Buried at the Lake: A Luca Mystery Read online

"How can you be sure he didn't?"

  "He put Katie in the lake."

  "I'm not so sure about that."

  "He weighed her down with the anchor. You forget, the anchor on his boat was missing? They found the skeleton by the mango trees."

  "But—"

  "That's why I'm relieved—"

  "Mark had mud on his shoes."

  "So what?"

  "When I came over the next day, he had a couple of mangoes in his room. He shrugged when I asked where they came from."

  "So?"

  I asked Cathy if she bought or picked them, and she said neither."

  "Mark could have picked them and just wasn't talking. You know how he gets."

  "Yeah, and Katie could've been abducted by an alien."

  "You really think Mark did it?" Bill said.

  "Me? You're the one who orchestrated the cover-up."

  "Cover-up? That's nonsense. I was trying to protect him, the family, protect the business."

  "You made me lie to the police. I told you we should have told them what we knew. We've been carrying this goddamn secret for nearly ten frigging years, and now it's going to bite us in the ass."

  "Hold on a minute. Don't panic. At this point, we don't know if it's Katie."

  "Oh, come on, man. You're living in denial. Who else could it be?"

  I shrugged. "We'll find out soon enough."

  "And then what? What's your amazing plan this time?"

  "Don't worry, I'll handle it. I always do."

  "What the hell does that mean?"

  "What does it mean? I'll tell you; who does everybody come to when there's a problem? Who's taking care of Mark? I didn't see you stepping up."

  "You're a control freak."

  "Don't give me back talk. If it weren't for me, when Dad died, the business would have collapsed."

  "Oh, so you're a savior now?"

  "That's right. I stepped in and held it together when you didn't know which way was up."

  "Yeah? And who built the business? It looks nothing like what Dad started. He was mom and pop, and I got us into the big leagues," Greg stated.

  "When Dad blew his head off, the business almost collapsed. I didn't want to, but I had to go from running the lumberyard to trying to keep the place running."

  "Don't be so dramatic. I did more than my share."

  "You couldn't have done anything without me. I saved your ass so many times, I stopped counting."

  "Yeah, and you got me into this goddamn mess. I could go to jail."

  "Typically selfish. You're only worried about yourself."

  "Oh, you know what? Forget it." He opened the truck door, got out, and climbed into the Corvette.

  I watched him drive off. He was a hothead. I wouldn't have gotten him involved, but I had no choice. Everybody only cared about themselves. It was up to me to look at the big picture.

  Though Greg was thirty-two, he was immature and selfish. The nerve of him believing he built the business. I gave him credit for building the business up and expanding to Bonita, but he ignored the fact that without me, there would be no business.

  It wasn't easy. Word got out that Dad's will had given control of the company to Mark as a way to make sure he was provided for.

  We had competitors looking to eat our lunch, and some employees were threatening to leave. It was a big mess. I didn't know what the hell I was doing, but I kept it together.

  Now this was another situation in need of saving. But the stakes were as high as they got.

  Chapter Five

  The medical examiner and three of his staff approached. "Hey, Doc."

  "Hello, Frank. Body aside, it's good to see you."

  "Ditto. I'm hoping you can give us a head start with this one."

  Bilotti opened a bag, pulling out a handful of small, red flags. "We'll see." The doctor walked around the gravesite, encircling the remains with the markers. He said, "I want the entire area excavated." He probed the earth near the skull. "This is shallow. Let's go to a depth of four feet to be sure."

  Derrick said, "Who'd bury a body under so little dirt?"

  I said, "Someone without time or someone nervous. Could've been an impulse killing."

  "I'm surprised the body wasn't found earlier."

  I took a step toward Bilotti, thinking it could mean someone on the property kept an eye on it. The doctor was using a brush to clear dirt from the skull. "Anything telling?"

  "Skull appears intact."

  That ruled out a bullet to the head. "Any evidence of a blow to the head?"

  "Nothing apparent, but I'll go over the remains at the office."

