Chapter Twenty-Six

Deidre liked the new arrangement of John staying with her permanently, although they had been spending so much time together before that he had become a fixture in her home. She knew he’d be spending more time on the road, driving back and forth from Duluth, but she was comforted knowing this was turning into his permanent home. Deidre had just changed into her comfortable civvies when she heard him call, “Stroganoff’s on the table. Get it while it’s hot.”

She laughed as she raced down the stairs. Life was good.

After supper they cleared the table together, stored the leftovers in the refrigerator and decided to take a walk. Hand-in-hand they strolled down the alley, turned right at the street, and soon were walking on the paved path along Lake Superior. Together, they shared their expectations for the future, when the wedding date should be set, who would be invited, and even what their children might be like. Deidre had never been this happy in her entire life.

Building a fire in the fireplace had become a habit for John, and that night was no exception. As they sat on cushions on the floor and enjoyed a glass of red wine, a flood of warmth swept over Deidre like she had never experienced. She loved the man she was with more than life itself, and for a moment she experienced a strange panic. She wondered if she could ever again survive without him.

That night, both slept undisturbed, and woke in the morning refreshed and ready to tackle the problems of the day, although at the moment they seemed far, far away. Deidre kissed him on the cheek before leaving.

“Bye, my love, I’ll see you after work. What do you plan on making for supper tonight?” she giggled as the door shut behind her, and she almost skipped down the walkway to where her sheriff’s SUV was parked.

 

 

It was seven o’clock when she walked into her office, and the phone on her desk was already ringing.

“Hello, this is Sheriff Johnson.”

“Deidre, glad you’re in early.” She recognized Mac’s voice, and he sounded as if the call were urgent. “The judge granted us a warrant to search where we suspect Jason Canton’s been hanging out. He frequents a place in town, not up in Isabella as we had been lead to believe. If I get to Two Harbors by eight, will you be able to go with me to execute it? We should be able to take him by surprise.”

“No problem,” Deidre answered excitedly. “I’d bet he’ll be in school. From what they say, he’s a fairly diligent student, at least on the surface. Whatever his masquerade, he’s carrying it out pretty well.”

Deidre ended the call as her deputies were filing in for morning report. The picture to the puzzle surrounding all that had happened the past several weeks hadn’t begun to materialize, but at least Deidre thought she was finding the pieces. To put them together was going to be the challenge.

By seven-thirty her office was empty, and she had time to pour herself a cup of coffee and grab a scone from the box on the table. She had just sat down to relax a minute and had taken her first bite when Mac walked in, a large smile creasing his face.

“Hi, Deidre, catch you at a bad time?” he joked. Then he became serious. “Are you ready to roll?”

“Give me a second to finish this,” she said. “Pour a cup for yourself. There’s one last scone in the box. I won’t wait on you.”

Mac sat down opposite her at the table. “Here’s the address we’re going to search,” he said, shoving a pad of paper across to her. “I’m not sure what we’re going to find when we get there, but from what I hear, it won’t be anything good.”

They gulped down the hot coffee and left the office, deciding to take Mac’s unmarked car.

“When we get there, I’m going to let you off at the alley. Then I’ll give you enough time to get in position at the back door. When I knock on the front, someone might try to make it out the back. Stay there until I come through and let you in. Here we are. It’s the fourth house over. You can’t miss it. It’s painted a pastel blue. The place is a wreck: peeling paint, shingles missing, and rotten trim. I can hardly wait to see what the inside looks like.”

Deidre made her way down the alley, walking decisively but not racing. She cut through the yard of a neighboring house and approached the back door of the target from its blind side. She stood silently outside until she heard Mac knock.

There was a scuffling sound inside, and the door she was guarding burst open. Two teenagers, a boy and a girl, tried to push their way out. Deidre was blocking their way, her pistol drawn and pointed at the person in the lead. He stopped suddenly, and the girl rammed into his back, tripped, and fell.

“Stand still!” Deidre barked. “You, stand up,” she demanded of the girl. “Both of you, place your hands above your heads.”

The teens, surprised and scared, instantly complied.

Deidre had started to pat down the girl when Mac appeared at the door. “They’re the only two here,” he said, his voice still edgy. “I’ll take this one,” and he began to search the boy.

“This one is clean,” Deidre declared.

“Same here. Both of you get back in the house,” Mac ordered.

When they had ushered the two into the living room, he had them sit on the couch, facing him.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded.

“Nothing that’s any of your business,” the boy mumbled, his head hanging. The girl sat silently, looking at the floor.

“I think you’ve been doing more than nothing,” Mac said. “Sheriff, check their eyes.”

Deidre took out a small flashlight and bent over the girl first.

“Look at me,” she said none too gently.

The girl looked up and Deidre flashed the light in her eyes. She repeated the action with the boy and then turned to Mac.

“Both have dilated pupils. What do you think of their physical condition, Mac?”

“Looks to me like they haven’t eaten anything in a month.” He turned to the kids. “Are you anorexic or anything?” Both shook their heads.

“You,” he signaled to the girl. “Stand up and walk in a straight line across the room.”

