Moonshine Murder [Hawkman Bk 14]

by Betty Sullivan La Pierre

  Feeling good about the purchases, she decided to take them to the cabin that afternoon. When she arrived home, she put the perishables away, then went to the bedroom. Removing the fanny pack from the dresser drawer, she fastened it around her waist, and slipped the pistol inside.

  A chill ran up her spine as she went out the front door. What if Jeb or Earl shot at her? She threw back her shoulders and exclaimed aloud. “I'll yell at them first. If that doesn't work, I'll shoot off my gun.” With a toss of her head, she jumped into the Explorer.

  Traveling up the road, then turning at the small cut, she felt uneasiness surge through her body. Maybe she should have waited for Hawkman. She knew he wouldn't be too happy about her doing this trick alone. Butterflies in her stomach, she plowed ahead over the rough terrain. When she arrived at the spot where she should turn. Earl stepped out of the trees and pointed his rifle.

  “Stop where you are.”

  “Get out of my way, Earl, I've come to see Beth.”

  He walked toward her, never lowering the gun. “What do you want with her?”

  “None of your business. My visit is with your mother, not you.”

  He lowered the gun. “You wait here; I'll check with her.”

  “I'm not going to sit here, you twerp,” she mumbled under her breath. When Earl disappeared into the woods, she gunned the Ford ahead, turned and ended up in front of the cabin where she parked. Jennifer hurried to the front door and started to knock when she heard Beth's angry voice.

  “What do you mean stopping Mrs. Casey and making her wait for you to come back. Don't you ever do that again. Do you hear me?”

  “Dad told me not to let anyone come through the property,” Earl said.

  “I don't care what your father said. She's my friend and I'm telling you what to do when it concerns people coming to see me. Now, get out there and have her come on in.”

  Earl opened the door, and appeared shocked. “She's here already.” He glared at Jennifer as he brushed past her. “I told you to wait,” he said.

  “You don't tell me what to do,” she spat.

  Beth came forward. “Please forgive his rudeness. Come in, please.”

  Jennifer glanced at the cot where she expected to see the injured boy. “Where's Randy?”

  “He's very restless and is out walking on his crutches. He'll be in shortly; he doesn't last too long. He says they make his underarms sore. I'm sure he's not using them right, as they shouldn't make him hurt.”

  “How's the injury coming?”

  “Healing very nicely.”

  “Good.” Jennifer pointed out the door. “I've brought some things for the baby. Want to help me bring them in.”

  “I'd love to.”

  The two women went outside, and when Jennifer opened the rear end, Beth gasped in surprise, and put her hands at her throat. “Oh my, a crib and high chair?”

  “Marcy can't sleep in the cradle for much longer. She's really growing,” Jennifer said, reaching in and pulling the bed toward her, then instructed Beth to grab the other end.

  They carried it inside, and placed it against the wall at the end of Randy's cot. Beth had a smile on her face that lit up the room.

  “It's beautiful, and fits perfectly.”

  “I also brought some sheets for the small mattress, but first, let's fetch the high chair.”

  “You are much too kind,” Beth said, as they scurried out the door.

  Once they'd placed the items in the room, Jennifer lugged in the sacks ladened with all sorts of goodies. As they unloaded them, Randy came swinging into the room, a big grin on his face.

  “Hi, Mrs. Casey.”

  “Hello, Randy. I've got some things for you in this sack.”

  “Really?”

  “You can read, can't you?”

  “Yeah, pretty good. I used to go to school, and Mom has taught me too.”

  “Good.” She handed him some books and a box of pencils. “These have puzzles in them, and I've brought a few toys you might enjoy.”

  She placed a paddle board with a rubber ball in his hand. “See if you can hit the ball. On second thought,” she said, as the ball whizzed by her face, “maybe you should take it outside.”

  He laughed as he searched in the sack, where he found a race car and couple of different balls. “Wow, this is neat stuff.” Swinging his body on the crutches, he went out the door with the paddle and ball in his hand.

  Jennifer removed a toy with colored plastic animals hanging on a colorful string, and attached it to Marcy's cradle. The baby immediately grew excited and kicked her feet.

  “She loves it,” Beth said, touching the items so they wiggled.

  Jennifer glanced at Beth who'd become silent, with an expression of concern on her face.

  “What's the matter?”

  “We can't accept these things.”

  “Why not?”

  “I can never repay you.”

  “I don't expect any payment. These are gifts from one friend to another. Just seeing the pleasure on your faces makes me happy.”

  Beth ran her hands over the baby's crib, and tears welled in her eyes. “I love this.”

  “When Marcy outgrows her cradle, she'll be able to sleep in it for at least a year.”

  Both women turned on their heel when a voice boomed from the doorway. “What the hell's going on here?”

  “Mrs. Casey has brought some lovely items for Marcy.”

  “You can't keep them. We don't take no charity.”

  Jennifer narrowed her eyes and glared at Jeb Hutchinson. “This isn't charity. These are gifts.”

  “We don't want to owe no one.”

  “No payment is due, if the item is a gift,” Jennifer said.

  “I want the stuff out of here,” he said, advancing toward the crib.

