Home Fires

by W L Ripley

  “Who?”

  “Me.”

  “Not good.”

  “Oh, it is,” she said. “I worked there when I was married to Tommy. I may have accidentally kept a key to the place.”

  He considered her for a moment and then said, “That’s breaking and entering.”

  “Not if a girl was looking for the earring she’d lost and maybe it was in the office. You have a better plan?”

  He didn’t. “I’ll think about it.” Be interesting to learn if Vegas Metro gave him anything about Pam’s first husband’s death.

  Wonder when he would hear from Sheriff Kellogg.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Jake decided to be proactive, so he drove to the sheriff’s office to report his visit but Kellogg wasn’t there.

  However, the lady deputy, Bailey, was there. She was an earnest young lady a little overweight but with an honest face. Jake thinking his luck was improving.

  “What can I do for you, sir?” said Bailey.

  “Where’s Doc?”

  “Sheriff Kellogg was called away. I don’t know when he’ll be returning.”

  “I’m Jake Morgan.”

  “I know who you are,” said Bailey, her mouth downturned.

  “I need to report that I was with Vernon Mitchell prior to the shooting. I was in his house. He was fine when I left him. I will cooperate anyway needed.”

  She looked at him, uncertain how to proceed. “Well, that will be helpful. But I think you should talk to Sheriff Kellogg. I’ll take a statement if you wish.”

  “You investigated Gage Burnell’s death, right?” Jake said.

  Again, the disconcerted demeanor.

  “It’s okay,” Jake said. “I’m a cop. Texas Rangers. I am also working for Paradise PD as a volunteer investigator. Gage Burnell was a close friend. Who took the call on Gage’s accident?”

  “The dispatcher. A... it has been upgraded to a homicide.”

  “I heard. I talked to Terry Bill.”

  Her eyes widened at that. Suspicious of Jake now.

  He said, “Surprised? Deputy, I need information you may possess. I don’t believe Terry Bill Pennell killed anyone and suspect that Gage was killed someplace other than the bridge.”

  “Why would – ?” Stopping herself.

  “Good question,” Jake said. “Why were you tagged to investigate the scene of the accident? And further, why did you determine it was an accident that has turned into a homicide?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t think I should be talking to you.“

  “If there’s nothing to this then you have nothing to hide. Do you?”

  She chewed her lower lip, deciding, and then told him the dispatcher took the call, gave it to Kellogg and Kellogg sent Bailey out to look into it.

  “It was a routine accident, so Sheriff Kellogg sent me.”

  “Who called it in?”

  “It was anonymous. Someone called and said a car went off the bridge.”

  “Anyone there when you arrived?”

  “No.”

  “You didn’t find that odd? An anonymous caller and no one there when you arrive. Did you meet anyone coming on the road?”

  “Of course.”

  “Anyone on HH? It’s a pretty remote county road.”

  “No. Wait. Yes, I did.”

  “Do you remember who it was?”

  “It was an SUV. A Dodge Ram I think.”

  Jake was taken aback by that. Gage’s Dodge Ram? He kept it to himself. He tamped down his enthusiasm. Besides the circumstantial evidence in the Dodge Charger, this deputy possibly seeing Gage’s Ram leaving the scene was juicy. The killers or at least one of them had driven the Ram. He tried not to salivate and drool.

  “How many people in the Ram?”

  “I don’t know.” Sound of a door opening and closing outside. “I...I’m not sure I should be telling you this.”

  “No, you should not,” said the voice of Sheriff Doc Kellogg. “Morgan, I’m detaining you for questioning in the homicide of Vernon Mitchell.”

  “I may not be much help.”

  “Where were you around 3:00 this afternoon?”

  “On my way home. I had just spoken with Vernon at his home.”

  “Did you kill him?”

  “No. I’m here to tell you I had been with Vernon and to offer my cooperation.” Jake nodded at Deputy Bailey.

  “He did,” said Bailey.

  “I’m going to have to arrest you.”

  “Based on what?”

  “You were the last to see Vernon Mitchell.”

