by Anne Hagan
“Well, I can see that! Why on earth is he loading that?”
“City girls!” My mom shook her head at Dana and then looked back to the crew attempting to get the reluctant steer to step into the trailer, “Cole, Beth you be careful! Jesse and Lance, you watch them close, now!”
“Dana hun’, the kids have dual projects. Every year, about 6 months before the fair, they get a feeder calf. They raise him up to show at the fair as their primary project. At this fair though they don’t let the kids sell the feeder calves in the sale at the end like some county fairs do.”
“Huh? Why not?”
“Because that’s not the point of the project. Ideally, the competitors feed them out and then show them also as full grown beef steers the following year. That way, the kids experience the full life cycle of an animal raised for meat.”
She looked up at me from her shorter stature, “I learn something completely new every day I’m with you.” She leaned into me and I held her close.
“Oh brother,” mom shook her head vigorously this time and then headed away toward the stock trailer.
Kris looked at the two of us, “In case you hadn’t noticed, mom’s having a really hard time with the two of you. She’s going to need a little time to process it all.”
This isn’t the time or place to get into this right now... I didn’t say anything back to Kris and neither did Dana.
###
Saturday morning, August 9th, 9:00 AM, Muskingum County Fairgrounds
My duty cell buzzed just as I finished helping Cole get the last big water bucket filled and placed for Beth’s steer, Hunter. I stepped just out of range of the half crazed steers and the younger calves to take it. I wasn’t on duty but my phone wouldn’t be ringing if it wasn’t important.
“Sheriff Crane.”
“Sheriff it’s Leon in the county morgue.”
“What can I do for you today?” While I was asking that question my dad brushed by me and started checking the kids tie off work on the steers. It wouldn’t do for one to get loose.
“We completed the autopsy of JD Roberts yesterday and released the body to be claimed by the next of kin.”
“His sister Gloria?”
“Well, that’s who we called. She set an appointment to come and claim him yesterday afternoon but she never showed. Now she’s not taking our calls. What should we do?”
“Let me give her a call and then get back to you.”
The County Coroner, Lucas ‘Luke’ Kreskie was about my dad’s age and had run with him back in the day. They’d remained friends over the years so he was well aware of our family history with JD and his family. I knew he’d directed Leon, his second, to call me when they ran into trouble with JD’s sister.
I called Gloria from my personal cell. She picked up on the third ring.
“Gloria, it’s Mel Crane.”
Her response was tentative, “Yes. Is this about JD?”
“Yes, actually it is. First of all, let me offer my condolences.”
“Um...thank you, I guess.”
“Gloria is something wrong?”
“If you’re calling to tell me I have to go and claim JD’s body from the morgue then I have to tell you that I won’t be doing it.”
“Do you need someone to go with you? It’s okay, I can meet you there, if that’s the problem.”
“That’s not it at all Mel.”
“What is it then?”
She sighed but then when she spoke again her voice was flat and monotone, devoid of any emotion, “My husband and I talked after your officers came here and told us about JD. He’s dead set against us taking on the responsibility of his funeral and all of the associated expenses and I don’t blame him Mel. JD has been horrible to me...to us these last few years since my daddy died. Besides, he didn’t have any insurance and he already owed us a small fortune.”
“And you don’t want to pay out again for a funeral and burial?” I was sympathetic to her position. JD, God rest his soul, had been a drain on many people when he was alive.
“Right.” She swallowed and then spoke again, “JD had been borrowing from us because he’s been racking up some debts lately. Things got ugly a few weeks ago when he came around looking to borrow a few grand on top of everything he already owed us that he’s never even tried to repay. Tom told him that we just didn’t have it and now this. We can’t afford to pay for a funeral and we certainly can’t afford to be on the hook for his creditors too, whoever they are.”
“I see. I appreciate your honesty Gloria. I’ll talk to the Coroner and the morgue office and see what I can do.”
“Thanks Mel. I’m sorry that you have to deal with that.”
“It’s okay.” I’m going to get stuck dealing with his remains and getting him buried myself, I just know it.
We hung up. I turned back toward our four bovine charges to find my dad still standing in the stall between two of the four, watching me intently. I shook my head at him and walked out of the barn in search of Dana.
A half hour later, Dana and I were sitting under the shade of the canopy at my camper when dad approached us on the Gator. It wasn’t even ten o’clock and already the humidity was so bad his shirt was wet with sweat. He looked exhausted. As he went to step off the cart, he nearly tripped and barely caught himself.
I moved to help him but he waived me off. “At least pull up a chair dad and take a load off. Can I get you a bottle of water?”
He slumped into the proffered seat but waived his hand again, this time to decline the water. Normally a quiet man that only rarely spoke, his face, lined from previous years of heavy smoking before he quit, was contorted with the question of whatever was on his mind.
I looked at him hard, “There’s something you want to ask me, isn’t there?”
He pursed his lips but nodded, his entire upper body rocking in the chair.
“What is it dad?”
He cocked his mouth like he was licking a back molar with his tongue but then, suddenly he spoke, “If a person needed to get a death certificate for someone, how would he go about doing that?”
