“I’m going to get a flashlight and help signal the paramedics,” said Dorothy.
“Good idea, Mom.” Miranda watched her leave and then turned to Austin. “Look how far he dragged himself. It’s got to be over thirty feet from the opening in the roof.”
“Amazing, really.” Austin’s voice was low as if he didn’t want to wake Ron.
“That means that my cousin should have been able to drag himself over to the trail. He was way more fit than Ron is.”
“You’re assuming he was conscious.”
“Good point. I was thinking that, well, surely Howard didn’t fall against that tree and break his leg. He was either placed there or maybe even held there. That’s the part that just doesn’t make sense to me. I mean, given a decent pain tolerance, he could have dragged himself over to the tree and that’s as far as he could go? After all, he might have been in shock and misread his strength.”
“I expect that Barbara will have some idea what happened,” said Austin.
“I hope she’s as good as her reputation. I have so many questions, like could the position of his bones lend credibility to the idea that he was tied up? If a person passes out sitting up, do they tip over to the side eventually? Would the position of the bones show that? But if Howard’s body decomposed while tied up, his skull would do what? Roll forward to his feet? I have no idea.”
Stop. Please, stop.” Austin inhaled and looked into her eyes. “Can we agree to disagree on this? I think you are right to have so many questions. But if you’re not savvy about it, you won’t get the cooperation you want. Be patient and your friends and family will support you with the answers.”
A silence built between them.
“Will you support me?” Miranda said quietly, then held her breath. His backing meant more to her than she knew before this conversation. If he said no, she knew that their friendship would end. She was also hoping for a future that included more than a friendship.
“Yes, I support you. I think there’s more to Howard’s death than meets the eye. I’m in the camp that does not believe he died by accident. There’s a lot that won’t pass muster. Why was he there at all? Alone? Why not tell someone or make a cell phone call? Where are his belongings? There are enough suspicious items to choose from to make the case that it needs to be investigated.”
Miranda smiled and relaxed. That had been a close one.
“They’re coming,” her mother yelled. “I hear them from the highway. Only five more minutes.”
Dorothy guided the rescue vehicle down the dark driveway to the barn with her flashlight. The headlight beams from the ambulance shone on the unconscious Ron. It blinded Miranda and Austin, who threw up their hands to fend off the glare.
The doors opened and the driver walked over with a big black case in his hand, “Hey, Austin. What have you got there?”
Miranda was annoyed. Why did people always speak to whatever man was handy? This was her farmhouse, not Austin’s. She pushed down her irritation. This wasn’t New York. The man knew Austin, so of course he would speak to him first.
“Hi, Andrew,” Austin said, then nodded to the second responder. “Hi, Scott. It’s a bad fall. I’m here having supper with Miranda Trent and her mother. You know Ron Menifee, don’t you? He’s been doing handyman jobs around here for decades.”
“He worked on my granny’s old cabin last year,” said Andrew Perry. “He did a great job in between drinking bouts. She started withholding money until he completed his jobs. That worked out better for both of them.”
Kneeling beside Ron, Scott Caldwell opened his case and pulled out a stethoscope. He moved the old quilt to the side, listened to Ron’s heartbeat, then draped the stethoscope around his neck. He took out a blood pressure cuff and took that reading as well. “Heartbeat’s strong and steady. Blood pressure is textbook. Let’s see what we can see for breaks.”
Scott felt all Ron’s limbs and then looked up at Miranda. “The main injury seems to be his left ankle. He doesn’t appear to have any fractures, but he needs to get that confirmed with an X-ray. Everything else seems stable. Let’s get him in the vehicle and take him over to Doc Watson’s clinic over in Campton. The doc put in two extra rooms at the back of his house specifically for this kind of case.”
Andrew piped up, “Ron can’t afford a hospital stay over in Lexington. He doesn’t have any insurance, and he isn’t old enough for Medicare. Help me get him on the gurney.”