  “Except for the person that shot him. Believe I will exercise my right to have an attorney present.”

  Harper’s boss, Attorney-at-law Jerry Jessup, showed within the hour and advised Jake not to make a statement without Jessup attending. Jake telling him he had nothing to hide. Jessup was adamant and Jake apprised the attorney of the situation.

  “You were there at Mitchell’s prior to the shooting?” asked Jessup.

  “I didn’t shoot him. There was a weapon left at the scene and it wasn’t mine. Fingerprints will show I had not handled the weapon.”

  “How did you know there was a weapon left at the scene? How do you know the weapon wasn’t wiped?”

  Jake telling Jessup about his phone conversation with Buddy Johnson. As for the question about the weapon being wiped Jake said, “Because I think someone is either really dumb or really smart. If the weapon is clean, then they’re framing me. If there are prints, they’re either stupid, angry enough to kill in fit of passion or they’re attempting to frame another person. I told Kellogg I was on the premises talking to Vernon, so they don’t turn up any forensic evidence proving I was there and hold back that information.”

  Jessup nodding his head, said, “Okay. We’ll go with that. But, that’s all. Anything else, goes through me, understand?”

  “Sure.”

  “From what Harper tells me you need a hobby.” Jessup turning his thoughts inward and saying now, “You’ve had multiple run-ins with the Mitchell family, including a fight with his son and accusations of infidelity with Alex Mitchell’s wife.”

  “Where’d you get that?”

  “Privileged information.”

  Harper.

  Jessup continuing said, “Your history with the Mitchell family speaks to motive. Okay, just the fact you were at Vernon Mitchell’s prior to the shooting. Is there anything else?”

  Jake nodded. “Need to tell him I saw Pam Mitchell and Fat Boy Haller within close proximity prior to the shooting. They may have seen something.”

  “And that’s all.”

  “I also own a nine-millimeter Taurus semi-auto pistol. It has been shot and cleaned recently. The killer used a nine. May have to reveal that in case they try to say I left a phony weapon at the homicide scene.”

  “Not just yet,” said Jessup.

  Deputy Bailey arrived and led Jake and Jessup to the interview room. It was a small room, one window, with ink tattoos burned into the desk. Kellogg came in and sat facing Jake, Kellogg’s patent leather holster made a sound as he sat. Jake once again stated he had been at Vernon Mitchell’s home prior to the murder.

  “What were you doing there?”

  “Vernon requested a meeting,” Jake said.

  “What was the meeting about?”

  Jessup shook his head. “That’s all for now.”

  “He has more information,” said Kellogg.

  “He has the names of two possible witnesses for consideration.”

  “Who?”

  Jessup nodded at Jake, who said, “Noah Haller and Pam Mitchell may have seen something. They were outside Pam’s place when I left.”

  “What were they doing?”

  “That’s all I have,” said Jake. “They may have seen something.”

  “That’s pretty flimsy. I’ll talk to them, but I want to know what you were talking to Vernon about.”

  Jessup shook his head at Jake. Jake sat back and said,
“That’s all.”

  “Are you going to make me arrest you, Morgan, for the murder,” said Kellogg.

  “Based on what?” said Jessup.

  “He was on the scene at the time of the murder and has been threatening the Mitchell family previously.”

  “Pretty thin, even for you, Doc,” Jake said.

  Jessup cut his eyes at Jake. “Be quiet, Jake,” said Jessup. “Doc, you can hold him, but I don’t know how you can make this charge stick. My client is cooperating and you’re making your call before the evidence has been assessed. You do this you’re going to have egg on your face.”

  “I don’t care. He had motive and opportunity. I’ve watched him go out of his way to irritate and annoy Vernon. He’s admitted he was at the scene of the murder very close to the time of the shooting. We have fingerprints and we have the murder weapon.”

  Jake smiled at Jessup. “Told you.”

  “You were right,” said Jessup.

  “My fingerprints are on file with the Texas Rangers,” Jake said. “They’ll be happy to share them with you or I can give you my fingerprints right now. Either way that will demonstrate I didn’t touch the murder weapon.”

