Riddle (22 page)

Chapter 40

              Just before Grace was scheduled to get off Jerry came into the diner, grinning broadly. Stretching out his hand he dropped her car keys into her palm. “You’re ready to go.”

              Torn between delight at having her car back and concern about how much she had to pay him she squeaked out a “Thank you.” Then she asked how much she owed him. She had managed to give him fifteen hundred dollars and expected he would want at least a thousand more.

              Trying to look serious Jerry handed her a bill saying “Paid in Full”.

              Grace stared at the bill then looked up at Jerry. “How is this possible?”

              Adjusting his cap he told her, “I needed parts for another car I’m working on and I got a deal on the car I pulled. I split the cost between both jobs. I did an oil and filter change, checked your brakes, and everything is working great.”

              Grace almost felt like crying. “I could hug you Jerry.”

              He laughed and held up his hands, blackened with grease and said, “You might not want to do that. I have to get back to work. You’re parked out front. If you need anything you just let me know.” He started to turn away then stopped and looked back at her, “Welcome to Riddle. Looks like you might be staying a while after all.”

              Feeling her face grow warm, Grace grinned. “It seems I may be.”

              Jack slipped his arm around her shoulders. “It seems you’re back in business. Should I expect a two-week notice?”

              Grace shot him a look. “I don’t think so Jack, at least not yet.”

              “Hmm.” Grinning, he turned and walked back behind the counter. Grace could see his shoulders shaking slightly. Ducking into the break room she called Kort. He didn’t answer, so she left him a voicemail, hoping he would call her back before three o’clock.

              A few minutes before three her cell phone buzzed and she dashed to the back to answer. Before Kort could even speak she announced excitedly, “I got my car!!”

              Her delight made him laugh out loud. Then he sobered. “Just to make sure I understood you, you’re not planning to leave town are you?”

              Grace’s voice softened. “I’m not going anywhere until we can go together.”
              Kort was silent for a moment. When he spoke his voice was husky. “Will I see you tonight?”

              “That’s what we planned.” Her body warmed at the deepening timber of his voice. There was no mistaking the desire in his tone. “I’ll drive home and I’ll see you later.”

              Grabbing her jacket she went to the front to tell Jack she was leaving and was startled to see Tony standing at the hostess stand. Mandy looked at her helplessly. “Tony was just asking for you.”

              “I was just leaving,” she told him, ignoring Mandy’s slightly panicked expression.

              “I can give you a ride,” he offered, his gaze holding hers. His expression was compelling, a cross between pleading and demanding.

              Grace was uncomfortable as he stared at her with so much intensity. She was relieved she had her car now and could use that as an excuse to decline his offer. She was even happier that Kort wasn’t there. She wanted to talk to Tony, hoping he might offer some information about Desiree’s murder. Almost apologetically she told him she had her car.

              As Mandy looked from one to the other they moved slightly away from her. She strained to hear their conversation, but they spoke too softly so she shrugged and gave up.

              “I was hoping we could talk,” Tony said hopefully.

              “Well,” Grace looked around uncertainly. She had pretty much promised Kort she would not be alone with Tony. There was no way she could invite him to her apartment without breaking her word. As much as she wanted to hear what Tony had to say, she was also conscious of the possibility he could be dangerous.

“How about if we grab a booth in the back and have coffee?”

              Although he looked skeptical, Tony agreed. Nodding at Mandy, Grace led him to one of the booths at the very back of the restaurant. Ashlee came to take their order and they both ordered coffee. Then Tony asked if they had any blueberry muffins and Grace grinned involuntarily. “Did I get you hooked?”

              For the first time he smiled. “I think so.”

              Grace decided to have one too. After Ashlee walked away she leaned back in her seat. “I really owe you an apology Tony. I was so shook up at the fair the other night I didn’t think clearly.”

              Tony looked out the window. The day had grown overcast and someone had turned on the neon signs for the diner and the inn across the road. The blue from the diner and the green from the inn cast a strange glow on the road making it appear almost unearthly. Tony didn’t speak and Grace began to wonder if she should say something more to get him talking. Finally he looked back at her and said, “I understand. You’re more comfortable with Kort. I don’t want to insult you or hurt your feelings. You need to know I’m not coming on to you. I thought about talking to Kort, but I just can’t. At first I believed he had killed that girl,” he almost spat the words
that girl.
“I’m not sure anymore. I don’t mean to offend you.”

