IT LOOKS LIKE the house on the TV show Dallas, only twice the size.”
Jamison made this comment as she drove them up a long cobblestone driveway that was bracketed by two rows of large trees with full, leafy canopies.
“Where does Stuart McClellan live?” asked Decker.
“He has an apartment in a building in downtown London.”
“An apartment?” said Jamison. “Isn’t he richer than Dawson?”
“He’s been through so many booms and busts that I think he now hedges his bets.”
“And his son?”
“Shane has a little farmhouse and some land on the western edge of the county. Bought the place right after he came back.”
“Came back from where?” asked Jamison.
“Fighting overseas. He was in the army. Joined up right after he graduated from high school. He likes it simple. Hunts during the season, drinks his beer, works for his old man, gets yelled at for not doing it well enough, and tries to enjoy life. It’s no secret the father doesn’t think the son is up to taking over his fracking operations.”
“And what do you think?” said Jamison.
“Shane’s no dummy and he works hard. We’ve hunted together a lot. He’s sharp, methodical, and knowledgeable about stuff he cares about. He just doesn’t care for business. It’s not how he’s wired.”
They parked in front of the house and got out. Kelly led the way up the steps to the double front door.
“So what will it be for us?” asked Decker. “Gregarious, or do we get a knife in the back?”
“All depends on what and how you ask him, I guess.”
“Well, knowing Decker’s tact, let’s prepare for the shiv to the spine,” said Jamison, with a sly smile at her partner.
The door was answered by a woman in a maid’s uniform. After Kelly showed his badge, she stepped back so they could pass through. She led them down a hall with ash plank flooring to a set of oak double doors.
Inside the room, the man who rose from behind a large desk was nearly as tall as Decker, but far thinner with narrow hips. His brown, wavy hair had a thick shock of gray in the front. He was clean-shaven, with a nose that had been broken and healed slightly off center. He was dressed in an untucked white shirt and black jeans. When he moved around the desk with his hand outstretched to Kelly, Decker noted the dark blue slippers on the man’s feet with a D monogrammed on them. The walls were festooned with the heads of unfortunate creatures who had had their mortal remains fashioned into showpieces.
“Joe, how the hell are you? Been a while.”
Kelly shook his hand and then introduced Decker and Jamison to Hugh Dawson.
They all sat in front of an empty stone fireplace and Kelly said, “Thanks for meeting with us. Guess you’ll be heading out of the country in a month or so.”
Dawson looked at Decker and Jamison. “I used to laugh at the snowbirds who would head south for the winter. Then a number of years ago, Maddie suggested we start spending the winters in Australia when it’s their summer. We rented a place near the water. After she passed, I kept going. We had some really wonderful times down there.”
“Memories like that are important,” said Jamison. “Like therapy.”
“Yes they are. Now, I understand a woman was murdered. And Hal Parker found her.”
“He was out looking for a wolf,” said Jamison.
“That damn thing had already killed two of my cows. Hired Hal to get rid of it.”
“How do you know it was a wolf?” asked Decker.
“They finally found the carcass with Hal’s bullet in it. So who was it that got killed again?”
“A woman named Irene Cramer,” said Kelly. “Thought you would have known that. We released her name.”
In answer Dawson pointed to his desk that was stacked with three-ring binders. “I’m up to my eyeballs in financial stuff. Working on some big deals. I haven’t watched or listened to the news for a while.”
“But you knew of the murder, obviously,” said Decker.
“I knew because Hal told me.”
“So you didn’t know her?” asked Decker.
He shook his head. “Used to be I knew everybody around these parts. Now, too many people coming in. I’m not complaining. It’s good for business.”
“Irene Cramer worked as the teacher at the Brothers’ school,” said Kelly.
“The Brothers? I do business with them. Their word is their bond.”
“What about the military installation?” asked Decker.
Dawson’s eyes narrowed. “London Air Force Station? What about it?”
“Do you do business with them, too?”
“Sure. Their folks come to town and frequent my places, and we provide some of their supplies. Why?”
Decker shrugged. “It’s a murder investigation. We ask questions about everybody.”
Dawson glanced at Kelly. “But why do the Feds get called in on a local murder?”
Kelly said, “We always appreciate the help.”
Dawson eyed him skeptically. “And I can sell you the Brooklyn Bridge.”
“We met your daughter,” interjected Jamison. “You must be very proud of her.”
Dawson grinned. “She’s gonna be running the world before long. She’ll leave what I did in the dust when all is said and done.”
“She’s dating a man named Stan Baker,” said Decker. “We met him, too.”
The light seemed to dim in Dawson’s eyes. “Is that right? Well, I keep out of that. She’s grown and can make her own decisions, especially when it comes to men.”