She did, and swayed as she tried to regain her balance, then tripped as she approached a chair. She collapsed into it.

“You next,” Mac said to the boy. He had the same success as had the girl.

“Okay, what have you two been using?” Deidre asked, her voice softening. “You show signs of being high on something. Tell us what it is, and we’ll go easy on you.”

The girl said nothing, but the boy smarted back, “Go easy on us? We haven’t done anything. You found nothing on us. We haven’t done anything wrong that you can prove. What are you going to do, arrest us for skipping school?”

So much for bluffing, Deidre thought.

“What are you doing here,” Mac wanted to know.

“Waiting for a friend,” the belligerent young man shot back. “I suppose that’s against the law too?” He sat with a smirk on his face.

Deidre broke in. “Well, I guess we’ll wait with you, and we can all have a talk when your friend gets here. Where do you live?”

The girl spoke first. “Why?” she asked, panic in her voice.

“So we can take you home to your parents.”

“No,” the girl sobbed, “Not to them,” and she buried her face in her hands.

The boy sneered. “Take me home and you’ll get an earful. Do you know who my dad is? He’ll sue the pants off you. By the time he’s done, you won’t have a dime left.”

“How can I know your dad? I don’t even know your name,” Deidre responded.

“I’m Gerald Colter, III. My father’s an attorney, and he’ll have a thing or two to say about this. You haven’t even read me my rights.” Gerald sat smugly, staring at them through venomous eyes.

“Thank you for the lesson in law, young man,” Deidre said with a smile, “Although we have no reason to read you your rights, because you are not under arrest. We’re holding you though, just until your friend arrives. Then we’ll take you home—for your own safety. What about you, young lady. What is your name?”

Deidre could see her slump. “Naomi, Naomi Jackson. My father is Pastor Jackson.” She covered her face and wept.

“Who lives here?” Mac continued his questioning.

“We don’t have to answer your questions,” Gerald sneered.

Naomi looked up, her eyes red-rimmed, not totally from the effects of drugs. “Aaron Sarstrom. He’s in school now, but he’ll be here at eleven-thirty. That’s when his lunch period begins.”

“Shut your mouth!” Gerald shouted. “Remember what happened to Jill!”

“What happened to Jill?” Deidre asked in a soft voice.

“Nothing,” he answered.

Deidre saw fear rise in Naomi’s eyes, and she went silent again.

“Why don’t you sit with these two while I begin our search?” Mac suggested.

He started in the kitchen where a pile of dirty dishes was stacked in the sink. Methodically, he moved from one cabinet to another, removing the few pots, pans and dishes he found on the shelves. A half-hour later he announced that he had found nothing. Then he moved to the single bedroom. Deidre could hear him rustling around, removing drawers from a dresser, and rearranging heavier items.

“Bingo,” Mac called out. “I’ve found his stash.”

Mac came out of the bedroom carrying a plastic bag. Deidre could see at least three, maybe four, smaller packets of white powder.

“We’ve got another thirty minutes before Aaron, or whatever his name is, returns. Hold this while I finish in there,” and he handed the evidence to Deidre.

Mac returned to the bedroom, and Deidre could hear him continuing to search. After a while he stepped back into the living room. “That’s all I could find. Still, it’s enough to bring him in. Right now, I think the important thing is to have a reason to get him out of the school and away from kids like these two,” and he motioned toward Naomi and Gerald.

Deidre looked at her watch. “It’s twenty after.” Looking at Naomi, she said, “You and Gerald move into the kitchen. Sit at the table with your backs to the door and don’t make a sound. Right now we’ve got nothing on you except truancy, but if you try to warn Aaron, we’ll be able to charge you with interfering with an investigation. This time I’m not bluffing.” She looked directly at Gerald.

Minutes later, they heard footsteps on the back stairs. Deidre took a position behind the entry door, and Mac ducked around the corner in the living room. Aaron walked into the kitchen.

“Hey, you’re still here,” he spoke to the backs of the two at the table.

Deidre stepped from behind the door. “Sheriff! Put your hands in the air and turn around!”

Aaron bolted for the living room door, attempting to escape out the front. Mac stepped into his way and barred the exit. Aaron saw Mac’s gun and lifted his hands above his head.

“What do you want?” he demanded. “I haven’t done anything. Anyway, do you have a search warrant? If you don’t, get out.”

“Place your right hand behind your back,” Deidre ordered. She placed a handcuff on his wrist. “Now the other.”

With Aaron under their control, Mac began the familiar words . . . “You have the right to remain silent . . .”

 

 

Deidre called the Center and requested a deputy come to the house to transport their prisoner to the county jail. She and Mac wanted to take the kids home and speak with their parents.

On the way, the teens sat quietly in the back of Mac’s car. There was a heavy wire screen separating the back seat from the front, and the inside handles of the back doors had been removed. It was a mini prison.

Gerald wore a defiant sneer, but Naomi was extremely distressed. She looked out the side window, refusing to interact at all. Deidre’s heart went out to her, but she had to maintain her distance.

