The Morelville Mysteries Collection

by Anne Hagan

  There was a lot of animosity among the other youngsters in the barn toward the Harper kids but adult advisors usually took the high road to set a good example. Not this guy. I headed in the direction of the growing melee.

  In my most authoritative voice I asked, “What seems to be the problem here?” It got a little quieter as several sets of eyes immediately turned to me.

  The guy in the advisor shirt whirled to face me. “One of these boys,” he said, pointing at Nevil and Noah Harper, “unplugged the fan cooling the steer of a kid in my club so they could plug that thing in!” He re-aimed his finger at a dorm sized refrigerator sitting on top of a show box labeled ‘HARPER FARMS’. The fridge was padlocked.

  Turning to the two boys, I said, “What’s with the fridge?”

  A man’s voice rang out from behind the gathering crowd, “Why are you interrogating my children?” Nevil Harper Sr. strode toward me as the kids in the aisle parted to make way for him.

  “No interrogation Mr. Harper. These barns are very limited on outlets and on overall power supply. Fans to cool the animals come first. Your boys are going to have to unplug the fridge if there aren’t enough outlets to go around for fans.”

  “Says who? You?” He looked me up and down. “You may be the Sheriff but you’re not in charge here.”

  “Nor are you Mr. Harper. The Fair Board is. They make the rules.”

  “The refrigerator stays!”

  “So be it.” I wasn’t about to fight with him. The Fair Board could handle it. “There’s a barn meeting scheduled in the coliseum at 10:00 AM. You can plead your case to the Junior and Senior Fair Boards there.”

  Harper sneered in my direction but he didn’t reply.

  10:00 AM, Fairgrounds Coliseum

  Large Livestock Barn Meeting

  I haven’t made a habit of attending the barn meeting the past couple of years. The Junior Fair Board usually uses that time to lay out the ground rules and guidelines for the 4H and FFA members showing livestock. Beth and Cole weren’t ready to do everything by themselves but they were both old enough to understand everything that was usually said there, by their peers, on their own.

  Sandra Pennington walked up to me as I entered the coliseum. I’d known her since high school. She was the Extension Office Manager who advised the teenagers that comprised the Junior Fair Board. If she couldn’t make Nevil Sr. understand what was what, she’d be the one to get the elected adult Fair Board involved. One or two of their members were usually close at hand.

  “Hey Mel, what brings you by today looking all official and all?” She bumped me with her hip. Sandy has always been a flirt; men, women...it didn’t matter to her.

  “I just wanted to give you a heads up before Nevil Harper comes rolling in here with a head full of steam.

  Sandy rolled her eyes, “You must be talking about Nevil Sr.”

  I nodded. “There was a little dust up a bit ago in the dairy steer barn over a refrigerator that the Harper kids have plugged in. They unplugged a cooling fan to run it.”

  “Why on earth do they need a refrigerator in the barn?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine.”

  “Well they can’t keep it there. We pull enough juice down there just running fans.” Shaking her head hard she said, “It’s just like old Nevil to stir something up on day one!”

  “You should probably corner him before he explodes on one of you junior board members.”

  “Oh, I will. You can count on it sweetie!” Sandy touched my arm and started to say something else when we both spotted the senior Harper himself coming into the big arena with three of his four children in tow. She headed his way while I moved off toward the bleachers for a seat. Since I was already here, I figured I’d hang out for a few minutes and keep an eye out on things.

  I watched as both Cole and Beth came in behind the Harpers. They milled about near them like they were hoping to hear what was going on as Sandy confronted the family patriarch.

  Nevil Harper Sr. didn’t even give Sandy the time of day. He brushed right by her and ignored the hand she’d outstretched to him in greeting.

  Sandy called after him, “Mr. Harper, we need to talk.”

  Harper glared at me sitting in the nearly empty stands then turned slightly and said back over his shoulder to her, “The matter is resolved. There’s nothing to discuss.” He turned back and continued to another section of the bleachers, his children following along silently.

  All this drama over a refrigerator that they can’t possibly have a valid reason to have here in the first place. I shook my head in disbelief then waved at Cole and Beth who came over and took seats next to me. We chatted for a couple of minutes but then, before the briefing started, I got up and left the building.

  I went back over to the dairy steer barn but I entered it from the end closer to the Harper stalls so I’d have to walk by their area. Two fair board members in their distinctive red polo shirts were there conversing with Mama Harper and the youngest Harper daughter, Nora, who hadn’t gone to the barn meeting. The 4H Advisor stood off to the side of the little gathering. He must have gone right to the Fair Board.

  As I drew closer, I overheard one of the fair board members asking what was in the refrigerator. Elisabeth Harper replied, “Drinks. We stay here all week and we have several animals to tend to. My children have to hydrate too.”

  “If it’s just drinks, why’s it locked?” the second man asked as he traced the cord from the unit over to a power strip that had apparently been the senior Harper’s solution to the problem. He pulled the fridge plug and then confiscated the power strip after ensuring a fan that had been plugged into it too got moved instead into the high wall outlet where the strip had previously been connected.

