Page 5 of In Cold Blood (High Peaks Murder, Mystery and Crime Thrillers #1)

H e couldn’t be angry.

The years had taught him that everyone was a product of their childhood, culture, upbringing, and the accumulation of experiences.

Despite their strained relationship, Hugh was a good father.

A man who worked hard in the community. He valued family but more than that he valued tradition.

Any deviation from either just didn’t make sense to him.

How could it? His father had been sheriff, and his father before that, and so on for four generations.

It was reasonable that he would expect the same of his offspring.

Except Noah had no interest in following the same worn path.

He wanted to forge his own way, not live in the shadow of another or have his actions measured by those that had gone before him.

Working for the State Bureau of Investigation had given him that chance. A clean slate. No name to live up to.

For him, it made sense.

For his father, not so much.

In the years after their mother’s death, Hugh struggled with symptoms of early Alzheimer’s and was forced to resign. That didn’t help. Noah knew that burned him deeply. His identity and world were wrapped up in serving the community and those in the Sheriff’s Office.

The truck blasted past a large green welcome sign for High Peaks.

What should have taken thirty-five minutes was reduced to fifteen as Noah pushed the speed limit. As he eased off the gas, his gaze roamed the street, taking in the sight of new businesses, and old ones that had closed. It was unfortunate but that was progress.

American flags flapped gently in the breeze, attached to vintage-style lampposts. Couples rode by on bicycles. Canoes and kayaks lined the edge of a shimmering lake. Teens and adults alike bathed along the banks of the river while summer tourists clogged up the main stretch.

If he was honest, he missed it.

The truck rolled past art and craft shops. Mom-and-pop stores were plentiful, selling unique upstate New York gifts. Noah smiled at the memory of taking an old girlfriend to the Castle, a vintage theater that had been running movies on four screens since 1926.

Beyond that was a small breakfast diner his parents would take them to every month, and then beyond that was Dominoes, the quirky bar he’d had his first beer in.

For a moment he forgot the reasons why he left.

Eight years since his last visit, twenty since he left home.

A lot had changed and some things remained the same.

The picturesque town was nestled in the tri-lakes region, surrounded by the Adirondack Mountains, and perched on the edge of High Peaks Lake close to Mirror Lake.

It was every bit a tourist town, a perfect place for young and old to escape the hustle and bustle of overcrowded city life.

It couldn’t be said that it was a blue-collar community, as the people were as varied as the shades of gold and red that adorned the northern hardwood forest in the fall.

Although many visited for the lakes or mountains, others stayed for the people, the culture, and the all-season outdoor lifestyle.

With his eyes covered by Ray-Ban sunglasses and a dark baseball cap set low on his head, no one gave him a second look, but they would, when he arrived at the large Calvary Pentecostal Church. His stomach sank and his pulse sped up just thinking about it.

The closer he got, the wider his eyes grew.

Luke would have been stunned at the turnout.

Cars and trucks lined either side of the street. Hundreds lingered outside the church, unable to squeeze in. The building was a low-slung, one-story white structure with wide siding and a huge cross on the top. It was traditional. Another reason Hugh picked it.

Several police officers from neighboring counties were there to offer their support and give Luke the sendoff he deserved.

It touched his heart so much to see such a response that Noah felt himself becoming choked up as he slowed.

It was becoming all too real now. Solidifying.

It was more than a message delivered by a colleague.

More than a media snippet. This was really happening.

County deputies redirected traffic, waving to get him to slow down.

With the sheer number of those that had filled the lot, he was unsure of where he could or should park. He brought his window down as he got closer to an officer giving him directions.

Noah removed his sunglasses.

The officer paused and looked like he had seen a ghost.

“I’m not him,” Noah said quickly. “I’m his brother.”

“Right. Um.” The poor guy looked at a loss for words. “If you want to head into the lot over there, I’ll have one of our guys pull out.”

“Are you sure? I can always park down the road.”

