Deadly Currents

by Beth Groundwater

  Thompson laughed. “Tom King knew how to make money, that’s for sure.”

  “And his wife knows how to spend it. You should have seen Paula’s shoe collection.” Mandy headed for the worktable. “This looks like as good a place as any to start.”

  Deputy Thompson poked his gloved finger into a pile of misshapen tubers out of which grew blade-like stalks that had been trimmed to about six inches. “Could this be what we’re searching for?”

  Mandy peered at them. “Those look like iris rhizomes. I’ve got some irises in my yard. Someone must have been dividing them, getting them ready to replant.”

  She shuffled through the pile, spreading them out. One root looked different from the others. It was longer, more carrot-shaped, darker in color, and had no bladed leaves attached. Mandy’s mouth went dry. “You have that handout Detective Quintana gave you?”

  Thompson took the folded papers out of his pocket and spread out the picture of the Western monkshood root next to the odd-looking live root.

  Mandy studied them both. “Sure looks like the same thing.”

  “I’ll bag it.” Deputy Thompson pulled a lunchbag-sized paper bag out of his duffle.

  As he was nudging the root into the bag, Mandy stayed his hand. “Wait. See that? One end’s been ground off.”

  She looked around the worktable, spied a small black plastic 35mm film case next to the rhizome pile, and picked it up.

  “Why would a film case be in a garage?” Thompson asked.

  “Why indeed.” Mandy gently pried off the top.

  Men are afraid to rock the boat in which they hope to

  drift safely through life’s currents, when, actually,

  the boat is stuck on a sandbar. They would be better off

  to rock the boat and try to shake it loose.

  —Thomas Szasz

  The case was half-filled with a fine white powder. Deputy Thompson let out a low whistle. After he bagged the film case with its mysterious white powder, he said, “I need to tell Detective Quintana.”

  They found Quintana in the Kings’ living room, systematically searching the bookcases. Thompson quietly told him what they had found.

  Quintana gave a curt nod. “Search the grounds. See if you can find any of the plants.”

  Mandy and Deputy Thompson went back outside and searched the large flower garden behind the garage then all the decorative planting beds placed strategically around the house. They found no plants that fit the profile of Western monkshood. After twenty minutes with no results, Mandy stood in the middle of the King family’s back yard, wondering where else she and Thompson could look.

  Deputy Thompson joined her. “You know, it’s even more suspicious that there’s no monkshood in the yard. They can’t claim they cut a root by accident if they had to bring it in from somewhere else.”

  “I can’t think of where else the flowers might be growing,” Mandy said. “The rest of their land is native forest.”

  “Okay. Time to report to Quintana.”

  They returned to the house. Quintana had moved on to the dining room, and was on his knees in front of the china hutch. When he saw them, he rose. “Find anything?”

  “No,” Deputy Thompson replied. “There’s none around. Not unless it’s growing wild in the forest nearby.”

  Quintana smoothed his mustache, then approached Paula King in the kitchen. “Mrs. King, could you come with me into the living room, please? Deputy Thompson, bring the evidence bag.”

  Mandy followed Thompson into the living room but held herself back, deeming it best that Quintana and Thompson, the official Sheriff’s Department representatives, do all the talking.

  Quintana led Paula into the room and indicated she should take a seat on the sofa. He stood directly in front of her, leaning over in a slightly menacing pose. “Now, Mrs. King, who is the gardener in the family?”

  Paula shot a suspicious look at Mandy. “I am. Why?”

  “When was the last time you used the workbench in the garage and what did you do there?”

  “This morning. I was dividing up irises, getting them ready to replant.”

  Quintana took the evidence bag containing the film canister from Deputy Thompson’s hands, opened the bag, and showed the canister to Paula. “My team found this on the workbench. What can you tell me about it?”

  “I’ve never seen it before. Is that a film canister?”

  “Yes.” Quintana handed the paper bag back to Thompson, who re-stapled it and labeled it with the time it was opened.

