02 Outwitted Page 23

  Sadie and Jane sat at a table in front of the viewing window. A deputy and two technicians monitored the recording equipment while Lon and Deputy Wayne questioned Dan. The sheriff said, "The main reason Lon wanted you here is to verify information. You know the history of Cabin 12 better than anyone."

  The sheriff instructed the technician to adjust the volume and test the headphones. Jane whispered to Sadie, "Cabin 12? Why Cabin 12? Who else are they interviewing?"

  "Probably Clay," Sadie said. "Dan might have told him something."

  "Recognize this?" Lon held up the uniform.

  "No."

  "You don't? That's odd. Isn't this a photo of your wife?" Lon dangled the ID badge in front of Dan. He placed it on the table and tapped Pam's photo. "That is Pam. That's the woman who abducted the baby from the hospital."

  "The hell it is," Dan shouted. He stood and knocked the chair backward.

  Deputy Wayne righted the chair. He pointed at it. "Sit."

  "You better do what he says, Dan. We're going to be here a long time. You might as well get comfortable." Lon pulled out a chair and sat across from Dan. "Are you sure you don't want an attorney?"

  "I already told you. I didn't do nothing. Why do I need an attorney?"

  Deputy Wayne grinned at Lon. "He doesn't look that dumb, does he?"

  "Not really." Lon contemplated Dan's features.

  Squirming under their scrutiny, Dan glared back at the deputies. "What?"

  "What puzzles me most is what a beautiful woman like Pam sees in a loser like you." Deputy Wayne shrugged and removed his cap. He tossed it on the table. "I just can't figure it out."

  Dan's back stiffened as he leaned into the table. "You leave her out of this."

  Lon laughed. "I don't think we can. She's your partner, isn't she?"

  "She didn't do anything," Dan said. "That's our baby."

  The smile vanished from Lon's face as his eyes flashed a warning. "Now I know you're stupid. The baby we found in your cabin is the same one abducted from the hospital. The cord blood, the birthmark, and the foot prints are a match. Just because we're not a fancy metropolitan sheriff's department doesn't mean we can't solve a case."

  "Yeah, right." Dan snickered before adding, "That will be the day."

  "Thank goodness Pam's mother didn't drop her on her head like your mother did." Deputy Wayne strolled slowly around the table and stood behind Dan. "At least Pam's not stupid. She told the truth."

  Dan looked back over his shoulder.

  Silence hung in the air as the deputies stared at Dan.

  "Did something happen to the sound?" Jane looked toward the technician.

  "It's a tactic. The longer they keep him guessing, the more likely he is to cave in."

  "Then he is dumb," Sadie said. "It's obvious they're trying to make him think Pam spilled the beans."

  "I know that and you know that. When you're facing 30 years in prison, you're willing to take the chance they're bluffing." The sheriff stood when the dispatcher handed him a note. "Put him in a holding room for a few minutes."

  When the sheriff sat next to Sadie, she leaned in close to his ear. "He needs an attorney."

  "My guess is he's trying to look innocent. Most people think when they request an attorney it's obvious they've got something to hide." The sheriff's eyes narrowed as he stared at Dan. "I have a sneaking suspicion Dan's got a trump card. He'll play it when the time is right."

  Lon opened the folder and turned the writing so Dan could recognize it. He flipped the top sheet over, but slid it strategically so Pam's signature was exposed on the sheet below. "Do you want to know what Pam said?"

  Dan stared at the signature. He reached for the folder.

  Lon pulled it from Dan's reach. "Your wife told us everything. She's willing to give us evidence in exchange for a lighter sentence."

  "That bitch. She wouldn't do that." Dan slammed his fist against the table. "You're lying."

  Lon paged through the folder and pulled out a sheet. "Does the name Reginald Carson ring a bell?"

  An agonizing scream burst from Dan's lips as he swept the folder off the table. "I'll kill her. I knew it. I knew she'd do this to me."

  A deputy burst through the interrogation door to help the men subdue Dan. While Deputy Wayne handcuffed Dan's hand to the table, Lon gathered the papers and picked the recorder up off the floor. He tested the recorder before placing it back on the table.

  "You could learn a thing or two from your wife. Maybe making a deal isn't all that bad." Lon opened the folder again.

  "You already got everything you need," Dan spat. "You're crazy if you think I'm going to help you."

  "From what Pam said, you're sitting on evidence that's more important than you realize. If you're willing to share, I'm willing to talk to the DA about reducing the charge."

  "What are you talking about?"

  "I'm talking about two people," Lon said. "Who else is involved?"

  "I already told you. Nobody."

  "What about Clay Harren?"

  "That idiot?" Dan laughed. "You can't be serious. Most of the time he doesn't know his pecker from a banana. He didn't have anything to do with the abduction."

  "Then who did?"

  "You tell me if you're so damn smart."

  "How about the honorable Judge Kimmer?" Deputy Wayne raised his brows in anticipation. "That name ring a bell?"

  "That bitch really stuck the knife in deep, didn't she?" Dan rolled his head back toward his shoulders and ran his free hand across the nape of his neck.

  "Actually, it started coming together when Sadie found the bones under Clay's cabin. We already figured out something was going on between Kimmer and Reginald Carson, but when Pam told us you worked for Carson, we realized we'd hit pay dirt."

