“Okay, I smell it too. Must be a fire somewhere. I’ll get dressed and we’ll go outside.”
There was a faint orange glow coming from what appeared to be a fire off in the distance. She heard the sound of sirens and wondered where the fire was located.
Strange time of year for a fire. They usually happen in late fall, long after the rains have stopped and everything becomes dry. Well, I’m sure I’ll hear all about it at the coffee shop this morning. This will be big news. Fires and forests don’t mix and there’s plenty of forest land around here.
*****
“Morning, Madison, Roxie,” she said, unlocking the coffee shop door. “Hope you both got a chance to relax yesterday. Either one of you know what’s going on? I heard sirens when I got up and I can still hear them. That glow in the sky sure looks like it’s coming from a pretty good-sized fire outside of town somewhere.”
“No,” they answered in unison, with looks of concern on their faces.
“It’s got to be a pretty big fire,” Roxie said. “Just as I was leaving the house the phone rang and I overheard Joe say he’d be right there. He’s a volunteer fireman. When the county fire department starts calling for reinforcements from other areas, they also alert the volunteers. I’ll call Joe later on and see what’s going on.”
On mornings like this, the citizens of Cedar Bay found comfort in talking to one another. They were actively discussing the finer points of the funeral service. Several of the conservative Catholics were not happy that Father Brown had chosen to conduct the service in a more relaxed manner. They preferred things to be the way they’d always been. Others felt it was a beautiful service and perfect for a young woman that was as well-liked as Amber. The debate went on and on.
Chris showed up as usual, sat at the counter and ordered a ham omelet from Roxie while she poured his coffee. When Kelly walked by, he said, “I want to thank you for referring me to Seth Morrison. He’s pretty sure he can fix my computer, but he’ll have to keep it a couple of days. Didn’t realize how dependent I’d become on that darn thing to give me news and entertainment. I don’t even own a television set. I just use my computer.”
“I know what you mean. I can’t believe how things have changed in the last few years. I’m always amazed by how many kids I see crossing streets or walking while they’re looking at their phones.”
“Kelly, I’m a teacher. Can you imagine what would happen in a classroom if nobody turned off their phones during class? I mean, think about it. Every one of them has a phone they’ve put some new song on as the ring tone. Or even a different song for different people who call them. The first thing I have to do every morning is remind them to turn off their phones. I was glad to know when I came here about the strict policy the county school superintendent has on phones. If someone’s phone rings during class, that person is immediately sent to the principal’s office. If it happens a second time, he or she is suspended from class for the rest of that school week. If it happens a third time, they’re expelled. It’s harsh, but it sure works.”
“Well, it’s time for me to get back to work, but it’s been good seeing you, Chris. Glad you’re back. I need to pull some things from the ovens. See you tomorrow.”
As the morning wore on, the talk turned to what seemed to be a very large fire. No one knew where it was located. From time to time sirens could still be heard in the distance. Wherever Kelly went, Rebel was right behind her. He sensed fires were dangerous and since his self-appointed job in life was to insure her safety, he stayed right next to her. Over the years, the customers had grown used to watching out for him. Tripping over a ninety pound dog with not an ounce of fat on him was like tripping over a brick wall. Kelly realized there was no way the dog was going to get in his bed until the fire was out and there was no threat of danger. She picked up his bed and took it to the storage room.
Late that morning, Roxie’s husband, Joe, opened the door of the coffee shop. He was sweaty and covered with soot. “Kelly, where’s Roxie? I need to talk to her.”
“She’s in the kitchen.”
A few minutes later they both hurried out of the kitchen, Roxie untying her apron. “Kelly, is it okay if I leave early? Something’s come up at home. I’ll call you later.”
“Of course, sweetie. Anything I can do?”
“No, but the fire was at the Black’s ranch. Looks like it pretty much burned it up.”
“What?” she exclaimed, but by that time Roxie and Joe had left.
A fire at the Black’s ranch? Now what? Mike will know what’s happening. She walked into the kitchen, took her phone from her purse and called him.
“This is Mike,” the voice said. “I can’t take your call right now. Please leave your name and number and I’ll get back to you.” She asked him to call and walked back into the main room.
