***
Max Pary sat behind the huge desk in the Milan Company’s project office. The rain thundered on the building’s roof. He was worried that things might not be going as planned.
Thompson, seated in a nearby chair, quietly watched the spatter of raindrops on the office’s window. Max said, “Are you sure Anderson said he followed Veal and that my sister met him out there in the woods? Why would she do that?”
Thompson shrugged. “That’s what Anderson said when he called a minute ago. He also said that Veal’s head is beat flat as a pancake. He’s dead. He let Edie get away because that was how he figured you wanted things. It was dark and she didn’t see anything.”
Pary slammed a fist on the desk. “She better not have and all you darn well know that Edie is not to be harmed in any way, form, or fashion. I’ll deal with her when the time comes.”
Thompson nodded. “How come you didn’t want Anderson to stash the body someplace? We can’t have an investigation of a murder right now.”
Pary pointed and snapped, “You let me do the thinking around here, Thompson. Why do you think I’ve called Brooks out here at this hour? I want an investigation. This is what we should have done the first time.”
A car pulled into the office yard. Thompson glanced out the window and said, “It’s Brooks.”
Max waited as the Sheriff entered the office and removed his raincoat and hat, tossing them on a file cabinet. He sat down and eyed Thompson warily, looked at Max and said, “Okay, what’s up? You said it was important.”
Max opened a desk drawer and removed a bottle and three glasses. He nodded at Walt and said, “It is important. I’ve got serious problems and I need your help.”
Pary filled a glass and passed it over, nodded and waited.
“Walt, there are some things going on that you need to be aware of that your office will need to investigate delicately.”
Brooks felt a twinge in his throat. He didn’t like the puppet treatment but the Pary family was the only reason he remained in office. He took a sip from the glass and asked, “What do you mean?”
Max cleared his throat and said, “It’s Chuck Veal. He’s been poking around too much in the wrong places and I’m afraid someone might not like that. We have taken care of the problem. Do you understand?”
Brooks sat his glass down heavily on the edge of the desk and said, “No, I don’t know what you mean. Veal is on his way to the hospital right now. On the way over here, I caught him driving and weaving all over the road. He was drunk. When I forced him into the ditch, he bashed his brains out on the steering wheel.”
Pary sat up straight in the chair and eyed Thompson. Brooks added, “I think Squires was with him but he busted loose and ran after the car crashed.”
Thompson sat shaking his head in disbelief. Pary took a long sip from his glass and asked, “Well? Is he going to live?”
Brooks shrugged. “I don’t have any idea. He was in a mess the last time I saw him. Bill Jacobs and some woman tossed him in his truck and took off to the hospital. I haven’t checked on him yet.”
Max looked suspicious. “Jacobs? I thought you’d fired him. What was he doing there?”
Brooks said, “I...I... well I guess he just happened along on his way home or something. I never thought about it.”
Max leaned back heavily in the chair and said, “God, Brooks? Are you just pure stupid or do you have to practice at it every morning?”
Thompson burst out laughing but one quick stare from Pary silenced the man instantly. Pary looked at Brooks, “Well, none of us know just what Veal wants or why he’s doing all this snooping around. On top of all that, he buddies up with that black man, Squires. What does Squires want out of all this?”
Brooks shrugged. “I heard they’ve been running around together. What’s the problem? You think Veal believes that bull story about Squire's owning half of Matt’s timber rights on Beaver Creek?”
Max ignored the question, “Okay, Walt. I’ll spell it out for you. Chuck Veal is going to cause an awful lot of problems for this project at the dam unless we stop him. I want him out of it once and for all. As for Squires, he has nothing legal to go on.”
Brooks felt the tension in the air and the tenseness of Pary’s voice. “Your aunt has already told me that she doesn’t want Veal snooping around in the cemetery but what do you mean out of the way once and for all?”
Pary asked, “The cemetery? I already know that Veal was out there.”
Thompson sat up quickly and leaned forward in his chair. “I know about it, how Jacobs caught him out there this morning. Veal claimed he was just looking...planning to clean the place up just like Matt was going to do.”
Pary rubbed his forehead and Thompson squirmed more noticeably in his chair. Brooks added, “Your Aunt was fit to be tied about that, especially after she and Matt had it out about the place.”
Max snarled, “Matt Veal was a fool.”
Brooks’ eyebrows rose. “Was? You make it sound like he’s dead or something.”
Max paled slightly but said nothing. The silence spoke volumes. Brooks nodded and said, “Well, I took care of the missing person paper work on Matt so it never got out on the major wires. I told everybody that he was out of town on business and everything was okay otherwise. Now, his brother shows up and claims he hasn’t heard from Matt in over a week.”
Thompson jumped to his feet. “That’s a lie. I talked with Matt two days ago. He told me then he was dropping the timber claims and to let them go ahead and close the gates on the dam.”
Sheriff Brooks eyed Thompson distastefully and said, “So? How do you know Chuck is lying about not having talked to his brother?”
Thompson drained the last few drops from his glass and sat down again. He shrugged. “That’s not what I meant,” he mumbled.
Pary spoke up. “Now look, Walt, don’t you get involved. There is no reason for your office to be concerned with this matter. It’s a business brawl and not a police matter.”
Brooks stood. “Don’t tell me how to run my office, Pary. I only listen to your Aunt’s advice and nothing more.”
Max stood face-to-face with the sheriff and growled, “Don’t forget who lets you keep that office, Sheriff.”
Brooks grabbed his coat and stormed out the door. A moment later, Thompson moved to the window and watched the police car drive away. “Well Max? Now what?”
Pary was boiling. He snatched the phone up and tossed it to Thompson. “Call that cotton for brains employee of yours and tell him to try again only this time he better not miss. I want Veal dead and I mean good and dead. Got that?”
Thompson caught the thrown unit and hesitated. He opened his mouth to speak but Pary cut him off. “Do it and do it now.”
The Beginning (Whispering Pines Book 1) Page 32