having a memorial service at the new church would be just wonderful because the walls are covered with Brenda’s most recent and best work. She went on and on about the great minister there.”
Ray looked incredulous.
“Molly’s not really your type,” Sue said to Ray.
“Where did that come from?” asked Ray.
“I don’t know. I saw a lot more of her in Grand Rapids than ever before. She’s pretty ditzy. I’m remembering how you responded to her when she wouldn’t get to the point.” She paused. “Let me explain, and first I have to say that you are enormously accepting and non-judgmental. It’s just that I’ve observed that some personality types bug you. And watching Molly with Brenda’s mother and brothers, well she started to bug me too. She was just too aggressive. And her thinking is scattered and illogical.
“On the drive back I was thinking about our talks with her and your feeling that she was holding a lot back, that she wasn’t really being honest with us. I’m with you on that, especially now. And the way she was pushing for this memorial service at the Freewill Whatever was totally inappropriate. She was obnoxious.”
“So how did it end up?” asked Ray.
“I left before any decision had been made.”
“Was Elise Lovell a participant in this discussion?”
“Not really. She didn’t say much and seemed rather embarrassed by Molly’s behavior,” Sue answered.
“We need to talk to Elise,” said Ray. “And we need to find out about Brenda’s work at this church. Maybe there’s some connection there.” Ray pointed at the whiteboard, and then pulled a marker off the tray below the board.
“We know so little about Brenda or her links to the community. And we’re going forward on the assumption that she knew her killer. But, as you know, we always have to keep in mind that this could have been a random event. Who knew a single woman was living alone in the middle of a forest? Look at the possibilities. The UPS and FedEx guys, the propane delivery driver, a snowmobiler that she chased off her property, a construction worker from…”
“And then there’s the arson bit,” Sue suggested.
“Do you have a report yet?”
“I’ve got an email from Mike Ogden confirming what we already know. A large quantity of gasoline was poured around the interior of her house and ignited. Mike thinks about four or five gallons.”
“How about the snowplow?”
“Same there, the accelerant was also gasoline. And he also noted something I missed,” said Sue.
“What was that?”
“The cap was pulled off the fuel tank. Mike speculated that the perp poured gasoline into the tank to make sure the diesel got ignited too, like they wanted to make sure the fire completely destroyed the truck. He found the fuel cap in the snow and took it back to the lab to check for prints.”
“Anything?”
“No.” Sue looked at the board. “What’s our plan?”
“I need to do some paperwork to keep this department running. That should take about an hour. Jan has all the work organized, I just need to read and sign. Then I’d like to find out more about this church and Brenda’s work there. So let’s start with Reverend Tim and get him to show us around and introduce us to the new preacher. If there’s still some light left, we take a hike in the woods and look for Tristan Laird.”
• • •
“Wouldn’t it be easier and faster to take a couple of snowmobiles? We could cover a lot of ground quickly. I could have Brett meet us with the sleds.”
“If this guy is as skittish as Molly says, he’ll hear us coming. Let’s take skis and snowshoes and make a decision on what to use when we get there.”
“You really hate snowmobiles,” opined Sue.
Ray let her comment slide. “And then let’s try to talk to Molly again this evening. She’s on tonight?”
“I’ll check. She would normally start at eleven. I’ll see if she will come in at ten.”
“That should be enough
Ray looked incredulous.
“Molly’s not really your type,” Sue said to Ray.
“Where did that come from?” asked Ray.
“I don’t know. I saw a lot more of her in Grand Rapids than ever before. She’s pretty ditzy. I’m remembering how you responded to her when she wouldn’t get to the point.” She paused. “Let me explain, and first I have to say that you are enormously accepting and non-judgmental. It’s just that I’ve observed that some personality types bug you. And watching Molly with Brenda’s mother and brothers, well she started to bug me too. She was just too aggressive. And her thinking is scattered and illogical.
“On the drive back I was thinking about our talks with her and your feeling that she was holding a lot back, that she wasn’t really being honest with us. I’m with you on that, especially now. And the way she was pushing for this memorial service at the Freewill Whatever was totally inappropriate. She was obnoxious.”
“So how did it end up?” asked Ray.
“I left before any decision had been made.”
“Was Elise Lovell a participant in this discussion?”
“Not really. She didn’t say much and seemed rather embarrassed by Molly’s behavior,” Sue answered.
“We need to talk to Elise,” said Ray. “And we need to find out about Brenda’s work at this church. Maybe there’s some connection there.” Ray pointed at the whiteboard, and then pulled a marker off the tray below the board.
“We know so little about Brenda or her links to the community. And we’re going forward on the assumption that she knew her killer. But, as you know, we always have to keep in mind that this could have been a random event. Who knew a single woman was living alone in the middle of a forest? Look at the possibilities. The UPS and FedEx guys, the propane delivery driver, a snowmobiler that she chased off her property, a construction worker from…”
“And then there’s the arson bit,” Sue suggested.
“Do you have a report yet?”
“I’ve got an email from Mike Ogden confirming what we already know. A large quantity of gasoline was poured around the interior of her house and ignited. Mike thinks about four or five gallons.”
“How about the snowplow?”
“Same there, the accelerant was also gasoline. And he also noted something I missed,” said Sue.
“What was that?”
“The cap was pulled off the fuel tank. Mike speculated that the perp poured gasoline into the tank to make sure the diesel got ignited too, like they wanted to make sure the fire completely destroyed the truck. He found the fuel cap in the snow and took it back to the lab to check for prints.”
“Anything?”
“No.” Sue looked at the board. “What’s our plan?”
“I need to do some paperwork to keep this department running. That should take about an hour. Jan has all the work organized, I just need to read and sign. Then I’d like to find out more about this church and Brenda’s work there. So let’s start with Reverend Tim and get him to show us around and introduce us to the new preacher. If there’s still some light left, we take a hike in the woods and look for Tristan Laird.”
• • •
“Wouldn’t it be easier and faster to take a couple of snowmobiles? We could cover a lot of ground quickly. I could have Brett meet us with the sleds.”
“If this guy is as skittish as Molly says, he’ll hear us coming. Let’s take skis and snowshoes and make a decision on what to use when we get there.”
“You really hate snowmobiles,” opined Sue.
Ray let her comment slide. “And then let’s try to talk to Molly again this evening. She’s on tonight?”
“I’ll check. She would normally start at eleven. I’ll see if she will come in at ten.”
“That should be enough
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