Ashley Crane Cozy Mystery Boxed Set

by Laurie Anne Marie

  Sean whispered in Ashley’s ear. “Ash, I think that’s the man who they were talking to on the phone back at the warehouse. The guy who told them to get to the protest ASAP. He must be the ringleader!”

  “Makes sense,” Ashley whispered. “Zola and Olga must be working with him.”

  Anderson continued on and calmly answered all the questions. “We can prove how beneficial the mine will be and will make all the blueprints and plans available for everyone to see at the town hall. Any questions you continue to have will be answered. And it’s all made possible by modern technology, as I said. Gone are the days when the land is stripped barren and left that way. There is a lot of hysteria surrounding this project, and much of it is not true. And lastly, why take the metals? Because we need them. When I say ‘we,’ I mean all of us. This isn’t ancient times. We all use cell phones, cameras, appliances. All of these things need metals that are in the earth. The more we import, the more expensive these things are. If we can get the metals from here, it will help keep costs down, and that is something we all like.”

  “And yes, the amount of jobs that will be created is substantial. We are committed to hiring the local people and keeping you on for the duration of the project, which will go many years. And we are prepared to pay much more than minimum wage, to ensure a good life for you and your families. In the end, this project will be good for the community. You need to understand this.”

  He spoke as if he were a family member—their best friend—a mentor. Ashley could see people around her stand still as they digested what he said. There were whispers of “maybe we should give them a chance” and “I want to learn more about this now.” She knew that Anderson must be a psychological business expert, and he had confused them into thinking he was the good guy.

  But the crowd didn’t know that backstory. About the murders. About the dirty dealings. About her and Sean being kidnapped. If they did, they wouldn’t be so quick to warm to this smooth operator. She felt like jumping up on the stage herself and speaking to the crowd. Paul Anderson stepped back from the mic with a smile on his face. He had felt the crowd’s mood change.

  Just then, John Locklear walked up to the microphone. There was a collective gasp from the crowd. The man next to her and Sean looked like he had seen a ghost. Some of the women screamed. There were shouts from the back and also several people who rushed at the stage with their arms outstretched.

  “You’ve come back!” shouted one woman.

  “We will be okay! John is back,” said another.

  Sean leaned in again to whisper in her ear. “He’s like a rock star.”

  Even though Ashley knew what Sean meant, she felt there was something else, something deeper to his presence. He had tapped into something. He was bringing hope. He was bringing a solution. He tapped the microphone and cleared his throat. A hush came over the crowd.

  “My fellow human beings. I speak to all of you here to make sure we do not destroy what has been given to us by our ancestors. Not just Native Americans, but all the people of this land and the lands from where you came to unite with us. We are all of the human race. We are all united in purpose. To protect what little we have. To continue to grow as one. To make sure that we can give the gift of what we see all around us to our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.”

  He paused and looked around at the crowd, then scanned the sky. When he looked at the people again, he had tears in his eyes.

  “I left you to go and make my own way. I too became a businessman. I did not want the old ways anymore. I had a vison of building a business empire, and I achieved that. I did not keep all my money to myself though. I helped my adopted community and gave much opportunity to many people. I do not want that to sound like an excuse for leaving here. It is just a fact. But like everyone else who grows old, I began to look at my life. What I have done is not enough. I know that now. I helped those around me, but it was still not enough.” He paused and looked around at the crowd with more tears in his eyes.

  “I know now that I need to do more. And now I can. I plan to move back to this area where I was born. I promise I will personally help all of those who are struggling and help them to find jobs and survive until they do. That way we will not need to tear up this beautiful land and sacrifice our future for our people and all of those that have joined us. We do not need a corporation coming here and telling us what is good for us. We need to stick together and protect our great treasure that is our land, and I am here now to make sure that our future will be even brighter than before.”

  This time, the roar was deafening. People all around were screaming in jubilation and dancing up and down the rows. The native dancers started beating the drums and singing at the top of their lungs.

  Ashley noticed quite a few tears around her. She smiled at Sean and noticed that he had tears in his eyes too. This was what Sani had wanted. And it was what she and Sean had come to want as well. All around them, the air was electric, and the people’s faces were filled with hope and jubilation.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Just then, a shot rang out.

  It was so close to Ashley that, despite the deafening drumbeat and roar of the crowd, she could still hear it. She watched, as if in slow motion, John Locklear crumple to the ground. Then she frantically scanned to the left where she thought the shot came from, but there was no one there with a gun.

  There was only horror-stricken people who were clutching their hands to their faces and chests. It was only a moment, but everyone down front seemed frozen.

  Then came the screams.

  First from people onstage, then all those in front. Soon the screams were rippling through the crowd.

  She heard several shouts of “Call 9-1-1!”

  Ashley propelled herself toward the stage and John, but Sean grabbed her hand.

  “No! The shooter could still be out there! You’re staying put! Now duck down!” Sean said.

  He pulled on her arm, and she went to the ground.

