Page 29 of In Cold Blood

“Operation Heat Wave.”

“That’s it. But he didn’t think it ended there.”

Alicia climbed the ladder and he followed.

“So you’ve seen all of this,” Noah said, climbing in behind her.

Her eyes widened and she glanced around the attic full of missing posters, notes, maps, and photographs pinned to chipboard. “Nope.”

Noah’s brow furrowed. “C’mon, Alicia. I saw the cup with lipstick on it.”

“That’s not mine.”

“You’re telling me that you own this place and he used it but you never asked him why he put a padlock on the attic door?”

“Of course I did. He said it was related to Operation Heat Wave. That I’d already done enough to help and he didn’t want to drag me into anything more. Whatever he was storing in there was private. Police business. It’s not like you can ask a hotel guest what is in the safe.”

Noah nodded. “So you never pressed him on it?”

She lifted an eyebrow. “He’s your brother, a cop, and he was paying good money. He even offered to throw a few more dollars my way to make it look modern if he decided not to buy it. You should have seen the state of the place. It was previously owned by someone from out of town and only used in the summer. It was beyond rustic. I didn’t have the funds to dump into it. For me, the agreement with your brother was a win-win situation. If he didn’t buy it, I ended up with a property that looked better than when he arrived. If he did, I made some coin.”

Noah walked toward the dormer window and looked out.

“What is it?” she asked.

“If he was paying you, surely Kerri would have questioned him about where money was going.”

“Unless he had his own account. You’d have to ask her.”

“How did he pay you?”

“In advance. Six months at a time. All cash. That was a year ago.”

“He’s been using it for a year?”

“Yeah.”

“And you never saw that attic open?”

“I’ve only been in here, what… three times, since the beginning of the year. Maintenance and whatnot.”

“Did you notice any change in him?”

“Sure I did. The week before he died, he was acting different.”

“In what way?”

“Skittish. Worried. He took it upon himself to get a second key cut for the door and told me to hang onto it. Said it was just in case he lost the other. Now though, I figure he must have assumed I would find the attic.” She paused. “Listen, Noah, your brother told me this place was eventually going to be a surprise for Kerri. I assumed he might use it for work too. I figured that’s all this was. Confidential police work.” She walked past him and looked at the photos and vast array of paperwork. “So your guess is as good as mine as to what he was working on in his spare time.”

Noah wasn’t sure what to believe or who was keeping secrets.

“As a game warden, you work this county just like him. Surely he must have mentioned why he was looking into my ex-wife?”

“No. Your brother was very tight-lipped. Stick around in this county long enough and you’ll find most folks are. Drugs. A cover-up. Who knows? He believed that something big washappening in town and that some of the key players he busted in Operation Heat Wave were just the tip of the iceberg.”

“Like who?”

“Look, you want answers I don’t have. But whatever he got himself tangled up in, it didn’t end well for him and it won’t for you. So my advice is to box all of this up and hand it over to State. Let them deal with it. Enjoy your time with your family and leave it at that.”