Autumn Anthology

by Heather B. Moore

  “It’s too dangerous,” Travis said flatly. “I don’t want you to get killed.”

  I felt my hackles rise. “You don’t need to worry about me. I can take care of myself.”

  Travis grabbed me by the shoulders. The desperation in his eyes took me by surprise. “Jillian, I care about you. Please listen to me. Craig wouldn’t want anyone else to get hurt.”

  The excitement I’d felt about discovering the missing piece evaporated. “But we can’t give up. How do you know that Kami and Heidi will ever be safe?”

  “I have to trust the police to do their job.”

  “Don’t you want to know who killed Craig?” I felt anger rising in my stomach. “How can you give up so easily?”

  Travis sighed. “Because I care about you, and I want to see your beautiful face and have a chance to kiss those freckles on your cheeks again.”

  “But I think I know what Craig meant.”

  “I don’t want to hear anymore.” Travis let his hands drop to his sides. “I have to honor his wish to keep his family— and you— safe.”

  “Craig didn’t know me, so I’m not part of the deal. I’m sorry, but I feel strongly that I can help.” I studied his face for any softening, but his eyes remained hard.

  “No. That’s not an option anymore. If you want to talk to the police, they’ll be happy to meet with you.” Travis’s stance was determined, and I felt my neck flush with my own stubborn streak.

  “Fine!” I whirled around and headed back to my car.

  “Jillian! Wait. Please don’t be angry,” Travis called after me. “Nothing is worth you getting hurt.”

  Although the sentiment was touching, I’d never liked being bossed around. Besides, I knew I was on to something. “I’ll talk to you later.” My car door banged shut a little louder than I intended. But by tomorrow, I’d have answers that would finally allow Kami and Heidi to have the peace they deserved.

  Chapter Nine

  I knew my hunch was right. Craig had mentioned a daffodil with an orange center, so I’d immediately thought of the Narcissus variety— pearl white petals with a dark-orange center. I’d completely forgotten about the other variety of orange-centered daffodils— the Scarlet Gem was a butter-yellow with orange centers.

  Two years ago, when I’d first started at the park, I removed those yellow and orange bulbs from the flowerbeds encircling the fountain on the north side and moved them to a smaller bed near some pine trees on the south end. Some large rocks were in the flower bed, and one of them had several cavities in it perfect for growing a bright green moss with dainty white flowers. My pace quickened as I approached the flowerbed and the rocks came into view. The moss-covered rocks would be the perfect hiding spot.

  Stepping carefully through the dark earth, I leaned over the rock, now half-covered with a carpet of English moss. On the back side, the moss trailed through a crack that ended in a small divot. I lifted up the edge of the moss, feeling the fibers stretch as I uncovered a jagged opening in the rock.

  Kneeling in the dirt, I twisted my body around the rock to see the hole. My fingers brushed against an object that clanked softly on the side of the rock— something metallic with a green tint. I pulled the object out of the rock— a four-leaf-clover-shaped USB drive. I sucked in a breath. The evidence to Craig’s murder had to be on the tiny USB drive in my hand.

  “Working late?”

  I bit down hard on my lip to keep from screaming while quickly tucking the USB drive into the sleeve of my jacket. “Michael, you scared me.” I turned to address my boss, the head of park development for the city. The light was fading, but I could still see the gray in his dark sideburns. Michael Nester wasn’t tall, about the same as my five-foot-nine-inches, but his trim figure made him appear taller than he was. “I haven’t seen you in a while,” I said. “You been busy on that new park?” I stood slowly and put my hands in the pockets of my jacket, dropping the USB drive deep into the corner of the right pocket.

  Michael nodded. “It’s going to be beautiful. That park’s actually why I came down here to find you. I want you to plant a few of the flower beds using your designs.”

  My face broke into a smile, and the pulsing anxiety coming from my pocket lessened. Michael wasn’t here to kill me; he was here to offer me more work. “I’d love to help. It would be an honor.”

