A Merciful Secret (Mercy Kilpatrick #3)(17)

Ava was hugging the tall man. She pulled back, smiled, and patted his cheek.

“They look like friends to me.” Eddie poked her in the shoulder.

Mercy stared as the two parted, clearly on good terms. “Huh.”

A minute later Ava was shown into Eddie’s office. The Portland FBI agent gave Mercy a quick hug and shook Eddie’s hand. “Country living looks good on both of you.” Her low voice always reminded Mercy of melted caramel. Rich, smooth, and sweet.

“It’s not the boonies,” Eddie said defensively. “We’ve got nearly eighty thousand people in Bend.”

Ava’s dark eyes danced at his tone. “I understood why Mercy took this post, but I was surprised to hear that you threw your hat in the ring. Your hip, two-hundred-dollar hat.”

“I like it out here.” Eddie scowled. “The air’s cleaner and the beer is just as good. Maybe better. And you can’t beat the scenery.”

“Touché. I’m always stunned by all the beautiful mountain peaks. Especially after a fresh snow. But your roads really suck right now.”

“Nothing’s melting,” agreed Mercy. “And supposedly we’ve got another big storm rolling in.” She glanced at Eddie. “Five minutes ago we were told the reason you are here. What happened to the judge?”

Ava sank into one of the two chairs in Eddie’s office and indicated for Mercy to take the other. Her eyes were tired, but she jumped right into her information about Judge Lake.

“The judge was discovered yesterday morning by his housekeeper. She cleans two days a week, starting at ten a.m. His office had tried to contact him when he didn’t show up for work, but no one had considered anything suspicious. When his housekeeper realized he was dead, she backed out of the room and called 911.”

“She didn’t compromise the scene at all?” Eddie asked.

“No. She saw the blood on the bed right away and proceeded into the room with caution. She didn’t touch a thing . . . not even the body, because he was clearly dead. The medical examiner estimates that he was murdered between six p.m. and midnight.”

“Cause of death?” Mercy asked, knowing the answer.

“He bled out,” Ava said grimly. “He had multiple deep lacerations on his abdomen, chest, and neck. The medical examiner said three of the cuts damaged vital arteries and each alone could have killed him.”

“Overkill,” Mercy said.

“An apt description,” said Ava.

“Any evidence?” asked Mercy.

“The front door to his home was left unlocked, and there’s no sign of a break-in. The housekeeper didn’t see anything missing in a cursory look. His wallet with several hundred dollars was on his nightstand, so robbery is low on our list of motivations,” said Ava.

“It sounds personal,” pointed out Mercy. “What about cameras?”

“No cameras. A security system, but not with cameras.”

“You checked to see if any of the neighbors have cameras that might give a view of his property or the street?” asked Eddie.

“Yes. Two had street views and showed eleven vehicles passing by between eight and twelve that night, but none of their plates were caught on camera. We identified which vehicles belong in the neighborhood, but that left four others.” Ava took a breath and went on. “No weapon has been found, and we’re running prints, but so far they’ve all been his or the housekeeper’s.”

“Any family?” Eddie scribbled on his notepad.

“An ex-wife who lives in Bend and two adult sons. Neither are married.” Ava paused. “Gabriel Lake is his son who lives in Portland and Christian Lake lives in Bend.”

Mercy straightened. “Wait a minute. I know Christian.”

Ava’s eyes lit up. “You do?”

“Yes. I worked at the same restaurant as him when I was eighteen . . . he was older, probably twenty-five. Nice guy, totally geeky, and we hit it off. I read he went on to start Lake Ski and Sports sporting goods stores.” She combed her brain for other facts. “I remember he came from a really rich family. The other employees used to tease him about working in a crappy steak house when his father was some big-time lawyer and drove nice cars. I never met or saw the father, Christian was living in his own place by then.”

“He owns Lake Ski and Sports?” Eddie blurted. “That’s the most exclusive sporting goods store in Oregon and Washington. Carries all top-of-the-line gear. The Bend store is fantastic. It has a great rock-climbing wall inside.”

“Did you interview Christian already?” Mercy asked Ava.

“Briefly. I told him I was heading to Bend and wanted to meet with him. Understandably he’s very upset about his father’s death.”

“I’ve been in a few of his stores,” said Mercy. “They’re gigantic.” She frowned. “I thought Christian moved to Portland. I’ve seen pictures of him at Portland-area fund-raisers and read about his support of various causes. He’s been touted as one of Oregon’s most eligible bachelors or some crap like that. But I was always pleased that someone from Eagle’s Nest went on to do something awesome.”

“Yes, he’s single and owns a condo in Portland’s South Waterfront area,” said Ava. “I gathered that he doesn’t use it much. He spends most of his time at his home outside of Bend. It appears to be quite the showpiece.”