  “We don’t want people in our children’s stuff!” Mama Harper cried out. She whirled around and moved toward the second man, “Why did you unplug it?”

  “Ma’am, a power strip is a code violation for this building. You can’t have anything plugged in that way,” he answered her.

  The first man told her, “You’ll have to remove the unit. Consider this a warning.” Mama Harper simply nodded.

  I reached the other end of the barn where Dana was sitting in a bag chair, pitchfork at the ready.

  “You’re on dung duty, eh?”

  “Just until Beth and Cole get back from the meeting. What was that all about?”

  I filled her in.

  “All of that over a fridge? Why don’t they just use a cooler like everyone else?” She swept her hand in a half circle out at the rest of the barn.

  “Honestly,” I whispered, “I don’t think drinks are in there. They have four kids. The thing is only a cubic foot big. Besides, locking it over drinks doesn’t make any sense.”

  Dana gestured with one hand, “What else would they have?”

  “Oh, I don’t know, steroids maybe? I hate to say it, but I wouldn’t put it past them.”

  “Really? Steroids?”

  “That’s just speculation on my part. I’m just guessing, babe. Still, they ride those kids hard and they expect them to place high with every animal.”

  “Does that mean more money?”

  “It can. You only get to sell one of your show animals in the final sale unless you had a Grand or Reserve Champion in a category, then you can sell two. If the kid can bring the bidders in, he’ll make some bank but rarely at the county level, even with a Champion, do you make back out of it what you’ve invested in it.”

  “Why do it then?”

  “Bragging rights.”

  Chapter 7 – Sharks

  Monday Morning, August 11th, 2014

  The kids, dad, Kris and I were near the front of a long line of dairy steers behind the Coliseum. We had to get them weighed in before competitions began. Kris was there representing the parental consent element of the process. Dad and I were there to ride herd on both kids and steers.

  I was praying for a quick processing through. I really needed t
o get to station and buckle down to work on the whole JD Roberts/Sterling Moon nightmare. I was down to one detective and, though Shane Harding was good, he couldn’t do everything.

  Beth’s steer Hunter went into the chute to tip the scales first. He weighed in at 1,241 lbs. Beth was all smiles as she walked him out of the chute. I could see the wheels turning as she calculated sale dollars in her head. She stood by while Cole put Big Boy on the scale.

  I shook my head in wonder when Cole’s charge weighed in at a whopping 1,357 lbs. “Cole, ole man, you gave him the right name!”

  One of the Fair Board members clapped him on the back, “That’s a fine looking dairy steer you have there son.”

  “Thank you sir,” Cole beamed proudly.

  “It’s short and heavy like we like to see with the beef steers. You don’t get that too often in a Holstein breed.”

  “No sir.”

  The man moved on to watch the next weigh in.

  Beth stuck her tongue out at her brother then turned to her mother, “The show ring is set up inside. I’m going to go and walk Hunter around it for practice.”

  Kris nodded her consent but then warned Beth, “Not too long. It’s hot and they don’t have any fans running in there right now.”

  As soon as Cole started away to walk his own steer back toward the barn, I excused myself and headed to work. My intent was to get a few hours in before I was scheduled to be back on the grounds for one of my daily public meet and greet appearances at the Sheriff’s tent.

  ###

  Dana

  Dairy Steer Barn, Late Monday Morning, August 11th, 2014

  “Cole!”

  The boy looked through the barn at his sister who was 50 yards away with her steer standing in the empty aisle at a dead stop. “What? Why are you yelling?”

  “Help me with Hunter!”

  “You’re going to have to get him to walk yourself. You’re the one who has to show him!”

  “I know! We were just up there in the show ring practicing and he did fine. Now he’s being stubborn.”

  Faye Crane looked at her grandson, “Go and help your sister.”

  “Yes ma’am.” He sauntered toward Beth reluctantly.

  The two of them brought the steer back toward the stall. I got out of the chair that I’d been sitting in to get out of their way.

  Faye looked at the large animal and then reminded Beth, “You need to change off that show harness for his regular one before you tie him up and make sure you put that back in the show box. Those things cost the moon!”

  “Yes ma’am!”

  She turned to me next, “Come on Dana; they can take care of that and then stay here while we head back to the campers to put together some sandwiches and drinks for lunch.”

  “But Grandma,” Cole whined, “we were going to get food on the midway today!”

  “No fair food until after the show tomorrow, you two. I don’t want anyone having the runs during competition after eating nothing but grease!”

  Cole kicked at some dust but he didn’t try and back talk his grandmother.

  I took the Gator back over to the barn to take lunch to Beth and Cole. Jesse was back at the farm and the walking was starting to wear on me. When I drove up, Beth was waiving her arms frantically at me.

  “What’s wrong now?”

  “Grandma is going to kill me! Please tell me that you put the show halter for Hunter in the show box...”

  I shook my head. “No, sorry. You didn’t even have it off of him yet when your grandma and I left. So, you can’t find it?”

  “Nowhere! It’s nowhere!”

  “Where did you last see it?”

  “I thought I laid it on top of the box while we were changing halters out. I think someone must have taken it!”

