Draw and Order

by Cheryl Hollon

  “Miranda, how nice to see you.” His eyebrows raised. “You’ve brought our drawings? Great. I was afraid they would be lost or forgotten.”

  “No, I would never forget a customer’s artwork.” Miranda went farther down the porch to a family-size dining table and arranged a display of the drawings.

  Alfred opened the screen door that led to the great room and yelled into the cabin, “Hey, guys. Our drawings from the Indian Staircase are here. Come on out. They look great.”

  “Wonderful,” said Ben as he came out to the porch and stood in front of the impromptu exhibition Miranda had created. “We should really have some sort of exhibit. These are great.”

  “That’s a great idea. I could talk to the Hemlock Lodge manager if you’re willing to let me keep them for a while,” said Miranda. “I’m stealing that idea as a promotional ploy for my upcoming tours.”

  Jennifer followed Ben and looked at the drawings. “These are fantastic,” said Jennifer. “It looks like we responded well to your instruction.”

  Jennifer bent over to peer at the signatures. “It’s hard to tell us apart. Awesome! Did you say you wanted to arrange for a showing?”

  “I did.” Miranda continued to scan the drawings. “Don’t you think they’re fantastic?”

  “Well . . .” Jennifer pointed out. “Drawing isn’t my best medium. But, if everyone else agrees to exhibit, I’ll go along.”

  Kurt walked out onto the porch followed by Kevin and Stephanie. “What’s going on?”

  Miranda waited until everyone was looking at her. “I brought your drawings over. They’ve been treated with a fixative and I slipped them into archival mats for you to take home. However, Ben”—she pointed at him—“has suggested that they’re good enough for a showing. I agree, so, if you’re all in favor, I’ll start making the arrangements. It might take a while, but it would benefit both Hemlock Lodge and my Paint & Shine business.”

  Stephanie folded her arms across her chest. “Wonderful. It would be nice to support both the arts and a local business. We could dedicate the exhibit to that volunteer rescue organization. That would be a fitting charity, don’t you think? We could come back to the cabin, couldn’t we? I love this place even more each time we return.”

  “Return?” asked Miranda. “You’ve been here before?”

  “This is our second adventure tour in this area,” said Alfred. “Yeah. I think I still have a map for that in the Risky Business Adventurers scrapbook. Hang on just a second, I’ll get it.”

  Kevin picked up one of his drawings and compared it to the others by propping it next to each drawing. He muttered, “We’ve been doing this since college. At least one adventure a year. I haven’t missed a single one—not like some of our members.” He turned his head and stared at Stephanie.

  She flushed a light rose color from her throat to her hairline. “Some of us have jobs that require a lot of advanced notice for time off. The hospital is frequently short-staffed. You own your own business. It’s easier for you.”

  “I’ll give you that, but you?” He pointed to Jennifer. “Jewelry doesn’t have hours.”

  She snapped back, “I have a set schedule and a limited number of festivals that I attend. If I’m not there, I lose my table location for the following year. I can’t afford to be assigned the terrible locations. Festivals are more political than you think. I’ve spent years now positioning myself to get the best locations at each show.”

  “For me, I can’t predict how long it might be or what kind of trial I’ll get,” Ben joined in. “But I put my times in the court calendar way in advance. That helps a bit, but I’ve still missed a few.”

  “I just block out my surgical dates.” Kurt smirked. “If my client numbers drop too low—I just raise my prices. Fortunately, I’m so good, I can set any fee and clients still clamor for my time.”

  He apparently didn’t know how arrogant he sounded. Miranda didn’t think she would want him to give her for a manicure. What an ego. But then, each of them appeared to be self-centered in different ways. What on earth did they have in common?

  “It’s unusual for a group to have such a strong bond. I’m curious, how did y’all meet?”

  As one, they all looked at Stephanie. “Right, I’m the unofficial official keeper of the oral history of the group. We get asked this question all the time.”

  “Why?”

