Cold Murder and Dark Secrets, A Red Pine Falls Cozy Mystery (Red Pine Falls Cozy Mysteries Book 2)

by Angela C Blackmoore

  “Rodger that, Sir,” Lanie said, then clicked off the line.

  “What do you think is going to happen?” Abby asked quietly when the Sheriff stepped back into the living room.

  The Sheriff frowned for a long moment, his bushy salt and pepper eyebrows heavy over his eyes. It was hard to tell what he was thinking, but she knew he wasn’t happy. “We’re going to have company,” he said slowly and looked in the direction of the front door. They could already hear the sirens. “You are going to have to let me handle this, Abby. Promise me.”

  Abby returned his determined look, reminded of when he’d asked her not to get involved a few weeks ago. She had no idea what she could do. Not against a bunch of over-excited state troopers, but somehow, it just didn’t feel right to agree to stay out of it. It was far too late for that.

  The Sheriff realized what she was going to say before she said it, and dipped his head, looking at the floor. “Okay, if you won’t agree to stay out of the way, just make sure you don’t get shot. I need you to take Hazel, Bill, Rob, and Becky down to the cellar. They’ll have marksmen out, and while I hope their training keeps them from taking a shot at a shadow, I just am not sure right now if I want to tempt them. Can you do that for me?”

  Abby nodded, and both of them turned to the room. Everyone was looking up with mixed levels of fear at hearing the approaching sirens. The Sheriff quickly took charge, stepping forward and speaking to everyone in an urgent but calm tone. “Hazel, I’m going to have to ask you all to go to the cellar and don’t come out until I give the all-clear.”

  “What’s going on, Bob?” Hazel asked, worry lacing her voice. She clutched Rob’s hands tighter, fearful of losing him after all this time.

  “I’m afraid someone spotted your boat coming into the island,” The Sheriff said. “They reported it, and now the state police are on their way here.”

  “Are they going to shoot me?” Rob said, his voice rising. “I don’t want to be shot! Maybe I should get to the boat?”

  Mr. Wilberson shook his head. “They’re too close for that, Rob. You wouldn’t get half-way down to the beach, no matter how good you are at running away.” He stood, then walked over to the door in the hallway that led down to the basement. “Come on. It’s going to take me ten minutes to get down the stairs so I should start now.”

  Abby moved over and offered her hand to Mr. Wilberson who grunted and took it, letting her help him down the stairs. Becky moved to lift Cheerio up, who was quiet at the sudden change in mood and moved to follow, leaving the Sheriff looking down at them from the top of the stairs. He looked grim, but she knew if anyone could handle this situation, he could.

  “Keep your heads down, and for the love of God, don’t look out the windows,” The Sheriff said before closing the door. “I don’t want to give any of those state troopers an excuse to collect on whatever reward the good Senator has offered.”

  They could hear him walking down the hallway toward the front door, open it, and then walk out onto the porch. He was just in time to greet the several police cars that raced up to the little yellow house.

  “Oh, gopher holes,” Becky murmured.

  Abby blinked. “What happened to jackrabbits?”

  Becky shrugged, “I got tired of them.”

  Chapter 29

  Abby could hear men moving outside, and despite the Sheriff’s warning, she peeked through the side of one of the half windows interspersed along the upper walls. There were already five state patrol cars, along with the detective’s unmarked sedan. Even as she watched, she saw two more state patrol cars driving up the small road to the house, followed by one of the big, black SUV’s.

  The state troopers had lined their cars up as barriers and set up behind them with their guns drawn. She couldn’t imagine being the Sheriff right now, watching fellow officers pointing their weapons at him. Honestly, she couldn’t imagine being one of the officers doing that, but here they were, grim-faced and looking anything but friendly. Even in the fading light, she could see how tense they were acting.

  No one spoke until the SUV pulled up, and out stepped the police Superintendent followed closely by Senator Clark himself. They did not come close but stayed out past the second line of state troopers. Finally, she heard the electronic wine from a bullhorn, then the reedy voice of the state Superintendent shattering the quiet of dusk.

