Miranda stretched and rubbed her knuckles into her eyes. “I kept having nightmares about the bones forming an articulated skeleton and chasing me along the cliff edge.” She shivered, then put her hands out toward the open fire. “That feels really good. How about I rustle up some sort of breakfast?”
“Breakfast?” Sheriff Larson was all ears. “Do we have anything?”
“A little.” Miranda opened the oatmeal packets and put them in one of her mason jars. Then she used the last of the water to make a thin mixture. She sat it onto a rock next to the fire. While it was heating, she passed around the package of trail mix.
Barbara stood stamping her feet and slapping her arms to try to get blood circulating. “I’d kill for a cup of coffee.”
Miranda put a bit of the oatmeal gruel in the mason jars and handed them around. “Drink up. It’s not coffee but I’ve saved back an extra pone of corn bread from last night. It’s not a lot, but better than nothing. We’ll be off this mountain one way or another this morning.”
There was no chance that a single morsel of food would be left. Miranda had to admit that her appetite was always better in the outdoors. In fact, she would describe herself as ravenous. That’s why she’d packed the extra corn bread.
“Hey,” shouted Sheriff Larson. “I’ve got a signal!”
“So do I.” Ranger Morgan quickly dialed the rescue organization. “How’s the fog down there?” He walked over to the view of Battleship Rock. “It’s beginning to thin out up here as well.”
He exchanged a few more comments with the dispatcher and ended the call.
“Good news. The helicopter should be up here in about thirty minutes. That should give us plenty of time to pack up and make sure the remains are ready for transport.”
Miranda grinned. “Wonderful. I wasn’t looking forward to the climb down until I wasn’t able to climb down. I’ll get everything out of the cavern so we can start down the trail as soon as the helicopter takes down the body.” She took a few moments to call her neighbors. She confirmed that they had taken Sandy in for the night and were spoiling him rotten.
Barbara took her backpack and forensics case and placed them beside the remains. “I’ll be going in the helicopter. I never want to step a foot into these woods ever again.”
Given Barbara’s complete lack of tolerance for any physical discomfort, Miranda thought that was a fine idea.
The sound of the helicopter reached them long before they could see it approaching from down the cliffside. It rose high above the overlook and hovered for many long minutes before landing neatly on the bald sandstone patch just above the Indian Staircase. The prop wash was impressive, and everyone shut their eyes to avoid the flying sand and dirt. The silence returned with a vengeance as soon as the helicopter shut down its rotor.
Barbara grabbed her gear and walked beside the two rescue volunteers as they strapped the body bag into the litter on the side of the helicopter. It was the first time she wasn’t harping. She turned back to Felicia and resumed her professional demeanor as smoothly as she hefted her backpack. “I’ll call you with my preliminary findings later this afternoon.” Then she got into the helicopter.
The pilots ran through their checks, then started up the engine, and in a few moments the forest was back to normal. Perhaps a bit more silent as the helicopter disturbance repressed both birds and insect activity.
Looking around to make sure they left the area pristine, the four started down the trail back to the Gladie Learning Center. Sheriff Larson and Coroner Felicia walked ahead discussing a topic that appeared to be an ongoing domestic argument. Austin and Miranda let some distance grow between them.
“Can you give me a ride to Hemlock Lodge? I let my group take my van,” asked Miranda.
“Sure. I need to check in there anyway.”
“At least I don’t have clients today,” Miranda told Austin. “I would have had to cancel. I’m exhausted, but when I get home, Sandy will want to run and then play fetch. If I exhaust him, that will be the only way I get a nap. What about you?”
Austin smiled. “One of the advantages of being a ranger is that I get a flexible schedule. Unfortunately, it mostly consists of being on standby twenty-four seven. But, I’m for sure taking the rest of the day off.”
The four of them reached the Gladie Learning Center in good time. Before the sheriff and Felicia got in their car, Miranda stopped them. “I know you don’t have an identification yet, but if you find out that the remains are my cousin, can you please give me a call? The two of us weren’t particularly close, but Aunt Ora has been holding on to her belief that he would return. She will be devastated and I want to be there for her.”
