“You got it, Sherlock. I gotta go. Three people are helping me load these boxes.” His phone clicked off.
Kelly scrolled down her directory to the Fort Connor Police Department phone number. After telling a receptionist who she wanted to speak to, Kelly waited. Finally, a man’s slightly scratchy voice came on.
“Well, hello there, Kelly Flynn. What can I do for you?”
Kelly heard the good humor in Dan’s voice and relaxed. “Hey, there, Detective Dan. Burt told me I should call you because he’s swamped over there at the Ranch. I found out something that you may find interesting.”
“Oh, really. Well, let me get out my notepad. What’d you learn?”
“I called my client Arthur Housemann to let him know that residents were able to go up and check their homes in Bellevue Canyon last night. Arthur’s been anxious to get into Poudre Canyon and see his house. Then he asked how the investigation was going into Andrea Holt’s death. Dennis Holt is Arthur’s neighbor.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, and he’s worried about Dennis. Then, Arthur mentioned that another neighbor’s son was camping with a friend at Diamond Peak campground that Saturday. They heard the wildfire news and started hiking out of Poudre Canyon while it was still light. They followed the river, and it sounds like they passed right behind Andrea’s ranch house because the young guy said he and his girlfriend saw a man and a woman yelling at each other outside on a deck in the back of a house. I’ll bet that was Jim and Andrea. The young guy said it looked like a bad argument so they hurried away.”
“Well, now, I may have to give your client Arthur Housemann a call and find out who his neighbor is.”
“I told Arthur that the police might want to talk with him, and he said he’d be glad to help.”
Dan’s soft chuckle sounded over the phone. “Gotta hand it to you, Kelly. You always manage to turn up information that no one else has found. Thanks for passing that along. I’ll get right on it.”
Kelly was almost surprised how good Dan’s comment made her feel. She was used to being flattered by Burt. So she never took him seriously when he said that Dan and the other detectives really appreciated her efforts.
“You’re more than welcome, Detective. I kind of figured you’d want to find out what those campers saw. That’s why I called right away.”
“You were right. Keep up the good work, Kelly. I’ll let Burt know what I find out.”
Kelly heard his phone click off. She’d keep it up, all right. She didn’t think she could stop sleuthing if she tried.
• • •
Kelly walked into the café and headed straight for the counter. Jennifer was there, checking her order pad.
“Don’t tell me you’re hungry again? After one of Pete’s wicked burgers?”
“Naw, I’m still good,” Kelly said with a grin. “I’ve come for more iced coffee. Do you guys have an extra-large mug sitting somewhere? You’re going to close the café in a while and I’ll be knee-deep in numbers without enough cold caffeine to sustain me.”
“You poor thing,” Jennifer commiserated. “I’ll fix you a pot of iced coffee and leave it on your table, how’s that?”
“Oh, that would be wonderful. Thank you, thank you, Kind One. Most merciful one to take pity on poor beleaguered accountants.” Kelly bowed deeply, waving her hand before her in gesture.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You must really be lost. Numbers not adding up for you today?” Jennifer took Kelly’s mug and walked to the fridge where she filled it from a pitcher.
“Nor subtracting, either. Not cooperating. I’m trying to decipher an income statement that Don Warner got from a colleague, and it’s not balancing when I add up the figures. So something’s off.”
“Probably the other guy’s numbers.” Jennifer handed her the mug and pointed toward the other side of the café. “Your favorite spot is open, if you want it.”
“I do, thanks. Talk to you later.”
Kelly sped around the café corner and over to the small table by the window. The late afternoon sun was beating down outside, she could tell. The golf course greens had that super-hot shimmer to them. She settled in at the table and popped open her laptop once again to the spreadsheet she was working on. Glancing at the open file folder beside her, Kelly scowled at the disobedient numbers. Maybe Jennifer was right. Maybe these numbers were wrong. Time to change assumptions.
She was about to burrow into the income statement yet again, when Burt’s voice sounded behind her. “Hey, Kelly, I thought you’d still be here working. Too hot back at the cottage.”