  “I have permission to pay you some overtime, because we want to get it done by next weekend.”

  “Wow. I’m pretty sure I can make time in my schedule.” I tiptoed through the flowerbed and stood at the edge of the grass.

  “Good. Walk with me, and let’s talk about what I’m picturing.” He adjusted the silver frames of his glasses. “You still have that binder with your designs, right?”

  “Sure. I keep it in the shed.”

  “I’m a fan of the design where it looks like the daffodils are multiplying from the center.”

  “Thank you.” It was always nice to receive a compliment from someone who really understood my work. We walked briskly to the shed, where Michael unlocked the door with his keys. He flipped on the light, and as the door swung open, I noticed my binder lying open on the top of a five-gallon bucket. Not where I’d left it. I noted the keys in Michael’s hand. He must have pulled out my binder to look at a few of the designs he wanted to talk to me about. But he’d never done that before.

  Michael went in and motioned for me to follow him inside. “Don’t be shy. You have a lot of talent, Jillian. The city’s lucky to have you.”

  I gave him a tight smile and took one step over the threshold. The binder was open to the very flower bed where I had just retrieved the USB drive. The hair on the back of my neck stood, and my nerves sizzled with fear.

  As Michael bent to pick up my binder, I grabbed the shiny new hand trowel sitting on a box of tulip bulbs and held it nonchalantly by my side.

  He turned to face me. “I didn’t want to bring it up, but I noticed you’ve been spending some time on the clock with your boyfriend. When I found out it was Travis Banner, I thought I should warn you that he’s dangerous.”

  My fingers clenched the spade. “I can assure you that it wasn’t time on the clock. I always come in early to beat the heat, and I’m always honest with my hours.”

  Michael pressed his lips together. “But you weren’t on the clock tonight, were you? What are you up to Jillian?”

  His dark eyes hardened, which was all the urging I needed. I raised the thick metal spade and whacked him across the side of the head. Michael cried out and stumbled. I kicked him to speed up his fall. Jumping back over the threshold, I slammed the door and jammed my key into the lock then clicked it in place. I heard a groan and a thump against the door. In a panic, I sprinted toward the parking lot. There was no telling how long the shed would hold Michael.

  Chapter Ten

  As I ran, my breath came in short puffs, one hand clasped tight around the four-leaf-clover. I knew I hadn’t overreacted. Michael wanted me in that shed to take what I’d found. That was the only explanation for him finding me at the specific flower bed he’d just been studying in my binder.

  But how could Michael be involved in Craig’s death?

  Michael had been my boss for only the past year. He’d moved over to city planning after the stressful job of being director of Parks and Recreation. Why did Craig hide the USB drive in a park if the bad guy worked for the parks? There had to be something I was missing. I felt in my pockets for my cell phone then remembered I had left it tucked neatly in my purse on the passenger seat of my car.

  In the distance, I saw Travis jump from his car and head in my direction.

  I skidded to a halt. “Travis! Call 911!”

  He stopped and pulled out his phone. “Are you okay? What happened?”

  “It’s my boss, Michael Nester. I locked him in the tool shed. We’ve got to get out of here before he breaks out.”

  “C’mon. We’ll take my car. Maybe he’ll think you’re still in the park.”


  I climbed in, and a new wave of panic overtook me. What had Michael meant about Travis being dangerous? Travis slid into the car and handed me his cell phone.

  “Here, I just pushed call.”

  Before I had a chance to think about whether I knew Travis well enough, if he was someone dangerous or not, he was pulling out of the parking lot and the 911 operator had answered. I rattled off the address to the park and the location of the shed, struggling to remember to breathe.

  “My boss, Michael Nester, is locked in the tool shed.”

  “Are you injured?”

  This was the tough part, because she would think I was totally psycho. “No, he was trying to trap me in the shed, but I hit him in the head with a hand trowel.”

  “Please stay in the area until emergency personnel arrive.”

  “I can’t do that. He’s dangerous. When you have him locked up, I’ll talk to the police.”

