The Case

by Lee Cunningham

  “I’m starting to get it, really!” Shane said.

  Kate said, “Yes, you’re doing a great job. You’ll pick it up quickly.”

  Shane frowned. “Not the flying. I know how to fly. It’s you and this family. Everyone has struggled to better themselves, and overcome obstacles. Everyone is multi-talented, even the people you hire. I mean, I should have guessed you would know how to fly, with your grandfather owning an airplane.”

  Kate smiled at Shane, as she turned to receive a bottle of water from Lisa. She took another for Shane. She turned to hand the water to Shane, and said, “You still have a great deal to learn about us, my love. It’s not Walter’s plane. It belongs to all of us through our real estate LLC. So, as far as I figure it, you’re flying your half of the cockpit right now. By the way, I hope you brought your credit card, because we always split the gas…4 ways!”

  Kate laughed saying, “I know I tease you a lot, but I’m afraid it just won’t last very long, so I’m getting all the mileage out of it I can now!”

  Shane countered, “What won’t last long. Are you afraid that since you showed me where the brothels are, you won’t be able to hold me?” he laughed.

  But, as soon as the last words left his lips, he knew it had been the wrong thing to say. He flinched just in time to receive the rattlesnake strike to the ribs. He winced in pain, and jerked the wheel to the right away from the jab. The plane veered toward a right turn, and Shane quickly recovered.

  Pete called out from his seat, “Kate! Is the rookie having some trouble?!”

  Kate called back to Pete, “Nothing that I can’t handle, Pete. I’ll bring him along.”

  Pete called back, “Well, see that you do. He almost spilled my coffee!”

  Shane smiled and refocused on the task at hand.

  Kate focused on him, and said, “I was talking about not being able to tease you too much longer about our family. I thought you would be spending so much time with us, you’d learn all our secrets quickly. But, if you want your other options, you can always take one of the SUVs back,” she teased.

  Shane said cautiously, “No, after I pay my part of the fuel bill for this flight, I won’t have enough gas money to drive back, let alone pay for anything else!”

  Shane had switched on the autopilot. And this time, he quickly grabbed both of Kate’s hands in his, so by the time his remark registered in her ears, he was able to foil the jab. He playfully forced a kiss, saying, “Besides, no one could kiss like you can.”

  The flight route took them east of US 395, over high plains, rugged mountains, and desert. They flew over Burns and the Malheur National Forest on their way north east to La Grande, Oregon. They marveled at the landscape, changing from the pine and spruce forests to the west, to the pinion pines and sagebrush lying to the east. As they continued north, the landscape changed again, from sage to rolling hills, to pinion pines scorched by the wildland fires of 2014 and 2015, back to sage, and finally, to pine forests along the mountains to the west. They were quickly closing in on the rugged wilderness areas lying ahead, to the northwest.

  They followed Oregon State Route 82 from La Grande, so Kate could point out the small towns of Imbler and Elgin, and then the Minam River area, famous for steelhead fishing and white-water rafting. From there, the highway turned south east, as it wrapped around the north side of the Eagle Cap Wilderness Area. Shane marveled at the snowcapped peaks. He thought how the area looked like the pictures he had seen of the Swiss and German Alps.

  The mountains became even more spectacular, the closer they approached. Snow-covered alpine peaks, deep, rocky treed valleys and meadows, rivers, creeks, lakes and ponds unfolded along the route. Shane saw frequent dots of shining blue, as higher altitude lakes and ponds flickered sunlight back at him. Using binoculars, while Kate flew, he was mesmerized by the number of bodies of water in the mountains. As they approached one valley, dark spots on the snow-covered ground began to move, and he counted more than 100 elk.

  As he watched the land below float by, his mind fantasized how he, his father, Heath and Pete could have hiked to some of these remote areas, when they were all together in the past. Shane hoped he would get the chance to make these trips with Kate and Pete, and, maybe someday, Heath. He continued in his daydream, and wondered …maybe even with Kate, and their own children. A little girl child, he thought, who looked just like Kate, and maybe a boy or two, so he wouldn’t be outnumbered! Shane chuckled to himself and thought, “If we have all girls, I’ll have to get a couple of boy dogs!” He laughed out loud.

