Sooner Dead

by David L Thornburg

  “Forget I asked,” she said.

  “Anyway, the OSBI is sending someone. They should be here in a couple of hours.”

  “What do we do about our guests?”

  Daniel sighed. “Take turns on guard duty, I guess. Any better ideas?”

  “I considered taking Sherry to my place. I have a second bedroom. But what about Mr. Morris?”

  “I don’t have room at my house, but I may be able to put him up at your landlord’s.”

  Her eyebrows raised. “Reverend Stratton’s house?”

  “He’s tougher than you think. Used to be a Detroit cop, or something like that. Stephanie’s no slouch, either.”

  Lianne shrugged. “Whatever you think.”

  So that’s the secret, Daniel thought. She’s cooperative when she’s exhausted.

  Chapter 9

  “I’m home,” Daniel called as he let himself into his house.

  As he thought, the Stratton’s were willing to put Caleb Morris up. “Don’t worry, Danny,” the reverend said. “We’ll make sure he’s safe.”

  The very words he wanted to hear.

  “In here, Son,” his mother answered.

  He dropped his keys in a cup by the door and made his way to the small living room. His parents were bathed in the blue glow of the TV. His mom was knitting on the couch under the single lamp, and his dad was reclined in his LazyBoy, as usual. Since his accident in a wheat field when Daniel was in junior high, he was either in the recliner or his bed most of the day.

  His mother stood. “I’m so glad you’re OK. I heard about the motel. Were you really there?”

  “Yes, Mom. It’s the first exciting thing to happen in this town all year. I wouldn’t want to miss it. Hi, Pop.” He leaned over and kissed his father on the forehead.

  “I was worried,” she said. “I’ve been praying for your safety all evening. I think the town should bring in someone experienced until Sheriff Harris is better.”

  “I’ve told you not to worry. You’re going to have to get used to me having this job.”

  “How can I help it? You have tinga in the oven.”

  He would dig into the traditional chicken dish after he went to his room. He took the safe from the top of his closet and placed his revolver carefully inside, then locked it and returned it to its place. He unfastened his belt, and the ten pounds that came of his waist felt like a hundred. He unlaced his shoes and set them beside the shine kit.

  As he unbuttoned his shirt, he glanced at the pictures that had been in this room almost as long as he could remember. Team photographs, pictures with college scouts, and one with him kneeling next to the state championship trophy as a senior with his mother standing behind him, beaming with her hands on his shoulder pads.

  His dad wasn’t in any of them.

  He thought he would take a shower after he ate and got his father to bed.

  Sherry Threefeathers was asleep as soon as she hit the pillow in Lianne’s spare bedroom. Lianne dressed for bed herself then sat on her couch. She was very tired, yet she knew the residual adrenalin from the day would keep her awake.

  She looked at her cell phone. A missed call from her dad. She pressed his number.

  “Mi hija.” His voice sounded happy to get her call.

  “Miho,” she responded. “I’m sorry I missed your call. Do you need anything?”

  “Just checking up on my favorite law enforcement officer in all of Oklahoma.”

  She smiled. “Only in Oklahoma?”

  “I’m sure if I knew all the other police in the country, you’d still be my favorite of all. How was your day?”

  “It was kind of rough, but I’m safe. I’ll tell you about it sometime.” No need to worry him.

  “And your boss?”

  “He comes home tomorrow, but his wife says he’s very weak.”

  “I hope his health returns, but maybe there will be a place for you now. Are you comfortable in the town? Have you made any friends?”

  Lianne leaned forward, her elbows on her knees. “To tell the truth, Dad, I don’t think anyone likes me here.”

  “Now, Li, I know you make a big show of not needing anyone, but maybe you need to meet people halfway. If they know you like I do, they will love you.”

  “You have to say that.”

  “Doesn’t mean it’s not true. Now go to bed, get some rest, have a good breakfast and go for a run tomorrow. You’ll feel better.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  As she disconnected, she saw Sherry standing in the doorway of her room, a glass of water in her hand. She said, “Parents. Am I right?” She went back inside and closed her door.