It was the tail end of the lunchtime crowd and not many people were left in the coffee shop. A few of them had heard Roxie say something about the fire being at the Black’s ranch and asked Kelly if Roxie had told her anything more.
“No, and I tried to call Mike, but all I got was his answerphone. I don’t know any more than you do. If he calls, I’ll let you know.”
The last of the diners left, several of them saying they were going to drive out to the Black’s ranch and see what happened. Others were anxious to get on their phones and see what they could find out. In most small towns gossip was the main entertainment and Cedar Bay was no exception. It was fast, efficient, and sometimes right. It reminded Kelly of the old Tarzan movies and the drumbeat messages sent by the local natives.
Madison helped Kelly for the next two hours, cleaning up and getting ready for the next day. Kelly knew the fire danger was gone when Rebel consented to get on his bed while she made the breakfast casseroles. There was only a faint smell of smoke in the air. She couldn’t wait to talk to Mike.
CHAPTER 15
When Kelly got home, the first thing she noticed was the blinking red light on her answerphone. “Kelly, it’s Roxie. Sorry I bailed on you today. Give me a call when you have a chance. I need to talk to you.”
The events of the last week had taken their toll on Kelly’s house and on her newly planted spring garden flowers. Both called out for attention and Kelly had mentally promised herself that today was the day she’d take care of them. After hearing Roxie’s message, she wasn’t so sure she’d be able to keep her promise.
Kelly changed her clothes and called Roxie. “Hi Roxie, I got your message. Is everything okay?”
“Yes and no. I told you the fire was out at the Black’s ranch. From what Joe told me, looks like some dry brush caught fire and the fire was probably intentionally set by someone. The cattle herd Jeff has on the ranch is just for show. His real business is the marijuana he was growing. The fire spread to the back part of the ranch where he was growing it. The marijuana caught fire and everything burned to the ground.”
“Oh, my gosh!”
Roxie continued, “The only things that were spared were the cattle and the ranch house. Joe says it’s like scorched earth back there. Nothing left but ashes. Not a single plant was left standing. They were just incinerated by the extreme heat of the fire. The barn and everything else completely burned to the ground. Mike arrested Jeff Blake for having an illegal marijuana farm on his property and put him in the county jail. I understand he’s trying to make bail. Mike told me he’ll be arraigned tomorrow and then a trial date will be set or he can do some type of plea bargain, but for now he’s in jail.”
“You said Mike told you that. When did you see him? You didn’t go out to the Black’s ranch did you?”
“No,” Roxie said. “Here’s the next part of the story. Brandon heard that Wade had been suspended from school for having marijuana in his locker. You know how fast news spreads in this town, particularly among school kids. Anyway, he also heard that Wade had purchased the marijuana from one of the guards out at Black’s ranch. He told Jeff about it and Jeff was furious. He calle
d the guard into his office and fired him. Evidently he was worried that someone could trace Wade’s marijuana to his ranch. The next part is pretty hard for me to understand. Brandon told Mike that he’d known for a long time that his dad was growing marijuana on the ranch, but Jeff justified his actions by telling him he only sold it to medical marijuana shops and that it was perfectly legal.”
“Mike’s suspected that Jeff was growing it for a long time, but couldn’t prove it. Looks like he was right,” Kelly interrupted.
“Yeah, but here’s what I started to tell you. Even though he grew it and probably made a lot of money from it, he was completely opposed to anyone using it for recreational purposes. That’s why he fired the guard.”
“That makes no sense at all. You’re telling me he didn’t want kids to use it, but it was okay for him to make a profit from it?”
“Yep, that’s what I understand. The guard Jeff fired died in the fire. Mike thinks he started the fire to get back at Jeff and then the fire got out of control. Evidently he got trapped and couldn’t get out. The county fire department has called in some experts to see where the point of origination was and to confirm if it was arson.”
“Okay, but I still don’t see why and how Mike told you all of this.”
“I’m getting to it. Give me a minute. When Joe came to the coffee shop, he told me Mike wanted to meet with us about Wade and the kilo of marijuana they’d found in his locker. Sorry, Kelly, but that was more important to me than staying at the coffee shop.”
