Chapter 5
The buildup for the Labor Day challenge grew to a frenzy. Jeff qualified for the city’s firemen’s muster team, and the whole Wainthrop family decided to cheer him on in Bangor on Saturday. George and Marilyn insisted that all the children and grandchildren stay at the farmhouse in Skowhegan.
“We’ll put up a tent for the boys,” George told Peter. Gary and Andy’s excitement kept them bouncing. They would start school on the Wednesday after the holiday weekend, and the visit to their new mom’s family farm was an adventure.
“They’re all wound up about going to Grammy and Grandpa’s,” Abby told Jennifer.
“Are they excited about starting school?” Harvey asked.
“Well, yes, but Andy’s going into first grade, and he’s a little nervous.”
“He’ll be fine,” Harvey said. Peter and Abby had discussed home schooling, but Abby had decided not to do that, at least not this year. She wanted time to sort out her new life, and this way she left open the option of working part time if she wanted.
“How about Gary?” Jennifer asked.
“He’s cool with it. He looks forward to seeing all his friends again.”
The farmhouse was full, even with the Hobart boys and Travis and Randy Wainthrop camping in the backyard. Jeff and Beth took Jeff’s old room, and Abby and Peter had the boys’ room. Leeanne slept on the sofa so Harvey and Jennifer could have her room. She evaded questions from her mother, when it came to her love life.
“This isn’t a good time, Mom,” Jennifer confided when Leeanne was out of earshot. “Just leave her alone for a while.”
“Do you think she still loves him?” her mother asked anxiously.
“I’m not sure that matters right now. She’s wrestling with some very big issues.”
“What’s bigger than love?” Marilyn asked, but Jennifer didn’t really have an answer.
Eddie had stayed in Portland, on call for the police department. Harvey gave him strict orders to call him if anything serious came up, but Saturday’s events went uninterrupted. Bangor won the playground building competition, but Jeff and his team made a valiant effort, edging out the Bangor firemen on the rescue drill and midnight call at the muster. The stage was set for a close finish in the Public Works and Police Department finals on Monday.
Jeff took Beth around to visit some of his old friends from the Skowhegan Fire Department that evening, and the rest of the family barbecued at the farmhouse. George and Marilyn saw the weekend as an opportunity to get to know their new grandchildren better, taking Gary and Andy to the Children’s Museum after the firemen’s muster ended.
“Don’t spoil them, Mom,” Abby cautioned when Marilyn handed out Popsicles after supper. Randy and Travis joined their “nephews” in taking the snack out to their campsite.
“A treat won’t hurt them,” Marilyn said complacently.
“They’ve been eating junk food all day,” Abby replied mildly.
“Doesn’t Peter’s mother give them sweets?”
“Well, yes.” Abby gave her mother a squeeze. “I’m not upset. I really appreciate you treating them the way you do.”
“We got a bonanza in grandchildren this spring,” George laughed. “Connor first, then your boys.”
“Well, Connor was our first grandchild, even if he’s younger,” Marilyn said, “but pretty soon we’re going to have a whole pack of them.
“I intend to enjoy every minute of being a grandfather.” George reached for a Popsicle. “This house is too quiet with only Randy left home.”
“Travis is settled in Orono?” Abby asked.
“Yes, he drove up alone for registration on Tuesday and didn’t come back until last night,” Marilyn said fretfully. “I’m not sure I like him living in the dorm.”
“We all did it,” Abby said.
“You hated it,” her mother replied. “Your second year at Husson, you got an apartment with that Linda girl. She was nice, but I missed having you at home.”
“Living on campus has its drawbacks,” Abby said. “But we all lived through it.”
“Lived through what?” Leeanne asked as she entered the kitchen.
“Dorm life.” Marilyn held out the box of Popsicles. “Jennifer?”
“No, thanks,” said Jennifer.
Leeanne poked into the box. “Hey, no orange left?”
“Here.” George held his out to her. “Give me purple.”
“Thanks, Dad. Living with Jeff and Jennifer is a whole lot better than the dorm. Cheaper, too.”
“Just who are you living with?” George asked in confusion. “Jeff or Jennifer?”