  His idea of an office was a lot different than mine. "Thanks. What's the expected time line? I'd really like—"

  "After six or seven years of working together, or should I say, you pushing me, you're anxious for clues."

  "Come on, Doc. I'm not that bad."

  Bilotti chuckled. "You certainly are. But if something ever happened to me, I'd want you heading the investigation."

  "That's a weird compliment, but I'll take it."

  Bilotti stood and issued instructions to dig out the skeleton. He turned to me. "How's Mary Ann doing?"

  "About the same. Like you said, it's taking longer and longer each time she has a flare-up."

  "How much time elapses between episodes?"

  "Used to be months, now it's closer to ten days."

  "Keep a journal; the neurologist may find it useful."

  "Will do. Hey, sorry I missed that Brunello tasting. How was it?"

  "The 2016s are going to be special. That makes two in a row, but you need to wait to drink them."

  "How much are they going for?"

  "Well-known producers aren't cheap, but that's what makes years like 2015 and 2016 interesting; almost every winery made great juice."

  "I have to check them out."

  "If you're free sometime next week, we can do a tasting at my house."

  "Sounds great. Let me see how Mary Ann is feeling."

  "Of course."

  "Look, we have to talk to the guy who unearthed this."

  Mrs. Miller and Hector Lopez, the landscaper, met us on the rear patio. It was a multitiered deck that could comfortably hold a party of a hundred lucky souls. The lake looked inviting from here.

  Derrick introduced us, and Mrs. Miller said, "I can't believe this. It's surreal."

  "We have a couple of questions for both of you."

  "Sure. Do you know who it is? Hector said it's a skeleton. How horrifying to think it's been here all the time."

  "How long have you lived here?"

  "About ten years. Bill's dad lived here for ages. And when he, uh, died, we moved in. I wasn't so keen to come here, but Bill insisted, and we moved in. It's been good, and it's a pretty setting."

  "And your father-in-law, how long did he live here?"

  "Oh. He was living here when I met Bill." She smiled. "That's close to forever."

  She had porcelain veneers but seemed down to earth. I pinned her as mid-to-late thirties. Her body was taut, and I wondered whether she'd given birth.

  "He lived here more than twenty years before you moved in?"

  "Certainly. All the boys were born here."

  "Boys?"

  "Bill and his brothers, Greg and Mark."

  "It appears the body has been there a long time, but I have to ask if you can recall any activity down in the area, or any person with a particular interest, or anything unusual since you moved in."

  "Well, that's a long time span to consider. Nothing comes to mind immediately, but I'll think it over."

  "We'd appreciate that. Anything you might remember, no matter how small or crazy it may seem."

  "I'll let you know. Say, how long until this is all over? We're having a little get-together next Saturday, and I'd hope this would all be gone by then."

  "We'll do our best to limit our footprint, but it will depend on what the autopsy and initial investigation reveals."

  She frowned. "Okay, I understand. But you'll keep us informed?"

  Hector Lopez kept his eyes down and shifted from foot to foot as she spoke.

  "As best we can."

  "Mr. Lopez, you found the remains?"

  "Yes. I was preparing the area."

  "What were you doing?"

  "Mrs. Miller, she wanted to have a wall with a step—"

  "I never liked the way the ground just sloped off. It didn't fit with the rest of the grounds. My idea was to put two low retaining walls in with a step or two in." She swept her hand toward the back of the house. "It would mirror what we did with the deck."

  Derrick said, "Sounds like it'd look nice."

  "It sure would, but Bill, my husband, never wanted me to do it."

  "Why he'd change his mind?"

  She smiled. "To be honest, I think I just wore him down."

  Was that really it, or did Bill think enough time had passed to safely work in the area? I said, "Yeah, it sure sounds like a good idea. What didn't he like?"

  "He just didn't want to do it. Said it looked fine the way it was."

  "He a naturalist or something?"

  "Bill? Did you forget he's in the building-supply business? He makes his money when things are built."

