by Hood, D. K.
Fifteen
Head bowed against the weather, Atohi increased his stride to catch up with Brad. The penetrating cold seeped through his already damp coat, and the wind blew icy rain into his face sending dribbles of cold water down his neck. He leaped to one side of the sidewalk to avoid two bulldogs dragging a huge woman behind them. With only her eyes showing from beneath the hood of her coat, she resembled a huge ball of red wool in rubber boots. He dashed on, and looking ahead, caught sight of Brad heading inside Aunt Betty’s Café. He slipped inside the café’s door and inhaled the food-infused warmth. He removed his hat and smiled at Susie Hartwig behind the counter. “Seems you can’t keep us away today.”
“I’ve just taken a batch of cherry pies from the oven.” Susie chuckled. “Did the smell of them lure you back?”
“No.” Brad gave Susie an agitated stare. “We’re cold and wet and this seemed like a good place to dry out. I’ll have the chili and apple pie.”
“Sure, and what about you, Atohi?”
“The chili sounds good but I can’t resist the cherry pies.” Atohi grinned. “I’m surprised you have any left, with Dave Kane in town.”
“We made extra.” She called out the order and turned back to him. “Ruby will bring it out for you—and be nice, she’s having a bad day. Poor girl has been spilling drinks all day.”
Atohi nodded. “Okay.” He waved Brad to a table and they removed their wet coats. “Do you have to be so rude? These are good people.” Atohi hung his coat on the back of his seat before sitting.
“Are they?” Brad mimicked him and dropped into a chair. “We’ll see.” His mouth curled into a grin as Ruby, the waitress, headed toward them with a pot of coffee and two cups.
“Back again?” She smiled at Brad as she poured the coffee. “Your order will be right out.”
“I hear you’re having a bad day, spillin’ drinks and all?” Brad leaned back in his chair and looked up at her. “Maybe I can make it better. Can we go out for a coffee sometime?”
“Oh…” Ruby looked at him and her cheeks pinked. “That would be nice. I don’t know many people in town.”
“Where do you live?” Brad gave her a slow smile. “I’m out on the res.”
“Oh, I’m out on Elk Creek.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s my aunt’s house. I’m staying with her until I can get a place of my own. It’s a pain. I take the bus and it stops at the end of the road. I’ll be wet through by the time I get home.”
“I can come by Friday night; we could have that coffee and I’ll drop you home.” Brad flicked a glance at Atohi and his eyes danced with mischief.
“Yeah, sure.” Ruby jumped when a bell sounded at the counter. “That will be your meal.” She turned and hurried away.
Atohi stared at him. “Are you trying to prove a point or something?”
“I guess.” Brad shrugged. “I was sure she’d refuse.” He gave him a long look. “So, where do I take her for a coffee and maybe a meal around here?”
“There’s a new pizza place, just opened up the other end of town.” Atohi added cream and sugar to his coffee and stirred slowly. “I don’t figure you for the Cattleman’s Hotel.”
“Nope, the pizza place sounds fine.” Brad sighed. “I guess I have a few days to clean out my truck.”
“You’d better take my ride.” Atohi chuckled. “That’s if you’re planning on making a good impression. I’m surprised that old thing you’re driving is running.”
“It runs fine, and I’ll fix up the body soon.” Brad drummed his fingers on the table. “Finding my mom takes priority.” He gave him a long look as if considering his offer. “I will take your ride. Thanks.”
“What are your plans for after the melt?” Atohi leaned back as Ruby arrived with the plates of food. “With the influx of tourists, we have now, I make a good living from the tour guide business. People like to hear the old stories about the forest, and it makes them respect the land.”
“I’ve never been a people person.” Brad scooped up a spoonful of chili. “I’ll find work. I’ve survived this long on my own.”
Unease rolled over Atohi and he flicked his gaze over him. What had happened to Brad in Alaska to change the friend he’d known so well? His frequent and varied mood swings concerned him. The angry man before him had switched in an instant, in front of Ruby, into a laidback, nonchalant Romeo to convince her to go on a date with him. Moments later, the sarcastic Brad had returned, and Atohi wondered which of Brad’s personas was the real deal.
