Deer Season (9 page)

“While you’re covering the outside perimeter, Sue and I will start working the scene. We will try to determine where the shooter was and perhaps how they got into and out of the area. Eventually we may need most of you at the scene if we decide to do a line search. So winter boots and snow shoes.”

The group split up and headed toward their assignments. Ray and Sue, in separate vehicles, drove to the area where the shooting took place. As Ray turned into the narrow country road, he could see that it had recently been plowed. Ray swore under his breath as he visualized the damage the plow had done to the crime scene. Stopping thirty yards short of the mailbox and driveway to the Boyd/Lowther home, Ray climbed out of his car. Sue parked behind him and came to his side carrying a camera.

As they moved forward along the newly-plowed road, they noted the shoulders on both sides were covered with a thick layer of snow thrown by the plow. Any footprints or tire marks had been obliterated in the wake of the massive truck. They stopped short of the mailbox, its door hanging open, its interior packed with snow from the plow. Envelopes and catalogs—now only partially visible in the snow—were scattered for several yards up and along the hillside near the road.

Sue pulled the lens cap from her camera. She studied the scene through her viewfinder, and started snapping pictures, picking up all the details visible in the scene. Ray held his position and let her move around the area as she photographed relevant landscape. Finally she looked over at Ray.

“Bad luck,” he said.

Sue nodded her agreement.

17
Ray returned to the office thirty minutes after Sue Lawrence. He had gone over to the road that ran parallel to Wildwood Road on the east and slogged through the heavy snow on

foot looking for a possible trail the shooter might have used to get across the swamp. By the time he got back to his vehicle, the thigh muscles in his recently injured leg were aching, and he was feeling dispirited.

Ray found Sue Lawrence and Marie Guttard sitting at the small conference table in his office, Marie at the head of the table, Sue at her left. There was a tray of still untouched sandwiches in the center of the table, a pot of coffee, three ceramic mugs, and two bottles of Diet Coke.

“Where are Amanda and Breanne?” he asked, settling into the chair at Marie’s right.

“They’re with Lynne’s parents,” Sue explained. They arrived last Saturday to get their place ready for a Thanksgiving gathering. Marie called them to let them know what had happened, and they were here with Marie and the girls when I came back. After checking with protective services, I released the twins to their custody.”

“And how are the kids?” he asked.

“They are calm, but very frightened. They kept asking to see their mother,” Marie answered.

Both women looked at Ray.

“I was on the phone with the hospital as I was driving back. Lynne’s alive, in surgery, and in very serious condition. I couldn’t learn anything more.” Looking at Sue he asked, “Has Dirk been located?

“No. Dispatch has been trying to call him. His cell phone must be turned off. There has been no response to our APB yet.”

“The grandparents?” Ray asked, looking at Sue

“The Boyds, Prescott and Dorothy.” Sue gave Ray a knowing look as she continued. “The Crescent Cove—Round Island Hunt Club, I guess they own it now.” Ray was familiar with the location, a gated and fenced enclave that held the largest tract of private land in the county.

“I know the area,” responded Ray. “The girls will be staying there?”

“At least for the next day or two. A lot depends on Dirk and what develops in the near future,” she paused for a long moment. “The girls often spend the night there. They even have their own bedroom. Actually it’s a suite they share with Marie,” she added, looking over at Marie.

“It’s a flat, a sitting room, two bedrooms, en suite,” continued Marie. “They want me to stay with them and the twins.”

“Now Marie,” said Ray, turning toward her. “We sort of touched on this before briefly at the fire hall, but we’d like to go through it again. Would you tell us about your day from the time you woke up until we met you there?” As he asked the question Ray poured a cup of coffee, asking by gesture if anyone else wanted some. The two women reached for the Diet Cokes. Sue passed the plate of sandwiches around.

“What are you looking for?” asked Marie.

“Was there anything unusual this morning, something that caught your eye, something that was different?” Ray probed.

She looked pensive and then answered, “Yes and no.” “Tell me about the ‘yes,’” said Ray. “What was different?”