  “I have a digital camera.” Paula said. “I don’t use film.”

  “Many people still use the plastic canisters for storing things, buttons and such. You do that?”

  With a shake of her head, Paula said, “That’s what Tupperware is for. What’s so important about a stupid film canister anyway?”

  “It’s not the canister. It’s what’s inside it. What do you think we found in that canister?”

  “I have no idea. Dirt?”

  Quintana stared her down for a moment, then asked, “What kind of camera does your son have?”

  Paula gave a snort. “Probably none. I bet he pawned the one we gave him for Christmas a few years ago.”

  “What kind of camera was it?”

  “Digital.”

  “Has Jeff ever used the gardening workbench?”

  “I can’t get him to mow the lawn since he moved back in. Why would he want to mess with flowers?”

  Quintana signaled Thompson. “Why don’t you go ask Jeff King these questions directly? And fill out a receipt, inventory, and return sheet for that evidence to leave with Mrs. King.”

  Paula watched the deputy leave. “What’s this all about? What does gardening have to do with my husband’s death?”

  “We’re not sure yet, Mrs. King. Maybe you can tell me. Your husband was poisoned, remember?”

  Understanding dawned on Paula’s face. “Did you find poison in that canister? You can’t suspect me. I know nothing about poisons, and I already told you that I loved my husband.”

  “Yes, you did.” Quintana didn’t sound convinced. “We still need to test the contents of that canister. In the meantime, I’m going to have to ask you to come down to the station with me. You’re a person of interest in the case now, and I need to ask you some questions.”

  “What if I decide I don’t want to answer your questions?”

  “You have that right, of course. But if you don’t cooperate, I’ll be forced to arrest you, and neither one of us wants that. I’m sure you wouldn’t want word of something like that to get out.”

  Paula glared at Mandy. “And I wonder how that would happen?” Sarcasm iced her words.

  Quintana held up a palm. “We’re professionals, Mrs. King, all of us, and we don’t divulge information about cases to the public. But the media has access to the police blotter.”

  “Fine! I’ll come with you, but I’m not missing Bunko tonight.” Paula spun on her heels.

  As they followed Paula to the front door, Quintana whispered to Mandy, “They’re going to be one short in that Bunko game.”

  Jeff King entered the hallway with Deputies Mansfield and Thompson. “Where are you taking Mom and why?”

  “She’s coming down to the station with us.” Quintana pulled Deputy Thompson aside and had a short conversation before turning back to the rest of the group.

  “Your mother is a person of interest in the death of your father now,” he said to Jeff. “I need to ask her some questions. And you need to stick around. Based on what she tells us, I may question you next.”

  Jeff’s eyes went wide. “You think she killed Dad?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  A red flush crept up Jeff’s cheeks. “Don’t go with them, Mom
.”

  “If I don’t, Detective Quintana said he’ll arrest me.” She picked up her purse. “I’ve decided to cooperate for now.”

  “I’m calling our lawyer.” Jeff stalked back into the kitchen.

  Detective Quintana walked with Paula King down the driveway and put her in the back seat of his cruiser. Then he accompanied Mandy to her car.

  “This looks promising.” He smoothed his mustache. “If she did it, we’ve got her in custody. And if Jeff King killed his father, we’ve got him running scared and off-balance, wondering what’s going to happen to his mother. We’ll be watching him.”

  Mandy glanced at her watch. “I’ve got to drive the afternoon shuttle for our Brown’s Canyon raft trip. Do you need me anymore?”

  “No, go ahead.”

  “I want to know if what we found is aconite, though.”

  “I’ll keep you posted.” He turned and looked at the back of his cruiser. Paula sat as stiff as a statue of an Egyptian pharaoh inside.

  “I’m not sure Jeff is capable of murder,” Mandy said, “but that lady sure fits the profile of a black widow.”