Sixteen
Late Wednesday afternoon
Kane picked up the pen from the holder and turned to the whiteboard. Jenna had already sectioned the board into three, and added Lucas Robinson to the assumed names of the other two victims with the information she had to date. He turned to look at her and Rowley. “Okay, we’ve confirmed Parker Louis and Tim Addams worked at the ski resort. They were involved in the construction of the second phase of cabins.” He waited for Jenna to stop chewing her sandwich.
“Who did you speak to?” Jenna sipped her coffee.
“Site manager.” Rowley glanced at his notes. “Sid Glover.”
“I ran the plates of the vehicle, and the truck belongs to Parker Louis.” Jenna pulled the other half of her sandwich from the takeout bag. “With the vehicle and licenses match, we have enough information for Wolfe to speak to the next of kin. If both men are missing, he’ll get permission for the dental records and we’ll have a positive ID.”
Kane wrote all the information on the whiteboard and noticed Jenna’s raised brow. “Did I miss something?”
“Nope.” She grinned. “Even your writing has military precision. How do you fit so much in such a small space and make it readable?”
“I’m not sure.” Slightly embarrassed, Kane cleared his throat. “I have some information on Lucas Robinson. We dropped into the bank and spoke to a few of his associates. Rowley has a list of his friends—from what we gather, he was a player.”
“As in gambling or women.” Jenna looked interested.
Kane narrowed his gaze. “Women. From what we heard, he was having a not-so-secret affair with Ann Turner, a hair stylist working at the beauty parlor here in town.”
“I know Ann.” Jenna leaned back in her chair and looked at him. “She’s young, maybe eighteen or nineteen. I wonder if his wife knows?”
“It would give us motive.” Rowley smoothed down his curls and shrugged. “I mean, if Mrs. Robinson was aware of the affair, maybe she hired a hitman.” He looked at Kane. “You did say the murder looked like a hit.” He turned back to Jenna. “If so, where do we go from here?”
“As no hard evidence points to Mrs. Robinson being involved at this time, we’ll need more than suspicion.” Jenna made notes. “We’ll attend the autopsy and wait for Wolfe’s report. If he considers the possibility of a hit, we have probable cause and can ask the judge for a court order to view their bank and phone records. If Mrs. Robinson withdrew a large amount of cash, for instance, we’d have enough evidence to bring her in for questioning.” She looked up at Kane. “We’ll take the investigation in that direction for now.”
Kane made notes on the whiteboard and then turned back to her. “What about Ian Clark, the guy we charged with break and enter last fall? He’s just out of jail.” He met Jenna’s gaze. “He’s living back at home, with his folks, on Maple. It would be unusual for him to go from B and E to murder, but we don’t know what happened to him in jail.”
“Sure, I have his address on file—we’ll drop by after the autopsy and talk to him.” Jenna chewed on her bottom lip. “Okay, let’s move on to the Stanton Forest murders.”
Kane added two names to the whiteboard. “We hunted down a possible suspect, maybe two. Cliff Young was in a fight with both victims outside the Triple Z Bar last Saturday night, according to the site manager of the ski resort. He was there having a few beers and the fight was a carryover from something that happened at work.”
“Do you have his de
tails?” Jenna was making notes.
“Yeah, Rowley has them.” Kane added a second name to the board and waited for Rowley to finish speaking. “Then we have his close buddy Kyler Hall, and this is where things get interesting.”
“How so?” Jenna lifted her gaze to him.
“Complicated more like.” Rowley sighed. “These cases are more involved than you think.”
Kane sat down in the chair in front of the desk. “Okay, we spoke to a number of the workers at the ski resort and discovered Young and Hall are close friends. Cliff Young was dating Ann before she hooked up with Lucas Robinson. Young wasn’t too happy about seeing his girl with an older man.”
“Okay.” Jenna tapped her pen on the table. “And Hall? How does he fit into this mess?”
Kane rested one boot on his other knee and leaned back in his chair. “He went to Robinson for financial advice last year and ended up losing his shirt.”
“So, both men could have a motive for killing Robinson.” Jenna stared into space. “And if they’re as close as you say, maybe they murdered the men in the forest as well. Do you know if Hall was involved in the fight at the Triple Z?”
