Page 23 of Murder in the Lighthouse

“Maybe she was slacking off at work and not doing her job,” Theo proposed. “Maybe she’d gotten obsessed with a case, got in over her head, and her work started to suffer. Her boss might’ve been chewing her out.”

Riled up now, Lucien planted his feet, ready to do battle. “Or maybe she had discovered the suspect’s name in Connie’s old case file and made the connection no one else had made before. We did some digging. We talked to Upland’s sister. Connie Upland had been having an affair outside of her marriage with a cop named Keith. No last name. The sister had this information all along but didn’t tell the first pair of detectives for fear the information would damage Connie’s reputation. Instead, she waited four years until Keith Shepherd’s little brother, Kenneth Shepherd, just happened to appear on her doorstep with hispartner, Pete Davito. Angela Manning remembers coming clean about ‘Keith’ and the affair. Now, Pete probably was a straight shooter. So, he entered Keith’s name into their report, which went into the case file as was proper procedure. Meanwhile, the case goes nowhere. Whether it’s legit or Ken honestly doesn’t make the connection to his brother, we may never know. But Connie’s case remains unsolved. Bethany was trying to change that.”

“There’s something else,” Brogan added. “ Keith Shepherd has a connection to another woman’s murder. A rookie cop by the name of Jill Vosberg. Keith was responsible for training her.”

That finally got Theo’s full attention. “Okay, go on.”

“We think Bethany discovered Keith’s name in the file. Somehow, she made the connection to Keith Shepherd, who happened to be a cop at the time Connie was murdered. Per her parents, Bethany was convinced she’d found two other victims that matched Connie’s set of circumstances. Two murders—Connie and the rookie cop named Jill Vosberg—had definite ties to the same dirty cop, Keith Shepherd. In 2000, eight months after Connie’s murder and six months after Jill’s, Keith was kicked off the force during an internal affairs audit that revealed his corruption. The guy had his fingers in drug trafficking and tampering with evidence. Bethany must have discovered that Keith had been responsible for training Jill Vosberg, who left the force before her probationary period ended. Jill was later found murdered at the end of June in her apartment under mysterious circumstances just two months after Connie died. It’s another unsolved murder if you’re interested.”

Theo’s dark eyes were deep in thought. They could see the wheels turning. There was a moment of silence that seemed to stretch on forever. No one said anything until, finally, Theo leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. “I have to admit, this is quite a leap you’re taking, especially when it involves acop. But I can’t deny the intriguing points you’ve made. I’ve been in this business a long time, and when coincidences like the ones you described keep piling up, it makes me suspicious.”

Lucien and Brogan exchanged hopeful glances, thinking their information may have made an impact. But what he said next deflated all hope.

“I can’t take this and go anywhere with it. For one thing, it’s not my case. And if Kenneth Shepherd is still part of the force, I doubt anything would come of it. I might be brand-new here, but any sheriff’s department I’ve ever worked with closes ranks tighter than a steel trap when a cop goes bad.”

“Keith Shepherd has been out on his ass since 2000,” Lucien explained. “The thing is, we can’t locate him anywhere in California. He’s disappeared into the wind. If he is a serial killer, it somehow got back to him that Bethany was looking into Connie’s murder, and he took exception to that fact. We think that’s the person Bethany met that Sunday morning. We believe he did something with her and then murdered Sam when he came looking for his sister. There,” Lucien said matter-of-factly. “We just solved your case, too.”

“Okay. Fine. I’ll run Keith’s name through the system. I have a guy I know back east in Quantico who works with the FBI as a consultant. I’ll pass along the name and see if he gets a hit anywhere in the world. How’s that sound?”

“So we’re in a holding pattern until you get back to us,” Lucien proffered. “Is that what you’re saying?”

“Up to you. But I’d keep digging for something more solid than a theory if it were me. Find me physical evidence or a strong connection to Shepherd, and I’ll act on it.”

“How was Sam murdered?” Brogan asked.

Theo winced at the question. “I probably shouldn’t be telling you this. But the autopsy isn’t complete yet. All I know with myown eyes is that he was shot three times in the chest at close range, say less than five feet.”

“How did Sam and the killer get inside the lighthouse?”

“Del Rio and I are working on that. We’re trying to account for every key in existence that opens that door.”

Feeling dejected, Brogan turned to go. She lightly pushed Lucien toward the door. “Thanks for your time, Theo. We’ll get out of your hair now.”

“No problem. Thanks for the tip.”

“Just remember, Bethany Heywood is still missing. Every day she’s not found means the outcome doesn’t look good,” Lucien said, turning his back on Theo and escorting Brogan out the door.

Before they could reach the reception area, though, Eastlyn blocked their path. She lowered her voice. “Hey, I’m glad you came in. I thought of a way you could get the band together and ask them about what happened around the time you were conceived.”

“Really? What’s that?”

“Invite them over to Thanksgiving dinner and get them all liquored up.”

Brogan sputtered with laughter. “That might actually work. Thanks.”

“No problem. In the meantime, I’ll keep brainstorming.”

Walking out to his truck, Lucien stopped. “I can’t believe you told Eastlyn about the DNA.”

“What can I say? I got chatty before heading to the lighthouse. For some reason, I’ve always been able to open up to Eastlyn. She’s easy to talk to. Besides, inviting everybody to Thanksgiving might be the best idea I’ve heard yet. After I have my heart-to-heart with Delia, of course.”

“Of course. I just have a hard time believing you opened up to Eastlyn. Will the entire town know about it before nightfall?”

“I don’t know. I’m beginning not to care. You were right about Theo.”

“Yeah, I didn’t plan to do the ‘I told you so’ bit.”

“Thanks. How did you know?”

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