              He stopped speaking when Ashlee brought their order. After murmuring thank you he waited until she was out of earshot before continuing.
Grace decided not to interrupt him. She watched impatiently as he peeled the paper from his muffin and added cream to his coffee. He looked up at her and half-smiled. “I’m not working tonight,” as if to explain why he wasn’t drinking his coffee black. Grace wanted desperately to prod him on but she held her tongue and just returned his smile.

              “Anyway, you know about my father. I’m pretty sure you have heard a lot of things about my family. I would venture to say most of it is true.”

              Grace opened her mouth to speak but Tony held up his hand to stop her. He shook his head slightly. He looked away for a moment. Grace wondered if he had changed his mind about talking to her. The moment lengthened to three. Then he turned back to Grace, his jaw set purposefully. Tony had made up his mind.

              “It’s alright Grace. Please let me finish before I lose my courage.” He reached into his pocket and Grace tensed. He withdrew a long white envelope and set it face down on the table, laying his hand over it as if uncertain he would share its contents. “You know my father committed suicide. You know about the note pinned to his jacket with her name on it. But there are so many things you might not know. Desiree was pregnant. The court proved that Kort was not the father. What you and most others do not know is that our Sheriff Butch was not the father either. Desiree’s parents worked very hard to keep that under wraps. But they did want to know the truth. Desiree’s parents had come to our home. They talked to my father. They wanted to know if there was any way they could find out who had knocked their daughter up. They thought the school or the police were covering up for someone.” He stopped speaking for a moment and a small smile touched the corners of his mouth. “The police couldn’t test every male in Riddle. They couldn’t even test every student in the high school. Of course investigators would never have looked at a teacher and certainly not the high school principal.” He took a sip of his coffee and then a small piece of his muffin. His other hand remained securely over the envelope.

              Grace struggled to control herself wanting to ask so many questions. Instead she also sipped her coffee. In spite of the tension her hand remained steady.

              “My mother suspected my father was having an affair. She thought he was sleeping with one of the teacher’s. She never considered he might be screwing a student. One evening she got very drunk; very drunk. She wanted to drive to the school and catch him. I persuaded her to let me go telling her she was too intoxicated and if she was wrong it would be embarrassing for her and my father. I drove to the school. I didn’t have a license, I didn’t even have a learners permit. The doors were all locked but I knew something very few students knew. The door to the basement, the janitor’s door, could be jiggled and the lock would give.” He stopped again and Grace was now practically on the edge of her seat. Resuming his story he stared into his coffee cup, as though he was seeing it all happen before his eyes.

              “I made my way upstairs to my father’s office. I could hear voices as soon as I entered the secretary’s office. I listened closely but I couldn’t tell whose voice it was. I didn’t want to be seen so I wouldn’t open the door. The voices got louder and I knew the woman’s voice was familiar but I couldn’t quite place it. I heard her say she was pregnant and I felt sick. I knew this would destroy my mother. All of a sudden the door opened and Desiree was standing there staring at me. She swore at me.” He laughed bitterly. “SHE swore at ME! She was fucking my father and she swore at me.” Suddenly he stopped and looked around at near-by tables but no one was sitting in their section.

              Tony continued speaking his voice lower and shaky. “Then she shoved past me and left. My father was pulling on his pants. He actually tried to push past me and follow her, but I grabbed him. I screamed at him, asked him what he was doing. We struggled and he finally just sat down and began to cry. He told me I didn’t understand. I understood very well.”

              Tony removed his hand from the envelope and stared at it. “So, I never told my mother. I lied to her and told her he had been working alone. I wanted to kill him. I wanted to kill Desiree.”

              “Here it comes,” Grace thought, “He’s going to confess.”

              Tony took a deep breath and held it for a moment. Then he let it go slowly. “When Desiree’s body was found I first wondered if I had done it and wiped the memory from my mind.” He stopped speaking again, his face thoughtful. Leaning across the table he went on, his voice low and secretive. “Then I wondered if my father or my mother did it. I considered Butch might have found out and killed her. When Kort was arrested I was so happy at first. He continued to protest his innocence. I fought with myself making myself believe he was lying.”