Kane nodded. “We know he was there. We’ll need to drop by the bar and hunt down witnesses to the fight.”
“Good luck with that.” Rowley grinned. “Those boys don’t like talking to law enforcement.”
“The reason for the fight might shed light on a motive for the murders in the forest. We have a lot of ground to cover.” Jenna stared at the whiteboard for a beat and then over to Kane. “Take Rowley and head out to the Triple Z—see if you can hunt down any information on the brawl. I’ll finish up here, and if you’re not back by four, I’ll go to the ME’s office for the Robinson autopsy.”
Kane stood. “Roger that.” He pushed on his Stetson and then reached for his coat. “Coming, Duke?”
To his surprise the dog stood, shook himself from nose to tail, long ears and lips flapping, and then waited as he dressed him in his thick, waterproof coat. Kane straightened and looked at Rowley’s amused expression. “He gets cold.”
“He has a fur coat.” Rowley pushed on his hat. “You spoil him.”
Kane looked down into Duke’s trusting brown eyes, remembering how he was when he’d found him in the mountains during a case. He’d been skin and bones. It was a wonder the dog was so gentle after surviving such horrific mistreatment. He rubbed Duke’s ears. “He’s worth it.”
* * *
The sleet had pounded Kane’s vehicle in an unforgiving blast all the way to the Triple Z. The limited visibility on the highway made it tough going, and even the eighteen-wheelers moved slower than usual. By the number of cars in the parking lot, the miserable conditions hadn’t prevented the patrons from visiting the Triple Z. He parked as close to the entrance as possible and called Duke to follow him inside. The dog just opened his eyes for a beat and then closed them again. “Okay, stay here.” He pulled a blanket over him and shut the door.
“My dog spends most of his time outside in all weathers, by choice.” Rowley pulled his hat down to shield his face from the sleet. “He comes and goes as he pleases through the doggy door.” He sighed. “There’s only one problem: I can only give him access to the mudroom and usually have to clean him up when I get home.”
Kane chuckled. “Maybe you should buy him a coat.”
He pushed through the doors and winced at the stench of stale beer, sweat, and what could’ve been corn dogs. Weaving through the tables, he led the way to the bar, ignoring the dagger-like stares from the varied clientele, and waited for the barkeeper to serve a customer. Unless called out to sort out a ruckus, the sheriff’s department usually let the Triple Z and its patrons be. This bar was like a beehive, better left alone than stirred up to cause trouble. When the barkeeper finished wiping down the bar and flicked the cloth over one shoulder, Kane beckoned him. “What can you tell me about the fight out in the parking lot on Saturday night?”
“Uh-huh.” The barkeeper’s mouth stretched into a grin. “There’s a fight here most days, Deputy. It’s kinda hard to keep track of them all.”
Kane leaned across the bar and, dropping his voice to just above a whisper, glared at him. “You won’t find it so funny when we don’t respond the next time you call 911.” He straightened and glanced around the bar. “I recall saving your hide the last time a brawl broke out in here, and the sheriff making sure you received damages. Our deputies went beyond the call of duty and suffered personal injury.” He snorted. “I need answers. Two of the men involved in a fight here were found murdered in the forest.” He leaned on the stained wooden counter and eyeballed him. “So, I’d suggest you wipe that grin off your face and start cooperating. Who was involved? If you don’t know who caused the fight, I want the names of people who do.”
“Murdered, you say?” The color drained from the barkeeper’s face. “I’ll tell you what I overheard but I won’t stand up in no court to testify. A barkeeper is like a priest—people know they can talk to us and we don’t blab all over town.”
Kane took out his notebook and slid out the pen. “Why don’t you start from the beginning? Who was here and what did you overhear?”
“Cliff Young and Kyler Hall were sitting at the bar when Parker Louis and Tim Addams walked in.” The barkeeper stared into space for a beat and then narrowed his gaze at Kane. “They were arguing about an appliances delivery.” He looked around nervously and started to polish the bar with vigor. “Cliff and Kyler are stealing from the ski resort site. They know when the deliveries of appliances arrive at the cabins and have been helping themselves to items. Apparently, it was one or two things at first. Parker and Tim found out and wanted in on the deal.”