“Right you are, Burt,” Kelly said, eagerly shoving the laptop aside. “Unless you’re a dog who loves to sleep in the shade and dream of squirrels. Animals seem to adjust more easily to these temperatures. As long as they have enough water and lots of shade to lie down in, they’re okay with it.”
Burt pulled out the chair across from her. “Not us, though. I tell you, if it weren’t for air-conditioned cars, I’d stay inside, too. Do errands at night.”
“Heard anything from Dan yet? He was really glad to have that information about those campers. Said he was going to call Arthur Housemann. I figured he would. Dan also said he’d let you know what he finds out.”
Burt settled back in his chair and sipped from a water bottle. “He called a while ago. Got in touch with Arthur Housemann right away so he could corroborate your information. Next, Dan will contact that neighbor and find out how to follow up with those campers. Then, he’ll probably call Jim Carson and tell him they’ve received new information and will want to question him again. At the department this time. If Jim’s got something to hide, then he’ll get nervous and start to worry. It’ll soften him up for questioning. That’s how we used to work. Don’t let the suspect know everything you know. That way you can use the information one piece at a time.” Burt smiled.
“Boy, I’ll bet you two were a pair,” Kelly said, grinning at him.
“We worked well together, we sure did.” He took a big drink of water.
“Don’t forget to refill that, Burt. Hydrate, hydrate, especially in this heat.”
“You’re preaching to the choir, Kelly,” Burt said, upending the bottle.
Kelly heard Burt’s cell phone ring. He dug it out of his pocket then glanced at her. “It’s Dan. Let’s see what’s happening.” He clicked on. “Hey, there. Did you talk to that neighbor of Housemann’s?”
Kelly leaned forward over the table and sipped her iced coffee while she watched Burt nod and respond to what he heard on the phone.
“Okay, and the neighbor gave you their phone numbers, right? Really? Excellent.” Burt smiled over at Kelly. “Kelly’s sitting here with me at the café. She’ll be glad to hear you’re making progress. When are you going down to Denver? This afternoon? Good job, Dan. Keep me posted, okay?” Burt said, then clicked off.
Kelly leaned forward. “Sounds like Dan was able to confirm what Arthur told me. Has he spoken to one of the campers yet?”
Burt nodded. “Yep. He moved on it immediately. The neighbor was really helpful and gave Dan his son’s office number, so Dan was able to get right through to him. The young man said he’d be glad to meet this afternoon. So, we’ll wait and see what that camper has to say. Meanwhile, we can’t jump to conclusions. Maybe he didn’t see anything except the arguing.”
“Fair enough. No jumping to conclusions. But my gut is telling me the police have found their man.”
“You may be right, Sherlock,” Burt said with a smile. “We’ll have to wait and see. Time will tell.”
• • •
Kelly took another sip of the cold Fat Tire ale and savored it as she sat on Greg and Lisa’s outdoor patio. The long hot day was over at last, and cooler air was finally mellowing the heat as she and her friends relaxed. She felt her phone vibrating inside her pants pocket and drew it out. Burt was calling
.
“Save one slice of pesto pizza for me, okay? I gotta take this call. It’s from Burt.” Kelly pushed the wrought-iron chair back and headed toward the backyard.
“Don’t tell me you’re sleuthing in this weather,” Megan called after her.
“That would be an affirmative,” Steve answered.
“Sleuthing knows no season,” Lisa joked.
Dusk had darkened the edges of the neighboring houses and fences, softening them. Kelly paused in the middle of the yard and clicked on Burt’s call.
“Hey, there. Have you heard anything from Dan?”
“Oh, yeah. The young guy in Denver had quite a tale to tell. It seems he didn’t tell his father everything he and his girlfriend saw. He told Dan that they stopped to peer through the bushes at the yelling couple because they sounded so angry. And he saw the man on the deck push the woman so hard, she fell straight down to the ground.”
“You’re kidding!”
“No, Dan said the young guy was stunned and so was his girlfriend. Apparently they watched the guy scream her name, then run down the steps to check on her. That’s when the campers took off. They didn’t want the man to know they’d been watching. The guy said it really shook them up. They didn’t know if they should report it or not. Dan said the guy actually looked relieved to talk to him. Oh, yeah. Dan asked the guy if he noticed what the man was wearing.”
