The Bear Mountain Secret

by Gayle Siebert

“The doc said he thinks the one on my cheek is gunna leave a scar.”

  “Well, you’re gunna be one tough-lookin’ hombre for sure,” Clint tells him. He doesn’t think a few more scars are going to matter. Poor kid was never going to win any prizes for his looks.

  “Dad, I don’t think the doctor believed me that I fell into a ditch. He told me to be sure and watch where I was goin from now on.”

  “Whether he believed you or not doesn’t matter,” Clint tells him. He notices two marked RCMP cruisers in the designated ambulance parking, but inside, there was a bloodied guy handcuffed to a gurney with two cops hanging around chatting up the nurses, so he thinks nothing of it.

  As they walk up beside the first cruiser, Clint is surprised to see there’s a cop in it. In fact, the second cruiser is occupied, too. Two cops per cruiser?

  Trent notices it at about the same time, and says urgently, “Dad!”

  “Nuthin’ to worry about, son. They’re just fuckin’ the dog while their partners are inside with the…”

  At that moment the driver’s doors of both cruisers open and the officers spring out, coming toward them with their hands on their holsters. Another cruiser, lights on, chirps its siren as it pulls up behind them.

  Trent shrieks, “Fuck!”

  The nearest cop holds up a badge and calls out, “RCMP! Trent Reardon! On your knees! Hands on your head! You’re under arrest for the murder of Hermine Schoenfeld.”

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  WHEN CLINT FINALLY gets to his house later in the afternoon, Kiersten isn’t home. He’s not surprised, because she was at work. He swung by the Riverview on his way home and managed to get a kiss and a quick hug, but her co-workers were watching so the embrace was brief. He offered to pick her up after work but she said she already had a ride, so she’d see him at home. He decided to pick up groceries and surprise her with dinner ready when she got in.

  He sets the grocery bags on the counter and is putting things away, leaving the salad fixings and hamburger for spaghetti sauce next to the stove, when the doorbell rings. He goes to the door and opens it on Kevin.

  “Hey,” Kevin says.

  “You’re finished with Trent already?” Clint asks.

  “Yeah, well, they’re not going to let him out until he appears before a judge in the morning.”

  “I guess that’s how it usually works.”

  “Yeah. Er, you got a beer? I could use one.”

  Clint steps back and gestures with a wave, “Yeah, of course, come in. I was just getting ready to make dinner. Come grab a stool. Actually,” he says as he glances at his Rolex, “I’ve got some time. I think I’ll join you in that beer.”

  The two men head into the kitchen. Kevin takes a stool at the island while Clint gets two bottles of Heineken out of the fridge. He passes one to Kevin as he slides onto the stool next to him.

  After opening his beer and taking a long swig, Clint says, “you didn’t come here just to tell me this.”

  “Well, no. Fact is, I need to talk to you.”

  “What about?”

  “That kid of yours. He worries me.”

  “Oh?”

  Kevin draws a deep breath, clicks his tongue, and swivels his stool so he can look Clint in the eye. “He wants a meeting with Crown Counsel. He’s talking about making a deal.”

  “What? What kind of a deal could he possibly make? What’s he know that’s worth enough to skate on a murder rap? Not boosting that hotel room…”

  “No, not just that. Think about it. Kiersten claims she wasn’t kidnapped but Trent knows she was. Or at least someone was. And where did he take her? To Bearon’s.” Kevin shakes his head slowly. “That might be explained away, but do you know what the job in Pillerton was?”

  “Umm, no. I guess I didn’t ask.”

  “Course you wouldn’t ask. No one’s allowed to ask questions. Everything’s ‘need to know’ and I doubt Bearon would’ve thought you had a need to know.”

  “Trent said something about an old lady. I guess that’s who they think he murdered. I should’ve asked him more about it but I was a little distracted.”

  “I know. It’s about Kiersten, yeah?”

  “Yeah. She’s been acting peculiar.”

  “No doubt. You know why?”

  Clint shakes his head.

