Sani cut her off. “I know what you’ve done. How you helped those other detectives in your hometown to solve the cases.”
“How do you know all that?” she asked. She blinked up at him in the flashlight’s glow.
“The internet search. Just like I found out about your logging protest,” Sani replied.
Ashley let out a gasp, and Sean started to laugh, but Sani put a finger to his lips and pointed up to the opening above them.
“Yes, there were articles from your town that talked about what you did with past murder cases. Not to mention a big article about you as one of the town chefs and all of your various interests. It said you liked to travel to places where nature had been left alone, where you could see things you haven’t seen before. Like here. This is different for you, yes? Now that you’ve seen our natural beauty, don’t you want to help us keep it that way?”
Ashley was still dumbfounded.
“And my spirit told me you could be trusted,” Sani said.
Ashley started to speak, but Sani jumped up and hissed, “Shh.” He glanced at the door and then back at Ashley. “It’s time to leave,” he whispered.
***
Ashley stared out at the landscape when they got outside. She looked back at the valleys that were slated for the mine and thought about them being stripped and torn apart.
How can people keep doing this to nature? she thought.
Sean cleared his throat. “We will talk over everything and get back to you. Take care. And thanks again for the protection at the cabin.”
Sani looked at Ashley and put a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“Don’t waste time talking about it. The time is now,” Sani said.
Ashley gulped. What was going on? Could she even afford to do this? Her mind raced as she tried to process what she and Sean could be getting into.
“I will get back to you soon,” she said. She looked at Sani’s gentle face. “I promise.”
Ashley and Sean headed down the hill to their cabin, turning once to wave. Sani waved back at them, then disappeared over the ridge.
Chapter Fourteen
As soon as Ashley and Sean got back inside their cabin, Ashley opened up her laptop.
“Are you looking up the mine and all the disputes?” Sean asked.
“I will. But first, I’m video-chatting with Mom and Dad. And the cats,” she said. Her stomach was in knots, and she really needed to see her family.
“Okay,” Sean said. “I’ll jump in and say hello.”
As soon as Ashley had her mom, April, on-screen, she almost cried. But she wasn’t going to tell her parents anything at this point. They were always worrying about her and the cases she got involved with, so telling them what was going on when she and Sean were supposed to be on a leisurely vacation would send them down the rabbit hole. Better to concentrate on the fun stuff.
“How are you, honey? Are you and Sean having the time of your life? Tell me about all your adventures,” April said.
“We went on a hiking tour of the canyons here and a river rafting cruise,” Ashley said.
She smiled at April and tried to sound enthusiastic. She hoped her mom wouldn’t be able to decipher that she was faking it.
“Sean did that too? It’s hard to picture him on a raft,” April said.
Sean popped his head in front of the screen. “It was hard for me to believe that I did it too! But I had my eyes closed the whole way, so it was no big deal.”
April laughed. “Good for you! You wouldn’t catch me doing it.”
“Is Dad there? And Charlie and Susie Q?” Ashley asked.
Ashley’s dad, Burt, waved into the screen. “Here I am, honey! Glad to see you two haven’t gotten bitten by a rattlesnake out there or fallen into a canyon. A lot different than the northwest, isn’t it?”
Ashley got a lump in her throat looking at her parents.
Then her mom held up the cats.
Susie Q sniffed the screen and mewed.
Charlie, meanwhile, pushed his way in front of the screen and took one look at Ashley and let out a series of howls.
April beamed. “They miss you, but we’re feeding them and loving them to pieces.”
“Thanks. They look good. And a little fatter. How are you both doing?” Ashley asked.
“We’re fine, honey. Your dad—” April began to say.
Burt interrupted. “She’s trying to say that your dad is getting fatter too.” Burt bent down and patted his stomach in the screen. “But I’m not passing up barbecue! We had the neighbors over last night, and your mom made a feast.”
“Thank you, dear,” April said to her husband. She turned her focus back to Ashley. “But he shouldn’t have had three helpings of apple crisp.”
“If I had been there, I would’ve had three bowls too,” Sean said. “Sounds delicious.”
Burt wagged his finger in front of the screen. “Well, son, you would have had to fight me for it. We had just enough for the guests and me. Mostly me.”
Charlie poked his nose up to the screen again and stared at Ashley before letting out a long, plaintive howl.
“Miss you too, Charlie,” Ashley said. “You take care of Mom and Dad and guard the house.”
Charlie sat in front of the screen, blocking everyone, and seemed to say, “Don’t worry. I’m in charge, as always.”
April craned her neck around the cat to look at Ashley in the screen. “He really is the ruler of the house. He’s been waking us up at five in the morning to eat and to go out for his walk. Your father can’t handle it.”
Burt yelled in the background, “You created a monster teaching that cat how to walk on a leash. Last time I got up that early, I was in the military.”
“Sorry, he’s entitled. I know,” Ashley said. She waved at Charlie and blew him a kiss. He stayed in front of the screen and looked like he had no intention of budging.