  "How's business these days?"

  "It's busy. They're building everywhere. I don't know how many more people the area can handle."

  I had the same concerns. "I guess business must have steadily increased the last twenty-five years."

  "Pretty much, but it got a little rocky when Bill's dad died. He ran everything, and you know, with him gone and the boys taking over, it took a little time for them to get a handle on things."

  "I'm sure it was hard. They were, what, mid-twenties?"

  "Yeah, Bill was twenty-five and he's the oldest."

  "Did you hire the landscapers for the job?"

  "We've been working with them forever. My father-in-law used them."

  Lopez shook his head in agreement.

  I said, "Thanks for your time today. We may have further questions."

  Lopez frowned. We turned to walked away, and I hiked my head at the landscaper. He pointed at his chest and mouthed, Me? I nodded.

  He took a step, and I lowered my voice. "Look, I don't think you had anything to do with this, so unless that changes, you have nothing to worry about. Nobody is going be calling immigration or any agency."

  "I didn't. I didn't know—"

  "Have a good afternoon."

  Derrick said, "Guy was scared out of his mind."

  "Digging up a skeleton would spook anybody."

  Derrick smiled. "Yeah, right."

  "I want to talk to Bill Miller, but I'm wondering if we should wait until we see what Bilotti can tell us."

  Chapter Six

  Luca

  I peeled my jacket off. "First thing we need to do is check the missing person list. Until Bilotti narrows it down, we're looking at an older case."

  Derrick said, "We should be looking at Lee County's as well."

  "No doubt. Let me call Bilotti before we start."

  "But it's only been two hours since he said there was no obvious cause of death."

  I grabbed the phone. "I know, but by now he'll know if it's a male or female, and maybe an age range."

  Bilotti was in the autopsy suite. I told the secretary it was important. Two minutes went by before he got on the line.

  "You're lucky I like you. What's urgent?"

  "Sorry, Doc, but I need something to work with on the remains."

  He sighed. "I'm as anxious as you are, but whoever it is, they've been in the ground for years. Another day or two isn't going to matter."

  "I get it, but I want to know if it's male or female. And an idea how old they might be."

  "It's a female."

  "How sure are you?"

  "The pelvis has distinct features adapted for childbearing."

  "You're the best, Doc. How about an age?"

  "Microscopic examination of the cranium puts the age range sixteen to twenty years of age, but based upon the early stages of wisdom-tooth formation, I'd place her about eighteen at the time of death. What we have is likely an eighteen-year-old female."

  "Too close to home, Doc."

  "Don't dwell on it, Frank. Worrying is practicing for failure."

  "I'm graduating at the top of the class."

  "You have to work on shifting your thoughts when you find yourself agonizing over something."

  Good advice to give but harder to put into play. "You're right. I'll let you get back to it. If you find something, call me."

  "Will do."

  "Thanks again, Doc."

  I hung up. "All right. Bilotti said it's an eighteen-year-old girl."

  "Geez. Poor parents."

  "Makes you think, don't it? Being on this side of things is bad enough. I can't imagine what a disaster it'd be as a father."

  "I saw something on TV the other day. They said the divorce rate for couples who lose a child is off the charts."

  "Makes sense. You're angry and need somebody to blame. You end up beating each other up."

  "Damn shame. I'll call Lee County and then pull what we have in missing persons."

  "Go back fifteen years."

  While Derrick was on the phone, I plugged 11747 Myrtle Road into Google Earth. I wasn't interested in the street view of the Miller house. What I wanted was a sense of the area. I went to the aerial view.

  The lake was so big, I had to zoom out. The first thing that popped into my head was it was shaped like a hammerhead shark. The Miller house sat at the bottom, where the tail would be.

  It was an interesting body of water, but what troubled me was all the blind spots. The Millers had one of the longest lake views I'd seen, but you could only see about half the lake from their property.