  The shouting around them was deafening.

  People started to run.

  “Ashley! We have to get closer to the stage! We might be trampled!” Sean said.

  He grabbed her, and they crawled right up against the stage and cowered at the base of it. Ashley saw hundreds of feet scramble by. Off in the distance, she heard sirens.

  An ambulance?

  Police?

  “I want to check if John is okay,” Ashley pleaded.

  But Sean barked at her to stay put.

  Soon, the parade of running feet began to subside, and they stared out at a near-empty field with litter scattered everywhere mixed in with articles of clothing, food, and tribal headdresses.

  In back, they heard more shouting and the slamming of doors, then the squeal of tires.

  Soon, they could see the ambulance heading off down the road to their right. Hopefully, John Locklear would be all right. Who was left here now?

  “Sean, we’ve got to get out of here. We can’t stay crouched here forever!” Ashley said.

  He nodded at her, and they stood up, slowly scanning the entire area around them. The fields were mostly empty now, but there were a few stragglers off in the distance.

  More importantly, they saw four police cars parked by the back of the stage and many more coming up the road.

  “I’m going to talk to the police!” she yelled and darted off.

  Sean followed quickly behind.

  As soon as they reached the squad cars, Ashley began to spill out her story breathlessly.

  A policeman took her statement then questioned Sean.

  Ashley made sure to make him aware of the events in the warehouse but stated that they had not seen the people who abducted them at the rally.

  “But I think it’s one of them that shot Locklear,” Ashley said.

  “Why do you say that?” a voice asked behind them. Ashley turned around. It was Officer Hernandez!

  “I’m so glad to see you!” she said
. She went on to explain the circumstances to him and the other officers.

  “It’s simple. They would want to stop him from speaking as he was rallying the crowd against the mining company,” she responded. “And I’m sure you will find them behind the murders recently committed around here as well.”

  “Can you give me a good description?” Hernandez asked.

  “Yes,” Ashley said.

  Sean said yes at nearly the same time.

  They breathlessly described the group to the officers.

  Hernandez nodded at them and smiled. “Good job. We need you to come downtown now, so you can fill out statements.”

  “Let’s go,” Sean said.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  They left in Hernandez’s police car, and Ashley scanned the hills and plateaus.

  “Where were Zola and Olga and their henchmen from the warehouse? Could they have already disappeared?

  “You should block the airport,” Sean said.

  Hernandez laughed. “No offense, but I doubt anyone would attempt to fly out of our small airport. They’re probably in vehicles on the road right now, heading for another state. But your description will help us stop them if some officer gets lucky enough to spot any of them on the road or at a gas station.”

  From there, they headed to the local police station where they gave lengthy statements to the officers. Sean asked Officer Hernandez about something that had been bothering him.

  “Why did you dart out of the café that day after you handed us the envelope of papers? Were you afraid of something?”

  Hernandez looked in the rearview mirror at them. “Sorry, but there’s been a lot going on that I haven’t been at liberty to talk about. Especially with tourists that have come into town.”

  Ashley looked out the window and mused. “Even tourists who’ve been involved in everything going on, I suppose.”

  When they were done with all the questions and were getting ready to leave, Sean and Ashley saw two policemen haul Sani into the station.

  “Sani!” shouted Ashley. “What are you here for?”

  “They want to talk to me. They think I might have something to do with the murders around here,” Sani said.

  Ashley gasped. “What? No way!” She turned to the officer next to her. “He couldn’t have committed any of them! He’s not like that!”

  “Ma’am, with all due respect, we have to question some of the key players here. People have complained about him, and we’ve had some suspicious calls. It is our duty. Just following procedure,” the officer said.

  They led Sani off to another room.

  Ashley turned to Sean. “The old warehouse in the desert where they took us! That’s probably where they are now. And getting ready to fly off!”

  “Fly off? In what plane?” Hernandez asked.

  “A private plane! They flew us to an old warehouse. The plane must still be there, and of course they would go back there to retrieve it and try to get away!”

  “Quick! Let’s head out,” Hernandez said. Then he barked at another policemen, “I want at least six units on this, ASAP!”

  Everyone took off rapidly.

  Ashley and Sean followed Officer Hernandez to his car.

  “Can you tell us how to get there?” he asked.

  “Not really, but if Sani can come with us, he can pinpoint the location,” Ashley said.

  Hernandez paused. He looked skeptical.

  Ashley raised her voice. “Look, he’s our only chance. We were taken there blindfolded, and Sani rescued us and took us out. Even without blindfolds, we don’t know the land like he does. Please. At least he can help stop the crooks from getting away. Then if you need to, you can lock him up later. But for now, he’s more valuable out than in!”

  Hernandez considered this then told two of his men to bring Sani to his car.

  ***

  They sped off following Sani’s directions. Ashley silently prayed that they would all stay safe and that the police were able to apprehend the crooks.

  Soon, they arrived at the dusty old warehouse. Policemen poured out of the cars with their weapons drawn, and several cop cars parked near the entrances to the building to stop anyone from getting out.