  _____

  Mandy pulled the bus into the parking lot for the Hecla Junction takeout for Brown’s Canyon. She managed to turn the bus around so its back and the attached trailer faced the river just before Kendra, Dougie, and Ajax arrived with their charges. Mandy had been worried she would be late, but the guides must have let the customers relax and play Geronimo, jumping off a cliff into the water, longer than usual at the rest stop. When she climbed out of the bus, the three guides were pulling a raft up on the bank and telling customers to throw their PFDs and paddles into it.

  After directing the customers, squishing in their muddy shoes, onto the bus, Mandy went to help the guides load the rafts in the trailer. Two rafts sat piled on the trailer, with the paddles and PFDs sandwiched between them in the lower raft. Dougie and Ajax clambered like monkeys over the pile, tying it down.

  When Ajax spotted her, he stood and shot Mandy a pained look. “Uh, Mandy, I’ve got a problem to report.”

  “Wait a minute,” Mandy said. “Where’s the other raft?”

  Kendra put a hand on Mandy’s shoulder. “It’s pinned on the second rock in Raft Ripper. Ajax’s bunch was from Japan, and they didn’t understand English very well. He couldn’t get them to follow his commands and was fighting their mixed-up paddling the whole way down the river.”

  “I’m really sorry.” Ajax fumbled the knot he was tying and loosened it. “I know how tight things are for the company. I hate to add to your problems.”

  Being another raft short was a big problem. Mandy needed four rafts the next day. With the torn raft, she was out of spares, and Saturday during FIBArk was the biggest day of the season. All the other outfitters would be busy Saturday, too, so finding a loaner raft would be impossible. Her head whirled as she tried to think of a solution. Then she noticed Ajax’s hang-dog expression.

  “I’m sure you did your best under difficult circumstances, Ajax. No reason to be sorry. Was anyone hurt when you pinned?”

  “No. They all washed downstream, and Kendra and Dougie picked them up.”

  “That was part of the problem,” Kendra said. “Ajax didn’t have anyone to help him high-side the raft.”

  “Did you try to pull it off?”

  “Of course. We roped it up and worked on it for almost an hour. Even had the customers helping us pull on the line from the bank. It’s really wedged.”

  A frustrated sigh escaped Mandy’s lips.

  Ajax jumped down from the trailer. “We plan to come back with more ropes and pulleys, but we decided we’d better send these folks on their way home first. They were getting pretty impatient while we worked on the raft.”

  Mandy glanced up at the back bus windows and saw a couple of glum faces staring down at her. Great. The customers had a bum time. That doesn’t bode well for repeat business.

  “It must have been a cramped ride the rest of the way,” she said, “with everyone in two rafts. At least it happened toward the end of the trip. Did you get many complaints?”

  “Some,” Kendra replied, “but a couple of the kids had gotten tired of paddling, so we put them in the middle—along with Ajax. He kept them entertained.”

  Ajax rolled his eyes.

  Mandy knew what that meant. Pulling out all the old knock-knock jokes and hand games. Increasing the self-deprecating banter to put the blame on himself and off the customers. Trying desperately to convince them that they were still having a good time.

  “Okay.” Mandy rubbed her hands to convey more self-assurance than she felt. “Damage control time. Put your smiles on and chat them up on the way back. By the time I get the bus to home base, we need to convince them they had more fun today than if they’d gone to Disneyland.”

  As they neared the front of the bus, she clapped a hand on Ajax’s back. “I’ve got the emergency package of chocolate chip cookies in my duffle bag. Why don’t you be the one to pass them out?”

  _____

  An hour later, Mandy waved goodbye to the last carload leaving the rafting company parking lot. She dumped a stack of coupons for “ten-dollars-off your next ride” on the office counter. She had passed them out to the customers along with a cheery speech encouraging them to come back. As her hand dropped to her side, pessimism soaked in. Very few of the customers looked like they had been convinced.

