by Kathi Daley
Shredder grinned. “Good to know.”
Chapter 13
Tuesday, December 19
Shredder stayed an extra day to be sure Pickard knew the drive had been found and decrypted. His team felt they were closing in on him, so as quickly as he appeared in my life, he left. The calls from the man with the deep voice had stopped and the dogs weren’t showing any signs that there was anyone lurking in the woods. Shredder ordered me to keep my blinds drawn and the windows and doors locked at all times. He also told me to take my rifle with me when I went outdoors, which we both knew I did anyway. I hadn’t seen the cougar again, but I’d heard wolves at night and knew they were close.
Shredder programed a number where I could reach him into my cell phone and told me to use it in case of emergency only. I doubted I’d have an emergency I needed his help with, and I also doubted I’d ever see him again. I wasn’t sure what to do about finding Tim’s killer at this point. Assuming he’d been murdered and hadn’t simply OD’d, as the police thought, it didn’t look like Pickard was his killer. And if not Pickard, who did that leave? Deep voice? Someone else entirely?
Harley was coming back to Rescue this evening and we’d made plans to have dinner and catch up. In the meantime, I wanted to go over to the shelter to check in with the team there, and I needed to go to Neverland to check in with Jake. We’d never determined a date for me to return to my regular shift. The stipend Shredder had worked out for me exceeded the amount of money I’d make in two months at the bar, so if Jake didn’t need me, I wouldn’t mind taking a few extra days off.
“Anyone here?” I said as I walked in through the front door of the bar.
“In the back,” Jake called from the storeroom. He stopped what he was doing and looked up when I walked in. “Look what the cat dragged in. Was your trip successful?”
“Sort of. We managed to wrap up the project Shredder was in town for, but Harley and I still need to find Tim’s killer.”
Jake set the box he’d opened to one side and began slitting the top of the next one in the stack. “I thought the man you and Shredder were after were one and the same.”
I leaned a hip against the counter. “We thought so as well, but it turns out we were wrong. Shredder accomplished what he wanted to, so he took off early this morning.”
“Is he coming back?”
“Probably not. But Harley’s is coming back tonight, and I’d like to help him figure out what happened to Tim. The consultant’s fee Shredder worked out for me was more than enough to cover my earnings for the time I was gone and then some, so if you don’t need me, I’d like to take the rest of the week off.”
“Fine by me. Sally’s home for Christmas break and happy to make a few bucks before she heads back to college. I’m sure she’ll cover for you for as long as you want.”
I smiled. “Great. I also want to help out with the shelter, so that works perfectly.”
Jake picked up one of the boxes he’d just opened and headed toward the bar. “So, how’s the remodel going?”
“Considering it’s only been a little more than a week, fantastic. I stopped by before coming here, and the team’s already putting up walls and mapping out cages. If we keep our motivation up, I see no reason we can’t be open by spring. At least with phase one.”
“Phase one?”
“If we can work out something with Kelly or another veterinarian in the area, I’d eventually like to expand to wild animal rescue and rehabilitation, but for now, a place for homeless dogs and cats will be totally awesome.”
“I have to hand it to you,” Jake said as he stacked rum bottles on a shelf. ‘You set a goal for yourself and stuck with it.”
I leaned my head to the side. “I suppose it was my idea to build the shelter, but we’d still be at ground zero if not for Harley.”
“Maybe, but if not for your drive to see it through, the project would have died a long time ago.”
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
I poured myself a glass of water and slid onto a stool while Jake continued to stock inventory. “We haven’t really talked about Christmas. Do you want to come to my place?”
“Actually,” Jake said, “I thought we might decorate the bar. I plan to close after the lunch crowd clears out on Christmas Eve and then not reopen until regular time on the twenty-sixth, so I thought we could make dinner for everyone here. I asked the others when they were here last night and they were all for it.”
“That sounds fun. Is Jordan off?”
Jake went back into the storeroom to get another box before he responded. “She’s on call, but unless she has an emergency, she’s off. Landon, Wyatt, and Austin all said they had nowhere to go. Dani has a date, but she said if it’s okay for her to bring him with her, she’d come as well. Chloe has family in town, but if she’s free, you can invite her as well.”
“Okay, I’ll ask her.” I looked around the bar. “We’ll need a tree.”
“Landon volunteered to get one, but if you have some time this afternoon, it might be a good idea if you went with him. I love the guy like a brother, but he doesn’t seem to notice the small details in everyday life. I’m afraid we’ll end up with a Charlie Brown tree.”
I laughed. “I’d be happy to go with him.”
******
Landon Stanford is the sort of person one might refer to as a nerd. As far as men in general go, he isn’t bad-looking in comparison to most, and some might even consider his tall frame, dark hair, and dark eyes attractive. He’s extremely intelligent, with an IQ that’s supposed to be off the charts. It’s occurred to me on more than one occasion that he should be working for the government or some big technology firm. Instead, he does freelance work out of his small cabin in Rescue. I suspect there’s a story behind the fact that he seems to be hiding from the world, but so far, he hasn’t been inclined to tell me what it is.