“So, what caused the fight?” Rowley moved closer.
“Parker threatened to spill his guts to the boss unless they included them on the next delivery.” The barkeeper turned away, filled two glasses with soda, and slid them across the bar to Kane and Rowley. “Cliff went ballistic, saying he’d kill Parker before he let him blackmail him.” He frowned. “Then they took it outside.” He indicated with his chin to the emptying bar. “Is that all? You coming in here is bad for business.”
Kane took down notes and then lifted his gaze to the barkeeper. “I don’t have your name.”
“Hank Dunaway. I live out back in one of the rooms.”
Kane slid his pen back into the holder on his notepad and met the man’s gaze. “Well, Mr. Dunaway, unfortunately, being a barkeeper doesn’t entitle you to the Seal of the Confessional. This information makes you a material witness with important evidence about the case. If the prosecution calls on you to testify, you have no option.”
“I’ll refuse.” Dunaway looked horrified. “You can’t make me.”
Kane noticed the sweat beading on the man’s brow. “It’s out of my hands. The prosecutor can issue a subpoena ordering you to appear in court. If you refuse, a warrant will be issued for your arrest. A judge could send you to jail for contempt of court if you refuse to testify.” He dropped a few bills on the bar for the drinks and smiled at Dunaway. “Just in case someone in here figures you’re bribing us.” He turned and headed for the door.
“That was smooth.” Rowley chuckled and followed him outside.
Kane smiled. “Just doing my job.” He dashed back to his truck and slid inside, turning to look at Duke curled up asleep on the back seat. “I wonder why you insist on coming with me, Duke, when you won’t get out in the rain.”
“He’s smarter than you think.” Rowley climbed into the passenger seat and grinned at him. “Where to next?”
Kane started the engine and then glanced at his watch. “If we hurry, we’ll be back in town before Jenna leaves for the ME’s office.”
His thoughts turned to the case and the possibility they had two killers stalking victims in Black Rock Falls. Or maybe one murderer and a follower, which was often the case. Alpha male psychopaths often led others to kill. He turned onto the high
way, and as they reached town, he looked at Rowley, who seemed lost in thought. “How are things going with Sandy? You haven’t mentioned her all day.”
“Things are going fine… well, better than fine.” Rowley chuckled. “I’m getting used to having her around. I’m thinking of asking her to marry me real soon.”
Kane smiled at him. “Not planning on letting this one get away, huh?”
“No way.” Rowley had a dreamy look in his eye. “She’s the one, I just know it.” He glanced at Kane. “Do you think Jenna will allow us to live in the house, after all it does belong to the department?”
“Yeah.” Kane nodded. “I can’t think of a reason she’d turn you out on the street just because you decided to get married. She likes Sandy, we all do. She’s becoming part of our family.”
“That’s nice.” Rowley cleared his throat. “But I’ll make sure to ask Jenna about the house, before I tie the knot.”
Kane parked on his spot outside the sheriff’s department and opened the back door for Duke to jump down. The dog lowered his head and dashed up the steps nosing his way inside the glass doors. He stared after him. “You’re welcome.”
Seventeen
After listening to Kane’s report about the conversation between Kyler Hall, Cliff Young, and the two alleged victims from the forest, Parker Louis and Tim Addams, Jenna rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “This sounds too easy.” She looked at her deputies. “And since when have any of our cases been open and shut?”
“Maybe we got lucky this time?” Kane sipped the hot coffee she’d given them on their return.
Something didn’t feel right and Jenna frowned. “This is Black Rock Falls and luck has nothing to do with it. Sure, check out the suspects, but I believe we need to investigate this case some more. Rowley, head on over to the mortician’s—Ian Clark, our other potential suspect, is working as a cleaner over there. I want you to find out his whereabouts at the time of the murders. I’ve read his sheet and I find it difficult to believe he’d break into a house, kill someone, and not take anything. Nor is he intimidating enough to hunt down two men and shoot them.” She rubbed her temples. “But I guess he could’ve changed during his time in jail.”