  “I was here all morning Beth. Everyone walked their steer out of here for the weigh-in, in a halter, so everyone has one. Maybe someone picked yours up by mistake.”

  “Not everyone used a show halter though! Maybe someone that doesn’t have one for show stole mine!”

  “Don’t go accusing people yet for your lapse in judgment. Did you at least ask around – politely – whether anyone had found it?”

  “No.”

  “Well let’s go ask around then.

  We asked everyone in our immediate area but didn’t have any luck finding the missing halter. What we did find were several other people who had various items come up missing. One family had a 5 gallon bucket of specialty mix feed disappear. Another was missing a scrub brush they used when their younger children bathed their feeder calves. Everyone was helpful and everyone was puzzled but no one saw anything. There’s a thief among us!

  ###

  4:30 PM, Mel Returns

  I stopped in the barn to check on things since I didn’t have to make an official appearance until 6:00 when the fair crowd started to pick up for the evening events in the grandstand. Beth avoided looking at me and busied herself with some task but Dana filled me in on what had happened. Cole strolled in from somewhere else with a pack of his buddies just as she finished.

  “Cole, can I see you a minute?”

  “Oooo, Cole’s in trouble!” rose from the group.

  He grinned and waved them off. “It’s just my aunt! I’ll catch up in a minute.”

  “What’s up Aunt Mel?”

  “Did the show schedule come out yet?”

  “Yeah, just a little bit ago. There’s copies in the box.”

  “Let me see one, please.”

  Cole used his key to take the lock off the show box then he grabbed a schedule and handed it to me. I looked over it carefully.

  “Okay, Beth, get over here.” I waited while she skulked toward me. When she was close enough, I said to the two of them, “Here’s what’s going to have to happen; there is no way we can get another halter tonight. Those things are sold out for miles around. Cole, your steer is a couple of weight classes up from Beth’s. There’ll be plenty of time between show classes. Beth you put Big Boy’s halter on Hunter first and show him and then bring him right back over here to the barn and take it off him when you’re done. Cole, you’ll have to adjust it up a little to put it on Big Boy before you take him up to show him but that’s the way we’re going to have to do this.”

  I was relieved, figuring I’d solved the problem.

  Beth asked, “But what if Hunter places in his class and they want him back in the show arena?”

  “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. We’ll just have to borrow one from someone who had a steer that didn’t place.” The teenager hung her head and said something that I didn’t catch.

  “What did you say?”

  “I said I don’t know why I have to stay here then...”

  I looked at Dana.

  “Your mom said her punishment for not doing what she was told to do was to do barn duty for the rest of the day.”

  “I see.” I appraised my niece. She just didn’t look remorseful...not yet. “You better do what your grandmother told you to do then.” At that, Cole took off to find his friends while the girl slumped her shoulders and went back to sitting on the stacked straw bales we would be using for bedding for the steers and calves for the week. I don’t feel sorry for her...

  Smiling at Dana, I asked, “How would you like to get some dinner with me on the midway before I have to go back on duty?”

  “That sounds wonderful.”

  We were sitting at a picnic table under a shade tree a little way off the midway enjoying steak sandwiches and fair fries. Dana updated me on all of the other events of the day.

  I leaned across the table toward her, “Babe, we’re dealing with a large group of pre-teen and teenaged kids here. Most of them are conscientious and they do the right thing but some of them are just lazy. They’ll grab something from someone else and use it because they forgot to pack theirs or they don’t want to go back to their stall and get theirs...you name it.”

  “You think that’s what’s
happening?”

  I shrugged and picked up another fry, “It happens every year.”

  “I was planning on hanging out in there more so I could keep an eye on things since it’s mostly teenagers in there most of the time.”

  “Do you want my advice?” When Dana looked at me I continued, “Don’t bother. Enjoy the fair and relax as much as you can. There are shows and exhibits all day, every day. Take some of that in if you want to. Once this is over, you know, we have a lot to do.” I winked at her.

  “What about you? Aren’t you going to try to relax this week?”

  “I wish I could,” I said ruefully. “You know I’m down to one detective. Shane had a couple of different cases running before JD died and now there’s that to investigate too. We spent the day trying to track down his ‘so called’ girlfriend, any other known associates of his and trying to get a bead on Sterling Moon. Everything we got was a dead end.”

  “His girlfriend is gone?”

  “No, not that we can tell. She just doesn’t seem to spend any time at all at home.”

  “Not too broken up over his death then, is she?”

  “To say the least.”

  “Is the Escalade still in impound?”

  I nodded.

  “Then what’s she using for wheels?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine or her father’s. Her car is still in the shop. I was able to confirm its whereabouts today!”

  My department had a tent by the main entrance. My primary job, when I was scheduled to be there, was to stand out in front of the open front tent and meet and greet the public.

  One of the perks of working the fair in the evenings, after work hours for most people, was that, sooner or later lots of people wandered by that had useful information to share and so did people that had outstanding warrants for their arrest or that were wanted for questioning. Fair week was always a busy week for us.

  Tonight was the rough truck competition. It was one of the biggest crowd pleasers every year. By 6:00 PM the midway and the main aisles would be shoulder to shoulder. We’ll have our work cut out for us tonight!