Crafting Disorder (Ponderosa Pines Cozy Mystery Series Book 2)

by ReGina Welling

  Nate looked puzzled. “Where are the Vincents now? I know they don’t live here anymore…”

  “Well, a couple of years after Remy took off; they were headed to a conference about solar energy solutions at MIT. They missed their commercial flight, and someone from the conference offered them a seat on a small private plane. The plane left Portland, but never made it to Boston. Both of them died, and evidently, Remy had their remains shipped back to wherever his grandparents were located. He never even came back to clean out their house; he laid that responsibility on EV’s mother and father. It wasn’t too long before Drew and Anna Torrence returned to mainstream life. I think there were too many ghosts here for their liking.”

  “Sad story. How have I never heard about all this? People in this town gossip with absolutely no shame about the smallest of things, and this goes in the vault?”

  “Yeah, the pendulum swings both ways. When someone is truly hurting, the residents of this town can lock a story up more tightly than Fort Knox. It’s one of my favorite things about the Pines: we’re all family, and we protect each other.”

  “Yes, it’s one of my favorite things, also.” Nate stroked his chin thoughtfully. “So he has no ties here, and he hasn’t been back for years. What kind of vendetta could he have against the town?” It’s been decades since he left, and he has shown he’s willing to go to some length to try and screw us over.” Dalton caught the possessive term. He hoped his job would still be safe if Nate decided to stay. He pulled his attention back to Nate, who was still speaking, “We need to figure out what’s in it for him. Seems like he’d have moved on a long time ago.”

  “I guess we have work to do, boss. And let’s keep the girls out of it this time; there’s no need for EV to know that a blast from her past could be lurking around. I’m not letting this asshole take her away from me a second time.” Dalton’s mouth set in a hard line, and Nate realized how deeply the situation with EV had cut him—after all, he could relate.

  Nate sympathized with Dalton—in a manly way, of course. Affection bubbled to the surface, the deputy was growing on him; Nate knew they’d make excellent partners and great friends. If they got the chance—but he wasn’t making any long-term decisions right now. At least one more piece of the puzzle needed to fall into place first.

  “I agree completely. Besides, at this point he doesn’t know we’re on to him. I’ve had a hunch this whole time that he has an accomplice in town. Let’s not tip our hand; we’ll keep quiet about what we know until we’re sure who we can trust. I’ll get Elise to cross-reference Remy with everyone in town. If he’s still connected to someone here, she’ll be able to tell us who.”

  Chapter 14

  On the third glorious day of an unseasonably warm snap of October weather, EV stepped out of New Sage—Ponderosa Pine’s answer to the we-carry-everything big-box store. From the front, New Sage looked much like every other shop lining the short block that passed for downtown in Ponderosa Pines.

  A few years back, a transient artist offered to ply his trade by cladding the entire block of storefronts using decoratively cut cedar shingles. The elders had been happy to let him stay in a vacant cabin. He’d spent the entire summer doing three things: painting the view from the top of Hogarth Ridge; installing what amounted to a cedar shingle mural spanning both sides of the street; and trying to talk EV into bed with him.

  By the end of the summer, he’d succeeded at all three.

  When it was time for him to leave, he did his level best to persuade her to go with him, but nothing he had to offer was enough to pull her from the Pines. He’d driven away leaving her with exactly what she had wanted from him—fond memories, and nothing more.

  That had been the way of it with her, and no matter what Dalton Burnsoll wanted, that was the way it would stay.

  Liar. Her inner voice all but shrieked it.

  Speaking of the devil or merely thinking of him must have been enough to pull Dalton from wherever he’d been lurking, because no sooner had she finished the previous thought, than he’d turned the corner and was headed her way.

  “Treat you to a coffee, Emmalina?” his eyes roved, with appreciation, over the well-worn jeans and flannel shirt she wore. He used her given name deliberately, just to see her expression.

  “Sure, Earnest. I’ll take a coffee, Earnest.” Two could play the name game.