  “Because Bearon’s been all over her the whole time you were away. If I didn’t think it was impossible for him to have human emotions, I’d say he’s smitten with her. Has she told you he’s let her see him? I mean, see him? And that he’s going to transfer her out of your house and into his?”

  “What? No! He can’t do that!”

  “Yeah, I thought you didn’t know. Bastard pulls this off when you aren’t around. She didn’t have a car. Gonna need one living out there, so he bought her one. She’s quit her job. From now on her only job is to service him.”

  The fact Kevin called Bearon a bastard barely registering, Clint leaps to his feet and strides around the kitchen slamming cupboard doors and cursing. “Fuck! Goddamn fuckin’ Bearon!”

  “I know it’s a kick in the nuts, Clint, but it’s not the worst of it. Trent is a much bigger, more immediate problem. You don’t think he has information to trade? Where did you pick him up from last night?”

  “Well…”

  “And that’s not the first time he’s been there. There were a lot more guests there the last time they stuck him down there, remember? He might not have seen them, but for sure he heard them. And then there’s the hit he contracted for in Pillerton.”

  “A hit? Trent?”

  “Yeah. He was hired to kill that woman who was snooping around, asking questions about Hank. He got her mother-in-law by mistake. That’s the only part of it that was an accident.”

  “Trent was going to kill someone? Trent did kill someone? He said he didn’t touch her.”

  “Well, there’s a pile of forensics that says otherwise. And he’s talking about the Saskatchewan operation. Knows Evan and Carl are involved. The bikers and their crusher. Who knows what else.”

  “What?” Clint slumps to a chair at the kitchen table next to the patio doors. “Trent?” The idea of his son being a stone cold killer is impossible to believe. “It can’t be,” he says. “He’s as dumb as a post. You know him, he’s like a ten year old. He’s harmless. He couldn’t kill anyone!”

  Kevin swivels his stool around to face Clint. “Well, apparently he thought he could.”

  “But if he killed that… If that happened in Saskatchewan, why aren’t they sending him back there?”

  “They might eventually but they want to try him here first. It’s not just for breaching bail conditions. They think they can tie him to a double murder last year on Vancouver Island.”

  “What? My god!”

  They sit quiet while several minutes tick by. Then Kevin says, “I know it’s a lot to wrap your head around. I’d give you time to process it, but time is a luxury we don’t have. You have to talk to him, tonight. Before he can get with someone from Crown Counsel’s office. Make sure he knows that you hired me to take care of him and if he takes Bearon or the Pillerton guys down, we all go down. Or at least get it across to him that you’ll go down. Make him think you’ve got some deep dark secret and they could put you away for the rest of your life.”

  “Well…”

  “I know. So, all he has to do to save you is plead guilty, just to the Saskatchewan charge. They haven’t got enough to lay charges on the double murder yet. Maybe they never will. He’ll be okay on that as long as he keeps his mouth shut. I’ve already told him I’m going to get the charge on the Saskatchewan thing reduced to involuntary manslaughter. He’ll get ten years. What the hell, tell him five years. He won’t even be thirty when he gets out and we’ll set him up with a nice house, hot car or a new Bronco better than the one he keeps whining about, if that’s what he wants. He just needs to keep his mouth shut.”

  “That might not be so easy for him to do.”

  �
�I know, he’s yappy. Can you make him understand that if he yaps to other guys in jail, he won’t be safe in there, either. Lots of nasty things can happen.”

  Clint nods and takes a few deep breaths. “You want me to see him tonight?”

  “Yes.” Kevin gets to his feet. “I think I can get him out on bail until his sentencing hearing, too. It would help if I could tell the judge he would be staying with you.”

  “I guess so. Sure.”

  “You’ll have to be with me in court so the judge can confirm it with you.”

  “How long before the sentencing hearing?”

  “Don’t know. The old woman’s family has a right to present victim impact statements so they’ll likely give them time to arrange to be here.”

  “Okay.”

  “Come with me,” Kevin says. “I’ll get you in to see him now.” He drinks the last of his beer, slams the empty bottle down on the island, and heads for the door just ahead of Clint.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  CLINT IS SLOUCHED on the sofa having just drained his sixth beer when Kiersten comes in. He doesn’t get up, just demands, “when were you going to tell me?”

