but no older than fifty. His hair wasn’t graying yet. He was medium height, maybe five-ten. I do remember how he was dressed, though. He had on a dark blue running suit and wore a pair of gray trainers. And when he eventually strolled up to Ben, the two just started talking, not arguing or anything. Which might mean what I saw was completely harmless.”
“Or maybe not,” Zeb countered. “When a guy like Ben goes out in a rainstorm to meet his killer, it’s a big deal to backtrack his final days leading up to his death.”
“Thanks for that explanation,” Lianne said. “Even though I’m not a complete dunce. I do watch crime shows on TV. I know what happens in a homicide investigation.”
“Yeah, well, I tried to walk the old murder house crime scene and got dragged out by the cops,” Gemma complained.
From the other side of the table, Zeb leaned back and studied his counterpart. “I have to agree with Gemma on this, Lando. It’s been my experience that cold cases need all the help they can get. If the case isn’t even on oxygen and it’s been dead for twenty years, what’s so wrong about letting Gemma walk the crime scene? Is there a specific reason this sister doesn’t want anybody in the house?”
“Good question,” Gemma piped up. “It’s not like we were bothering the tenants or the owners. That house has been vacant for two decades. She doesn’t even rent it out. The only people who go up there these days are trick or treaters who want a good scare on Halloween or lovers who use it for a make-out spot.”
Lianne looked over at Lando. “Gemma has a point. Why does this sister hire a groundskeeper to keep people away from that old house? There’s nothing inside to steal.”
Lando shook his head. “The logical explanation is that trespassers could start a fire. Vandals could trash the place. No property owner wants strangers traipsing in and out of an empty house.” But even he was starting to see the emptiness of those reasons. He finally threw up his hands. “Okay. I’ll make a point and go see her first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Want me to come along?” Zeb asked. “It might be a good idea to show strength in numbers, have two members of law enforcement show up on her doorstep and catch her off guard.”
Lando picked up his beer. “Nothing’s ever easy, is it?”
“Nope. Not when you’re dealing with five murders. Just to cover your bases, you might include paying a visit to this caretaker. What’s his name?”
Clinking his beer bottle with Zeb’s in a show of teamwork and support, Lando shoved his chair back. “Bruce Barnhart.”
“We should find out where he was in the early hours of Monday morning.”
Gemma looked around the table. “That would be great. But you also need to find out where this guy was the night the Copelands were murdered.”
Lianne got up to clear the dirty plates. “And does this Bruce Barnhart fit the description of the man I saw Ben talking to on Thursday?”
“Actually, he kind of does,” Lando admitted, scratching his chin.
“See?” Gemma began. “The thing about small towns is that there’s always somebody who sees something suspicious or thinks someone’s out of place. There’s no shortage of people willing to help you find the guy who murdered Ben.”
“And that poor family,” Lianne said as she disappeared into the kitchen.
Gemma bobbed her head back toward her friend. “By the way, Lianne’s spending the night here until Ritter leaves for Oregon.”
Lando frowned. “What does she think he’ll do escape from my custody?”
“You never know. It’s for certain the guy doesn’t respect the rules post prison. He thumbed his nose at the authorities and took off. Look how devious he’s been so far,” Gemma replied, bounding into the kitchen carrying two empty pizza pans.
“She can trust me, you know,” Lando pointed out. “Lianne can trust the Coyote Wells PD to do their jobs.”
Zeb chuckled and shook his head. “No matter what you say, I doubt you could convince Lianne of that. This guy’s been the bane of her existence now for months. She won’t believe her ordeal is over until you make sure he’s put some distance between them.”
“I could show her the CCTV where we keep a constant watch on Ritter or any other prisoner for that matter. It just so happens he’s the only guest we have at the moment.”
“Doesn’t matter what you say, she’ll still worry.”