“Of course, Miranda,” said Felicia. “I’ll call as soon as I know anything.”
“Thanks.”
They turned to leave but Miranda continued, “I have a strong feeling that we’ve found Howard. I also know it’s impossible that my cousin’s death was an accident. Howard was an expert woodsman. If this were a case of becoming ill or experiencing an injury, or even the result of a prank, he would have called for help. The missing backpack and identification can’t be explained. This has to be foul play.”
Chapter 7
Late Monday Morning, the Farmhouse
The phone started ringing as soon as Miranda stepped into her farmhouse. It was Austin’s sister, Tyler, who worked as a crime reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader.
“Hey, I heard that you found bones up at the Indian Staircase cliff. Austin told me, in case you’re wondering. I have a weekly call with him every Monday. He spilled the beans, but don’t get mad at him. I’m like a terrier when I smell a story. Is it true?”
“One of my clients fell onto the remains while we were sketching the view on our tour. Her name is Jennifer O’Rourke. I uncovered the bones and discovered that they were human.”
“Where’s she staying?”
Miranda fell silent. She knew that Jennifer’s name would be in the sheriff’s report, but maybe where she was staying should remain private.
Tyler broke the silence. “Come on, where is she staying? You know I can call around and find out. Remember, I’m from that area and that people there have known me since I was a baby.”
“Perfect.” Miranda could hear the tapping on a keyboard at high speed. “You’ll have to use your resources, then. I’m protecting my clients.”
“Got it.” Tyler hung up.
Miranda had never been so delighted to take a long hot shower. It felt wonderful to remove the forest grit. Before this indulgence, she had taken Sandy for a long run and then fed him. She followed her shower with her favorite comfort food, an onion-and-cheese omelet using fresh eggs from her hens. Hunger normally won over cleanliness. But standing in the stream of hot water felt like her just reward for persevering on the mountaintop.
The shower was part of a modern add-on to her late uncle’s farmhouse. She had been surprised to inherit it after his death a few months ago. It certainly provided her with an excellent excuse to leave New York City without confronting how she hadn’t made much more than a piddling amount of money with her landscape paintings. It still seemed like a gift from the heavens to have this farmhouse and the chance to share her love of the sandstone cliffs and arches with visitors.
After washing the dishes and tidying up in her bedroom at the front of the house, she dialed the receptionist at Hemlock Lodge. Doris Ann Norris was her primary source of information about what was happening with her clients. Everyone knew her and she was lovely to chat with—full of humor and an accumulation of folk wisdom not seen much nowadays.
Given that her clients had returned without her and that she and others had been on the mountaintop overnight, Miranda was sure the news about the bones had spread to the lodge and its best source of information. Before calling Aunt Ora about her suspicions, Miranda wanted to know how much information was circulating.
“Hemlock Lodge reception. This is Doris Ann. How can I help you?”
“Hi, Doris Ann, this is Miranda. Have you heard about my overnight adventure up at the Indian Staircase overlook?”
“Oh, my, yes. It’s all over the place. Why, those young whippersnappers you took up the mountain yesterday have been holding court in front of the fireplace in the lobby. I swear, they’re telling everyone that passes about finding those bones. Humph! Acting like celebrities.”
“It was a shocking experience. One of my clients fell into the bones, and it still makes my teeth tingle to think about it.” Miranda shuddered from head to toe. “Have any of them checked out yet?”
“Yes, they’re all gone, but I heard tell they rented a private cabin for the rest of the week.” Doris Ann tilted her head to the side. “Why?”
“I have a feeling that Sheriff Larson will be needing to speak to them, but he didn’t seem interested.”
“Well, he probably has his reasons. He is our most popular sheriff in decades for very good reasons. He’s honest, careful about spending our tax money, and he gets the job done without creating a political ruckus.”
“He seemed a little stressed-out up on the Indian Staircase. Wasn’t there was a political ruckus last month?”
