by Leona Karr
She was surprised to see a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth. The knowledge that they were back on familiar footing was tinged with relief and disappointment.
They made their way cautiously down the draw that they’d climbed earlier. At the bottom of the rocky ledge they could see where a dozen large and small granite boulders had fallen. Some had slid partway down the slope while others lay in a tumbled heap at the base of the ridge.
They stepped over some of the smaller rocks and climbed over the larger ones. Josh was holding her hand, helping her navigate over the rock pile, when he suddenly jerked her to a stop.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I’m not sure.”
She looked in the direction of his gaze, but couldn’t see what he was staring at with such fixed attention. Some of the falling boulders had dug into the ground and removed some of the dirt lying at the base of the rock formation.
“Stay here,” he ordered as he turned loose of her hand. He kept his eyes fixed on the place where the stones had dug into the ground.
The closer he got to it, the tighter the cords in Josh stomach became. When he knelt down beside a mound of dirt and saw half-covered skeleton hand bones, he knew what he had found.
A shallow grave!
Chapter Ten
“Stay back,” Josh ordered when Stacy started to walk toward where he was kneeling beside the shallow grave.
“What is it?”
He didn’t answer as he rose to his feet and walked slowly back to Stacy. His thoughts whirled in every direction. Someone was buried there. Who? When? Why?
“What’s the matter?” Stacy searched his face. “What did you find?”
“I’m not sure,” he lied, as he took her hand and guided her away from the site. “But I think the sheriff needs to take a look.”
“Look at what?” She stopped abruptly. “For heaven’s sake, Josh, why the double-talk? Either you tell me or I’ll go back to see for myself.”
“I don’t think you want to do that.” He sighed. “All right, that mound of dirt marked a grave.”
“What?”
“I know, I don’t believe it myself,” he admitted when she stared at him as if she hadn’t heard him correctly. “Those falling rocks dug away enough dirt to expose…some human remains.”
She was stunned. “A grave?”
“That’s what it looks like. No telling how long it’s been there. I guess forensics can tell from the bones.”
Josh’s thoughts careened in every direction as they made their way down the mountainside. If the grave was more than a year old, the discovery of a dead body might be the break that Josh had been looking for. He reasoned that Renquist had owned the hotel for five years, and if someone had died under suspicious circumstances during that time, Renquist might have buried the victim up on the mountain to cover his tracks. If forensics confirmed that death had occurred during that time, it would validate Josh’s suspicions that Renquist was responsible for his sister’s death.
“What are you thinking?” Stacy asked, looking up at him as she kept pace beside him. His demeanor had visibly changed in the last few minutes, and there was an energy in his physical movements that betrayed an inner excitement.
“I was just thinking that if the authorities determine the body was buried during the time Renquist owned the hotel, undoubtedly, they’ll expend some effort to track him down. Once the bastard’s in custody, no telling what will come to light about Glenda’s death.”
Stacy didn’t challenge his expectations, but she was afraid that he was in for a disappointment. Tying it to Renquist could only be wishful thinking. Josh had admitted that there was no telling how long the grave had been there.
When they reached the place in the path where Willy’s marble stone lay on its side, Josh wondered again why the man had been intent on carrying it up the mountainside. Even as the question crossed his mind, a possible answer pierced him with the sharpness of an arrow.
Stacy’s uncle had owned the hotel for a year. Was Weird Willy responsible for the death of someone buried there? In his twisted eccentricity had he decided to mark his deed with a tombstone?
Josh didn’t dare look at Stacy as they hiked the rest of the way down the hillside to the hotel. Even suggesting the possibility that her uncle could be responsible for the grave could be devastating for her. As for his own speculation about Renquist’s guilt, he’d have to wait for an official investigation to confirm or deny it. Until then, they wouldn’t know whether the discovery had any relevance for either of them.
