“I need better wheels. And I can’t afford anything.”
“How about a Gator? You can borrow one of mine.”
“Is that even street legal?”
“Not on public roads.”
“Which is where I drive, Daddy.” I blew out a breath. “Now is not the time for learning a life lesson on living within my means. I have no means because I’m about to lose my job.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Maybe you should take better care of the things you do own. Like your dirt bike. And whatever else was in your backpack.” He folded his arms and gave me the eyeball.
I closed my eyes. “Can you at least fix Lucky and get me a new set of keys?”
“Yes. If you get your mother off my back about her damn wedding.”
I opened my eyes. “What?”
“Vicki said she wants me to send a herd of deer down the aisle. She said she’s ‘rethinking the safari for a Bambi motif.’ What in the blue blazes does she mean?”
Considering Daddy was a hunter, not a herder, I had no idea what she was talking about. Unless she was reenacting Bambi’s mother’s fate. Which was not wedding appropriate. Daddy’s company made apparel scented with deer pee. Which I think, one would not want at one’s wedding.
But Vicki had also wanted elephants and I couldn’t imagine them smelling much better.
I had a feeling she was forcing my hand, not Daddy’s. Particularly now that I didn’t have a phone and couldn’t respond to her texts.
“I’ll talk to her,” I said. “I’ll put it on my list.”
I climbed into the pickup which retailed at a similar price to my repo’d Jaguar. I missed driving in comfort with luxuries such as cup holders, radios, and engines that didn’t make my legs numb.
But beggars couldn’t be choosers. Lucky was better than a mountain bike. And according to the girls, my position in society had fallen to that of beggar.
And if Jolene had her way, I probably had a few more rungs to slip down.
Thirty-Two
#BigfootStalker #MakeMeABeliever
Gladys was happy to hear I finally had therapy. She was not happy to hear my phone had been stolen. But as owning a phone was not listed in the terms of my probation, I didn’t worry about it too much. She had the numbers for the office and Daddy’s cabin, after all. Not that I was ever at either place much.
But as I was currently at the cabin, I worked on the new flyers, then went out to dismantle Remi’s traps. She followed behind me, kicking at dirt clods and pine straw with her little boots. In a six-year-old pique with her family, the world at large, and Bigfoot.
“He’s the one poisoning our dogs with candy bars.”
“Uh huh.” I was not going to get in the middle of a standoff between my father and Remi. Both were as stubborn as belly fat. “How many traps do you have?”
“I lost count.”
Great.
She hooked a thumb at a large oak. “That’s where Bigfoot watches the house.”
“You better tell Bigfoot to find a better hiding place. If Daddy sees him, he might shoot him for trespassing.”
“Not under the tree. That’s where I found the wrapper. Up there.” She dashed to the tree and began to climb a ladder nailed onto the trunk.
I followed the ladder with my eyes. “In the deer stand?” Prickles of unease broke across my flesh. “Hang on, Remi. Let me go up there first.”
“It’s only big enough for one person,” she called over her shoulder. “It’s a stand, not a sit.”
“Remi, get down. Now.”
My voice contained some quality that made her pause, then slowly back down the tree. She glared at me, crossed her arm, then stomped off to poke at one of her traps. I climbed hand over hand, my stomach fluttering and my nerves prickling. The tree-stand was little more than a three-foot metal platform with a small padded chair attached to the tree above it. A safety harness was also anchored to the tree.
“I bet you anything you’re not allowed up here, Remi,” I called.
“You better not snitch,” she snarled.
The stand easily held my weight, although the altitude made me want to vomit. I doubted it’d hold Bigfoot, but it could hold Daddy and he was not a small man. I sat in the chair. Got a view of tree tops. I turned halfway and saw the house between the trees. My window was dark but visible. As was the kitchen and family room. A dog squirmed through the kitchen doggy door. Three more followed. They darted off the deck. Immediately spying me, the Jack Russells went nuts.
I looked down and saw Remi standing below me, staring up. The Jack Russells circled her, yapping and jumping at the tree.