  Too bad they had both crapped out in the name department. He hated Earnest Dalton almost as much as EV despised Emmalina Valentina. Then again, when she said his name, it didn’t sound so bad.

  The grin was still on his face when he set a cup of coffee in front of her, following it up with the plate of maple-glazed donuts he’d hidden behind his back. He was just opening his mouth to speak when they heard a low rumbling.

  “Sounds like a prop plane.” Dalton searched the sky.

  “Not a plane.” EV watched the road leading into town. “Something else.” Something that’s going to make my life hell, she thought with a sense of impending doom. Sometimes, no matter how strong and capable they might be, her shoulders ached from the weight of the status she carried in this town.

  “Probably just passing through, no worries.” Dalton hoped he was right.

  “Not with my luck lately.”

  The first vehicle came into sight.

  Vintage was the kindest word EV could think of to describe the motorhome lumbering toward her. Total heap of rusty junk, were the words closest to the truth. Old, and in a state of disrepair, evidenced by the cloud of exhaust it belched into the air. For all the noise it made, the vehicle moved exceedingly slowly.

  Keep going. Just do not stop here, please. EV silently urged whoever was driving the behemoth vehicle. Alas, she was doomed to disappointment. The camper pulled to stop right in front of them, which gave EV and Dalton a chance to observe the images painted all over it.

  What they saw was some sort of woodland scenes featuring a group of hairy-looking men. She was just trying to wrap her head around that when Dalton nudged her arm and pointed. Two panel vans and another, smaller, similarly decorated camper pulled up behind the first. Antennas bristled from the roofs of all four vehicles.

  EV glanced back at Dalton to see his habitual grin was gone—replaced by a mouth set in grim lines.

  What had him riveted? A sign emblazoned across the larger of the two vans: Sasq-Watchers. Underneath in smaller print, Yeti: He’s Out There.

  “Dalton, do you carry a gun?”

  He lifted an eyebrow at her.

  Of course he did. He was a deputy.

  “Well give it to me.”

  “EV, you can’t shoot them just because they’re delusional.”

  “Not them.” EV gestured toward the caravan of fools. “I’m going to go kill Sabra Pruitt for posting that picture on the Internet.” Her words were measured; her voice dry as powder. “I knew I should have made a bet with young Nathaniel when I told him this might happen.”

  His grin was back.

  “Maybe they won’t stay.” he repeated.

  “Yeah? Well, maybe a pig will fly out of my…” The sound of a motor home window sliding open cut off her derision.

  “Excuse me, ma’am. Can you tell me how to find the Come On Inn? I mean…this is Ponderosa Pines, right? I’m looking for Sabra Pruitt.” The polite voice came from a scruffy man of indeterminate age.

  EV flashed Dalton a sardonic, I-told-you-so look before beginning to provide detailed directions for the Inn until Dalton cut her off.

  “We were just heading out that way; you follow us, and we’ll take you right to her.”

  “Thank you, sir. That’s much appreciated.” The face withdrew.

  “Come on; EV. Let’s take them to their leader. It’ll give us a chance to see what’s what.”

  Once in the car, she grumbled, “You can laugh now, but I’d put money on this not ending well. And don’t even think about telling me how you and Nate will take care of things, because no matter what happens in this town,
it ends up—somehow—with trouble knocking on my front door.”

  Dalton detected a note of bitterness.

  “I thought you loved being the go-to person in town.”

  “Have you ever noticed me accepting a job in town office? I’m all for helping my neighbor, no—my extended family—because that’s what this town is to me. But there’s a system in place that could work more efficiently if people used it more often. You’re part of that system, and you get left out of the loop all the time.”

  “You should know, since you’re one of the key players in the screw the loop game.” It was Dalton’s turn to sound bitter. “Do you have any idea how I felt when Ashton Worth had you at gunpoint? You should have called me when you figured out it was him.”

