Page 60 of Murder in the Lighthouse

“We’ve been getting that a lot this past week,” Theo said with a wink. “People seem curious about the two of us.”

“Small town gossip. But not that,” Brogan clarified with a grin. “We were discussing Sam’s murder taking place inside the lighthouse. Lucien was explaining how Keith had keys from twenty-five years ago. If only those keys hadn’t fit the lock.”

“It wouldn’t have made a difference,” Theo stressed. “Keith had already made up his mind that Sam had to go. If the lighthouse hadn’t worked out, he would’ve taken him somewhere else at gunpoint. Sam never stood a chance.”

“How do you know that?” Lucien asked.

“As of this morning, Ken turned on his brother,” Trish explained. “A week without bail, and it seems the sibling bond isn’t as strong as Keith thought. Ken says he won’t go down for first-degree murder. That’s why we dropped by to share the news. Ken is beginning to talk.”

“About a lot of things,” Theo added. “Mostly about all the ‘accidents’ that occurred at the vineyard since he’s owned it.He claims Keith has a short fuse and a volatile temper. He won’t take any guff from anyone, especially a woman or a subordinate.”

Brogan motioned toward the kitchen table. “Have a seat and tell us about it. I’ll put on the coffee.”

20

Lucien poured everyone a cup and set out cream and sugar before joining them at the table, his mind already working through the latest information. He noticed Trish and Theo sitting close together, a sense of camaraderie evident between them. The chemistry between the two was unmistakable as they took turns explaining what Ken had divulged.

“First, you should know that Ken didn’t take any responsibility for the three murders back in 1999. Ken claims that was all Keith. But he did admit to holding back most of the evidence that pointed to his brother from his partner Pete Davito during their time handling the investigation,” Trish disclosed.

“As far back as he could remember, he says that Keith has always displayed a Jekyll & Hyde persona, the nasty disposition winning most of the time. He told us Keith had been increasingly erratic since going off the radar. When they tossed him off theforce, it sent him over the edge, an edge he never recovered from,” Theo said. “His resentment kept building up. By the time he went to work at the vineyard, it wasn’t unusual for him to fly off the handle at the smallest thing or blow up at one of the employees. But it was the last straw when Bethany arrived at the vineyard one afternoon and began asking questions. He started to panic. Paranoia setting in. That was a week before her murder.”

Lucien’s mouth twisted in disgust. “Why would she make such a fatal mistake like that?”

“She probably had no way of knowing that her main suspect had been unraveling for years?” Brogan reasoned.

“Why wouldn’t she suspect that? A dangerous serial killer getting worse with each murder?”

“I don’t think he was ever a rational sort,” Trish indicated. “Ken mentioned that Keith had been fixated on the idea that Bethany was getting too close to learning about his past deeds, too close to finding out the truth about who murdered Connie Upland, my sister, and Cynthia Zepp. He was convinced that she would bring everything crashing down around them, and they’d lose the drug operation it had taken them years to perfect.”

Her interest piqued, Brogan leaned forward. “He was more concerned with their drug operation than murdering Sam or Bethany?”

“Sam already knew about Bethany’s secrets, the files she hid from her coworkers. According to Ken, when Keith returned to the villa that afternoon after murdering Bethany, he told his brother that she had confided in Sam about what she discovered in the files as a backup. Not only did he need Ken’s help in disposing of her body, but he also needed Ken to get her car away from Wilder Ranch. Ken emphasized to us that nobody threatens Keith without facing the consequences. Bethany stood up to him and paid the price. And with Sam having access to thesame information, Keith knew he couldn’t leave Sam alive. He had to go.”

“Are you sure you have enough evidence to convict this guy for Sam’s death?” Brogan queried. “Is Ken’s cooperation enough? Will having the murder weapon stand up in court? Because this guy is a monster. He should’ve been locked up years ago.”

Theo grinned. “Did you know that Brent installed a security camera on his front porch before he left on vacation?”

Brogan’s brow knitted in confusion. She glowered at him. “I did not know that, Theo. Thank you. What could that possibly have to do with putting Keith away for Sam’s murder?”

“What street does Brent live on? Ocean Street, right across from the pier. Correct? What road runs up to Lighthouse Lane?”

Brogan smiled. “Ocean Street. Ah. I get it. Brent’s newly installed camera must’ve captured Keith’s vehicle heading up the hill to the lighthouse the night Sam died.”

“Yep. He spent a thousand bucks on an excellent quality system with infrared LEDs. Brent’s setup captured Sam’s Subaru heading north to the lighthouse and Keith following him up there. It’s all caught on video, time-stamped, too.”

“Wow. Do you know what that means?” Brogan pointed out, pivoting toward Lucien.

“Yeah. We have our own CCTV now across from the beach,” Lucien proclaimed. “How cool is that?”

“I still don’t understand why Owen Quinn had to die, though. Why kill him?” Brogan asked.

“Owen didn’t like the wine and threatened to write a nasty article about Noir Hills Estates. Owen spent an entire afternoon in the tasting room, sampling every blend they produced, then threatened to ruin them because the wine tasted like crap. He insisted it was flat, tasted vinegary, and smelled like a wet dog. Keith took exception to all that and went to the gardeningshed, where he grabbed a box of rat poison. He returned to the tasting room and offered Owen an older vintage, promising it would taste better. Not realizing that Keith had laced it with rat poison.”

Brogan let out a sigh. “And the woman from Nevada driving the Ford SUV, what did she do to upset Keith?”

Trish traded looks with Theo. “Jocelyn Freemont, a fifty-year-old widow and wine lover who had the misfortune of booking a Napa Valley vacation, only to take a side trip one afternoon off the beaten path through Santa Cruz’s wine country instead.”

“That’s a two-and-a-half-hour detour from Napa,” Lucien noted.

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