53

Acosta looked horrible. He needed a shave, and the dark circles under his eyes reminded Tess of truck tires. She guessed he was beginning to come down from the oxycodone addiction. She’d heard that was a nasty withdrawal. He’d refused to talk to anyone except Tess yet had not invoked his right to counsel.

“I didn’t kill Glen Elders or Anna Macpherson,” he said before Tess even had a chance to read him his rights. It was around 1 p.m. and they were seated in an interview room, just Tess and Acosta. The jail deputy was outside the door.

“I have to advise you of your right to an attorney.”

“I understand my rights and I waive them. They told me you found Anna’s belongings in my office. Roger put them there; he must have.”

She slid the form across the counter with a pen and he signed.

“He’s not talking. He lawyered up. But we guessed it was your money Glen took. Care to explain that?”

“Yeah, it was my cash. I admit to being an alimony weasel, but I’m no killer.”

“Why would Roger want to kill Glen for taking your money?”

Acosta ground his palms into his forehead. “I know how it looks. But you have to believe me—I’m not a killer.”

“Are you just a drug dealer?”

“No, I’m not that either. Look, you found me with my gun. I couldn’t even shoot myself. I guess I took too many pills.”

Tess set the digital recorder on the table and went through all the legal requirements. “Okay, then tell me what you are.”

An hour and a half later, Tess left with the story that Beto Acosta was telling. Roger had come to him two years earlier with an opportunity to make some extra money.

“He knew I was hurting from the divorce. He said all of this would be under the table and untraceable. All I had to do was pick up boxes from him—sometimes it was prescription drugs; sometimes it was something else. He packed them in my truck and I took them to Eugene, where someone else took them off. I got money and a couple of bottles of oxy. All I did was transfer the stuff. I never sold it.”

“Where’d you pick the stuff up and where did you drop it off in Eugene?”

“I always picked it up behind the market. Usually early in the morning. As for Eugene . . . well, it was always someplace different. The address would be written on the boxes.”

“Glen found out about this operation?”

“He said he and his girlfriend watched me for a few weeks. I didn’t even know. But somehow he did and he broke into my hiding place and stole my money. He thought it was all money from selling drugs. It wasn’t. I often got paid under the table for alarm jobs. He wouldn’t listen.” He paused and rubbed his face with his hands.

“He tried to blackmail me, said he knew everything and would go to the police if I didn’t stop selling drugs to kids.” He frowned. “Kids? I didn’t know what he was talking about. I heard Anna tell Octavio she knew where Glen was, that he had promised to tell her something important. I freaked out. I was afraid he was going to tell her about the operation. I called Roger while Anna was talking to Octavio. He said he’d handle it.”

“When was that?”

“Wednesday. The Wednesday before Roger killed Glen.”

“That was when Anna disappeared. You followed her from the church.”

“Yeah, I admit that. But it was Roger who stopped her. I saw them by the side of the road. I swear I didn’t know he was going to kill her.”

“You just stood by and watched? She’s dead now.”

“Look, it’s the drugs—they mess with my head. I had no idea Roger was a killer. I thought he’d just talk to her.”

“Yet you’re certain it was Roger who killed Glen?”

“He told me he did it. He said nothing about Anna Macpherson.”

Tess wanted to reach across the table and slap him. Instead, she continued to question him. “Where did Roger get all these drugs you delivered?”

“All I know is that it was from some guy in California. That’s it. We called him Shorty; there’s no other name I know. I didn’t want to know.”

Tess gave a copy of the interview to the sheriff, who would forward to DEA. Federal marshals had already been notified about the fugitive, but he was out of Tess’s control. Sheriff Hardin had Marshall in Douglas County. And since he invoked his rights, she was certain he would not be talking.

She considered Acosta’s statement. As angry as he made her, she believed the guy. Marshall was the cold-blooded killer, not Acosta.

On a lark, since she was in Medford, Tess decided to stop by the hospital and check on Tilly. She knew the hospital couldn’t force the girl to stay and be treated if she insisted on leaving, but if Tilly’s hip was broken as Oliver thought, she couldn’t have walked out yet. And an idea was brewing in Tess’s mind, a plan she hoped would tie up a couple of loose ends.

She asked for the girl’s room at the information counter and was directed upstairs.

“Chief.”

Tess turned when someone said her name as she waited for the elevator. Bart Dover stepped up. His forehead creased in a frown.

“Mr. Dover.”

“Are you here to arrest Tilly?”

“No. I was nearby and thought I would see how she was doing. I’m hoping she can tell me what she saw the day Glen was killed.”

The man relaxed. The elevator opened and they stepped inside.

“It’s been rough. Her femur was broken and they had to do surgery to insert a pin. At first she was screaming to leave, but she can’t walk. They called me to get her to consent to the surgery.” He shook his head. “It took some pleading, but they fixed her leg. Surgery went well, and she calmed down some last night, but it’s hard for them to manage her pain with the addiction issues. I’m not sure what I’ll find this morning.”

They got off the elevator and he put a hand on her arm. “I think this is my sister’s last chance to get clean. Her doctor came to assess her and hopefully get her back on her legal drugs. If she goes to jail, she’ll be back on meth and I know we’ll lose the fight.” His eyes were filled with emotion. Tess remembered how a few days ago the man had been prepared to completely write his sister off.

She patted his hand. “I’m not here to arrest her,” Tess repeated. “As far as I know, she’s witnessed a murder and been a victim of a car crash. All I want to do is ask her what she remembers.”

He relaxed and then led her to Tilly’s room.

Tess looked toward the bed and saw a slight, pale girl, left leg casted with pins sticking out that looked like some sort of torture device. Tilly’s eyes were closed, her straw-colored hair a wild mess, but it looked clean.

