“I think it’s what he was afraid of at first. I know that he met you last night; he explained it this morning when he said we needed to stop the sale before we wasted everyone’s time. Katie, I think he has a phobia that it could happen again.”
“So he said,” she murmured. “But—every museum down here has an exhibit that’s dedicated to Elena and Count von Cosel. It could happen anywhere. How do we make him see that, and make him understand that…that what happened…Oh, I don’t know. Ten years have gone by. The killer is dead, or living in another state, or in prison for another offense. I loved your grandfather, you know that. He fueled the dream in me, Liam. How do we make your cousin see that?”
“I don’t know. But for now…”
“For now, it’s off,” she said flatly.
“Yes. Forgive me, please. I am unworthy, but forgive me.”
She smiled, running her fingers through the tangle of her hair. She knew that Liam was really sorry, that he had wanted to see the museum opened. “I forgive you. On one condition. As long as he’s here, you help me. Quietly. Maybe he’ll see that I’m for real, and that…Oh, please! Why would the same thing happen again? Tanya was probably a random victim, and if someone had a grudge against the Becketts, well, David doesn’t have an ex-fiancée here anymore. You have to help me. We wait. But you are on my side, right?”
“I am. I love the old museum. I just don’t want to work it, manage it or maintain it. I thought you were perfect as a buyer. So we’ll see, huh?”
He said goodbye and hung up.
David Beckett walked into the police station and was surprised to be hailed by a number of his old classmates and not just his cousin, Liam. They seemed honestly glad to see him, though he would surely be a topic of conversation at their evening meals. He was back.
He greeted old friends warmly, and thanked those who commented on his camerawork for wildlife publications in the past few years. He was surprised that they knew what he did—still photographers rarely received much of the applause. He told friends who asked that there were safe places to photograph wild animals. You just had to develop a skill for knowing those places. “Just like anything,” he said, heading off to find not Liam, but Pete Dryer, the man who had been a fledgling patrolman when he had taken the fateful tour all those years ago.
“David!” Pete was behind a desk now. A lieutenant in the criminal investigation unit, he delved into the streets when serious crime had been committed. Key West had a low murder rate, statistically two persons a year. But Key West was vulnerable to drug runners, and in the past few years, the department had made firm headway against the narcotics invasion. Most of what was really bad in the Keys was related to drugs; big money was at stake, and many of the deaths that had been reported were associated with gangs or drugs.
David had been away, but he’d kept up. Unconsciously, he’d waited to hear about another bizarre murder—or that someone had finally solved what happened to Tanya.
Pete had gained weight. He was stout now, and his blond hair was turning white. He had a smile for David, and a warm embrace, indicating the chair in front of his desk.
David took it.
“Wow. You’re really back here,” Pete said. “Any chance you’re here to stay?”
David shook his head. “No, I’m afraid not. But I haven’t accepted any projects for the immediate future, so I’ll be around for a while.”
“That’s great. We’re damned glad to have you here, for whatever time you stay. This is your home, you know.”
“Yeah, it’s my home. I haven’t settled anywhere yet. Pete, I don’t think I can settle anywhere. You know, my grandfather’s death got me thinking about Tanya.”
Pete shook his head sadly and looked down. “David, I wish to God I could give you some kind of closure. We pursued everything we could.”
“Right. The police pursued me,” David said.
“Not fair, David. Your alibi stood up. Craig Beckett was never any kind of a liar, so we all know you were with him—”
“After the museum closed,” David said dryly.
“I believe the coroner—and the dozens of people who said you would not have possibly had the time to leave the museum between your tours. We know Tanya wasn’t killed at the museum, and we all know too that you just weren’t capable of doing that to anyone. Thing is, we just had nowhere to go. I wasn’t in charge, but I remember. We went house-to-house. No one saw anyone go in. There wasn’t a break-in. There was no clue as to where he strangled that girl. Now, if there had been blood, we might have been able to trace something somewhere—” He paused, staring at David. “Well, hell, now I didn’t mean that I wanted that poor girl cut up or tortured, but…strangulation. He left no clues.”
“Pete, I want you to help me. I want to go back over everything.”
Pete stared at him. He groaned. “It was all ten years ago, David.”
“Look, Liam is a cop, a detective now—with the criminal investigation unit. Let him have the paperwork. Assign him to the murder as a cold-case file. Pete, give me something,” David said. “Hell, I’ve made a name for myself in the world. I’m moving on fine. But this haunts me still, every damned day of my life, Pete.”
David heard a noise behind him. He turned and Liam was there. His cousin was two years his junior, his hair was a lighter shade of brown but his eyes were the same color and he knew that most people realized quickly that they were related. David had never known his parents; they’d died together in an automobile accident when he was a year old. He’d lived with his grandparents, but Liam’s mother and father had treated him like their own.
“I can handle it,” Liam said. “Come on, Pete. You know I can take time to reopen the investigation. I can handle my cases, and I can handle an added-on cold case, as well. I’ll keep it low profile.”
“I don’t…Ah, it’s a waste of manpower!” Pete said.
“No. I won’t fail in any way on anything else, and if I do, you pull it back. Pete, what the hell can it hurt?” Liam demanded.
“You may be causing a truckload of trouble down here, you know,” he said.
“Why?” David asked flatly. “We’re looking for truth. Why would the truth disturb anyone?”
“Thing is, this fellow is probably long gone,” Pete said. “David, nothing else has happened. Nothing remotely similar has happened since.”
“How can it hurt? Look, let Liam reopen it as a cold case, and he’ll only use his spare time. We’ll keep it quiet. No other officers need to be involved.”
“Ah, hell, fellows, as long as it’s your time you intend to waste.” Pete wagged a finger at Liam. “Don’t you dare neglect a thing, you hear me?”
“Loud and clear,” Liam said.
“And you—don’t you go doing anything illegal!” Pete charged David.
“Never,” David said, and smiled.
“I’ll see about the files,” Liam said, and left.
“Thanks, Pete,” David told him.
He rose and left the office. He’d intended on getting to the truth, one way or the other. But it was better having the blessing of the local cops.
Heading out, he ran into Liam. His cousin started to speak, but David shook his head slightly and indicated the door.
Outside the station, Liam frowned handing David the files. “What was that all about?”
“I don’t care to talk in front of anyone else,” David told him.
“Why?