The Heirloom Murders - Kathleen Ernst [73]
“Yeah?”
“Do you think the killer might have been after Dellyn? She and Harriet were dressed almost identically. My yellow braid shows, and if someone had been watching while I walked to Ketola, he would have known I wasn’t Dellyn. But it would have been easy to confuse Dellyn and Harriet, especially in the dark.”
Roelke maintained a grim, thoughtful silence.
“Same thing about the night I got hit from behind. I was in Dellyn’s barn. Whoever was there might have assumed that if anyone came in, it would be Dellyn. The attacker might have switched off the lights as soon as he heard someone come in, before he got a good look at me.”
Roelke exhaled slowly. “It’s possible. But what’s the motive?”
“It’s almost like someone is after the Burke family. First her parents, then Bonnie …” She pounded one fist lightly on her knee. “Maybe somebody was blackmailing Bonnie.”
“About what?”
“I don’t know. But you’re the one who keeps insisting that there was some specific reason she chose to take her life. It’s possible.”
What’s possible, Roelke thought, is that you are mixed up in something dangerous. His fingers strangled the steering wheel. Death by scythe suggested rage on the killer’s part. And if Harriet Van Dyne’s killer had been the same person who’d attacked Chloe in Dellyn’s barn, then Chloe had twice been in close contact with a murderer.
He turned into her driveway. “Look,” Roelke said, “it’s really late. How about I sleep on your sofa tonight?” He’d done it before.
“Well … OK.”
Was there some relief in her voice? He couldn’t tell. “Then in the morning I can run you up to get your car. I don’t have to work until evening. Maybe we could do something during the day. Something relaxing.” He turned off the engine and turned to look at her. In the faint light her skin looked like porcelain.
“That sounds nice,” Chloe said. Then her face clouded, and she sucked in her lower lip. “Oh—no, wait. Tomorrow’s Saturday. I … I’m sorry. I already have plans.” She got out of the car, shut the door, and began walking across the lawn.
For a moment Roelke sat immobile, watching. He’d been close to something good. So close! But it had slipped away. And he was pretty sure that Chloe’s plans involved Alpine Boy, the bastard. Why else wouldn’t she tell him what those plans were?
He got out of the car and followed Chloe. He didn’t want her to think he’d changed his mind about spending the night. He had no idea why Bonnie had killed herself. He had no idea why Harriet Van Dyne had been killed. He had no idea why Dellyn Burke seemed to be in the middle of a tornado of tragedies. What he did know? Chloe had somehow wound herself into some serious trouble.
You might have Chloe tomorrow, Alpine Boy, Roelke thought grimly. But I’m the one who’s here tonight. And I’m the one who’s going to keep her safe.
The next afternoon, Chloe once again found herself driving to a rendezvous with Markus. And once again, she cursed herself for being an idiot. Her eyes felt bleary. Her head felt fuzzy. Her nerves felt frazzled. It was not a good day to spend time with her ex.
The sense of intimacy she’d felt with Roelke the night before had vanished with the sunrise. She’d scrambled eggs for breakfast. Conversation had been polite. “Um, listen … I could probably cancel my plans for the day,” she’d said. If she could reach Markus.
“No need,” Roelke had said, with formal courtesy. He’d driven her back to Old World, and she’d collected her car. She thanked him for his help. They said an awkward good-bye. “Be careful,” he’d told her, before driving away.
“Dumb, dumb, dumb,” she muttered. It had been nice of Roelke to suggest doing something relaxing today. If she hadn’t been so exhausted, so dazed by Harriet’s murder, she would never have put him off. How could she spend time with Markus today? Roelke was the one who understood what had happened to her the night before.
Well, nothing for it now but to see the thing through. Gritting her teeth, she pointed her car toward New Glarus.
_____
When Chloe and Markus got to the Frietag farm, Martine