  “Step aside, Sheriff Pearson!” the Superintendent said, his voice angry. “You can’t protect the suspect any longer! Your career is already over so don’t make it any worse than it has to be.”

  “Wasn’t protecting any suspect, Mr. Ketch,” drawled the Sheriff’s voice. “I was taking one into custody, however. One who turned himself in willingly and is under my control. I was about to bring him down to the station until you lot decided to block the driveway.”

  “Preposterous!” barked the Superintendent’s voice. “We know you’ve been hiding him! Tell him to come out slowly, and we’ll make sure he gets to where he needs to go safely. It’s that, or we arrest everyone, including you!”

  There was a pause where Abby could almost picture the Sheriff grunting. If he’d had a toothpick, she could imagine him spitting it into the grass. “That’s going to pose a bit of a problem,” the Sheriff said slowly. “I’ve already arrested the man, and now it’s my job to make sure he’s transported safely. I appreciate your offer, but my deputies are on their way. We’ll have plenty of men to make sure he stays under control.

  Abby watched as the Senator grabbed the bullhorn out of the Superintendent’s hand. The smaller man struggled for a moment but finally gave up after the Senator seemed to shove him. Shortly after that, the Senator’s voice came barking over the night air. “Dammit, I’m tired of this. My sister was murdered by that man in there, and you and your whole, sick town have been protecting him for decades. If you don’t step aside right now, I’m going to instruct these men to shoot you in the leg.”

  Abby had heard enough. That the man felt safe enough to say that out loud was beyond dangerous. She wanted to keep Rob, Hazel and the rest of them from harm, but the Sheriff was part of this town, too. He was a good man, and she wasn’t about to let him get shot.

  She pushed back from the window and moved toward the stairs. She could hear Hazel asking concerned questions, but she knew she had to ignore them. If she looked back now, she might not have the courage to do what she planned.

  Marching up the stairs, she made a beeline for the front door. She could hear the Sheriff talking, but his voice was rising with alarm as the situation spiraled slowly out of control. Pushing the door open, she walked out onto the porch and stood defiantly next to the startled Sheriff.

  The next sounds she heard made her question her decision as several rifles were chambered.

  Loudly.

  She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth as she felt her breath catch in her throat. What was worse, was a deep breath the Sheriff made as if bracing for something terrible. Third time’s a charm, she thought to herself. Abby, you missed being shot twice before, but there’s no getting out of it this time.

  But the next moments weren’t filled with the sounds of gunshots, so she slowly peeked out of one eye, staring at the lights and half-seen police officers arrayed behind their cars. It was one of the most intimidating sights she’d ever seen in her life.

  “Just what in the hell do you think you’re doing, Mrs. Morgan,” the Sheriff whispered urgently next to her. She glanced his way and saw a bead of sweat trailing down the side of his forehead. “Getting shot at twice wasn’t good enough for you?”

  “Sorry, Sheriff,” Abby said, taking a deep breath and turning her gaze back to the blinding lights in front of her. “I wasn’t about to let you just stand out here by yourself and let that blowhard Senator shoot you. I figured I’d at least split the difference,”

  The Sheriff grimaced but chuckled softly, his deep baritone smooth even under the dire threat. “Very noble of you, Mrs. Morgan, but six bullets will get you
just as dead as twelve. “Go on back inside; this is my job.”

  “Doesn’t sound like you’re doing it very well, Sheriff,” Abby responded. “I’m afraid I can’t do as you ask. Besides, I never agreed not to interfere, if you remember.” And with that, she stepped forward, walking down the steps of the porch and standing there in the blaze of all the bright lights. She could hear cursing behind her, but she knew the Sheriff didn’t dare make any fast moves. The state troopers were already on edge, and she’d just spun them up even more by walking out of the front door. There was no telling what the last straw would be.

  “Senator, just why is it you want Rob Morgan dead so badly?” Abby piped, trying to make her voice heard.

