Page 35 of Criminology of a Character

“He didn’t have autopay,” Bel said without waiting for the sheriff’s confirmation. “The bills were paid from Walker’s account for the same reason this house was staged. Someone didn’t want us learning Walker was dead.”

“So whoever killed him obviously knew him well enough to access his accounts,” Griffin said.

“Or they hacked them,” Bel said. “I’m starting to think the accidental death theory of mine is useless. This is too elaborate and expensive a homicide to be about hiding a body, because unless Walker had unlimited funds, someone was depositing money into his account to make the payments.”

“I agree,” Griffin said. “If this was about getting away with murder, why pay bills for a decade? I understand paying for a year to ensure a clean escape window for the killer, but even then, I doubt anyone would’ve found Walker. No one would look inside the walls, and no body, no crime.”

“It might be about the house,” Olivia said. “Or the property. Is there something here worth killing for?”

“No,” Griffin said. “That land is worthless. It’s why developers never expanded that section of Bajka, and why Walker could afford to own it outright. Everything of value is either in town or part of the Reale Estate. No one would murder someone and pay their bills for that property.”

“Why is it useless?” Olivia asked.

“I’m no expert, but I believe it’s because of the rocks and soil. It’s not ideal for farming or buildings. To develop the land would cost a lot, but since it isn’t near anything of importance, most developers have zero interest in acquiring it.”

“So no rumors of buried treasure,” Bel joked.

“Definitely not,” Griffin answered.

“Okay, so it’s not about the house or the property,” Bel said. “What if it’s about the farmhouse’s location? We’re close to the next town over, correct?”

“Yes,” Griffin confirmed. “It’s probably a ten-minute drive, whereas it’s over thirty to return to anything significant in Bajka.”

“Olivia, can you pull up the GPS?” Bel asked since her phone was the one making the call.

“Sure.” Gold tapped her cell’s screen before placing it on the table. “We’re here.” She pointed to the little blue circle pinging their location.

“Okay, so if we zoom out…” Bel trailed off as she moved the digital map until she had a decent view of the area.

“I can’t imagine the where is important either,” Griffin said. “Mostly dirt roads lead from the farmhouse to Bajka, and on the opposite end of the property, there’s just a two-lane road that stretches for miles. Walker’s land borders it on one side, and I think undeveloped woods line the other.”

“You’re correct,” Bel said. “That road doesn’t even have a gas station. There’s nothing—” She fell silent when she saw it.

“What?” Griffin and Gold asked simultaneously.

“It runs parallel to the Walker land, and there’s nothing out there except trees, making the drive extremely private until it dumps out onto a major highway.” Bel’s finger traced the map to where the road ended. “You can get almost anywhere from this highway.” She zoomed out to illustrate how a car could easily reach dozens of throughways from that one intersection.

“But what does the highway have to do with our murder?” Griffin asked.

“Acres of private property with a dead man’s name on the deed, easy access to major expressways, and an undeveloped road that intersects with abandoned land is the perfect place to hide something… especially for products you wish to distribute,”Bel said. “No neighborhoods line that road. No businesses. Just Walker’s property, and a direct shot to highways that lead anywhere in the country.”

She fell silent, but no one spoke. Olivia stared at the map as if she was trying to piece together how Bel’s explanation might work, but it was Griffin’s silence that weighed heaviest on the trio. His pause was wrought with horror, and his reaction confirmed what Bel knew in her gut. This unsettling conclusion was to blame for the man in the wall.

“What better place to hide guns or drugs than on property that doesn’t belong to you on land no one wants in a town nobody’s looking at,” Griffin finally spoke. “You’re right. That highway makes Walker’s property ideal. No one would suspect an elderly loner from a smaller town to be housing illegal goods.”

“That would explain why the killer paid the bills from his accounts,” Bel said. “He needed land that wouldn’t tie back to his organization, and it would be easier to operate without Walker living here. They probably hid him in the walls simply to keep his body from being accidentally discovered, thus putting their operation at risk. It would also explain why they dried him out before they wrapped him in plastic. It was a professional hit.”

“But Bajka doesn’t have a drug or gun problem,” Olivia interrupted. “Of course, there’s the occasional incident, but nothing drastic enough to suggest our town is harboring a distribution warehouse.”

“That might be why we don’t have a drug problem,” Griffin said. “Law enforcement doesn’t look where it isn’t needed. Keep Bajka clean, and no one would suspect that’s where the drugs are coming from.”

“But the minute people start overdosing, police hunt for the dealers,” Bel said. “I realize this is only a theory. We don’t have proof that Walker’s death is connected to anything illegal, but Sheriff, something’s wrong with this house.”

“Is Deputy Rollo still there?” Griffin asked, and the detectives confirmed. “Good. Wait with him until I get there. When this was just a murder, I assumed the killer fled the second that tree fell, but if we’re dealing with a cartel or gangs, those men won’t leave easily. They won’t let their product fall into our hands, and if they suspect you two know what’s going on, they’ll come for you.”

By the timebackup arrived at the farmhouse, the property was swarming with reporters, the horde straining against the crime scene tape like vultures fighting over a carcass.

“I don’t like this.” Griffin glared at the vans as he joined Bel, Olivia, and Deputy Rollo. “It was bad enough when we had a murdered man trapped in a wall, but if we’re dealing with drugs, the news coverage worries me. By now, whoever killed Walker knows we found him, and this will paint targets on our backs.”

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