[Lavish, Interesting, Lightly, Possessions, Proceed]

  I wonder if we should travel to Saranac one last time, to see if the marginalia Lucy had discovered was true. I don’t really have any use for the information. I’ll check with Eve but the fact that there is a ring of escorts working out of bars in Saranac I don’t see how that helps prove that Faith isn’t an escort. But curiosity and a night out with friends, I’ll drive so Anais can have a couple of drinks.

  “Hello Anais, would you like to go to the Hotel Saranac for drinks, I’ll drive so you can drink. Lucy found marginalia that said there was a ring that operated escorts in every bar in Saranac. It won’t do anything for Faith’s case that I can think of. But the only reason that marginalia showed up in my store has to be the cards I passed out Saturday night at the Waterhole.”

  “Sure I’ll be at your Store at eight, be on time.”

  “I was on time last night.”

  “Only because I bought you a coat. Do I need to buy you a new coat every time we go out? You’d hate that wouldn’t you, hippy?”

  “There is enough clothing on the planet to clothe every man, woman and child for the next three generations. So yes I would hate that.”

  “So you’ll be on time?”

  “Were your parents this anal or did you learn this precise time thing from someone else.”

  “Yes, our household ran on a strict schedule. If you wanted to eat you arrived at meal time or waited until the next meal to eat.”

  “After a long life of that shouldn’t you just indulge yourself a little?”

  “No, I quite like the schedule, I don’t find it onerous at all.”

  “No, of course you don’t. Alright I’ll see you at eight.”

  I went up to tell Amy the plan, and the reason why we were going and she came right down to the store to see the marginalia for herself.

  “Should we dust it for prints Laura, I have powdered sugar that would work, I think.”

  “No Amy, Lucy and I touched it so whatever prints were on there are wiped or smudged away by now. Besides, even if we did find a good set of prints the cops aren’t going to just look them up for us. Even if we find a set of prints they’ll be either mine or Lucy's."

  “We’ll make a set of elimination prints for you and Lucy. You have a stamppad don’t you? And some index cards. Come on this will be fun”

  So I let Amy have her fun. Lucy and I both made full sets of finger prints. Amy went to get the powdered sugar and a blush brush. I’d have to wipe the cover with a wet cloth later, or we’d have ants. None of the prints on the book were visible with powdered sugar. Indeed it appeared as if the book had never been touched. Even though Lucy and I had been handling it all morning. Maybe powdered sugar isn’t quite up to the job. Well Amy enjoyed it anyway.

  I looked up Latent fingerprint kits online later, thinking I might order one for Amy just for fun but I found they ran from one hundred and fifty dollars and up. A little too much for a stocking stuffer. You can do it with household items like cornstarch or graphite powder, made from a pencil and a very soft brush. Powdered sugar might work in a very dry environment, but any humidity at all, reduces the chance to near zero as the sugar melts.

  It was just before noon when Faith arrived. We headed to the fire station where she was going to introduce me to Annette Jones. I wanted to try and raise her spirits on the drive over, be encouraging and also find out where her head was at/

  “So Faith, I know this is really stressful, but are you feeling any better today?”

  “I’m still a nervous wreck, I took a long walk last night around town, it was nearly dark when you gave me the butt kicking I needed to hear, Laura. But if you are willing, after you talk to Annette could you drop me off at Haystack. I’m taking your advice, and going for a hike.”

  “It’s not my advice, Faith, I’ve read multiple articles about the positive effects of exercise on the mind. Just last week in a psychology journal they found that exercise is almost as effective treating depression as is therapy. Therapy isn't cheap and it takes years sometimes. Exercise is free and it can have positive short term effects along with long term ones. We only have days, three to be exact, you are a firefighter and used to being active. It only makes sense that forced inactivity is going to take its toll on your mental health. I’ll be happy to drop you off and just tell me when I’ll come back and take you home.”

  “Thanks Laura, but when Sarah gets done with work she’s going to hike up Haystack and we can go home together. Tomorrow is her day off and we’re picking another mountain to climb. I’ve been sitting on my ass since Lachlan died. It’s not even like he loved me. I mean I knew about all of the other girls. It’s just he’s the first smart guy to ever show an interest in me.”

  “If you want to meet smart guys, hang out at the library, join a runners club or better yet Adirondack Mountain Club. All that running and hiking fills their brain with oxygen rich blood. It also makes them lean and toned. Lachlan wasn’t as smart as you think. He crowd sourced the alien sex story and he outright stole the psychological horror story from Monique. I’d say that Lachlan was more devious and clever than smart.”

