“What about Punky Brown or whatever his name is?” Jake asked. “Could he have had a hand in either one of these killings?”
Hank shook his head. “He has a solid alibi for Shaft’s murder. He was with his parole officer. And he was in our custody when Norton was killed.”
“What about that drug money heist the three of them were involved in?” Annie asked. “Maybe they were found out and they’re being picked off one by one.”
“There’s a problem with that theory,” Jake put in. “Why would they frame Norton?”
Hank nodded. “It seems like a lot of trouble for no good reason. And it would be hard for them to set up a frame. They would need access to Norton’s gun to place his fingerprints at the scene. And what about the car, and the plaid shirt? It seems to me, if it were the drug dealers getting their revenge, they would need to know a lot about Norton to set up such a solid frame job.”
“So, we’re back to Rocky Shaft then,” Annie said.
“We certainly have to check him out a lot closer.”
“The real killer—or killers—might be someone else entirely,” Jake added.
“That’s the thing,” Hank said. “We don’t know for sure if we’re looking for one killer, or two.”
“Michael Norton claimed his wife knew nothing about the heist,” Annie said. “And Maria Shaft claimed not to know of any relationship between her husband and Norton. Hank, how true do you think that is?”
Hank shrugged. “I see no evidence against that, but it’s a hard thing to prove.” He paused. “But I’m not making any assumptions either way.”
“I’m thinking out loud here,” Jake said. “But if Norton killed Shaft, then was Norton killed out of revenge? Or did one person kill both?”
Annie said, “If it was one person, why go to the trouble of framing Norton, just to kill him?”
“To throw suspicion away from the real killer,” Hank said.
“Then why kill Norton? Why not leave the frame in place? By killing Norton, it keeps a case open that otherwise could’ve been closed.”
Hank leaned his head back, closed his eyes, and let out a long breath. “We’re missing something here for sure. A lot of this doesn’t make sense, and I can’t come up with a clear motive for either murder.”
“It might come straight back to money,” Jake said. “I’d say it has something to do with the money from the heist. I don’t see any other motive.”
“If so,” Hank said. “Rocky Shaft is either a person of interest, or his life’s in danger too.”
Annie stood and paced the floor. Something didn’t make sense with all of this. She stopped and turned to Hank. “If the killer was convinced he had a solid frame in place, why try to kill us?”
“Because he was afraid we might prove otherwise,” Jake said.
Annie nodded. “Maria Shaft hired us. Rocky Shaft knew all about that, and it might’ve given him a reason to get rid of us. If he framed Norton, he wouldn’t want us digging into anything.”
“Sure, that’s possible,” Hank said. “But is Rocky Shaft stupid enough to threaten Norton, and then go out and kill him?”
Annie laughed out loud and covered her mouth. “Pardon me for laughing. I know there’s nothing funny about this, but it seems we’re going around in circles.”
“The forensic report might give us a lead to follow,” Hank said. “And when I hear from the ME, perhaps she might have something enlightening.”
“I hope so,” Annie said. “And I’ll give it some more thought. We’re missing a piece of the puzzle.”
Hank stood and looked at his watch. “I’d better go see Tammy Norton now.”
Chapter 30
Wednesday, 5:11 p.m.
HANK PULLED to the curb in front of the Norton house and shut off his vehicle. He wasn’t looking forward to the next few minutes. This was the part of his job he dreaded the most; notifying family members was always difficult and awkward, and it never got easier with practice.
He got out of his vehicle, passed Tammy’s Ford Probe parked in the driveway, and made his way up the path to the front door. He paused a moment, his finger on the doorbell, took a few quick breaths, and rang the bell.
Tammy Norton recognized him when she answered the door. “Good evening, Detective Corning,” she said, a questioning look on her face.
“May I come in for a moment?” Hank asked.
Tammy stepped aside and motioned him in. Hank took an uneasy step forward and looked toward the front room. “May we sit down?”
She led him in and waved a hand toward the couch. He waited until she sat in a matching chair before he took a seat.
Hank leaned forward, fidgeted with his hands, and cleared his throat. “Mrs. Norton …” he began and hesitated.
She tilted her head slightly to one side. “Yes?”
“I’m sorry I have to inform you, we found your husband’s body this afternoon.”
Tammy’s eyes widened and she stared at Hank, unblinking. Then a frown took over her brow. “Are you sure it was him?”
“We’re sure,” Hank said. “We identified him from a photo. He was carrying his wallet as well.”
Tammy was silent a moment, the frown remaining. Then she spoke, her voice quivering. “How … how did it happen? When?”
“I’m afraid he was murdered, Mrs. Norton.”
She took a sharp breath. “Murdered?”
Hank nodded. “The medical examiner estimated the time of death as a few hours ago. She’ll have a more accurate time later.”
Tammy closed her eyes and dropped her head back. She took a couple of deep breaths before opening her eyes again and looking at Hank.
Then the tears came, and she wiped her eyes with the palms of her hands. Then more tears.
Hank had spied a box of tissues on a stand at the end of the couch when he came in. He was in the habit of keeping an eye out for them at a time like this. They always came in handy. He stood and picked up the box, then leaned forward and offered it to Tammy.
She took a tissue, dabbed at her eyes, and then blew her nose lightly. “Do you know who … killed him?” she asked, looking at Hank through reddening eyes.
“Not yet, but we’ll do our best to find out.”
She nodded and closed her eyes, forcing out more tears. She blotted them away.
Hank asked softly, “Mrs. Norton, would you have any idea who might’ve done this?”
She shook her head. “No idea.” Then she frowned and added quickly, “Maybe Rocky Shaft?”
“Why do you say that?”
“I saw him on the news. He blames my husband for his brother’s murder, and he said he’d kill Michael if he got ahold of him.”
“We’re looking into Rocky Shaft,” Hank asked. “Is there anyone else you can think of?”
She bit her lip and looked toward the ceiling a moment. “I can’t think of anyone. My husband stayed out of trouble after he was released, and he worked hard. Everyone liked him, and he got along with his coworkers as far as I know.”
Hank looked closely at Mrs. Norton’s face. He saw the bruises Annie mentioned, one by her left eye, and one on her chin. She didn’t appear to be taking pains to cover them, her secret now exposed. He decided not to mention it to the grieving widow; it might make her defensive and cause her undue pain.
Tammy narrowed her eyes. “Detective, I hope you’re convinced now my husband didn’t kill Werner Shaft.” She rocked back and forth in her chair, wringing her hands. “I told you yesterday, my husband’s life might be in danger.” Her voice held an accusing tone.
“I understand,” Hank said. “And we did everything we could to find your husband.” He sighed. “But we couldn’t protect him if we couldn’t find him.”
Tammy sat up straight. “If you could have proven his innocence, he would’ve come forward, and he wouldn’t be dead now.”
Hank sat back and nodded slowly. “We did all we could, Mrs. Norton. I’m sorry about your husband. I truly am.”