by Peggy Staggs
“It’ll be great.” The internet had nothing on the speed at which information traveled through this town.
He must have read the surprise on my face because he added. “My brother knows one of the deputies. Told me all about it. Bad for business.” He nodded. “Got to be scary.”
I gave him my cell phone number. “Just in case you run into any problems.”
“I’ll see you later.”
Outside I called Jane and told her to expect the guy from Goldie’s Locks. I asked her to call someone to have the windows replaced.
I slid behind the wheel. The police report lay on the seat. It shouted a reminder at me. I hadn’t known Jack long enough for the undisclosed letter to be a betrayal. Dad had. And he’d trusted the Sheriff enough to have a last ditch letter sent to him. If he’d gotten it and destroyed it, that was a betrayal. I couldn’t believe it.
And what did Don March have to do with all this? The facts ran through my brain in a murky haze. Disappointment settled in around me. It felt more and more like a cover up. I needed to take time to read the file with new eyes and somewhere besides, the B&B. I needed a neutral zone. Gas and Gulp parking lot it was.
Five minutes later I had the smallest drink they offered—which was more soda than one should drink in a week—and the file on my lap. I read and re-read every word on every page. There was no mention of a letter.
Done, I leaned back. Big trucks pulled in and out of the parking lot. They were decorated with grocery store logos, pictures of potato chip bags, and soda cans. What was I going to do? I closed the file. Uncle Bill and Dad both trusted Jack. My instincts told me to trust him too. Lately, they were at best unreliable. Still...
I put the folder in the back seat pouch. I leaned my head against the headrest in exasperation. I’d seen no apparent holes in the file. But, I’d never read a police report before. Had my dad been wrong about Jack? Was I going to have to do this on my own? I put the car in gear and left the parking lot. I needed answers.
Next stop the County Clerk’s office in Mullen.
All I had to do was go in, have them point me to a computer and I’d have what I needed in half an hour.
Chapter Fourteen
In the Recorder’s office I hit the bell sitting on the counter. As I did a light flashed on the wall.
“Hold on. I’m coming,” a woman’s voice called.
Around the corner came a tiny woman whose name tag read, Ida Tipping, County Clerk. From the tiny flowers on her shirtwaist dress to the knot of silver hair on her head she appeared every inch someone’s fragile great grandmother. I half expected her to offer me a plate of hot chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk. She tapped her ear. “Can’t hear anything, Honey. Battery’s dead. It’s one of those rechargeable ones. Works great, if I remember to plug it in at night. Now, talk real loud?”
To erase any misunderstanding, I wrote down what I wanted.
“Honey, you need to work on your handwriting.” She pulled the paper out to arms-length. “Can’t find my glasses. Not having a great day.”
I tapped the top of my head.
She rolled her eyes ceiling ward, then pulled her glassed down. “Thanks. Much better.” She paused. “So you want to know about the resort disaster down to Spirit Springs.” She passed my note back. “This way.”
I followed her to a row of huge books. “It’s all section land.” She pulled a volume from the shelf. “Here’s the book you’ll need.” She flopped the large cover open. It had to be close to two feet long. It was so large it had piano hinges to hold it together. She turned the pages. “Here you go, this is the section. Let me know what you want and I’ll make copies for you. Fifty cents a copy though.” She left me pondering the handwritten lines of deeds, and water rights, tax liens and deeds. It took a while to work through the thread of transactions associated with the resort.
When I handed her the list she said, “It’s going to cost you a mint.” She ran her finger down the list. “It’ll take me half an hour. You want to wait or should I mail them to you?”
“I’ll wait.” Realizing she hadn’t heard me, so I wrote it down.
“I’ll be as fast as I can.”
At her pace I knew it was going to be longer than half an hour. I could take the opportunity to look around downtown.
I found a small dress shop a block from the courthouse, Brooke’s Current.
“Hi, what brings you in today?” A woman in her twenties smiled at me from behind a rack of dresses.
“I need some boots.” I held out my foot. I wasn’t ready to shop at the feed store. “These aren’t working for me.”
“Wow, those are great,” she said. “Did you get them in Boise? I wish there was a market for shoes like those here.”
I liked my cork wedges too. “I just moved to Spirit Springs. The sidewalks are treacherous.”
“The road moving didn’t help them any.” She pointed to a display rack. “I don’t have any utilitarian boots, I have these though.” She held up a pair of low-cut leather boots with waffle souls. “These are nice and light and they’ve got good tractions.” She raised an eyebrow. “Of course they aren’t nearly as pretty as those.”
I tried them on. “They’re comfortable.”
“You’ll need a good high-top pair for winter. I’ve got some coming in next week.”
I wasn’t staying long enough to rethink my shoe wardrobe.
We talked for a while. Finally I decided to take a chance and ask, “Do you know anything about the resort going under?”
She put my boots in a bag. “I was going to move my store down there. I figured with a big resort opening I could handle ski wear as well as my regular lines. It would’ve been great. I was lucky. I had a shop all picked out and my realtor was going to make an offer when it all went away.”
“You must have heard some rumors.” I was ready for gossip, someone had to know something.