Ashley laughed. “Okay, well, we’re going to relax and barbecue today too. Glad to talk to you. Love you!”
“I second that!” Sean said.
Burt leaned in as close as he could get with Charlie sitting there. “Don’t let the desert swallow you up, kids. Want you back in one piece.”
“Okay, Pop!” Ashley said.
“Are you taking lots of water on your hikes?” April said.
“We are, Mom!” Ashley blew kisses in her screen, and Sean waved.
Charlie sat there with a look on his face as if to say, “Why wasn’t this all about me? And when are you coming home?”
Susie Q mewed again as she peeked around Charlie.
“See you soon, you two!” Ashley said.
She heard another yowl as she signed off.
A fitting Shakespeare quote came to Ashley’s mind from As You Like It. “When I was at home, I was in a better place.”
***
“Feel better now?” Sean asked.
“Much,” Ashley replied. She sighed and sat there for a moment. “I have to relax. I’ll look up the mining company and digest everything we just heard from Sani. Right now I’m going to marinate the meat for the barbecue and chop some vegetables. And I want to make apple crisp, like Mom did. Can we drive to town and look for some apples?”
“I thought you wanted to relax,” Sean said.
“Cooking is relaxing. At least cooking for us.”
Ashley went to take inventory in the kitchen, and then she and Sean drove into the little town and did some shopping. There was a small section in the square with farmers and their wares. She found apples that were very hard and a bit tart, but that would be okay since they would soften up when they cooked, and she would add some brown sugar to them.
“We have some nice pears too,” the seller said.
Ashley got a bag of them. She found some more sweet corn and some sweet red peppers, and grabbed fresh chilies from a stand. A woman at a booth was selling her homemade jalapeno cornbread and onion jam, so Ashley bought some of that too.
“Onion jam?” Sean
asked. He wrinkled up his nose.
“Sean, trust me, it has some honey in it and will make a great accompaniment for the grilled meat.”
“If you say so,” he said.
Ashley smiled at him and picked up a small bag of ripe tomatoes. “Can never have enough ripe tomatoes on the vine.”
Chapter Fifteen
After they got home, Ashley hummed away in the kitchen, preparing the dinner. She decided to cut some pears into the apple crisp to deepen the flavor. She cut the fruit and put in in a buttered baking dish, then crumbled up the topping with some brown sugar and small chunks of butter and spread it on top.
After putting it in the oven, she turned the meat in the marinade and prepared the corn in foil again for the grill. This time, she seasoned it with only butter and salt. The butterflied steak was full of seasonings and garlic, and she wanted the corn to complement that. The vegetables to be grilled were perfect skewers of fresh onion, sweet red pepper, and mushrooms. The tomatoes she’d cut up fresh, and they’d eat them as-is with a bit of salt. Onion jam as a condiment for the meat and some fresh bread, then the cobbler.
She was getting hungry, but she decided to just have a little salad for lunch, so she could stuff herself at dinner.
Sean, however, couldn’t wait that long. “Ash, can I get a sandwich?” He was reading in the living room and looking outside at the mesa and hills. “Everything looks really good. I’m hungry.”
“Coming up,” she said.
When she gave him his sandwich, she looked outside too. Nothing but peace and quiet out there. Thank God. The day was slowing down and she felt calm. Everything was normal. She was cooking, and Sean was reading. A glass of wine was in her hand. For the moment, this seemed like a real vacation, at last. The thought of meeting John Locklear popped into her head, but she immediately put it out of her mind.
I’ll think about that later, she thought. She just wanted to enjoy this peaceful moment with her fiancé.
***
After eating their dinner that night, Sean let out a big burp.
“Gross!” Ashley said.
“Hey, I appreciated the food. That was super,” he said. “How about a movie?”
“Great. Comedy only,” Ashley said.
“Got that,” he answered.
They watched a fun movie on his laptop and were happy that it was actually funny.
So many movies aren’t these days, she thought. What a nice diversion.
When it was over, Sean yawned and stood up. “Time for bed, Ash. This air is making me sleepy.”
“Yeah, me too.” She paused. “So are we up for the sightseeing trip to the Indian ruins tomorrow?”
Sean stared into the distance. “You know, I want to pass. I’d like to stay away from any more organized tours and just relax again.”
“Yeah, me too. I guess. I really wanted to see them, but…”
“We can go if you really want,” he said.
“Nah. How about we go to that fancy resort and get a massage? And if we do, we can use their pool and eat lunch there.”
He grinned at her. “Now that’s a plan.”
Neither of them wanted to talk about the possibility of going to see John Locklear to plead Sani’s case. They both seemed to know that sleep was the best thing to do now. Sean got up to drape the curtains shut, and then they noticed flashing police lights near the back of their cabin. The red lights went off, but the headlights flashed twice before they went off too.
“Must be Sani’s friend here to watch over us tonight,” Sean said.
Ashley smiled ruefully. “Yeah. As if I haven’t had enough cop cars tailing me for the last few years.”