  Jennifer stepped in front of him. “Don't touch it. It stays in here for Beth and Marcy.”

  He pushed Jennifer aside, picked up the bed and carried it toward the door.

  “Mr. Hutchinson, you're the most unreasonable man I've ever met, not to mention very selfish. These items make less work for Beth. Instead of making life miserable for your family, why don't you spend some time working on that windmill, so you'd have running water in this place?”

  Dropping the bed, he whirled around and pointed a finger at Jennifer. “Don't tell me how to run my family. I want you out of here, now!”

  “Only if you allow Beth and Randy to keep these items will I leave in peace. Otherwise, I'm calling the authorities to let them see how you treat your children.”

  The fire in his eyes and the contortion of his mouth would have caused most people to flee in terror, but Jennifer bravely stood her ground.

  “So what's your answer?” she asked.

  Jeb looked Jennifer in the face. “You drive a hard bargain. I'll let Beth and Randy keep the items, but I don't want you back here.”

  “I'm not promising such a thing. Beth is my friend, and I'm concerned about her, Marcy's, and Randy's welfare.”

  “I take care of my own, they're not your concern.” He pushed open the door. “I'd advise you to go, before I lose my temper completely.”

  “I'll go, but I'll be back; you can bet on it.” Jennifer said, leaving the cabin and climbing into her truck. The flush of anger burned her cheeks as she stuck the key in the ignition. She backed up and turned the Ford around. As she left the premises, she glanced in the rear view mirror. “Oh, dear God, no!”

  Jeb had a shotgun pointed at her vehicle. Jennifer hit the accelerator in hopes of putting as much space as possible between him and her. The boom echoed through the air, and the sound of being peppered by pebbles made Jennifer breathe a sigh of relief when she realized she'd just been blasted with birdshot. Thank goodness she'd put distance between them. She might have a few tiny dents in the metal, but there would be less damage than if she'd been at close range.

  What possessed him to shoot at her? She knew the man didn't like the idea of Beth having
a friend, especially one who didn't take his guff.

  “Did he think he could scare me off with a little birdshot,” she mumbled.

  She finally bounced onto the paved road and headed toward home.

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  * * *

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Randy followed Jeb into the cabin and hurried across the room where he stood wide eyed as his mother met his father with fiery eyes, and a long dagger raised in a threatening manner.

  Jeb stood the shotgun in the corner. “Now Beth, put that thing away.”

  “How dare you humiliate me in front of my friend. You acted like a jackass,” she screamed, her voice shaking.

  Marcy began to cry and Randy hovered in the corner on his crutches, clutching his gifts to his chest.

  “She was so good to us when I fetched our son from the hospital. I couldn't have done it without her. Then she comes to see me, bearing gifts, and you treat her like dirt. Have you no compassion?”

  Jeb held up his hands in defense. “I just don't hanker after charity, and I don't want people nosing around here.”

  Beth lowered the knife and narrowed her eyes. “Why? What are you doing that you don't want anyone to see?”

  He shrugged. “Nothin'.”

  “You're lying.” She waved a hand at him. “Just get out. I don't even want to look at you.”

  He put his fists on his hips. “You can't kick me out of my own house.”

  “It's not yours. It belongs to your father.”

  “Beth, settle down. I'll be nicer to Mrs. Casey if she comes back.”

  “I doubt I'll ever see her again. After being shot at, she'll be afraid to come visit me.”

  “Sure sorry I've upset you so. What can I do to make it up?”

  She stared at him. “Are you serious?”

  He nodded.

  Pointing at the kitchen sink, she said, “Get the pump to working, so I don't have to haul water.”

  “I can probably do that, but it might take awhile.”

  “I don't care. Just do it.”

  He walked out the door, and she heard him yell at Earl to get a couple of shovels out of the shed and meet him at the side of the house. She smiled to herself, put the dagger away, and picked up the crying baby.

  “Mom, do you think Dad will really fix it so we have water in the house?” Randy said, stumbling out of the corner.

  “Yes, or he'll feel my wrath.”

  “Boy, I want to be on your good side.”

  She laughed. “You are, my son, you are.”

  * * * *

  When Jennifer arrived home, she still felt angry and stormed into the house. Hawkman glanced up from reading the paper as she slammed the front door, yanked off her fanny pack and tossed it onto the counter with a clunk.

  “Hey, what's going on?”

  “I'm so mad I could pick up a chair and throw it through a window.”

  “Whoa, lady, settle down before you explode. Let me fix you a drink and tell me about it.”

  Jennifer sat on the hearth, and Miss Marple rubbed up against her side. “I'm really not in the mood for you. Go see the man of the house.”

  “Boy, you must have had a bad day,” he said, handing her a drink.

  Hawkman lowered his lanky frame next to her, and she leaned against his shoulder. “I should never have gone without you.”

  “Where'd you go?”

  “To see Beth.”

  He frowned, set his glass down on the brick, took her by the shoulders, and turned her toward him. “Start at the beginning.”

  She took a deep breath. “I found exactly what Beth needed for the baby in Yreka, bought the crib and high chair, then made a quick stop to pick up some toys for Randy, along with purchasing some staples for Beth. When I returned home, I decided to run them out to her since it was still early in the afternoon.”

