Moonshine and Malice

by J Lee Mitchell

  “I’m not following you.”

  “We both know the pain of losing the man we love too soon. Something like that can’t help but change the way you think. I never moved on after I lost my Henry because I can’t bear the thought of going through the pain of loss again. After what happened to Alain, I can understand why you might be worried about Andy. People who haven’t had to deal with that kind of sudden loss will never be able to understand how that fear sticks with you and controls your emotions.”

  Q’Bita felt a knot in her throat and knew better than to try speaking. She placed a hand on her nana’s arm and gave it a squeeze.

  “So, I vote that we get in the car and go for a drive. If we just happen to end up out near the cabin, it couldn’t hurt to drive by and see if Andy’s truck is there.”

  “Oh, I like how you think, Nana. I’ll fill a thermos with hot tea while you pack up some of these cookies just in case we need a snack along the way.”

  As they drove, they passed the time planning upcoming cooking classes for fall and the holidays. Her nana loved fall, but spring had always been Q’Bita’s favorite. They were so focused on deciding the date for their Christmas cookie exchange party that Q’Bita almost missed the turn-off to the cabin. She hit the brakes hard and chirped to a stop.

  “Sorry, Nana, I thought you might miss Evie’s driving.”

  They sat in the middle of the road for a second, laughing, then Liddy Lou put on her serious face.

  “Okay, baby, let’s get off this road and check on that man of yours.”

  Q’Bita took a deep breath and pulled the wheel to the left.

  “Now that we’re here I’m feeling kind of guilty. I hope he doesn’t get upset that I’m checking up on him.”

  “If you go slow and kill the lights before we round the last turn, he doesn’t have to know we were even here. Unless you were planning on barging up to the cabin and confronting him.”

  “Honestly, Nana, I hadn’t really thought this through at all.”

  The road to the cabin was twisty and rutted so she drove slowly. She took her nana’s advice and switched off the lights as they neared the cabin. When she reached the point where the road ended and Beecher’s property began, she rolled to a stop and killed the engine.

  “That’s weird. I don’t see Andy’s truck, and there’s no lights on inside.”

  “Maybe he parked around the back.”

  “Maybe. You stay here, and I’ll walk around the back and check.”

  Q’Bita eased open the door and closed it quietly. If Andy was there, she didn’t want to draw attention to herself. She held her breath as she rounded the side of the cabin and reached the back. No sign of Andy. She tiptoed up to the kitchen window and peeked inside. No sign of anyone inside. She rounded the other corner of the cabin and made her way back to her car.

  “He’s not here, Nana.”

  She could hear the panic in her own voice.

  “Okay, let’s stay calm and think about where he might be. Do you think he may have run out for supplies or some dinner?”

  Q’Bita gripped the steering wheel with both hands and closed her eyes. She focused on her breathing while trying to push away negative thoughts.

  “The key.”

  “What key, Q’Bita?”

  “The spare key. A few years ago, Beecher slipped in the creek and lost his keys, wallet, and phone. He had to walk two miles to the next cabin to use their phone to call Rene. Ever since then Beecher keeps a spare key stashed somewhere for emergencies.”

  Her hands shook as she called her brother. Beecher stayed on the line while she retrieved the key and checked out the cabin with her nana.

  “Beecher, it doesn’t look like anyone’s been here. I’m trying hard not to freak out but it’s getting harder by the second.”

  “There’s a spotlight in the living room closet. Grab it and go look around outside to see if you see any sign that he was there but didn’t go inside for some reason.”

  “Beecher, I'm not a bloodhound. I have no idea what to look for.”

  “Look for tire tracks, footprints, stuff like that. It rained earlier today so they should be easy to see in the spotlight.”

  “Okay, but I’m keeping you on the phone while we look.”

  Q’Bita grabbed the spotlight and Liddy Lou followed her back out the front door. They turned on the spotlight, moved slowly down the front stairs, and made their way to the parking area in front of the cabin.

  “See anything?”

  “Not yet… Wait! I think I see tire tracks.”

