7026d51896537f7070e55fc097206916

“Of course not. Though I have to say I’m not going to shed any tears over the guy.”

“Rick, please,” said his mom.

“No, Mom, I’m serious. I’m glad he’s dead. He got exactly what he deserved.”

“Where were you this morning between nine and ten?” asked Chase.

“You know where I was,” said Dominic curtly. “In the woods. Your wife saw me there.”

“My wife talked to you around ten-thirty,” said Chase. “So where were you before then?”

“Not at the mall, if that’s what you’re implying,” said the man, getting up. His weather-beaten face had taken on a darker shade of puce. Dominic Careen definitely had a temper.

“We were in the woods,” said Rick. “My dad and me both.”

“Can anyone confirm that?”

“I can confirm that my dad was there. And he can confirm that I was there. Isn’t that enough?”

Chase grimaced.“Hardly. Two men knocked out Omar Wissinski this morning, emptied the safe, and killed Jona Morro by dropping a car on top of him. You can see how this raises a number of questions. Especially since it’s not so easy to bring that car down. It requires a lot of physical strength, and a knowledgeof how to work the steel cables that kept the car suspended. You’re both foresters. You’re well-equipped to handle such a job. Well-equipped, with the required know-how and experience plus motivation.”

“Well, we didn’t do it,” said Dominic.

“I suggest you don’t leave town, Mr. Careen,” said Chase, getting up. “And that goes for you, too, Rick.” And after fixing both men with a steely look, he left the room, leaving the three surviving members of the Careen family slightly reeling, I could tell.

But Chase was absolutely right, of course. This job had father and son Careen’s signature written all over it. Kristina wanted Odelia to bring Poppy’s killer to justice, but her husband and son had beaten her to it: they’d meted out that justice personally.

“So what do you think?” asked Odelia once we were back in the car. We could see the Careens glancing at us through the window and they did not look happy.

“It’s them,” said Chase. “It has to be. Who else would do such a thing? Any ordinary robber would have simply tied up both men and emptied that safe. They wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of killing Jona Morro, and most definitely not by dumping his own car on top of him. No, it has to be them.”

“You could always apply for a warrant and search the house,” Odelia suggested. “If it was them they must have stashed the contents of that safe somewhere in the house.”

“No, they’re much too clever for that. They probably got it somewhere in those woods. There must be hundreds of places where they could put that loot. Probably buried next to some tree. And when they figure the time is right, they’ll start spending that money.”

“I don’t know, Chase. Killing Jona Morro is one thing, but stealing the money?”

“Why not? They must have figured that Morro owed them. For the life he took.”

“It’s possible,” she conceded. “So what are you going to do now?”

“Now I keep a close eye on them. At some point they have to dig up the loot. And when they do, I’ll nab them.”

“You’re going to put surveillance on them?”

“Oh, you bet I am.”

“Honestly, Chase, don’t you think the Careens have suffered enough? After all, Morro did kill their little girl. If he died by their hand, maybe they had a point?”

He turned to her with a frown.“Babe, no one should be allowed to take the law into their own hands. That way lies anarchy and chaos.”

She sighed.“I guess you’re right.” She placed a surreptitious hand on her belly. Immediately Chase glanced down, a look of alarm on his face.

“Are you all right?”

“Oh, sure,” she said with a grin. “Just force of habit, I guess.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t be involved in my cases from now on.”

“Chase!” she said.

“At least until after the baby is born.”

“God, babe, not you, too. My mom has been on my case, and so has my dad and Gran. And I’m going to tell you what I told them: if you expect me to stay home from now on until after the birth, you’re crazy. I’m a working woman, and I’m going to keep on working for as long as I can. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that!” she emphasized when Chase tried to interrupt her.

“I know there’s nothing wrong with that, but please be careful, okay?”

She placed a loving hand on his arm.“I’m always careful. And besides, I have you to take care of me, don’t I?”

“That, you have,” said Chase, and they shared a kiss.

Though when Odelia wasn’t looking, Chase gave her a look of concern.

Clearly the cop wasn’t at ease with his wife traipsing around investigating murder cases!

Chapter 9

Mandi Gusta was in a good mood. Ever since her husband had taken over his dad’s garage, business had been picking up with leaps and bounds. The old man was a great mechanic, and a genuinely nice guy, but he had no head for business, and he’d neglected to invest in the old garage he’d taken over from his own dad once upon a long time ago.