Page 43 of Exposure of Murder

“Berkshire isn’t far from here,” said Tanner. “How big is this operation?”

“Big. In the millions.”

“Who’s behind it?” Ethan couldn’t believe a big-money operation would move to Beaver Creek.

But it made sense. While Vermont had a small population and consisted of predominantly small towns, it did have easy access to major ports. From here, he could drive to Canada in about eight hours, less by air. Most people in the country minded their own business, so it was possible something like this could fly under the radar.

Sean sighed. “Wish I knew. What I can tell you is that David Thornton’s name popped up and there are rumors that someone called Viper is involved.”

“Viper?” Ethan scoffed. “That name keeps popping up in Thornton’s history. As for Thornton … hate to tell you, but he’s dead.”

“Fuck.” Sean shook his head. “This case keeps getting more and more complicated. Any idea who killed him?”

“Well, if you’re looking for suspects, write me in,” quipped Tanner.

“What the hell?” Sean looked over at Ethan. “Why?”

Ethan’s heart skipped a beat. “Tanner’s being melodramatic. He didn’t do it, nor did Jane Goodwin up the street, Maggie Thornton, Vanessa Crumb or Annabelle Clarke. Well, even Jim Jenkins. Although I suspect he’s angry enough to kill, he’s not a killer.”

Sean closed and opened his eyes. “Wow, gotta love small-town problems, huh?”

“Yeah.” Ethan picked up his beer and took a swig. “Thornton was thrown into ol’ man Jenkins’s pond, struck first by the butt of a gun, shot through the heart and then wrapped in chains. Either someone had it in for him or was sending a message.”

“So, what’s the connection?” asked Tanner.

“Thornton’s name appeared as a consultant on one of the shell companies. He bought two properties in Berkshire, the business and a house, and was looking into other real estate,” said Sean.

“That’s probably why he was so eager to buy Jane’s property,” said Tanner.

Sean nodded. “Possibly. I’d like to find whoever’s in charge and break up the gang. They’re dangerous.”

“I’ll have the office dig deeper into Thornton’s contacts and business dealings,” said Ethan.

“My team at Champlain Security can look at his background more thoroughly. Be careful, Ethan. These people are killers and won’t hesitate to come after anyone who gets in their way.”

Ethan’s mind was racing. His investigation had just taken a dangerous turn.

Twenty-Four

Jane had a few errands in town, then she would meet Leah and Emily for coffee at the Harvest Moon.

First, she walked to the barn to see if Bucky needed anything for the animals, inhaling the crisp, cold air along the way. The scent of burning wood traveled with the breeze. Someone was home enjoying the fall. It reminded her of the other night as the girls gathered around the fire. It’d been so much fun getting together with everyone.

She smiled to herself.

It didn’t matter if you were a city or country girl. When your friends got together, gossip was guaranteed. Not that she was a big gossiper, but in her role as mystery writer, she had to engage in it sometimes to get the material she needed.

Jane was happy she hadn’t talked to Annabelle. The woman sounded a little left of crazy. Although Jane was curious who the out-of-towner was who she was dating.

Bucky needed nothing. On the drive into town, she passed the horse barn on the corner and waved to Sue, who was leading a trail ride. Looked like fun, but adding horses to the mix right now wasn’t something she wanted to take on.

The pond project was enough right now. Ethan had given the go-ahead to finish dredging a couple of weeks ago. Hal was able to come for a couple of days and complete the project. The pond was rapidly filling up, and she hoped when the water froze over, she could have a skating party. By then, perhaps the vision of Thornton’s lifeless body would have faded from her memory or at least shifted to another part of her brain. Yet, she refused to be consumed by negativity. This was her new home, warts and all, and she was going to enjoy it.

After picking up some bird seed at the Feed & Grow and talking to a couple of people she knew, Jane left her car in the parking lot and headed over to the diner. Entering, she stopped to chat with Evelyn, who was in the kitchen, and then found an empty booth. Her mind wandered occasionally, listening to conversations around her. It was early enough that the diner wasn’t crowded. The scent of apples and cinnamon wafted from the kitchen. Jane leaned her head back and inhaled the comforting smell.

“Jane.” A familiar man’s voice interrupted her vision of apple pie and mom, although her mother wasn’t a great cook. “Jane.”

She looked up into warm, brown eyes. “Ethan. Hi.”

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