Stranded at Romson's Lodge

by J. L. Callison

  James shook his head. “We have to leave it to the police, Tran. We aren’t in the Mekong any longer.” He remembered all too well how fiercely Tran had fought and how loyal he was to those he respected. “One other thing you can do for me is to see if you can find out who caused the breakdown and fire that morning.”

  Tran’s respect for James had escalated almost to reverence. There was no way he could be turned loose on Pete, or whoever else was involved. “I really appreciate your care, my friend. There is no one I would rather have with me in this. Your thoughts will be very important in figuring this thing out, I’m sure.”

  Other members of the management and maintenance teams trickled in, each shaking James’s hand and expressing their sympathies and thoughts.

  Ziggy, his care and concern evident in that he himself served them, finalized preparations for the buffet, and James called everyone to order.

  “I appreciate you all making arrangements to be here so early this morning. I’m sorry it was last minute, but I didn’t control the circumstances.” James paused for a deep breath. “Things will be confused over the next few days, and Charles and I will be absent more than we would care to be, but first things are first. In my absence, I’m appointing Tran as interim head honcho.”

  He turned to Tom Russell, his number two man at the main plant.

  “Tom, this is not a negative reflection on you. You will take charge of the main plant in my absence, but I want Tran to head things up due to his knowledge of the other operations. These changes, at least in part, may or may not be permanent.”

  Tom nodded his understanding.

  “Tran has had some ideas that we’ve discussed. He has wanted to implement them for some time now, and he has the authorization to make whatever changes he feels are appropriate. I will be in and out, as will Charles, but both of us will have other things on our minds, and we don’t know how available we will be.

  “Charles will not be in for the next few days at all. He collapsed with chest pains and difficulty breathing Saturday, and, after checking him over pretty well, Doctor Lambert believes it was just stress, dehydration, and exhaustion. He has put Charles on rest for a couple of days. He is staying at my home until the doctor turns him loose.”

  James turned to Steve Phillips, one of the lead maintenance men.

  “Steve, you will be moving up to cover Charles’s duties until further notice. This may or may not turn into a permanent promotion. Charles and I have discussed this and feel you can do the job, and we may be moving Charles into a different capacity. For the next couple of days, you may call on Tran or me with any questions. Please don’t bother Charles. If you call him, he will be right down here, whether he should be or not, and I have every confidence you can do the job.”

  Steve nodded. “Thanks.”

  James went on to discuss general operations for the next few minutes, making clear what he wanted to be done during his frequent absences, until he was certain each person understood his increased responsibilities.

  Finally, James turned to Anh. “Anh, I know you have always wanted to tell Tran what to do and boss him around like you do me. Now is your chance.”

  This brought a good laugh from everyone.

  “I don’t know anyone I would rather have covering for me than you two. Take good care of Tom, also. He will need to lean on you for quite a few things while he is getting a handle on things. I know he can handle the job; just be his backup. Now, let’s all get to work. I need to go out to the plant and address the crew, then I have to meet with the detective working on this case. Thanks again for coming in this early.”

  Everyone trooped out quietly, with a few hugs and murmured thoughts from some of the staff, even from Anh, who had never before expressed her thoughts so emotionally. Last of all, Tran embraced James. “Fear not, my friend. We will care for your business as if it were our own, Anh and I. You go and get your children back.”

  CHAPTER 32

  Charles Sitton awoke later than usual. The sleep aid had done its job. Initially, he was disoriented, not recognizing his surroundings; then everything came back to him in a rush. He was in James and Mary’s guest room. Throwing back the sheets, he swung his feet out and sat on the edge of the bed for a few minutes, trying to get his thoughts together. Donning a robe, he wandered toward the kitchen to find the coffee he smelled.

  Mary had just put the last of her breakfast things in the dishwasher when Charles stuck his head in the door. “Any coffee left?”

  “Oh, hi, Charles. Good morning to you.” Mary grabbed a cup from the cabinet and poured coffee. “Sleep well? We tried to be quiet this morning and let you sleep in.”