  A boat could have hugged the coastline, traveling more than two thirds the way to the Millers without being seen. I zoomed along the shoreline. There were more than twenty houses with direct access to the water. Seven docks protruded into the lake.

  There also appeared to be a path or walkway around parts of the lake. It may be how some of the houses, behind those on the water, had access. My eyes zeroed in on what appeared to be a boat ramp. Zooming in, I shook my head. It was a public place to launch a boat.

  The possibilities were multiplying, and I closed the tab. We didn't have anything to go on. I liked to get ahead of things, but at this point, the only thing I was doing was keeping my productivity shame at bay.

  I picked up the phone. "Hey, how you feeling?"

  Mary Ann said, "Pretty good."

  "You sure?"

  "Yes. Don't worry. The pain in my face is hardly there. The meds are working."

  "Good. Don't do too much."

  "You know the doctors all say I have to keep moving."

  "Why don't you get in the pool. It always helps."

  "I was planning on it."

  "Great, just don't overdo it."

  "I won't. What's going on with you?"

  "Working the Pine Ridge remains case. Turns out it was an eighteen-year-old girl."

  "Oh my God. How terrible."

  I exhaled. "Yeah, it certainly is."

  Derrick was waving a sheet of paper. "Look, I gotta run. I'll see you around six." I hung up.

  "What have you got?"

  "Sixteen in Collier that could be her."

  "Let me see."

  He handed me the sheet, saying, "The range is fourteen to twenty-two-year-old females. Remember the O'Brien girl. It was right before I got shot."

  All the names were vaguely familiar. "Yeah, but unless they used an accelerating agent, the body wouldn't have decomposed to that level in a year or so."

  "Bilotti can tell us if they did."

  Two other names whispered to me: Janet Clower and Pamela Kelsy. I pointed to the page. "These two went missing before you got here. About eight years ago. I remember the names but can't place the faces or circumstances."

  Derrick went to his desk and, standing, tapped on his keyboard. "Here's the Clower kid."

  A smiling seventeen-year-old, with a black pixie haircut, filled the screen. My heart sank. "Yeah, she was the one the mother suspected her ex-boyfriend of abusing. He was scum of the earth, but we couldn't find anything linking him to her disappearance."

  "They never heard from her again?"

  "Nope. I always felt she was dead."

  "It could be her."

  "Sure could."

  "Who would've killed her?"

  "I always figured someone got her confidence, took her away somewhere far from here and killed her. It looks like I might be wrong."

  "Be the first time, no?"

  "Don't be a wiseass. Bring up the Kelsy kid."

  Hair parted to the side, the brunette was wearing red-framed glasses. Her mother's face popped into my mind. I shook my head. "Her parents were so devastated they could hardly function. I remember the kid got accepted into Princeton the day before she went missing."

  "Talk about from high to low."

  "Nothing about that case made sense."

  "Maybe it's her."

  "Could be. See if we have dental records on both of them. In fact, round up dentals on everyone on the list. We'll save time."

  "Most of these are too old to be in the system. I'll run down to records and send whatever we have to Bilotti."

  "If there's no match, you'll have to get Lee County moving on it."

  "Got it."

  Derrick left, and I collapsed into my chair. Whoever it was had been dead for a decade. What was I afraid of? Selfishly, I didn't want it to be the Kelsy kid. Sure, I wanted the kid to be alive, but deep down, I couldn't face the parents.

  Chapter Seven

  Luca

  I got back from shopping at Publix, and I was helping Mary Ann put things away when my cell rang. It was Bilotti. The clock said 8:15 p.m. "I gotta take this."

  "Hey, Doc. What's up?"

  "We got what looks like a match on the dental records."

  "It's the Kelsy kid, right?"

  "No. We need to run DNA testing but believe the victim is Kate Swift."

  "Kate Swift." My mental filing cabinet began sorting. The name rang a distant bell. She went missing before I moved to Naples. I braced myself. "How old?"

  "Seventeen."

  I sighed. "What a screwed-up world we live in."