“I’m coming down.” I stood slowly and gripped the chair arms. And spotted something in the fold between the seat back and cushion. I pulled out a cigarette filter.
My father was not a smoker.
Another wave of unease washed over me. I shoved the butt into my jeans pocket and focused on climbing down the tree ladder. At the bottom, the dogs barked and sprang at my legs. Catching my scent, they took off into the woods.
Remi folded her arms and gave me her best glare. “You get to have all the fun.”
“Where did you find that candy bar wrapper? Right here, under the stand?”
She nodded grimly.
“And where was the dog caught when he got sick? Which one was it?”
“Itty took sick.”
We walked to a spot deeper into the woods. I turned. The stand was clearly visible. I took a deep breath. “How long was Itty stuck here?”
“I don’t know.” She turned her back on me and scuffed her boot into the dirt.
If Itty had been caught in a trap and saw Bigfoot in the tree-stand, he would have gone berserk. Alerting the other dogs and eventually, people in the house. I had a feeling it wasn’t chocolate that made Itty sick.
Nor was it Bigfoot in our deer stand.
* * *
I told Carol Lynn that it wasn’t a good idea to let Remi play out back for a while. I didn’t want to scare Remi’s mother, but I showed her the cigarette butt and explained the candy wrapper. Said I was going to report it to the police. Then packed a bag and moved to the office.
I felt reasonably confident that Daddy would take residence in that tree stand. And put the house on lockdown. I didn’t like scaring my family, but I was spooked. Someone was watching our house.
Lamar was not around, so I left my suitcase and drove Lucky to the Black Pine police station. I waved to the woman behind the window and didn’t wait long before Ian Mowry ushered me to his desk. I gave him the cigarette butt and explained where I found it.
Ian looked at the ceiling. Then at me. “Nash is awake. I stopped by this morning.”
“Yep.” I gave him my Young Miss smile. Upbeat. Wholesome. Grateful. Hoped it didn’t look too fake. “Great news.”
Cocking his head, he waited for a beat. “You look different.”
I smoothed my hair. “I had some work done. All natural, of course.”
“You still look like you haven’t slept.”
My smile fell. “I’ve been busy.”
He cast his eyes to the evidence I’d given him. “Looks that way. I don’t like what’s going on, particularly with the murder victim on the mountain. We still don’t have an ID. It takes some time to go through the databases. The ME said he was probably shot on Friday, midday. The perp is probably long gone. Doesn’t make sense they’d be interested in the Spayberry’s, but you can’t be too careful.”
“Doesn’t make sense to me, either,” I said.
“You didn’t notice a delivery truck or big van nearby? We think that’s what the perp or victim had been driving. Victim’s vehicle wasn’t left at the scene, but we found the tracks. Several ATV tracks, too, but that’s circumstantial. Plenty of people take ATVs up the mountain for riding.”
I shook my head. “The only vehicle I’ve noticed is the motorcycle involved in cutting my fuel line.”
“Still don’t understand th
at one. It’s not like your dirt bike holds much gas. I’m sorry that happened to you,” said Ian. “I’m going to send someone out to look at your daddy’s property. Boomer’s got a nice cabin. One of the best properties in town. Someone could be casing the house for a robbery, I suppose.”
“I moved to the office.”
“We don’t have the manpower to cover Nash’s office and the cabin. I know Boomer has a great security system, Maizie. You’re better off staying there.” Ian rapped his fingers against his desk. “You think it’s a stalker or something from your TV days?
“If it’s a stalker, it’s not one of mine. No one seems to know my shows anymore.” I tried another Young Miss grin and felt more Awkward Family Photo than cover girl. “But they could be one of Chandler Jonson’s. I was told he had stalkers.”
“I think we looked into the stalker theory. Nothing credible turned up. A soccer mom in the area is a big fan, but she had an out-of-town tournament when Chandler disappeared.”
I suppressed the frustration from my voice and aimed for private investigator professional. “I really think this is related to the Chandler Jonson case. Someone doesn’t like me looking for him.”
