The Dish Ran Away With The Spoon

by M. Glenn Graves

  “Rope off that area up there. I want someone in here to go over that place next to that tree up there with great care. You understand that? After you call that in to dispatch, I want both of you going up that mountain and trailing that girl. I want you taking a couple of dogs with you … and some rifles. We’re gonna find her and that so-called friend of hers. ASAP!”

  Chapter 29

  I pulled off to the side of the road opposite where the two law enforcement vehicles had parked. One of the vehicles belonged to Sheriff Murdock. I recognized the ugly green from his visit to Starnes’ place.

  I told Dog and Sam to remain in the Jeep while we walked over to find out what was happening.

  “You ready for a tongue lashing,” I said to Starnes as we crossed the road.

  “I’m with you. We seem to attract more than our share of verbal barbs.”

  “And what the hell do you two want?” Sheriff Murdock greeted us.

  He started in on us, and we hadn’t even said anything yet.

  “Good morning to you, too,” I said. “Had your coffee yet?”

  “I told you two to stay out of this. Did I not make myself clear last night?”

  I looked at Starnes, “Yes, I think he made himself quite clear. Don’t you, Starnes?”

  “Very,” she was nodding as well.

  “I can throw you clowns into jail you know.”

  “True, but then you would have to put up with our comedy routine at longer intervals.”

  “What are you doin’ here?”

  “We heard you had found Laurel,” I said.

  “Had.”

  “Where is she?”

  “Got away.”

  “Not good, Sheriff, not good at all.”

  “I don’t need your assessment, Detective Evans.”

  “And Homer?” Starnes asked before Murdock could say more.

  “No sign of him, except some bloody rags up that hill there.”

  “You want me to nose around?” Starnes said to him.

  “I want you two to get back into that car and drive away. Now!”

  “That would be a no, right?” I said to Starnes.

  “Yeah, I think he means no.”

  We turned and walked back to the Jeep.

  “Where to?”

  “Let’s go get my truck. It’s been left unattended for a couple of days,” she said.

  We drove back through Madison and on towards Walnut Creek, where Starnes had left her truck. It seemed like weeks had passed since we had hiked the trail up to Homer’s place and then over to Grapevine.

  It took us about thirty minutes to get to the truck. Starnes walked around it several times. I figured she was making certain that the truck was okay.

  “Everything lovely with your vehicle?” I said.

  “No traffic here at all.”

  “We’re out in the county, dearie. You expect a traffic jam along this route?”

  “I was just wondering. I had my doubts as to whether it would still be here.”

  “The authorities might impound your truck?”

  “Not thinking about authorities,” she said.

  “Culprits?”

  “Steal it outright,” she nodded.

  “Notorious truck thieves operating in McAdams County?”

  “Left the keys in the ignition.”

  “You jest,” I said.

  “Fact.”

  “Begs the question.”

  “I didn’t know we would be gone as long as we were. I thought we would be coming right back. We were in a hurry, as I recall.”

  “But still …,” I said without finishing.

  “Don’t say it. It’s here. Everything’s good.”

  “Why didn’t you say something earlier?”

  “Say what? Hey, Clancy, I need to run back and get the keys out of the ignition. Left them there a few hours ago. I’ll meet you at the end of the trail. I don’t think that would have had a good response from you.”

  I shrugged and said nothing. There was nothing to say.

  Starnes drove away before I could get back inside my Jeep and follow her.

  Chapter 30

  I pulled in behind Starnes in Beth Call’s driveway. A large black Suburban was parked in front of Starnes’ red truck. It had the appearance of being official.

  I let the dogs out of the Jeep to obtain some required exercise. Beth didn’t have dogs, but I didn’t figure she would mind their explorations.

  Starnes knocked and Beth opened the door.

  “Come in,” she said.

  A man wearing a dark suit was sitting in a cushioned chair as we entered. He stood up. He was holding his dark sunglasses. He looked official. He looked governmental. He didn’t smile or speak. There was no acknowledgement from him that we were even in the same room with him.

  “This is Agent Redwine of the FBI,” Beth said as a way of introducing us to the stranger.

  “I’m Starnes.”

  “I’m stunned,” I said.

  Beth sat down on the couch and gestured for us to sit wherever we liked.

  Starnes joined Beth on the couch. I walked over to the chair next to Agent Redwine of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

  “Why are you here?” I said to him.

  “The agency handles kidnapping,” he said.

  “Who called you?” I said.

  “My commander sent me here to investigate.”

  “Your commander,” I repeated just to be certain.

  “Said he received an anonymous tip that there had been a kidnapping in Madison, North Carolina. Told me to check it out. He wanted to know the particulars.”

  “You have some credentials?” I said.

  He stared at me and then smiled. It was not a friendly smile. I offered my unfriendly stare. Mutual communication.

  The unsmiling man reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out a black case. It resembled those folded things which the official agencies of our country carried for identification purposes.

  He flashed open his credentials and then quickly shut them before I could even read a name. It looked official. But then, I had a little card that said I was a private detective and it looked official as well. I made a note to myself that I should get a little, black folded case to put my unofficial card inside so I could flash to anybody who questioned my credentials. Right.