  I don’t like to speak ill of the dead as they can not defend themselves. But Faith also deserved to know the truth about the man she was pining over. We pulled into the fire station.According to Faith’s fire house schedule, Annette was meaning the phones and covering the office this afternoon. Faith is going to make an introduction for me to Annette. Hopefully I'll be able to find some information that will be useful in Faith’s defense. We entered the office, a moderately pretty woman with short black hair sat at a desk towards the back of the room.

  “Oh, what have we here? Slut, I thought you were on leave, should I call the captain and let him know you are here? None of the firemen are here. But I hear they are all disappointed you started charging for quickies.”

  “Look Annette, I'm not here to fight, I just wanted to introduce you to my friend, Laura.”

  “I already know who she is, slut.”

  I quietly said to Faith, “it’s okay Faith, just wait in the car. I’ll only be a minute.”

  Faith quietly turned and fled back to the car, I could see the tears already forming in her eyes. When I heard the door click closed behind me. I rethought my initial appraisal of Annette, the hair was pulled back too tight, giving her a severe look, and she wore an ugly expression on her face. Ugly thoughts must lead to ugly expressions.

  “I’m always glad to see women supporting women in the workplace, especially in a sausage fest like a fire department.”

  “I don’t need to hear any liberal crap from you old lady. If you were so high minded you wouldn’t have gotten your cousin to fire my husband.”

  “Ah, so you think August, my cousin the chief of police, fired your husband out of nepotism? As if. That’s not how it went down at all. I wrote up every lame ass thing that your husband did on the case. First, I’m the prime suspect, next it’s a young girl, a victim herself that he actually locks up in the county jail. What crime did she in reality commit, none. She herself was robbed by the victim of the murder. But she didn’t know that she had been robbed, because Lachlan stole an idea. It was the idea that got him killed because the wrong person heard him bragging about this idea.”

  “I don’t care about any of that, you still humiliated my husband, don’t think I’m going to forgive you for that.”

  “You don’t get it, I didn’t humiliate him. I just wrote down what he did and gave a copy to the mayor and the chief of police. I told them I was writing an article for the gazette. I wanted a cash settlement for the victim who was wrongfully accused, with zero evidence, and an apology from the chief to the girl. They fired him, because they had zero defense against what I wrote because they both knew every word of it was true. They were going to look terrible in the article, because they had hired him, days after the sheriff had fired him.”

  “The sheriff just doesn’t like his father, that’s why he fired him.”

  “Is that what your husband told you? If that were true, he wouldn’t have hired him in the first place. I’m sure the sheriff was just trying to cover his ass, over some screwup your husband caused. Most likely a wrongful arrest. What do you think the police chief in Saranac is going to do after Faith is exonerated and she sues the Saranac Police Department for wrongful arrest. Again your husband arrested an innocent young woman with zero evidence.”

  Stolen novel; please report.

  “She’s far from innocent, she’s slept with half the men in Placid.”

  “As far as I know, enjoying sex is not a crime, except in tiny rigid churches.”

  “Get out.”

  “You do know that your husband in his inept way was trying to sleep with Faith. If she really was the slut you proclaim her to be. She would have never been charged with a crime, she would have slept with him. If his lovemaking is anything like his crime solving she would have left disappointed."

  “Yeah, she would have, happy. Now get the hell out.”

  “Come on Annette you know Faith, you think she sleeps around too much. But is that enough of a reason to let your husband ruin her life? The fire department is everything to her. Please give me something.”

  “We all have dreams old lady, I’m not letting you or Faith get in the way of mine, so get out before I call your cousin and have you arrested for trespassing. Tell Faith to stay out of the fire house because the next time I see her, I am calling the chief. NOW GET OUT, NOW!”

  I turned and walked out, it was a long shot that she would help me. But I hadn’t expected that much aggression. It didn’t seem that it was her husband's honor that she was defending. I mean if she was concerned for him she never would have agreed that his lovemaking just wasn’t up to snuff. After she had admitted that I really thought that she might, just might give me something I could use.

  But she is a deeply unhappy woman, I need to find the real reason Jones was fired at the sheriff’s office. I don’t think that Annette knows that she just bought the line that the sheriff is at odds with the county executive.Maybe Faith knows what her dream is.