“I’ll call the sheriff and get him up here,” Josh said as they reached the back door of the hotel. “Then I’ll have to ride herd on Mosley to bring in some competent investigators. He’ll drag his feet the way he always does. The county coroner, Hawkins, has been at odds with the sheriff for years. Mosley will kick like a mule when he has to bring him in on this.”
“The sheriff won’t have a choice, will he?” She didn’t understand how local politics worked. If this kind of thing happened in California, the authorities and papa-razzi would be all over the place.
“The proper authorities will take over if I have anything to do with it,” Josh answered gruffly, and then he softened his tone. “Stacy, I think it would be better all around if you made yourself scarce. There’s no need for you to get involved.”
“Okay,” she agreed gratefully. “I’ll hang out in the apartment until the coast is clear.”
Josh was relieved she didn’t give him her usual brand of fiery independence. He didn’t want anyone speculating about her uncle’s possible involvement in this in her presence. He’d tried to give her the impression that it was an old, old grave, but the skeleton hand he’d glimpsed might be more recent than it appeared.
Chester and Rob were in the kitchen, taking another break, when Josh and Stacy came in.
“Oh, hi,” Chester said, quickly lowering the leg he had propped up on one of the chairs.
Both men looked a little guilty to be caught drinking coffee and having a cigarette while the boss was away. They were waiting for Josh to light into them, but he was too preoccupied with heavier thoughts. He didn’t even nod in their direction as he crossed the kitchen and disappeared into the office.
“Who put a burr under his saddle?” Chester asked Stacy.
She murmured something about him having to take care of some business. Not wanting to get into any conversation with them, she left by the main kitchen door. She felt their fixed gaze on her back and heard Chester’s snide chuckle.
“Ten bucks says they’ve been sparking. Did you see the dirt and grass on her pants?”
Stacy clenched her fists, fighting a fiery impulse to turn around and let Chester have it with both barrels. Only the suspicion that her emotional denial would delight the two men kept her walking down the hall and up the stairs to the apartment.
As she slammed the door with childish fury, her indignation was laced with a flood of other emotions: the fright she’d experienced on the ridge, the sexual desire in Josh’s arms, and horror of the ghastly discovery of the grave. All these feelings had combined to shatter any sense of balance and well-being as she went into the bathroom to change clothes and shower.
JOSH WAS FILLED with total frustration as he waited for Irene to track down Mosley.
“I think he was going over to the Danburys’ ranch. Something about checking out rumors that the old man had a gin still going in the potato cellar.”
And have a taste of the brew, Josh added silently. “Get him on the phone, Irene, and tell him to hightail it up to the Haverly Hotel, now. If he isn’t here within an hour, I’m calling the county authorities.”
“What’s happened?” Irene’s voice lost its usual slow easy tone.
“I can’t say until I talk with the sheriff. And, Irene, keep mum about my call. It’s important not to stir the waters, get me?”
“I think so,” she said. “You know you can trust me.”
�
�Yes,” Josh said gratefully. He hung up and glanced at his watch. He meant what he said. If Sheriff Mosley didn’t show, he’d call the county coroner himself and raise hell if somebody didn’t respond.
The grave had been protected under the outcropping of the ridge until the boulders above had fallen away, but it now lay open to wind and weather. It was imperative that the authorities take charge of it as soon as possible.
Surprisingly enough, Josh only had to wait ten minutes before Sheriff Mosley called, obviously irritated that he’d been interrupted “trying to do his job.”
Josh didn’t inquire if that job was inspecting old man Danbury’s homemade gin, but said forcefully, “I have another job for you. One that can’t wait.”
“I’ll be the one deciding that,” Mosley responded coldly.
“Believe me, Sheriff, you don’t have any say-so in this one. You’d better get yourself to the hotel as quickly as possible.”
“Who in the hell do you think you are ordering me around?” Mosley snarled. “You’ve been on my back ever since that sister of yours killed herself. I’ve had enough of your blasted arrogance—”
“And I’ve had enough of your incompetence.” Josh cut him short. “Are you coming, yes or no?”