They loaded Ron up, and as they were putting the gurney in the back of the vehicle, Ron woke with a start. “Hey! What’s going on here? Where are you taking me?”
Andrew leaned over and spoke slow and clearly. “Don’t you worry, Ron. We’re taking you over to Doc Watson’s little clinic. You can work out your medical bills in trade.”
Ron held up a hand toward Miranda. “Don’t you worry, little missy. I’ll be back on my feet in no time. This is just a little setback. I’m sure you won’t get anyone better to fix that roof.”
Miranda, her mother, and Austin watched the taillights of the rescue vehicle disappear down the gravel road.
Dorothy broke the silence. “I’ll go reheat our supper. It’ll only take about ten minutes. Why don’t you two give Sandy a nice little walk? The moon is out and the evening is gorgeous.” She held the screen door open for one last order. “Don’t waste that moon.”
Miranda got Sandy’s leash, and in moments they were walking down the moonlit road. “Let’s agree that the circumstances around the discovery of Howard’s bones are not what you would expect from a simple lost hiker.”
“Possibly,” said Austin. “You must have heard of the case of the missing hiker on the Appalachian Trail. After two years, she was found less than two miles from the trail. She had survived for almost thirty days. She was very experienced.”
“Right, but they found a written record of her experience along with the body. They also found all her equipment and identification. None of Howard’s equipment has been found. If he moved himself, he wouldn’t have left it behind.”
“That does make it different if by that you suspect that he was moved by his attacker.” Austin stood while Sandy sniffed at a pile of rabbit scat. “He should have been able to get over to the trail. But that means there has to be something else in play. Mainly, it points to some sort of restraint that prevented him from rescuing himself.”
“I agree that we need to investigate further, but I don’t expect we’ll get any help from the sheriff. He seemed annoyed that Felicia hired her friend.”
“I’m confused by that. Something must be happening politically.” Austin picked up Sandy and tucked him into his arm. “I’m not sure he’ll support any additional expenses now that the body has been identified. I’m throwing in with you on further investigation is needed. Besides, this happened in my park. If worst comes to worst, the Park Service will pay for any extraordinary expenses associated with Howard’s death investigation.”
Miranda smiled. “Yes, that will make my mother and Aunt Ora happy. And you?”
“I might get to experience the kind of budget-focused grief that the sheriff is receiving, but it still must be done.”
Chapter 15
Tuesday Night, the Farmhouse
After dinner and dishes, Miranda took Austin into her uncle’s bedroom, now turned into her business office, to use the internet. She logged in and brought up a search page. “I’m starting a new murder notebook and I want you to help me search for information about Howard and his past.”
She opened a brand-new black-and-white composition notebook, the same kind she had used during their last investigation. She set it up the same way.
“Let’s start with his high school record. He went to Wolfe County High School and graduated I’d say about twelve or thirteen years ago.”
“Sure.” Austin tapped the keys and went to the WCHS alumni website. “Here he is.” Austin pointed to Howard’s senior year picture. Austin wrinkled his brow and looked at Miranda. “He
doesn’t look anything like you. Are you sure you’re related?”
“According to my mother, he takes after his dad’s family. I take after my mother. Have you met Aunt Ora?”
“I don’t think I’ve met her formally, but I know who she is when I see her around. Anyway, it says here that he belonged to the following clubs: Rock Climbing, Young Geologists, Track and Field, and the Chess Club. He sounds like a pretty smart guy from that.” Austin swiveled around the chair and looked at her. “You know where we can find the yearbook, don’t you?”
“Yes, at the Historical Museum in downtown Campton. They have every single WCHS yearbook ever printed. Too bad their hours are so limited. It conflicts with the times that I’m conducting tours.”
Austin smiled. “My schedule is a little more flexible. I’ll drop by tomorrow and copy the pages where he appears.”