Leeanne laughed. “Lately I’ve been staying at Jeff and Beth’s. It’s great.”
“The dormitories are co-ed now,” Marilyn said uneasily.
“Yeah, it can get pretty crazy,” Leeanne agreed.
“How did you like it, Jennifer?” her father asked. “You’ve got a few years distance now. What was it like?”
She said cautiously, “It wasn’t the best place for me, but I survived.”
“I hear they have some wild parties at UMO,” Abby said.
“They have rules,” George said.
Jennifer shrugged. “Well, sure, but kids can always find ways to circumvent the rules.”
“Not you. But I worry about Travis,” Marilyn admitted. “He’s a good boy, but he’s impressionable.”
*****
Eddie pounded on the door at six o’clock Monday morning, and Harvey staggered to the kitchen.
“Are we running?” Harvey asked, rubbing his eyes. “I thought it was a holiday.”
“Come on, Harv,” Eddie chided. “It’s game day. Get dressed. We’ve got to get to the office by eight.”
“How come I have to go to the office on a holiday?” Harvey was feeling irritable. Connor was at last cutting a tooth, and he’d fussed off and on all night.
“The committee is setting up this morning. We’ll do our stuff right after lunch.”
“Okay, okay.” Harvey yawned and headed for the bedroom. “Who’s setting up for our side?”
“Emily Rood, Joey Bolduc, two guys from the Bangor P.D., and two volunteers from Brunswick. The committee will plant the actual clues at the last minute, so nobody from either side knows what they are.”
*****
The Portland team was sequestered in the Priority Unit office for the morning, and the Bangor team was given the use of the detective squad’s breakroom on the second floor. At ten o’clock, festival committee members arrived and subjected both teams to a pop quiz on Maine law.
Joey Bolduc called Harvey shortly before noon.
“Hey, we’re all set up at City Hall. You guys should send out for some lunch, and they’ll bring you over here at one o’clock.”
“Thanks, Joey. Do both teams go at the same time?”
“Yeah, we’re putting you in the comptroller’s office on the second floor, and the Bangor team in the city clerk’s office on the first floor. I don’t think I’m allowed to tell you anything else. They’ll give you the particulars when you get over here.”
“Eddie, call out for some sandwiches,” Harvey said as he hung up.
“This is so boring,” Tony complained. “Why can’t we just start now? I don’t see why we have to wait.”
“Relax, Winfield. We’re going to be in the comptroller’s office. Have you ever been in there?”
“No.”
“I don’t even know what that is,” Jimmy Cook said.
“It’s a financial officer,” Nate told them.
“That’s right. Now, relax for a few more minutes.” Harvey used the time to check all his stocks on the Internet. Mike and Peter were nearly ready to sign the papers on the Churchill Lake property, and Harvey scribbled notes in his pocket notebook on which stocks to liquidate for his investment.
Nate paced between his desk and Eddie’s. “I didn’t expect to kill the whole day here. Jackie was hoping we could take the kids to the park together.”
“Sorry, guys,” Harvey said absently. “I tried to get out of this.”
The sandwiches arrived, and they proved a good distraction for the team. Mike breezed in from the stairway at 12:40.
“You guys are up. You ready for this?”
“Sure,” said Eddie. “Bring on the crime.”
“The mayor’s downstairs. Wants to give you a little pep talk before you go. Now, you’ll be driven over to City Hall in two squad cars, with the lights and sirens.”
“Hello, headache,” said Harvey.
“Our own little parade,” Tony chortled.
“Oh, and there are three very eager wives in front of City Hall, with assorted other fans.”
The entire Wainthrop family, except for Leeanne and Jeff, crowded around Harvey and Eddie when they left the squad car.
“You’re going to do great.” Jennifer held Connor up so he could burble at his father for a moment.
“Where’s Leeanne?” Harvey asked.
“Calling her editor with the first half of her story,” his father-in-law said proudly.
“I should have known. Okay, guys, let’s move.” Harvey stooped and kissed Connor, then Jennifer. He glimpsed Eddie’s mother and sisters, hugging him on the steps.
“Looks like everyone turned out today but your uncle Bill,” Jimmy said to Tony.
