“Is the young man still in the forest?”
“Yes. Why?”
“I’d like to talk to him. I’m going to go over there right now. I’ll let you know what I find out.”
She quickly wrote out instructions for Gina and put the recipes for the evening’s dinner on the kitchen counter. She ended her note by saying she was going to check out something on the Sanders case at the scene of the crime, and she’d be back in time for dinner.
“Winston, time to go for a ride,” she said, opening the door of her van. Darn, I better take my gun with me. If Roger finds it at home I’ll never hear the end of it. Liz ran back to where she’d put it in the drawer of her desk, quickly slipped the gun into her jacket pocket, and hurried back to her van.
CHAPTER 26
Liz pulled into the parking lot adjacent to the Jefferson Lumber Company property and noticed several other cars in the lot. She hadn’t thought to ask Sean what kind of a car Kyle drove. She parked her van and looked around. It was an eerily peaceful crime scene. Yellow tape was still up, and she didn’t hear the sound of trees being cut down. She got out of her van, motioned for Winston to follow her, and made sure her pistol was in her pocket. She had no idea where Kyle was or if he was even in the forest. The farther she walked into it, the darker it got. Even though it was not yet dusk, she wished she’d thought to bring a flashlight. She stopped and cocked her head. She thought she heard the sound of a hammer in the distance.
She motioned for Winston to stay behind her as she carefully walked towards the direction from which she thought she’d heard the hammering sounds. Liz was glad she’d put on the Croc shoes that chefs wore when they were cooking. Not only did they help her when she stood for long periods of time in the kitchen, but in the forest they kept her footsteps silent. Ahead of her, in the dim light, she could just barely make out the form of a man. He was swinging a sledgehammer and appeared to be driving metal spikes into trees. She stepped behind a large tree and motioned for Winston to join her.
There were no sounds coming from the birds and animals that lived in the forest, and she thought that was odd. She wondered if the animals that were normally quite active sensed the man she was watching had killed someone, and therefore their lives might also be in jeopardy. On the drive to the parking lot the pieces of the puzzle had tumbled together in her mind, and Liz was certain that Kyle Logan was the person who had murdered David Sanders. The motive probably made perfect sense to Kyle. He was worried David would find the Lotis Blue butterfly and destroy it, so there wouldn’t be any evidence that the endangered blue butterfly existed. If no evidence existed the lumber company could continue to fell the trees, which of course would destroy the butterfly’s sole remaining habitat. Without its habitat the butterfly would be unable to live and would truly become extinct. Kyle probably felt he was doing a great service for any surviving Lotis Blue butterflies.
Liz moved forward from tree to tree, and as she got closer to Kyle she saw he was in fact hammering three to four long spikes into mature trees in a systematical manner. There was no doubt about the purpose of his actions. Someone either at the site or at the sawmill was going to be injured or killed by his tree spiking actions. He probably hoped that once that happened the trees in the area would stop being felled, and the butterfly’s habitat would be saved.
Kyle was so intent on what he was doing he was oblivious to Liz who now stood no more than ten feet from him. She took the gun from her pocket and said, “Kyle, drop your hammer…” He instantly swung around and threw the sledgehammer at her. It missed her head by inches, but the handle grazed her arm and caused her to drop her gun. Sensing Liz was in danger, Winston growled and attacked Kyle, slamming his full weight into him and pushing Kyle to the ground. The ninety-five pound dog stood over Kyle and pinned him to the ground, at the same time snapping and snarling at him while he was only inches from Kyle’s face. Liz stood slightly back from him and retrieved her gun from where it had fallen on the ground.
“Kyle, I want you to tell me the truth, or I’m going to give the dog a command that will result in some serious pain for you. I also have my gun aimed at you, and I’m a crack shot. You killed David Sanders, didn’t you?”
She heard a muffled voice. “Kyle, speak up. I can’t hear what you’re saying.”
