”

“No.”

“You better not be protecting her. Hiding her from us.”

“I’m not, Sheriff,” Stride replied.

The bags under Weik’s eyes were deep and dark. He hadn’t slept. “Go home, Stride. You’re done here. You were sticking around to figure out why Percy killed himself. One way or another, we know that now. Either Percy murdered Hamlin or his wife did. Whichever way it came down, he couldn’t deal with it.”

“And which way do you think it came down?” Stride asked.

“I think you know the answer. Did you tell Kelli Andrews that she was a suspect in Hamlin’s murder? Is that why she ran?”

Stride didn’t answer yes or no. Someday, on a witness stand, he would have to say yes. He’d warned her. At the time, he’d been convinced she was innocent and that she wasn’t lying when she said she didn’t know Greg Hamlin. Things were different now.

One of the Shawano cops approached the sheriff with a nervous twitch in his face. He couldn’t have been more than 20 years old. “We’re almost done inside,” the kid told Weik. “You want us to start a search on the Hyundai in the garage?”

Weik belched out fire like a dragon. “Hell, yes, I want you to search it. What did you think, we were going to take it to the car wash for her? Dust every last inch of it for prints, and vacuum up every booger and dead fly on the seats and mats.

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