“Oh, he’s coming.”
“Really? The governor’s coming?” Nate squeaked.
“He’s here somewhere,” Tony said carelessly. “Probably picnicked in the park with Mayor Weymouth.”
The five team members for Portland were seated in a conference room with the Bangor contingent, and Harvey studied his opponents. After a few minutes Myron Stickle, a Lewiston city councilman, entered to give them specific instructions for the game.
“Each team has free run of the office it is assigned to, but please respect the property. You will have to find the fingerprints of six Maine celebrities and identify them using the portable computers set up in each office. As soon as you think you have all six sets of fingerprints, call downstairs, and the judges will come up.”
“Who’s judging?” Tony asked.
“The four judges represent towns other than Portland and Bangor, to insure an unbiased outcome. You can solve the fingerprint and homicide challenges simultaneously if you wish, deploying your detectives as you see fit, but time will be kept for each portion. Just beware as you’re looking for fingerprints that you may disturb clues relevant to the homicide investigation. Detectives will examine the ‘body’ for clues to the mock homicide. When you are ready to name your prime suspect in the homicide, you will again call for the judges. Any questions?”
*****
The ‘victim’ lay face down on the blue and brown oriental rug in front of the comptroller’s desk.
“Cool,” Tony said, heading for the desk. “I thought they were going to use a dummy.”
“All right, spread out, and be extra careful, guys,” Harvey said, after a cursory glance at the ‘body.’ “Eddie, you deal with the corpse. The rest of you check everything for prints. They may have brought in objects from outside, like those books in the shelves. Be quick, and try not to get in each other’s way.”
Eddie walked over to the ‘corpse’ and looked down. The man was wearing a gray pinstriped suit, and blood oozed from beneath his chest, soaking the rug and pooling on the oak floor beside it.
“That fake blood is pretty convincing. Someone’s going to have to clean the rug.” He bent over the man. “Hey, Joey.”
Harvey glanced sharply toward him. “It’s Joey Bolduc?”
“Yeah, I guess they got a dummy after all,” Eddie deadpanned.
Jimmy Cook snickered, opening his fingerprint kit by the window.
Harvey spotted a spanking new copy of Stephen King’s latest novel on the top shelf and reached for it with his clean handkerchief.
“Hey, Joey, how’d you pull this detail?” Tony called.
Bolduc lay still.
“Well, he’s not breaking character,” Nate said. “Gotta give him credit for that.”
Eddie’s expression changed as he studied Bolduc’s body. He reached down suddenly and touched the man’s neck, above the collar.
“Harvey.” His voice rose, and Harvey froze, his hand in midair as he stretched for the book.
He glanced toward Eddie, then went quickly across the room and knelt beside Joey Bolduc.
“Harvey, he’s not breathing,” Eddie said.
Nate, Jimmy, and Tony, swung toward them.
“You’re kidding,” said Jimmy.
“They used a real body, a real dead body?” Tony’s stared at the dead man.
“No pulse,” Harvey confirmed.
Nate swore.
“Ne jure pas,” Eddie said gently.
“I was talking to him this morning. He was helping them set up,” Tony protested.
“They killed him? This doesn’t make sense.” Jimmy’s eyes were round and his breathing shallow.
“Idiot,” said Harvey. “They didn’t kill him for the game.”
Jimmy ducked his head, flushing. “I didn’t mean that.”
Harvey stood up, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry, Jim. This is a shock. Call the M.E., Eddie. And don’t touch anything, guys. This is for real.” He took out his cell phone and punched two buttons. Eddie pulled his phone from his jacket pocket and went into the hallway.
“Mike?” Harvey said into his phone. The other three men stood listening. “Our unit’s in the comptroller’s office for the game, you know? Yeah, but, Mike, it isn’t a game. Joey Bolduc’s been murdered. Can you get over here?”
*****
“All right, you know what to do,” Harvey told his men as he pocketed the cell phone. “Let’s secure the scene and get to work.”
Eddie came back from the hallway. “Dr. McIntyre’s on the way, and Hogan’s coming down from Augusta.”
“The chief M.E.?” Harvey was surprised.
