“So, what do you expect Melissa Schotten to tell you?”
“I hope she tells us why everyone is nervous about connecting the dots between Aaron and the Round Lake house. I hope she will expand on Betsy’s comment that Aaron didn’t show up while she and Mike were at the house.”
“And if she doesn’t cooperate?” Pam asked.
“We’ve spent a long drive for nothing.
After a few miles Floyd asked, “How are Sandy and Barb’s wedding plans coming along?”
“As you heard last night, I tried to back out of my gig as the maid of honor. Barb wouldn’t hear a word of it. She says my bandages will make the pictures memorable.”
“You’ve got to admit, Barb is no nervous debutante. She’s about as laid back about this whole wedding thing as anyone I’ve ever met.”
“What I find really comforting,” Pam said, “is that she’s so realistic about the whole thing. She doesn’t want to squander a pile of money they could better use on other things, and she doesn’t have any dreamy notions about married life being all cream and strawberries. I hope I’m as well grounded as Barb when my day comes.”
“I think she’s been burned by life a lot, and that keeps you from lofty ideals.”
“I know a lot of brides who’ve been through some busted relationships, divorces, and hard knocks,” Pam said, “but when you put them in a frilly gown and walk them down the aisle, all reason is gone.”
“We’re only a couple days away from the wedding. Are the plans all set?”
“As far as I know,” Pam said as she counted off the plans on her fingers: “The guests are invited. The wedding gown is purchased. The judge is committed. The flowers are ordered. The park is reserved. Sandy and Barb are both off work. I think that’s it.”
Floyd’s cellphone chimed and he handed it to Pam. “Deputy Ryan.” She held the phone away and looked at the screen. “You have a text message.”
“What? I’ve never had a text message before. That must be why the ring tone was different.”
“It’s from Barb,” Pam said as she scrolled through the lines of text. Her fingers started flying across the keyboard.
“What are you doing” Floyd asked.
“I’m replying to her text.”
Pam held the phone away and waited for Barb’s response. “If you’ve never received a text before, I assume that you’ve never sent one, either?”
“How can you send text with only twelve keys, but twenty six letters?”
“Are you serious?” Pam asked.
“Yes.”
“You’ve got three letters on each number, so you punch the number 2 once for A, twice for B and three times for C, and so on.”
The phone chimed and Pam read the text. “Barb took the blowup of the Aaron Roberts picture and digitally removed all the drips of blood,” Pam explained as she typed in “OK” and handed it back to Floyd. “With drips gone, she said it was easy to see the actual cuts, and they spelled out, ‘HOMO.’”
“Barb typed all that in on ten keys, like you did?”
“Barb has a Smartphone with a keypad, so she can type a lot faster.” Sensing that Floyd was still confused, she added, “A Smartphone is that flat cellphone she uses sometimes. It also has 4G Internet capability.”
“Why do you need to access the Internet on your cellphone?”
Pam shrugged. “You can get maps and driving directions.”
Floyd shook his head. “What do you call people like me who don’t understand all the Internet and cellphone capabilities?”
“Dinosaur is one term I’ve heard. But, having access to all that information is only valuable if you use it. I mean, all the technology is great, but it’s just giving you a tool. If you don’t use the tool, it’s just an interesting toy.”
Floyd mulled that thought and then said, “What a jerk Ken Solstad turned out to be. He finds out one of his best friends is gay and instead of having empathy, Ken strips him naked, ties him to a tree, and cuts a homophobic message on his chest.”
“You quit too soon,” Pam said. “In addition to that, he took a picture of it, probably so he could show his macho Army buddies.” Pam paused. “It’s hard to live an alternative lifestyle in a small town. In Minneapolis it’s easier to be anonymous and to find others with a similar lifestyle. Out in the boonies it’s hard to find acceptance.”
“Not accepting someone’s sexual orientation is one thing,” Floyd said. “Tying someone to a tree and cutting them up is a leap. Aaron could only thank God that Kathy Tucker came back and got him into a cabin before he died of hypothermia.” Floyd thought for a second, then added. “Maybe Kathy didn’t do him any favor. Who knows what happened after he got warmed up. He might’ve been better off with hypothermia.”
CHAPTER 44
The Redwood Falls Hospital receptionist was seated at a desk just inside the entrance. She was a petite blonde and the photo ID hanging from her neck said her name was Anne Flagg. She smiled and didn’t seem rattled to see two uniformed officers show up at the desk. “May I help you?” she asked, obviously intrigued by Pam’s bruised face.
“We need to speak with Melissa Schotten,” Floyd said.
“Please have a seat in the ER for a moment,” she said, directing them past the reception desk to the waiting area where they seemed to be surrounded by sick children with runny noses and coughs. A little blonde girl, with a pale face and a bright red nose, stared at them. Pam smiled, only to have it turn into a grimace as pain hit from making a smile. The girl continued to stare, then suddenly looked around frantically. A second later, she spewed vomit across the narrow aisle. Pam pulled up her feet just in time to save her shoes, then swung them onto Floyd’s lap.
The girl’s mom was mortified, but springing into action she ran to the bathroom for paper towels. The blonde receptionist was also in motion, bringing a container of antiseptic wipes, then paging a janitor.
As Pam carefully slipped off her chair, avoiding the cleaning efforts, a trim thirty-something nurse wearing blue surgical scrubs, stopped at the reception desk. The receptionist nodded toward Floyd and Pam.
She smiled at the sight of Pam’s bruises and bandages. “When the receptionist called she said that I’d be able to tell which deputy wanted to see me. She wasn’t sure if you needed treatment or if you were making a social call.”
“Actually,” Floyd said, “we’re here for other reasons. We’ve spoken on the phone a few times. I’m Floyd Swenson and this is Deputy Pam Ryan. We’re from Pine County.”
The smile slid off Melissa’s face as if it had melted. “You drove to Redwood Falls to talk to me?”
“Is there somewhere we could have a private discussion?” Pam asked.
“I don’t think we need a room. There’s nothing to discuss.” Melissa turned and started walking back toward the desk.
“Bradshaw’s house on Round Lake,” Floyd said loud enough to be heard over the emergency room commotion. Most of the people stopped talking and looked at the two deputies and the now-frozen nurse.
Melissa turned red and started walking back. “There’s a consultation room behind the reception desk.” She motioned them toward the hallway.
Inside the room she closed the door and stood with her back against it. Floyd and Pam sat in two of the five chairs. A box of tissues sitting next to the phone hinted at the serious, and sometimes sad discussions held there.
“What’s this all about?” Melissa asked sharply.
“You tell me,” Floyd said. “You’ve been giving me the same runaround I’m getting from Mike Nelson and Betsy Webb. I know about the hidden key for Bradshaw’s Round Lake house and I know that Mike and Betsy spent the night there the night before Ken Solstad died in a car accident and Aaron Roberts disappeared. They said that’s where Betsy got pregnant.”