  There was a moment’s pause in which Abby feared the Senator wouldn’t respond. She needed him to start talking, but if he didn’t, it would make things much more challenging. However, his ego came to her rescue.

  “That is pure nonsense!” he said with anger. “We’re here to bring him to justice! For a murder that should have been solved over twenty years ago. The people of this town have been keeping him in hiding for that entire time. If we don’t take him into custody, then they’ll just conveniently lose him with some cockamamie story about how he escaped.”

  “Then why have you been encouraging these men to take him dead or alive?” Abby challenged. “He’s seventy, Mr. Clark. There’s no way he could take on even one of these officers, much less as many as you have here.”

  “He’s dangerous, Mrs. Morgan!” The Senator shouted. “He killed my sister, and Rob Morgan has been on the run for over two decades! There is no telling what someone this desperate might do!”

  “But Rob Morgan didn’t kill your sister,” Abby said, “No one killed her. She slipped on the river bank and hit her head on a rock. It was an accident.”

  Then it hit her. Why would the Senator want to see Rob Morgan dead? Maybe there was more to it than just family revenge or Rob and Lara trying to run off with the rumored gold of the Morgan Family Treasure. She had thought it might be just a flight of fancy by two drunks, but perhaps not.

  She decided to bluff.

  The Senator had been talking, telling her to get out of the way and let the state troopers do their job or better yet, send Rob outside, but Abby was having none of it.

  “Mr. Clark,” Abby called, interrupting him. “Rob already told us about the rest of the plan. It wasn’t all about Lara and Rob running off to Portland to start their lives, was it? Are you sure you want to talk about it out here? In front of everyone?”

  The Senator went quiet. She could barely see him lower the bullhorn in shock through the glare of the floodlights focused on her, but she could feel a palpable fear almost wafting off of him. Against all the odds, she had hit the nail on the head.

  “What are you doing,” whispered the Sheriff from behind her. “What plan are you talking about?”

  “It’s the only thing that makes sense, Sheriff,” Abby whispered back, keeping her eyes forward. “Rob and Lara weren’t trying to just run off with the gold, Lara had planned, with her brother, to take the gold for some other reason. He’s been after Hazel’s house for years for the same reason. They were trying to play the Morgan’s the whole time.”

  “Dammit,” the Sheriff cursed. “That does make sense. There’s no way to prove it, but look how quiet he’s become.”

  “I…what makes you think,” the Senator began but trailed off. Finally, he stiffened and brought the bullhorn up to his lips again. “Enough talk! Move in and arrest them all! Shoot them if they resist.”

  Abby watched as many of the police officers exchanged glances with each other, but she knew it wasn’t enough. They’d been wound up too tightly and told that everyone in this town was the enemy. Several officers began moving around their car, preparing to charge them. Abby grimaced and braced herself. She wasn’t going to resist them or give them any reason to shoot, but she wasn’t looking forward to being pushed down into the dirt and gravel of the driveway.

  “Hold on a minute, now,” came a voice she recognized, followed by the sound of footsteps in the gravel. The Mayor came walking out into the patch of light illuminating the front of the house, followed by the Sheriff’s three deputies. They didn’t have their guns drawn, but they were looking nervously at the row of troopers who had paused their charge to see what was happening. Even from here, Abby could see the sense of relief on some of their faces at the interruption.

  In the Mayor’s hand was a phone, held flat in front of him. She arched her eyebrow at it since it wasn’t held up like someone taking pictures might do.

  “I think you gentlemen and ladies might want to pause for a moment and listen to someone I’ve got on the line,” The Mayor continued, holding up his other hand in a stopping motion as he joined the Sheriff and Abby. “She’s been listening to what is going on, and I don’t think she’s happy.”

  “You can’t stop us from seeing justice done!” the Senator said, sounding just a bit more nervous than he was a moment ago.

  The Mayor chuckled. “Oh, I don’t have any intention of stopping justice, Senator Clark. I just think things have gotten a little bit out of hand, and so does the Governor.”