              Tony pushed the envelope across the table to Grace. She looked at it uncertainly. While she wanted to rip it open and see what it contained she didn’t want to risk him pulling it away again.

              “The note on my father’s jacket was not the only note. He left me a note on my desk. I never told anyone, not even my mother. The baby was his. And he wanted it. He wanted her. He wanted to run away with her. He was trying to get a job in California because he knew she was planning to go to college there. He really believed he could seduce her away from Butch and they would have the baby and get married. He didn’t kill her. My mother didn’t kill her. I didn’t kill her. I don’t think Kort killed her. It may have been Butch. But I don’t think it was him either. Who knows what other person she may have hurt, destroyed.” He tapped the envelope. “This is the note my father left. He had his suspicions about who did it. I thought about taking it to the police or to Desiree’s parents. After Kort was convicted they moved away. And what could be accomplished by giving the police the note. It was only my father’s suspicions. However he was close enough to her to know who had a grudge against her. Take it. If it helps, use it. It won’t matter to my mother anymore.”

              Grace looked at the envelope then up at Tony. “I don’t know what to say. I’m so sorry Tony. I can’t imagine…”

              Tony reached for her hand and for a moment she was afraid he was going to try to take the envelope back. Instead he just held her hand. “Be careful Grace. There is someone in this town who is a killer. It could be Kort. But it could be someone else, someone more dangerous. Watch out for yourself. Get away from here as soon as you can.”

              Suddenly he stood up and pulled his wallet from his pocket, tossed five dollars on the table and left quickly. He gave her no opportunity to say anything. Grace didn’t even watch him leave. She just sat staring at the envelope that might contain the answer that would truly set Kort free.

Chapter 41

              Grace sat on the couch staring at the envelope. She hadn’t told Kort about it when he called to confirm their “date”. “Why don’t you bring a change of clothes and spend the night here?” Grace suggested, the envelope on the table seeming to shine like a bright white light.

              “I’d like that.” He sensed something in her voice. “Are you okay?”

              “Yes. I’m just a little tired. I’m going to take a quick shower and that should perk me up.”

              “Why not wait for me and we can do that together?”Kort suggested softly.

              Recalling how good it felt when he washed her hair she thought about the offer seriously. “As tempting as that is, I think I’ll just go ahead. I’m sure we can think of something else to do later,” she teased.

              Laughing they said good bye and Grace was left to think about what might be in the envelope. Kort was bringing the information Agnes had given him. The night promised to be intense. Grace showered and changed into a pair of sweatpants and a tee shirt. She tucked the envelope behind a box of cereal in her kitchen cabinet. It would be better if they had dinner first.

              When he arrived she opened the door to see him grinning with a pizza box in one hand and a container of ice cream in the other. “I thought we should have dessert to celebrate the return of your car.”

              Taking the ice cream from him she kissed him lightly on the lips. “Umm Moose Tracks.” He set the pizza box on the counter and took the manila envelope from under his arm and placed it on the counter as well. Grace looked at the envelope then up at his face. “Do you want to go through it before we eat?”

              Kort shook his head. “No let’s eat first.”

              Grace bit her lip before telling him that Tony had been at the diner. “He said he needed to talk. He actually admitted he had thought about talking to you himself.” She glanced back at the kitchen cabinet. Hesitating a moment longer she told him, “He gave me a letter his father wrote before he died.”

              “What? Where is it?”

              She retrieved it from the cabinet and set it on top of the envelope he’d brought with him. “I still think we should eat first.” Looking up into his eyes she waited for him to decide.

              He looked from the envelopes to her face and nodded. “That’s probably smart. Let’s eat while the pizza is hot.” Kort was torn between curiosity and fear. The possibility he might find his mother was in the contents of the larger envelope. But the small envelope contained a letter that might set him free. His eyes darted to the envelopes repeatedly as they gathered plates and cups for dinner. Grace watched him as he carried the pizza to the living room and set the box on the coffee table. Her heart ached for him. .She knew what it was like to lose a parent; her father abandoned her and her mother died. But never knowing your parents was somehow very different. She sat next to him on the couch and they ate silently for a few minutes before Kort spoke. “Did Tony say anything about the letter?”