“Yes I did,” he practically shouted as he struggled in vain to get away from Winston. “I knew he was going to do something to make sure no one knew the Lotis Blue butterfly was ever here. I overheard him talking on the phone one night. He thought everyone in the office had gone home. He told whoever it was he was talking to that he’d make sure no endangered species were ever found on the Jefferson Lumber Company property. I don’t know if he was getting money for doing that, but I’ll bet he was.”
“Kyle, you pretended you were Trace. How did you know Olivia’s phone number and where she lived?”
“I remembered Trace said something when he came home from college one time about becoming friends with a girl from Red Cedar. When I found out the Lotis Blue butterfly had been sighted on some lumber property in Red Cedar, all I had to do was hack into his computer and get her phone number. He calls himself an environmentalist, but he’s one in name only. All he wants to do is preserve and protect the natural resources of California. In this case, things like trees, so big corporation can strip them bare and leave future generations of Californians with nothing. I’m the one who truly helps save the environment and all the rare and endangered plants and animals in it that are threatened with extinction. Anyway, there’s no one around to hear our conversation, and I’ll never admit to anyone what I just said. I want to know how you think you’re going to get me to go anywhere. There’s just you and this dumb dog. Looks like you’ve got yourself a big problem.”
“It’s not her problem, friend,” a voice said from behind Liz. “It’s yours, and I recorded your whole conversation. I’ve spent most of my life in courts of law, and it’s been my experience that this type of a confession will stand up and make for an easy conviction on a charge of murder to say nothing of a federal offense for tree spiking. From this moment on, I don’t think you need to worry about the environment. The only environment you’re going to be seeing is the inside of a prison cell for a long, long time, if not the rest of your life.
“Roger, I’ve never been so glad to see someone in my life!” Liz exclaimed, “but why are you here? How did you find me?”
“Let me call Seth, Liz, and then I’ll fill you in. Don’t move,” he said to Kyle as he took his phone out of his pocket and pressed in Seth’s phone number, all the while keeping his gun aimed at Kyle. “Friend, I’ve used this before, and I’ll use it now if I have to, so don’t give me a reason to.”
A few moments later Liz heard Seth’s voice coming from Roger’s phone which he’d put on speaker. “Roger, you caught me jes’ as I was fillin’ out some more reports on them speedin’ tickets I gave out today. I think maybe I done gone and broke my one day record. Boy, howdy, were them out-of-towners puttin’ the pedal to the metal today. Musta’ caught me nearly fifty of ‘em. Anyway, what can I do fer ya’ and how’s that gorgeous wife of yours doin? Ain’t talked to her in awhile.”
“You’ll be talking to her real soon, Seth. She caught David’s killer. The case is solved. I need you to come out here to where David was killed and bring your deputy. Think you’re going to be filling out even more papers.”
“Oh man, jes’ when I thought I was near finished. Okay, guess I gotta do my chief thing. I’ll be out there shortly.”
“Roger, while we’re waiting for Seth please tell me how you happened to find me. I mean this location is a little more than off the beaten path. In fact it’s in the middle of nowhere in a dense forest.”
“Sean called me and was worried you were going to do something rash with the information he’d given you. He’s pretty good at reading people, and he thought I ought to know what he’d found out. I called your cell phone, but you didn’t answer, so I c
alled the lodge. Gina answered and told me you weren’t there, but you’d left a note for her. She read it to me, and I became concerned. I got in my car and when I started driving out I remembered what you told me about the gallery owner. I called her, and she told me about Kyle, the heavy sack from the hardware store, her suspicion that Kyle might be engaging in an act of tree spiking, and finally that you’d just pulled into the parking lot. I was able to get here a few minutes later. I heard the sound of a hammer and went in that direction. That’s about it.”
“Oh, thank you, Roger,” Liz said in a ragged voice. “I didn’t know how I was going to get him out of here, and I’m so glad you taped his confession. I was worried it would be my word against his and since no one saw him, and the murder weapon hasn’t been found…”
She cocked her head at the sound of a police siren approaching. They heard Seth yelling, “Liz, Roger, where are ya’? Can’t see hardly nuthin’. It’s darker than a bat’s cave back here in this forest.”