“No apologies needed. I would have done the same. Well, what happened?”
“Mike met us at our house and asked us to get Wade. He said he wanted to talk to all of us. Today was the first day of Wade’s suspension, so he was in his room. The four of us sat down in the living room and Mike told us what he had learned. He said the principal contacted him late yesterday about Wade having marijuana in his locker. Mike also said it was kind of ironic, because he was planning on going out to the Black ranch this morning to talk to the guard and Jeff about it. He asked Wade if he was using drugs. Wade said no, but he had sold some of the marijuana to other kids at the school.”
“Well, I know it happens, but I’m sorry Wade got involved.”
“So am I, then Mike asked Wade a few more questions. He wanted to know what made him start selling pot to the students. Wade said that for the first time he was getting some attention from the other kids. He told Mike that no one cared about him, not his mother, his father, or me. He said it was nice to finally have someone pay attention to him. Kelly, I couldn’t help myself. I started crying and telling him how much Joe and I loved him and that I didn’t know why he felt that way. I guess in his eyes I haven’t been a very good stepmother. I think all the kid wanted was to feel accepted by us and since he didn’t feel that we accepted him, in some crazy way I guess he thought if he sold pot to the kids, they’d accept him.
“Anyway Mike said if Wade promised him he would never sell it again and if the three of us got family counseling, he had the authority, as county sheriff, not to file charges against Wade. He said he would get in touch with the principal and Wade could go back to school tomorrow. He told all three of us that if we didn’t go to counseling, or if he even heard that Wade was dealing or doing drugs, he would not only make sure he was prosecuted, but he would talk to the authorities and strongly suggest that he be sent to juvenile hall.”
“Oh, Roxie, that’s wonderful. I’m so happy Wade’s not going to be prosecuted, but what are you and Joe going to do about Wade to make him feel better about being part of the family?”
“The three of us had a long talk after Mike left. I was honest and I think Joe and Wade were as well. Bottom line is Wade didn’t think we wanted him to live with us. His mother had told him that Joe had left her for me, so he resented me for stealing his father and breaking up his parent’s marriage. Joe and I never knew that. Now that we do, I think we understand why he’s acted like he has and he probably thought the kids would think he was a big deal because he sold pot.”
“Wow! Well, the whole thing was probably a blessing in disguise. Now you know how he’s felt all this time and why he’s been a pain in the neck to you. Kind of makes sense. His mother didn’t want him and he thought you and Joe didn’t want him. At least you know where you’re going now.”
“Kelly, you’re always the optimist. Do you ever see the glass half-empty? Don’t answer. I know you don’t, but that’s why everyone loves you. Do you know a good family counselor in the area? Think I’d better go out of town for this. Sure enough, if we even went to the one in town once, someone would see us and everyone would know in minutes. Wade doesn’t need that now. He’s got enough to deal with.”
“So do you, my friend. Yes, there’s a man who comes to the coffee shop from time to time. He lives up in Sunset Bay. He gave me his card once. Here it is.” She gave Roxie his name and telephone number. “Tell him I referred you. He seems like a good man. Well, spend some time with your stepson and try and relax. You’ve had a stressful day. Do you need to take a little time off? If you do, I can get someone to cover for you.”
“No. I think that might make Wade feel there was something really wrong with him if I had to stay home from work. I’ll see you tomorrow morning, and Kelly, thanks for being my friend and so understanding.”
“Roxie, I’m always here for you. You know I believe that family comes first. See you tomorrow.”
She hung up and sat for a few minutes, digesting what Roxie had told her.
Well, guess this means that Jeff Black isn’t a threat to me or Rebel at the moment now that he’s in jail. Wonder if Amber knew about the marijuana farm on the back of the property? If Jeff fired his guard for selling marijuana to someone and was afraid they would find out it was from his farm, who knows what he might do to someone to keep the authorities from finding out about it.
