by Dale Mayer
“Sounds like you and your brother have a good head on your shoulders. He just needs to return to school to finish up and stay away from this Burgess.”
“Yeah, he does, but it’s easier said than done. The Longfellows are trying to make sure my brother can’t go back.”
Carter’s eyebrows rose. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
She gave him a half smile. “None of us do. But, if the Longfellows say so, then my brother won’t have a leg to stand on.”
At the ring of the bells on the front door, she turned and walked away. Carter glanced around to see a group of men walking into the coffee shop. Watching the interaction between her and them, he realized they were the reason she backed off. And not just to get their order. So, they were either important or connected.
He went back to his research on the Longfellow family. Carter found many twisted litigations and some pending lawsuits against the Longfellows, mostly for not yet fully paying their contractors. Apparently, in the past, the Longfellows liked to do large property building deals and then screwed the construction people out of most of their payments due. Carter didn’t have much truck with that. As a matter of fact, he had none. That was just a shit move. Still, no information showed up on recent property deals.
However, when he did a search for a family tree, that brought up an interesting set of relationships. Multiple marriages, almost no divorces, with many grandchildren, and the grandparents were still alive. This particular genealogy tree was four years old, so there had likely been further changes. It proved a fascinating but terribly unhelpful read.
Carter saved several other pages and then studied the application download on his phone again. Apparently the Longfellows were true patriots and had a lot of experience breeding dogs—on paper anyway. He almost laughed at that. Since when did being a patriot become a requirement for looking after a retired War Dog?
He thought about all the other War Dogs who had hopefully retired and wondered how many had gone terribly wrong and ended up in the hands of these fake patriots and shook his head. Of course he didn’t know the number of files where the retired War Dog had been successfully placed and confirmed in a random wellness visit some time later. That meant the government’s data on these War Dogs was skewed and unreliable.
When the waitress came back around, she refilled his coffee with a brief smile and disappeared before he could say anything. Likely deliberate on her part too. He shrugged. As he was about to close his laptop, his phone rang. It was Brenda.
“Yes, hello. My driver is in town at the moment. You can talk to him outside the hardware store in ten minutes, if that’s okay.”
As it was likely to be all the opportunity he would get, he gave his assent. “I’m in the coffee shop right now. I’ll be there as soon as I find out where the hardware store is.”
“Down the end of Main Street,” she said before hanging up.
He paid for his coffee, thanked the girl, looked at the three men sitting with their heads bent together, and headed to the truck he’d borrowed from the ranch. He wished he could have taken the men’s photo, but he needed to be discreet. Plus he was in a rush.
On the way to the parking lot outside the coffee shop, he found a Lexus and a fully loaded three-quarter-ton diesel truck. He took photos of those license plates before sending them off to Geir. No doubt they were Longfellow owned.
Hopping into Gordon’s truck and heading to Main Street, Carter vaguely remembered where the hardware store was.
When he finally reached it, he got out, walked around, and waited. He didn’t even know what the man looked like that he was meeting. But then nobody was here. He frowned, wondering if he’d been stiffed, when an old truck pulled into the corner lot. The man got out and headed toward the hardware store.
Carter stopped him. “Do you work for Brenda?”
The man nodded, pushing his beaten hat off his head. “Do I know you?”
“Probably not, but I’ve been around lots over the last fifteen years. I’m here on behalf of the War Dogs department.”
A nervous look shot across the man’s face. He shoved his hands into his pockets. “And?”
“According to Brenda, you were the one who went to pick up Matzuka, the War Dog. Is that correct?”
“That’s correct.”
“Did you see the dog?”
“Nope, I told Brenda it wasn’t there when I arrived at the airport.”
“I know that’s what you told Brenda,” he said in a gentle tone. “But, like I said, I’m from the US Navy’s War Dogs Department. And I’m looking for the truth.”
The man nervously backed up half a step.
“I don’t necessarily have to tell that truth to Brenda,” Carter said.
The man snorted and spat on the ground. “No matter what anybody says, everything goes back to them. I went to the airport to pick up the dog. The dog wasn’t there. I told Brenda. Then I went home. That’s all there is to it.”
“How close to arrival time did you get there?”
“I was there before arrival time. I stayed for an hour before leaving.”
“Are two airports here? According to the baggage handler at one, that dog sat there, waiting for a pickup, for a full hour after he’d arrived.”
“There’s only one airport, and the baggage handler lied. But what else is new?”
“Meaning, everybody here lies?”
“They’re either lying for one side or the other,” the man said, his face twisted in a bitter way. “Now, excuse me. I need to go into the hardware store. I could lose my job if I’m late.”
He watched the old guy go in. One of the witnesses was flat-out lying, but who? Who had more motivation to lie, the driver or the baggage handler? Carter leaned against the ranch truck and called Geir.
“Interesting scenario there,” Geir said, after Carter told him the story.
“Yeah.”
“And who do you think is lying?”
“I think the delivery driver, but I’m not sure why. I don’t know if he picked up the dog and didn’t want anybody to know the Longfellows have him or if he didn’t pick up the dog and didn’t want to acknowledge what might have happened to Matzuka.”