  Kate called back to Pete, breaking Shane’s day dream. “Pete, are you ready?”

  Pete said happily, “Coming!” He walked up behind Kate and Shane. “How can I help?”

  Kate asked Pete, “Narrate the tour or fly?”

  Pete thought a moment, and said, “I think I landed here the last time. Your turn. I’ll narrate.”

  Shane waited, saying nothing flippant. He was learning, albeit slowly. Both Pete and Kate seemed to be pleased with Pete’s choice, and Shane’s progress. Kate flew over the area, slowing the airspeed, so Pete could narrate and teach Shane the area he would need to know and understand in days to come. Pete pointed out the towns of Wallowa, Lostine, Enterprise and Joseph, all accessed by travelling Oregon Hwy 82.

  The first two towns were very small. Pete explained that Enterprise had a population of less than 3,000 people, although it was the largest town in the county, and the county seat. Joseph was less than 5 miles south east of Enterprise, and was known as the artist colony of the area.

  Continuing southeast on Hwy 82 from Joseph, it was less than two miles to Wallowa Lake. The small town of Wallowa Lake Village began to come into view at the far end of the four-mile long lake. Hwy 82, now designated Hwy 351, or the Wallowa Lake Hwy, dead-ended into a mountain, about 1-½ miles past the lake. Pete said the area was a favorite jumping off point for hikers, backpackers and horseback riders.

  Kate swung the plane around over Mount Howard, and Pete pointed out the tramway a person could ride from the Lake Village area to a restaurant, perched on top of the mountain. Pete said it was the steepest ascent tram ride in the entire U.S.

  Within a minute, they were over a road, designated Hwy 350, that left Joseph, running east for a few miles. Once the road ran further east over a ridge, it dropped down to a river canyon, to the Wallowa Mountain Road, designated the “39 Road,” by locals.

  Pete continued. “There is no access to the county by highway from this side of Joseph in the winter. The road that goes around the wilderness area to Halfway, accessed from the “39 Road,” is closed in the winter, and used as a snowmobile recreation road. Other than Hwy 82 from La Grande, the only way to enter the county is from Washington State, coming south into the county on Hwy 3, through Enterprise, or the more secluded and difficult Upper Imnaha River Road, over Pine Creek.”

  “This county is secluded, with only two viable ways in or out in the winter. That’s why we’re here. We want to do a fly-over of the ranch now, so you can see the layout.”

  Within a few minutes Kate had the plane circling, from a position east of Hwy 82, around to the mountains lying just to the west. Between Joseph and Enterprise, they flew over a tract of land that appeared to have nothing on it, save a large pond.

  Pete handed Shane the binoculars, and said, “Take a close look at the end of the pond.” Tucked away in the forest and partially concealed by a hill, Shane could make out one flat, snow-covered roof line, and then another, appearing to be lower than the first, and concealed by a large rock outcropping.

  Pete said, “One way in and one way out, on this road just below us to the right. See the field there with the herd of elk?” Shane nodded. “That’s a square mile, with a year-round creek going through it. It sits as a buffer, between the home site and anyone approaching from the highway side. We have a clean line of sight from a crow’s nest in the observatory, through that field, all the way across the neighbor’s places, to the hig
hway. You’ll like it. You’ll like it a lot!”

  With that, Kate turned the plane toward the Joseph airport, located just west of town. Within two minutes, she was turning onto her final approach. Shane watched intently, as Kate slipped off some excess altitude and landed the twin engine, perfectly, stopping with much of the mile-long runway remaining ahead. He was more than impressed with this talented woman.

  Pete had placed a call earlier, and as they arrived, a man drove up in an old, refurbished school bus. He was waiting for them when Kate rolled the plane to a stop near a hanger.

