Aaron
“Who are Kathy and Aaron?” Laurie asked.
“High school sweethearts who grew apart,” Floyd explained.
“He committed suicide,” Laurie said. “What happened to her?”
“She never entirely got over him. But, they’re together again.” Floyd slipped the note into the envelope.
“Together?” Pam asked with a frown.
“Kathy’s parents had her disconnected from the respirator yesterday about the time we exhumed Aaron’s body.”
Floyd held Mary’s hand as they walked the narrow trail to the parking lot. “You and Pam did a great job. I can’t believe that you pulled all this together in such a short time.”
“It seemed like the right thing to do,” she replied. “Barb deserves a little happiness and I’m glad I could help her find it.”
They stopped next to Floyd’s car and he stared at the ground, his hands jammed in his pockets like an embarrassed teenager. “All the pieces finally came together in the Aaron Roberts investigation.”
“Is that why the black-haired woman showed up at the end of the wedding?”
“She’s an investigator from the BCA. We found a piece of paper in Aaron’s pocket and her analysis brought out the writing. It was a suicide note.”
“Oh,” she said, waiting for Floyd to speak again.
“I also heard from the medical examiner,” he said, looking at the ground. “They found lethal levels of oxycontin in Aaron’s body.”
When Floyd looked up, he had tears in his eyes. He pulled his hands from his pants pockets and took Mary’s face into his hands. He kissed her gently.
“Life’s too short to live in the past,” he said.
Mary searched his eyes and then pulled him close. She gently returned the kiss and they stood silently holding each other close.
“I know,” she said, whispering in his ear. “So, what comes next?”
“Since we’re all dressed up, let’s go to the top of the Duluth Radisson,” he suggested, leading her to the pickup and unlocking the door. “We can have dinner and share a bottle of wine.”
Mary climbed into the pickup cab and buckled her seatbelt. “That would be lovely, but you never drink and drive.”
Floyd got in and started the engine. “I think we might find a bed there that doesn’t hold any personal history for either of us.”
ACKNOWLEGDEMENTS
I offer special thanks to the many people who helped make this book possible. Pat Morris did her usual fabulous job of fact checking and editing. Frannie Brozo and Nancy Mohr read, commented, and kept me honest on many levels. Dennis Arnold helped me make sure the “cop stuff” was right (although I didn’t exactly follow his advice about every detail). My wife, Julie, offers medical advice, support and keeps me humble.
Thanks to my many friends and readers who keep me motivated and focused. Among them, Lynn Hovey, Russ Birkholz, Mike Mercer, Maria Westfall, Vida Meland, Kurt Hegland, Nancy Helmbrecht, Brian Johnson, Sarah Hawkins, Jeanne Coffey, Deb Shaw, and many, many other readers who have been reminding me that they’re awaiting this next Pine County mystery.
And finally, thanks to Brenda (Engelbrekt) Bonney, who bid for the chance to have her name in this book during a fundraising auction at the Eagle Bluff Environmental Center. I am humbled, and the children who will be able to attend camp this year because of your generosity thank you.