“Dirk came home very early,” she explained. “Usually after he finishes work, he goes out for breakfast. Lynne has told me there’s a group of men who meet at this place every morning.”

“Do you know where?” asked Ray.

“The Cottage Inn,” she answered. “I’ve never been there. Lynne says the place is a…what is her phrase…greasy spoon. All I know is he comes home mid-morning, sometimes later, smelling of cigarettes and fried food.”

“But this morning was different?”

“Yes, like I told you before, he was home not long after 6:00,” she said rather tartly.

“Marie, in the course of the investigation, we may ask you the same question more than once. We’re just trying to get all the information clearly sorted out,” explained Sue. “Let’s start again with this morning.”

“I always wake up early, and I was in the kitchen making coffee. I could hear Dirk collecting his deer hunting things in the mudroom. I thought he was going later this week, but this morning he came in, got his bags and gun case, and went away.”

“About what time did he leave?”

“6:15 or 6:20. No later. He seemed to be in a hurry.”

“Did he talk to Lynne?” Sue asked.

“No, no one else was awake.”

“So he didn’t tell his wife he was taking her vehicle.”

“No.”

“Do you think they had a conversation about this; that would be normal for a couple to do?” pressed Sue.

“They are not a…a normal couple. I do not think they are talking much.”

“So why aren’t they a normal couple?”

“I do not know. Lynne does not talk about that to me.”

“But you live there, you see what’s going on. Do they spend time together? Do they seem to like each other?” Sue asked.

Marie’s answer was slow in coming. “In France, people who like each other share a bed and a life.”

“And they don’t?” said Sue.

“No.”

“How do you feel about your employer?” Sue asked.

“You mean Lynne?”

“Let’s start with her.”

“I like her. She is intelligent and professional, very competent. A wonderful mother. I have learned much from her.”

“How do you and Lynne get along?”

“Very well.” She hesitated briefly. “I have heard horror stories about how some American women treat au pairs, use us as servants and maids. This is not true with Lynne. We had rapport right from the beginning. She is very considerate, very fair. We have shared the care of the girls. I never felt like I was considered an inferior.”

“And Dirk,” Ray asked, “how do you feel about him.”

“A strange man. He does not like me. I do not think he likes the French.”

“And you don’t think he and Lynne were getting along?” asked Ray, coming back to the topic a second time.

“No, they are not. They do their best to avoid one another.”

“You said you don’t think he likes you. How do you feel about him?”

“He is old, unpleasant, and I think he is a fascist or whatever you would call them here. I do not understand why a young, beautiful woman like Lynne would be married to an old man like that,” Marie stated emphatically.

“How about the girls, what kind of a father is Dirk?”

“The girls, they seem to like him, but he doesn’t give them much time. He lives his own life, and he just isn’t around.”

“Has Lynne told you about a possible separation or divorce?’” asked Ray.

“Not in those words. She is a very open person, but not about all things. But I do not see that they would stay together.”

“Do you think that Lynn might have another romantic interest?” asked Sue.

“What do you mean?” asked Marie cautiously.

“As you noted, Lynne is a very attractive woman, and she’s in a high visibility profession. And you’ve suggested that her marriage doesn’t appear to be working. It would not be too unusual for a woman like Lynne to find someone else.”

After a long silence Marie answered. “I do not think so. Her work schedule is so busy, and Lynne does her best to spend as much time as possible with her daughters. I do not think she has any time for a liaison.” She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, “She gives so much of herself; I think she deserves a good man.”

“Friends, does Lynne have many close friends?” Ray asked.

“Lynne is very busy, she spends her time working and attending to her daughters.”

“How about women friends?” asked Sue.

“She knows many people,” Marie answered.

“Special friends,” elaborated Sue, “people she spends time with, someone with whom she might share her thoughts and feelings.”

Marie looked thoughtful, then answered, “There is one woman Lynne is close to, Elise Lovell. I think they talk on the phone every day. I know they often meet for lunch, and she brings her children to Lynne’s house or we go to her house, usually on weekends.”

“Elise Lovell, where does she live?” asked Sue.