“In my own sweet time.”
“Suit yourself. I think I can get Hawkins up here in two shakes, and you won’t have to bother coming at all.”
“The coroner?” Mosley’s belligerent tone underwent an immediate change. “What do you need Hawkins for?”
“I’ll tell you when you get here.” Josh slammed down the phone. The Danbury ranch wasn’t more than ten minutes away, and Josh had a feeling that Mosley was already heading for his car.
He went back to the kitchen, and both Chester and Rob stiffened when they saw his face.
“We were just getting back to work, boss,” Chester said quickly, shoving back his chair.
Rob stamped out his cigarette, and slowly got to his feet as if inviting Josh to say anything to rush him.
“You guys can take the rest of the day off. I want to supervise the next phase of the work, and I have some other things on my mind at the moment.”
Chester snickered. “That’s okay, boss, we understand. Come on, Rob, let’s give the boss a little romantic privacy.” He winked at Josh as they headed for the door. “Good luck.”
Josh ignored the not-so-subtle jab. He really didn’t care what Chester and Rob were thinking. He just wanted them out of the way before the sheriff got there. What they didn’t need was the whole town buzzing with speculation about what was going on at the hotel.
When the sheriff drove up a few minutes later, Josh was on the front verandah waiting for him.
“What in the hell is this all about?” Mosley demanded. It was apparent that he’d been stewing the whole way, ready to light into Josh with the first words out of his mouth.
“We’re going to take a little hike,” Josh answered, indicating the hillside behind the hotel.
“What the hell for?”
“I’ll explain on the way.”
Mosley looked as if he was going to balk, but the message in Josh’s eyes must have convinced him.
Either we do it my way or we call the coroner.
“This better be worth my time!” Mosley said, hitching up his belt on his potbelly.
Josh hid a smile. A fringe benefit of all this was seeing Mosley huffing and puffing all the way up the mountainside. “If you’re not up to the hike—?”
“Hell, I can keep up with you any day,” the sheriff snapped.
“Good, let’s go.”
Josh led the way around the house and set a good pace up the trail. When they reached the marble stone, Mosley was puffing pretty good, and Josh decided to slow the pace before he had another heart attack victim on his hands.
“How far are we going on this wild-goose chase,” Mosley demanded. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He took off his western hat and wiped a shirt sleeve across his forehead.
“Up to the ridge.”
“What the hell for?”
“There’s something there I want you to see.”
Josh ignored Mosley’s grumbling as they headed in the same direction that he and Stacy had hiked earlier. When they neared the place where the boulders had fallen away, Josh stopped and pointed. “Earlier today, I found something over there that you need to know about.”
Mosley squinted. “I don’t see nothing.”
“You will when we get closer,” Josh promised, preparing himself to see the grave and human bones again.
The sheriff was still scowling when they reached the shallow grave. Josh could tell the man was completely taken by surprise. Mosley frowned, blinked and fixed his eyes on the human bones as if they were some kind of illusion.
“Well, I’ll be damned.”
Josh explained, “Some boulders came tumbling down from the ridge when I was up here earlier. The sliding rocks scraped away enough dirt to expose this.”
Mosley didn’t make any move to examine the bones or grave, and there was a hint of relief in his voice as he said, “You’re right. We’ll have to call the coroner in on this one.”
At the very least, Josh expected the sheriff to speculate about the bizarre discovery, but he didn’t. Without any comment, Mosley turned away from the grave and headed back down the hillside.
True to his miserable pattern, the sheriff was going to stick his head in the sand the same way he had over Glenda’s death, Josh thought. Was the man totally incompetent, or was it something else? If the sheriff knew who lay buried in that shallow grave, he wasn’t about to admit it. Had Renquist paid good money for Mosley’s silence?
