“Believe me, they’ll be more impressed with the privacy. If you have the entire town traipsing through your hotel, they might scare the ghosts away.”
“Guess I don’t need to bribe the police chief to approve my non-event permit then.” I open the basket to see what my mother packed. “Maybe you should take this to the bank and surprise Dad. He’s been working so hard with the planning commission. We don’t have a long building season here, and he wants to break ground on the theme park as soon as the snow melts.”
“You should go ahead and bribe that handsome sheriff.” Mom chuckles knowingly. “God knows you two are made for each other. You had a crush on him since you were a tiny tot.”
“You make it sound so sleazy,” I protest. “Todd’s six years older than me, and there’s no way he would have noticed me.”
“I’m sure he did,” Mom says. “He always came to your piano recitals in the city hall.”
“Like that means anything. He treats me like a kid sister or friend,” I declare hotly. “Like all the other guys in town. Frankly, I’m not interested in the local guys.”
“Then why did you come back after college?” Mom hefts her heavy frame onto an adjacent barstool.
The two of us spent many hours around the old-fashioned Victorian kitchen’s center island rolling out dough, cutting cookies, and frosting cakes. Maybe that’s why we both have a weight problem.
“I missed you and Dad.”
“You sure it isn’t because of a certain sheriff?” Her voice takes on a teasing quality. “Come on, cupcake. Everyone can see how much you like him.”
My mom and I are almost best friends, but there are things I can’t tell her. When a small-town girl goes away to college at sixteen, she’s bound to do things she’s ashamed of, and the fact that Todd wants to keep me as a bad secret might have something to do with it. I wonder if anyone clued him in, since no one but the creep involved knows.
“I like living in a place where I know everyone.”
Since I’m not going to meet Todd, I unpack the rest of the basket. Roast beef sandwiches, croissants, a fruit salad, and her heavenly frosted brownies.
“But you’re so bent on bringing strangers to our town and growing it beyond anything we can handle,” Mom says. “I think people come back because they like the peace and quiet.”
“Yeah, but with the high state taxes, we need new businesses to keep our town going. The cost to fight the fires, the need for law enforcement, and even basics like electricity, sewers, and fresh water. We can’t let Colson’s Corner turn into a ghost town. We need new jobs to attract young people to stay.”
“I applaud your love for our hometown. But do you have to take it all on your shoulders? I feel like you and your father are the only two boosters, and everyone else is against you.”
“My HEX sisters are ready to invest, and so are Evan’s friends, the investment bankers from the Sigma Epsilon Chi fraternity. We’ll recreate the glory of the Gold Rush days right here.” I pick a brownie from the basket and take a bite. “Mmm … Mom, seriously, you ought to open a bakery next to the bed and breakfast.”
“We already have Joe’s Diner,” Mom says. “Don’t want to take too much of their business.”
“You and Dad are such opposites.” I lick the frosting off my fingers. Oops. That brownie just went down the hatch and cancelled the Lean-but-not-Mean Chicken Caesar Salad I had for lunch.
“So are you and Todd,” Mom says, still harping on the impossible dream.
“I’ve given up on chasing him.” I wipe my lips and reapply my lipstick. “Sometimes, opposites aren’t meant to be.”
“Maybe you should slow down and let him catch you.” Mom repacks the picnic basket and raises her eyebrows at me. “Men like Todd love the chase before the catch.”
~ Todd ~
I’m back to answering the phones myself. The volunteer is busy babysitting her grandchildren, and Shane is out at the speed trap. But no matter what, I don’t regret firing Molly. I did a good deed taking her on, training her, and giving her chances, but she’s become a liability if she’s spilling police department secrets and drinking in the middle of the day.
I know Tami was pumping her on the reason for me denying her public party, but the truth is, having four old-timers deputized is not going to solve the traffic problem.
The phone rings, and I pick it up.
“It’s good to hear your voice, Sheriff,” Miss Laverne Pine, the town’s oldest resident says. “That Molly was so rude. Never asked me how I’m doing or if I need anything.”