I don’t really know what I was expecting him to ask me but that sure wasn’t it. I was more than a little surprised.
“Who do you need a death certificate for dad?” The wheels were turning in my head and I dreaded the answer.
“Let’s just say someone has a life insurance policy on someone that died and they want to collect on it. How do they get a death certificate to prove the death?”
My response was more forceful, “Who did you have life insurance on dad?”
Though still slumped in his chair, he tilted his head up and looked me square in the eye and said, even more forcefully than I had asked my question to him, “Jeremy David Roberts.”
My mind in overdrive, I went into a state of near shock. I opened my mouth, but I couldn’t frame the questions that I wanted to ask.
Dana, investigator that she is, recognized my struggle right away and plunged right in, “Jesse, why did you buy life insurance on JD?”
Dad shrugged like it was no big deal now that his secret was out, “For Beth and Cole.”
“Why for Beth and Cole?”
“He wasn’t providing for them. Someone had to.”
I found my voice, “We were all providing for them dad,” I drew a circle in the air quickly with my hand.
“I know that but it’s always good for kids to have a little something to fall back on when their parents pass on. He wasn’t going to leave them kids with anything.” He was quiet. He wouldn’t speak again unless I spoke first.
I thought for a minute and looked at Dana. I whispered to her, “This could look so bad...”
She nodded her understanding and turned back to my father, “Jesse, how long ago did you buy insurance on JD?”
“He remained quiet for several long seconds more while he thought about her question then he answered, “Five, maybe six years ago.”
Dana blew out a br
eath, “That’s not so bad then.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” I jumped back in, “how much insurance were you carrying on him dad?”
He turned his head and wouldn’t meet my eyes or Dana’s.
“Dad?”
“A quarter million.”
###
I excused myself. I needed to think several things through. I told both of them to stay put while I gathered the family for a meeting and then I took a stroll over to the other side of the fairgrounds to collect my thoughts and to make a couple of calls privately.
First, I called Leon back at the morgue and let him know that JD’s ex-wife and I would be claiming his body on Wednesday on behalf of his minor children and with the consent of his sister, his only known immediate kin besides Beth and Cole. I apologized for not being able to do it sooner than that and then rang off with him before he could protest.
I knew that I was kind of putting the cart before the horse, but after my previous conversation with Gloria, I was certain there wouldn’t be a problem. I called her next anyway and let her know what I told them at the morgue.
“Mel I feel so bad. You or your family shouldn’t have to pay for his burial either.”
“Oh, don’t you worry Gloria, it will all be taken care of. By the way, “about how much money does JD owe you and Tom?”
“My goodness, I don’t even know an exact dollar figure but it has to be close to $2,000. It’s just crazy how much we’ve given him...”
“I’ll see to it that you get that money back too okay?”
“How on earth are you going to do that?”
“Let’s just say that dad took out a little insurance policy on JD years ago – with or without his knowledge – and I’m going to have him go ahead and collect on it and pay for everything.”
Oh Mel, that’s...that’s unbelievable. I don’t even know what to say...I...Thank you! Thank you so much. That will help us out so much, you don’t even know.”
“We’ll get it to you as fast as we can. In the meantime, I’ve made arrangements to claim JD’s body on Wednesday since we’re in the middle of fair. I’ll get in contact with one of the local funeral parlors and make arrangements for a small service say, next Tuesday when we’re all back and settled. How does that sound?”
“Mel, I can’t let you do everything. Paying for it all is enough. Just pass along the insurance details for the Funeral Director when you know them. I’ll go ahead and get everything going.”
“I appreciate that Gloria. Thank you.”
I started toward the barn figuring that’s where I’d find my mother or Kris or both women. My duty cell rang again. Sometimes it just seems like it never ends!
“Sheriff Crane.”
“Deputy Treadway, Sheriff.”
“What can I do for you Joe?”
“We found the car that’s registered to Sterling Moon. It’s been abandoned along I-70 West just outside of the city limits.”
“Is that right?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Any signs of foul play Joe?”
“Nothing obvious Sheriff. It’s actually all locked up.”
“Don’t pop the locks yet. I want a forensics team to look at it just in case...well, I don’t know what we’re looking for until we find it, if there’s anything to find. Have it towed in.”
“Roger Sheriff. Out.”
That’s Treadway. Always formal, even on the phone.
###
“I’m sorry to have to drag everyone back here.” I looked around the circle of faces that included my parents, Dana, my sister and Lance. I’d purposely left Beth and Cole on duty back at the barn while we adults hashed a few things out. “We have something we need to talk about as a family that really can’t wait.”
“Let me start by saying briefly that I got a call from the County Morgue today. No one has claimed JD’s body. I called his sister Gloria. She and Tom didn’t claim him because they can’t afford to bury him. JD already owed them a couple grand on top of whatever his funeral expenses will be.”
Mom started to speak, “Now Melissa, we don’t want to be volunteering anything for him. He was abusive to Kris and just plain no good all the way...”
I held up a hand to stop her. “Hear me out please.” I waited until she finally pursed her lips and nodded to me in understanding. “Something else came to my attention today. Dad, would you please explain what you’ve done?”
