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Authors: K. C. Greenlief
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husband and used the house on her property as a weekend getaway.
Bill had decided to sell sixty acres of his land to a Sturgeon Bay developer to build vacation homes so he could pay off his wifeâs medical bills and set up a nest egg for his five children since none of them wanted the farm. The developer had offered him $750,000 for the property since it bordered two paved roads and was high enough to have some lake views. Bill and his brother and sister had agreed that they would keep the rest of the property as farmland for the foreseeable future.
Paul Larsen had raised major objections to the rezoning and had roused his small group of supporters to come to the zoning commission meetings and write letters to the editor against the zoning change. Because of all the controversy, the zoning board had put off voting on Billâs request while they did an impact study. The study report was due back in two weeks.
Joel made a note to reread the letters to the editor and find the names of Larsenâs supporters. He asked Bill where he was Sunday morning. Bill and Betty glanced at each other and Bill began to fidget. He stated that he had gone to Madison for the weekend and had not gotten home until late Sunday night. As he listened to Bill talk, Joel watched the two of them. A blind man would have picked up on the tension between them.
Bill described his stay at the Concourse Hotel, including a Saturday-morning walk around the Madison farmersâ market and Sunday brunch at the Nau-Ti-Gal Restaurant. He pulled out his wallet and handed Joel his receipts from the weekend. Joel noticed that the brunch receipt was for two meals. He asked Bill for the name of his companion. Bettyâs face turned flame red as Bill told Joel that was confidential. When Joel pressed him for the information, he said he spent the weekend with a female friend. Since he was still married, he did not want to embarrass the woman, who was a widow.
Bill explained that heâd had a very happy marriage until three years ago when his wife became ill. His wife was now in a nursing home with advanced Alzheimerâs disease.
Joel told them he would check out Billâs alibi and get back to them if he had any further questions. He asked for a copy of Bills driverâs license, and Betty escaped to the other room to make him a copy.
After his interview he headed south to Chicago to search Larsenâs office and home. He hoped to make the five-hour drive down and get his business done in time to get back to Wausau and spend some of the night with Molly. He made a quick stop at the Door County Ledger âs office to get the copies Lucille had made for him.
Tuesday Afternoon
May 29âWashington Island Ferry Line,
Northport, Wisconsin
Lark and Lacey pulled into the parking area of the Washington Island ferry a few minutes after 1 P.M . They decided to take Laceyâs car and pulled it into the ferry line. They barely had time to take turns running up to the Northport Pier Restaurant for a bathroom and refreshment break before the ferry started loading. Neither of them had taken time for lunch. They were guided onto the ferry to a spot right behind a cart loaded down with Federal Express boxes and mailbags.
âI canât imagine what it would be like to live on an island,â Lacey said as she snugged her Grand Cherokee up to the back of the mail cart under the watchful eyes of one of the ferry workers. âEverything must come over on this ferry. Wonder how they manage in the winter when the lake is frozen over?â
âIt would sure teach you how to plan ahead,â Lark said as he watched a cart full of lumber and plywood being pulled up beside them. It had Lampert Lumber and Building Materials, Washington Island, written on the side of it. âItâs probably nice and calm over there. Not too many surprises.â
âNice and boring is more like it,â Lacey replied, watching him lounge back in the seat.
Bill had decided to sell sixty acres of his land to a Sturgeon Bay developer to build vacation homes so he could pay off his wifeâs medical bills and set up a nest egg for his five children since none of them wanted the farm. The developer had offered him $750,000 for the property since it bordered two paved roads and was high enough to have some lake views. Bill and his brother and sister had agreed that they would keep the rest of the property as farmland for the foreseeable future.
Paul Larsen had raised major objections to the rezoning and had roused his small group of supporters to come to the zoning commission meetings and write letters to the editor against the zoning change. Because of all the controversy, the zoning board had put off voting on Billâs request while they did an impact study. The study report was due back in two weeks.
Joel made a note to reread the letters to the editor and find the names of Larsenâs supporters. He asked Bill where he was Sunday morning. Bill and Betty glanced at each other and Bill began to fidget. He stated that he had gone to Madison for the weekend and had not gotten home until late Sunday night. As he listened to Bill talk, Joel watched the two of them. A blind man would have picked up on the tension between them.
Bill described his stay at the Concourse Hotel, including a Saturday-morning walk around the Madison farmersâ market and Sunday brunch at the Nau-Ti-Gal Restaurant. He pulled out his wallet and handed Joel his receipts from the weekend. Joel noticed that the brunch receipt was for two meals. He asked Bill for the name of his companion. Bettyâs face turned flame red as Bill told Joel that was confidential. When Joel pressed him for the information, he said he spent the weekend with a female friend. Since he was still married, he did not want to embarrass the woman, who was a widow.
Bill explained that heâd had a very happy marriage until three years ago when his wife became ill. His wife was now in a nursing home with advanced Alzheimerâs disease.
Joel told them he would check out Billâs alibi and get back to them if he had any further questions. He asked for a copy of Bills driverâs license, and Betty escaped to the other room to make him a copy.
After his interview he headed south to Chicago to search Larsenâs office and home. He hoped to make the five-hour drive down and get his business done in time to get back to Wausau and spend some of the night with Molly. He made a quick stop at the Door County Ledger âs office to get the copies Lucille had made for him.
Tuesday Afternoon
May 29âWashington Island Ferry Line,
Northport, Wisconsin
Lark and Lacey pulled into the parking area of the Washington Island ferry a few minutes after 1 P.M . They decided to take Laceyâs car and pulled it into the ferry line. They barely had time to take turns running up to the Northport Pier Restaurant for a bathroom and refreshment break before the ferry started loading. Neither of them had taken time for lunch. They were guided onto the ferry to a spot right behind a cart loaded down with Federal Express boxes and mailbags.
âI canât imagine what it would be like to live on an island,â Lacey said as she snugged her Grand Cherokee up to the back of the mail cart under the watchful eyes of one of the ferry workers. âEverything must come over on this ferry. Wonder how they manage in the winter when the lake is frozen over?â
âIt would sure teach you how to plan ahead,â Lark said as he watched a cart full of lumber and plywood being pulled up beside them. It had Lampert Lumber and Building Materials, Washington Island, written on the side of it. âItâs probably nice and calm over there. Not too many surprises.â
âNice and boring is more like it,â Lacey replied, watching him lounge back in the seat.
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