“Let me guess. A KISS concert tee shirt.”
“You got it.”
Kelly stared out into the encroaching night. “I think that should do it, Burt. Don’t you?”
“I’d say so. Dan stayed in Denver to interview the girlfriend around eight o’clock tonight, and she confirmed everything her boyfriend said. So Dan and another detective will show up at Jim Carson’s door tomorrow to take him in for questioning. Hopefully he’ll cooperate. Two eyewitnesses to Jim pushing Andrea off the deck are pretty damning. Only Jim knows if he meant to kill her. Regardless, he definitely caused her death. People do all sorts of things when they’re enraged.”
Kelly had seen enough over the years to testify to the truth of what her friend and mentor said. “You’re right about that. Thanks for updating me, Burt. Keep me posted.”
“Don’t worry, Kelly. I will. Right now, I’m going to bed.”
“Sleep well, Burt. You’ve earned it. You and Detective Dan.”
Twenty
Sunday, July 1
Kelly stared at the blackened sections of pasture as Steve slowed his truck to turn into Jayleen’s Bellevue Canyon ranch.
Charred logs were all that remained of the burned outbuilding at the edge of her property along the canyon road.
“Wow, that’s totally gone,” she said as the truck tires scrunched into the gravel. “Jayleen kept feed storage there, as I remember.”
“Still, she’s damn lucky not to lose anything more. Trees and pastures can be replanted and sodded. Those folks up Whale Rock Road lost everything,” Steve said.
“Good Lord . . . look at all the fire retardant slurry.” Kelly gaped at the reddish pink covering the ground surrounding the ranch house and the house itself.
“Yeah, they spray it from a big air tanker or a helicopter as it flies over. There’s a nozzle thing hanging down. Covers a lot. Looks weird, but it kept some houses from burning.”
“Well, since everybody is driving up this afternoon, we might as well organize work parties once we get there,” Kelly said.
“Good idea. We can start now. Everybody’s got a different schedule, so we can alternate times to come back and help. Let’s see what Jayleen needs first.” He pulled the truck right next to an old gray pickup. Curt was standing in the ranch house driveway, directing the convoy of cars behind them into parking places.
Kelly jumped out of the truck cab and surveyed the pastureland, corrals, everything all around her, going in a 360-degree sweep. “Wow, Red Pink City.”
Up on the ridges bordering Jayleen’s ranch on the north and west, most of the pine trees were burned, exactly like Jayleen said. Both hillsides were charred. But there were still green pine trees mixed in with the blackened ones. It saddened her to see it, but trees could be replanted. Dead ones cut out, new trees planted to take their place. New life.
“Looks like we’ve got ourselves a convoy,” Curt said as he approached Kelly and Steve. He squinted beneath his Stetson toward the line of cars turning into Jayleen’s ranch driveway.
“Whoooooooeeeeeeeee!” Jayleen said as she strode over. “All you folks coming over at the same time. Now, that’s something.”
Steve shook hands with Curt then surveyed the surroundings. “It looks like you could use a good clean-up team, Jayleen.”
“Amen to that,” Curt added, waving Marty and Megan to park next to Steve’s truck.
“All you folks didn’t need to take your Sunday to come up here.”
“Are you kidding? We’ve all been dying to see the canyon,” Kelly said. “And judging from some of the damage I saw on the way up, I’d say most of you canyon folks were lucky. Spotty burned areas, blackened trees here and there, charred bushes. You can tell how that wildfire hopped and skipped around.”
“Hey, there, Jayleen,” Marty called out as he climbed from his car. “First brigade of volunteers reporting for duty.”
“My heart was in my mouth all the way, Jayleen,” Megan said as she walked up, staring at the pastures. “I’m so glad you didn’t get burned out like those folks up Whale Rock Road.”
“And Davis Ranch Road, too,” Jayleen added, watching Curt direct Greg and Lisa to park. “Don’t forget those poor souls. I feel positively blessed to only have this kind of damage.”