Jamison said, “Wow, I wish my father would be as enlightened. I’m in my thirties and I still get detailed emails and phone calls about my personal relationships.”
Dawson grinned. “Oh, I tried to poke my nose in here and there. The fourth time it got chopped off, I said, okay, I’m done here. Not worth it.” His expression darkened. “Then after Maddie died . . .” An awkward silence persisted until he said, “Anything else you folks want to ask me?” He glanced at the papers on his desk.
“We understand that your son committed suicide,” said Decker.
Dawson immediately tightened. “He took the coward’s way out, yeah. But what the hell does that have to do with anything,” he snapped, glowering at Kelly, who looked taken aback by Decker’s comment.
Decker said, “We also understand that you and Stuart McClellan are best friends.”
Dawson looked wildly at Decker for a few moments, and then burst out laughing. “Okay, I didn’t figure you for having a sense of humor. Fact is, that’s been blown way out of proportion. I’m not saying the guy and I will be going on vacation together anytime soon. But the town is booming and we’re both making money hand over fist. And we don’t compete. We’re more complementary.” His tone became more businesslike. “But this has nothing to do with a gal being murdered, right?”
“Like I said, we ask lots of questions in the hope of finding a path forward.”
“Sounds to me like you’re trying to dig through mud to get to the gold.”
“It always seems that way right before you hit the mother lode,” replied Decker.
Jamison said, “We met Stuart McClellan and his son, Shane. Your daughter was there, too. At the hotel where we’re staying. It’s one of your places.”
“Okay, so?” said Dawson.
“Any idea why the McClellans would be there?” asked Jamison. “Caroline seemed surprised that they were.”
“It’s a free country. They can go where they want.” He grinned. “And, hell, I don’t mind old Stuart putting some cash in my pocket.”
“Shane seemed quite smitten with Caroline,” pointed out Jamison.
Dawson stood. “Well, it was nice meeting you. Maybe I’ll see you around.”
The others stood, too, but Decker remained seated.
“Your daughter was making an offer to buy the apartment building where Irene Cramer lived. Did you know about that?”
“Caroline doesn’t have to come to me for every little thing. We are trying to acquire properties. And now’s a good time to do it. Stuff is still relatively cheap.”
“But you’d think prices would be going up in a boom,” said Jamison.
“It was booming last time, too. And then in a few years everything went to hell.” He paused and rubbed his chin. “What do you folks know about fracking?”
Jamison said, “Just what we read in the papers, so not much.”
“We produce more oil than any other state except Texas. But with fracking there are two downsides. First is, you get overwhelmed by the people coming in for the good-paying jobs, and drugs, prostitution, and other crime and shit like that goes through the roof. And you can’t build the homes, schools, roads, and stores and all the other stuff people want fast enough. Then there’s the second downside. You get busts. Last time oil prices went through the floor overnight and stayed there because OPEC increased production to drive the frackers out of business. Then everything around here shut down, and I mean everything. I got close to losing every nickel I had. But that’s also how McClellan really solidified his hold on the shale land around here.”
“What do you mean?” asked Jamison.
“When the fracking industry really came into vogue a while back, the big boys came up here loaded for bear. And they gobbled up all the available leases and paid top dollar for them. But with the bust cycle, they fell by the wayside and McClellan bought up their leases for pennies on the dollar. And he has his business model all squared away, so apparently no more booms and busts for him.”
Jamison said, “That still doesn’t answer my question about the prices around here now.”
“Well, despite McClellan’s operations being in good shape, people are getting damn nervous, waiting for the rug to get pulled out again. So it creates opportunities for those with a healthier appetite for risk.”
“But you almost pulled out a few years ago,” commented Kelly.
Dawson glared at him. “Maddie didn’t want to live here anymore. She’d been through hell and back with me. The last bust came, but then things started picking up again. But she’d had enough by then. She wanted out come hell or high water. We had a few dollars left. So we were going to buy a little villa in France and spend our golden years there. But then—”
“We understand she died in an accident,” said Jamison.
He nodded. “I was out of the country and she ran off the road during a blizzard. She didn’t realize that the rear of the car had run up against a berm. It had bent her tailpipe and clogged it,” said Dawson, the misery clear in his eyes. “She breathed in all that crap. And . . . died.”
“Why were you out of the country?” asked Decker.
“I was buying the place in France. Caroline was with me.”
“So she was going to live there with you?”
“She was tired of this place, too. Fresh start all around. And it’s what Maddie wanted.” He glanced at Decker. “But, again, why would any of that be relevant to your investigation?”
Decker rose. “I take the position that everything is relevant until it isn’t.”
“And you didn’t answer my question from before. I still don’t know why you Feds got called in on a local killing.”