“Great. Now let’s look up his college record. He went to—let me think—the University of West Virginia. There was such a to-do over him being the first relation to go to college. Everyone was so excited. When I went?” She turned her head from side to side. “ ‘What a waste of money. You’re only going to get married and waste all that money. ’ ”
“Ouch!”
“Mom stood up for me, of course. She knew how much I wanted to be an artist.” Miranda paused. “But she also insisted that I minor in business administration.”
“Clever woman.”
Miranda smiled and leaned over Austin to look at the screen. He had clicked over to the UWV alumni site. “You say he graduated about eight years ago?”
“Yep.”
A few more clicks and Austin found Howard Cable’s profile. He had gotten a full-ride scholarship and graduated magna cum laude with a degree in geology. His scholarship was granted for his track-and-field abilities.
“He was a first-rate athlete and became captain of UWV’s track-and-field team.” Austin clicked a few more links. “They won their division his first year and then won the nationals each of the next three years. Several of his team members went on to the Olympics. I wonder why he didn’t.”
“I didn’t know he was that good.” Austin looked back at her. “Keep going,” said Miranda. “We’re only scratching the surface.”
He had been an active member of the Rock Climbing Club, the Chess Club, the Debate Team, and the Adventurers Club.
“Wait. Something in what you just said feels familiar.” Miranda felt her brow crunch. Something was trying to come to the front of her thoughts. It felt like a memory, but it wasn’t. “Rats, I can’t remember the details, but there was a scandal during his last weeks of college about the admissions policy.” She was silent for a moment then huffed. “Whatever it was went away. Keep going.”
The next few searches displayed that Howard had been recruited by Giant Oil Company and selected for their Emerging Manager Program to prepare him for future promotions to the highest circles of influence in the company.
“He really had everything going for him.” Austin sat back in the chair.
“I know. In my family, he was the golden child. Everything he put his mind to just bloomed into opportunity after opportunity. I was too young to hang around with him. He seemed aloof and driven to my mind. I don’t know that his mother will ever recover from this loss.”
Austin bent over the screen again. “Here’s a social media reference to an adventurers club that he established in college. It’s called Risky Business Adventurers. It’s a closed club and you can only get an invitation from an existing member.” Austin clicked a series of search links. “It looks like some of the members are from his graduating year.”
“Risky Business Adventurers is the name of the group I took up to Indian Staircase. But if my aunt didn’t mention it, then I wouldn’t have known. I was struggling my way through school. I had a skimpy scholarship and survived mainly on cheese grits and ramen noodles. I remember thinking it was odd that he didn’t show up for Christmas.”
“Let me search for any mention of his disappearance.” Austin leaned back after a few moments of key tapping. “There’s an article that calls for information. It looks like your aunt got suspicious and reported him missing. Did you know he was with that closed group?”
“No one mentioned it to me.” She raised her eyebrows. “But, like I said, I was deep in survival mode with only a few months to go before I dropped out.”
It was Austin’s turn to wrinkle his brow. “Wait. Here’s an article in the Lexington Herald-Leader interviewing one of the members of the Risky Business Adventurers group. It says that they started up the group when they were at UWV and that Howard had continued to be the leader even after graduation.”
“Oh, my stars! That’s what I was trying to remember. Look at the name of the group member.”
“It’s Jennifer O’Rourke making the statement. Remember, she was the one who scraped her hand on his bones up above the Indian Staircase.”
“That’s a huge coincidence. Howard was part of the same Risky Business Adventurers club? They were there when he disappeared and no one mentioned it after the bones were discovered? Unbelievable! Does it say who else was in the club?”
Austin used his finger to scan down the screen. “Here’s where the reporter lists the members: Alfred Whittaker, Ben DeBerg, Kevin Burkart, Jennifer O’Rourke, Howard Cable, Kurt Smith, and Stephanie Brinkley.”
“Oh, my goodness! It’s the complete list of Risky Business Adventurers clients that I took up to the Indian Staircase. This is too much of a coincidence for it to be unplanned. We have to let the sheriff know right away.”
