minutes at a time. If that doesn’t make you feel like Pharaoh, nothing will.
Violet says “But how would anybody get a motorboat as far in as White Lake, after what you’ve just told us about portaging?”
“There are portages in the Boundary Waters for motorboats. Those are illegal too—they have been for decades. But there are a lot of them still out there. Dredged, usually. Sometimes with rails. Parks and Rec will pull rails if they find them, but it’s a big area out there, patrolled mostly by aircraft.”
“Was there a motorboat found at White Lake?” she says.
“No. The two kids who were nearby when Autumn and Benjy died said the four of them went out in two canoes, one of which the survivors used to get back to Ford. There was no way to prove that, though. There
was
a canoe from CFS still out there when I got there, but if the kids were using a stolen or borrowed motorboat, they might have towed a canoe just to paddle around in once they got there.”
“CFS
Lodge?
” I say.
“Outfitters and Lodge, yes,” Albin says.
“Which Reggie Trager
owns?
”
“Yes, although at the time Autumn’s father owned it. Reggie inherited it when Autumn’s father died.”
“Wait a minute,” I say. “Chris Semmel Jr. owned CFS?”
Albin squints, like he’s reviewing whether he should share this information.
“Right,” he says.
“And after Autumn and Chris Jr. died, five days apart, Reggie Trager inherited it?”
“Correct. Chris Jr.’s wife could have kept it, but she wasn’t from around here, and for obvious reasons didn’t want to stay. Back when Chris Sr. left it to Chris Jr. in the first place, he said that if none of the Semmels was willing or able to stick around and run it, Reggie Trager should get the chance.”
Yet another reason for Trager not to have mentioned any of this in his invitation. “Was Trager charged with the murders of Chris Jr. and Father Podominick?” I say.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“There was no evidence he committed them, and three people willing to say he couldn’t have because he was with them at the moment the shots were fired. Even the motive wasn’t as exciting as it seems. Reggie gives something like eighty-five percent of the profits from CFS to Chris Jr.’s widow.”
“Out of the goodness of his heart or because he has to?”
“It was the deal in the will. In terms of money, Reggie probably makes around the same amount he did before, only now he has to run the whole place on his own.”
“Maybe they were about to fire him.”
“No one ever told me that they were. Chris Jr.’s widow included, who is no fan of Reggie Trager.”
“What does
she
have against him?”
“She thinks he’s guilty.”
“On what basis?”
“None that would interest a jury.”
“Or you, from the sound of it.”
“Obviously I prefer not to charge people with crimes they can’t be convicted of. But if you’re asking me whether I think Reggie did it, the answer’s no. I wouldn’t say I know him well, and I’m certainly aware that most people are capable of most things if they’re pushed to it, but with Reggie I just never saw the push.”
“So who did you think did it?”
He shakes his head. “I have no idea. Chris Jr. and Father Podominick were comfortably off, in a town of people who were a lot less comfortably off, but neither one of them seems to have had real enemies. Or even people who would have benefited from their deaths.”
“Do you think the person who killed Chris Jr. and Father Podominick also killed Autumn and Benjy?”
Albin gives it a couple of chair-rocks, looking at me.
“No. I do not.”
“Why not?”
“Not exactly a similar MO. Murder with a hunting rifle I can at least understand. And whoever shot Chris Jr. and Father Podominick was good enough at that to do it without leaving evidence. What happened to Autumn and Benjy seemed like something else entirely.”
“Was White Lake searched for a portage that someone could have
Violet says “But how would anybody get a motorboat as far in as White Lake, after what you’ve just told us about portaging?”
“There are portages in the Boundary Waters for motorboats. Those are illegal too—they have been for decades. But there are a lot of them still out there. Dredged, usually. Sometimes with rails. Parks and Rec will pull rails if they find them, but it’s a big area out there, patrolled mostly by aircraft.”
“Was there a motorboat found at White Lake?” she says.
“No. The two kids who were nearby when Autumn and Benjy died said the four of them went out in two canoes, one of which the survivors used to get back to Ford. There was no way to prove that, though. There
was
a canoe from CFS still out there when I got there, but if the kids were using a stolen or borrowed motorboat, they might have towed a canoe just to paddle around in once they got there.”
“CFS
Lodge?
” I say.
“Outfitters and Lodge, yes,” Albin says.
“Which Reggie Trager
owns?
”
“Yes, although at the time Autumn’s father owned it. Reggie inherited it when Autumn’s father died.”
“Wait a minute,” I say. “Chris Semmel Jr. owned CFS?”
Albin squints, like he’s reviewing whether he should share this information.
“Right,” he says.
“And after Autumn and Chris Jr. died, five days apart, Reggie Trager inherited it?”
“Correct. Chris Jr.’s wife could have kept it, but she wasn’t from around here, and for obvious reasons didn’t want to stay. Back when Chris Sr. left it to Chris Jr. in the first place, he said that if none of the Semmels was willing or able to stick around and run it, Reggie Trager should get the chance.”
Yet another reason for Trager not to have mentioned any of this in his invitation. “Was Trager charged with the murders of Chris Jr. and Father Podominick?” I say.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“There was no evidence he committed them, and three people willing to say he couldn’t have because he was with them at the moment the shots were fired. Even the motive wasn’t as exciting as it seems. Reggie gives something like eighty-five percent of the profits from CFS to Chris Jr.’s widow.”
“Out of the goodness of his heart or because he has to?”
“It was the deal in the will. In terms of money, Reggie probably makes around the same amount he did before, only now he has to run the whole place on his own.”
“Maybe they were about to fire him.”
“No one ever told me that they were. Chris Jr.’s widow included, who is no fan of Reggie Trager.”
“What does
she
have against him?”
“She thinks he’s guilty.”
“On what basis?”
“None that would interest a jury.”
“Or you, from the sound of it.”
“Obviously I prefer not to charge people with crimes they can’t be convicted of. But if you’re asking me whether I think Reggie did it, the answer’s no. I wouldn’t say I know him well, and I’m certainly aware that most people are capable of most things if they’re pushed to it, but with Reggie I just never saw the push.”
“So who did you think did it?”
He shakes his head. “I have no idea. Chris Jr. and Father Podominick were comfortably off, in a town of people who were a lot less comfortably off, but neither one of them seems to have had real enemies. Or even people who would have benefited from their deaths.”
“Do you think the person who killed Chris Jr. and Father Podominick also killed Autumn and Benjy?”
Albin gives it a couple of chair-rocks, looking at me.
“No. I do not.”
“Why not?”
“Not exactly a similar MO. Murder with a hunting rifle I can at least understand. And whoever shot Chris Jr. and Father Podominick was good enough at that to do it without leaving evidence. What happened to Autumn and Benjy seemed like something else entirely.”
“Was White Lake searched for a portage that someone could have
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