“You doing okay? Need anything?” I ask, knowing that half of the time she calls, she wants someone to talk to.
“Oh, the weather’s changing. My bones tell me so. It’s going to be a cold winter.” Her voice creaks as much as her bones, and I wonder if she’s catching a cold.
“You have enough firewood?”
“Had that young Mr. Donnie chop me a bunch. He’s got it all stacked and ready.”
Donnie and the rest of the Vice are well over seventy, but to Miss Laverne, they’re whipper-snappers.
“Good. I’m on my way out to the Falls for a hike. Need anything from the general store?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.” She rattles off things she needs for winterizing. “You are so sweet to think of me living all by myself up in the gulch.”
Her praise makes me feel warm, and I’m sure I’m blushing. It’s part of being a small-town sheriff. I take care of my townsfolk, and I watch out for them.
“I’ll be by in about an hour. Remember, don’t open your door to strangers.” I give her my customary sign-off.
She laughs. “Strangers are new friends to be. Last night, I met a delightful young family on their way back from that ghost-hunting party. They had the most adorable kids. They needed to use the bathroom, so they knocked on my door.”
“And you let them in,” I finish her thought resignedly.
“And lived to tell you about it. Try not to worry so much. It’s a friendly town, and the visitors are here to have some good clean fun. I’m telling you. I’d rather have ghosts in the red-light district than the outlaws who used to live there across the creek. Remember Ma Belle? Served a man sweet tea and buried him under the floorboards. Then there’s Baja Angel. No one ever found her body, did they? Those were some wild days. The Bee Sting Bordello and the Sixty Miners Saloon have seen better days. Course, it’s before my time, but my grandmama always told me, Gold Fever makes a man crazier than a coon on catnip.”
“It was wild back in those days,” I concur. “The population was also ten times larger. It’s hard to believe how many miners crawled around these hills. I’m glad those days are behind us.”
“There’s still gold up in them thar hills,” she gives me the old-timer’s refrain. “See you soon, Sonny.”
I hang up and cross my fingers when I feel footsteps walk across my grave. Is it possible for gold fever to possess ghosts and drive them crazier than a skunked hound dog?
Right before locking up, I forward the station’s phone calls to my cell phone. Most nights are quiet, and none of the town’s pregnant women are close to delivery, so I should have plenty of time with Tami.
I’m not sure why I want to meet her alone. Sure, she attracts me like crazy, and I’m a hungry boy, so food’s always welcome. Most of the time, I don’t have to talk, since she does such a great job filling the silence. She’s always trying to please me, and the flirting is fun, but I can’t see myself being directed and influenced by her.
Oh no. I’m not a donkey to be led around, approving this and rubber-stamping that. She and her father only care about making money, getting famous, and aggrandizing themselves with huge projects. Why don’t they take their risky business to a big city like Las Vegas? They can put their Gold Rush theme park on the same strip as the fake Eiffel Tower and the fake Egyptian pyramid and fake volcano.
Tami and I will never work. No matter how much she makes me feel alive and ke
eps me in fighting form.
I should stay away, but after dropping Miss Laverne’s supplies off at her hillside shack, I head toward the trailhead leading to Rainman’s Falls, rumored to rain gold flakes after a heavy storm where flood waters wash through a series of collapsed mineshafts.
There’s a lot of gold rush lore running through these hills. Gold fever springs eternal, and people are prone to exaggeration.
I’m not encouraging these rumors, because it causes tourists to hike off-trail, scramble through abandoned mineshafts, and trespass on private land. Cell phone coverage is spotty out here, and we don’t always rescue them in time.
Fall has come early this year, and the only gold littering the creek and trails are the fallen leaves. The evergreens stand out like sentinels while the oaks, maples, alders, and sycamores shed their coats of many colors.
I love fall, and I look forward to the tourists leaving after Spooky Fest. It’s a time of reflection, planning, repairs, and getting ready for the long, cold winter.
