Page 20 of Murder in the Lighthouse

Brogan and Lucien traded surprised looks, but it was Brogan who asked, “What makes you think this Keith was in law enforcement?”

“Connie met him when he pulled her over in mid-December for running a stop sign. They’d been seeing each other ever since, for almost four months when she was murdered.”

Lucien rubbed his forehead and leaned closer to the phone. “Did the detectives know this at the time? Did you tell them about her affair?”

On the other end of the line, Angela grew quiet. She took so long to answer that Lucien was prepared to repeat the question. Instead, she cleared her throat. “No, I never told the detectives. I didn’t mention it to them until four years into the investigation. By that time, it was two new homicide detectives. When I talked to them, they didn’t seem all that familiar with the case.”

Brogan chewed her lip, her mind racing with new possibilities. “We need to talk to those detectives. Do you remember their names?”

“Ken Shepherd and Pete Davito. Two in a lengthy list who came and went.”

“If those two became aware of Connie’s affair with a cop, does that mean they might have covered it up?” Brogan speculated.

“Maybe,” Lucien noted, his determination evident. “We can try to track them down. They might be willing to talk to us if they’re no longer on the force.”

Angela was not that optimistic. “You won’t get them to break ranks. They’ll never admit they were wrong about anything. I know because the list of detectives who worked on the case is in double digits now. In all these years, none of them made any progress. Were they all idiots? I don’t think so. My experienceafter Connie was murdered wasn’t like you see on TV, on those crime shows. None of the detectives ever promised to find her killer. Not a one.”

Brogan could understand Angela’s anger. But she needed to get to the heart of the phone call. “Were you ever contacted by a woman named Bethany Heywood?”

“No. Why? Is she another detective?”

“No. But she’s gone missing. We have reason to believe that she was looking into your sister’s murder. You see, Bethany works for the sheriff’s department. She has access to all the homicide files. She was transferring old paper files to digital when she became interested in Connie’s murder.”

“Maybe she’ll have better luck than the detectives. Wait. You said she’s missing?”

“Yeah. And we’re trying to find out if your sister’s murder is connected somehow.”

Brogan ended the call after she offered to keep Angela in the loop. But she was far from satisfied with the turn of events. She sat, arms crossed, looking out the window. “Those original detectives didn’t have all the facts until four years later. How can you solve a murder without all the facts?”

“You can’t. But ask yourself why they didn’t learn about the affair themselves during those initial days and weeks after, which means they might’ve overlooked other crucial evidence that could’ve led them to the killer.”

“Is this what Bethany discovered in the files? Did she learn that Connie was having an affair with a cop? Was that detail buried in the files somewhere? Bethany must’ve discovered his name.”

“I’ll say it again. It’s times like this I wish we had access to the actual files. It seems we’re always playing catch up.”

“That’s what websleuths do,” Brogan pointed out. “They take on cold cases with little to go on. That’s what makes us so good at our job.”

“I can’t believe Angela didn’t come clean to the police about Connie’s affair. That’s a critical piece of the puzzle.”

“So, how do we find Shepherd and Davito?” Brogan wondered.

“We hit the internet. But before we travel down that path, let’s back up a minute. Does this give us a clear connection with Bethany Heywood? If it does, we need to expect the worst.”

“Why the worst scenario?”

“As I see it, if this guy lured Sam to the lighthouse and murdered him there—Bethany’s brother—then what do you think the outcome is for her, the person who, by all accounts, stirred the pot that led straight to Connie’s killer?”

“You’re thinking she’s already dead. We just haven’t found her yet.”

“Unfortunately, yes. Why would he keep her alive but kill Sam?”

“Bethany must’ve told Sam who she suspected was Connie’s killer.”

“If we’re on the right track,” Lucien cautioned. “Bethany’s disappearance and Sam’s murder might be connected to something else.”

“Like what?”

“Bethany had a problem with someone else at work. Maybe she left voluntarily.”

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