WHEN STACY HEARD Chester and Rob leave in their truck and the arrival of the sheriff’s car a short time later, she wondered if all the renovation would come to a standstill now that the authorities were involved. The whole hotel could become a crime scene, depending upon how old the grave was.
Tired, worried and a little frightened, she heard the sheriff’s car leave about an hour later. She watched through a window as it disappeared down the serpentine road leading away from the hotel. So soon? It seemed to her that the two men had barely had time to hike up to the ridge and back.
Expecting Josh to come upstairs in a few minutes and bring her up to date, she opened her door so that she could see across the hall into his room. The longer she waited, the more anxious she became. Where was he? Had he stayed at the ridge, waiting for other law officials to arrive?
When she heard footsteps her heart quickened. A quiver of relief went through her as he rounded the top of the stairs.
He seemed surprised to see her standing there in the doorway, waiting for him.
“How did it go?” she asked, even though she already knew the answer. His slow, heavy steps were answer enough.
“As expected, I guess,” he said wearily as he put an arm around her shoulders.
They went into the apartment and Stacy asked, “What did the sheriff do?”
“Nothing.”
“Well, what did he say?”
“Nothing.”
Stacy stared at him. “I…I don’t understand. He can’t just do nothing.”
“You don’t know Mosley. He’s been doing nothing for years.”
They sat on the couch, and he told her how the sheriff had reacted. “The sheriff doesn’t want any part of the investigation. Either he’s a coward or there’s a hidden agenda in his behavior. I’m inclined to suspect the latter. Once the coroner has a look at the remains, we’ll know better. Mosley said he’d call the coroner and make a report, but I don’t trust him. I called the county office myself, but didn’t get much satisfaction. Hawkins is on another case that took him into Denver to testify. He won’t be back in the office until tomorrow afternoon. I’m hoping he’ll come straight here when he gets back.”
“I saw Chester and Rob leave?” she said in a questioning tone.
“I didn’t want them around when the sheriff
was here. The quieter we can keep this the better. I’m betting that the sheriff isn’t going to flap his mouth about it.”
“Does this mean that we have to wait on the renovations?” she asked anxiously. Now that there was a chance that this nightmare could be over in a few weeks, she didn’t want to think about delaying them any longer than necessary. Not only was the stress of carrying out her uncle’s wishes wearing on her, but her feelings for Josh were deepening. Falling in love with him would be pure stupidity, but her emotional guard weakened every time she was with him.
Even now she wanted to draw on the protective warmth of his nearness. It took all of her resolve to firm her chin and say, “I’d like to carry out your idea for a limited museum as quickly as possible.”
“I’m afraid we’re going to have to wait and see what Hawkins, the coroner, has to say. If the corpse is identified right away, the whole thing will be over in a hurry. If not, and the remains are sent to the forensics lab in Denver, it may be weeks before we know anything. Until then, this whole place may be treated as a crime scene.”
“Weeks?” she echoed in a strained whisper.
When he heard the distress in her voice, he knew her nerves were as taut as a guitar string. He turned to comfort her, but she drew away.
“Let’s get out of this place,” he said firmly.
She looked at him, startled. “And go where?”
“Pineville,” he said without hesitation. “It’s about a thirty-mile drive. Has a population of about eight thousand. We can find a nice restaurant and take in a movie. How about it? Is it a date?”
“Sounds wonderful,” she said at once. She felt like someone suddenly released from prison.
The county seat, Pineville, was a prosperous town in a mountain valley cupped by a series of high peaks. Stacy felt like she’d actually returned to civilization as Josh drove the pickup down busy streets—with traffic lights and everything!
Josh silently chuckled as he saw the pleasure in her face. He’d never expected her to be so excited about driving into Pineville. She’d insisted on changing into a soft blue dress and matching sweater jacket. He knew its short length was bound to cause some raised eyebrows and elicit some low male whistles, but he was pleased that she’d dressed up for their “date”.