“No. No. Seriously, it’s fine. You’ll get in faster. Just wait a second.”

The officer looked disturbed as he got on the radio and turned his shoulder. “Got a family member. Can you pull out one of the cruisers to make way?”

Immediately after, he gave a strained smile as he waved Noah in.

Noah thanked him and followed his directions into the lot. The cop must have told the one who was pulling out who he was, as the officer slowed and looked out the driver’s side window at Noah.

Of course, some knew Luke had a twin but not everyone.

Killing the engine, Noah tossed his ballcap and ran both hands through his thick black hair, smoothing it back before he exhaled hard, took a second, then got out and collected a dark suit jacket from the rear.

As he was donning it, people gawked as they strolled by.

“Brother,” he said, shaking his head and then mouthing the word multiple times.

Whether they understood or not, didn’t seem to matter.

He had a feeling he would be doing a lot of that today.

Swallowing nervous tension, he crossed the parking lot and headed for the main doors.

Double. Hardwood. Closed. They were manned by two officers.

Although his brother may have mentioned him, he’d left High Peaks long before any of these cops had been hired.

So again, they had that deer-in-the-headlights expression as one of them opened the door and the other handed him a white pamphlet with the funeral program.

The lobby was packed with those who weren’t able to fit into the main auditorium.

He recognized a few faces but most were strangers.

They wore uniforms from multiple counties.

Local PD. Sheriff’s Office, State Police.

It was a mixed bag. Heads turned; mouths widened.

Noah felt warm beads of sweat trickle down his back.

The sudden sense that he was under the glare of bright lights and confused eyes only added to the unease.

He couldn’t possibly explain to them all so he kept his chin low and made a beeline through the crowd.

His shoulder brushed up against strangers who looked on, startled.

Fortunately, Madeline had anticipated what now most would deem his late arrival and was waiting for him across the foyer.

A hand went up, but no smile formed. Her face was full of anguish and anxiety.

Her eyes were red from crying. The two of them shouldered their way through the sweaty mass until she looped her arm around his. “I’m glad you made it.”

He replied only with a nod.

From outside the main sanctuary, he could hear a muffled voice speaking over a mic. A door opened before them, and it became clear.

The room was divided and shaped into a half circle with rows of chairs and three aisles.

Right up the middle near the front was a coffin draped in an American flag.

Behind that, a dark brown carpeted platform with musical equipment, a glass podium, and several members of the Adirondack Sheriff’s Office seated on chairs to the left.

Noah figured Madeline would have saved a seat nearer the back, somewhere he could slip into without being noticed.

Nope. As they moved up the center aisle, heads turned and eyes bore into him.

There were a few gasps. Murmurs spread. Keeping his eyes ahead, he and Madeline hurried to the front where they took a seat beside Ray and Luke’s wife, Kerri, and the kids, Willow and Austin.

He couldn’t imagine what was going through their minds.

He’d only seen his brother’s children once when they were younger, long before they could remember him.

Their eyes went as wide as dollar coins and Kerri leaned into them and whispered something, no doubt explaining again.

He could only assume she’d already had the conversation but seeing him in the flesh beyond a photo must have been odd.

As he took his seat, Ray leaned over and patted Noah’s leg, and winked.

Ray was wearing his local PD uniform.

He was an imposing man, two years his senior, hair receding but tidy.

Noah scanned faces, looking for his pops.

It didn’t take long. He saw his father on the far side of the stage, sipping on a bottle of water.

Hugh offered back that familiar look of disappointment.

He now realized why he’d sped up the time of the funeral.

According to the program, it was only meant to last an hour.

Perhaps he was hoping Noah wouldn’t make it, or maybe this was exactly what he wanted — an entire community seeing his late arrival.

Rubbing sweaty palms across his pants, Noah cleared his throat and looked down at the program to get a sense of where they were while at the same time trying to distract his mind from the awkwardness.