There’s nothing like waking up to the muffled quiet after a fresh snowfall. The peace, the clean whiteness, the frosty cold, and the solitude is like being cocooned in a world of tranquility.
The sun sets earlier in the fall, and I’m questioning the wisdom of a picnic in the near dark. I turn into the parking area for the Rainman’s Falls trail, and I’m anything but tranquil.
Tami’s bright-red 280ZX sportscar is not there.
Fifteen minutes later, I’m still alone.
Maybe Shane caught her in the speed trap and is issuing her a ticket.
I check in with Shane. “Caught any speeders?”
“Nope. Google maps already has my speed trap marked, so I’m going home. How about you? Did you find the budget for more deputies?”
“Got the Vice Squad to volunteer, but they won’t be able to handle a street party outside of the Bee Sting.”
“Tami’s going to be mighty pissed,” Shane says. “All those crock pots, casseroles, and baked goods are going to stop coming.”
“I can’t be bought, and neither should you.” I make my voice stern. “By the way, have you seen Tami?”
“She was driving too slow for me to ticket her.”
“Where was she going?”
“Down to your sister’s place, I think. Why?”
“Nothing. I was concerned. She didn’t like me denying her outdoor event and limiting her guests to ten.”
“You’re really going to stick it to her and ruin my action? I mean, she’ll stop being friendly to us cops.”
“It’s not a matter of being friendly or eating her cakes and cookies.” My throat feels as tight as my balls, and I hope my voice isn’t too high-pitched and strained. “It’s a matter of public safety. I can’t compromise on that.”
“Making me lose the girl. Dang it. Guess I’ll mosey on over to your sister’s place and explain.”
I can’t believe Donnelly thinks Tami has the hots for him. What possibly can possess him to think he owes her an explanation?
“Stay away from her.”
“Why?”
“Conflict of interest, Shane,” I say with a warning in my voice. “Her father’s always trying to skirt the law, bend the rules, walk on the edge. We can’t appear to favor them because they’re the richest people in town.”
“I just hate how your decisions are driving a wedge between me and that bubbly hot mama,” he grumbles. “So, where are you anyway? I’m nearing the station and it’s dark.”
“I sent food and supplies to Miss Laverne, and I’m on my way home. I’m on dispatch until midnight, and then it’s your turn.”
He grumbles some more and hangs up.
I feel like grumbling, but I’m not going to call or text Tami and ask her if she forgot.
Nope. I’m going home to a frozen pot pie and pretend I forgot and never mention it again.
Ten
~ X ~
He lowers the binoculars and speaks to himself, “Well that wasn’t what I expected.”
Instead of rendezvousing with that horny-ass sheriff, Princess Pushy Kingpin is hightailing it with her picnic basket to her friend’s dog rescue.
He’d missed the excitement of the fires this summer, but he’d made up for lost time by exploring all the new buildings in and out of town. The new barn, replacing the one that burned down, is bigger and houses more dogs than the old one. It’s also warmer, and the new loft is filled with hay—a good hiding place from which to spy on the sheriff’s sister.
He doesn’t have to worry about the dogs. They like him. A few scraps from the butcher, and you can buy a dog’s affection for life—especially a stray.
They bark at everything and everyone anyway—barking covers up any noise he makes. Barking to entertain themselves and barking for the food scraps he tosses.
He waits a bit to see if the women are alerted, but no one investigates. The window opens, and the sheriff’s sister yells, “Shut up, will you?”
Under the cover of a thousand barks, he jimmies the lock to the barn and creeps up onto the loft where he can watch that sweet puffybutt.
If he had her up here alone, oh, how he would bite and suck on her soft, succulent flesh. He’d feast on her, and he’d make her cry and moan. And he’d leave his marks—dark, angry bruises to warn off trespassers. He’d take her from behind, plugging his huge cock into that wet slit of hers, and he’d twist her blond hair in his hands and pull, snapping her neck back, and then he’d grip it tight—cutting off her airway.