“Oh, sure there were tons of them floating around. My dad was the construction manager up there. He said he wondered about if from the beginning.” She leaned in as if she were going to share something no one else knew. “The whole thing was doomed from the start. The equipment kept breaking down. The plans were full of mistakes. The first month they build a whopper of a construction shack, then nothing. Mostly they move dirt around.”
“If they were doing work they had to have all the permits. It seems like a great deal of trouble and expense to go to then not provide decent equipment or materials.”
“That’s what my dad said too. He figured they ran out of money. Too bad, the place would have been a success.”
“I know people in Spirit Springs lost a lot of money.”
She thought about it for a second. “You know, my dad said it was almost like it was on purpose. Spirit Springs is a nice place. And.” She smiled. “The Sheriff is hot. I mean really hot.” She laughed. “All we have up here is my overweight, middle-aged uncle.”
I paid for my boots. “Since I’m going to be back I should introduce myself, I’m Ensley Markus. I’m taking over the House at Road’s End.”
“I’m Brooke Clearly.” She rolled her eyes. “Brooke’s Current was my boyfriend’s idea. That was before he ran off with a tramp from Boise. He got an all tatted up dyed redhead and I don’t mean auburn. It was a nasty color. She looked like a clown. I got this shop.” She smiled. “And a cowboy. He isn’t as hot at your sheriff, but he has a little ranch.”
“I’d say you got the better end of the deal.”
“I did. Didn’t I?” She looked happy.
“Thanks for the boots and the information.” I gave her my number. “Let me know when the boots come in.”
»§«
I pulled to a stop in the rear of the B&B. A soft breeze wandered through the trees.
With all of last night’s excitement I’d forgotten to call the mayor. I checked my watch, he should still be in his office.
Inside I expected the kitchen to still be covered with black fin
gerprint powder. Instead, it sparkled. Everything was polished and neat. A note lay on the counter.
Hi Dr. Markus,
I only got to kitchen and three bedrooms done because Aunt Jane helped.
I’ll be back tomorrow. Early because I know you’re having company.
Thanks for the job,
Crystal Dawn
I smiled and pulled out my cell phone. The mayor wasn’t in so I left a message.
All I had to do now was, get the information Brooke had given me down on paper. I pulled out my notebook as my phone rang.
“Hello, Jack.” I love caller ID.
“Doc, we’re going to have to put off our dinner. Bill will be here around six. We’re all going to have dinner together.”
I thanked him and we hung up. I still had to get Brooke’s information down. I had a page written when I heard the backdoor open.
“Tell me the truth,” Jane’s voice came from the kitchen door.
I looked up to find a Jane I didn’t know. Her hair was curled, she had on makeup and a very nice dress.
“Well?”
“You look great. Uncle Bill will like it.”
She straightened. “It’s not just for him. I thought since we were going to have all those people around tomorrow, I should look nice.”
“And you do.” I smiled at her as she pushed her hair around. “Do you know we’re going to dinner with Jack?”
“I do. It’s all handled. We’re going to Jack’s.”
“Jack cooks?”
“Not so’s you notice. He’s getting some tri-tip from the Smoke Inn on the highway. I’ve got some potatoes ready to roast. Even set the oven to come on by itself. Green beans are set to go, just needs steaming. Salad’s ready and I made a braided pomegranate and apple pastry. Bill’s favorite.”
“Hello.” We turned to find Neil, the man from Goldie’s Locks at the backdoor.
“I’m glad you’re here,” I said. “Can you have the B&B done this afternoon?”
“I can. There aren’t many locks if I remember right.”
“There are five doors,” Jane said.
“How many in the house out back?” Neil asked.
“Six. Lots of doors out there. Most of them French doors. Real pretty, but drafty.”
“Should work since I’m rekeying it won’t take long. I’ll tend to the one’s here first then go out back.”
“That’ll work out just right,” I hoped. Not much had so far.
Neil left us.
“Jane, have you called on the cats lately?”
“I didn’t. I’ve been getting my hair done.”
“I’ll call.”
“High Valley Veterinary, this is Bonnie.”
“Hello, this is Ensley Markus. I brought in two cats earlier today. One of them has a broken leg.” I wrote on the back of Crystal’s note: Name cats. “How are they doing?”
“They’re fine.” She paused. “They’re all snuggled in.”
“Thank you.” I told Jane they were fine.
Time was slipping away, I picked up the file, and the copies. I only had four hours before Uncle Bill was due to arrive and we were supposed to go to Jack’s. I stopped in the dining room door. “Jane.”
She turned as she smoothed her dress.
“How does Uncle Bill know Jack?”
“All I know is they knew each other in the service.”
“He said they served together.”
“Didn’t seem likely to me either. Jack being special Army and Bill being high ranking in the Air Force. But it’s true.” She walked to the backdoor. “I’ve got to change out of this dress before it gets all wrinkled.” The door closed behind her.
A few minutes later I heard the screen door open, and a young voice call, “Hello.”
I was almost getting used to people walking in at will. I wasn’t sure if it was because this was a B&B or because it was a small town.
“Hello.”
“I’m Crystal Dawn.” The young girl standing with a bucket in each hand was innocently pretty. Her slim figure was one that only comes with youth. “I was here earlier cleaning.”