  “Well, since I didn’t know for sure until I found him in my house, that would have been difficult.” Defensiveness turned her sullen. “I would have called you once I was sure.” It might have been true. She was almost sure it was.

  He pulled up in front of Sabra’s place and sniffed the air. “Do you smell smoke?”

  EV didn’t smell anything, “No.”

  “Well, you should, since it’s your pants on fire.” He narrowed his eyes when she tried to hide a smirk. “This discussion isn’t over,” Dalton promised. “Come on, let’s go see what Sabra’s gotten us into now.”

  She followed him to where the motor home was disgorging its passengers.

  The man who had asked for directions was the first to step out. Ignoring Dalton and EV, who watched with horrified interest, the man reached back through the door where someone they couldn’t yet see handed him enormous video camera, complete with a microphone on a boom. Deftly, the man strapped himself into the apparatus while an entourage formed around him, using strips of duct tape to secure some of the dicey-looking straps.

  “Sweet Jeebus, it’s Larry, Daryl, and his other brother Daryl.” EV whispered.

  Dalton tried to stop the laugh that burst into his throat, but all he managed to do was turn it into a snort. “Not quite, look how fast they’re moving,” he pointed out.

  In just a couple of minutes, the group had assembled into a complete camera crew. EV wished she had a chair and some popcorn when, as one, they approached Sabra’s front door. She didn’t even feel bad about letting Sabra face the music on her own. The innkeeper had started this circus; she might as well ride the elephant.

  The guy EV thought of as Larry, the ringleader of this motley group, rapped his knuckles hard on the dark-stained wood. He glanced back over his shoulder to check that his crew was in place. Once a long moment had passed, he turned toward EV with a questioning look. She gave him a small shrug.

  Sabra wasn’t home. That much EV had figured out when the rumbling vehicles failed to bring the Inn owner rushing onto the porch. Lottie Calabrese, who owned the rival establishment across the street, had been peeking out though pristine white curtains ever since they arrived. EV knew phones were buzzing and chirping all over town as Lottie’s fingers flew over her messaging app.

  “What do you think they’ll do if she doesn’t come out?”

  “She’s not in there.”

  “How could you possibly know that?”

  “Trust me, she’s on her way. Give it another minute.”

  “You’re a psychic now?” Dalton ran a hand through his hair, fingers snagging in wind-tangled curls.

  “Hardly. It doesn’t take a psychic to know that we weren’t the only ones who saw this caravan of…” words failed her, so she waved a hand to indicate Sabra’s visitors, “whatever they are—as it rolled into town. The second that motor home turned down the lane, someone sent out the alert.” The words no sooner left her lips than Sabra, carrying a camera and tripod, burst into sight at the far edge of her yard.

  “What’s going on?” She directed her question toward Dalton; accompanied it with a little swish of the hips. Flirting and breathing were essentially the same thing for Sabra.

  “Yeti hunters.” EV answered for him. “They’re here for you.”

  “But why?”

  “Because you’re their queen.”

  “I’m their what? I don’t understand.”

  Dalton took over. “Apparently your photo has gone viral, and now these people have come to see if they can find Bigfoot. In our town. Or a Yeti. Is there a difference? Either way, they think there’s actually a Sasquatch here”

  “In our town.” EV repeated, emphasized.

  “That’s so cool.” was all Sabra managed before the guy with the camera, having noticed her, rushed over to start asking questions.

  “Mrs. Pruitt…”

  “Ms.” Sabra corrected.

  “Ms. Pruitt, please tell us about your experience.”

  “Well, I was shooting the meteor shower and…”

  EV pulled Dalton away. They needed to make some kind of plan for dealing with the situation before it careened any more out of hand. If Sabra’s obvious delight at being the center of attention was anything to go by, it might already be too late. EV watched the woman preening in front of the camera; Sabra arched her back enough to make sure her cleavage was shown to perfection before launching into her story with great enthusiasm. She ended with an invitation for those members of the crew who might need lodging to stay at the Inn—at a reduced rate, of course.