Bart stepped to her side. “Tills, it’s Bart. You awake?”

Her eyes opened, and she gave a low moan and spoke in a harsh whisper. “I hurt.”

“I know, I know. They’re doing all they can. You have a visitor. She just came to talk—if you want to—that’s all.”

Tilly turned her head to look at Tess. Tess saw pain in her eyes, but a bit of clarity.

“Do you mind talking to the chief?” Bart asked.

She licked her lips and swallowed, and Bart grabbed her water and held it close so she could take a sip through the straw.

“I’ll talk,” she said in a barely audible voice.

Tess moved to the side of the bed. Tilly looked run over by a truck. The circles under her eyes would rival Beto Acosta’s.

“Hi, Tilly. I’m Chief O’Rourke.”

Tilly nodded.

“I need to ask you about Glen, what you saw that day. Do you remember?”

“He’s dead.”

“Yes, and Anna too.”

Tilly sucked in a sob. “I killed Anna, didn’t I?” A tear rolled down her face.

“I doubt Pastor Mac would place that blame on you. You tried to help her, and you saw who pushed her into the creek, didn’t you?”

The head bobbed again. “I thought it was Beto Acosta. Glen and I took his money.”

“How did you guys get to his money?”

She swallowed. Tess saw the muscles in her neck work. But she seemed to be getting stronger.

“I heard him one night, saw him with the drugs. Glen and I wanted to stop him. We followed him for a long time. Figured his routine, saw the cash, took it. He was out cold. I think he does drugs.”

Yeah, Tess thought, he sure did.

“Beto called Glen, asked him to meet. I wasn’t supposed to be there. I hid on the other side of the creek. I thought it was Beto. But it wasn’t.”

“It wasn’t Beto?” Tess frowned. “You saw the man clearly?”

She gave a slight nod. “It was dark, but getting light. I assumed it would be Beto. There was yelling—the voice was wrong; it wasn’t New York. Then, when he pushed Anna into the creek, I saw.”

“What did you see?”

“It was Dixon, the store guy. Glen yelled his name. Glen said, ‘No, Roger, no.’ But he fired anyway.”

She reached a hand out and Tess took it. The grip was weak. “Glen wanted me to get clean. He tried to help me. But that day I was so messed up, so loaded. Thought I remembered things wrong. I kept thinking Beto just wanted his money back, but the voice was wrong. Now I can think a little clearer. I’m sure of it. It was Dixon who killed Glen.”

The girl began to sob softly. “I’m as worthless as people say, aren’t I? Glen, Anna, Killer, they’re all dead because of me.”

Tess leaned close to the bed, inhaling antiseptic hospital smells, hoping what she had to say would make an impression. “Listen to me. The only person responsible for Glen’s and Anna’s deaths is the killer, the one who fired the gun. You are a victim here, not a murderer. And Killer is alive; she didn’t die.”

Tilly sniffled, opened her eyes, and looked at Tess. “But she got shot first.”

“I can’t explain it, but she lived. She lost her leg, but she’s alive.”

“Glen loved that dog.”

“She got shot trying to protect him. Now she needs someone to take care of her.”

“Who?”

“I was hoping you would. I know you’re going to have a hard time walking. Killer has to learn to live on three legs. Do you think you’d be up to taking care of her when you’re back on your feet?”

Tilly swallowed, face brightening. “You’d trust me to do that?”

“I think Glen would trust you.”

–––

Tess drove back to Rogue’s Hollow deep in thought. Tilly seemed lucid and certain now, but she’d be shredded in court. They had a strong circumstantial case against Marshall, but she hoped something more solid would come up. Bender and Logan were both lobbying the state lab for results. They had two handguns, the one Beto’d had in his hand, which was the gun registered to him, and the one found in his office, which had the serial number filed off, plus the weapon recovered from Marshall at the cabin. They had the brass Tess had found and the slug from the dog, so they could determine which gun fired the bullet.

She checked her phone. No message from them yet.

As she approached the turnoff for Rogue’s Hollow, she thought about Jack O’Reilly’s news about the three missing subjects being located after all this time. That had rocked her world. But not as much as the news about Roger Marshall rocked the little town of Rogue’s Hollow. Doug Dixon had resigned, effective immediately. Whether or not charges would be filed against him for harboring his foster brother remained to be seen. Because Marshall was a fugitive, it would be up to the Feds to file charges. She found herself feeling sorry for the little man. While there was no excuse for sheltering a monster like Marshall, if Dixon truly didn’t know . . . well, Tess found that Oliver’s phrase “have a little grace” resonated with her. He’d been able to say that about Dixon after discovering it was likely because of the mayor’s actions that Anna was dead.

If Oliver could show mercy, then so could Tess.

She was waiting to hear when Anna’s service would be. Oliver had said there would be a small private service and a larger public memorial. Though Tess hated funerals, there was no way she was going to miss Anna’s.

Yawning as she parked her car, seemingly unable to shake the fatigue she’d felt since the long day yesterday, Tess made her way into the station. Bender was waiting for her, huge grin on his face.

Tess perked up. “You have news?”

“I do. Great news. The lab rushed ballistics through as soon as they got the slug the vet pulled from the dog. The gun we found in Acosta’s office was the gun that shot the dog and Glen.”

Tess leaned against the doorframe to her office. “I just spoke to Tilly. She said Marshall was the shooter.”

“Well, I have more news.” He rubbed his hands together. “The gun had been wiped clean; there were no prints on it. There was, however, a print lifted from the brass you found.”

“Marshall.”

“Yep. And the gun matches the one used in two of the crimes he committed back East. He’s toast.”

Tess smiled as fatigue fled. She gave her grinning officer a high five.

“Great. I’m buying dinner. Max’s okay with everyone?”