She’d come longer and harder that way, and when she was limp and spent, he’d flip her on her back like a rag doll and thrash into her while squeezing the very life out of her ballooning lungs.
“Without shedding of blood is no vengeance,” he says out loud and knows the truth.
Eleven
~ Tami ~
Linx is surprised to see me with a packed picnic basket, but she bought my story about how I missed spending time with her due to the upcoming hotel opening and Halloween preparations.
“That was delicious,” she says after finishing half a sandwich. “I see you packed all of Todd’s favorite food. Is he supposed to be meeting us here?”
“Nope, bestie. This is all for you.” I pick up a brownie and eye it, fighting temptation, before handing it to her.
She lifts an eyebrow and smiles as she sets the brownie back on the plate. “You sure you’re not going to call him for a drive-by? Or do you want me to?”
“I’m not interested anymore. I’m sorry to inform you, but Todd and I don’t see eye to eye on anything.”
“I know that.” She spears a piece of fruit from the salad. “Except you two have such chemistry. Sparks fly, and I swear he’s interested, but he won’t admit it.”
Ordinarily, her pronouncements would have me giddy and bubbling over with hope, but not after he acted so hoity-toity to me in front of the mayor and his Vice Squad.
“He won’t approve my grand opening street party.” I peel a chocolate chip off the brownie Linx put down. “He doesn’t care if my hotel bombs.”
“I’m sure he has good reason for being worried about the street party. That traffic jam yesterday was dangerous. We only have single lane roads here, and if there had been a fire, no fire engines could have gotten through.”
“You guys are all making too much sense.” I take a bite of the chocolatey goodness to calm my nerves. “Why can’t we go out on a limb and live a little?”
“I’ve done enough going out on a limb,” she says. “But I’m glad you’re doing this hotel. The town needs more lodging, and I’m sure you’ll have a great turnout. How’s it going by the way?”
“It’s great. We had a little accident this morning, but the crews made a lot of progress.” I polish off the brownie, licking every super delish crumb from my lips. “Evan has the Weeping Widow apparition ready, and now he’s working on the boiler in the basement.”
“Oh, don’t tell me,” she says. “You’re not going
to do a Freddy Krueger haunting, are you?”
“Actually not. All our ‘residents’ have a history here. Take Ma Belle, for example. She passed through these parts, culled all the tea tippers, and that’s why we drink coffee up in these them woods.” I laugh at my cleverness and hope the shiver down my spine doesn’t give me away.
Linx joins me in the chuckling while making creepy fingers. “Any spooky creatures from the deep underground mines?”
“Why don’t we go over there and see?” I wiggle my shoulders to get her interested. “I dare you.”
My friend, like her brother, is against the commercialization of our Gold Rush history. Her family founded the town in name only, but it’s my great-great-grandfather, Hank King, who funded this town with the bank he started.
“I’m going to call it an early night.” Linx stretches and yawns, shaking her head, and her loyal dog, Cedar, does a doggy stretch and mirrors her yawn.
“You’re always calling it early these days. You can’t stay here hiding all the time.” I’m sorry as soon as the words leave my mouth. “I mean, let’s go out for a drink.”
She shows me the backs of her hands—webbed with burn scars. “I don’t see the point of going out for drinks. It’s not like I’m going to meet any guys.”
Her boyfriend, Grady Hart, after sitting out the fire season, responded to an emergency call in Australia to fight the bush fires there. Since he’s overseas, Linx has turned into a homebody—not that she partied much before.
“I bet you haven’t left this cabin all day.”
“Not true. I took Cedar for a hike up Sandman Creek.”
“That doesn’t count.” I give her furry dog a rubbing around her neck. “You’re turning into a hermit.”
“I like to stay here by myself.” She runs her fingers through her hair to cover the bald patches.
I get that she’s self-conscious, but she’s losing all the joy of life by hiding. Other than going to the diner or church, she has no social life.
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