  “Please stay on the line, ma’am.”

  I waited for what seemed like an eternity, glancing at Travis and trying to figure out where he was taking us. What if he was more than a great kisser? Had he planned all of this so that I would uncover the clues he needed to keep secret?

  “Ma’am, the officers would like you to stay in the parking lot so they can take your statement.”

  I shook my head. “I’ll meet them at the police station. I don’t feel safe in the park.”

  The operator started arguing again, but I interrupted, “I’m sorry. You’re cutting out. I’m safe now, and I’ll get to the police station as soon as I can.” I ended the call and handed Travis his phone.

  “You hit the guy in the head with a shovel, huh?” Travis quirked an eyebrow.

  “With a little one.” I frowned. “I probably should have hit him again, but I ran as fast as I could.”

  “And what makes you think this Michael guy is evil?”

  “He knew that I’d been spending time with you. He knew your name. He had to have been watching you.” I clenched my hands into fists, struggling with the tightness in my chest. “He’d already been to the shed to search my design binder. Somehow he figured out the same thing that I did: Craig hid evidence in a flower bed at Silver Cascade Park.”

  “Take deep breaths. You’ve had a good scare, but you’ll be fine now.” Travis squeezed my knee. “Did you find it?”

  “Find what?” My panic increased and Michael’s words rang in my ears. What was on the USB drive in my pocket? I cast a sideways glance at Travis. He turned his head sharply, flicking his gaze toward me. Could I trust him?

  “You’re scaring me. Should I take you to the hospital? You look like you’re going into shock.”

  I leaned back and closed my eyes and analyzed everything I knew about Travis. He was kind and loving and had been completely honest with me. I didn’t have a reason not to trust him. “I found a USB drive in the cavity of a rock in one of the flower gardens. It had a metal four-leaf-clover covering it, so it was protected from the weather.”

  Travis slowed and looked at me, his eyes wide. “Do you think it will solve Craig’s murder?”

  “Probably.” I briefly told him about how I’d figured out which flowerbed to look in based on the flowers I’d transplanted.

  “You are one smart cookie. Are you comfortable handing that over to the police?”

  “I think we should check it out first.” The hammering of my heart had eased into a steady rhythm now that I knew Travis wasn’t really dangerous.

  He reached out his hand. “I’m sorry that Michael scared you.”

  I interlaced my fingers with his. “I’m so glad you came looking for me.”

  Travis’s lips twitched. “I was in the shower and kept feeling rotten about everything, so I wanted to try to convince you that I really do care about you.”

  “I know.” With a deep breath, I pulled the clover-leaf USB drive out of my pocket. “Let’s stop at The Sugar Cube. The police station is about two blocks from there. We can check the contents at the café and then hand it over.”

  “Great idea.”

  Travis held me close to his side as we hurried into the café and sat in front of a computer. I pushed the drive in and opened it to find two documents and a video message. My hands shook as I clicked play. Craig’s face appeared on the screen and Travis sucked in a breath.

  “If you’re watching this video, something bad happened to me. I wasn’t sure how far Michael Nester would go, but apparently he’s not above murder.” Craig’s face pulled into a deep frown, and his chin trembled. “This USB device contains tax and legal documents recording the payoff and kickback I found that were paid to Michael Nester utilizing Boise City funds. It was well hidden, but after digging through layers, I found the evidence I was looking for. Michael Nester is guilty of embezzling funds and racketeering. He used his position to secure ground for a new park that an elderly couple owned. He offered them a payoff to relocate, but the price was doubled when the actual check was cut. The couple received only half of the money. The rest was deposited in Nester’s account.”

  Craig paused and looked behind him as a loud bang sounded from the video. I flinched as he turned back to the camera and spoke rapidly. “I’m so sorry. Please tell Kami and Heidi that I love them so much. Travis, if you found this, you are rock solid, and I’m so glad I could be your bro. Love you, man. Do right by me and set the record straight. Gotta go.”