Landon had joined the team shortly after Val died. Jake admitted he wasn’t sure he could handle the physical demands the team required, but over the years, Landon has proven again and again that he was more than just a brilliant brain and a pretty smile. He’d logged as many hours as anyone else and had never missed a step while doing so. Landon might be an enigma, but he was a good friend, and I trusted him with my life. He may not be as funny and charming as Wyatt, as classically good-looking as Austin, or as friendly and welcoming as Jake, but despite his quiet approach to life, and his introverted and sometimes awkward ways, I could guarantee that in a crisis, he was exactly the man you would want in your corner.
“I’m sure there’s a logical solution to your problem,” Landon said as we trod through knee-deep snow in search of the perfect tree.
“It would seem, but we’ve hit a dead end. I really thought Pickard killed Tim. Tim as much as said so himself. But Shredder is fairly certain Pickard has never been in Rescue, and if he’d killed Tim, he would have just shot him instead of taking the time to stage a suicide or accident. Tim could have been killed by one of Pickard’s thugs, but if that were true, I imagine they’re long gone and therefore out of our reach.”
“Maybe you need to look at the situation from a different angle.”
I called Shia to my side before I answered. We’d brought all six of my dogs along with Sitka with us, so we had a full pack to keep track of. “What do you mean, a different angle?”
“As far as I know, you’ve been operating under the assumption that Tim was killed because of his job as a courier for the man in the photo.”
“Yes. That’s because Tim told us he would be the one to do it.”
Landon looked down at his compass, then continued walking. “You said Shredder suggested that if Pickard or one of his men killed Tim, they would have just shot him, and I agree. Men who kill for a living don’t take the time to stage a killing to look like an accident. Additionally, dying from a heroin overdose seems personal, given the fact that Tim was a recovering drug addict. My bet is, Tim was killed by someone who knew him well.”
Landon ran his hands over the fir tree he’d paused to check for freshness. “I don’t know. It seems the first step would be to speak to the people who knew him best to see if they noticed anything going on with Tim other than the new courier job. Was he dating? Did he have a new friend in his life? Had he been hanging out with his old drug buddies? Did he owe someone money? The list can go on and on, but you get the idea.”
It took me a minute to really understand what Landon was saying, but when I did, I realized he had a good point. We’d been focusing on one suspect and one suspect only. Assuming Tim was murdered and hadn’t simply OD’d, were there other people who might have had motive to kill him? A drug dealer he’d stiffed in the past? A girl whose heart he’d broken? Someone he owed a debt? Considering he’d sent the photo to Harley and he ended up dead the day after hiding the drive, it seemed unlikely but not impossible.
“I get what you’re saying, but I do think looking for a killer with another motive given the timing of the other events could be a waste of time. Is there any reason you’re suggesting we do so?”
“One thing I’ve learned in my life is never to get so focused on a single assumption that you miss everything else. As long as you’ve hit a dead end in your search, I don’t see the harm in at least thinking about other options. You may learn something important along the way.”
I supposed Landon could be right.
“What do you think about this one?” he asked with a grin on his face. It was times like this that he seemed more human and less robotic.
“I like it. It’s tall and full but not too wide. It’s perfect. Did you bring an ax?”
Landon had a panicked look on his face.
I grinned and reached into my pack. “I brought one just in case.”
Landon chopped down the tree while I called the dogs back. They were pretty good about staying within yelling range, but I didn’t want anyone getting lost, especially with a storm brewing. I looked up into the sky and calculated the amount of time we had before we were hit head-on.
“Two hours and twenty-six minutes,” Landon said as he walked up beside me with the tree on the sled behind him.
“Until…?”
“Until the storm gets here. It took us fifty-three minutes to walk from my truck here. We’ll need to tow the tree on the way back, but we’ve worn a trail that will make the going easier. Still, I predict it will take sixty-eight minutes to return. The drive to Jake’s place to pick up the ornaments will take twenty-six minutes, and then we’ll need another ten to load up and eight minutes more to reach the bar. That’s a total of one hundred and twelve minutes. We have thirty-four minutes to spare.”
Landon the human calculator was back. “I need to stop by my house, drop off the dogs, and feed the pups.”
“Then we’d better get going instead of standing around talking.”
Chapter 14
I couldn’t help but grin when I walked into Neverland later that evening and saw Harley waiting for me. I’d missed him a lot more than I’d wanted to. I guess I’d always been attracted to him, and his welcoming smile caused little butterflies in my stomach the way no other man’s ever had, but he lived in LA and I lived in Alaska, so pursuing any attraction we might share could only lead to heartache and shattered dreams.
“You’re early,” I said as Harley got up and pulled out my chair, then kissed me on the cheek after I’d been seated.
“I was bored sitting at the inn, so I decided to come into town to do some shopping. I’ve only been at the bar for about ten minutes,” Harley answered as he walked back around the table and took his chair. “The place looks really nice.”