  “Are you sure they’re not yours?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. I parked at the end of the road so Andy wouldn’t know I was checking up on him. These tracks are in front of the cabin and there’s two sets. One’s thick, like truck tires, and the other is narrower, like a car.”

  “Okay, anything else stick out about the tracks to you?”

  “Well now that you mention it, the wider tracks turn a little to the right, like the truck was pointing forward toward the cabin at some point, but the narrow tracks look like they stopped close behind the truck. Oh wow, Beecher, there’s footprints going from the small tracks towards what I’m guessing would be the driver’s side of the truck. Someone else was here with Andy.”

  “Breathe, Q’Bita. All we have is two sets of tire tracks and a few footsteps. None of that proves that Andy was in either of those vehicles or that anything bad happened.”

  Q’Bita was about to protest when her nana called her name.

  “Hold on, Nana’s saying something.”

  “Q’Bita, bring that spotlight over here.”

  Q’Bita shined the light at her feet and walked carefully over to the edge of the driveway where her nana was standing.

  “Shine the light there, near the edge. I kicked something heavy with my toe and I heard it go that direction.”

  “Nana, it was probably a rock.”

  “No, baby, it felt weird, soft but weighty.”

  Q’Bita shone the light towards the weeds and took a few steps forward then saw what looked like a wallet.

  “Here, Nana, hold the light.”

  Q’Bita stooped, picked up the object, and felt her stomach churn as she recognized Andy’s wallet. She opened it, looked at the license, and felt tears flooding her eyes.

  “Q’Bita, are you still there?”

  “Oh God, Beecher, we just found Andy’s wallet lying in the weeds near the edge of the road. That proves he was here.”

  “Q’Bita, listen to me. I want you and Nana to go back to your car, get in, and lock the doors. I’m going to call Mike Collins and ask him to meet us there. I don’t want you two to do anything until we get there, okay?”

  “Okay, but hurry. I don’t know how long I can keep it together.”

  Over the next hour, every possibility from kidnappers to alien abduction crossed Q’Bita’s mind, each ratcheting her fear up another notch. She’d dialed Andy’s number a dozen more times, and each time her call went straight to voicemail and her sense of dread grew stronger.

  The flash of red and blue lights making their way up the road toward the cabin did little to calm her frazzled nerves. The vehicle came to a stop behind her car. Someone got out and started towards her driver’s side door. Q’Bita unlocked the door and got out.

  “Oh, thank God you’re here …”

  Q’Bita's words froze on her tongue as she realized it wasn’t Mike Collins. Chance Holleran was walking towards her with a look of agitation on his face.

  “Okay, what the hell is going on and why is your brother calling my deputy directly instead of calling the station like he should? I don’t have the time, or resources, to play games with you people.”

  “Andy’s missing,” Q’Bita blurted out.

  “Oh, for Christ's sakes, Q’Bita. He’s a trained law enforcement officer and big as a mountain. I seriously doubt anyone could get the drop on Andy and drag him off somewhere.”

  “Just hear me out,
Chance. He left the Red Herring Inn before noon and was supposed to call me when he got here. He never called. I’ve been trying to reach him for hours and the calls are going straight to voicemail. There’s fresh tire tracks over there in the driveway and we found his wallet lying in the weeds.”

  “I know you love to play Nancy Drew, Q’Bita, but all your supposed evidence doesn’t point to a crime. Did it occur to you that Andy might have dropped his wallet and didn’t realize it, then went off with someone voluntarily? Maybe he’s with another woman and he’s ignoring your calls.”

  “He wouldn’t do that. We just got engaged yesterday,” Q’Bita said, flashing her left hand so Chance could see her ring.

  “Andy wouldn’t be the first man to put a ring on it then freak out and go looking for a last hurrah.”

  Just as she was about to offload on Chance, Beecher pulled up.

  “Oh, fantastic, this just keeps getting better by the minute.”

  Beecher looked at Chance and then at Q’Bita.

  “Mind telling me where you get off calling Mikey directly? Regardless of what Andy thinks, Mikey isn’t his personal errand boy. He works for me now, and I’ve made it clear that he takes his orders from me.”