  Faith was seated in the car, it was clear that she had been crying. I got in, and before driving to Haystack. I needed to get some information.

  “Faith, don’t worry about Annette, she is a deeply unhappy woman. But was she always this hostile towards you or is this something recent, since the arrest?”

  “We were never great friends, but she was never openly hostile to me before.”

  “I think she is just insecure and possibly worried that Jones may be sleeping around with other women or at the very least attempting to. But she talked about her dreams, do you have any idea what she was talking about? Does she want to be a professional firefighter?”

  “No, I think she wants to be a politician. She said that she is next in line to be the county executive. She favors doing administrative jobs over actually fighting the fires, and she’s good at them. She’s booksmart, and she is capable enough when asked to do a physical task at a fire or training.”

  “I think she really wanted to help us, but was afraid that if she did that it would impact her political future. But until after the trial, I think it’ll be wise to stay clear of her and the firehouse alright?”

  “Yeah, I have no intention of going back there unless I win my case in court.”

  “Faith, it is not unless, it’s after you win your case in court. You are going to win. By the time Eve gets done with this jury they will have no doubt that you are innocent and that Jones is either deeply stupid or just a creep that was trying to sleep with you and when you deflated his ego and manhood, with one cutting remark. He abused his authority and arrested you for sitting quietly in a bar and not agreeing to have sex with him. Isn’t that the exact opposite of what a prostitute would have done. They would have agreed to the sex, after getting paid.”

  “Thanks for taking all of this time, Laura. I know you have a business to run and I’m taking you away from it. I haven’t even asked if there was anything I could do around your store, or yard work, anything really. I’d love to pay you back somehow.”

  NO, thanks Faith, wait you know what. How do you feel about speaking in front of a small crowd?”

  “I love it when it’s my turn to go to any of the schools to talk about fire safety or what it’s like to be a female fire fighter. We need more women in the field, especially at the volunteer level. Is that what you mean?”

  “Yes, I was just thinking about the mystery bookclub, they would probably love to hear a local story of police incompetence. So if you want to speak to them next week after you win. They probably will have a lot of questions about the jury trial process as well.”

  “I’d love to, anything to pay you back.”

  “Faith, you don’t need to do anything to pay me back, the only reason I mentioned it is because I know they would enjoy listening to you speak. Do you still want me to drop you at the Haystack Trailhead?”

  “Yes, if it’s not too much trouble.”

  “It’s no trouble at all, I only wish that I could join you. It’s a beautiful day for a hike and Haystack is challenging. I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time and forget those troubles.”

  We drove over route Eighty Six to the trailhead where I turned in and dropped Faith off. Now I was going to go to the sheriff’s office, to see if it is possible to find out just what the sheriff got rid of Jones over? I very much doubted , they would just hand that information over to a kindly looking sixty something. I pulled out of the trail head back onto Eighty Six headed back into Placid, I’d only gotten maybe a quarter of a mile before my rear window exploded into a shower of glass. I was so startled I almost went off the road.

  I wasn’t sure what had happened, but I could smell burning rubber and I saw a wisp of smoke rising from the dashboard. If the car was going to die, I preferred being closer to town. So I stepped on the gas, while keeping an eye out for flames or smoke from under the front hood. The burnt smell quickly dissipated. Something wasn’t making sense, how could a mechanical issue shatter the rear window and cause a burnt order but only for seconds. Still I wasn’t going to pull over and check it out. Once I got home, or if it broke down before that. Then I’d get out and take a look around the outside of the vehicle. I slowed way down when I hit the town line, the car had zero issues getting here. Just a few more blocks and I’d be home.

  I glided into my spot in the parking lot in front of the bookstore and hopped out of the vehicle. I rapidly walked around the car. All four tires had air, no smoke was pouring out from under the hood or under the car. I could see lots of little bits of glass on top of the rear deck, covering the back seat and also in the front seat. I’m lucky it was the back window. If my front window had exploded like the back had, I’d probably be blind and maybe dead, because I would have for sure run off the road.

  I’ll have to go in and get the vacuum to suck up all this glass. I’m supposed to be driving us to Saranac tonight. I’d never hear the end of it if Anais was cut on a bit of glass. She already hates my car. I went into the house and got an extension cord and the vacuum dragged it out to the car. I really didn’t need this right now, I have a good forty minute drive to get to the sheriff station in Stowerville, and I have to be back here by eight, or again I’ll never hear the end of it from Anais, if I’m late or not even here by the time she gets here tonight.