              “He actually said a lot before he gave it to me. Apparently Desiree was having an affair with his father.”

              Kort’s head snapped up. “Did he know that with any certainty or was it just a feeling?”

              Taking a deep breath and a sip of wine Grace began to relate the story Tony had told. As she spoke Kort shook his head in disbelief a couple of times but he did not interrupt her. When she was done she sat back on the couch. “When he was finished he just pushed the letter across the table, got up, and walked out.”

              “So you haven’t read it yet?” His eyes searched her face.

              “It isn’t mine to read. This is for you Kort.” A frown creased her forehead. “He said one thing that was strange just as he left. He said it wouldn’t matter to his mother anymore. What do you think he meant?”

              Kort ran his hand through his hair, “I have no idea Grace.” Then slapping his hands on his knees and standing up he asked, “Which one do you want to start with?”

              Grace stood up and kissed his cheek. “That is completely up to you. We have all night. And I am right here with you.”

              Kort helped her carry the dishes to the kitchen. He brought the envelopes back to the couch and sat down, pulling Grace down beside him. “I want to know about my family but I admit I am a lot more curious about the letter from Tony’s father.” He pushed the manila envelope to the side and carefully opened the white envelope that had Tony’s name scrawled in shaky script across the front. Looking at Grace one more time he unfolded the letter and began to read aloud. Even as he read Grace leaned over his shoulder following along.

“Tony, By now I will have ended the pain I brought you and your mother. I make no excuses for my behavior. I don’t understand what happened. One minute I was the principal of the high school, respected and admired. The next minute I was overcome by a desire that has debilitated me and left me weak and ashamed. I could use the excuse that Desiree Steele seduced me. She did, but that is not an excuse. I should have known there was something wrong from the start. Why would a beautiful and popular young girl want to become involved with a plain and much older man? I was flattered. At first it was just flirting. Desiree flirted with everyone, so I didn’t take it seriously. You know what happened. I don’t need to rehash that. She was failing classes and failing badly. Her parents wanted her to go to college but it wasn’t likely she’d get anywhere with the grades she had. She blackmailed me. I changed her grades. I was able to get copies of the SAT’s and we created cheat sheets. She could go anywhere she wanted when we were finished. The entire time she kept me on the hook. We managed to keep things secret except for one person, besides you, who discovered us one night. But she was sworn to secrecy. I don’t believe the Eriksen boy killed her. I think I know who did. I also know if I try to prove it my secret will be exposed. I can’t do that to your mother. I can’t stand that I am preventing justice from being served. And I can’t go on paying the price this girl demands. I love your mother. She will never believe that. She will only suspect my betrayal. Once I am gone there will be no way to connect me to Desiree. Forgive me Tony. I was weak. Dad

              Kort and Grace stared at one another. “Grace has it hit you yet?”

              She shook her head. “What?” She quickly scanned the letter.

              “He wrote that once he was gone there would be no way to connect him with Desiree. Why would he pin a note to his jacket saying he was doing it “for Desiree” if he didn’t want any connection with her?”

              Confused Grace said, “I don’t know. It doesn’t make any sense.”

              Kort stood and began pacing the room. Then he stopped short and his eyes widened. “Maybe he didn’t pin that note to his jacket. Maybe someone else did it; maybe someone who wanted the truth to come out.”

              “But who would want that? What would they have to gain?”

              “Maybe the person who killed Desiree believed if the story about their relationship was revealed, eyes would shift to the principal as the killer.”

              Grace shook her head. “But you were already in jail for the murder. That doesn’t make sense either. The real killer was already in the clear.”

              Kort frowned. “That’s true.” Folding the letter and putting it back into the envelope he picked up the manila envelope. “Let’s put that on hold for now.” He sat down beside Grace, looked into her eyes, and carefully opened the sealed envelope. Tipping it so the contents would spill out, he watched as unopened letters, cards, and papers fell onto the coffee table.

              “My God Kort. There must be years of things here.” Grace rested her hand on his arm. She searched his face for some sign of what he was feeling. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

              He nodded and began looking at the sealed envelopes. They were postmarked from Caribou Crossing and Carcross in the Yukon. But they weren’t addressed to his home address. They were addressed to a post office box in the near-by town of Hazard.