  “Lies!” shouted the Senator, lowering the bull horn. “You’re just trying to help the man escape!”

  “No, he’s not,” Came the distinct voice of an unhappy woman from the phone. “Superintendent Rodney, you get your men and get the heck out of there. I want to see you in my office tomorrow morning. Early, tomorrow morning! As for you, Senator, I would suggest getting your…assets back to Washington. You have a job to do, and you can’t do anything about it gallivanting around the state. Am I clear!?”

  Everyone was quiet. The Senator began to speak in harsh whispers in the darkness, probably to the Superintendent, but the small man knew when he was beat. “Drop it, Senator Clark,” he said bitterly. He took the bullhorn back from the nerveless hands of the Senator and raised it to his lips. “You heard the governor. We’re heading back to Salem.”

  Abby took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She hadn’t realized it, but her hands had been shaking, and as the moment passed, her whole body began to feel cold as the adrenaline drained out of her system. She felt a presence beside her and turned to see the Sheriff standing there, staring at the state troopers as they began to filter into their cars and drive away.

  “You don’t do anything by halves, do you, Mrs. Morgan,” he said slowly.

  Abby shrugged. “I don’t know how to answer that,” she said, still feeling overwhelmed at how close things had come to violence. She hugged herself as the cold and shakes began to fade.

  The Sheriff tipped his hat to her, “Neither do I,” he said, before walking off to talk to the Mayor and the three deputies.

  Chapter 30

  Abby brought the tea out to the back porch where Becky, Gabe, Charlie, and Hazel were sitting, overlooking the river as it flowed past the island. Hazel was holding her hand out, and Becky was oohing and aahing over the ring on her finger. It was a simple band with a few diamonds inset into it, but it didn’t compare whatsoever to the brilliance of Hazel’s face as she looked at it.

  “When did he propose?” Becky asked before smiling up at Abby who then began to pour tea for everyone.

  “Just a few days ago,” Hazel said. She smiled as she shook her head. “We were both damn fools trying to protect each other. I thought he’d driven my brother away, and he thought I’d done something to make sure Rob wouldn’t be a bother any longer. We just never spoke of it.” She heaved a sigh. “So much time wasted.”

  Abby handed Hazel a cup of tea, made up how she liked it with a little bit of cream. “You’ve still been together all this time, though. That’s got to count for something, right?”

  “I suppose so,” Hazel said before taking a sip. “Still, we were both so stubborn. Oh well, things happen, don’t they? It doesn’t help to put things off forever.” She finished her drink with a flick of her eyes
over at Gabe and a hidden smile which Abby saw quite clearly. She felt her face flush, hiding it behind her cup of tea before sitting down on one of the chairs.

  It was finally starting to get too cool to be outside as the season turned, sliding from a late Indian summer into the fall that was overdue. It was only about a week until Halloween, and brilliantly colored leaves coated the grounds and pine needles that fell all year round.

  Hazel usually liked to put on an All-Hallows-Eve party for the children in the town, making sure they all had plenty of candy and prizes to help celebrate the fall. This year they were scrambling to make sure everything was set up in time since they hadn’t known what was going to happen with the chaos of the last few weeks. Becky, Gabe, and Charlie had been by almost every day to help with preparations, and the outside porch was looking extraordinarily festive.

  It was something special, and Abby was looking forward to it. She’d helped with Halloween parties before, but this was something different. It felt far more traditional than the plastic things she’d seen before, filled with hand-made decorations and antique ornaments draped between the trees.

  “So when is the big day?” Becky asked. “You’re going to let me help plan it, right?”

  “Of course!” Hazel beamed, “You and Abby both. There are a few others from my bridge club that I want to help, as well. I think we’re going to have a spring wedding out at the park.”

  “That sounds perfect!” Abby said, beaming at her grandmother. “A spring wedding in the park!”

  “As long as it doesn’t rain,” Becky offered. “This is the Pacific Northwest. You’re playing with fire, or, well, something.”