Page 59 of Murder in the Lighthouse

“Why do you say that?”

“Do you honestly believe Theo won’t be working on Thanksgiving? He’s the new guy. And even though Barry and Marta say they’re coming, I bet they back out to spend the day with other family members. The loss is too raw for them to be around a bunch of strangers right now. Then there’s Graeme and Janet.”

“What about them?”

“I heard from Felicia that Janet wants to go on a cruise. And what Janet wants, Janet gets.”

She brightened. “That’s five, six people who might cancel. That doesn’t help me plan the food, though.”

“Look, we still have two weeks. Let’s play it by ear and see what happens.”

Brogan shrugged. “Sure. I’ll ignore the impending holiday mess and hope everyone makes other plans at the last minute. How does that sound?”

“You just said you wanted to punt until we could devise another plan. This is what happens when you invite twenty-five people for Thanksgiving.”

“What?”

“You start getting antsy about it.”

“So, tell me how Keith orchestrated Sam’s murder at the lighthouse.”

“Let’s stay on track. You don’t need to ignore the holiday mess,” Lucien stated, frustration building. He ignored her question about Sam again, wanting to make his case. “If half a dozen people cancel for one reason or another, it lessens the burden on us. That’s all I’m saying.”

“It makes sense that Theo would have to work that day. Same with Barry and Marta backing out to spend a quieter day with close friends and immediate family. They probably accepted because they felt an obligation to Trish and Theo for arresting the killer. Can we talk about Sam now?”

“Fine,” Lucien uttered. “Theo and Trish put together a timeline for the night Sam went looking for Bethany. When he went to Wilder Ranch to find her that first night, he sat in his car for several hours, hoping she’d circle back to the parking lot. But she never showed up. His cell records prove that his phone didn’t move for several hours. Keith saw him parked there, ran the plate, and knew he had a problem. He used a burner phone and waited until the next day to text Sam, saying he had information about Bethany’s location. They found those messages in Sam’s phone records.”

“Okay, so Keith lured Sam to Pelican Pointe and picked the lighthouse as a meeting place. I got that. But how did Keith get into the lighthouse?”

“Do you remember Theo telling us he planned to track down all the keys? After talking to Trish, he discovered Sheriff’s deputies used to carry keys for various unoccupied buildingsthroughout the county to cut down on teenagers using those places to party.”

“So, Keith had a set of keys from twenty years ago that still worked? Wow. They should think about updating the locks.”

“Logan Donnelly thought he had changed all the locks. But he forgot about one side entrance used as a coal chute so they could deliver coal for the coal-fired furnace back in the day. That’s why there were no signs of forced entry at the main door. We didn’t consider the coal chute as an entry point. Forensics found Keith’s keys in his dresser drawer on the estate. They fit that lock.”

Brogan’s eyes widened as more answers clicked into place. “So, Keith Shepherd had access to the lighthouse all along. He picked the best spot to lure Sam without raising any suspicion. But why did he want to meet Sam at the lighthouse in the first place? Sam should’ve had his guard up as soon as Keith pulled into the parking lot. He knew Bethany suspected him of three murders. He had to know that.”

Lucien leaned back in his chair. “Hard to argue with a Glock 29. Theo believes that Keith wanted to confront Sam about what Bethany had on him from 1999. He feared those case files would do him in. He thought Sam was getting too close to telling her coworkers what she had suspected.”

Brogan frowned, a sense of unease knotting in the pit of her stomach. “Even though Bethany’s coworkers weren’t doing much to locate her.”

“It’s the main reason Trish is ready to jump ship,” Lucien replied. “And who could blame her?”

“If she’s serious, we make Brent the same money offer and benefits package we did to get Theo.”

“That means matching what the county pays her. She has a dozen years of experience there.”

“Then she knows the area better than any other outsider would. And the town would benefit by getting an excellent officer.”

Lucien’s expression grew pensive. “Do you want to contact Brent, or should I?”

Before she could answer, the dogs started to yap, Poppy more so than Stella. Over the fuss, they heard a faint knock on the back door. Lucien got up to answer it. To his surprise, he saw Theo and Trish standing on the patio, looking slightly sheepish.

“Hey,” Theo began, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “We were just in the neighborhood and thought we’d drop by.”

Trish shot him a playful glare before smiling at Brogan and Lucien. “It’s always friendlier if you go to the back door.”

Brogan appeared next to Lucien. “Come on in. We were just talking about you. Want some coffee?”

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