Page 74 of Guess Again
Nekoosa, Wisconsin Monday, August 4, 2025
PETEKRAMER ENDED THE CALL WITHETHAN AND SLID HIS PHONEinto the breast pocket of his suit coat. He stared at Eugenia Morgan’s house. Backup was on the way, and he considered waiting for the cavalry to arrive or at least for Ethan to show up. But there was a very realistic possibility that Eugenia Morgan and Francis Bernard were inside the home, and waiting was not an option. The garage door was open, although the garage itself was empty.
He stood from his car, leaving the cane behind. He pulled his Glock 45 from its holster and steadied himself on his good leg before limping up the driveway. He looked around the quiet neighborhood, knowing the place would soon be teeming with police cars and news vans.
He staggered another few steps up the driveway before noticing that not only was the bay door to the garage open, but so, too, was the door inside the garage that led into the house. He stopped when he heard it. He listened to make sure. It was music, and it was coming from inside the house. After another few more steps he reached the garage, and recognized the song—“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” by Elton John.
CHAPTER 76
Nekoosa, Wisconsin Monday, August 4, 2025
THE SUN WAS SETTINGMONDAY NIGHT. YELLOW CRIME SCENE TAPEsquared off the perimeter of Eugenia Morgan’s home. Parked at odd angles were all sorts of vehicles—police cruisers, detective’s unmarked cars, a morgue van, and a CSI truck in the driveway. Turf wars had started between the many jurisdictions involved in the case. Since Pete Kramer had been first to the scene and the one to find Eugenia Morgan’s body—throat freshly sliced and lying on a bloodstained mattress in a basement eerily decorated in a shrine devoted to Francis Bernard that included a wall covered with photos of the man and a white flag decorated with a black heart—the Department of Criminal Investigation had claimed the scene as their own. But the Wood County Sheriff’s Office was also flexing its muscle and taking as much control as possible. Since the scene was believed to be linked to the disappearance and miraculous recovery of Portia Vail, rescued in the next town over by Detective Maddie Jacobson, folks from the Milwaukee PD were also poking around. And, finally, because the puzzle pieces were still being assembled about what role Eugenia Morgan played in Francis Bernard’s escape, officials from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections were also present.
Ethan spent the afternoon being debriefed after he and Maddie had found Portia Vail alive and well in an abandoned cabin mysteriously close to where Eugenia Morgan’s home was located in Nekoosa. Portia was in remarkably good shape, had not been abused in any way, and told a story of being held captive but with access to a shower, toilet, daily food delivery, and a television and books to pass the time. All Portia could offer about her abductor was that she was a tall woman who delivered her food each day through the slot in the door. Her captor had always worn a mask and hoodie, adding sunglasses to hide her eyes the day she snapped a photo of Portia holding a copy of theMilwaukee Journal Sentineland handcuffed to the bathroom door.
Ethan stood inside the crime scene tape but away from the activity inside Eugenia Morgan’s home. Pete and Maddie were with him.
“What have you heard about the escape?” Ethan asked.
Pete shook his head. “Still piecing it together. But what we know for certain is that Eugenia Morgan’s Ford Focus was found in the middle of the road with the hood up. The guards called it in. We suspect that the van stopped or at least slowed down due to the disabled vehicle. Then Eugenia shot and killed the guards. How, exactly, that went down is still being investigated. One of the guards was shot with a Sig Sauer that was recovered from the scene. We’re running ballistics on it now, but we think it was the Sig Eugenia purchased at the gun shop in Milwaukee.”
“And the other guard?”
“He was hit with the shotgun that was mounted inside the van. It looks like . . . what I’m hearing is whoever killed the guard put the shotgun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.”
Ethan let out a long breath. “So, what do we have? Eugenia Morgan visits Francis in Boscobel. She’s the only person on his visitor log other than me in the last three years. Her basement is decorated with a shrine dedicated to Francis and a flag with a black heart, so she was clearly obsessed with the man. Her car is found at the scene where the transport van was intercepted. The gun she purchased is the one used to kill the guard. And then what? After she helps Francis escape, he brings her back here and slices her throat?”
Pete shook his head. “I don’t know, E. None of it makes sense yet, but we’re trying to piece it together. Here’s the kicker,” Pete said, opening a manila folder. “And this is new, so don’t share it with anyone.”
Pete looked at Maddie. “We don’t want Milwaukee in on this until we know what we’re dealing with.”
Maddie nodded. “I’ll keep it quiet.”
Pete pulled black-and-white photos from the folder.
“These were taken from the dash cam on the transport van.”
Pete handed one of the photos to Ethan. He and Maddie scrutinized it.
“The guard called in the disabled vehicle, as was protocol, and gave a brief description of the woman to dispatch. The guard’s exact words,” Pete said, looking down at notes in the file. “Tall, white female with blond hair and a snake tattoo running around her right leg.”
Pete pointed at the photo that Ethan held. It was an image of the woman who had helped Francis Bernard escape.
“Eugenia Morgan is tall, but she’s got jet-black hair and no tattoos.”
“So who the hell is this?” Maddie asked, pointing at the photo.
“We don’t know. The images are not the best. It could be Eugenia Morgan in disguise, but we can’t be sure.”
Ethan’s phone rang.
“Ethan Hall.”
“Hey Doc,” Christian said. “I’m a day late and a dollar short, but I made it through the encryption.”
“Find anything?”
“I foundeverything. Get over here.”