“Very strange. Do you have any names for me?”
Carter gave him the name of the baggage handler. “The second guy at the airport told me to talk to management. He wouldn’t give me any answers. Oh, but I did have an interesting conversation with a woman working at a coffee shop.”
“Go on.”
He explained what the girl had said about her brother getting kicked out of school because of Burgess Longfellow.
“Wow, okay,” Geir said. “So, we have a fairly small-town family who’s grown too big for its britches and is now calling all the shots. And somehow we allowed a War Dog to go to that family.”
“According to this application form, the Longfellows said they’re breeders and have trainers on the property. I don’t think these people would even dirty their hands with dogs, but I don’t know that. I’m presuming Matzuka was fixed because he was a War Dog, right?”
“Yes. Standard procedure.”
“So he was no good for breeding,” Carter said.
“No. Unless they’re grabbing his genes. But I don’t know why they would do that. That’s very expensive. Plus other dogs are easier to get a hold of.”
“I think Brenda was correct in saying she didn’t get the dog. I’m not sure why she wanted it in the first place. Unless it was for the prestige alone.”
“If the prestige was so important to her, why didn’t she report the dog missing? Why didn’t she follow up? Unless she realized she made a mistake and was grateful for an out.”
“Maybe. Or she didn’t realize that the government was going to keep an eye on the dog. That might have caused her a hasty retreat on the deal,” Carter said. “I’m not sure the Longfellow mind-set is rational.”
“But was the driver correct in saying he didn’t pick it up?�
� Geir asked. “That’s what we have to track down.”
“That’s a good point,” Carter said. “My take is that, if the baggage handler was correct, and he said the dog was there for a full hour, then the delivery guy was somewhere else and had to cover his tracks in order to not get in trouble with Brenda. If that’s the case, we need to find out what he was really doing, where he was, and what happened to the dog at that time.”
“I’ll phone the local sheriff there,” Geir replied. “I want them to know we have some government officials looking into this. Although this is off the books, it’s still as official as I can make it.”
Carter looked up just in time to see the delivery guy walk out of the hardware store. The man had a bag in his hand, and he tossed it into the front seat of his truck before he got in. Before he could turn on the engine though, Carter stood right beside him. “You didn’t tell me the truth. I don’t believe you were at the airport at the time you were supposed to be. I’ll check the video cameras, but you might want to give me a better explanation now. And I promise it won’t go to Brenda.”
The old man glared at him. “I need this job.”
“Did you hear me? It won’t go back to Brenda.”
“Everything goes back to Brenda.”
“Did you have to see the doctor or did something else happen? Did your truck break down? What happened?” Carter fired question after question, hoping to disarm the older man.
“My granddaughter was in trouble,” he said. “I had to help her. When I got to the airport, the dog wasn’t there.”
“But the official story you gave Brenda is that you got there on time and that you stayed for an hour, then called her to say you saw no sign of the dog, correct?”
He nodded. “But, if Brenda ever asks me about it, I’ll tell her that you lied.”
“Good enough. But I still need to find out where the dog is. Have you seen or heard of anybody having it?”
He shook his head. “No, but I know an awful lot of animal rights activists are around. If anybody had thought that dog stayed caged up for too long, they might have just opened the cage door and let it go.”
At that, Carter straightened and stared at him in horror. “And then what?”
“Then the dog’s gone.” The man shrugged. “Who knows where or how it’s living?”
“Would anybody report a stray dog on its own?”
“No, they’ll more likely put a bullet in its head, thinking it would come after their livestock.”
“But it would have been released at the airport, so it’s hard to say where it could be now.”
“It could also have gotten into somebody’s vehicle, or it could have been picked up by somebody. I’ve got no clue. I just know that, when I was there, I saw no sign of the dog.”
“And you’re not lying now?”
“No.”
“What about your granddaughter? Is she okay?”
Surprise lit the old man’s eyes. “She will be. But she’ll be a hell of a lot better off when she’s away from this town. She got tangled in a Longfellow mess.”
“Anyone in particular?”
“Burgess. Kid’s a piece of shit. Takes what he wants and doesn’t care who says no.”
At that, Carter felt a wave of old anger rising up. “Did he hurt her?”
“She managed to get free, but she’s pretty shaken up, and she’ll miss the next term of school.”
“That’s the second kid I’ve heard of who Burgess took out of school. Any point in talking to the sheriff?”
“It’s her word against his. Everybody in this damn town will side with the Longfellows.”
“Not necessarily Burgess though. Once he crosses a line, he can get slapped into jail too.”
“And the Longfellows just buy his way back out again. I don’t know if the sheriff’s any good, but I know most of the law is in the Longfellows’ pocket. You can’t trust any of them.”
