Missing Pieces(33)

She tried to push the thoughts away. Don’t borrow trouble, she told herself. Her imagination was working overtime. The autopsy results on Julia were still pending and the supposed weapon found at Amy’s home was probably not connected to her death at all.

Sarah called Dean to let him know what was happening. She hadn’t seen him since she had witnessed the violent incident with Celia, but she knew Hal would appreciate having his son there.

By the time she came back downstairs, Gilmore and the deputies were standing in the living room with Jack and Hal. Hal was staring down at a piece of paper, and Jack looked fired up and ready to pounce. “I can’t believe this is happening,” he said in bewilderment.

“I’m going to have to ask you all to leave while we execute the search,” Gilmore explained, ignoring Hal’s statement. “It shouldn’t take very long. We also need to ask each of you some questions. Why don’t I meet you all down at the sheriff’s department and we’ll talk. I know you’ve got some hard days in front of you. That’s why we thought it was best to come early and let you get on with your business.”

“I don’t understand,” Hal said as he sank into a chair.

“We can’t go into the specifics, but as you know, we have reason to suspect that Julia’s death was not an accident. We need to conduct a thorough investigation. We’ll be out of here as quickly as possible.”

Jack pointed a finger at Gilmore, a crimson flush creeping up his neck. “You’ve had it in for my family since my mom died.”

“Just doing my job, Jack,” Gilmore said mildly. “Just like I did thirty years ago.”

“What parts of the property are you going to search?” Sarah asked, hoping to diffuse the tension between Jack and the sheriff. “Just the house?”

“The house and the three outbuildings,” Gilmore answered. “Like I said, the quicker my people can get to work, the quicker you can go about your business.” Hal rose from his chair and together they moved outside.

The sun hadn’t yet risen and the farmyard was quiet. In the distance a deep rumble rolled down toward them, and Dean and Celia’s pickup came into view. They came to a stop behind the two sheriff’s vehicles parked in the grass just off to the side of the dirt lane. They were followed by a white van emblazoned with the words Sawyer County Crime Scene Unit across the side. Dean and Celia stepped from the truck and came rushing toward them.

“What the hell is going on?” Dean asked, his words clearly focused at the sheriff. “Can’t you have some f*cking decency and leave my family alone? We’re grieving, for God’s sake!”

“Settle down, Dean,” Sheriff Gilmore said calmly. “I know this is upsetting, but we’re trying to get to the truth behind your mother’s death. I know you all want to be able to lay Julia to rest knowing that the person who did this is held responsible.”

“Everyone knows who did this just as well as I do,” Dean spluttered. “Amy and Mom had an argument. Amy found her at the bottom of the stairs. Amy’s in jail. Why come here upsetting my dad more than you already have? You’ve got Amy.”

“My goal isn’t to upset anyone,” Gilmore said, his voice still amicable, but there was a new shrewdness in his eyes. “Now what’s this about an argument?”

Dean pressed his lips together, hesitating before speaking. “Amy and Julia had an argument right before the accident. My mom called last week and said that Amy was very upset.”

“Did she say what Amy was riled up about?” Gilmore asked.

Dean sucked in his breath. “What doesn’t Amy get riled up about?”

“Dean,” Celia chided gently.

“Well.” Dean adjusted the seed hat on his head. “We all know Amy. She gets a bee up her ass about every other day. She gets mad, she yells, throws a few things, runs off for a couple of days and then comes back like nothing happened.”

“Amy’s had a hard life,” Jack said in defense of Amy, and Celia stroked his arm sympathetically. Sarah bristled at the display of intimacy.

“Come on, Jack,” Dean said plaintively. “Everyone’s had hard times. We all care about Amy, but she can be a little out there sometimes.”

“What was the argument about?” Gilmore asked, getting the conversation back on track.

“You know my mom never said a bad word against anyone, but she said that Amy came over, started yelling at her about not getting what was due to her. Amy accused them of cheating Jack and her out of what was rightfully theirs.”

“Cheated us? Out of what?” Jack asked in confusion. He turned to Hal. “You’ve got to know I’ve never thought that. You always treated us like your own kids. I know what you and Julia sacrificed for me and Amy.”

“Why don’t we all drive over to my office and we’ll talk things through,” the sheriff suggested. “My deputies can handle the search here.”

“Can’t this wait?” Celia began, but Hal held up a hand.

“No, let’s do this. You’re right,” he said. “There’s no good time for this, so let’s get it over with. We’ll meet you at your office.”

Gilmore gave a nearby deputy a set of instructions, ordered him to call if he ran into any snags and dismissed him before climbing into his vehicle.