Page 67 of The Couple's Secret
“No shit,” Gretchen said. “None of the kids or Hollis admitted to having any items that need skeleton keys.”
Turner shrugged. “Then she got it from someone else. Her lover.”
“We have no proof she had a lover. None.” Josie said as her hand closed over the bottle of ibuprofen. Twisting it open, she was relieved to find two tablets left. She palmed them and tossed them into her mouth, swallowing them dry.
“They could have been making arrangements at the diner,” Turner said. “That way there was no evidence on her phone. You said Hollis was there all the time. If he wasn’t messing around with her, maybe some other guy was.”
It was the same thought Josie had had but now she was struggling with whether the damn key meant anything at all. It wasn’t like Cora had been carrying around the key to a locker or a safe deposit box. Anything that needed to be opened with a skeleton key would be easy to break into. In that sense, it was more symbolic than anything else. This wasn’t like a movie where they discovered what the key opened, located it, and found loads of cash and a flash drive with deep, dark secrets on it.
“We’re getting nowhere with the key,” Noah said. “Let’s shelve that for a minute and talk about organized crime.”
Gretchen shook her head. “Fanning looked into that. Neighborhood gangs. Didn’t find anything. I don’t think they were killed by members of some criminal organization.”
Turner slugged down the rest of his drink and crumpled the can in his hand. “You’re not being liberal enough in your definition of a criminal organization,” he informed her.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“The Brighton Springs Police Department counts as an organization. It has a history of corruption, right? Whether it’s documented or not, it’s an open secret.”
Gretchen swiveled in her chair to stare at him. “You think someone on the Brighton Springs PD had something to do with this?”
“I’m just saying it’s possible.”
“Meredith said Fanning is clean,” Josie said. “I trust her.”
“I’m sure he is,” Turner said. “Clearly, he kicked over every rock. But it didn’t occur to him to look at his own people. Maybe Tobias and what’s her name? Cora? Maybe they were on their way home, stumbled onto the officers of Brighton Springs doing some dirty deeds and got killed for it. Or maybe it’s as innocent as them covering up some things.”
Josie couldn’t help but think about the sorts of things that the Chief’s father, Harlan Chitwood, had done during his tenure with the Brighton Springs PD. His superiors had overlooked his crimes for decades. He’d long been retired but corruption was a deep rot that wasn’t easily excised from any department. Josie and Noah knew that firsthand. How many others were there like Harlan in the ranks? Meredith had said things were turning around but that didn’t guarantee that the Lachlan/Stevens case hadn’t been tainted. She made a mental note to call Meredith about the matter, since it was delicate.
Turner shot a grin in Gretchen’s direction. “You can say it, Palmer. I’m brilliant.”
“I’m not complimenting you for having basic critical thinking skills that are required for your job.”
“Awww, come on,” he goaded. “Quinn, you know I’m right.”
“About being brilliant?” she said. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
Thirty-Six
Bruce Olsen’s office was located just outside the state capital of Harrisburg in a five-story brick building that overlooked the Susquehanna River. Josie had read his biography before she set up the appointment. It had seemed fairly innocuous at the time but now, standing in front of a heavy wooden door with Olsen’s name stenciled across it, Turner’s words looped through her head. She couldn’t dismiss the possibility that someone on Brighton Springs PD had been involved in the deaths of Cora and Tobias.
Bruce Olsen was a retired Brighton Springs police officer.
He had retired long before Cora and Tobias vanished but prior to that, he’d served on the force for thirty years. The first time she’d heard his name, it had sounded familiar. After a quick search of Fanning’s case file, she knew why. The night of the murders, Olsen had thrown a retirement party at his home for a different member of the Brighton Springs PD, Karl Staab, which Jackson had attended. Olsen and several guests had attested to Jackson’s attendance. Fanning’s extensive check of Jackson’s phone records, pings from his cell phone and GPS from the infotainment center of his vehicle all confirmed his presence at the party well into the night.
But Fanning hadn’t checked the alibis of any of the other party attendees—most of whom were either former or current sworn Brighton Springs PD officers. Including Bruce Olsen.
Turner was an unrepentant pain in the ass, but he had a point. Maybe they weren’t being liberal enough with their definition of a criminal organization.
Gretchen rapped against the door. A muffled voice from behind it called for them to come in. The reception area was clean and welcoming. Cushy chairs formed an L around a coffee table scattered with magazines. In one corner, a water cooler hummed. In another stood a potted plant that had clearly outgrown its home, fronds spreading in every direction. An empty desk took up the rest of the area.
From the half-open door beside it, Bruce Olsen emerged. He was smaller and shorter than the photos on his website, but he still moved with the air of someone used to taking charge. The light gray suit he wore added to the impression and his thin, wire-rimmed glasses made him look studious as well as confident. Though he gave off more of a college professor vibe than that of former law enforcement.
“Detectives,” he greeted them. “Glad you found the place okay. Please, step into my office.”
Moments later, after making introductions, Josie and Gretchen were seated in front of his desk. The space was just as clean and warm as the reception area. The window behind Olsen was large and offered a partial view of the river. Next to that was a bookcase filled with framed photographs. Some were official—Olsen in uniform alongside colleagues or superiors. Others were clearly him with his family. By the looks of those, he was now a great-grandfather.
“I was devastated to hear about Tobias and Cora,” he said, settling into his own chair. “I don’t think anyone was holding out for a happy ending, but it still hurts to know the reality. And now Riley? I saw it on the news. She was a sweet person. It’s incredibly tragic. How are the boys? Have you spoken with them?”
