Page 70 of Love Always

I start to open my mouth, but Nic’s slight shake of the head makes me stop. Bryce was always the hothead and I was the ballast. That’s what Nic is doing for me in this moment. Now I see why Nic and I were called. We are “outside” the family. Clearly the detective does not know about my relationship with Laurel. That needs to change, now, before he tells me something he regrets.

“I am in a relationship with Laurel Russo, just so we’re clear.”

Carlson taps the desk with a pencil. “I know. Nic already informed me. It doesn’t change anything.” He pauses. “A kid found a burner phone on top of the breakwater, near the crime scene after the storm last month. It got coughed up out of the rocks. We sent it out to forensics and just got the results this morning. There are texts between Colleen, Kevin Barr, Chris Proctor, two people only known as A and B and Laurel.” He shoves a pile of paper my way. “Here’s the transcript. I’ve made a copy and highlighted Laurel’s texts in yellow.”

“Summarize.” My mouth is dry.

“They’re only a handful, but they tie her directly to the murder, putting her there at the time and offering a motive.”

My glance to Nic makes him state: “Drugs. Colleen supposedly owed her money. Laurel needed it for a child custody case involving Cory, and she was convinced Colleen was holding out on her.”

My heart starts in my chest so fast, I nearly gasp. Swallowing first, I take a deep breath. “So, someone put the note on Laurel’s car after they’d killed Colleen, then planted the weapon in the Squareback, and what? Tossed the phone with obviously fake text messages into the water? That makes no sense.”

If I hadn’t been in panic mode, if every nerve in my body wasn’t screaming to be with Laurel right now, I might have seen what Nic and Carlson saw.

Carlson clears his throat. “Finding the phone wasn’t luck. It was planted, much later. Forensics said it had only been dipped in water recently. And fresh water, not salt.”

“We’re not dealing with an Einstein,” says Nic and puts a hand on my shoulder for a moment.

“They never are,” sighs Carlson. “There’s been an up-tic in people ODing and three deaths this month alone. That’s three too many. All from synthetic heroin laced with fentanyl.” He sighs again. “Our unit is working with two harm reduction nonprofits, the local hospital, a treatment facility here, the prison in Thomaston, and other stakeholders. We’ve even got a sting set up at the library in Camden.”

“Where Chris was hiding out?”

“Exactly.”

“The question is, why is Laurel Russo being targeted? Why is someone trying to frame her?”

Kevin Barr’s face flashes in memory. His harassment of her, his futile quest to claim Cory as his own. Out of respect for Laurel’s privacy all I can say is, “Kevin Barr seems involved somehow. The child custody case is not real, but he’s the only one who knows about it, so he must have something to do with the fake messages. We have him slipping a similar package to Colleen the day before she died.”

Carlson shakes his head. “I had two guys on him for three weeks. Other than being inconsistent, knowing Laurel Russo, and being a quintessential ass, there’s nothing there.” He looks up. “For the record, I hate his father.” He pauses. “There’s one more thing. There’s been a number of arson attacks—mostly older structures. I can’t believe that’s pure coincidence.”

“Devon Russo, is a firefighter. You could—” I start and then Carlson waves a hand. “Well aware of her.” He raises his eyebrows and nods.

“She did say there seemed to be more suspicious fires this year.”

“Not just this year, the last thirty days there have been four fires. Four months ago or so there was a fatality, an infant. There was a cooling off period and then suddenly whoever is setting fires starts up again.”

“Arson is a maladaptive behavior not widely studied,” says Nic, adjusting his pocket square.

“I’ve been talking with David Keller, the fire chief, and he thinks the person setting these is what used to be called a ‘fire-bug.’ Someone who does it because they are compelled to do it. Not for money or revenge—it’s a need.”

I chose arsonists to profile when I went back to school. It’s difficult and Nic’s correct: very little is understood about arsonists.

“You think the death scared them, but they’re gearing up again?”

He nods. “I do. But I also think this is all linked together somehow. My concern is Laurel Russo. It’s clear to everyone here, me, the Chief, the State, that Laurel is completely innocent, but if we do nothing, my fear is that they’ll figure out we are on to them. I want whoever killed Colleen to think that we suspect Laurel and are just a day or two away from charging her.”

I swallow. “And what would be the point of that?”

Nic’s voice is soft. “They’ll let their guard down, especially if they think Carlson needs one more piece of evidence.”

I grip the end of the table as a stab of pain shoots from my non-existent heel to my hip, like a fiery lightening bolt in reverse. “You want to use her like bait?”

Carlson levels a look. “No. Not like bait. We wouldn’t put her in that position. The story I want to offer the public is that we are taking her down officially for questioning. Make it a bit of a production, so people notice. I’d file all the paperwork so channels within the court system would become aware, the media would be alerted. I’d make a short press statement.”

Again, I’m thinking of Kevin Barr and his father. I’m wondering if that’s why Carlson is setting it up like this.

“The D.A., of course, would be completely in-the-know, but officially her release would be because the physical evidence is inconclusive. We'll put out that we need more physical evidence.”