  “We also show up at extreme sports competitions like triathlons, mud runs, cave diving, bungee jumping, and snowboarding. Basically, a laundry list of extreme sports. Anything that takes athletic skill and endurance. We met in our freshman year at the University of West Virginia. We were all on the same floor of a student residence building.”

  Ben continued, “We were all hyperathletic, and so our food choices were quite different from the normal pizza-and-beer cuisine. It wasn’t long before we started cooking together. That was superefficient and saved us tons of money and time.”

  “So much that we agreed to share a house together,” said Kurt. “Some of us stayed longer to finish up our medical degrees. But we’ve kept in touch.”

  “In some ways,” said Stephanie, “I think it is because we’re all a little introverted. Making new friends is so much harder for me than it is to hang on to ones who already know about me and my quirks.”

  Kevin raised his eyebrows. “That’s exactly why we’ve been together all this time. Interesting that you figured it out first, but you have the most knowledge. I don’t have the head for dates and times like you.”

  “Maybe not first,” said Jennifer. “She’s the first to say it out loud. I’ve always known we weren’t like the other college groups. I mean, we haven’t included a single new member since the beginning. Even after—”

  Kevin cleared his throat and glared at Jennifer.

  “After what?” asked Miranda.

  “Oh, nothing. We’re happy as we are. No new members.”

  Alfred returned and handed Miranda a map of the Indian Staircase and Battleship Rock area. It was in great condition, and the trail was clearly marked. “Here you go.” He scanned the group. “Of course, no new members. If we were going to do that, we would have chosen one after we lost Howard.”

  Silence fell upon the group like a foot of snow. There were nervous glances at Kevin, and Albert finally noticed the odd reaction.

  “What?” Albert shrugged his shoulders. “Everyone knows that Howard is why we’re here.”

  Kevin glared daggers at Alfred. “No, that’s not true. No outsiders knew until you had to go and spill the beans.”

  Everyone stood breathless like children about to be punished and all wishing they were somewhere else.

  Miranda broke the spell. “I already knew that. Howard Cable was my cousin. I knew he was a member of an adventurer group. I wasn’t aware that it was your Risky Business Adventurers.

  “Oh, no. I am so sorry,” said Stephanie. She looked around at the group. “I had no idea you were related to Howard.”

  Stephanie tilted her head and glared at Alfred. He finally caught the message. “Oh, yes, of course. Our deepest sympathies on the loss of your cousin.”

  Miranda blinked several times. “Thank you. That’s kind. But I don’t know why you have come back. Is it for some kind of group anniversary?”

  More silence, followed by Alfred shuffling his weight from foot to foot. He then put a hand over his mouth, but it didn’t settle him, so he dropped his hands to his sides.

  “Yes,” said Alfred. “That’s why we’re here. We’ve come back for the five-year anniversary.”

  ‘Our first adventure up here was five years ago,” said Ben. “Alfred’s map is from the racing challenge we arranged for ourselves.”

  Kevin splayed his palms up. “We found it more and more difficult to participate in the large races. There was just so much interaction with other competitors that it became too much. We felt like we were losing the closeness that was the purpose for starting the group in the first place. So, w
e started creating events and challenges of our own.”

  “Your tour is our first attempt at something artistic rather than strictly athletic. Jennifer is the one who insisted that we start balancing out our trips.”

  Jennifer folded her arms across her chest.

  Miranda repeated, “Five years ago? That’s when Howard Cable disappeared.” She looked at the whole group. “He disappeared during your private extreme adventure.”

  As a group, they all said, “Yes.”

  Stephanie continued in her historical role, “We wanted to commemorate his disappearance with a memorial. Jennifer made a little concrete plaque to put in the spot where we were all together for the last time. We were going to do that while we were painting. It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

  “Of course, at the time, we didn’t know that we would actually find his remains,” said Alfred.

  Stephanie looked around at the group. “We were also going to visit his mother and share some of our adventure pictures with her. I don’t think he ever told her about us. I collected an album for her.”