  “I—”

  “Never mind,” Clint says, “don’t bother putting your purse down. You want to live with that asshole? Why not start tonight?”

  “But Clint! It’s not that I want to!”

  “Don’t give me that!” He gets up off the couch and wobbles slightly as he takes a few steps toward her. “All that moanin’ and groanin’ while you were fuckin’ him—he enjoyed those fake orgasms so much he decided he’d like a steady diet, and you went right along with it, didn’t you!”

  “Clinton, baby, you told me to make it convincing! You know he takes what he wants! You said it would be a few times. I never thought I was going to have to live with him!”

  “Oh no? Tell me you don’t like his big dick! And the new car!”

  “I—er—”

  “Don’t you lie! Don’t you dare lie to me!” He strides toward her, grabs her by the shoulders and pushes her back against the wall.

  “Clint, stop it! You’re hurting me!”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “I—”

  “Tell you what,” he snarls, “let’s see if you can moan and groan as convincingly when I’m fuckin’ you!” He pulls her away from the wall and frog-marches her into the bedroom where he shoves her down on the bed. He pushes her uniform skirt up, hooks his fingers into her panties and pulls them roughly off. She attempts to sit up but he pushes her down again, unzipping and pushing his pants down to his knees at the same time. As he climbs on top of her, forcing himself inside her, he rips her blouse open and squeezes her breast. “Come on, bitch, let’s hear some of those moans now!” he cries as he pounds away.

  With a shock, he realizes she’s crying and he is overcome with the enormity of what he’s doing. She’s right. It’s not her fault. Bearon gets what he wants.

  He rolls off and pulls her into his arms. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m sorry!” He holds her and strokes her hair while she cries.

  “I love you, Kiersten. I just lost control. You know I love you! I can’t stand the idea of him taking you away.”

  Her only answer is a sob.

  He cups her chin and turns her face up so she makes eye contact. It’s fleeting, though. She looks off to the side. “You know I love you, don’t you?”

  She won’t meet his gaze but after a moment, gives a short nod.

  “He doesn’t love you! I love you more than anyone else ever could. It just made me crazy, him taking you away from me! I’m sorry, so sorry, for doing this. Forgive me? Please! Can you?”

  “I guess so,” she whispers.

  He’s stroking her neck when he realizes she’s wearing a necklace. It’s a chain. A heavy one. With a large gold pendant on it. He holds it in his palm to examine it.

  “What’s this?” he asks. “Something else Bearon gave you?”

  She stiffens but doesn’t answer.

  “Yeah, of course it is.” It’s a gold coin in a rope setting. Who knows if the coin is worth anything, but the heavy chain would easily run a thousand. She wouldn’t have the money to buy it.

  “I don’t even like it,” Kiersten whispers. “It’s too heavy. He insisted.”

  “I’m sorry, baby. Of course you have to play along.” He doubts it’s all playing, or that she gets no enjoyment from sex with Bearon. But it’s stupid for him to take it out on Kiersten when she’s much more useful as an ally than as an ex-girlfriend. One who wasn’t even supposed to be a girlfriend. Lesson learned.

  He’s lying when he says he loves her. What really picks him is Bearon swooping in and taking her. If he’d asked for her, Clint would have given her to him without a second thought. Not that he’ll tell anyone that.

  “I have to move to his place. And I’m going to be working at the Lodge from now on.”

  “The Lodge? Doing what?”

  “There’s different things going on. Members are starting to book in. The software’s the same as at Riverview so I already know how it works. They won’t have to train anyone.”

  “So…I won’t be able to see you at all? We won’t be able to see each other at all?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Well, you know my schedule is flexible. He wouldn’t have given you a car if he wanted to keep you isolated up there.”