  “I don’t know if I did or not. I crawled in the bed and just now woke up. I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself for two days. I’m not much of a reader, and I hate watching TV.”

  “You are welcome to any movies we have. I don’t know a whole lot more to suggest. I think the doctor just wants you to take your mind off of things and rest.”

  “I know. Movies bore me, and I’m not much of one for ‘resting.’ I rest better when I’m doing something productive. I know James isn’t much of a handyman, so if you have any projects, let me at them. I promise I’ll not work too hard, and it will keep my mind occupied.”

  “I guess I don’t see a problem with that. There are a few things James has been putting off. . .”

  CHAPTER 33

  It was chilly early in the morning when Jed hiked with Lizzie from the lodge to the meadow to retrieve the buck. The grass, wet with dew, drenched their legs from the knees down. Lizzie gasped when she saw a black figure vanish into the woods as they entered the meadow. It had been under the deer, leaping unsuccessfully to reach it before Jed and Lizzie frightened the creature away.

  “I thought you said there were no wolves in Maine! What was that animal?” Lizzie’s voice quivered.

  “It looked like a dog to me. There are no wolves. There haven’t been any in Maine for years. Some people want to re-introduce them, but they haven’t been able to. There’s just too much opposition.”

  Jed untied the rope holding the deer and lowered it. He didn’t tell Lizzie, but he watched carefully to see if the creature would reappear. Jed knew wolves were not supposed to be in the area, but there were no people around either. So where would a dog come from?

  Using a couple of short pieces of rope, Jed tied the forefeet together and did the same with the hind legs. He then threaded a pole between the legs so they could carry the deer between them. He took a towel from his backpack and folded it carefully to make a pad and placed it on Lizzie’s shoulder, and then he showed her how to lift without hurting herself. “We’ll take it easy going back. Just say when you need a break, and we’ll stop.”

  It was on their second rest stop that Lizzie saw movement in the trees. “Jed! There it is again!”

  Jed quickly unslung the rifle from his back then set the butt down on the ground. “It’s okay. Looks like John Johnson’s Labrador Retriever that got lost. I wonder how it survived the winter last year. You don’t know John, do you?”

  Lizzie shook her head.

  “John is from our Greenville plant. He brought his dog up with him last fall to train him for duck and goose hunting. The problem was he had never shot a gun around the dog before, and the first time he shot, the dog got scared and ran away. We weren’t able to find him. I’ll have to give John a call and let him know we found his dog.”

  Jed’s shoulders drooped. “Oh, yeah. I guess I won’t call him either, will I?”

  After slinging his rifle on his back again, Jed picked up his end of the pole. “We’d better get moving. If we sit too long we’ll stiffen up, and it will be twice as hard to get moving again. I have an idea the dog will trail along with us. Maybe we can get him to follow us to the lodge.”

  Though the dog trailed them as they finished the trek back to the lodge, it would not come out of the woods, despite frequent calls.

  At th
e lodge, Jed had Lizzie help him hoist the deer onto an outside table so he could butcher it. He sliced a couple of nice steaks and suspended them over an open fire in the fire pit to broil while he cut up the rest of the deer. The hike out to the meadow so early in the morning and then the trek back carrying the deer made him think he could eat the whole thing at once!

  After eating, Jed taught Lizzie how to scrape the inside of the deerskin to get all of the meat and fat residue from the skin.

  “You know, Jed, I should be grossed-out by this, but it’s kind of fun, you know? I had no idea about butchering or tanning hides.”

  “I always thought so. Mom hates it. She doesn’t mind cooking the meat or eating it, but she hates anything to do with butchering game. I’m glad you are willing to help. I don’t think I could do it all alone.”

  Lizzie was pleased at the comment and gave Jed a smile. “I feel so helpless up here. I want to do all I can to help. Just tell me what to do, okay?”

  “That’s good! In the Indian villages, it is always the squaw’s job to chew the hide to make it soft and pliable. I’ll let you do that.”