“He wants to make sure everything is by the book, I guess. McIntyre sounded quite irritated.”
“He always sounds that way,” said Harvey. “Call for a photographer.”
“Got it.”
Harvey stood for several moments staring at Bolduc’s body, taking in every visible detail. A gunshot wound to the chest? Surely someone in the building would have heard the report. Although the city offices were closed for the holiday, dozens of people had helped organize the challenge.
Two members of the judging team appeared in the doorway just as Nate Miller stretched the yellow “police line” tape across it.
“You fellows are taking this seriously,” said Myron Stickle.
“Can’t come in here, sir.” Nate fastened the tape across the doorway in front of him.
“We have to verify your discoveries, or you don’t get points,” said Bert Fontaine, South Portland’s fire chief.
Harvey went to the doorway. “The game’s over, Bert. We have a real crime to solve. We’ll forfeit to Bangor on the game, I guess.”
“What are you talking about?” Startled, Fontaine peered past him into the office.
“That’s not the dummy.” Stickle strained forward, stretching the yellow tape.
“A real body was lying on the rug when we got here,” Harvey said. “I’ve sent for Chief Browning and the medical examiner.”
“Why, I—” Stickle took a handkerchief from his pocket and patted his forehead with it. “This is highly irregular.”
“Who is it?” Fontaine asked.
Harvey hesitated. “We’ll have to notify the next of kin first, sir, but it’s a city employee.”
Mike stepped off the elevator and walked quickly down the hall.
“Excuse me, gentlemen,” he said when he reached the judges. “We’ll brief the mayor as soon as possible. You might want to wait down in her office.”
Harvey unfastened the yellow tape and lifted it for Mike. As he reached to put it back in place, he stopped with his hand on the doorjamb.
“Eddie, here’s a bullet hole. Looks like it hit the doorjamb edgewise.”
Mike stepped back into the hallway and examined the woodwork from the other side. “Must be still in there.”
Eddie came to look.
“Mark that. We’ll have to cut it out,” Harvey said.
“Okay.”
Harvey locked eyes with him. “This is your party. I’ll be here every step of the way. If you need someone to run errands or get coffee, I’m your man.”
Eddie snorted. “I can think of better ways to put you to use.”
“Well, just a suggestion: I think you’d better interview the setup crew ASAP. Find out if Joey ate lunch with anyone. He called us at the office about 11:45. That was the last we heard from him. Someone must have seen him after that.”
“Emily Rood was working with him.” Eddie carefully examined the hole in the woodwork. “Too bad we’ll have to remove a piece of this.”
“Yeah. Talk to Emily first if you can.”
The photographer arrived, and Harvey stood back for a moment to watch. Eddie went into action, snapping orders at his men and the photographer.
Mike nodded at Harvey. “He does all right, doesn’t he? Too bad you can’t read his handwriting. I’ll go run interference with the mayor.” When he passed Eddie, he said, “I’ll hold the press off for a while, but plan to give them something within a couple of hours.”
Ron Legere, the detective sergeant, arrived at the doorway. “Hey, Harvey, you want my crew to come help you?”
“It’s not that big a room, Ron,” Harvey said. “We’ve got more people in here already than I like to have, but we can use your men to do background work.”
Legere nodded. “Festival committee, family, active cases, collars recently released.”
“You got it,” Harvey said. “And Detective Thibodeau would like an immediate interview with Detective Rood.”
“I’ll send her over.” Legere peered over Harvey’s shoulder. “Can I see him? You understand, Harvey. I’m his supervisor.”
“Of course. Come on in.”
Ron strode across the room and crouched beside the body. He let out a deep sigh. “Man. This is just wrong.” He stood up.
“Can you locate Joey’s family and break the news to them?” Harvey asked. “The M.E. will be here any second, and I’m afraid the ID is going to leak out before we can tell his family. Joey was married, wasn’t he?”
“The operative word being was,” Legere replied. “Divorced last spring. His parents live in Deering. They may be here today, but I didn’t hear him say so. There’s a brother, too.”
“Where’s his ex?”
“Not sure. I’ll find out. What about the girlfriend?”
Harvey raised his eyebrows.