“Doesn’t it? Landon and I cut the tree this afternoon and then the whole gang stopped by to help decorate it. Dani used the extra branches to make the garland for the mantel, and Wyatt helped Jordan with all the red bows. It feels very Christmassy. Which reminds me: we’re all having Christmas Eve dinner here in the bar. Jake is closing it to the public. If you’re still in town, you should come.”
“I’d like that.”
I waved to Jake, who started in my direction carrying a rum and Coke.
“You guys ready to order?” Jake asked.
Harley and I both settled on the pot roast with baby carrots and potatoes. Jake went back to the bar, which was my cue to catch Harley up on things. I began by providing a condensed version of everything that had occurred while he was away, including the trip Shredder and I had taken up north, our discovery of the thumb drive, the calls from the man with the deep voice, and Shredder’s conclusion that Pickard had most likely never been in Rescue.
“So where does that leave us in terms of Tim’s death?” Harley asked the same question I’d been asking myself all day.
“I’ve given this some thought. The first possibility is that Shredder was wrong and Pickard was in Rescue, and he killed Tim because he failed to deliver the drive. That seems like the simplest answer because Tim himself told you Pickard would be the one who was responsible if something happened to him, but Shredder struck me as the sort of guy who’s good at his job and knows the players as well as anyone can. While I wouldn’t completely eliminate Pickard, Shredder made a good argument that the man who stays alive due to his ability to remain invisible probably never left Russia, or wherever it is he’s been hiding.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Harley agreed.
“And then we need to consider someone connected to Pickard: either the buyer who came away empty-handed or one of Pickard’s thugs killed Tim on Pickard’s behalf. The fact that Tim’s home was tossed seems to support the idea that Tim was killed because of his failure to deliver the drive and then someone ransacked his cabin attempting to find it.”
“That does sound like a good theory,” Harley answered.
“I agree. However, Landon had another perspective I think we would be remiss not to consider. He pointed out that if Tim had been killed by someone who did it for a living, he most likely would have been shot. Killing Tim, a former drug addict who’d worked very hard to get clean for a lot of years, seemed personal.”
“Another good point.”
“Landon reasoned that given the method of his death, Tim was most likely killed by someone who knew him well and wanted to make a statement.”
Harley slowly nodded his head. “That does make sense. But what are the odds that Tim would steal a valuable item from an international criminal and then be killed by someone completely unrelated the following day?”
“It would be very low odds indeed. But not impossible.”
“Okay, so if someone from Tim’s personal life not related to his job as a courier killed him, who tossed the house? The killer or the thugs looking for the thumb drive?”
I shrugged. “At this point, I don’t think we can know.”
“So what are you suggesting?”
I sat back in my chair and organized my thoughts before I spoke. “By now, Pickard, the buyer, and Pickard’s thugs all know the drive has been recovered by Shredder and his people. If they were in Alaska, and if they did kill Tim, they’d probably be long gone by now. The chance of you and me doing anything to avenge Tim’s death seems pretty unlikely. However, if Tim was killed by an ex-lover, a drug dealer, someone he owed money to, or someone he simply pissed off, we may be dealing with an ordinary person going about their life, thinking they got away with murder. If that’s the case, our odds of figuring out who’s responsible are a whole lot better.”
“So, you’re suggesting we conduct the investigation we’re more likely to have success with.”
“Exactly. My sense is that Shredder is getting close to tracking down Pickard. If he catches up with him, I have a feeling he’ll get the answers he’s after one way or another. If that
happens, he might eventually be able to answer questions about Tim, if Pickard does turn out to be the one responsible. In the meantime, I think you and I should cover the home front.”
“Who exactly does this Shredder work for?” Harley asked.
“Hell if I know. He’s a slippery, secretive sort, but I spent enough time with him to be sure he’s one of the good guys.”
After Harley and I finished our dinner, we made plans for the following day. He was still staying at the inn, so I’d pick him up there after I finished my morning chores.
The first thing I did when I got home that night was take all the dogs out for a bathroom break. It was pitch black by then and it had begun to snow, so I grabbed a flashlight and my rifle, though I planned to stay within sight of the back-porch light. The fact that the cougar still seemed to be around made me more than just a little cautious.
I decided after I saw to all the animals, I’d make a list of people Harley and I should talk to. I’d already spoken to Jared Martin, the pharmacist, Teresa Toller, the woman it was reported Tim had been dating, and Gill Greenland at the gas station, but they all seemed like good people to chat with a second time in the hope of learning something new. Because Tim had been killed overdosing on heroin, it might also be a good idea to find out who would have access to the drug. As far as I knew, heroin wasn’t widely distributed in Rescue. I supposed the police could provide additional information about the drug trade and culture in town, if we could get them to talk to us.
Mary from the inn also had mentioned Tim had been going to church. A chat with the pastor might tell us something.
“Come on back, everyone,” I called into the night. The last thing I wanted was for anyone to wander too far away with a cougar around.
All the dogs came back except Shia, who, at times, had a mind of her own.
“Shia, come,” I called.