  “Chance, can you just put your ego back in your ball sack for five minutes? Something seems wrong here and we need you to man up and do the job you stole.”

  “Keep it up, Beecher, and I’ll haul your ass in so fast—"

  “Enough!”

  They’d all been so busy arguing that no one saw Liddy Lou get out of the car.

  “Now listen up, you three. I’m an old woman, and it’s way past my bed time, so y’all best zip it and get to figuring out what happened here and how we’re going to find Andy.”

  “With all due respect, Miss Liddy Lou, we aren’t going to do anything. You three are going to go back to the Red Herring Inn, and I’m going to go home and go back to bed. There is zero solid evidence that anything has happened to Andy, other than he lost his wallet. If he hasn’t shown up after 48 hours, come by the station and fill out the missing person’s paperwork, and then I’ll consider looking into this.”

  Chance turned away and started toward his SUV. Q’Bita bolted after him, almost knocking Beecher over on the way by.

  “Chance, wait, please. I know you and Andy have had your differences, but I’m begging you. This isn’t like Andy and you know it. Something’s wrong. I can feel it.”

  “Go home, Q’Bita. Andy will turn up eventually. It sure would be a shame if he doesn’t turn up, though. I’m looking forward to watching him cry when I get elected sheriff. Won’t be any fun to win by default.”

  Q’Bita stood in the middle of the road, tears streaming down her face, as Chance got in his SUV and left without even looking back at her.

  She turned around and saw that Beecher and her nana both had their phones out.

  “Who are you calling?”

  “Kent Haskell. Hopefully, he can convince Chance to do something,” Beecher said.

  “Hold off on that, Beecher,” Liddy Lou said. “I think we should call Jamie instead. If there’s anyone who can figure out what’s going on, it’s him. Once we know more, then we can call Kent if we need him.”

  “Nana, are you serious? Aren’t you the one who recently threatened to skin Andy for involving Jamie?”

  “Yes, Q’Bita, but this is an emergency. I have a very good reason to not trust Chance Holleran. If Andy hadn’t given his crooked ass the boot during the Macie Dixon investigation, I’d be in jail right now for a murder I didn’t commit. Chance took his orders from Red Dixon then, and he still does now. That boy isn’t going to lift a finger to help us, or Andy, so the way I see it, Jamie is our only option.”

  Chapter 19

  Q’Bita wanted to cry but she was too numb. She’d just hung up with Jamie, who confirmed Andy’s cell phone had last been active near the cabin about 2 p.m. but now appeared to be shut off. His plan was to start hacking security cameras to see if he could pick up Andy’s truck on any of the feeds, but not knowing which direction to look complicated things and would take some time.

  Beecher insisted she leave her car at the cabin and let him drive them back. As she leaned back into the seat, her whole body ached. She’d never felt so tired. She closed her eyes and listened to the hum of the tires on the pavement. When she opened her eyes again, they were just pulling into the Red Herring Inn. She glanced at her phone hoping to see a missed call or text from Andy but there was nothing.

  As they rounded the corner, Q’Bita noticed lights on in the cooking school.

  “Mom or Dad must be up.”

  “Actually, they’re all up. We made some calls while you slept. We’re not going to sit back and wait, Q’Bita. We’re going to find Andy. I promise.”

  As they entered the cooking school, Q’Bita was shocked to see her mother, Rene, Hadleigh, Evie Newsome, and Evie’s husband, Put, all gathered around the counter. Rene reached out and shoved Rolfie into her arms.

  “Here, you need him more than I do right now. Just don’t squeeze too hard. He helped himself to some of your cream, and it’s only a matter of time before all that dairy becomes a situation.”

  Q’Bita saw Put scowl and mutter something, then Evie shot him a look that said open your trap and I’ll cut you.

  “Wow, I can’t believe all of you are here. You guys are amazing, but where’s Dad and Jamie?”

  “Your dad went to meet Orvis at Andy’s house. They’re going to see if anything looks suspicious there,” her mother said.

  “Jamie’s upstairs, working,” Hadleigh said, using air quotes to emphasize working.