  Everyone exited after the relatively short flight, anxious to get out and stretch, and look at new scenery. Pete opened one of the hangers, and disconnected a battery charger from a full size F350 4-door pick-up. He drove the truck out. Gear and luggage was loaded into the truck within a few minutes.

  Pete, Tasha, Kate and Shane headed toward the pick-up. Kate offered to drive, and Shane just smiled...and said nothing. Pete and Tasha seemed pleased too, scarcely able to release each other’s hands long enough to load themselves into the back seat. With the airplane unloaded of all necessary equipment, it was wheeled in, and safely stored in the locked hanger. The rest of the crew that had flown with them got on the bus and headed off to the ranch. Pete explained that a neighborhood friend often picked up their group, in his old refurbished school bus, when they arrived in town.

  Kate drove to Joseph and then turned right, to play tour guide for Shane and Tasha. Pete had seen it all before, on several occasions, and had eaten in some of the restaurants and tipped a few drinks at the local bars and pubs, but he enjoyed watching Tasha and Shane being tourists. The day was still young, and both Kate and Pete wanted to take advantage of the time. Pete didn’t seem to mind, relaxing and holding fast to Tasha’s hand.

  As they drove, Kate pointed out places she wanted Shane to remember, that they might frequent or need something from, during their stay. She mentioned 1917 Lumber, Mt. Joseph Family Foods, the Embers Brew House, Joseph Hardware and the Stubborn Mule, giving a quick synopsis of each, while telling a story about a time they were there, or something funny happened. Within five minutes, Wallowa Lake was coming into view, as they continued to the dead-end of the lake highway.

  Shane and Tasha were awestruck by the sheer beauty of the area. Pete said the alpine lake was more than 300 feet deep and more than four miles long. It had been cut out of bedrock by a Pleistocene glacier during the last ice ages. The last glacier had finished moving the earth and rock up on both sides of the lake, and had formed glacial moraines more than 900 feet high during its trek. The surrounding mountains, with their jagged snow-covered peaks and faces, were all riddled with forests of western larch, pines, spruces and varieties of deciduous trees, most pushing high up past the snow. Areas that appeared to be void of vegetation, had been cleared by avalanches running down the steep slopes.

  They passed the boat launch area and beach at the foot of the lake, and within another few minutes, passed the head of the lake. Wallowa Lake was fed by a river delivering ice cold water through a spider web of canyons, where unseen creeks combined their flow to build a spring torrent of rushing water. Pete explained that some creeks only lasted through mid-summer, depending on the snowpack. But others, he smiled, contained year-round flows that supported native species of golden and brook trout.

  They drove by the Wallowa Lake Lodge, the Wallowa Lake Tramway, a small village with scores of cabins, chalets, shops and a couple of RV Parks.

  Within another mile, they made the U-turn at the end of the road. Kate pointed out the trail she liked to ride horses up, that ran from the big trailhead at the end of the road to Aneroid Lake. That lake, she said, was another six miles and 3,000 feet above their current location, accessed only by the winding mountain trail than meandered through the dense forest.

  They turned around and headed back through town, and finally, toward the ranch. Both Shane and Tasha talked excitedly on the way, about seeing the area and spending time in the county, while learning the local history. Shane hoped this might be the vacation he had sorely needed for too long. It would also give him some time alone with Kate.

  Tasha dreamed of finally being away from the stress of the busy law firm, with Pete. She had fallen in love with him, as she worked side by side with him for many years. She had never allowed herself to believe Pete would actually love her back. She daydreamed about the many times she had wanted to tell him how she felt. She thought he might feel that way also, but she could never get up the courage to express her true feelings.

  Tasha was still unsure what had happened to motivate Pete to make the decision to act on his feelings now, but she wasn’t going to question anything. She was truly happy for the first time in years, and she was all in, playing for keeps, with nothing stopping her now.

  About a mile past Joseph, they drove by a small highway sign pointing to a Bed and Breakfast, a nicely appointed large 2-story home perched on a rim-rock outcropping, about a quarter mile off the highway, toward the Eagle Cap Wilderness Area. Kate told Shane she would introduce him to her friend, Mary, who operated the bed and breakfast.