“Hmmm.” Doris Ann put a hand to her chest. “Oh, I forgot about that. Those idiots in Frankfort must have been sippin’ corn likker. They decided that a pay cut would help the sheriff watch his budget closer. What utter nonsense, but that’s politicians for you. No horse sense at all.”
“Which cabin have they rented?”
“That huge one called Big Rock Cabin.”
“I know the one. Thanks, Doris Ann. Give me a call if anything unusual comes up. Okay?”
“Sure, sweetie. See you tomorrow.”
Tomorrow? That woke Miranda up. She needed to get things prepared for her next tour tomorrow. Everything was still in a great jumble tossed in the back of the van. She was relieved to prepare for an ordinary Paint & Shine cultural tour. She looked forward to packing up her backpacks with painting supplies, canvases, three brushes, a water cup, and a sketching pencil. Then after arriving at the view to Lover’s Leap along the main trail behind Hemlock Lodge, they would paint. Afterward, she would bring them back to the farmhouse for a traditional Southern meal paired with moonshine. Although her business was only a month old, it was comforting to have a routine.
While she was toweling her hair, the house phone rang.
“Oh, honey. I just heard the news that a body was found up at the Indian Staircase. It’s Howard, isn’t it?”
“Hi, Mom. I didn’t know that the news had gotten out. Austin’s sister called me a bit ago. She’s at the Lexington Herald-Leader.”
“Yes, I get both the real-paper and online notifications. It says you spent the night up on the Indian Staircase bluff. What on earth were you thinking? You could have caught pneumonia. What happened to the good sense I taught you?”
“Mom, calm down. I was perfectly safe. For heaven’s sake, I was up there with a forest ranger, the sheriff, his wife the coroner, and a forensic anthropologist. I was as safe as a baby in its crib.”
“But sleeping out in a storm. You could have gotten hypothermia or bit by a snake or eaten by a bear or—”
“Mom, stop it. You know I’m a seasoned hiker. We took shelter in the cavern at the top of the Indian Staircase. It was dry and we built a fire to stay warm. We had enough food from my event leftovers. We even had two tents. I was fine.”
“Have you spoken to Aunt Ora yet?”
“Not yet. They haven’t confirmed the identity of the remains. Coroner Felicia has promised I could be with Aunt Ora when they’re sure the body is Howard.”
Miranda tucked the phone in her shoulder and lifted Sandy into her arms. She walked out the front door into the yard and let him loose for a bathroom break.
“I think I need to be there as well. My sister is going to need all her family around her. In fact, I’m coming down now. She was a big help to me when your dad died. I started packing right after I heard the news. I’m on my way. See you in about an hour.”
“Now? But—”
“Yes, now. Love you, honey.”
Miranda heard the dial tone. She called Sandy back into the house, replaced the handset into the base and looked down at Sandy, at her feet, looking up and wagging his tail. “Your grandma is coming to visit. We have an hour to get the attic bedroom ready. One hour.”
She gathered up her cleaning supplies and went into the dining room to climb the stairs into the attic. It was divided into two rooms. The first one, over the kitchen, was a storage area, and she hadn’t had the heart to sort things out. There were trunks, suitcases, boxes, and crates of all types ready for her attention. They were the remains of her family’s accumulated trash and treasures. She shuddered at the amount of sorting that needed to be done.
The other room was directly over the living room, and the fireplace flue ran up through here to provide a bit of heat in the winter. She didn’t expect that her mother would visit often during the colder months. A large window looked out over the road and had a wide view of the valley across from the farmhouse. Her great-grandfather’s ornate iron bed stood against the wall with a bare, worn mattress.
Against the other walls stood a dresser with a large mirror, a wardrobe, and a chest of drawers that had seen better days. Luckily, Miranda had just washed all the bedding and stored it away anticipating a visit from her mother in a few weeks.
She swept and mopped the rough wooden floor. One day she’d have someone sand the floorboards and put down a coat of varnish. The worn wide boards would look wonderful. At the moment, all her money would be spent on building the new distillery in the barn.