“Who’s that behind Greg and Lisa?” Curt asked, continuing to wave at the last two cars coming up the driveway. “Burt and Mimi?”
“That’s Jennifer and Pete and Cassie. They got Julie, Bridget, Eduardo, and a temp cook to handle the café lunch crowd. Burt and Mimi are bringing up the rear,” Kelly said, checking out the reddish pink slurry closer up. “Are you sure this stuff wears off?”
“Yep.” Jayleen nodded. “And I don’t care how long it takes. That stuff helped this place survive.”
“I see what you mean, Jayleen,” Marty said, walking around the ranch house and surveying the stumps of cut trees along the side.
“You got a pot of chili on, Jayleen?” Greg called out as he climbed out of his car. “I work for food.”
Jayleen cackled. “I sure do, Greg. A big one, too.”
“All right! Now, we’re talking.”
“How can we best help you? We brought lots of work gloves. And tools,” Lisa said.
“We’ve got trash bags. Lots of them.” Curt waved at Jennifer and Pete climbing out of their car.
“I figure we’ll start by clearing out the burned brush and grasses the best we can.” Jayleen pointed toward the large pasture in front of them. “With all these hands, we ought to make good progress.”
The back door of Pete’s car burst open, and Cassie emerged and raced over to all of them. “The ranch house is safe! And the barn! And the animals, too!” she cried, then threw her arms around Jayleen in a big hug.
Jayleen hugged Cassie back, her eyes closed. “They’re all safe, thank the Lord. Other folks weren’t so lucky, Cassie-girl.”
“Yeah, we saw where some places had fire damage and others didn’t. Weird.” Cassie gazed all around. “Look at all that red stuff! Whoa! How’re we gonna clean all that up?”
“Don’t have to. It wears off,” Curt said, tousling Cassie’s hair.
Pete and Jennifer walked up. She was carrying a plastic container. “We brought some potato salad to go with Jayleen’s chili,” Jennifer said.
“I know you said you didn’t need anything, but we had these great rolls left over so I figured we could use them with the chili, too.” Pete grinned and han
ded over a package.
“You two are dolls,” Jayleen said, taking the container and rolls. “Cassie, would you please run these into my kitchen and put it on the counter? Thanks so much, girl.”
“Sure thing.” Cassie grabbed them and was off like a shot.
“I can’t tell you how relieved Mimi and I were once we saw your place,” Burt said as he and Mimi approached the group.
“Oh, goodness me, yes!” Mimi exclaimed. “Some places had damage but, I declare, most of the houses weren’t touched. I was so afraid they were all burned.”
“Bellevue Canyon folks were damn lucky, that’s the truth. Except for Whale Rock and David Ranch roads. They lost a lot, for sure,” Jayleen said.
“Okay . . . where do you want us to start, Jayleen?” Marty asked. “Most of us brought shears and rakes.”
“I picked up a couple bales of straw and some rope to make waddles,” Steve said, then pointed toward the burned hillsides. “We can start over there. Those hills will need shoring up. Otherwise, the monsoon rains in July will wash all that soot and what’s left of the soil down the hillsides onto your ranch. That area is ripe for runoff.”
“Oh, yeah,” Marty agreed, nodding. “I’ll help you make those waddles, Steve. Yo, Greg!” he beckoned. “Come on over and learn how to do something that’s not plugged into a wall socket.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Greg said, sauntering over. “You just need more muscle. Those skinny arms of yours can’t lift a tissue box.”
Marty just laughed as they walked over to Steve’s truck.
Lisa pulled on her garden gloves. “Okay, now that the entertainment has gotten busy, why don’t I take some of those trash bags and head out toward the far pasture.” She pointed to the burned edges of Jayleen’s land.
“I’ll join you,” Megan said, grabbing two rakes. “You’ll need one of these, too. Hey, Cassie, come with us and learn how we can make charred land look better,” Megan beckoned.
“Sure!” Cassie said, starting in their direction.
“Wait, take a whole roll of black plastic trash bags,” Jennifer said, handing over a roll. “You guys will need it for sure.”
Yarn Over Murder Page 22