All eyes turned toward him. He cleared his throat but looked down at the ground. When he spoke, his voice had a slight tint of defiance, “I thought I was doing good.” His head came up and he looked at me, his eyes boring into mine.
“Oh Jesse, what have you done?” It was my mom speaking again, fear creeping into her own voice.
He shot her a look. “It ain’t nothin’ like what you must be thinkin’! I just took some life insurance out on him when he was still just a boy, is all.”
Mom looked like she was about to come unglued. I waved her off again. “Dad tells me that five or six years ago, around the time JD would have been 28 or 29, he took out a policy on him for a quarter of a million dollars.” I watched the faces around the circle as I let that sink in. Kris looked like she was in shock but she was the first to recover.
“Dad, why?”
He glared at her. “You of all people know why!”
Lance looked confused. Dana, who was watching him turned and addressed my father, “Jesse, JD was severely beaten. He died from those injuries. Whoever did that to him is looking at a manslaughter charge at minimum. If Mel doesn’t figure out who did it soon, she’s going to be obligated to recuse herself from this case so another police agency can start looking at people with possible motive for wanting him dead.”
“What’s that got to do with our family?” Now dad was confused too.
I leaned into the circle and said quietly but loud enough for all of them to hear, “With a policy for that much on a guy that isn’t even family, it makes it look like you,” I pointed at dad, “or any of the rest of us here might have killed him for the money.”
Lance threw his hands up, “I didn’t even know JD and I sure didn’t know about this!”
“Lance is right, I never told him about it. I never told anyone.”
“You sure didn’t Jesse Crane! How much money have you been paying out every month for that fool?”
“Now Faye, I didn’t do it for him! It was for Beth and Cole. He was so young when I took it out, I got that much coverage for less than $20 bucks a month. I had his consent. He didn’t give a damn what I was doing!”
“For my kids?” Kris addressed our dad, her face softening from her earlier look of anger.
“Yeah for them. He was no good; always drinking and carousing and not looking after you or them. I wanted to make sure if anything ever happened to him, they’d be taken care of, maybe even be able to go to college one day or somethin’.”
Everyone was quiet for a minute. I took that as my cue to lay out my plan. “Here’s what’s going to happen, no arguments.” I eyeballed everyone in the group individually. “I was hoping to be able to spend more time here on the grounds helping out but I’m going to have to be in the office Monday and Tuesday. I’ve got to get some leads on JD’s killer or killers before this all blows up in my face.”
I looked at my sister, “Kris, on Wednesday, you and I will go to the morgue and claim JD’s body on behalf of his minor children. Gloria is planning a small funeral service for him next Tuesday. We’ll all be attending.” I looked around the circle.
My father spat on the ground, “Just bury him!”
“Dad! Think about Beth and Cole. Don’t you think they need a little closure here, especially Cole?” He didn’t respond.
I continued, “Dad, we’ll get a death certificate. You’ll be able to claim that money. Once you have it though, you’ll be paying for the funeral.”
Like with my mother before, I held up my hand to stop him when he started to protest. “J
ust wait; that’s not all. JD was borrowing money from Gloria and Tom before he died. He owes them $2,000. You’ll be reimbursing them that too.”
Kris and mom both nodded in seeming agreement with me but Kris was the one to speak, “That’s only fair dad. It’s not Gloria’s fault her brother has been an ass all his life.”
Dad shot her a look, “If you had realized that sooner we wouldn’t all be in this mess!”
“Dad!” we both yelled. He covered his head with his hands.
Chapter 6 – Heat Wave
Sunday, August 10th, 2014
It was just after 9:00 and already so hot the thin asphalt at the edges of the roadways was bubbling and sticky. I scraped some of the tar off my dress boots before I walked into the cattle barn.
Cole was in the wash basin hosing urine off his steer after a long night of him peeing all over himself. Beth was in the stall with the other three steers pitching soiled, smelly straw into a wheelbarrow so she could lay fresh bedding down. She’d unplugged the fan directly over where she was cleaning so it wouldn’t work against her. I stood behind two of their animals under the other one hoping to get my uniform shirt and the tee under it a little unstuck from my back.
Kids and dairy steers were moving about the main aisle as animals were being bathed and pens were being cleaned. The gates would be opening to the public within the hour and the fairgrounds would be teeming with people.
I was in uniform because I’d be making appearances throughout the day at the Sheriff’s booth just inside the front gate. Just another fine day at the fair...
The sounds of a ruckus arouse from the other end of the barn. I stepped out into the dusty aisle and craned my neck to see what was going on. A man wearing a 4H tee shirt that was labeled ‘Advisor’ across the back was gesturing toward something along the aisle in front of a pen as he expressed his displeasure to one of the four Harper children.
The Harper kids and their parents were individually and collectively something of an enigma. No one really understood the family and the way they did things. The kids were all home schooled but they attended a rural county school for ag class and the ability to participate in FFA only. All four showed animals in every species at the fair every year. They ran around like mad trying to keep up with everything they needed to do to care for and to show all of their livestock charges.