  “I guess not. But I’m not sure if I’m, er, if I can, you know, see other guys. Like see you, I mean. Like what would he do if I, er…”

  Clint sits up and smooths Kiersten’s skirt. When he fusses with her blouse, he realizes it’s torn. “Sorry about this,” he says, “looks like I ruined your blouse. Good thing you won’t need it much longer. Tell you what. Get changed and we’ll go out for something to eat. What do you think? Moxie’s maybe? A nice dinner and then home to bed. Tonight, let’s forget everything else except loving each other. We’ll deal with tomorrow, tomorrow.”

  He realizes he has to be especially loving if he wants to keep Kiersten on his side. And he does. Having her living with Bearon might make her more useful than if she was just fucking him once in a while.

  Twenty-eight

  Plan B

  IT’S SIX A.M. and since the clocks have been set back to Pacific Standard instead of Daylight Savings Time, it’s dark. Bearon is already in his office. His hip is on fire this morning. This time it’s not because of a particularly athletic romp with Kiersten last night, though. She barely moved. Odd how that changed since she moved in. Maybe she needs a reminder of what can happen to Clint if she doesn’t up her game. Or maybe he should move her along.

  Kiersten won’t be up for another hour, but the pain woke him early. He’s taken a couple of pills and needs a soak in the hot tub. But it’ll have to wait until he makes a phone call.

  Since the lawyer called to confirm the Klein woman is claiming the five million and her butch lawyer friend did something to extend the time limit, he lives every day in a silent rage. He’s not arrogant enough to think no one will ever discover the phoney invoices or the transfers into his own bank account that he has no way of justifying.

  Not that he worries about the brainless idiots here, but Briggs and the other Big Guys in Pillerton are starting to act funny. He can’t quite put his finger on it, but the sooner he gets everything paid back, the better. Then it was just a loan, he’ll add interest, he is the owner after all and doesn’t need their blessing to move money around in his own business does he? Of course he does, at least until he has more autonomy, but better to beg forgiveness than ask for permission, as they say. He’s been planning on the last of his inheritance to cover it.

  Even without the inheritance, he’ll earn enough to repay it all, just not soon enough. And why should he live like a pauper when the lump sum that’s rightfully his will solve everything?

  That fuckin’ Klein woman! She’s all that stands between him and the solution to his financial problems. She still has to prove she’s Hank Haze
n’s daughter and Robertson doesn’t think she can, but Bearon is not going to wait and see.

  Goddamn Reardons! First that fuck-up in Pillerton, and then Clint going against his orders and taking his moron son to the hospital! If he’d left him in the Basement, he wouldn’t have been arrested. Clint and Kevin insist he’ll take the fall, do the time and won’t sing. Bearon is not going to wait and see on that one, either.

  He thought about having Trent taken out before he has a chance to run his mouth, and then he learned that the Klein woman, well her husband anyway, is going to give a victim impact statement at the sentencing hearing. Will he come without her? Unlikely. He’s going ahead on the assumption they’ll come together. An unexpected gift and about time something went his way. But it means Trent has to be alive, at least until Klein gets to Dark River, so he can initiate Plan B.

  All he needs is a way to get her to the Lodge. Dick-licker Briggs won’t have any trouble making that happen. And if there are three others that go with her? Collateral damage. It’s too bad about Rick, but unless he can separate them, there’s nothing he can do about that.

  With a time difference of two hours, it’s not too early to call Saskatchewan.

  “Hello, Bearon,” Evan says.

  “I’ve got you on speaker, Evan. You don’t know for sure it’s me,” Bearon says. “This is a landline. Anyone could be using it.”

  “Yeah, right. Who would that anyone be?”

  For a second, he thinks about telling him about his new living arrangements, but decides against it and says, “point taken.”

  “What’s up?”

  “Someone I’m interested in is going to be in Prince George for Reardon’s sentencing hearing in a couple weeks.”

  “They are, eh? So. Why do I care?”

  “You know we had to stand down on that job, short term anyway, so it wouldn’t bring any more heat? Nix the job permanently. I’ll deal with the problem at this end.”

  “Sure. So again, why do I care? What’s it got to do with me?”

  “They’ll be connecting with fucking Danielsons. I want you to give Danielson a call, find out if that’s the plan, and offer them four tickets to the dinner at the Lodge for the weekend of Reardon’s hearing.”