Chapter 29

"Been one hell of an afternoon, hasn't it?" Joe asked Charlie as they sat in an unmarked police sedan in the parking lot of the onshore oil and gas refinery. The staff were pouring out of the building as the shift bell had just rung a few minutes earlier. Robert was leaning against Richard's gray sedan; somehow his heart had not yet left his chest, even though it was going a mile a minute. He just hoped that Richard wouldn't look for the tracking device that Charlie had stuck to the underside of the trunk of the car.

"I'll say. Mika is going to try and get into see Danny tomorrow. Doctor Kley didn't want to overload the poor guy," Charlie responded from his spot in the passenger seat. Rex was behind them in the backseat.

"I never thought this investigation would end up pulling on so many threads. It's so messy and so many lives were ruined," Joe shook his head from the driver's seat.

"Agreed but if we can find Debra, then finally some people will get some peace," Charlie said.

"How would Danny know anything? I mean he hadn't mentioned anything to anyone, which he could have easily done. Heck, we don't even know if he mentioned anything to Tim Watkins," Joe said.

"Mika and Jesse didn't seem to think he knew what he actually knows. It's all buried with all those times Aiden Moffat abused him. Eventually, if you keep digging into something like that and you'll strike whatever has been buried the deepest. Still, something made him move when he did and that… that we don't know," Charlie frowned.

"Something triggered the dominos for Richard, enough for him to use the wrong weapon to shoot Watkins with. He shoots him with a nine-millimeter and maybe a less observant team would have pinned it all on Danny," Joe figured.

"Exactly. Target approaching the vehicle," Charlie radioed to Mika and Jesse over the handheld unit.

"We see him," Mika responded. The game was afoot as Sherlock Holmes once said and they all listened to see if Robert could get Richard to slip up.

"Hey Richard," Robert started as the man approached the vehicle.

"Back in town huh?" Richard gave him a look, but did not make a move to unlock the car.

"Well William got himself into a mess. Who else was he going to call?" Robert asked.

"Why does this mess include me?" Richard was not going to just hand out information.

"William told me that SJPD had Lynn down at the station. I figure that means it has to include you. We both know that she's not exactly able to stand up for herself," Robert hoped that would do something to man standing in front of him. Richard heaved a sigh and unlocked the car.

"Get in. My feet are too tired to be arguing without sitting down," the man who just got off work said. The two climbed into the car and the conversation continued.

"What did William say to you?" Richard wanted to know.

"Well, the cops think that William has something to do with the shooting of Tim Watkins. Like he somehow helped Danny, who he hadn't seen in years. I'm not sure why they pulled Lynn in. William didn't know either," Robert said.

"How did William know Watkins?" Richard asked.

"He doesn't. Told the police as much. Even let them search his place. They found nothing but somehow, I'm not convinced that it's over. William said they had his DNA. I asked him how that was possible and he said that he had no idea," Robert told him.

"If they had his DNA, they would have thrown him into a cell," Richard said.

"I suppose so but I'm still not sure how that leads to Lynn. William says that he doesn't know how Lynn would know Tim Watkins either. They have to have something they aren't sharing. What did Lynn say to you?" Robert wondered. He knew he had to be careful.

"You know what she's like. She wasn't making any sense. I called up the police station and read them the riot act for speaking to her without calling me. I mean you can see that she's not altogether with it. They said that Lynn was an adult and could hold a conversation with them, especially since it was her therapist who was dead. I told them that they couldn't seriously think she did something to him. They said they had to check everyone out and that was it," Richard said.

"What a load of horse puckey," Mika shook her head. Jesse nodded as the conversation in the car continued.

"I didn't know Lynn was in therapy," Robert said.

"She's not handling dad's death very well. It just leaves me and her," Richard lied again.

"Your mom didn't show up for the funeral?" Robert asked.

"After all these years? No. I didn't expect her to," Richard shook his head.

"Sorry man. I figured she'd show up now that your old man was gone," Robert shook his head, trying to judge Richard's reaction.

"She left us. Left Lynn. I don't know how I'm going to take care of her long term," the man said.

"Well somehow you have to reach out to Social Services. Right? I mean they could help," Robert didn't want to push.

"They said that I have to have proof my mother is dead and that there is no one else in the family capable of taking care of Lynn," Richard was lying some more.

"Your dad didn't have your mom declared dead?" Robert was surprised. She'd been gone more than long enough for the legal maneuver.

"He'd always say that she could be homeless somewhere and if he declared her dead then she couldn't get help," Richard said.

"You really think she's still out there?" Robert asked.

"Honestly, I have no idea. I certainly don't have money for a lawyer to take this to court," Richard shook his head.

"Well maybe there has to be a way to do it if it means getting help for Lynn. Maybe the SJPD can help?" Robert wondered.

"My dad had an old friend with the RCMP. Maybe I'll call him. Now, if that's everything, I need to get home to Lynn to make dinner," Richard lied one final time.

"Yeah man. Thanks for talking," Robert said. Richard just nodded and Robert got out of the car. Once the passenger door closed, Richard fired the car up and headed out. Jesse and Mika followed him, while Robert waited until he was out of view before heading to the car with Charlie, Joe, and Rex.

"Was any of that helpful?" Robert wanted to know.

"Richard likes to lie," Charlie said.

"Like he breathes," Robert figured as a second vehicle pulled up beside them. Charlie thanked him before he and Rex hopped out of the car and climbed into Inspector Siku's rental. He radioed ahead and Jesse told them they were holding steady behind Richard. Inspector Siku got her car underway to catch up with them, following the GPS signal from the tracking device.

To Be Continued…