When they arrived at Gerald’s house, Mac escorted him up the walk to the front of the house, rang the bell, and a woman he assumed was Mrs. Colter answered the door.

“Mrs. Colter?” Mac inquired. “We’re escorting your son home because we discovered him at a house we searched. In that house we found what we believe to be some form of illegal substance. We suspect he’s been using some kind of drug, but we found nothing on him.”

Before the woman could answer, Mr. Colter bellowed from inside. “Anna, what’s going on out there?” He came to the door, his suit coat off and his tie loosened at the neck.

“Who are you and what are you doing with my son?” he demanded.

Mac identified himself and tried to explain the situation.

“My son’s not a junkie. How dare you come here and make false accusations. Who’s in the car?” He pointed to Deidre and Naomi.

“In front is Sheriff Johnson. The other person is none of your business.”

“Sheriff Johnson. It’s time we elected a real sheriff in this county. Is she involved in this slander, too?

He turned to his son. “Gerald, get in the house. As for you, mister, I’ll be in touch with your superiors this afternoon.”

The door slammed in Mac’s face. Mac returned to his car shaking his head in disgust at the man’s ignorance and audacity.

“How’d it go?” Deidre wanted to know.

“Well, now we know where Gerald gets his attitude from,” was all Mac said.

When they stopped at the church manse where the Jacksons resided, Deidre opened the door to let Naomi out. As they walked up the sidewalk, Deidre slipped her arm inside the crook of Naomi’s elbow. She could feel the girl’s slender arm shaking. She rang the doorbell.

“Hello, Mrs. Jackson? I’m Sheriff Johnson, and I’d like to speak to you for a minute or two.”

“Naomi, what is this about?” Mrs. Jackson asked. Her brow furrowed. Then she regained her composure. “Please come in. My husband’s in his study. Please, have a seat while I get him.”

While Naomi and Deidre waited for her parents to return, Naomi sat on the couch, quietly weeping. She picked at her fingers.

“Naomi, what’s wrong?” Pastor Jackson gently asked as he placed his hand on his daughter’s shoulder.

Naomi stood, wrapped her arms around her father, and buried her face on his stooped shoulder. “I’m sorry, Daddy, so sorry, so sorry,” she repeated over and over.

The trio, Pastor and Mrs. Jackson, and Naomi sat down on the couch, Naomi between her parents. Deidre explained as diplomatically as she could why she was there and how she suspected Naomi was involved. The whole time Naomi’s father held her hand and her mother had her arm around her daughter’s shoulders.

When she had finished voicing her suspicions, Deidre sat quietly. The silence was palpable.

“Is what Sheriff Johnson saying the truth?” Pastor Jackson asked his daughter. She nodded in silent agreement.

Deidre said, “Naomi, what did Gerald mean when he said ‘Remember what happened to Jill?’ Is there anything you can tell me?”

Naomi looked up and straight into Deidre’s eyes. “I’m afraid to talk about it. But now, I suppose it doesn’t make much difference. With Aaron being arrested, Gerald and I are in serious trouble.”

“What are you so afraid of?” Deidre pressed. “Did you know Jill Moore, even as an acquaintance?”

Naomi reached for a tissue from the box her mother had placed on the coffee table in front of them. She wiped her eyes, blew her nose, and then steeled herself. “I knew Jill very well. She was trapped in the same situation I am, but she wanted out. When she told Aaron she was through, he said she should think about the consequences. She told him she was going to get help from you, Sheriff. They killed her.” Naomi wept uncontrollably.

“Who killed her?” Deidre needed to know.

“They killed her. I don’t know their names or where they live, but they did it. I know they did. Aaron said for me to learn a lesson from it.”

“Do you think it was Aaron who killed Jill?”

Naomi shook her head. “No. He keeps a clean profile. It’s others, but I don’t know who they are.”

“Do you believe you’re in danger?”

Naomi nodded and squeezed her father’s hand. Deidre found she had been holding her breath while the girl spoke, and now she let the air escape as her mind whirled. She looked at the worried parents.

“Will you assume responsibility for Naomi?” They both nodded through their tears. “I believe her,” Deidre declared, then added, “but I also believe she’ll soon begin to go through withdrawal if she has been using. Naomi, what drugs have you been taking.”

Naomi looked at the floor. “Cocaine.”

“I’ll go with you to the hospital and help you check into detox. The doctors will help you get through the next few days. Then I’d like to talk more, get your full story. Aaron will be booked as soon as I get back to the office. We’ll be able to hold him for a while, but I’m guessing he’ll make bail. You’ll be safe in the hospital. After that, we’ll make arrangements for your safety.”

Deidre stood to leave. Pastor Jackson walked her to the door.

“Thank you so much for your help,” he said. “Naomi’s mother and I appreciate what you’re doing. We’ll help any way we can.”

Deidre looked at his haggard face. “You’re welcome, sir. I think your daughter will come out of this just fine, especially with what I’ve seen here today. I’ll wait for you to get in your car, and my partner and I will follow you to the hospital.”

She and Mac followed the Jacksons without speaking.