Victoria Houston - Loon Lake 14 - Dead Lil' Hustler by Victoria Houston Page B
Authors: Victoria Houston
Ads: Link
an unforgettable first impression, Osborne sensed this was not the time.
Their visitor remained silent, his eyes shifting from the trio walking toward him to the lake shimmering in the afternoon sun. He walked over to the picnic bench holding Ray’s tackle boxes, sat down, and dropped his head into his hands. His shoulders heaved but there was no sound. Lew threw a look of caution at Osborne and Ray before sitting down beside the man. She waited. No one spoke.
Osborne checked his watch: not time for him to go back to the hospital just yet. With a nod from Lew, he and Ray slid onto the bench on the opposite side of the picnic table.
Raising his head and taking a deep breath, the man said, “I am so sorry.” He mopped at his face with a white handkerchief. “I’ve been driving since three this morning, haven’t eaten, haven’t slept in two days, and I know something bad has happened to my son. I know it in my gut. I know it in my heart. I can’t prove it, I just… know it.”
Osborne felt a chill. He knew that feeling.
Chapter Eleven
“Lewellyn Ferris. I’m chief of the Loon Lake Police,” said Lew, extending a hand to the man sitting next to her. “I’ll do my best to help you find your son.
“Appearances aside,” she said with a gesture and slight smile in the direction of Ray, “the two gentlemen sitting behind us are deputies of mine and both are very knowledgeable of the Northwoods. My hunch is one or the other will know right where to look for your son.”
Lew stood up and, putting a hand on Osborne’s shoulder, said, “I’d like you to meet Dr. Paul Osborne. Doc is a retired dentist and he works with the Loon Lake Police and the Wausau Crime Lab when we need an odontologist. That’s forensic dentistry,” she added as a look of confusion crossed the man’s face.
“And Ray Pradt here is a fishing and hunting guide. He knows just about every body of water and logging lane in the region. Or to put it another way,” Lew winked at Ray, “for as long as I have known him, Ray has managed to avoid holding a real job. Not to downplay the seriousness of your situation, sir, but I thought you would appreciate knowing who we are.”
“And I do,” said the man. “I’m Jake Barber, the guy who called you early this morning, Chief Ferris. My son, Liam, is a grad student in behavioral ecology down in Madison. He has been living up here this summer and working on a research grant studying invasive plant species. We’ve been in touch all along until he disappeared last weekend.”
Osborne studied the man as he spoke. Wide-faced with a firm well-shaven jaw, Barber was plain-spoken and direct. Osborne guessed him to be in his late fifties. If it weren’t for his office pallor, he might be someone who enjoyed the outdoors—a runner or cyclist perhaps.
“The facts are this,” Barber said in the crisp tone of a man used to giving directions. “Liam is twenty-two years old, he’s healthy, and he is familiar with the outdoors. We have fished and hunted for years so it’s not like he can’t take care of himself. I am very worried because I have not heard from him in the last four days and that is highly unusual. I want to emphasize that:
highly unusual
. We’re close. Maybe closer than most fathers and sons—we talk every evening.” Jake paused before saying, “We lost his mother to cancer five years ago. So… we stay close.” He gave an apologetic shrug of his shoulders.
“Does he have a girlfriend?” asked Ray. “I’ve been known to go missing for weeks when—”
“I wish he did. And, believe me, I would know if he did. He’s made friends with the other interns but, no, he has not been dating anyone up here.”
Jake looked back at Lew. “Chief Ferris, I did some checking before I left home. My son has not used an ATM or his credit cards. I know because I’m on the accounts. His two best friends have not heard from him either—on Facebook or e-mail or texting. And those guys are
Their visitor remained silent, his eyes shifting from the trio walking toward him to the lake shimmering in the afternoon sun. He walked over to the picnic bench holding Ray’s tackle boxes, sat down, and dropped his head into his hands. His shoulders heaved but there was no sound. Lew threw a look of caution at Osborne and Ray before sitting down beside the man. She waited. No one spoke.
Osborne checked his watch: not time for him to go back to the hospital just yet. With a nod from Lew, he and Ray slid onto the bench on the opposite side of the picnic table.
Raising his head and taking a deep breath, the man said, “I am so sorry.” He mopped at his face with a white handkerchief. “I’ve been driving since three this morning, haven’t eaten, haven’t slept in two days, and I know something bad has happened to my son. I know it in my gut. I know it in my heart. I can’t prove it, I just… know it.”
Osborne felt a chill. He knew that feeling.
Chapter Eleven
“Lewellyn Ferris. I’m chief of the Loon Lake Police,” said Lew, extending a hand to the man sitting next to her. “I’ll do my best to help you find your son.
“Appearances aside,” she said with a gesture and slight smile in the direction of Ray, “the two gentlemen sitting behind us are deputies of mine and both are very knowledgeable of the Northwoods. My hunch is one or the other will know right where to look for your son.”
Lew stood up and, putting a hand on Osborne’s shoulder, said, “I’d like you to meet Dr. Paul Osborne. Doc is a retired dentist and he works with the Loon Lake Police and the Wausau Crime Lab when we need an odontologist. That’s forensic dentistry,” she added as a look of confusion crossed the man’s face.
“And Ray Pradt here is a fishing and hunting guide. He knows just about every body of water and logging lane in the region. Or to put it another way,” Lew winked at Ray, “for as long as I have known him, Ray has managed to avoid holding a real job. Not to downplay the seriousness of your situation, sir, but I thought you would appreciate knowing who we are.”
“And I do,” said the man. “I’m Jake Barber, the guy who called you early this morning, Chief Ferris. My son, Liam, is a grad student in behavioral ecology down in Madison. He has been living up here this summer and working on a research grant studying invasive plant species. We’ve been in touch all along until he disappeared last weekend.”
Osborne studied the man as he spoke. Wide-faced with a firm well-shaven jaw, Barber was plain-spoken and direct. Osborne guessed him to be in his late fifties. If it weren’t for his office pallor, he might be someone who enjoyed the outdoors—a runner or cyclist perhaps.
“The facts are this,” Barber said in the crisp tone of a man used to giving directions. “Liam is twenty-two years old, he’s healthy, and he is familiar with the outdoors. We have fished and hunted for years so it’s not like he can’t take care of himself. I am very worried because I have not heard from him in the last four days and that is highly unusual. I want to emphasize that:
highly unusual
. We’re close. Maybe closer than most fathers and sons—we talk every evening.” Jake paused before saying, “We lost his mother to cancer five years ago. So… we stay close.” He gave an apologetic shrug of his shoulders.
“Does he have a girlfriend?” asked Ray. “I’ve been known to go missing for weeks when—”
“I wish he did. And, believe me, I would know if he did. He’s made friends with the other interns but, no, he has not been dating anyone up here.”
Jake looked back at Lew. “Chief Ferris, I did some checking before I left home. My son has not used an ATM or his credit cards. I know because I’m on the accounts. His two best friends have not heard from him either—on Facebook or e-mail or texting. And those guys are
Similar Books
