Chapter 29

Wednesday, 4:36 p.m.

ANNIE WAS IN the office when the doorbell rang. She peeked through the front window, saw Hank’s car parked at the curb, and went to the front door.

“I came to pick up the recording of Michael Norton,” Hank said, when Annie opened the door.

She motioned for him to come in. He stepped inside, followed Annie into the living room, and took a seat on the couch. Annie went to the office, retrieved the recording, and brought it out to him.

Jake came into the room and sat on the other end of the couch, his feet resting on the coffee table.

Hank cleared his throat and spoke. “I think I should let you know; Michael Norton’s body was found.”

Annie’s mouth dropped open and she stared at Hank in disbelief. “I just talked to him.” She moved to the armchair, sat and leaned forward, waiting for Hank to continue.

“He was killed shortly after he called you,” Hank said. “I just came from there, dropped King off at the precinct, and I’m on my way to see Tammy Norton now. But I wanted to listen to this recording first.”

“What happened? Where was the body found?” Jake asked.

“Down by the railroad tracks near an access road. It appears he was shot elsewhere and then dumped there.”

“He was afraid for his life,” Annie said. “That’s why he called me.”

Hank stood. “Maybe we’d better play the recording. I’d like to hear it before I visit Mrs. Norton.”

Annie stood and led the way to the office. She took a seat and started the recording. Jake stood by the desk while Hank sat and listened silently.

“The final known words of Michael Norton,” Hank said when it was finished playing. “And he’s accusing Rocky Shaft of his murder.”

“Is he right about the possibility of planted evidence?” Jake asked.

“It’s possible,” Hank said. “And it wouldn’t be the first time someone was framed. His point about the shell casing with his print on it is logical. The idea Shaft borrowed his car is a little harder to swallow, but not impossible.”

“He certainly predicted his own death accurately,” Annie said.

“But he’s wrong about one thing,” Hank interrupted.

“What’s that?”

“The case doesn’t get closed by his death, as he said. As long as we have evidence pointing elsewhere, we’ll continue to investigate.”

“True enough,” Jake said. “But would you have that evidence without this recording?”

Hank pursed his lips and said thoughtfully, “Perhaps not. All the evidence for Werner Shaft’s murder points toward Norton. However, once we find Norton’s killer, that evidence might point elsewhere.”

“Toward Rocky Shaft, possibly.”

“Perhaps,” Hank said, a deep frown on his brow. “But there’s even more evidence against Norton now. He had a .38-caliber gun on him, the same caliber that killed Werner Shaft. Ballistics will tell whether or not it’s the same gun.”

“If Rocky Shaft killed Norton, then he could’ve planted it.”

“True enough,” Hank said. “But if the crown is convinced of Norton’s guilt, they can’t prosecute a dead man, and the real killer might go free.”

“Then we have to find out who killed Norton,” Annie said.

“Norton also wore a red, plaid shirt,” Hank said. “The witness to Shaft’s murder stated that’s what the killer wore. Granted, that’s only circumstantial evidence, but it’s one more piece.”

“What about Punky Brown or whatever his name is?” Jake asked. “Could he have had a hand in either one of these killings?”

Hank shook his head. “He has a solid alibi for Shaft’s murder. He was with his parole officer. And he was in our custody when Norton was killed.”

“What about that drug money heist the three of them were involved in?” Annie asked. “Maybe they were found out and they’re being picked off one by one.”

“There’s a problem with that theory,” Jake put in. “Why would they frame Norton?”

Hank nodded. “It seems like a lot of trouble for no good reason. And it would be hard for them to set up a frame. They would need access to Norton’s gun to place his fingerprints at the scene. And what about the car, and the plaid shirt? It seems to me, if it were the drug dealers getting their revenge, they would need to know a lot about Norton to set up such a solid frame job.”

“So, we’re back to Rocky Shaft then,” Annie said.

“We certainly have to check him out a lot closer.”

“The real killer—or killers—might be someone else entirely,” Jake added.

“That’s the thing,” Hank said. “We don’t know for sure if we’re looking for one killer, or two.”

“Michael Norton claimed his wife knew nothing about the heist,” Annie said. “And Maria Shaft claimed not to know of any relationship between her husband and Norton. Hank, how true do you think that is?”

Hank shrugged. “I see no evidence against that, but it’s a hard thing to prove.” He paused. “But I’m not making any assumptions either way.”

“I’m thinking out loud here,” Jake said. “But if Norton killed Shaft, then was Norton killed out of revenge? Or did one person kill both?”

Annie said, “If it was one person, why go to the trouble of framing Norton, just to kill him?”

“To throw suspicion away from the real killer,” Hank said.

“Then why kill Norton? Why not leave the frame in place? By killing Norton, it keeps a case open that otherwise could’ve been closed.”

Hank leaned his head back, closed his eyes, and let out a long breath. “We’re missing something here for sure. A lot of this doesn’t make sense, and I can’t come up with a clear motive for either murder.”

“It might come straight back to money,” Jake said. “I’d say it has something to do with the money from the heist. I don’t see any other motive.”

“If so,” Hank said. “Rocky Shaft is either a person of interest, or his life’s in danger too.”

Annie stood and paced the floor. Something didn’t make sense with all of this. She stopped and turned to Hank. “If the killer was convinced he had a solid frame in place, why try to kill us?”

“Because he was afraid we might prove otherwise,” Jake said.

Annie nodded. “Maria Shaft hired us. Rocky Shaft knew all about that, and it might’ve given him a reason to get rid of us. If he framed Norton, he wouldn’t want us digging into anything.”

“Sure, that’s possible,” Hank said. “But is Rocky Shaft stupid enough to threaten Norton, and then go out and kill him?”

Annie laughed out loud and covered her mouth. “Pardon me for laughing. I know there’s nothing funny about this, but it seems we’re going around in circles.”

“The forensic report might give us a lead to follow,” Hank said. “And when I hear from the ME, perhaps she might have something enlightening.”

“I hope so,” Annie said. “And I’ll give it some more thought. We’re missing a piece of the puzzle.”

Hank stood and looked at his watch. “I’d better go see Tammy Norton now.”

Chapter 30

Wednesday, 5:11 p.m.

HANK PULLED to the curb in front of the Norton house and shut off his vehicle. He wasn’t looking forward to the next few minutes. This was the part of his job he dreaded the most; notifying family members was always difficult and awkward, and it never got easier with practice.

He got out of his vehicle, passed Tammy’s Ford Probe parked in the driveway, and made his way up the path to the front door. He paused a moment, his finger on the doorbell, took a few quick breaths, and rang the bell.

Tammy Norton recognized him when she answered the door. “Good evening, Detective Corning,” she said, a questioning look on her face.

“May I come in for a moment?” Hank asked.