              “Who are Allen and Wilma Dalton? And where is Hazard?” Grace asked.

              “Hazard is about twenty-five miles over the mountain. I have no idea who the Dalton’s are; unless that was the name my parents gave to my mother.”

              Choosing the envelope with the oldest postmark he opened it. It was a letter written on lined notebook paper and dated on what had been his fifth birthday.

My baby boy,

I do not know what to call you because I know my name for you would be strange. You were born just before midnight on the first day of what is January. I named you Wolf Moon and your name they called you was Drake. I could hear the wolves howling, greeting you to the world. You had a full head of black hair that stuck up like a comb on your head. Your auntie was with me but no one else. I did not want to give you up but I had no way to care for you then. They told me it would be better for you. When the man and the woman came to bring us food and saw you they said they could take you and raise you as their own. I said no. They came again and again and every time it was harder to say no. The last time they came they told me it was the last time they could come and not take you. I had to decide. They said if I changed my mind I could write to them and they would bring you back. I have written every year asking them to bring you back. The letters are never answered. The letters are never returned. No one will help me to find you. Maybe someday you will find your way home. Only know that I love you my baby boy. I am sending you my picture so you will know me when we meet.

              There was no signature. There was a faded black and white slightly blurry Polaroid photo of a woman standing in front of what appeared to be a café of some sort. Kort sat and stared at it for a long time before handing it to Grace. “I can’t see clearly enough to see if I look like her.”

              Grace looked closely at the picture. “She looks tall. But I can’t see her face too well either.” Then, looking at the envelope she asked, “Where is Caribou Crossing?”

              “I have no idea. But I’m going there. As soon as I can I’m going there.” He began to go through each envelope, one every year on his birthday. Some had photographs, some had postcards, and one had a drawing of what looked like a lake with trees around it. In another envelope was a photo of a sign that said Carcross Desert.

              “Desert?” Grace looked at Kort in confusion. “Is this still in the Yukon?”

              Kort shrugged. “I don’t know. The postmark says Carcross so either the town changed its name or she moved somewhere.”

              The letters were touching, filled with pain and grief at the loss of her child. She told of the passing of her sister and her loneliness. In photos she was often in front of the café or a small house that appeared yellow in later pictures. In one she was sitting at a picnic table with a lake and distant trees in the background. As Kort read the letters, Grace pulled out her laptop and looked up Carcross Desert. There it was, as plain as day.

              “Kort look! There is a desert in the Yukon.” She turned the screen so he could see. “The town was called Caribou Crossing and they did rename it to Carcross. This is it.”

              Kort glanced at the picture before returning to the stack of unopened envelopes. One by one he read them, always carefully returning them to their envelopes when he finished.

              Grace pulled an afghan from the back of the couch and wrapped it around herself, laying back with one of the couch pillows, and watched him closely. She tried to imagine what was going through his mind, what he was feeling as he looked at photos of a woman he hadn’t seen since he was an infant and had no memory of. The room was silent except for the occasional sound of the letters being folded or the envelopes being opened. Grace’s eyes grew heavy and she closed them for just a few minutes. It was almost two hours later when she felt Kort get up from the couch. Sitting up she rubbed her eyes and looked at her watch. “I’m so sorry. I must have dozed off.”

              Kort returned to the couch with a glass of water. “I feel like I’m all over the place.  Part of me wants to try to find my family; the other part wants to find out who killed Desiree. I used to think it might have just been a drifter, someone passing through. Now I wonder if it was someone local. Maybe the person who was blackmailing Tony’s father did it. Or maybe Desiree had some other guy she was playing mind games with.”

              “Do you think we should tell someone about that letter?” Grace asked.

              Kort considered it before shaking his head. “No, at least not for the time being. Maybe we can do a little investigating on our own. Do you think Tony would be willing to talk to us? He might have some ideas.”

              Grace sighed heavily. “I seriously doubt it Kort. You had to see him when he was talking about it. He’s devastated.”

              Standing Kort held out his hands to her, “Well there isn’t anything else for us to do tonight. Why don’t we turn in?” He pulled her to her feet and drew her body tightly to his. “Do you have any idea how much it means to me to have you here?” Without waiting for a response he bent and kissed her deeply. Her reaction was immediate and intense.