“Are there any quotes from them? What did they say about the disappearance?”
Miranda pointed to a section of the article. “Hmm. They reported that they saw him at the final dinner as usual, but he had already gone the next morning when everyone checked out of Hemlock Lodge and went their separate ways.”
“Curious.”
Miranda continued reading aloud: “ ‘Alfred Whittaker, the leader of the group, stated that it wasn’t unusual for Howard to get an emergency call from his company and simply leave. He usually left a note, but not always.’” She leaned back in her chair. “Telling, don’t you think?”
Austin stood. “I agree. I did notice another helpful tidbit about the article.”
“What?”
“The byline. It was written by my sister.”
Miranda sat taller in her chair. “That’s wonderful. I’ll call Sheriff Larson and then you call your sister. Ask her what she remembers about it. Even better, have her send us the Lexington Herald-Leader archives associated with Howard’s disappearance. Not even the sheriff is looking at this angle—just us.”
Miranda phoned Sheriff Larson’s office and left a long message about what they had found. Then, since cell phones didn’t work at her farmhouse, she turned the handset over for Austin to dial his sister.
“Hi, Tyler. . . . Yes, I know it’s late, but Miranda and I have found an unusual connection to the bones that we discovered up above the Indian Staircase. Are you interested?”
As he related the story to his sister, Miranda motioned that she was going to make some tea, so she left and was surprised to see her mother sitting at the kitchen table in her favorite floral bathrobe and fluffy pink slippers. “Mom, I thought you were asleep long ago.”
“I couldn’t sleep. So I called Doc Watson’s clinic. Ron is fine. He’ll stay there overnight, but he’ll be back here tomorrow. I think I’ll be fine with some chamomile tea. I’ve made a huge pot that’s strong enough to do the job. Do you want some?”
“That’s why I came in here.” Miranda got a tray and two mugs from the cupboards. “Austin and I have done a ton of internet research about Howard. I didn’t know he was so athletic.”
“That’s one reason it hit Aunt Ora so hard. He turned down a chance to compete in the Olympics. The Olympics, because he knew he needed to make money to support his mother and sisters. He couldn’t afford to train at that level a
nd still hold down a high-powered job. She thinks he would be alive today if she had forced him into trying out for the team.”
“But her daughter went away to college anyway. How?”
“Partly sports scholarships, but mostly because their dad had made some early technology investments, and before he disappeared, Howard signed over his shares to her. He was young when their dad died, but he took his role as man of the family seriously.”
“I would never have thought of that at his age.”
“It’s why Aunt Ora is still living in her house. She lives frugally to be sure, but I think that is just habit. The house is paid for. Now that his death is confirmed, she’ll get a life insurance payout from his company. She’ll be okay financially, but that side of the family have always been resourceful. She would never have starved.”
“Howard was much more complicated than I thought.”
Dorothy got up from the table and scuffed her way over to the sink to rinse out her mug and put it in the dish drainer. “I’m surprised you didn’t notice. He was very ambitious.” She kissed Miranda on the cheek. “You two were alike in many ways.”
Miranda finished off with the tea tray by adding some leftover cake from the golden anniversary party. She carried it out of the kitchen and poked her head into her office. “I’ve got some tea and cake. Come on, we’ll have it in front of the fire in the front room. We need to come up with a plan for tomorrow.”
“Sure.” Austin followed her and they ended up on the comfortable couch, full of tea and cake with a sleepy puppy between them.
Chapter 16
Wednesday Morning, the Farmhouse
Miranda woke at dawn to the sound of a nail gun accompanied by bouncing yips from Sandy. She threw her robe on over her pajamas, shoved her bare feet into her hiking boots, and ran out the back of the house. Sandy was close on her heels, trying to play fight her flying shoelaces. She’d made it to the ladder propped against the damaged side of the barn when Sandy caught a lace and pulled her off-balance.
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