  Ashley scanned the horizon and shouted. “They’re getting away!”

  The plane was pulling onto the runway and starting to accelerate.

  Two cops jumped into a car and sped after it. More followed.

  One of the policemen leaned out a window with a high-powered rifle and took several well-aimed shots at the planes tires.

  The plane lurched and jerked to the left.

  The pilot tried to run it around again, but the officer shot at the engines.

  Soon, Ashley heard a sputtering sound, and then the plane rolled to a stop.

  The police rushed it.

  They pulled out Zola and Olga and their accomplices and immediately handcuffed them. The group were shouting at each other and blaming one another.

  “She did it,” Zola yelled. “She was the ringleader!”

  “You lying…” Olga cried. “I only did what he told me too!”

  Ashley noticed the nasty cop who had told them “vacation’s over” at their cabin was in with the group. He started to rat on all of them, yelling that he was given orders by the two, as well as Paul Anderson, the head of Dunphy Mining.

  She turned to Hernandez. “Is that Officer Dunne?

  “It sure is,” Hernandez said. His mouth was agape. “I thought he was a good cop.”

  “Well, maybe he was once. Looks like the mining company made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.”

  “Looks like we have to go round up Paul Anderson and some more Dunphy people too,” he said.

  “Greed. It never goes away,” Ashley said.

  Hernandez informed Ashley and Sean they needed to take another trip to the station.

  “Wrap up the last loose ends,” he said.

  “Of course, officer. But there is someone missing,” Ashley said.

  “Who?” he asked.

  “A man named Lawrence McShane. He was our tour guide on a hiking trip. But that was just a front. He was working for these people, and I think you’ll find that he committed the two recent murders. One was to hush up a sympathetic tribal member, and the other was to stop a detective. He says he’s part Native American, but he’s not. It’s a front. Or as Sani says, “He’s an imposter.” He works in disguise, like Olga there,” Ashley said.

  She pointed to Olga, who was now hanging her head down as they loaded her into the squad car.

  “We will question them and find out where this Lawrence McShane is,” Hernandez said.

  Sani stepped up. “I think I might know where he is, officer. Please get in a car and follow me.”

  ***

  Sani guided the police to the little cave that had been a temporary refuge for Ashley and Sean after they had escaped the warehouse. The police approached cautiously with their guns drawn.

  Hernandez yelled at the entrance to the cave. “If you’re in there, come out with your hands up now!”

  No response.

  Hernandez repeated the request.

  Still nothing.

  A shot was fired at the police from inside the cave.

  Hernandez frantically signaled to his men, and they threw several smoke bombs inside the opening.

  A few seconds later, a man straggled out, hacking and flailing his arms. As soon as he saw the cops, he put his hands up. Without his wig and makeup on that he disguised himself with while being a tour guide, he looked like an ordinary guy you wouldn’t give a second glance to. But Ashley peered at him and realized why the man who ran out of the café and who was at the tortilla stand had looked vaguely familiar. Hernandez ordered him searched, and two cops found a gun on him and another in the cave.

  “Arrest him,” Hernandez said. “And somebody do a home search and see what you can turn up.” They cuffed him and took him to one of the squad cars.

  A
shley turned to Hernandez. “Can I ask him one question before you take him away?”

  “Go ahead,” he replied.

  Ashley looked at Lawrence’s haggard face. “Why?”

  Lawrence just stood there. But Ashley kept her gaze on him.

  Lawrence smirked at her. “I had nothing better to do with my life.”

  “You mean, the life you fabricated,” Sani said.

  “It was real to me,” Lawrence said.

  “Nothing about you is real,” Sani said. “I know who you are. You are an imposter who came to town a while ago. You made a mockery of my people by pretending to be one of us. And now you have done great harm to everyone who lives here.” He looked furious at this pathetic man in front of him.

  Lawrence spit on the ground. “Dunphy offered me a lot of money man. More than your miserable people ever gave me.”

  “Get him out of here. And get that whole lousy bunch downtown,” Officer Hernandez said in disgust.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Ashley and Sean finished giving their final statements at the station about Zola, Olga, and Lawrence, and Ashley let out a big sigh as they got ready to leave police headquarters.

  Just then, Sani came out from a room with a big smile on his face. “They found me not guilty. Imagine that!”

  They all laughed. Ashley and Sean and Sani thanked Officer Hernandez and the other policemen and women.

  “We will take care of the rental car return and payment,” Hernandez said. “And we’ll get your luggage back to you after it’s been cleared.”

  “Thank you so much,” Ashley said. “But I’m really worried about John Locklear. Sani told us he heard he was alive, but that’s all we know. Any word about his condition?”

  Hernandez smiled. “He’s going to be fine. The bullet didn’t hit any vital organs. Just a long recuperation, that’s all. Once he’s out of the hospital, he will be moving back here, and we can’t wait to have him back.”

  Everyone at the station cheered.