  It wasn’t until I got to vacuuming the front passenger seat that I noticed the hole. A round hole right through the passenger side headrest. I followed the trajectory of that hole, to a matching hole in the dashboard. I don’t think that hole was caused by glass as had been my first thought. First if the glass was traveling that fast and with that much power as to go through a headrest, the same sort of damage would be on the driver side, and to me. I’m sure my body isn’t as tough as a headrest. I finished getting all the glass out of the passenger side of the front seat.

  Then I went inside and got my pen light and a pair of tweezers, I was beginning to get worried now. I had a very good idea, what had blown up my rear window and made that round hole in the headrest. Soon I was back and seated in the passenger side. The penlight illuminated the hole but all I could see was gray or black I stuck the tweezer into the hole and tried to pull out what I was now sure was a bullet.

  But I couldn’t get it out, the tweezer would grip it, but then just slip off. I could dig it out with a knife, or go somewhere and buy a forceps to drag it out. I had no idea where to buy the forceps. My car was old, it had many visual imperfections. It now had a bullet hole in the dash. I went inside to get a knife to enlarge the hole. I was very careful to not let the knife make contact with the bullet. As far as I know bullets are made from lead, a very soft metal. They can identify the gun by marks made on the bullet. But not if I make marks or ruin the marks already on the bullet, or I guess the proper term should be slug.

  I wondered why a metal bit meant to rend flesh apart, would be named after the softest of creatures in a garden. As I slowly enlarged the hole, my mind started to spin out theories, a stray bullet from a hunters rifle. Great theory, because with that theory it was just bad luck. But hunting season is closed and while poaching may occasionally occur, it just doesn’t make much sense to assume it was something that harmless. Plus the hole is dead center of the headrest on the passenger side. If I hadn't dropped off Faith. She’d be dead right now. Did the shooter see us pull off the road then minutes later start in the opposite direction, are they a really good shot. I mean that is some Lee Harvey Oswald shooting.

  The only person I know who would profit from Faith’s death would be Benjamin Jones. But would he go that far to avoid a trail and another possible job loss. We had just left his wife, she could have heard Faith and I talking about Haystack. It’d be quicker for Jones to get here, then us, we had to drive through Placid and Haystack is closer to Saranac Lake than to Lake Placid. Could Annette have slipped out of the fire house through a back door and reached Haystack ahead of us. It’s possible we sat outside the firehouse talking before hitting the road. So possible but I couldn’t see that as being as likely that she called Jones and let him take care of his own mess.

  Suddenly another thought hit me, after the window had been shot out, at first I’d slowed, then I sped up a little trying to just coax the car home. That is not the action of a driver that just had a head explode in the next seat. Maybe if it was Jones, he’d realize that I had just dropped Faith off. I dropped the knife I’d been using to carve out the bullet into the glove box. Jumped back in the driver seat, the one seat, I hadn’t yet vacuumed, ground some glass into my bony ass and drove back to Haystack as fast as I could. Traffic in town was thankfully light. I was wearing my running shoes I use for walking, not ideal for Haystack. But they are light and I’ll make better time enroute to the summit with them then my hiking boots.

  It’s amazing what mundane thoughts run through my head as I’m rushing to hopefully not find a friend murdered. I was at the trailhead surprisingly quickly. Time did not slow down, I did not wind up behind a farm tractor. I reached the trail head, threw the car into park and sprinted up the trail for fifty paces. This is a moderate trail, which means har to most folks. I wasn’t going to be able to sprint up it. I slowed my pace to a walk and counted paces. Fifty paces then I picked up the pace to a gentle trot, fifty paces trotting, then back to a brisk walking pace.

  She had about an hour head start on the trail. She’s fit so you’d expect her to set maybe a three point five mile per hour pace. Hopefully she wasn’t really pushing herself, I might reach her in an hour or hour and a half, assuming I was able to keep up a twelve or thirteen minute per mile pace. Maybe she’d take a break at the stream crossing; it was a little more than halfway to the summit. I reached the crossing with no sign of her. I thought about calling out to her but if someone did want her dead, I wasn’t going to alert them as to where she might be.

  I met her at the base of a rock scramble that you needed to cross to reach the top of the trail. I was completely out of breath. So when she asked.

  “Laura, what are you doing here?”

  I just gasped.