  “Yuck! Now that is gross!”

  Jed laughed and pointed to a log extending from the corner of the lodge. “We’ll beat and stretch it soft over there. I’ll teach you how we do that, unless you want to chew it.”

  Lizzie threw a little piece of fat at him and stuck out her tongue. With an inward sigh of relief, Jed realized Lizzie was coping with their situation. He decided to wait until the hide was soaked to scrape the hair side. Wet-scraping seemed to be the easier way to go for Lizzie.

  While Lizzie carefully scraped the deer hide, Jed took care of the meat. He cut out as much as he thought they could use before it spoiled, and then he began the process of making jerky to preserve the rest. He carefully cut away any fatty portions and scraps and threw them toward the trees where he had seen the dog skulking in the shadows. The dog pounced on the scraps ravenously but would not come close.

  Once the meat was sliced into thin strips, Jed and Lizzie worked together to marinate the meat with spices and salt in preparation for drying. Once, Jed noticed Lizzie was humming as she worked.

  When scraping was finished, Jed filled an old hollow oak stump with water and put the hide in to soak and start the tanning process. The tannins from the oak would begin tanning the hide and would loosen the skin to ease hair removal.

  After the meat soaked in the marinade for a few hours, Jed laid the meat on racks he suspended over a very low fire, built with wet hickory chips, which smoked, dried, and flavored the meat.

  Before the day was over, Lizzie had a much deeper appreciation for the work required by the women who had pioneered the country. Her back and shoulders ached from scraping the hide, and her hands cramped from holding the scraper and slicing meat. Her skin was shriveled from being damp for so long. She knew she was going to be very ready when bedtime came, but the exhaustion was satisfying when she saw all of the meat piled for smoking. She and Jed would trade off getting up during the night to be sure the fire in the fire pit was burning properly so the meat would be well-preserved and unscorched.

  CHAPTER 34

  Mary met James at Romson Industries for the ride to the police department to meet with Detective Summers. There was a pronounced sense of foreboding clouding Mary’s mind as they drove.

  Officer Donovan was waiting for them when they walked in the front door, and Bernie Watson entered moments later from the back. Together, the four walked behind the front desk and down the hallway to a conference room. Detective Summers, who had rather sunken, bloodshot eyes, was sitting at the end of the table with stacks of papers spread before her. She cradled a large cup of coffee in her hands as if it was the only source of energy she had left.

  “Please help yourself to a cup of coffee or some water if you care for any. Pardon me for not getting up, but it’s been a long couple of nights.”

  Bernie poured them each a cup of coffee and raised an eyebrow in question to Officer Donovan, who nodded his thanks. After Bernie poured it for him, they all sat down at the table.

  “I hope you don’t mind meeting in a conference room instead of an interrogation room?” said Detective Summers with a tired smile. Mary smiled her gratitude.

  “We were setting the stage Saturday. I didn’t really suspect you of anything, but we never rule anyone out, and finding oneself in unsettling conditions often brings out things we would not normally get otherwise. Have you seen the papers or listened to the news at all?”

  “No, we basically slept and rested all day Sunday, and then I was busy rearranging staffing so I could be free for whatever is needed,” said James.

  “It’s just as well. Things should start to settle down now. How is Charles? Will he be able to talk with me soon?”

  Mary answered, “I think the doctor will be okay with it tomorrow. When I left the house, he was doing some little odd jobs for me to keep from climbing the walls.”

  James looked at her questioningly, but she shook her head to forestall any questions.

  “May I stop by in the morning, then?”

  Mary answered again. “Certainly. Eleven? He sees the doctor at nine-thirty. I think we will have him stay with us for a few days at least.”

  “Good. Now, our status. I have talked with everyone at the school, and they have all confirmed what we talked about on Saturday. We have a description of Pete, Jed, and Elizabeth out on the wires to all law enforcement offices, plus we have called in the FBI. You may or may not hear from them. We have sent alerts to all FBOs and marinas where they might stop for fuel, but we have heard nothing as of yet. I spent most of the last two nights on this.”

