Page 60 of In Cold Blood
She looked flustered.
Where was she heading?
Less than two minutes later, Lena pulled out of the parking lot.
Noah waited until another vehicle went past before he veered out and followed, keeping his distance. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his ex, but with all that he’d learned so far, he knew Luke’s reservations wouldn’t have been without merit. Something was amiss and the timing of finding Keith Erikson days after Luke’s death only made him more suspicious.
When Lena headed out of Saranac on NY-896 and then merged with NY-73, he had a good feeling he knew where she was going. Grayson’s Law Office was based out of Elizabethtown. It was in the same county but for some reason, her father had wanted to be outside of town. Away from the tourists, away from the bustling crowds. He’d even gone so far as to build a house on the outskirts. It was also where the main district attorney for the county was located, the same place his sister worked at.
Doug Grayson wanted Lena to live nearby but like Hugh, if he’d had his way, he would have had his entire family living on the same street. Lena wanted some distance, a little something of her own where she didn’t feel under the thumb.
Noah kept several vehicles between him and her black Jeep Wrangler.
The Law Office of Doug Grayson, PLLC was set back from Court Street, the main vein through town. Like any good law firm wanting the best lay of the land, it was located directly across from the courthouse and next to a bank. Money in, money out. Doug liked to keep his family close and his income even closer.
Noah eased off the gas, circling around the back of the bank and slotting into a space that gave him a good shot of the law office. He killed the engine and settled back.
“Well, looks like we could be here a while,” he said, seeing Lena disappear inside the law office. He reached back and lifted the cooler he had placed in the back seat. Inside were ice packs and a few cans of pop and bottles of water. He took one out and ran it around the back of his neck, cracked it and refilled Axel’s bowl, then drank the rest.
No more than five minutes passed before Lena came back out but this time, she wasn’t alone. Jack was there. He was taller than Lena. A good six foot one, broad-shouldered, with sharp features that could have worked to his advantage if he’d ever considered modeling as a career. His hair was thinning above his temples, and what was left of it was blowing wildly in the wind. The two of them were discussing something, something they didn’t want Doug to hear. Lena pointed back up the road in the direction of Saranac. He could only assume she was sharing the conversation she’d had with him.
Jack didn’t look the least bit worried. In fact, he looked as if he was trying to keep Lena calm. Dressed in a suit and tie, he leaned back against the wall and took out a packet of smokes. He lit one, blew out smoke, and then took her by the arm and said something, something that made her nod and relax.
He took a few more puffs of his cigarette, then dropped itand crushed it below his shiny shoe. Jack turned and went back inside, leaving Lena out there, one hand on her hip, the other on her forehead. She shook her head, returned to her Jeep, and tore out of there, heading back in the same direction she came.
What made you drive forty minutes out of your way?
What couldn’t wait? Why couldn’t you have just phoned him?
16
The thought of visiting his father that evening felt like a dark cloud hovering over his head just waiting to unload. Noah had always likened his father to the weather of the Adirondack region’s “shoulder seasons” — unpredictable.
The only consolation was that Ray and Maddie were meant to be joining them for supper. Still, even that wouldn’t prevent his father from tossing out a few underhanded jabs. The reality was the two hadn’t been together in a room for longer than a few minutes since his mother’s funeral. It was mind-boggling. He’d tried. He really had over the years. Staying away wasn’t ever something he wanted. Family was family after all. But not having the support of his father in his early years, at a time when he needed it, made attempts to reach out that much harder.
More often than not he would simply leave messages on his voicemail.
Happy birthday. Hope you have a good Christmas. Just checking in to see how you are.It was like talking to a wall. He’d always wondered if his father listened to them or simply hit delete.
Now as he made his way back to town that afternoon, his mind drifted back.
In the days after Noah’s mother died, Hugh’s animosity had only increased toward Noah, finally coming to a head when Noah told him he was leaving town to join the military. They’d already discussed his future. At least the one Hugh saw him having — a career at the Sheriff’s Office, following in his footsteps. Noah had told him he’d eventually pursue law enforcement but he would do it in his time and when he did it, he didn’t expect it to be in the county.
Somehow, Hugh couldn’t wrap his head around that one.
Hugh had told him in no uncertain terms that if that was his decision, to not expect any financial assistance or to even return for that matter. If service with the Sheriff’s Office was good enough for his father and his before that, it should be enough for him.
It wasn’t.
Sure, he could have done it. Appeased his father. Followed in his footsteps — but it was never really about that. It was about saving face. It was about having townsfolk talk. Nothing more than a form of control. At least that’s what Noah believed.
Now he wasn’t so sure.
As Noah got nearer to his father’s place, he eyed the soaring 4,000-foot peaks of the Adirondack Mountains and the smaller ones nestled among the giants. It was a breathtaking sight. Each peak seemed to rise out of the earth, growing taller and more majestic the closer he got. Many were gently rounded, smothered in lush green forest, while others were jagged and rugged, with rocky outcroppings and snowy summits. Mount Marcy and Whiteface Mountain towered above them all, their peaks shrouded in mist and clouds, welcoming explorers, snowboarders, and campers alike.
Seeing it again left him awestruck.
Even though he hadn’t stepped foot in the family home in over twenty years, he knew the route like the back of his hand. The modest waterfront property was set back from Mirror Lake Drive and buried in the woodland. The winding road, and the smell of the pines that framed it on either side, brought a wave of memories. Like being transported back in time, he could see himself running through the forest and exploring the streams. The earthy smell brought back a slew of moments, campfires, fishing, and time with his mother.