“That seems a little…extreme.”
But because I hadn’t told him all the truth behind the Bigfoot case — illegally entering the Jonson house for a big example — it was getting increasingly difficult to explain. “Like maybe the same person who stole my backpack. And cut Lucky’s fuel line. I’m worried about the teens on Bigfoot Trackers. If some stan — stalker fan — is upset Chandler’s missing, they might take it out on Mara, Fred, and Laci.”
Ian leaned forward. “Maizie, I think you should stay at your father’s cabin. I don’t want to draw any conclusions on why someone might have been in your tree-stand—”
“And poisoned Itty.”
He nodded. “But knowing Boomer, he’ll lock the gate, turn on the alarms, and patrol the woods. Now that Nash is awake, you can relax a little. Go home and try to get some rest.”
My to-do list still wasn’t done. I couldn’t afford to be on lockdown. Nash might be awake, but I was still running the office. At least until Jolene took over. “Can you have someone check on the teens? Drive by their homes while they’re on patrol?”
“Of course.” He stood. “You told them to stay off the mountain?”
“Yes. But I seem to have no authority over them.”
“They’re teenagers.” He smirked. “Get used to that feeling. Wait until it’s Remi.”
Remi as a teenager. What a scary thought. Daddy would definitely need to ramp up his security.
Ian fiddled with the bag holding my cigarette evidence, then looked up. “Did you meet with Oliver Fraser today? You said you were going to look at the security tapes.”
“Do you know anything about the Wellspring Center’s CCTV system? I tried to watch footage of the night Chandler disappeared and it was deleted.”
“That’s odd.”
“Right?” I leaned forward. “Ian, I know the police investigation didn’t net any results, but I really think there’s something going on. With the Wellspring Center and Chandler’s disappearance.”
“Uh huh.”
“Chandler’s brother, Crispin, had a big box of herbal supplements that looked like they were from Wellspring.”
“And you know this because?”
“I saw a box of them in Crispin’s room when I toured the Jonson house with Crispin. He’s a little…I don’t know...” Could I say creepy? Was that professional? “Jealous of his brother and not really concerned about Chandler’s disappearance.”
“Sibling rivalry stuff. Because Chandler’s famous?”
“I think there’s a weird family dynamic. But my last therapist was all about family dynamics so maybe I’m just sensitive to them.”
“How’s your new therapist?”
“He doesn’t really care about my family dynamics. He has an outside-in philosophy. Look good to feel good. Which I guess has its merits. I do look better after Oliver took me to the Wellspring Spa.”
“He took you to a spa?” Ian’s eyebrows notched together. “As long as you’re feeling better, I guess.”
I think I was a long way from feeling better. But I flashed him another YM smile anyway. “Are you going to reopen the investigation into Chandler’s disappearance now that I’ve collected all this evidence?”
He sank back in his chair. “The thing is Maizie, we’re not a big police department. With this murder and the ATF investigation into the bank bombing, it’s all hands on deck. Even if Agent Langtry doesn’t want me involved….Anyway, there’s a lot going on.”
“You still don’t think Chandler’s missing.”
“Hon’, it’s not that I don’t think he’s missing. It’s just that I don’t know if he wants to be found. I’ve looked at the file.”
“His credit cards haven’t been used. And his phone’s been off. Who leaves their phone off that long?”
“Someone who likes to live off the grid. He’s done it before, Maizie. Alaska. He might be researching for a new show. How long can you track Bigfoot on Black Pine Mountain without results?”
“Then why wouldn’t he tell Mara, Fred, and Laci?”
“Because he’s myopic and obsessive? Why wouldn’t he tell his family and friends he was going to Alaska?”
That thought deepened the abyss in my already cracked heart. Fred, Laci, and Mara would be crushed. “But the show. He has sponsors—”
“Face it, Maizie. YouTube isn’t regular TV. You upload whenever you want. He’s not beholden to anyone. He’s leaving those kids high and dry, but it isn’t the first time that he’s skipped town on a whim. You said yourself the Jonson’s have weird family dynamics. It also wouldn’t be the first time someone with star quality had a few screws loose.”