  Detective Summers paused to sip at her coffee. “The chief is very interested in this case, and my phone has been ringing nonstop. This is the first possible kidnapping, other than family related, we have had here in almost a hundred years.”

  “You say ‘possible’ kidnapping? What do you mean ‘possible’?” asked James indignantly.

  “We cannot characterize it as a kidnapping because there is no conclusive evidence of force being used. We have to characterize it as a possible kidnapping until we know for sure. What we have is two missing teenagers; a missing, possibly stolen airplane; a missing pilot; and some vandalism to the doors at your hangar. At present, we have to treat it as grand theft of an aircraft, with Jed and Pete as persons of interest in the matter.”

  “What?” James almost shouted. “What do you mean calling Jed a person of interest? He didn’t steal the airplane. Surely you aren’t calling him a suspect!”

  “Easy, James,” interjected Bernie. “She didn’t call him a suspect. A person of interest is someone the police wish to talk to concerning a matter. It sounds worse than it is.”

  “Okay,” said James, only partially mollified. “Do you mean he will be arrested?”

  Bernie answered, “No. He may be detained for questioning but not arrested, at least not without reason to believe he was complicit in the theft of the airplane.”

  Detective Summers broke back in. “James, Mary, you need to consider what we know and what we don’t. First, we have two missing teenagers who may have run off together, possibly with the complicity of a pilot.” She held up her hand to stop James and Mary’s outbursts. “I have to look at possibilities, not what I want to think. I’m sorry, but I don’t have the luxury of emotion. I have to look at things as they are, not as I want them to be.”

  Mary nodded, with tears welling up in her eyes. “We are assuming because the car was left in the hangar and because a person driving Pete’s car was picked up by Jed, they all left in the plane. Assumptions are dangerous in police work, but it’s what we’ve got. Second, we have two missing teenagers who may have been taken against their will for reasons unknown. Were they taken for spite? For ransom? Or did something worse happen? We don’t know, and in police work ‘we don’t know’ means we don’t know. Third, we have a missing aircraft and pilot. Appearanc
es from footprints in the hangar indicate, but are not conclusive, that three people boarded the aircraft. This could have been for a joyride. Perhaps Jed just wanted to give Elizabeth a plane ride, and they had trouble and had to put down somewhere. However, only one set of footprints appears to be from someone pushing the aircraft out of the hangar. There is one other possibility I have been looking into for the last two nights.”

  Detective Summers looked through a pile of paperwork on her desk, extracted a sheet, and rubbed her eyes before looking up.

  “Three small planes crashed within three hundred miles over the weekend. Although I had the incident reports from local authorities, I have been to each of the crash sites. I can say none of the three were yours, but I had to check. No other light plane incidents have been reported anywhere in the country.

  “I checked with the FBI, and there have been no reports of your plane refueling anywhere within a thousand miles of here, which is well outside of your plane’s range, which could indicate they are within that area.”

  James rose shakily from his seat and walked over to the coffeepot and poured himself another cup.

  “Anyone else for a refill?” No one responded, and he took his seat.

  “Okay, there is one more factor we have to consider. There has been no ransom demand, has there?”

  The color drained from both James’s and Mary’s faces as they shook their heads. Neither of them had even considered a ransom call, or the lack of one. This put a whole new spin on things.

  CHAPTER 35

  Charles answered the phone on the third ring, as he knew James did.

  “Romsons’.”

  “Hello. This is Sue Jenson. I’m looking for Charles Sitton.” “Oh. Hi, Sue, this is Charles.” He felt a little flutter in his stomach at the sound of her voice.

  “Doctor Lambert wanted me to give you a call and see how you feel today.”

  She didn’t mention she was the one who suggested the call. Doctor Lambert noted the connection between them in the hospital room and felt the contact would be good for both parties. Had he not specialized in cardiology, psychology would have been the field of choice. He was also a hopeless romantic.