  “We’re not going to do any such thing at this time,” said Jessup, admonishing Jake.

  “Then we’re done here, except for this,” said Kellogg rising from his seat. “Jake Morgan, you’re under arrest for the murder of Vernon Mitchell.”

  Jake stood and placed his hands behind his back. Hated being cuffed but no use creating more problems. Being charged with a homicide was a pretty big enchilada.

  Deputy Bailey entered the room. She had a worried look on her face. “Sheriff, I need to tell you something.”

  “Not now.”

  “You’re going to want to hear this.”

  “First cuff Morgan and take him to a holding cell.”

  “I don’t think that will be the right thing to do in light of the information we have. It regards evidence from the techs.”

  “Well, what is it?”

  “The gun was stolen from Alex Mitchell’s home. It was stolen by Noah Haller.”

  “Who told you that?”

  “Your daughter, Pam Mitchell.”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Fat Boy Haller was handcuffed and chained to a U-bolt in the floor of the sheriff’s police car. Siren screaming over his head looking through the metal fretwork on the backseat. He was scared. It all happened so fast. He still couldn’t get his head around it. One minute he’s working on the farm, minding his own business and the next thing he knows Doc Kellogg’s deputies show up, guns drawn, telling him to get his face on the ground then cuffing him, not bothering to be gentle about it either. Face down in the dirt and then off to the county lock-up. They processed him through, Haller protesting he didn’t shoot his boss, but they read him his rights like on television. Telling them he had nothing to hide because he didn’t do it. Why kill the man who paid him? Why kill his best friends’ Father?

  “How does that make sense?” he told them.

  Buddy called Jake and told him Kellogg had taken Fat Boy Haller into custody.

  “I was there when they brought him in,” Jake said. “Not arresting me ruined Doc’s day.”

  Jake filled Buddy in on the events of the past few hours. Wheels turned in his head. Haller shoots Mitchell. Why? Jake remembered the first day he arrived and Vernon treating Haller not like an employee but like a family member, calling him ‘Noah’, not ‘Fat Boy’ or ‘Haller’. Still, people sometimes killed even those people they liked for motives that only made sense to the killer.

  “Haller’s dependent on the Mitchells for his livelihood,” Jake said. “And he’s dumb and too loyal to cut that lifeline.”

  “Seen crazier things lately. Besides he would still have Alex and Pam to pay him.”

  Jake said nothing.

  “What’re you thinking?” Buddy said. “It’s never good when you’re quiet. You stay in one place until there is more information.”

  “Sure. There’s something wrong with this. I don’t see how Fat Boy gains anything by killing Vernon.”

  Buddy, not convinced, said, “Dammit, Jake, don’t make this more difficult.”

  “Vernon was looking for something from me. I brought up a name to him. Franklin Yoder. See what you’ve got in your files on Yoder.”

  “Aw, hell. Don’t have me chase rabbits. I got enough on my plate without that.”

  “Listen to me, Buddy. Yoder disappeared forty years ago, and Vernon Mitchell bought the guy’s farm on the courthouse steps. I think it possible Vernon killed Yoder, and someone found out about it. Maybe Gage. Or someone in the Mitchell orbit had reason to kill Gage. It’s also possible Vernon or even Alex thinks Gage told me something. Vernon wanted my silence and he doesn’t want Steve Barb and Robby Warner to talk to Cal. I believe Gage was killed elsewhere and transported to the bridge. Maybe killed in town. I’d like to get inside the grain elevator.”

  “Well that’s only possible if Cal can prove that the killing occurred somewhere besides the site of the accident. Do we have enough yet?”

  “Not yet but maybe.”

  Heard his friend exhale on the other end. “All right. Your experience can be helpful. Killing the community’s leading citizen, whether we like him or not, is not helpful and will bring the media and a lot of pressure.”

  Forty-eight hours later, The Paradise County prosecuting attorney arraigned Noah “Fat Boy” Haller in the County Circuit Court at 11:00 AM Friday morning, the day of the Vernon Mitchell visitation and funeral. All Mitchell businesses were closed.