  “Can’t you do something to get them out of here? Maybe tell them they can’t interfere with an ongoing investigation.”

  “They haven’t done anything other than talk to Sabra. There’s nothing I can do; they’re not breaking any laws just by being here.”

  “So you’re not going to do anything?”

  “When did I say that? I’m going to have a word with that guy over there,” Dalton pointed to an older fellow he’d been watching. While everyone else in the group gathered around the man with the camera, this guy had been checking equipment against a list he carried on a clipboard. Whenever he spoke to one of the crew, that person paid sharp attention; quickly moved to do his bidding.

  The guy behind the camera might be the mouth, but this other one was the brains of the operation. Dalton could tell just by looking at him.

  Leaving EV to stay or follow, Dalton approached the man with his hand extended.

  “Pleased to meet you, Deputy Burnsoll.” He gave a firm handshake.

  “Jim Dubicki.”

  Stepping up beside Dalton, EV also shot out a hand, “EV Torrence, what’s the plan here, Jim? What exactly is it that you expect to find?” Blunt as ever, she wasn’t prepared for his reaction.

  Jim’s eyes twinkled, his face cracked into a wide grin. “I like a woman who gets right to the point.” His up-and-down look made Dalton bristle, and netted him a raised eyebrow from EV, who didn’t appreciate the hubris.

  “Truth is—I don’t expect to find anything here. I think your friend caught a photo of a man creeping through her back yard. There’s no Sasquatch in Ponderosa Pines.”

  “But you believe in Bigfoot?” EV scoffed. Jim shrugged. “No? So why are here?” She questioned.

  “We’ll be here a few days. You come knock on my door, and I’ll show you some pictures that will have you wondering what else is out there.” He pointed to the second motor home. “Anytime.”

  Dalton was ready to reverse his earlier assertion and look for any excuse to run the hunters out of town.

  “I’ll need to see you gun permits.”

  “I’d be happy to oblige but we don’t have any,” Dubicki hooked a thumb in his belt loop, “Only thing we’re shooting with is cameras.”

  Swing and a miss. Dalton reconsidered and said, “I can’t stop you looking around, but mind the posted land signs. Wear hunter orange when you go into the woods. Wouldn’t do to end up the victim of an accidental shooting because you weren’t properly outfitted. I’ll be keeping a close eye on you…” he gave his fiercest cop face, the one he was learning from Nate, “…and your crew.”

  Dubicki let the implied threat roll past with only the
barest hint of smirk.

  EV pulled Dalton toward the car. “Come on, let’s leave them to it.”

  He was quiet all the way back to town.

  * * *

  EV jabbed the #2 key on her cell phone, speed-dialing Chloe as she gunned Christine’s engine and headed for home. “What’s the haps?” Chloe answered.

  EV snorted at Chloe’s greeting, a small grin threatening to emerge, even through the fog of irritation in which she was currently mired. “We are being invaded. I repeat—we are being invaded.”

  “What on earth are you talking about? Sabra’s aliens finally touch down? Or… oh, this has to do with our friendly neighborhood Sasquatch, doesn’t it?” When it came to putting two and two together, Chloe’s mind worked about as fast as EV’s, which was one of the things EV loved so much about her.

  “Ding. Ding. Ding. You are correct. They’re over at the Come On Inn right now—a great big Winnebago full of them—with cameras and microphones, the whole nine. We need to figure out a way to get rid of them; this is not the kind of tourism I’d like to see encouraged around here. We’ll have every nutjob in a hundred miles poking their noses into our woods. Damn it, I told Nate this was going to happen.”

  Silence stretched across the line for a few moments while Chloe pondered the situation. It was a free country; anyone was welcome to come to town, and perhaps they would look around and leave quietly. But she doubted it. The only way to get them to move along was to prove that their ‘Bigfoot’ was just a mortal man.

  “Why don’t we just go take a peek in the woods; see for ourselves.” Chloe suggested, knowing EV wouldn’t turn down a chance to snoop in any form.