  “Most of us haven’t told anyone about that trip,” said Ben. “I didn’t want to do this. I knew it would be trouble.”

  “Does anyone else know that Howard was part of your group?” asked Miranda.

  Everyone looked at each other, shaking their heads.

  “Why didn’t you call his mother?” Miranda’s voice rose and held a sharp edge. “How could you be so cruel?”

  The group looked at one another in turn with looking at the ground.

  Miranda put her hands on her hips. “You didn’t think of it? Really!”

  Silence followed this question. Miranda’s closed her eyes at such selfishness. It seemed to pervade the group in a fatal-attraction kind of way.

  “I’m going to call Sheriff Larson.” Another thick blanket of silence fell on the group.

  Chapter 19

  Wednesday Afternoon, the Farmhouse

  Miranda drove straight home, walked into her front room, and found her mother and Sandy fast asleep on the couch under a quilt. She tiptoed into the kitchen, filled the teakettle with water, and put it on to boil.

  The information that Howard had been a member of the Risky Business Adventurers had shaken her. What selfishness for the group members to keep that information from Howard’s family. Maybe he could have been found in time.

  She started to pick up the phone to dial Sheriff Larson, but the sound of a nail gun stopped her.

  She ran out the back of the kitchen. “Austin, you can’t take over Ron’s job!”

  Instead of a protest from Austin, Ron’s voice boomed out instead. “I’m fine. The doc released me this afternoon for what he called light duty. Our great buddy right here”— Ron patted Austin on the back—“dropped me off so I could get back to work. I’m lucky nothing got broken. My ankle got all stove up, but Doc Watson taped it up.”

  “But you were supposed to take it easy for a few days.”

  “Yeah, sure. But—”

  Austin’s voice lowered. “I heard Doc Watson tell you to rest with your leg elevated. I was right there.”

  “Look, I don’t need to do that. You know I’m tough and I sorely need the money.” Ron pointed to his properly worn safety harness. “I’m all hooked up. I won’t forget again. I swear.” He returned his attention to the roof and started to whistle. He seemed genuinely happy to be back to work.

  “Be careful,” Miranda yelled up to him.

  Ron waved a hand and turned back to his repair work.

  Miranda dared to hope that her roof would be finished by the end of the week. She could possibly be starting her first brew on Saturday. But not if she didn’t get fresh supplies. She would call in her order after she talked to Sheriff Larson.

  She returned to the kitchen and picked up the phone handset. It took her no more than five minutes to tell him that Howard was a member of the Risky Business Adventurers. It took longer for her to give Sheriff Larson all the background information she had gleaned from Tyler Morgan and also her visit to the rental cabin.

  “I hope this raises your doubts about Howard’s death. You can’t deny that his belonging to their group wasn’t disclosed. There have been plenty of opportunities to reveal that.”

  “No, I don’t deny that. But it’s also true that I didn’t connect this group with the investigation five years ago. That’s my mistake. Just a second. Hang on.”

  He put his phone on mute for a second. Then he returned to the line. “Well, both you and Felicia are now officially right. The autopsy has revealed information that means Howard’s case is a suspicious death.”

  “What did she find?”

  “Miranda, you know I can’t tell you.”

  “But I just handed you a bunch of new suspects. You can’t leave me out.”

  Miranda heard a voice in the background. It belonged to Felicia. Again, the phone went mute. Miranda waited for more than a minute, then Sheriff Larson returned.

  “I need a statement from you and Ora Cable regarding Howard’s background with this group. Can you meet me at her house later this evening?”

  “Absolutely. I’ll bring my mother as well. She’s very good with Aunt Ora.”

  “Fine.” Sheriff Larson hesitated before continuing. “But make sure she understands the seriousness of the visit. This isn’t a social call. We’ll be examining Howard’s background in painful detail. Everyone should be prepared to answer difficult questions.”

  “That’s where Mom will help. She knows as much as her sister. They’ve always been incredibly close.” Miranda hoped she sounded way more confident than she felt.