  The last image was of his face filled with fear as he reached toward the screen. I toggled the mouse to open up the other documents but stopped when a heavy hand landed on mine.

  “That’s all you really need to see, right?” Michael’s face had blood streaming down the side of his head. I screamed.

  “You didn’t really think you’d got away, did you?” he said.

  Michael reached for the USB port to grab the drive, but Travis punched him in the side of the head. Michael went down hard on the tile floor. Other people in the café shrieked, and I heard the manager say he’d call 911.

  Travis pressed his foot into Michael’s back. “Don’t move.”

  I clicked the documents open and scanned them to see exactly what Craig had described and found plenty of evidence to convict Michael.

  Travis looked over my shoulder then leaned in to kiss my cheek. “You did it, Jillian.”

  With a smile, I turned and kissed him full on the mouth. “No, we did.”

  Chapter Eleven

  When faced with the evidence, Michael confessed to killing Craig then rolled over on another city employee, who’d helped cover Michael’s tracks. That partner had followed Travis, searched his house, and kept tabs on me as well. Both were convicted, and Michael was sentenced to life in prison.

  That spring, with daffodils blooming, a special memorial service was held at the new garden in honor of Craig Simmons. Travis and I both received applause for helping to solve Craig’s murder. The mayor placed a large decorative compass in the garden because he said it signified that Craig had chosen the right path even though he knew it would endanger his life.

  “That’s how I feel about you,” Travis murmured in my ear. His whispers sent tingles down my spine, and I leaned into him. “Thanks for never giving up.”

  “Thanks for losing your keys,” I replied.

  He laughed and pulled me into a hug. “I love you, Jillian.”

  My heart thrummed in a happy rhythm, and I breathed deeply. The hurt had mended, and I knew that Travis would keep my heart safe. “I love you too.”

  I closed my eyes as his lips met mine and kissed him like nobody was watching while we stood next to the flower garden I had designed for Silver Cascade Park.

  Recipes from Silver Cascade Secrets

  Macaroni Salad

  1 pkg of small sea shell or elbow macaroni

  ½ cup mayonnaise

  3 Tbsp mustard

  1 cup of diced pickles

  3 Tbsp of pickle juice (or more according to taste)

  ½ cup of medium cheddar or pepper jack c
heese, cubed in 1/8-inch pieces

  Salt and pepper to taste

  Cook pasta according to directions. Rinse with cool water and set aside to drain. In large bowl, mix drained pasta with other ingredients. The mixture should be slightly wet. Chill in refrigerator for at least two hours or overnight. Once chilled, stir the mixture to test consistency. Add more pickle juice, mayonnaise, or mustard to desired taste and consistency.

  *If chilling overnight, I set aside the cheese and don’t add it until morning.

  Gluten-free Peanut-butter Brownies

  Makes one 9” X 13” pan

  2 cups oat flour

  1 cup sugar

  ½ cup cocoa

  1 tsp. salt

  ¾ cup melted butter

  4 eggs

  2 tsp. vanilla

  ½ cup of peanut butter, chunky or creamy

  Grease pan. Melt butter, sugar, and cocoa together. Beat all ingredients until smooth. Fold in peanut butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool for twenty minutes, then score brownies. Serve with ice cream, hot fudge, and/or a small dollop of peanut butter dusted with cocoa powder.

  Rachelle J. Christensen is a mom of four cute kids. She has an amazing husband, three cats, and five chickens. Her first novel, Wrong Number was awarded Outstanding Book of the Year from the League of Utah Writers and was also a 2010 Whitney Finalist. Her second suspense novel, Caller ID was released March 2012. She is also the author of a nonfiction book, Lost Children: Coping with Miscarriage for Latter Day Saints.

  Rachelle enjoys singing and songwriting, playing the piano, running, motivational speaking, and of course reading. Visit www.rachellewrites.blogspot.com to learn more about upcoming books.

  Rachelle's FB Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/rachellechristensenauthor