Been there. Done That. But that old T-shirt fit a little too tight.
* * *
Back at the office, I dialed up a four-way with the teens’ parents. The more I thought about Bigfoot in the tree-stand (especially knowing Bigfoot didn’t smoke Marlboro’s), the more I worried about Fred, Mara, and Laci.
I detailed the case in my most professional private investigator voice. “Not to alarm you, but I have a fear that there might be reprisals from Bigfoot Trackers fans because of Chandler’s disappearance.” I felt a Misery explanation was safer than The Monster Squad theories the kids favored about the Wellspring Center.
“By reprisals, you mean what?” said Mara’s mom.
“I’m not really sure,” I said. “I am using my imagination at this point. But better safe than sorry, you know.”
“What’s happened?” said Laci’s dad. “Obviously something must have happened.”
“Someone vandalized my dirt bike and is watching my father’s house. Where I live. And remember the permission slips you signed for our hike in the woods yesterday? Someone threw rocks at us. But it’s the stalking at my home that really has me worried.”
“Rocks? Federico never said anything about rocks,” said Mrs. Hernandez. “That happened when he was little, but since the show, there hasn’t been any bullying. He’s treated so well now.”
“You still live at home, Miss Albright?” said Laci’s dad.
“Is that pertinent—”
“You know they have a sponsored event this afternoon?” said Mara’s mom. “They can’t miss it.”
“I know,” I said. “But—”
“The sponsors made us sign a contract,” said Mrs. Hernandez. “We’re obligated to fulfill it.”
“Mara wants to go to film school at NYU,” said her mom. “These opportunities are really necessary for her application. Many kids have YouTube accounts and it doesn’t mean anything. But channels with sponsorships? That’s a big deal. I can’t let her blow it off.”
“It’s not really blowing it off when—”
“I’ll be at the event,” said Laci’s dad. “It’s a public place. I’m sure it’s fine.”
OMG. This was total Vicki déjà vu.
“Please,” I said. “I have a bad feeling—”
“I’m going, too,” said Fred’s mom. “Maybe we should get dinner after?”
“I’m up for it. But not pizza again,” said Mara’s mom. “And I think they have an AP art history test tomorrow.”
“I didn’t hear about that,” said Fred’s mom. “Federico doesn’t tell me anything.”
I broke in. “Be careful? Keep an eye out. Even at home. No more hiking. There’s been a lot of crime lately.”
“We don’t helicopter, Miss Albright,” said Laci’s dad. “It causes poor self-esteem. They’ll need to do a new show by this weekend, but no later. However, we can compromise with parental supervision. I’ll take them into the woods.”
“I want to go, too,” said Mara’s mom. “She never wants to do anything with me anymore.”
“Detective Ian Mowry with Black Pine Police said no woods,” I repeated. “Do not go into the woods. Stay off the mountain.”
“I’m sure there’s an area that’s safe for them to film. They could just pretend. For the show. To keep up their ratings. Why don’t you ask this detective where it’s safe to shoot?”
The three would never pretend to look for Bigfoot. They were a lot of things but not sell outs. “The mountain is not safe. Maybe you should take them out of town for a while. They can look for Bigfoot in South Georgia. Okefenokee swamp? There’ve been sightings there. That should be safe enough.”
“Ugh,” said Mara’s mom. “No swamps. Swamps are full of alligators. How is that safe?”
“She might have a point,” said Laci’s dad. “It could be good for ratings to have a change of scenery. Chandler kept focusing on the same area near the Wellspring Center. It was getting boring.”
“Federico has marching band practice. They’re still in competition season,” said Mrs. Hernandez. “South Georgia is a half-day drive. I’ve got two other kids with all their activities to balance.”
“I know what you mean,” said Mara’s mom. “We’re trying not to let Mara’s career overshadow things like soccer and orchestra. They’re just as important.”
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