CHAPTER 16
Kelly had just begun to water the neglected plants on her deck when she heard her phone ring. She laid the hose down and went inside. “This is Kelly.” She listened for a moment. “Hi, Mike. Heard from Roxie that you did a wonderful thing for her family today. Sounds like the fire was really something.” She paused. “I’ll see what I can come up with. See you in a few.”
Well, so much for the plants and the house. Oh well, think it was Scarlett O’Hara who said “tomorrow is another day.” Tomorrow I’ll clean the house and finish the watering. Now I need to fix some dinner for Mike, but I’ve got to turn off the hose or it’ll flood the deck.
She walked out onto the deck to turn off the hose. Rebel had never been a dog that chewed up furniture or anything else like that, but there was something about a garden hose he couldn’t resist. He had the hose in his mouth, shaking both his head and the hose. Water had sprayed all over the deck.
“Well, Rebel, looks like you did a better job watering the plants than I did. Inside, boy.”
A few minutes later Mike knocked on her door and then let himself in. Mike looked about as tired as she’d ever seen him.
“Welcome, Mr. Sheriff,” she said with a smile. “You look like you need a friend and some food.”
He kissed her lightly on the cheek. “At the moment I would welcome both along with a glass of wine. This has been some day.”
She poured him a cold glass of Chardonnay and said, “Mike, before you start telling me about the Black’s ranch, I need to tell you something and you may not be too happy about it.”
Kelly told him about her trip out to Doc’s ranch, starting from when she’d left the coffee shop and ending when she’d pulled out of Doc’s driveway, leaving nothing out.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were planning to do something like that? It could have been very dangerous for you and still might be.”
“Well, Mike, for one thing, it was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing. For another, I knew you wouldn’t want me to do it, and I didn’t want to get in an argument with you.”
He frowned and was qu
iet for several moments. “Kelly, do you know the danger you could be in?”
“Mike, Doc is a really nice guy. Life hasn’t been particularly kind to him. Maybe I’m being naïve, but I believe him. He told me everything, even though he didn’t have to. I think he trusts me.”
“You realize now you know everything there is to know about Doc and all about his past. If Doc is the killer, what makes you think the same thing won’t happen to you that happened to Amber?”
“You’re overreacting. I’m sure Doc didn’t do it.”
“Glad you are. I’m not. He had a motive for doing it – a very powerful motive – keeping his past secret and not having his cover completely blown. The autopsy showed that Amber was pregnant, not that she’d had an abortion, so obviously he didn’t make that mistake again. However, he’s just gone to the top of my list of suspects.”
“What are you talking about? I thought Jeff Black was high on your list, although if he’s in jail, he’s probably pretty harmless at the moment.”
“I had a long talk with Brandon after I arrested his father and took him to jail. I went back to the ranch and asked Brandon if Amber knew about the pot being grown on the ranch. He was very emphatic and said she didn’t have a clue. He was so ashamed of it, he’d never told anyone. He told me Amber claimed she hated drugs. Evidently her cousin, Ginger’s sister’s child, died from a drug overdose. She’d started out using pot and kept going up the drug chain ladder until she overdosed on heroin. It seems to be pretty popular with young people right now. He told me how much Jeff liked Amber and that he’d even told Brandon that if the two of them got married, Jeff would buy them a ranch of their own. He certainly could be the killer, but I think Doc has a stronger motive.”
“Can’t say I feel the same way. Jeff’s still pretty high on my list of suspects. How’s Brandon doing?”
“Better than I would have expected, but Marcy is not doing well at all. She was packing her clothes while I was there. She’s leaving Jeff and taking Brandon with her to her sister’s home in Portland. She told Brandon they would come back to Cedar Bay so he could deliver the valedictorian speech, but she wouldn’t stay in the ranch house and she wouldn’t see Jeff. She was on the phone with an attorney when I left and from what I overheard, it had nothing to do with posting bail for Jeff. Poor Brandon. First Amber, then the fire, his parent’s headed for divorce, and now being uprooted from the only home he’s ever known. I hope he’ll be okay in college. That’s a lot of emotional stuff for anyone to deal with. He’s had too many changes in his young life, but I can understand how Marcy feels.”
Kelly's Koffee Shop (A Cedar Bay Cozy Mystey Book 1) Page 8