“Here in the village.”

“We’ll need to talk to her,” said Ray, looking over at Sue. He turned back to Marie, “Do you know if Lynne thought she was in any danger; did she tell you about any threats she might have received?”

“No.”

“Did she seem wary, or perhaps more cautious than she had been in the past?”

“What do you mean? How might she be different?”

“Things like being especially careful about locking the exterior doors,” said Sue, picking up the line of questioning, “or looking around as you were coming and going to see if there were any strange vehicles in the area.”

“If she was, as you say, more wary, I did not notice it.”

“Lynne’s parents, you’ve gotten to know them.”

“Yes, many weekends we have spent with them. I like her mother a lot. She is very nice, and the girls adore her.”

“And the grandfather?”

“He is, I think you would say, curmudgeonly. But he can also be charming. It is hard to know. No one has said anything, but I do not think that he is well.”

“But you will feel safe being there with the girls?” Ray asked.

“Yes. They are very wealthy, the Boyds. They arrive with a staff. There are lots of people around. I think we will be fine.” Marie paused and looked at Ray. “Lynne, will she survive?” she asked, her composure starting to slip.

“I don’t know,” Ray answered. “Her wounds are extremely severe. We may not know if she’s viable for several days.” Ray looked across at Marie; he was afraid his face might be giving away the pessimism he was feeling.

“But if she survives,” continued Sue, “it’s because of your bravery and the way you quickly handled the situation. Your actions gave her a chance at life.”

“I only wish I could have done more,” Marie responded, clearly on the edge of tears again.

18
It was mid afternoon by the time Sue Lawrence had returned from driving Marie Guttard to the Boyd family compound at Crescent Cove. Ray had already completed a graphic outline for the early stages of the investigation on a large whiteboard.

“How are the roads?” he asked as she flopped into one of the chairs at the conference table, still wearing a heavy outside jacket, which she slowly unzipped after pulling off her gloves. Her rosy cheeks showed the effects of the frigid weather.

“Not good. High winds and lots of drifting, especially when you get near the shoreline. Driving conditions are going to be marginal the rest of the day. At this point it looks like all they’re trying to do is keep the main roads open.” Sue pulled her jacket off and dropped it on the chair at her right.

“Anything new on Lynne’s condition?” she asked. “No,” Ray answered, and he rubbed out a few words on his chart and rewrote them. Looking at Sue he asked, “Did you learn anything more from Marie on the drive?”

“Not much. She seems very protective of Lynne, and I think she is somewhat wary of police. She did tell me one thing that was interesting and sort of adds to the picture.”

“What’s that?” Ray asked.

“She doesn’t like Dirk at all.”

“Didn’t we hear that during the interview,” Ray noted rhetorically.

“Yes, but I wasn’t finished.” Sue stopped and waited until it was clear that Ray was giving her his full attention. “Sometime early on in her stay Dirk put a move on her. She said she tried to make it clear to him that she wasn’t interested. It’s really neat how she shows her absolute disdain; she sort of wrinkles her face and drops her voice. ‘Can you imagine making love to that old man?’” Sue said, trying to imitate Marie’s accent. She continued, “But apparently Dirk isn’t used to being rebuffed. She said one morning when they were alone in the kitchen—he was just back from work, and she was the only one up—he caught her from behind and cupped her breasts.”

“Then what?” asked Ray.

“Bad move on Dirk’s part; Marie is a martial arts freak. She told me she carefully set her mug of coffee on the counter, and then tossed Dirk on his back, put a knee on his neck, and told him if he ever got close to her again, she’d do some real damage.”

“Did she share this with Lynne?”

“I asked her that. She said no. She didn’t want to upset Lynne, and she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. But Marie did say after that encounter Dirk became increasingly hostile toward her.”

“How about the Boyd family home?”

“What a joint. Have you been there?” she asked.

“Just on the perimeter, beyond the fence that separates it from the rest of the world. But I’ve seen some of the complex from the water when I was kayaking down the coast last August. There used to be a big old hunting lodge there, and they’ve replaced it with an enormous structure.”