  "I'm still upset with Bernie," Jane said. "He gave me his cell phone number, but when I call, he says leave a message."

  "I told you he had business to tend to. He'll call when he has time." Sadie folded the newspaper in half. "Look at this. Here's a picture of Judge Kimmer being taken out of the station on a stretcher."

  Jane stood next to Sadie and peered over her shoulder. "Did Lon say if he's still on the critical list?"

  "I think he's going to make it. It was a heart attack. Wouldn't that have been a kicker if he'd have croaked in the interrogation room?"

  "When Kimmer collapsed, I thought the sheriff was going to have a stroke. Thank goodness they got him to admit everything first."

  Sadie ran her finger along the print. "The paper says Kimmer confessed because he couldn't bear the burden any more. That's a bunch of baloney. He confessed because Dan named him and because the notebook we found with Celeste's body was his."

  "How did you finally realize it was Oinketta's writing?"

  "It came to me when I listened to Lon accuse Kimmer of killing Celeste," Sadie said.

  "Kimmer didn't kill Celeste. He said Oinketta's husband killed her."

  "When Celeste realized Kimmer was involved in an abduction ring and threatened to expose him, Kimmer got Oinketta's husband to try to reason with her. Kimmer told him he'd take Oinketta down, too, if he ever was arrested or went to trial. His own sister. Can you believe it? When Oinketta's husband tried to get the notebook back, they scuffled and Celeste fell and hit her head. She died in the fall."

  "I still don't know how they managed to bury her under the cabin," Jane said.

  "Kimmer knew his folks never used the cabin. He thought it would be safe to bury her there and move the body later. Kimmer had no way of knowing his folks had signed over the deed and we were the new owners. He never had the opportunity to move the body."

  "What does that have to do with Oinketta's handwriting?"

  "Lon suspected the killer and the person with the handwriting were one and the same. When I remembered Oinketta had been Kimmer's secretary before Celeste took the job, I mentioned it to Lon. He pulled a few old court documents and sure enough, the writing matched. Oinketta used to keep Kimmer's bo
oks. Lon used the same ploy Kimmer had used on Oinketta's husband and threatened to have Oinketta indicted as an accomplice. When Kimmer heard that, he admitted everything. Apparently he no longer felt the need to involve his sister."

  "Do you think Oinketta was involved?" Jane stared at the photo of Kimmer's rotund belly protruding high above the stretcher.

  "Lon doesn't think so. He thinks she documented names and numbers according to what Kimmer gave her. Strictly bookkeeping. He doesn't think she was smart enough to figure it out. At least that's the impression Lon got when he questioned her."

  "I wouldn't be so sure," Jane said.

  "Lon checked Oinketta's financial records. There's no evidence of suspicious income, so Lon doesn't think she ever pocketed any money from the abductions. Lon figures Oinketta's husband took Celeste's murder to the grave. Only he and Kimmer knew about it."

  Jane walked to the screen door. "Come on in, Aanders. It's been quite a week, hasn't it?"

  Aanders plopped into Jane's recliner and grabbed the remote control. "I'm glad Sally's gone. What a pest. She followed me everywhere. It was spooky waking up at night and finding her staring at me."

  "I have to agree, but I'm afraid you're going to have to get used to it," Sadie said.

  "Why can't they all be grownups like Jed? I really liked him."

  "Me, too. We'll have to wait and see who our next guests will be." Sadie pulled the remote from Aanders hand. "How about going fishing?"

  "Really?" Aanders jumped up and ran to the door. "Can I drive the boat?"

  "Let's take the pontoon. That way we can roast hot dogs on the grill and take our sweet time. I want to try the new fishing rod I bought last week."

  "Cool." Aanders threw open the screen door. He stopped in his tracks. "Oh, oh."

  "What?" Sadie's nose brushed against Aanders' right arm as she bumped into him.

  "I don't think we're going anywhere. There's a man sitting on your porch swing. He's got a gun." Aanders turned back toward Sadie. "I think he's a crosser."

  Robin Trelz

  is the winner of the

  Dog Treat Recipe Contest

  featured at

  www.bsolheim.com

  MYSTERIOUS MEATBALLS

  1 pound ground chuck

  1/2 cup uncooked minute rice

  1/4 cup plain dried bread crumbs

  1 egg

  2 tablespoons ketchup

  Parmesan cheese

  Mix all ingredients except cheese. Form into small meatballs with a melon scooper. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Place in a 9" by 12" glass baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes until cooked through. Let cool.

  I keep enough in the refrigerator to use within three days and freeze the rest. They make excellent bit-sized treats to give throughout the day. My dogs love them!

  Robin Trelz

  Decatur, Illinois

  Like the main character in her Sadie Witt mystery series, Beth Solheim was born with a healthy dose of imagination and a hankering to solve a puzzle. She learned her reverence for reading from her mother, who was never without a book in her hand.

  By day, Beth works in Human Resources. By night she morphs into a writer who frequents lake resorts and mortuaries and hosts a ghost or two in her humorous paranormal mysteries.

  Raised and still living in Northern Minnesota, she resides in lake country with a menagerie of wildlife critters.

  Visit

  www.bsolheim.com