  Lianne was starting her second mile when the phone strapped to her arm paused her Santana playlist and rang. “Ortega.”

  “Harris will be home in about an hour.” It was Daniel. “Can I pick you up?”

  She stopped cold, though she knew better. “You want me to go with you?”

  “You don’t have to…”

  “No. I mean, yes, I want to go. I’ll have some coffee made in about 30 minutes.”

  “Real coffee? Not that mocha frappuccino latte expresso girlie stuff?”

  “Whatever you want.”

  “30 minutes, then.”

  Daniel expected the sheriff to be weak, but he was shocked at how frail he looked.

  His wife Francis said, “I’m so glad you’re here to help me get him inside.” She looked at Lianne. “Both of you.”

  It took both of them team lifting to get him from the car to the porch. Even with his dramatic weight loss, he was still a big man. Francis went inside to prepare the couch for him.

  When Harris was safely ensconced in a rocking chair, he said, “Thanks, you two.”

  “You’re welcome,” Lianne responded.

  “After all, I’ve had some practice, sir,” said Daniel.

  The sheriff smiled wanly. “Yes, I guess you have.”

  Lianne looked at Daniel quizzically.

  Harris said, “Listen, both of you, before Francis comes back out here. I know what’s going on with the road, and the old Stone place, and how it’s gotten dangerous. There are secrets out there that people will kill to protect. And when you add money to secrets, the stakes get even higher.”

  He looked around, as if to make sure they were alone. Daniel and Lianne leaned in to hear his quiet voice. “Leave the whole business alone. It’s too dangerous, and you’ll only get hurt, or worse.”

  Francis came out of the house. “If you two will help me get him inside, I’ll ask you to be on your way and let him rest.”

  Daniel and Lianne drove in silence back into town. As they passed the motel, Daniel saw yellow crime scene tape and two black SUVs by the wreckage. He wheeled in behind them and parked. Lianne followed him under the tape.

  “Who’s there?” he called.

  Four men were poking through the charred remains of Caleb Morris’s room. One stood and approached them. He was dressed in slacks and an open-neck polo shirt with OSBI embroidered across the heart. He did not offer his hand.

  “I’m Agent Devose. What can I do for you?”

  “I didn’t know you were in town yet,” Daniel said. “Is there anything we can help you with?”

  Devose’s face remained passive. “No, I think we have everything we need.”

  The pause grew uncomfortable. “OK. If you’d like to come to the station after you look around, maybe we can share information.”

  Devose glanced at the others as they worked. “I don’t think that will be necessary.”

  “I see,” said Daniel, even though he didn’t. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Lianne watching him closely. “Are you aware there may be a connection between this bomb and the murder of our town’s newspaper editor?”

  “Officer, we have the Sentinel office cordoned off as well. I’ll thank you to stay away from that location, too. And, we have taken possession of the remains of…” he pulled a notebook out of the pocket of his slacks an
d opened it, “Charles Dibble.”

  “What? Have you told Charlie’s wife?”

  “That’s not really our procedure, but if you feel she should be notified, help yourself. After that, your services are not required for our investigation.”

  Daniel felt Lianne’s hand on his arm, but he ignored it. “Look here, I don’t know who you think you are, but this is my town. I’m the acting police chief, and you will share whatever information you gather with me!” He looked at Lianne. “Us.”

  Devose stepped closer, his face just inches from Daniel’s. His voice dropped an octave. “This town has embarrassed the Bureau for the last time. I don’t need you or any other rogue Lone Ranger to interfere with our business. Now kindly vacate my crime scene.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Ask your preacher,” Devose said over his shoulder as he turned back to his work.

  Daniel limped his ego back to the cruiser. He and Lianne sat in the front seat and watched the agents sweep the scene with metal detectors and take pictures. “What do you think that was all about?” he asked.