“We’re over here, Seth,” Roger yelled. A few minutes later the fat police chief and his deputy came crashing through the forest. “Glad I got here in time. We’ll take it from here. Probably need some professionals ‘bout now,” he said self-importantly. “Liz, call that dog off’n him.”
“Winston, stand down. Come. That’s a good boy. Might have to stop by Gertie’s for a special treat for you. Oh Roger, that reminds me. Can I have your phone? I need to call Gina. She’s probably a nervous wreck by now.”
“Gina, it’s Liz. I’m sorry I’m not there. I’ll explain everything when I get to the lodge. You’re doing fine and enjoying it? I don’t need to hurry? Are you sure? Well, great. I knew you could do it. I’ll be there in a little while. It sounds like you have everything under control, so if I’m not there, enjoy!”
She turned to Roger. “Hiring her was one of the best things I ever did. She said everything’s been done, and all she’s doing is waiting for the first of the guests to arrive.”
“Time to go home, sweetheart,” Roger said. “We can call Gertie and everyone and tell them what’s happened when we get back to the lodge. We’re both a mess and need to change clothes before we greet your guests, so let’s go in by the downstairs side door.”
“Seth, I’ve got spa guests coming momentarily,” Liz said “Okay with you if I go to your office tomorrow to give a statement?”
“Sure, darlin’. Whatever. Gonna have my hands full tonight with all these reports. We’ll get him locked up in the cell like pronto. What’s his name?”
“His name is Kyle Logan. If you need any other information tonight, give me a call.”
“Liz, if you’re up to driving, I’ll meet you at the lodge. Winston, you go with her,” Roger said. He opened the van’s door for both of them and shook his head. “Liz, see these grey hairs on my temples. As Seth would say, ‘darlin’, I think that’s what he calls you, they’re multiplying like crazy because of you.”
“And you wouldn’t have it any other way, would you?”
CHAPTER 27
Liz drove up the lane leading to the lodge with Winston at her side, relieved that the killer had been caught and things could return to normal. She felt badly about leaving Gina alone to deal with tonight’s dinner, but from the candles shining through the windows of the lodge, and the people she could see seated at the table smiling and laughing, it appeared that Gina was able to handle things very easily on her own.
She entered the lodge through the kitchen side door and found Gina putting the last touches on the main course she was getting ready to serve. “I am so sorry for abandoning you,” Liz said, “but I have a pretty good excuse. We caught the murderer we’ve been looking for. By the time I waited for Seth and talked to him and his deputy, I knew I wouldn’t make it back here in time for dinner, but you seem to have handled everything beautifully. Since you’re doing so well, I really need to call a couple of people and tell them what’s happened. Can you take care of the rest of the meal by yourself?”
“Of course. This is fun, and I’ve discovered I can do it all by myself. Actually I’m glad it happened this way, because I don’t think I would have ever felt ready to do it on my own. Take your time and do what you need to do.”
Liz went downstairs and joined Roger. “Liz, I’m going to pass on being with the guests tonight. I hope you don’t mind, but I left work in such a hurry there were a couple of things I didn’t get around to finishing. I really need to take care of them now.”
“That’s fine, Roger. Gina’s doing so well I don’t need to be there either, and I want to call Gertie and a couple of other people.” She walked into her office, Winston by her side. The dog had always been protective of her, but after today, she sensed he was taking it to a whole new level.
*****
The first person on Liz’s list of people she wanted to call was Gertie. She knew how happy Gertie would be that the hunt for her step-brother’s killer was over. She pressed Gertie’s number into her phone and a moment later heard Gertie’s voice. “Hey, honey, what’s so important ya’ need to call me at night?”
“Gertie, I wanted you to be the first to know that we found out who murdered David, and he’s in jail at this minute. Here’s what happened.” Liz told how she had determined Kyle was the killer and what had taken place.