With that, the driver turned on the engine and drove away. Noting the license plate, Carter walked back to Gordon’s truck, thinking about Hailey and the mess she was dealing with. And the sheriff. What if the sheriff also had something to do with those family members? What would happen to the supposed suicide investigation into Fred’s death? Not knowing what kind of reception he would get, he pulled out his phone and called Hailey. However, when she answered, he could hear the tears in her voice. “What happened? Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
She sniffled several times to clear her throat. “I will be okay, but my other partner, Phil, is dead too. So is his wife.”
Everything inside Carter clenched tight. In a harsh voice, he asked, “Where are you now?”
“I’m still at their place. The sheriff’s here with everyone.” Then she added in a whisper, “I don’t know what to do anymore.”
“Sit still. I’m coming.”
“Don’t bother. I’ll go straight home.”
“I want to talk to the sheriff. A couple of the locals aren’t so sure he’s squeaky clean. Apparently a lot of the deputies in town are from the Longfellow clan.”
“Oh, they are,” she said. “If they aren’t family, they’re likely being bought off by the family. I don’t think the sheriff’s the same though. I already had a discussion with him about that.”
“Maybe. But do you know if there’s any relationship between your Slim guy and Burgess?”
“Brothers. I think about twelve years is between them. And they are David’s grandsons, so also Longfellows.”
“How old is Burgess?”
“Seventeenish, but he acts like a kid. If there was ever a bully in a sandbox, it’s him.”
“And Slim is almost thirty?”
“Or is thirty,” she said. Fatigue was in her voice. “Why?”
“Burgess attacked a young woman—the granddaughter of one of the delivery men who works for Brenda and was supposed to pick up the dog. According to the baggage handler, the dog was sitting at the airport for over an hour. But the delivery guy told Brenda that he was there before the dog arrived and stayed a full hour, yet never saw the dog. And that’s because he was trying to help his granddaughter, who had just gotten free from Burgess’s attack.”
“Bastard,” she said with heat. “That little piece of shit needs to have his ass kicked into tomorrow.”
“I also spoke to a waitress at the coffee shop here …”
“Sonia.”
“Okay. Yeah, her brother was suspended from school because of Burgess. Apparently her brother hit Burgess.”
“Good for him.”
“Maybe, but it sounds like those kids won’t be allowed back into school.”
Chapter 4
“That’s just wrong,” Hailey exclaimed. “I can’t believe how the Longfellows are allowed to run this town.”
“I know it’s been a couple years since I was here, but I don’t remember hearing anything about this.”
“We didn’t have anything to do with the family until Manfred took over the property next to us.”
“Do you know where Debbie is?”
She snorted at that. “Why? Will you plead my brother’s cause?”
“No, I’d like to tell her to come home and to kick Gordon’s ass,” he said. “I already had a talk with him about that this morning and last night.”
She laughed but it wasn’t the happy kind. “I don’t think it’ll do any good. He’s too set in his ways.”
“But I like Debbie too. I want to say hi.”
“She’s working at the insurance company. Stop in and say hi. Watch out though. The Longfellows own the insurance company.”
After hanging up on Carter, Hailey stood and brushed off her pants, then took a Kleenex and blew her nose. She also wiped her eyes, waved goodbye to the sheriff, leaving Phil’s house, and got into her truck. Maybe she’d be able to drive now. But she was pretty rough still as she drove out the driveway. She had to get out of the way for the coroner to come in. She avoided town and headed home.
&nb
sp; As soon as she hopped out, her brother came outside, eating fresh bread covered in peanut butter. “Is that lunch or dinner for you?” she asked him.
He shrugged. “Wasn’t sure what was going on with anybody. I just needed a snack.”
“Phil’s dead too,” she said abruptly.
Gordon stared at her and slowly lowered his hand with the bread. “How?”
“It’s supposed to look like he came home and shot his wife and then himself. Maybe that’s what happened. I don’t know.”
“So Betty’s dead too?”
Hailey nodded. “And that leaves me as the only remaining partner.”
“Which makes you the number one murder suspect.”
“Yes. But another thought occurred to me. Maybe I’m next.”
“Jesus!” Gordon grabbed her arm and pulled her into the house. “Are you in danger?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “How the hell am I supposed to know? Just think about it. Two partners are dead. One theory is, Phil went to work, shot Fred, and made it look like a suicide. But, when he got home, he realized he made a mistake leaving the gun in the wrong hand, and, therefore, people would know it was murder. He would get caught, so maybe he shot Betty first and then himself. I don’t know. As much as I would hate that to be true, I almost prefer it to any of the other options.”
“What other options?” Gordon’s voice was hard.
“That somebody shot all three.”
“What have you gotten yourself into, sis?”
“I don’t know,” she said, walking through to the living room and throwing herself across the couch. “It’s just too unbelievable to even contemplate.”
“You know that the sheriff will be all over this.”
“You mean, they’ll be all over me? Yes, I know.”
“And that other thought you brought up? Well, that’s just too horrible. What’s the chance it’s a valid possibility?”
She laughed. “Ask the killer. I don’t know. Maybe he’s done now. Maybe Phil killed the others. Maybe he and Fred had a big falling out. I don’t know. All I know is both my partners are dead, and I have a company to run that apparently I now own.”