  “Were you met by Jeb?”

  “No, Earl halted me and demanded I stay there until he checked with his mom. I didn't like the cocky kid's attitude, so decided to move ahead. When I reached the cabin and approached the door, I heard Beth scolding Earl for stopping my vehicle. She seemed genuinely happy to see me. We moved in the stuff and she was so excited, until Jeb came in and made a big to do over not accepting charity. I tried to talk to him, but he didn't listen and ordered me off the property, never to come back. As I drove away, he gave my Ford a good birdshot pelting.” She dropped her head into her hands. “The man is maleficent.”

  Hawkman put an arm around her shoulders. “You've got to promise not to go up there again without me.”

  “What could he be hiding?”

  “Probably something illegal. He's keeping people out on the pretense of making you think it's his private property, but we know his dad owns it. There are several outbuildings on the land. The wagon is probably stored in the barn, and the horses graze nearby. What the others contain is anybody's guess, unless I can manage to do some snooping.”

  She took hold of his arm. “He'd kill you in a minute and bury your body so no one could ever find you.”

  “I don't think so. He'd have to catch me first.”

  “Jeb and Earl keep a close watch on their place. You wouldn't have a chance.”

  “True, they keep up their guard, but you'll notice they're always checking the area where we've come in from the road. What if I follow the creek and come in from the back side. They'd never see me.”

  Jennifer stared at him and frowned. “Are you planning to hoof it?”

  “Not all the way. I'll take the four-wheeler up so far, park it, then walk the rest.”

  She stood and put her hands on her hips. “Well, you're not going alone. I'll join you, as someone needs to cover your back.”

  He reached over and grasped her leg. “Honey, I don't want you in any danger. This will just be a surveillance run; I don't plan to meet up with Jeb or Earl.”

  “How do you know where those two will be? No more argument, I'm going.” She pointed a finger at him. “Don't you dare try to sneak off without me.”

  Hawkman released his hold and ran a hand over his head as he let out a sigh. “You are one stubborn woman.”

  “Better yet, what if I drive up to see Beth, which would draw the attention to the front area while you're making the trek toward the back?”

  Hawkman shook his head. “Definitely not. Jeb wanted to scare you when he used birdshot, but if he discovers it didn't do the trick, he'll use a more powerful gun.”

  Jennifer clenched her fists at her side. “I will not let that man bully me to the point of not visiting Beth. She needs another woman in her life or she'll wither away. Randy and Marcy need her to protect them from their horrible father.”

  “What about Earl?”

  “I gather from Beth, Jeb's got him under control.”

  “How old is Earl?”

  “I'm not sure, but I'd assume sixteen or seventeen.”

  “Remember, Jeb has been in prison for three years of the boy's life.”

  “He must have been out a couple of years or at least a year and a half before they moved here. Marcy's only a few months old, and I'm sure she's Jeb's. So if he had any influence on Earl beforehand, he took up right where he'd left off.”

  “So what you're saying is, you're going to go visit Beth one way or the other.”

  “Yes. If I get shot at again, they may get a big surprise when I shoot back.”

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  * * *

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Hawkman observed Jennifer as she got up, walked to the sliding glass door and stared out toward the lake. “How's Randy doing?”

  She whirled around, as if suddenly brought out of a deep sleep. “Real good. I took him some books and a few inexpensive toys. He loved them. I asked if he knew how to read and he told me he did; he'd attended school at one time and his mom also taught him.”

  “He should get enrolled.”

  “I'll approach the subject later. Classes w
ill be out in less than a month, I doubt it would do any good to register him now. Next year would be better. It won't take much for him to catch up to his grade level, as he's plenty smart.”

  He reached over and closed the draft to the fireplace. “I better go check on Pretty Girl. Seems like it's gotten chilly, I can feel a cold breeze coming down the chimney.”

  He went out on the deck and decided to cover the falcon's cage since a shivering wind had kicked up. He refreshed her food and water while she squawked and beat her wings. “Calm down girl, I know you feel the change of weather. I'm going to close you in so you'll stay cozy and warm.” After securing her pen, he went back inside, rubbing his arms. “Man, feels like a frigid front is moving in.”

  Jennifer stood at the kitchen counter shaving off thin slices of a large prime rib roast she'd cooked the night before. “We're having sandwiches tonight, so you can fix your own.”

  “Sounds good to me,” he said, sliding onto one of the stools at the kitchen bar.

  “I wonder if there's smoke coming out of the chimney at the Hutchinson's?” she asked, slicing pickles, tomatoes and cheese, then putting them on a plate.

  “It always amazed me how women could cook on one of those wood stoves. How the heck do they know the temperature is right when they put food in the oven?”

  Jennifer smiled. “Mostly by feel. They learn from practice how hot it should be and when to add more wood.”

  He shook his head. “I've seen beautiful cakes, pies, and breads pulled from those iron monsters. I thought it amazing.”

  “Beth hates the cabin because it doesn't have running water or electricity. I have the impression she lived in a more modern place before now.”