Page 10 of In Cold Blood (High Peaks Murder, Mystery and Crime Thrillers #1)

T he last rays of light filtered through trees as the sun melted into the horizon.

Luke’s place was a modest home — a two-story, four-bedroom abode set back from the old railway lines on Station Street.

Directly across from it was the historical museum their mother had worked at after her time as mayor.

It was formerly a train station. Now it housed exhibits and displays on local history.

Waiting in a modern kitchen with neutral warm tones, granite counters, stainless steel appliances, and ambient lighting, Noah leaned against a farm sink, peering out the back window while Kerri got the kids settled.

Outside was a large garden shed that contained a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, two leather chairs, and a TV.

It was Luke’s little escape. A place he could have his own space — a man cave.

Just seeing the property with its tall private cedar hedge and the lilac trees again brought back a flood of memories. Luke and Kerri were high school sweethearts destined to tie the knot and they did a few years after Noah enlisted with the Marines.

He remembered how pumped his brother was about owning his first house .

“You don’t own it, the bank does,” Noah had said sarcastically.

“For now. But one day, Noah. One day this place will be paid off and…”

“You’ll upgrade to a bigger one and owe them more. And the wheels on the bus go round and round.”

Luke had burst out laughing, clanking a bottle of beer against his.

He could have afforded to buy a newer home in one of the modern subdivisions but his brother believed that this home made him look more like the common man.

A blue-collar worker, he’d said. If he was going to serve this community, he couldn’t do it from some lofty upscale pad. No, this had class and history.

Noah turned toward the living room and ran his hand over the exposed wooden beams. The place had an open concept with a fireplace.

There was a bedroom and full bath on the main level and three additional bedrooms and another bathroom upstairs.

Plenty of room to grow, Luke had said, referring to kids.

That had always been their dream. To have at least three kids. They had never gotten that third.

A grandfather clock ticked quietly as his eyes roamed.

Kerri took pride in decorating the place. It was a blend of country and modern. He could see Luke’s influence.

Near the fireplace was a photo of the two of them on the wall just after they got married.

Happy. That summed them up. They had their problems like most married couples but long before they were life partners, they were friends and that had carried them through many a storm.

Everywhere he turned there were family photos of skiing, fishing, hunting, and snorkeling.

Unlike Noah, Luke had a knack for finding balance.

He was fortunate not to suffer from OCD, a disorder that both served Noah and at times crippled him.

Whereas most might read an email once and send it, he would have to do it five or six times.

It wasn’t as much mistakes he was looking for as it was the urge to check.

The same for crime scenes. Other investigators would give their due diligence, going through the motions of what was taught to them, but Noah would find himself returning to a scene countless times almost to the point of obsessing over every little detail.

Had he missed something?

Like the way he might check if his door was locked three or four times before he left a vehicle. The compulsion carried over into his work. He knew it was fine but his brain would tell him no, check again.

It was no surprise that it would affect his marriage.

He’d gotten better over the years, and loosened up, but that came through lots of therapy. Still, there were moments he wished he had more control.

“He loved that one,” Kerri said from behind him. Noah was holding a photo of her and Luke not long after graduation. “He said it was the last time he felt carefree.”

Noah set it down. “I hear you there.”

“Can I get you a coffee?”

“Black. No sugar. Thank you.”

“Just the way he liked his.” She smiled, walking back into the kitchen. Noah remained there a moment longer before following her in.

“He said you and him liked a lot of the same things.”

“Yeah. It certainly caused a few arguments growing up.”

She allowed herself a pained smile as she emptied the back of a Nespresso machine, then popped in a fresh capsule.

Noah took a seat at a pine table with four chairs. The centerpiece was filled with a variety of fruit.

“How is the real estate business?” he asked, it was habit.

Small talk. A means to delay talking about the one thing he really wanted to know.

He decided he would wait until she had a moment to breathe before he dropped the questions on her.

There was so much he wanted to ask — information he knew she would have been privy to but that the Sheriff’s Office might not be inclined to share with him.

“Still in high demand.”

She’d been selling homes since she was twenty-two.

Made a name for herself in High Peaks. Her mugshot was all over the town on billboards and benches.

That was the only upside to all of this.

She’d be able to support the kids. Of course, police widows usually received a monthly death benefit.

So that would come in handy though he imagined that was the last thing on her mind.

The aroma of roasted coffee filled the room.

Kerri came over with his coffee and took a seat across from him.

Noah reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He didn’t rely on notes or his memory. It was easier to refer back to a recording.

“I was hoping I could ask you a few questions about Luke, you know — that night, would you be okay with that?” He wanted to be mindful that she was grieving and had probably already been grilled.

One of the first things the Sheriff’s Office would have done besides handling the scene would have been to speak with family, friends, colleagues, and possible mistresses if there were any.

Time was of the essence. It had already been four days since the shooting. By the time he got word of Luke’s death, the body had already been released back to the family for burial and due to the nature of the crime, it was a closed-casket funeral.

“I thought State was working with the Sheriff’s Office?”

“They are. I’m not. It would be considered a conflict of interest. Though, with it being a small town and all, I will speak with Roberts and the assigned State investigator to see where I might be able to help. Do you know if they’ve taken Luke’s personal computers or cell phone yet?”

“Deputy Hendrix collected it. He said their tech guy would be able to access it.”

Kerri took a sip of her drink. “So, what do you know?” she asked.

“Only what has been released to the media. They believe he was ambushed. Targeted. What I want to know is why? What was the motivation? Who would benefit from his death?”

“I don’t know.”

“Have they shown you the police report?”

“No. They only told me he was shot multiple times and never had a chance to draw his weapon. They warned me before I saw him down at the morgue. After that, I was in too much of a state to process anything else. So, anything else they told me was just white noise.”

Noah nodded. Having worked with survivors of all manner of crimes, he wanted to be careful to not dredge up anything that might cause even more pain, but in some ways it was inevitable.

“In the days and weeks leading up to his death, did Luke ever mention anything out of the ordinary? A case he was working on? Suspicions he had? Did he have any confrontations with locals?”

Kerri shook her head. “No. We agreed early in our marriage that he wouldn’t bring his work home with him.

That once that door closed, he didn’t discuss work.

It was best for both of us and the kids.

Of course, if there were days where I could see it affected him, he would tell me things but.

.. well, he tended to skirt around the finer details. ”

“Did he seem bothered that week?”

“That week. That month. Yeah. He was a lot more withdrawn.” She paused for a moment. “He told me to let him know if I thought I was being followed. ”

“Were you?”

“Not that I noticed.”

“Did you ask for more details?”

“I asked him if I should be worried. He said no. It was just precautionary since the recent busts.”

“Busts?”

“He was heading up the drugs unit. With Axel’s help, he’d shut down a lot of narcotics entering the county.”

“So the office told you that?”

“The Sheriff’s Office? No. Luke did. He wanted us to be safe.”

Noah nodded. “These precautions. You think it was related to that?”

“He didn’t say directly but I kind of figured it was. It was around that time.”

Noah took a sip of his coffee and leaned forward. Kerri nursed her cup, turning it ever so slowly in her hand and looking down into it.

“So you never saw anyone following you?”

“No. If there was, they were very careful to not be seen. Look, Noah, it’s Adirondack County. You know this place. It’s full of tourists. Locals try to stay out of the way in the busy seasons. Nothing bad happens in this town or at least used to.”

He nodded slowly, thinking back to what Alicia had said about a bad element and how things had changed.