  She still had the closing-out paperwork to do, and she needed to prep for the next day’s trips, but first that raft had to be retrieved. And it was already almost six thirty. There wasn’t much daylight left for the long task ahead.

  She donned her wetsuit and grabbed some power bars from the kitchen. After locking the front door, she went out back into the equipment yard to see what she could do to help the guides. The rafts and paddles had been stowed. The customers’ wetsuits, booties, helmets, and PFDs were collected, washed out, and hanging up to dry.

  Kendra, Dougie, and Ajax were all still dressed for the river. Kendra had added a wetsuit to her ensemble, and the guys had put on spray jackets. If the sun went down while they were still working on the stuck raft, the air would get chilly fast. Dougie was tossing ropes and carabiners into the back of his pickup truck, and a raft lay nearby.

  Mandy handed out the power bars. “What’s the plan? Walk up from the takeout?”

  “That’s all we can do,” Ajax answered glumly. “There’s no other access point.”

  Rob’s truck pulled into the side parking lot. He climbed out and looked into the bed of Dougie’s truck.

  “Hi, Rob. What brings you here?” Mandy asked, trying to sound casual in front of the others.

  “I’ll tell you later.” His glance at the guides conveyed that what he had to say was private. “What’s going on?”

  Kendra dumped an armload of paddles into Dougie’s truck bed, causing a metallic clatter. “We’ve got a raft pinned at Raft Ripper.”

  “Ouch,” Rob said. “I’ve got some extra rope and pulleys in the truck, if those will help.”

  “Thanks,” Mandy said. “I’ll be sure to get them back to you tonight or tomorrow morning.”

  Rob shot her a quizzical look. “I’m coming with you.”

  “But—” Mandy began, then realized the sensibility of Rob’s offer. An extra person, especially one experienced in swift water rescue, would help get the job done quicker. “I hate to ask you. I’m sure you’ve had a long day.”

  “You’re not asking, I’m offering.” Rob grinned and took her arm. “C’mon, you can ride with me.”

  All of sudden he seemed to take charge of the retrieval operation. After they tied the raft onto the back of Dougie’s truck, he led the caravan back down to Hecla Junction. On the way, he quizzed Mandy for details about the stuck raft’s position. She couldn�
��t tell him much since she hadn’t been there and felt more and more frustrated as he shot questions at her and analyzed strategies out loud.

  When they reached the river, Rob hoisted ropes out of his truck and handed the pulleys to Dougie, who added them to a duffle bag stuffed with throw ropes, a first aid kit, and hardware that he slung over his shoulder. With Ajax carrying the company ropes, that left Kendra and Mandy with the raft stuffed with extra paddles, which they pulled on a line up the river behind them.

  After forty minutes of bushwhacking and climbing over rocks, Mandy’s arms ached and trickles of sweat ran down the inside of her wetsuit. When they reached the bank opposite the two huge knife-edged rocks in the channel that formed Raft Ripper, she stopped to catch her breath. The sounds of heavy breathing and water being sucked out of water bottles surrounded her as the others rested, too.

  Mandy swiped her brow while she studied the scene. Ajax’s raft still lay plastered sideways against the upstream side of the second rock, three-quarters submerged. Roaring water slammed against it, but the raft never budged. It was definitely stuck and stuck good.

  “There’s more water going over the far side of the raft,” she said. “So the first thing we need to do is get across the river so we can angle a rope from that bank to peel the raft off from this side.”

  “Like a banana skin, right.” Rob grabbed a paddle. “Dougie and I will paddle the raft across while you and Ajax ride. Kendra should stay on this side with a throw rope downstream just in case. Rescue’s easier from this side. Everyone got whistles for signaling?”

  He’s taking over again. Mandy simmered as she led the group further upstream to get a safe distance above the rapid. Sure, Rob had more years of raft guiding experience than she did, but she was the river ranger here, she knew the capabilities of her team best, and the raft belonged to her now. She quickly formulated a revised plan. It was time to reassert her authority.