  Lianne said, “I don’t know, but I have a dinner invitation to accept. You should come, too.”

  Chapter 10

  Stephanie Stratton was delighted when Lianne called her, and even more so when she found Daniel was coming, too.

  “I’ve known Daniel his whole life, you know,” she said as she sat the platter with pot roast and potatoes on the table. “I even babysat him a couple of times.”

  “You mean I was in the same room while you talked to your boyfriend for two hours on the phone.”

  Stephanie laughed. “OK, truce.”

  Her husband, Tony, said, “No, Daniel, do go on.”

  Stephanie said, “Now, honey, you know I was in suspended animation until you blew into town.”

  “I’d like to think so.”

  The time passed as the ladies talked about Stephanie’s garden and the men discussed the prospects for the two main college football teams in the state, the Sooners and the Cowboys. When there was a lull in the conversation, Tony said, “So, Danny, the motel…”

  “Tony, you shouldn’t pry,” Stephanie scolded.

  “Well, I couldn’t help but notice the OSBI came and asked Caleb Morris to talk, and we haven’t seen him since.”

  “How did they act when they showed up here?” Daniel asked.

  “Frosty.”

  “I get the impression they’re mad at you.”

  “Moi?” Tony’s eyes grew wide in mock shock.

  Lianne sat her iced tea down. “It seems there’s bad blood between the bureau and you. Is there anything we need to know that might hinder our investigation?”

  “Is this an official inquest?” Tony’s eyes still sparkled in amusement. “What do you know, Danny?”

  “What everyone in town knows, I guess. You were brought to town in the Witness Protection Program. You used to be a police officer and chaplain in Detroit. You testified at some big drug trial and came back here to Oak Valley to live when it was over.”

  Stephanie said, “How sad, dear. Today’s youth don’t know about all the times you almost got me killed.”

  “Lucky for you, they also don’t know all the times you did the exact opposite of what you were told to do, putting yourself in danger and forcing me to rescue you.”

  Lianne said, “I hate to interrupt, but can we get back on track here?”

  Stephanie smirked as Tony said, “It’s true we may have been involved in some incidents that should have been the territory of state law enforcement. Stephanie and I discovered the identity and solved the murder of K. C. Waters, the reclusive author. Then there was the mob enforcer that came to collect a debt from a friend of ours, and the time we found the Confederate treasure.”

  “Not to mention discovering my family’s darkest secret,” Stephanie said quietly.

  “And didn’t you blow the town of Ingalls, OK to smithereens?” Daniel asked.

  “As a matter of fact…” Tony sighed. “But the point is, we haven’t done you any favors as far as interagency cooperation goes.”

  “They’re also telling us to stay away from investigating Charlie’s death. I’ve known Charlie my whole life. He covered all our high school games.”

  “I take it you think they’re related?”

  Lianne fielded that one. “It seems like too much of a coincidence, in a town this size.”

  “I don’t know, crazy things have happened here,” said Stephanie.

  Lianne continued, “What about the road, Reverend? You were at the meeting.”

  “The new highway may be the common denominator. But you know more than I do, or even want to. My meddling days are over.”

  Stephanie snorted.

  Tony’s smile faded to seriousness. “Be very careful, you two. It might be wise to let the more experienced agents handle all this. You both have promising careers ahead of you and I’d hate to see anything happen to prevent that.”

  Lianne looked at Daniel. “He’s right.”

  Daniel stood. “Well, we’ve taken up enough of your time. Thank you for a wonderful meal.”

  “It was a pleasure to have you both,” Stephanie said.

  Tony closed the door as they left. As Daniel got into his pickup, Lianne called from her car. “Hey, Minco.”

  “Yeah?”

  “If I ever look at anyone with puppy dog eyes like those two do, shoot me immediately.”

  Sheriff Harris awoke, sensing someone was in the room. In the darkness, he saw the blanket covering Francis rise and fall with her breath. He turned, every muscle in his body aching.