  “Mrs. Call is bringing me up to speed on what she knows. Do either of you have information concerning this alleged kidnapping?”

  “Have you checked in with Sheriff Jackson in Madison?” I asked. I was testing this so-called agent to be sure he was on the up and up. I was hoping that Starnes wouldn’t correct me before he could answer, thereby nullifying my little inquisition.

  “I haven’t consulted with any Sheriff Jackson. I have notified Sheriff Buster Murdock that I was here and that I was checking into this.”

  “Oh,” I said rather sheepishly. Score one for Agent Redwine and his knowledge of the name of the county sheriff.

  “Now, to the matter at hand,” Redwine said with a superior tone, “back to my question – do you have information regarding this alleged kidnapping?”

  “The kidnapping is over,” I said.

  “Over?” Beth said. “What does that mean? Where is my daughter?”

  “Your daughter is exactly where she was when this whole adventure began,” I said. “She has run away.”

  “Whattaya mean?” Beth said.

  “She escaped from the kidnappers and found refuge with a friend who helped her. And now, she has run off because this new-found friend is likely injured.”

  I purposefully kept the information vague. I didn’t know this Agent Redwine, and I was not about to divulge anything until I could verify him and the reason he was here. His commander story was not good enough to suit my suspicious nature.

  “So, there was a kidnapping?” Redwine asked for clarification.

  “Short-lived,” I said.

  “And the victim escaped?”

&nb
sp; “She did.”

  “And then she ran away?”

  “She’s off helping a friend. She could turn up anytime,” I said.

  “I need to speak with the local authorities,” he said as he stood.

  He put on his dark glasses and buttoned the middle button on his suit coat. He then moved towards the door. Starnes and I remained seated. Beth followed him. It appeared that she wanted to say something else, but for whatever reason, she held back until she was closer to the agent.

  “If I learn anything, ma’am,” Agent Redwine said, “I will call.”

  She closed the door behind him without saying anything.

  “Is Laurel all right?” she said after she sat back down on the couch.

  “We assume she is fine. We have not seen Laurel. We have only talked with the person who helped her directly and the two deputies who had her in custody for a short period.”

  “Custody? Deputies?” Beth said somewhat confused.

  “You can relax. The deputies were trying to help her, you know, get her out of harm’s way. Laurel was more concerned about the man who helped her get away from the kidnappers.”

  “And who is this person who helped her?” Beth said.

  “Homer Gosnell.”

  “Who is Homer Gosnell?” Beth asked.

  “That would be the question to ask. We’re still researching that one. But suffice to say, he’s a rather distinguished mountain man who has developed a good relationship with Laurel, and vice versa.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that.”

  “As far as we can tell, it’s a healthy relationship. He saved her life.”

  “Whattaya mean?”

  “The kidnappers lost her, that is, she escaped from them. Then they went after her again once they realized she was no longer their prisoner. They encountered Homer and he killed them,” I said.

  “Killed them?” she said with her voice rising. She moved to the edge of the couch, closer to Starnes and me.

  “Yes,” Starnes said.

  “All three?”

  “All three,” I said.

  “The sheriff and his department are hunting for both Laurel and Homer as we speak. They will no doubt find them, and your daughter will be safe,” I said.

  “Why is she still running? Why wouldn’t she come home?” Beth said.

  “We don’t know the answers to that, but we suspect that because Homer Gosnell is injured, she is trying to help him,” Starnes said.

  “You said the sheriff and his crew is hunting for her. Does that mean you are not helping now?” she said.

  “Officially the sheriff does not want us around. Unofficially, we are still at your disposal,” Starnes said.

  “I want my daughter back,” she said. “Do you think the FBI will help the sheriff in the search?”

  “Hard to say,” I said. “It’s no longer a kidnapping, per se. It’s more of a murder investigation at this point. I have no idea what Redwine will do.”

  “We’ll check into that,” Starnes said.

  Once outside I called the dogs. Dog jumped into Starnes’ truck. Sam got into the rider’s front seat next to me. Starnes was standing next to my window.

  “Who the hell is Agent Redwine, and why is here?” Starnes asked me now that we were alone.

  “I’ll check on that,” I said. “And something else.”

  “What?” Starnes said.

  “Did anything Beth say strike you as … revelatory?”

  “Revelatory? Big word. What are you getting at?”

  “She wanted to know if all three of the kidnappers were killed,” I said.

  “Oh. She did, didn’t she? That’s interesting. Maybe Sheriff Murdock had informed her.”

  “Maybe,” I said. “Meanwhile, back to our never-ending saga ….”

  “I wanna go home,” Starnes interrupted.

  “I wanna find Homer and Laurel.”

  Chapter 31

  I parked the Jeep close to the place we had retrieved Starnes’ truck an hour earlier along Walnut Creek. Starnes pulled in behind me.

  “This must mean I ain’t goin’ home just yet,” she said. Her joy of an adventure had faded several hours back.