Miranda made up the bed, made sure the wardrobe had hangers, and put a vase of wildflowers on the low table in front of the window along with a candle and matches. Power outages were frequent. She folded a quilt for the foot of the bed and, finally, stacked a few books on the bedside table along with a bottle of water.
Satisfied with the coziness of her mother’s bedroom, Miranda gave the rest of the farmhouse a quick cleaning. By then, she and Sandy were more than ready for a relaxing walk along the creek at the back of her property.
On their return, she stopped to inspect the work that was being done in the barn for her new distillery. The inspiration for this massive project originated with Uncle Gene’s reputation for distilling the best corn moonshine in eastern Kentucky. His secreted money stash had given her the finances to make this happen. She was determined to re-create his recipes and distribute the product as widely as possible.
The house phone was ringing when they returned. She snatched it up before it rolled over to voice mail. “Hello.”
“Hi there, is this Miranda Trent?”
“Yes, sir. How can I help you?”
“Well, Miss Trent, I’m driving for a company called Acme Distillery Equipment over in Louisville. We’re trying to deliver a fermenter to you, but our navigation software doesn’t recognize the address. Can you give us some help here?”
“Absolutely, I don’t know why it doesn’t show up, but you’re not the first one to have a problem getting here. Where are you?”
“We’ve pulled off of the Mountain Parkway at exit forty-four and are sitting in the parking lot of the Campton Super Motel.”
Miranda knew the motel well. It was the local version of a mostly friendly, mostly clean, and mostly vacant motel used by travelers who needed a good night’s sleep at the cheapest rate possible.
“Just turn back west onto the parkway and use exit forty-one. Head back down toward Slade and make the second left onto Hobbs Road. Follow it straight up and around the hill beyond where the pavement ends. I’m the first house on the right. It’s painted yellow with turquoise-and-coral trim around the windows. Give me a call if you miss the Hobbs Road turning. It’s difficult to see coming from that direction.”
“Thanks, Miss Trent. We should be pulling up directly. Bye.”
She scooped up Sandy a
nd twirled him around in a circle. He responded to her excitement by trying to lick her and wiggle out at the same time. “We’re going to get our fermenter today! We’re going to get our fermenter today.”
This was the last large piece of equipment she needed installed to start brewing large batches of moonshine. She tucked the wiggling Sandy in a secure hold and stood out on the porch to catch a first view of the delivery truck. The roar of the diesel engine announced the coming arrival long before she saw it approaching down the gravel road.
Sandy began to bark in sheer panic at the behemoth heading toward the farmhouse. Miranda wasn’t sure she could contain him, so into his crate he went. She shut the door to her bedroom and was just in time for all the yelling.
“Crazy fool. Can’t you make a simple turn?”
Miranda inhaled a panicked breath. The delivery truck driver had misjudged the farmhouse driveway and was now tipping precariously over the drainage ditch that ran along the road in front of her farmhouse. The rig was completely blocking both the road and her driveway.
She ran down her front porch steps and met the passenger, who was yelling, “I don’t know why I keep you on the payroll. You’re absolutely useless. You hear me—useless.”
“Honestly, everyone in this end of the county can hear you,” said Miranda. “And none of that yelling is helping.” She put her hands on her hips and looked at the canted truck. Her fermenter was securely chained to the flatbed trailer, but the tilted angle would be putting enormous pressure on the fastenings. “You’re gonna need a big tow truck. A really big one.”
The name on the side of the truck was SHADY STREET DELIVERY & SON. The driver was clearly the “& son” part of the company, and his father was wasting this teaching opportunity by doing nothing but yelling at the red-faced teen.
“Just leave this to me, missy. I’ve been in worse fixes than this little giddyap.” The father got out, walked around the front of the truck, and pulled open the driver’s side door of the cab. “Get out of there. I don’t believe you learned a thing I taught you about driving this rig. You sure weren’t paying attention. Stand over there and guide me off this driveway.”
Draw and Order Page 5