“Well, on that one, you can join the club,” said Decker as he headed for the door.
AS THEY DROVE BACK to town, Jamison glanced at Decker and said, “You should fill Kelly in on what you found.”
Decker proceeded to tell Kelly about what he had done with Cramer’s corpse.
The local detective’s eyes kept widening the longer that Decker talked.
“Okay, I thought I had heard it all, but you just took it to another level.”
“Wasn’t on my wish list, I can tell you that.”
Kelly said, “You really think she was carrying something inside her?”
“It would explain why her intestines and belly were sliced open. I think the rest of the ‘autopsy’ done by whoever killed her was just to cover that part up.”
“It would have to be a lot of drugs to justify killing someone.”
Jamison shook her head. “But these days you don’t need mules to transport drugs. The U.S. Postal Service unwittingly does it. Or FedEx. Or UPS.”
“Which is why I don’t think it was drugs,” replied Decker, causing Jamison to gape.
“Well, thanks for sharing, Decker,” she groused.
He looked back at Kelly. “Tell me something. How well do you know Walt Southern?”
“Pretty well. Why?”
“Just wondering.”
Jamison caught a look from him that said not to comment further.
“And now, let’s head out and do something we should have already done,” said Decker.
“What’s that?” asked Kelly.
“Go to the scene of the crime,” answered Jamison.
* * *
It was a breathtakingly beautiful view, made ugly only by the purpose of the visit.
Decker was staring out over the spot where Cramer’s body had been found. In the distance one could see the humps of the Badlands. The sky was the clearest it had been since they had arrived. To the north was Saskatchewan, to the west the vast footprint of Montana.
Decker was interested in neither. His sole focus was this little patch of North Dakota soil where someone had dumped Irene Cramer’s body. As he gazed around, his mind was analyzing a million different factors. Only one of them might hold any importance for the investigation, but you had to go through all of them to get there. It seemed both a likely and an unlikely place to find a dead body. Likely in that it was isolated and remote, and that was good for getting rid of unwanted dead bodies without being seen. But unlikely in that such wide-open spaces allowed no cover for anyone disposing of said dead bodies. One could literally see for miles. But at night, it would have been a different story.
“What’s near here?” he asked Kelly, who was leaning next to the SUV. Jamison was hovering to the right of Decker and staring at the spot where Cramer had been found.
“Hugh Dawson’s cattle ranch is that way.” Kelly pointed west. “About two miles. It’s a big place. He has a lot of land. But we have an abundance of that around here.”
“Dawson said they found the wolf. Where?”
“About three hundred yards from here. With Parker’s round still in it, like Hugh said. Dang thing was pretty big. If Hal had arrived much later, that critter would have torn up Cramer’s remains. We lucked out there.”
“Did he say why he was hunting in this particular area?” asked Jamison, who was now kneeling down and more closely examining the ground where the body had lain.
“He told me he’d been tracking it the last three nights. He drew up a range of places to check, based on the animal’s hunting pattern. I hunt too, but not like Hal. He’s a real pro. Can track anything anywhere. He said this quadrant was a likely spot to pick the wolf up based on that analysis. He’d been at it about two hours before he caught sight of the thing and took his kill shot.”
“Are we sure it was the same wolf that had attacked the cattle?”
“Yeah, they found some of the remains of the animals in its belly.”
“Were there any tracks around Cramer’s body? Foot or car tire or anything like that?”
“We did check for that but the problem was a heavy rain had started up right when Hal found the body. If there were any tracks, they got washed away when that happened.”
“And Parker didn’t mention seeing any before the rain hit?” asked Decker.
“No. And that’s the other reason I don’t think there were any. The guy’s a seasoned hunter and tracker. If there had been any, he would have spotted them and told us.”
“So the fact that the body was untouched by animals could be because it was dumped here shortly before Parker found it, like you suggested previously, Decker,” said Jamison. “So we might have lucked out there.”
“And the wolf might have been in this area because it caught the scent of the dead body,” added Kelly. “But that doesn’t explain the insect infestation.”
Decker said, “She could have been kept somewhere else, where flies and insects could have gotten to her but animals couldn’t have.”
“But why would the killer bother doing that?” asked Kelly.
“He might want to screw with the timing of death, which would make our job harder. And if there was something inside her that he wanted to get, that would have taken time and he couldn’t cut her open while she was alive. At least I hope he didn’t.”
Jamison said, “Was anyone else around to see or hear anything?”
Kelly shook his head. “No, just Hal. Doubt there was another living person anywhere near here at that time of night.”
“How far away does Parker live?” asked Decker.
“About forty-five minutes from here.”
“Well, let’s go hear his story.”