Dempster Road

Chapter 9

Liam had staggered away into the trees and Barney and the doctor listened as he coughed up his breakfast noisily. The body, finally rescued from the muck of the bog, showed a wound that resembled Edgar's in that the throat had been almost hacked out with something that was either very dull or weirdly shaped.

Filth and dirt filled the eyes and mouth and a sickening odour had attached itself to the sopping, blood soaked clothing.

"How did he get in there, you think?" Doc asked, blowing his nose and slipping his gloves back on.

"Sure as hell didn't walk." Barney frowned. "Dragged in is my guess - likely by the killer. Just like Edgar was chucked in the river afterwards."

"I'll get the bag from the car. We'll have to drag it back up to the road, this thing'll slip and slide all over the place," Doc Ollcott offered, handing Barney his shovel. "Give them to Liam to carry up. I'll give him a shot of something to settle his stomach."

Barney hollered to the young man and sent him stumbling up to the highway leaning on both shovels. His face was ashen, and his shirt was covered with his own mess. Barney sucked his teeth and heaved a sigh. Nobody should have to witness this kind of thing; people that killed like this were beyond sick and these two killings, Edgar and Edward Shafton, scared him.

Not because Barney wasn't used to such gruesome bodies, he'd seen his share over his life, but because the similarities between Edward and Edgar's demise spoke to something dark and ugly . . . something Barney wasn't keen on facing. He was gonna need that bigger boat.

The Doc and Liam returned, the latter looking only slightly better. He avoided looking at the corpse, and was content to just spread the bag on the ground and let the Doc and the Sheriff load it inside. When it was zipped up, Barney ordered him to grab an end and Doc smiled in thanks, knowing his bad back wouldn't handle the task.

"Gimme a report as soon as you can, Doc," Barney said after they loaded the bag into the Doc's wagon. "And anything else you find matching Edgar, I'd appreciate."

"I can tell you right now, Barney, the wound is the same. You're lookin' at the same killer."

"Just nail it down for me." He took Liam's arm and walked around to the passenger door with him. "Sorry you had to witness that, son. No fun I know. Just a word of caution though. This is a serious investigation and not for public knowledge yet. Not a word to anybody about this, okay?"

Liam promised, and then asked a few questions that surprised Barney, since the young man seemed so repulsed by their find. He told him to speak to the Doc, then tapped the roof of the wagon and watched them make a U-turn and speed off down the highway.

Barney called Stella and told her what they found, and to update the Shafton file to murder. He said he was going to come back by way of Stroud's Bridge; he figured he'd have another look around, in light of finding Shafton, and see if anything was missed. Stella sounded nervous.

****

He watched Belinda make her way to the other woman's table, the game he hoped to play streaming across his mind in vivid colour.

Adelaine was surprised by the woman's easy assumption that she could just come over and sit down without an invitation. When, after a brief introduction, she began asking questions about Adelaine's recent activities and seemed to be aiming her telephone at her, Adelaine folded her napkin and sat back, stony-faced.

"I know it seems like I'm prying, but I'm trying to put together a story for my paper, and leads are very few and far between. The car that was found down the highway from here came from a diner just north of here, and that's all we know so far. The driver is missing and it's a mystery." Belinda tried smiling her way past the intrusion.

"You're a reporter."

"Yep. With the Dempster Voice."

"Why are you speaking to me then?" The voice suddenly went soft along with the features and Belinda was pleased that her apology seemed to work.

"You checked in last night, and you could only have come from the north or south on the same road, I just wondered if you saw anything. Anything odd or maybe did you see the car?"

"Gee, no. I did come down from the north so would I have passed it at all?"

"No, it was found south of here. What time did you come down?"

"Oh let's see. I had dinner at some motel north of here." Adelaine relaxed and smiled. "If I'd known this place was here I wouldn't have stopped up there." She made a face.

"Yeah, not a lot of good eating places in this neck of the woods."

"Is that a critique before you've even tried something?" Emily appeared with a large plate of bacon, and a huge omelette. She set it down in front of Adelaine and gave her a stern look. "No arguing now. You get this down and start feeling better."

Belinda seemed surprised. "Oh, aren't you well. I'm so sorry. If I'd known I would never--"

"It's fine. Just some fatigue. But if you'll excuse me now I think I would like to eat. This looks wonderful, Emily."

The owner smiled and then followed Belinda back to her own seat. "Poor thing is running from a bad relationship. She needs to find herself."

"She told you this?" Belinda asked.

"Last night when she checked in."

"When was that actually?"

"Why?"

Stanley leaned over to Emily. "We're just getting all the bits and pieces we can. You know, tryin' to form a picture of the events. Any little bit helps." He noticed Adelaine was watching them.

"I think it was around eleven or so. Time doesn't count for much this time of year. Business is too slow to take notice."

"Well that's great, thanks. We'll try to stop workin' long enough to enjoy your food and hospitality." He looked darkly at Belinda.

"Food'll be right out."

"Don't you give me that look, Stan Withers. I got the information didn't I?"

"I thought I just got it." He drank some coffee and watched Belinda stew in her chair.

"You didn't get the fact that she ate at a motel just north of here."

"You mean where Shafton ate?"

"You know of any other motels up north with a diner attached? She might have been there early enough to maybe have seen the car go by or even stop."

Stan mulled that over. "She might have been eatin' at the same time as the Shafton guy. I wonder if she saw him."

"She said she didn't see anything."

"Did you ask her about the car . . . give a description?"

"No . . . I didn't have time, but she seemed clueless about anything."

"So does that mean she didn't see anything?"

Belinda looked down, annoyed. He was going to press his advantage but relented and backed off. "Some questions at this motel diner might just be in order, Bel."

"Okay, so what now?" Her enthusiasm returned with his courteous manner.

"I say we head up there and do some digging, after we eat. We can still be back here for dinner."

"Is that all you think about? Your stomach?"

"No." His look caused her face to turn pink.