  Kate explained she had met Mary on an ATV ride on Jayne’s Ridge, three years ago. Both had been enjoying a nice spring day on their ATVs, collecting morel mushrooms, which sprang up after the snow melted each year.

  A heavy thunderstorm that lasted for two days had washed away the last of the snow, and caused the mushrooms to sprout up virtually everywhere that season. A week after the storm, she and Mary happened on each other along a trail on the ridge. Mary had stopped to drink a beer and eat a sandwich, and had shared her lunch with Kate, after they talked for a little while. They spent the rest of the day collecting mushrooms together, riding and talking. Mary showed Kate her first calf’s brain mushroom. They had forged the foundation of a lasting friendship.

  Kate turned west off the highway and wound through a few short paved roads, that led to a smooth gravel road. A few miles west, they arrived at a narrower road that ran along the edge of a mile-long field with a creek running through it. After two more turns, they were soon engulfed by large old growth trees, some appearing to be more than 100 feet high. They had they entered the forested portion of the property.

  Within another minute, they neared a small barn, and then passed a huge garage and shop. They finally stopped below a massive three-story log home, with a wraparound deck. As soon as the vehicle came to rest, the crew that had flown up with them was outside, to help unload the gear from the truck. The job took less than ten minutes with so many hands working. Jesse said he was anxious to set up all the equipment, and relax. He took off inside with the gear and several of his team.

  Everyone buzzed with growing excitement, which seemed to be contagious. The entire team wanted some rest and recovery time, and this country promised to provide the fix. May was just around the corner, and a warming trend was forecast, along with some morning showers. The possibilities seemed endless. Shane was anxious to explore the grounds, but felt the immediate need to settle in as soon as possible.

  Night came quickly. Equipment was set up, tested and certified as working well. Everyone had been directed to their rooms, and each person seemed to unpack in a hurry, anxious to explore the site, as soon as they were no longer needed. Pete and Tasha drove the truck to the Terminal Gravity Brewery and Pub on a beer run, and then stopped at the Enterprise Liquor Store to stock up on essentials. Kate gave Shane a tour of the well-stocked wine cellar in the basement. It seemed to Shane that Walla Walla, Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino vineyards were all equally represented.

  By 8:00 P.M., Jesse and two of the staff had prepared and served steak dinner, featuring locally raised beef. On each plate, the steak was flanked by a simple, but tasty, baked potato and steamed asparagus with “Sauce de Jesse,” which tasted like a garlic, parmesan and hollandaise blend. As the meal was served late, by the time they ate, everyone was hungry. As usual, the meal was exceptional.

  Kate and
Shane took showers and sat in their room, talking and enjoying a fine cabernet from a Walla Walla vineyard. Both were tired, but too excited to sleep, and both seemed to need to talk, although about different subjects. As they spoke through the second glass of wine, they worked their way down to the grand fireplace in the main living room, and sat in a loveseat, where they finished their conversation.

  Kate was intent on getting through this safely, and showing Shane the rest of the O’Leary life and world, hoping that he would embrace it all, and find a place for himself where he would be happy. She was afraid to tell him, just yet, that this dangerous life style he pursued, was too risky for the two of them, and their future…at least the future she hoped to plan.

  Shane was intent on finding the secret in his dream, and solving the riddle of their parents’ murder. He dreamed of seeing that justice was served to those who deserved the full force of the law. And then there was Heath. He needed to figure out how to solve the problems between his brother and Pete. Maybe there could be some mending of the damage between them. He just didn’t know how, but he knew he had to try.

  Finally, they finished the last of the bottle and worked their way back up the stair case toward their room, and bed. Holding on to each other, in a king-sized bed that Shane felt was far too large for them, they only occupied half the bed.

  Shane said, “Kate, I keep playing this over and over in my mind. I keep making all the basic assumptions, using all the known facts, trying to figure out what the answer is in my dream. I just can’t quite get it…it’s so frustrating.”