  “Great. Shall we say seven o’clock sharp?”

  “Yes, we’ll be there.”

  Miranda hung up and prepared two mugs of strong ginseng tea and then added a great dollop of local honey to give it an energy burst. She took the mugs out to the front room and whispered softly, “Mom.”

  Sandy woke first with a yip and struggled out of his quilt cave to lick Miranda’s hand. His tail began a windshield-wiper dance that threatened to tumble him to the floor.

  Dorothy hummed a soft sigh and stretched out like a cat. “I didn’t mean to nap, but I couldn’t hold out any longer.” She sat up and reached for a mug. “Mmm, that smells good. Did you get the ginseng from the boys down in Laurel Valley?”

  “Of course. I wouldn’t think of getting wild roots from anyone else. They find the best.”

  Dorothy took a deep draft of the tea. “They’ve been cultivating their secret spots for generations.” She looked up at Miranda. “You look tired. What’s happened?”

  Miranda scooped up Sandy in her free arm and sat in one of the rockers. “I talked to the clients who were up at the Indian Staircase when I found Howard’s body. Howard had been a member of their group. It started when he was at the University of West Virginia.”

  “I didn’t know that!”

  “Did Aunt Ora?”

  “I don’t think so, why?”

  “It was in the papers.”

  Dorothy tilted her head. “Which one?”

  “The Lexington Herald-Leader.”

  “She doesn’t read that one. She only takes The Wolfe County News. It’s a weekly paper. If it wasn’t in there, she wouldn’t know. Why?”

  “We’re going over to her house at seven o’clock. Now that there is more information from Howard’s autopsy, the sheriff wants to ask her questions. He’s agreed that you and I can be there.”

  “Isn’t that unusual?”

  “Yep, but this is an unusual case.”

  They enjoyed their tea until Sandy wiggled out of | Miranda’s arms and sat in front of the screen door. “I’m taking Sandy for a little walk. I need to decide where to create a temporary gift shop. I’m missing out on sales because of the construction.”

  “What about the woodshed?”

  “It’s full of wood?” Miranda tilted her head slightly.

  “You haven’t looked
in there yet, have you?”

  “No, I’ve been buried in work to get everything else running. It’s off a little distance from the farmhouse and I don’t think about it. Besides, Uncle Gene told me to stay out of there because of the snakes.”

  Dorothy laughed. “He had a good reason. Trust me, it is perfect for a temporary gift shop. You must have the key around somewhere. I’m gonna fix us a cold supper before we see my sister. Check out the woodshed.”

  Feeling as if she were splitting herself into too many pieces, Miranda grabbed the bunch of keys that hung on a peg in her office. Concentrating on tasks that supported her business appeared to keep her mind from obsessing on the grim reality of her cousin’s death. Just because she didn’t know him well was apparently no escape from being unnerved by his death.

  She took Sandy for a walk down her gravel road toward the woodshed. He sniffed and piddled on every blade of grass and tuft of weeds along the way. After only a few guesses, she unlocked the metal hasp on the woodshed door and pulled it open.

  About a cord of wood was neatly stacked against the back wall, but the front part of the shed was completely empty—almost. About a dozen sturdy shelves were along the side walls. It only took a moment for Miranda to figure out why her uncle had built them.

  This is where he sold his moonshine. This would be a perfect temporary gift shop. Yep, moms know everything. It wouldn’t take but a few minutes to move her stock into the woodshed. She glanced at her watch. She had time to at least get a start and maybe sell of few of her items to tomorrow’s tour group.

  She whistled for Sandy to follow her and went down to the barn. She could use the wheelbarrow to transport her wares. She met Ron coming toward the house on the path down to the barn. His black boot didn’t appear to make any difference to his mobility at all. Of course, it might signify that he wasn’t particularly concerned with a little wobbling in his balance. Maybe he was used to it.

  “I’m finished for the day,” said Ron. “Do you mind if I have a bit of a washup?”