“You know,” Legere insisted. “Patrol officer Higgins.”
“Sarah Benoit’s new partner?”
“Yeah.”
“Were she and Joey close?”
“She’s been seeing him for a couple of months, I think. She’s on traffic duty today.”
“Best call her in and break the news. You don’t want her hearing it elsewhere. There are probably rumors already.”
“Sure. Report to you, Harvey?” Legere asked.
“No, this is Eddie’s case. He discovered the body.”
Legere nodded. “I’ll put every man on it.”
The medical examiner arrived, and Harvey knelt beside him, watching closely as Dr. McIntyre made his initial examination.
“Gunshot wound to the heart at close range,” McIntyre muttered. “Bullet passed through, and out to the left of the spine.”
“It’s in the woodwork over there.” Harvey pointed toward the doorway, and McIntyre squinted at the splintered wood. “I figure the shooter was standing behind the desk.”
“Pretty straightforward, but we won’t take him until Dr. Hogan gets here. Help me turn him over?” McIntyre continued his examination. He lifted Bolduc’s right hand and scrutinized it, then let it fall. “Temperature … let’s see…” He scrawled notes on a clipboard. “I suppose you want the clothes and effects sent to you.”
“Yes, sir,” said Harvey. “Can you estimate time of death?”
“You in charge, Captain?”
“Actually, Detective Thibodeau is. Direct reports to him.” Eddie was closing his cell phone. Harvey called him over.
“Well, it can’t have been much more than an hour,” Dr. McIntyre said. “Two at the most.”
Harvey left Eddie with the doctor while he checked with the other men on their progress.
“There are a million fingerprints in this room,” Nate complained. He was still dusting woodwork, while Jimmy searched for matches on the laptop that was set up for them to use in the game.
“Whose, so far?” Harvey asked.
“The comptroller’s, his secretary’s, the mayor’s. We’ve got a list of the people on the setup committee, but we’ll have to get their prints for comparison.”
“Jimmy, you handle that,” Harvey directed.
“Then there’s Governor Johnson’s prints, and Joan Benoit Samuelson’s,” Nate went on. “She’s the runner, right?”
“Yeah, won the first Olympic marathon for women. That’s got to be for the game,” Harvey said. “I suspect you’ll find Stephen King’s, too, on one of those books up there.”
“I got it,” Jimmy Cook called from across the room, looking up from the computer. “I think we’ve got Steve’s and Tabitha’s both. And have you ever heard of Noel Stookey? He showed up in the computer.”
“Famous singer,” Harvey said. “Before your time. He’s the ‘Paul’ of Peter, Paul and Mary. I’d rule him out as a suspect. That one’s for the game, too.”
“There’s a slew of unidentified prints,” Nate concluded.
“We need a list of employees, janitors, anyone who was in here regularly, in addition to the outsiders who came in for the game.” Harvey ticked them off on his fingers. “Did any of the Bangor team come up here?”
“No, they’re all down in the city clerk’s office. They were kept sequestered before that, just like us.”
“Anybody tell them about this?” Harvey asked.
“They’re probably still down there feeling a dummy’s pulse,” Jimmy said.
Nate stood up. “This is going to take a lot of time, Harvey.”
He nodded. “I’ve put Eddie in charge, but I’ll be right here with you. If you need someone to help run prints, I’m available.”
“Does Martha Stewart live in Maine?” Jimmy called.
“She’s got a summer home in Bar Harbor,” Tony said. He was on his knees near the body, picking up hairs from the rug with tweezers. “Uncle Bill and Aunt Laura went to brunch with her. I hear she’s death on trespassers. Should we put out a warrant?”
“Ha, ha,” Harvey said without humor. “I’d say you’ve found all the celebrity prints. Let’s get on with it.”
“Say, Captain.” Tony stood up.
“What, Winfield?” Tony’s brain worked in odd but wonderful ways, and Harvey always listened when he had an inspiration.
“Well, I was just wondering …” Tony looked at the body thoughtfully.
“You were wondering,” Harvey prompted.
Tony looked at him then, a grin spreading over his boyish freckled face. “Where’s the real dummy?”