“Shit,” Jude muttered. “It’s also possible the killer stole a Taser from a friend or a spouse.”
“What we really need is Tennyson.” Ronan took a gulp from his coffee.
“At your service.” Ten bowed and walked into the kitchen. “What specifically do you need me for?” He took a seat at the table while Ronan made him a coffee. Fitzgibbon recapped what they’d talked about.
“You’ve met with Baxter and Mary Lou twice and the strangely silent second husband once. Do you have any idea who could have killed Kotter Brighthouse?” Ronan asked, pulling strips of crispy bacon out of the cast iron pan, setting them to rest on a stack of paper towels.
“I know Fitz is high on Mary Lou as his top suspect, but I’m not getting that from her at all. I don’t think she did this.” Ten took a sip of his coffee. “She loved Kotter very much and still mourns him to some extent. If she were the one who killed him, I don’t think she’d still have these kinds of feelings for him. I get the feeling she misses the life they built together.”
“What about Baxter?” Jude asked.
“Christ, he was fifteen years old when his father died,” Ronan said.
“I was a tall, string bean of a teenager,” Fitzgibbon began. “I don’t know about you, but I spent any spare time I had lifting weights. I’m pretty sure, with the help of a Taser, I could have pushed Kotter out of the Ferris wheel car.”
“So this gets us absolutely nowhere.” Ronan threw his hands in the air. “Our suspect pool is anyone who was in Massachusetts on the day Kotter died, who’s tall enough to ride the Ferris wheel. Fabulous. We can probably solve this case by the year 2075 at this rate.”
“Did you get any kind of murderous vibes from Baxter Brighthouse?” Fitz asked Ten, ignoring Ronan’s dramatics.
“All I was reading from him was fear,” Ten said.
“Fear of what? Being haunted by his father’s ghost? Fear of being caught as the killer?” Ronan fired off questions until Ten held a hand up for him to stop.
“I’m not sure what he’s afraid of, but his fear is all-encompassing. It leaks from his entire body like sweat after a long run.”
“Damn,” Ronan muttered.
“Jude, if you have any free time today, please check to see if any of our usual suspects have a firearms permit. I’ll try to get an employee list from the park,” Fitz said.
“Call Mary Lou,” Ten chimed in. “My guess is she would be the one who’d give it to you with the least amount of trouble.”
“Don’t tell me you’re sweet on her.” Ronan grinned.
Ten shook his head. “No. I’m definitely not sweet on her, but I do trust her in this situation.”
“What about me, Cap? What do you want me to work on today?” Ronan grinned.
“You’re on food duty. Make breakfast, order lunch from Greek Life. Maybe Thai for dinner. I could go for dumplings.” Fitz grinned at the insulted look on Ronan’s face. “Have fun with the kids so Ten can get as much time as possible with his brother and sister-in-law.”
With Fitzgibbon putting it that way, Ronan didn’t feel so bad about being out of the loop with the Kotter Brighthouse case. “I hate to mention it, but what about asking Everly? You know, as a last resort.” His eyes were on Tennyson to gauge his reaction to Ronan’s suggestion.
“I’m not opposed to that,” Ten said. “Everly’s the only one who was able to get a clear message from Kotter Brighthouse in the first place. All I was able to get were a few repeated phrases asking for my help.”
“If the search for people with firearm permits comes up empty, Ten and I will talk to Everly. Maybe she can reach out to him with direct queries. Maybe simple yes or no questions.” Ronan wanted to run upstairs and wake his sleeping daughter to see if she could do that very thing, but he wouldn’t. His little miss deserved all the rest and time away from spirits that she could get.
Ronan thought back to when he briefly had Ten’s mediumistic gift and how reluctant he’d been to stay in that world between worlds for very long. He was sure Everly felt the same way. He promised himself to only speak to his little girl as a last resort.
Which, with a lack of suspects, Ronan was quickly approaching.
18
Tennyson
Ten was exhausted. Not only had Lizbet and Cope been victims of the mysterious puking bug, but so had Brooke and Aurora. With Barb and River spending the day enjoying all of Salem’s adult attractions, Ten had agreed to watch Brooke, who would have won a gold medal in projectile vomiting if such a thing existed.
Thankfully, the little girl had blown chunks all over Fitzgibbon’s patio and not in the pool like Aurora. The party had broken up pretty quickly after that, with Fitzgibbon rushing his daughter into the house. Jude and Wolf headed out to Target to get Pedialyte, chicken broth, and tiny star-shaped pasta to make pastina soup. According to Barb, it was Italian penicillin.
When they got home, Ten set Brooke up on the sofa with a soft blanket and a bright pink plastic bucket that Ronan used to buff and shine the Mustang. She and Everly watchedCinderellawhile Ezra napped in his room.