  Dog and Sam headed off up the trail as if they read my mind. I whistled and Sam came running back to me. Dog returned seconds later.

  “Let me call my contact with the FBI before we lose service out here in Boondockville,” I said.

  “You have questions,” she said.

  “I have no idea who might contact the FBI regarding this kidnapping. You and I weren’t even certain of it until … what? two days ago now? I haven’t called anybody and I doubt if Rogers has informed anyone of what is happening. Somebody at the Bureau must be clairvoyant.”

  “Maybe Josephine Starling called him,” Starnes said.

  “Aunt Jo does not have a telephone or a cell phone.”

  “Aunt Jo doesn’t need a telephone to communicate what she knows,” Starnes said.

  “You really think Aunt Jo would call the FBI?”

  “I was just playin’ along. I’m with you on this one. If you didn’t contact someone about this kidnapping, then I can’t imagine anyone else doing that. So, you’re going to call … your contact at the Bureau and ask him … what?”

  “Ask him first if they have an agent named Redwine,” I said.

  “And then he says to you … ‘Who are you, Clancy Evans, and why do you need to know this?”

  “Hmm … I see the problem. Maybe I could ask if Agent Redwine was sent to McAdams County.”

  “And then the response would be – ‘We’re not at liberty to disclose any information regarding any ongoing investigations of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.’”

  “Okay. I get the idea. I won’t call the FBI. I’ll call Rogers.”

  “You’re a shrewd detective, Clancy Evans, really shrewd.”

  “Leave me alone. I’m still recovering from my woodsy escapade. Hiking has never been my thing. And then there’s the rain on top of the miles and miles of wonderful walking. My brain needs to rest.”

  “Call Rogers. We don’t have time for your brain or the rest of your body to rest.”

  Rogers answered on the second ring.

  “Calling back so soon,” she answered.

  “Something’s come up.”

  “Tell me something unusual. What do you need?”

  “Find what you can about an FBI agent named Redwine. I may be out of range for a while, but you may text me when you have something. I’ll check back later when I return to civilization.”

  “Text you?”

  “Yeah, I know. I don’t text. But I can receive stuff. I need to know something sooner rather than later.”

  “You want a dossier?”

  “You can download whatever you find, but I need pertinent, succinct info on some agent named Redwine.”

  “He have a given name?” Rogers said.

  “Probably.”

  “You want to share?”

  “I would if I had it. All I know is Agent Redwine. I figure with that last name there couldn’t be more than two hundred of them.”

  “You funny girl. I’ll dig and get back to you ASAP.”

  Starnes and I, along with our favorite mutts, headed up the mountain towards Homer Gosnell’s quaint little cabin. Our guess was that if Homer was injured, he might try to make it back to his own place. It’s a matter of feeling safe and secure. We humans are like that. I’m a detective. I’m supposed to know stuff like that.

  Since we knew where we were going, it didn’t seem to take as long as our first time on this trail to Homer’s place. We arrived around noon. My cell was not working, as I had anticipated, but I didn’t need to do a time check to know that I was hungry. Had to be close to midday.

  We stopped on the outer edge of the clearing. We were both tired and needed to rest. I told Sam to sit. Dog followed suit. We plotted our strategy for the approach.

  “You take the back and I’ll go in
from the front,” I said.

  “You’ve done this before,” she said.

  Love the sarcasm.

  “You have a better plan?”

  “You go in, and I’ll remain here with our fearless four-legged friends.”

  “Trepidations?” I said.

  “Homer is good with the crossbow,” she said.

  “Noted. However, now that we know he can shoot, we have some edge on him.”

  “Not much, I liken it to knowing that Annie Oakley could shoot a rifle riding on a horse. She was still deadly.”

  “He’s probably injured,” I said.

  “Operative word being probably,” she added.

  “And we don’t even know for sure that he is here. He might be deep in the woods between here and the edge of the world.”

  “You go diddy-boppin’ into that clearing, Murphy’s Law is gonna find you out, kid.”

  “So, you wanna wait until nightfall for the optimum nocturnal advantage?”

  “Don’t have time for that,” she said.

  “Then give me Plan B,” I said.

  “We both go to the rear of the cabin, the one wall where there is no window. Then from there we split up – I take the back door and you take the front. Cuts down his opportunities to slay us as we storm the castle. Besides, I doubt he’s home”

  “Still, you’re not willing to take unnecessary risks,” I said.

  “Never. Let’s just say he is injured, shot maybe once or twice. Could be more. Lost a goodly amount of blood. Weak and tired from dragging his huge frame up and over some trails. If he is in there and wounded, he’s a cornered animal. You get my drift?”

  “I can’t imagine being able to hike in these mountains with sustained blood loss.”

  “Only one way to find out.”

  “And nightfall is out of the question,” I said.

  “I’m tired and getting ornery. I want this thing over and done. Let’s storm the castle.”

  “You’re always ornery,” I said as we moved out in the direction of the windowless backside of the cabin in the clearing. We separated and stayed low to the ground, endeavoring to make ourselves more difficult targets. Zigzagging our way, we ended up safely at the cabin’s back wall without damage to life or limb.