  This was the opening Jake wanted.

  Haller was being represented, paradoxically, by the law office where Harper worked as a paralegal. Jessup was handling it.

  “His fingerprints are on the gun and the spent shell casing at the crime scene,” said Harper, as they drove to town in the Lincoln Mark IV. “The glass gun cabinet in Alex and Pam’s house was broken into and one of Alex’s pistols missing and it was the murder weapon.”

  The radio had Luke Bryan singing about ‘drinkin’ beer and wastin’ bullets’, the swampy guitars buzzing as power poles and rural scenery clicked by.

  “Fat Boy will take the fall for this one,” Jake said. Jake saying the scenario too pat and too stupid, but Haller wasn’t overly bright. He saw a signpost on a fence that read, ‘No Hunting’. “When it’s this tight a fit Kellogg is going to close out his investigation and the prosecutor is going to see an easy win. Why make more work? Law enforcement people aren’t often like they’re portrayed on TV. If it looks like they’ve got the right man, they stop looking. PA’s like things tied up neat. Can’t blame Doc for that.”

  “But you have your doubts,” she said.

  “I do.”

  “Couldn’t it be someone else?”

  “Who?”

  “Maybe Vernon’s daughter-in-law.” She mentioned Pam as if not wanting to say it or not wanting him to react.

  “We’ll see what Vegas Metro tells me.”

  “Pam Mitchell is capable of doing anything a man would do. I’ve watched her fire employees. She enjoys it, likes power and using it. She’s a nasty person. Look at your little ‘tryst’. She’s a sexual terrorist.”

  “Wow. Sexual terrorist.”

  “Don’t be a smart ass.”

  “It takes a cold heart, burning passion, or extreme hatred to pull the trigger on someone you know. Pam would have no reason.” But thinking Pam may have plenty of reason, remembering Vernon’s words that Vernon would ‘deal with her later’. “I don’t see what Pam gets out of this.”

  “She gets to run everything.”

  “She’s already running everything. Also, knowing her it’s hard to think of her as a killer.”

  Harper made a face, then looked out the passenger side window. “I don’t want to hear about her anymore.”

  They were quiet for several moments, the silence of their thoughts and emotions a barrier bet
ween them.

  “You’re thinking,” Harper said. “About what?”

  More to himself, Jake said, “Something’s still not right.”

  “People are killed, there are attempts on your life and you decide something’s not right? I no longer harbor doubts that you’re a genius.”

  He shrugged. “Are you better for it though?”

  “Who do you think would shoot at you?”

  “The Mitchell brothers and Haller are possible. Not Alex, gut feeling. Besides Alex is smarter than the rest. He always was. I believe someone kidnapped Travis or even Gage.”

  “Kidnapped?”

  He told her about the plaster foot casts he’d made and the fact that Gage’s vehicle was missing. “You once asked me if I wondered how Pam got in my house and I did ask but she didn’t answer. She has a key. Gage had her cell phone number, but it was hidden away. Something has created all this. Something obscure. I believe the catalyst is Franklin Yoder.”

  “Who?”

  Jake shared what he had learned about Yoder and the local legend that Vernon Mitchell started his empire by illicit maneuverings. “Yoder vanished from the face of the earth. No death certificate, no forwarding address.”

  “You think someone killed him? How does that work? Neither of us were alive at that time.”

  “It was Vernon’s start and he would be the only person with reason, and he benefited when he bought their land. Most people kill over money or jealousy.”

  “Vernon’s dead now.”

  “Yeah.” That fact screwed up his meme that Vernon Mitchell was behind everything happening. “That complicates things. Doesn’t explain Gage’s death unless he knew about Yoder. I don’t see Vernon getting his hands dirty on Gage. Steve Barb had reason and maybe Alex Mitchell.” He glanced sidelong at Harper, her sitting in the passenger seat, and said, “May have to include Pam as a possible.”

  He gave her a big smile.

  She raised her eyebrows but didn’t smile back.

  “Sorry to mention her name again,” he said.

  She looked at him, being cute now. “Shut up.”