Dead of Winter

“Nothing,” Jesse said. “I went over to Elton’s. He said Fred bought bait on Sunday the first and didn’t see him after that.”

“That supports my theory about the crosswords,” Louis said. “Unless Lovejoy used old bait.”

Jesse shook his head. “Elton says he bought fresh every day.”

Louis was frowning, looking out at the shanties on the lake.

“What’s the matter?” Jesse asked.

“The watch,” Louis said. “Fred’s watch stopped at two-thirty. But I just can’t see a killer hitting in broad daylight.”

“Especially since Pryce was hit at three in the morning,” Jesse said.

They were silent for several moments. “Maybe the watch ran for a while,” Jesse offered.

Louis shook his head. “In that water? It would freeze up right away.”

Jesse turned suddenly and started to get in the cruiser. “Let’s go.”

“Where?” Louis asked.

“To find out.”

“Find out what?”

But Jesse had already started the cruiser. When Louis got in, Jesse was radioing Dale, telling him to pull Lovejoy’s watch out of evidence and find out what make and model it was. By the time Jesse swung the cruiser up in front of Red’s Drug Store, Louis realized what was up. He waited in the cruiser until Jesse emerged with a bag holding a duplicate Timex. Jesse seemed so excited by his experiment Louis didn’t have the heart to discourage him. He would let him play Columbo; maybe it would give him some confidence.

Back at the station, Louis watched while Dale scavenged a thermometer from the first-aid kit and Jesse filled the Pyrex coffeepot with ice cubes from the refrigerator. In minutes, the two had their experiment set up on Louis’s desk.

“Check the temperature,” Dale said, caught up in Jesse’s experiment.

“Louis, get the watch,” Jesse called out.

Louis unwrapped the new gold-plated Timex and handed it to Jesse. They waited until the water in the pot had dropped below freezing. Louis stepped back, shaking his head.

He watched as Jesse dropped the watch in the water.

“What time you got, Louis?” Jesse asked.

“Five straight up.”

The seconds ticked off as Jesse and Dale peered at the watch in the water.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Louis looked to the door. Gibralter was standing there, staring at Jesse and Dale huddled over the coffeepot.

Jesse jumped to his feet. “A test.”

Gibralter came over to the desk and looked down at the glass bowl. “What kind of test?”

“We’re trying to find out how long this watch will run in ice water.”

“Why?” Gibralter demanded.

“Louis thinks Fred – ”

Gibralter’s eye flicked to Louis and then back to Jesse. He reached in the coffeepot, pulled out the watch and tossed it on the desk.

“Every minute you waste could cost another officer his life,” Gibralter said, leveling his gaze at Jesse. “I told you to go through the case files. Now go do your damn job.”

Jesse wet his lips. “But – ”

“Do your job, Harrison,” Gibralter repeated, enunciating each word, as if to a child. Without looking at Louis, he went into his office, slamming the door.

Louis looked at Jesse. He was just standing there, his face red with embarrassment. Dale and Florence were watching, their eyes wide in sympathy.

“Fuck,” Jesse muttered, wandering off.

Louis looked down at the watch. The face was clouded with condensation. He picked it up.

It had stopped at 5:04.

CHAPTER 12

The sound of bells tolling. A white meadow, snow, and a stand of pines in the distance. A white church, with a steeple piercing a cobalt blue sky. And a line of blue moving slowly, swaying, emerging from the church. A coffin…they were carrying a coffin out into the snowy meadow as the bells tolled.

Louis woke with a start. Bells…the phone.

Wiping a hand over his eyes, he turned over and grabbed the receiver. “Yeah,” he said hoarsely.

“Louis?”

“Yeah.” He reached for his watch and squinted at the dial. It was after ten. He had slept through the morning.

“Louis, this is Phillip.”

“Phillip?” He blinked at the sound of his foster father’s voice and pulled himself up on one elbow. “Phillip! Jeez, it’s good to hear from you.” He reached down to pull the covers over his bare chest. The room was freezing cold.

“You sound strange. Don’t tell me I woke you up.” The voice on the other end of the line chuckled.

“No, no. Well, yeah, you did. But that’s okay. I’m off today.” Louis’s eyes swept over the crumpled bed. He spotted his chambray shirt crumpled in the blanket at the end. He squinted and saw two glasses on the bureau, half-filled with tawny liquid.

“I know. I called the station. They gave me your number.”

Louis suppressed a sigh. He had forgotten to call his foster parents and tell them he had finally gotten a phone.

“Look, Louis,” Phillip went on, “I won’t waste time busting your chops about why we haven’t heard from you in weeks.”

“Thanks,” Louis said softly. Leave it to Phillip Lawrence to cut through the bullshit. He hated talking on the phone more than Louis did.

“But it does make it easier to guilt you into coming down to dinner,” Phillip added.

“Dinner?” Louis said, surprised. “Where are you?”