“Hey, I’ll sleep better tonight now,” Sean said.
***
Ashley lay in bed looking at the ceiling again. Even though they had shut the curtains, the moon was so bright the room softly glowed. She touched Sean’s back and heard him breathing softly beside her.
Can’t wait for that massage tomorrow, she thought.
Her eyelids got heavy, and her head rolled to the side.
What is it with this desert air? she thought. It’s like a sedative.
She was asleep before she could even think about it anymore.
Chapter Sixteen
The day came in early with searing sun. It was way too hot for morning and probably would only get hotter. Not a good sign. It was a good thing they only had a massage and relaxation planned for the day. She got out of bed with a headache. Probably the stress.
“It’s also the heat,” Sean said. “It’s unnatural.”
“Can’t wait for the massage,” she said. “That will help.”
“So will a truly relaxing vacation next time,” Sean grumbled.
“What did you say?” she asked.
“You heard me. This is not a real vacation anymore. We might as well be back in Comfortville investigating a murder case instead of spending so much money to come and do it.”
Ashley paused. She saw the tension in his face. She walked over and hugged him. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t make a big breakfast,” he said. “I’m going to take a shower.”
As he went into the bathroom, Ashley shook her head. Sean was always hungry. It didn’t seem natural for him not to want a big breakfast. That said, she honored his request.
She walked into the kitchen and made the coffee, then pulled out yogurt, honey and jam, some fruit, and set some pieces of bread aside so they were ready to toast when he got out. She grabbed her cup of coffee and sat at the window again, looking out.
Far off up on the ridge, she saw a figure waving.
It must be Sani waving at us, she thought.
She waved back.
Then someone knocked at their door.
She looked through the peephole. It was Officer Hernandez.
“Hi, officer. What’s up?” she asked as she opened the door.
“Here, this is for you.” He handed her a large envelope. “Take care and have a nice day.” He left abruptly.
Ashley opened it and started to read. It was John Locklear’s information, address, and phone number, and a copy of the lawsuit brought by the tribal members against Dunphy Mining Corporation. It detailed everything that they planned to do to the land and how long it would take.
“Twenty-five years,” she read. “How come so long?”
It gave details on how they would “protect the environment” while they mined.
Ashley laughed out loud.
“What a crock,” she started to say as Sean walked in.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“Officer Hernandez dropped this off. I’m sure Sani gave it to him to give to us, so we would have more information on the mining.”
“What’s it say?” he asked.
She handed it to him. “Here. Read it while I get our breakfast.”
Chapter Seventeen
Ashley toasted the bread then brought the food to the table. They ate in silence as they both read the lawsuit, handing the pages off to one another. It was quite detailed. Even though the language was obviously playing up the positive aspects of the mine, it definitely left no doubts about the potential destruction of the land.
No wonder there was so much controversy about the project. Dunphy Mining stood to make an astronomical amount of money off of their ventures, and their reasoning was that it was important and viable for the economy and jobs for the region. It was obviously well-crafted by the attorneys and company owners who stood to make an enormous profit.
“Why must everything in nature be torn up?” Ashley wondered aloud.
“Ash, I don’t agree with destroying the land here, but it also states how much revenue and jobs it would bring into the state. There are solid reasons for considering that side to this.”
“There must be other ways to profit besides this. Can’t that company produce clean energy?” she asked.
“But they specialize in those metals, like copper. You need to g
et people to stop wanting things that are made from those raw materials first before you get Dunphy Mining to stop expanding.” His brow was furrowed, and he stared at her.
“I get what you’re saying. I just don’t know.” She gazed out the window. “Look out there, Sean. Just imagine if it were wall-to-wall cranes and earth movers and dump trucks. Can’t you understand why Sani is upset?”
“Of course. I’m just playing devil’s advocate.” He stared out the window too.
“Oh, we better get going, or we’ll be late for the massage,” she said.
She saw Sean waving at the window as she grabbed her purse.
“Sani?” she asked.
He sighed. “Yep, no doubt waiting on us for our answer.”
“Let’s go. We will think better after the spa. Then we’ll talk to him.”
***
They drove off after waving to the cop in the car guarding their cabin. As soon as they arrived at the spa, they separated into different rooms and changed into robes.
Ashley waded into the hot pool to soak and breathed in the eucalyptus. She needed to clear her head.
This was a great idea. She rarely got a massage at home, so this was a treat. Soon, a slender blond woman came out and called her name. She got out of the pool and dried off and followed the woman to a room. She lay down on her stomach, and the masseuse expertly pressed on all the right spots. Ashley could feel her tension fading away. The soft music lulled her into a stupor.
“Feels great,” she told the massage therapist.
“Good, glad you like it,” the woman said. She rolled the palm of her hands over Ashley’s shoulder blades.
Ashley smiled to herself. She hoped Sean was getting relaxed too.
Ashley Crane Cozy Mystery Boxed Set Page 53