  “Working? I thought he was one of your front desk flunkies,” Put said.

  “Mind your own business and don’t be so dang ornery, Putnam,” Evie snapped.

  “It’s okay, Evie. Jamie is our general manager. He does a lot of things around here.”

  Put grunted and drained the rest of his coffee then set the cup on the counter.

  “Can I get you another cup, Put?” Q’Bita asked.

  “He can get it himself, Q’Bita. We’re supposed to be here to help you.”

  “Evie, if Put’s actually willing to help, the least I can do is get him a cup of coffee.”

  “Why does everyone seem so surprised that I want to help? I've got no beef with Hansen. He’s always been a straight shooter, in my book.”

  “Was that supposed to be a jab at us?” Rene asked, pointing from himself to Beecher.

  “Oh, don’t go getting your g-sting in a knot, lollipop. Not everything is about you, or your kind.”

  “See what I mean? This man is just hateful. Q’Bita, I need my cat back, so I can go self-soothe all this negativity out of my psyche.”

  Everyone avoided eye contact and remained quiet until Rene left the kitchen. Hadleigh finally broke the silence and asked the question that Q’Bita herself had wanted to ask.

  “Sorry if this is a stupid question, but how exactly do you plan to help, Mr. Newsome?”

  “If Hansen isn’t back by sunup, I thought maybe I could take my hounds out to the cabin and see if they can catch a scent.”

  “Actually, Put, that’s a great idea. I wouldn’t have thought of that. Is there anything I can do to help?” Beecher said.

  “More than likely those hounds will drag him into the creek and end up drowning him before they catch anything.”

  “Pay no attention to my wife. She spends too much time with yours. I ain’t as young as I used to be, and I could use a hand with the hounds if you think Madam Butterfly will let you tag along.”

  “It will be daylight be the time we get back out there. Maybe it’s best if we just go now and I’ll deal with Rene when we get back.”

  Evie and Liddy Lou got busy packing sandwiches and coffee for Beecher and Put while Kari and Hadleigh attempted to distract Q’Bita with small talk. She tried to be engaged in the conversation, but her mind kept going over what they’d found at the cabin. Someth
ing was niggling at the edge of her thoughts, but she couldn’t quite grasp it. When she finally did, she jumped up and ran outside to find Beecher.

  Beecher and Put were loading the last of the hounds into Put’s truck.

  “Hey, Q’Bita, what’s up?”

  “The footprints. I forgot about the footprints. When you get there take pictures of them and send them to me. There’s databases for that kind of thing. Maybe Jamie can get something that will help.”

  “Okay, I will, but don’t get your hopes up, Q’Bita. It was pretty muddy out there and I’m not sure we’ll get anything useful.”

  ***

  It was noon by the time Beecher called to say he and Put had come up empty with the hounds and that it had rained again during the night, washing away the footprints. Jamie also popped into the kitchen to tell them he hadn’t made much progress but would keep pushing through the security camera search.

  Frustrated, Q’Bita decided to try Andy’s cell phone one more time. This time it rang several times before going to voicemail. A few seconds later Hadleigh burst through the door to the kitchen.

  “Q’Bita, come quick. Jamie just got a hit on Andy’s cell phone.”

  “I know. I just called it and it rang a few times.”

  When they reached Q’Bita’s suite, Jamie was bent over a table full of laptops, muttering to himself.

  “Q’Bita, I got a ping, but it wasn’t long enough to track an exact location. The best I can do is tell you that Andy’s cell phone is somewhere near downtown. I’m going to start focusing on camera footage there, and hopeful we can come up with something.”

  “Okay. Start with the traffic cameras on Main Street. It’s the most likely route from the highway into town.”

  Jamie moved to another laptop and clicked a few keys.

  “Okay, we’re in. Let’s see what we've got."

  Ten minutes later Q’Bita gasped as Andy’s truck came into view on the screen.

  “Oh my God, that’s him. That’s Andy’s truck.”

  Jamie paused the video and looked at the time stamp.

  “It’s from 4:12 yesterday afternoon. Let me see if I can zoom in and get a better look inside the cab.”