“Well, I’ll be durned, so it weren’t George. Woulda’ bet everything on that horse and then not been able to cash that ticket. Bet yer’ handsome husband weren’t too happy ‘bout the part ya’ played in catchin’ the killer.”
“You’ve got that right. I’m going to have to do some serious cooking to make up for not letting him know where I was going. By the way, I never told you about how I made the decision to let Ruby Myers stay in David’s apartment until the killer was caught. She was afraid of her husband and probably with good cause. She was pretty sure he’d followed her to the Jefferson property and had seen David’s car in the lot. As I told you, I thought if there was any chance that the killer was interested in you because you were David’s step-sister, that the less you knew the better it was for you.”
“No prob. Matter of fact, might be a good idea for her to stay there for awhile. Might make it real clear to George that while he’s doing better with controlling his anger, he still needs to do a little more work in that area, like maybe seeing the shrink a lot more. Whaddya’ think?”
“Gertie, I think that’s very generous of you. I’ll give Ruby a call. I’m sure she’s terrified. I’ve talked to her a couple of times, but I really didn’t have much to tell her. I’ll call her now.”
“Okay. Say ya’ spoke to me, and I said she can stay there as long as she wants. I’m David’s next of kin, so guess I’ll be inheritin’ whatever he has, and that includes the apartment. Think you tol’ me Mitch Stevenson over at the Forestry Service office in Sacramento was takin’ care of it. Ya’ plannin’ on callin’ him?”
“Yes. I’ll call Ruby, and then I’ll call him. I probably also should call George. I’ll give you a call tomorrow and let you know what happens. Since you have to be at the diner really early, it’s probably getting near your bedtime.”
“That it is, honey. Think I’ll jes’ say nitey-nite and head for bed now, but want ya’ to know that I’ll be sleepin’ a lot better tonight than I have been. Thanks, Liz.”
“Happy I could do something for one of my favorite diner owners, although I might just ask for a hamburger and malt on the house next time I come to the diner.”
“Honey, consider it done! Plus I might jes’ be able to rustle up a little somethin’ fer that big dog.”
*****
“Ruby, it’s Liz Langley. I just wanted to call and let you know we caught the person that murdered David Sanders.”
“I’m afraid to ask if it was George,” she said.
“No. George had nothing to do with it. I think he was following you to see if you were going to meet David. The killer was a man by the name of Kyle Logan, and his motive was to protect an e
ndangered butterfly called the Lotis Blue butterfly. Evidently the young man thought David might locate it and not make it public so timber harvesting could continue on the site. Apparently he thought David might be less than honest when it came to protecting an endangered species.”
“I don’t know where he got that idea. I certainly never saw that side of David.”
“Well,” Liz said, “I guess we’ll never know. I just spoke with Gertie. She was convinced George was the murderer. I told her how afraid of him you were, and she suggested you stay in David’s apartment until George gets more professional help. The thought occurs to me that maybe you could talk to Mitch about getting back your old job with the Forestry Service now that David’s no longer there.”
“That’s a wonderful idea. I really love George, but I don’t want to live the rest of my life in fear of my husband. If he could get more help and was willing to commit to getting a handle on his anger, I’d go back to him, but right now I can’t. Do you understand?” she asked as she started to cry.
“Ruby, you’ve been through a lot the last few days. Give yourself a little time and then trust your instincts. You seem to be a very sensible person, and there’s a good chance that George will be able to successfully deal with his anger. A lot of other people have problems, and they’re able to get past them. I’m sure he can, too.”
“Liz, thank you for everything. I’ll give Mitch a call tomorrow morning and see if he’ll take me back until I sort everything out. One last thing. Have you talked to George?”
“No. I still have to call him.”
“I’d like to call him if you don’t mind. I can tell him I love him, and I want to reconcile with him, but he needs to get a lot more help with his anger issues before I do that. I think it might be better if it came from me.”
The Blue Butterfly: A Liz Lucas Cozy Mystery Page 11