  The form at the end of his bed was familiar. “I was hoping I’d never see you again,” Harris rasped.

  “Quiet now, John. You don’t want to wake Francis up. This doesn’t concern her.”

  Harris felt the intruder grasp his arm. In the glow of the streetlight coming through the window, he saw the hypodermic needle slip in.

  “It would have been so much more convenient if the heart attack had killed you.”

  Chapter 11

  County Road 3647 bounced Lianne around inside the cruiser like she was in a washing machine. She looked to the left and right but saw only flat meadows with cows grazing behind barbed wire, broken occasionally by ringed mounds of earth that formed small ponds.

  She came upon a gate with no identifying marks, but it was open. The car vibrated across the cattle guard, and Lianne saw Daniel’s truck.

  Eileen told her where he would be, after she told Lianne about Sheriff Harris’ death and before she left the office in tears, unable to stay. Her last words as she exited out the door were, “Just leave him be, child.”

  Lianne was chagrined at first that she hadn’t been told earlier, but quickly realized it wasn’t about her, really. Then she found herself wondering how a friend would act in this situation. What would her padre tell her to do?

  Daniel was sitting on the bank, his fishing rod motionless in his hands. He wore cut-off jeans, sandals, and a stained tee shirt; he hadn’t bothered to shower or shave.

  She sat beside him. “Decided not to come in today, I guess?”

  “That’s right.”

  After a couple of minutes that seemed like hours, she said, “I’m so sorry about Harris. He was a good man, and I know you were close to him.”

  “Yep.”

  She watched the still line. She guessed nothing was biting today. “I lost my mom about ten years ago,” she offered. “Breast cancer. I was in middle school.”

  “Sorry.”

  Sorry? She wanted to scream back at him. She tried to remember he was in pain, but he didn’t have to be a jerk.

  She stood and brushed the dirt off the seat of her uniform trousers. “I’m going back to the office. Eileen took the day off, too. Take whatever time you need, and I’ll keep working on our cases.”

  He looked up at her, squinting into the sun. “What cases would those be?”
/>
  “Uh, the motel explosion? Dibble’s murder?”

  “The OSBI is handling those. We were told by Reverend Tony and the sheriff to leave it alone.”

  “What about this being your town, and all that?”

  “It still is my town, and I’m telling you to stand down.”

  She felt her cheeks flush. Never a good sign. “It’s not your place to tell me to stand down.”

  He looked back to the water. “Actually, it is. As of this morning, Mayor Gray appointed me interim chief. At the next city council meeting, he expects them to make it permanent. I imagine your services won’t be required after that.”

  Her anger turned to bitter embarrassment. How could she have thought she would find a place here? Or anywhere, for that matter.

  She walked away from him, praying he wasn’t watching her stagger unsteadily back to the police cruiser.

  Sherry Threefeathers climbed the gate and walked toward the Stone Mansion. With everything going on in town it was easy for her slip away unnoticed, ignoring Lianne’s orders to stay in the house.

  She skirted the edge of Stone Lake, the field of mud extensive due to the receding water caused by the current drought. A patch of grey in the red sludge caught her eye. She stepped toward it, careful to maintain her footing. She knelt and cleared the area.

  When she saw what it was she forgot her archeological training and pulled it from the clay.

  A skull.

  The rounded eye orbits and flared nasal opening were indicators – but not proof – of Native American bone structure. She estimated the age to be that of a child.

  She put it back in the clay and took several pictures, but she knew any expert could tell it had been disturbed. She might even be accused of planting it. She made a quick decision and wrapped the muddy skull in a towel and placed it in her backpack.

  She continued to the house. Her extensive reading about Stone City hinted there might be a diary from Christine Stone, Alphaus’s daughter. She had published several articles in Oklahoma Methodist Monthly about her missionary and teaching work among the population of the town.

  Sherry was surprised to find the back door hanging from its hinges. She walked into the kitchen area and found her way to the staircase. She looked around her, for what she didn’t know, then climbed the creaking stairs.