“I thought you weren’t coming back until tomorrow morning.”
“I was, but my group is going to play at a dance tomorrow night and we need to practice.”
“Group?”
“Yes.” She lifted her chin. “We’re the High Country Band. We’re playing at a dance at the Junior High. Can’t play much of anywhere because of our ages. We’ll be out of school next spring then we’re going to Hollywood. That’s why we’re working odd jobs. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to get started.”
“How long do you think you’ll be?”
“If Aunt Jane doesn’t help I should be out of here in three, four hours tops.”
“She won’t be doing anymore cleaning today.” I closed my notebook. “Thanks for all your help.”
I hadn’t had time to do anything with the information I’d gotten this afternoon. It was all tucked in the bag from Brooke’s shop right under my shoes. I removed the shoes.
Now I had too much time to worry. What had Jack done with the letter the lawyer had sent him...I closed my eyes and sank against the counter. There was only the lawyer’s word he’d sent the letter at all. There was nothing easy about any of this.
I looked at my phone. Uncle Bill got here in three hours. This had to be settled. I glanced at the file.
I walked out onto the front porch. The sun was making its way west to the mountains. It wouldn’t be long before the sky turned desert pink and the sun slipped from sight leaving the whole valley wrapped in night.
When Uncle Bill got here we’d be going to Jack’s house.
Jack’s house.
There was a spider web of uncertainty stretching out in front of me. Dad, Uncle Bill, Jack and Don March. What did they all have in common? I had absolutely no idea. “First things first,” I said out loud.
Chapter Fifteen
A horn sounded outside.
“Uncle Bill,” I called and hurried down the back steps as fast as I could. He got out of a sporty little BMW and I melted into his open arms. “Uncle Bill, I’m so glad you’re here. I need your advice.”
He pushed me back and looked me straight in the eyes. “What’s going on, Pumpkin?”
“Bill.” Jane came down the steps from the kitchen. She teetered slightly on her heels.
Uncle Bill welcomed her into our hug. “How are you, Janie?” He gave her a kiss.
She giggled. The sound was so foreign to her it made me smile. Her face was radiant as she smiled up at him.
I couldn’t blame her, he was a charmer. Strawberry blond hair, with just a touch of gray to give him an air of distinction and command. Deep blue eyes that had the ability to sooth or smite. And he’d never lost his fighter pilot physique.
She giggled again as he gave her another kiss.
Had it been any other time I would have laughed. I wished with all my heart it was another time.
“We’ve got to get going. Jack’s expecting us. We can talk when we get there,” Jane said as she glanced at the little car then at me.
“There’s no room for me, I’ll follow you.” I broke away from the warmth of friendship and love and hurried back inside. I retrieved the file from my room. I knew this probably wasn’t appropriate, I didn’t have time for appropriate. I wanted so badly for it not to be true. I felt as if I were being torn in two. I felt I could trust Jack. Logic told me to be careful. I laid the file on the seat of my car. He had to be the good guy in all this. He just had to be.
As I pulled on to the main street. I couldn’t help but feel I’d missed something. It was probably a combination of grief, stress, fear, and uncertainty. No, I thought, that would give me an ulcer not a sensation of missing something. Still, there was something. I stopped at a stop sign and waited as a tractor pulling a pickup went through the intersection. The tractor looked like it was driving its last mile. The truck was new.
> I smiled. Things were so different here. With the road clear I turned toward Jack’s. This wasn’t going to be easy. I liked Jack. More than I was willing to admit. Logic reminded me of Don March and my lousy judgement there. And Phillip from med school. I was doomed when it came to men.
Should I go with my feelings or my logic?
I pulled into the driveway and parked next to Uncle Bill’s car. I grabbed the documents from the seat next to me. After a deep breath, I got out and walked straight to the front door.
Jack opened it before I could knock. “Hi.” It was only one word, but it held more than a mere greeting. It was his welcoming smile, and Lois by his side wagging her tail. This was a home not just a house that should be on the cover of a prestigious publication. But more it was the man. He was comfortable in his own skin. Most men with his power of presence were out to make their mark on the world.
Maybe he already had.
I took a deep breath. I could do this. “Hi.” I reached down and greeted Lois. Then walked past him.
He stopped me. “Doc, are you all right?”
“No,” was all I said.
I heard the door close.
He pulled me into the living room. “Ensley, what’s wrong?”
I had to confront him. I took another deep breath. At this rate I was going to hyperventilate and pass out. Good. Then I wouldn’t have to deal with this. I didn’t pass out. “We need to talk.”
He pointed to the full file folder in my hand. “Is it about that?”
“Yes.”
Uncle Bill appeared in the doorway. He started to say something then stopped. “What’s going on?”
Jack waved him away. He guided me to the couch. “Talk to me, Doc.”
This was so hard. So desperately hard. “I went to Mullen today and got information on the resort. I also visited Irwin Lansky.” I stared at Jack.
His eyebrows were knit together in bewilderment as he leafed through the papers. “I have all of the documents about the resort in my office. If you wanted them, I’d have given them to you.” He glanced up from the copies.
