by Patricia Fry
“I have to get Rags’s litter box and I want to feed him his canned food.”
“I’ll get it for you. Go feed him, I’ll bring up the box.”
She agreed. However, when she opened the door to her room, she could see that Rags was no longer curled up on the bed. “Rags,” she called. Where could he have gone? She got down on her hands and knees and peered under the bed. “Rags, kitty-kitty?” She opened the tote bag she’d carried in and removed a can of cat food. “Rags, want supper?” She popped the can open with a snap and looked around the room, expecting Rags to appear. That’s when she heard something. Sounds like something’s rustling around in the closet. “Rags,” she said as she pushed aside the partially open accordion door. “Rags, are you in there?” Before she could find him, she remembered the towel she had packed to help catch any litter Rags might kick out of the litter box. She pulled it out of the tote bag and looked for a place to put it, finally opting for an out-of-the-way corner of the room. She had just spread out the towel when she heard Craig’s voice.
“Savannah, open the door.”
She let him in and led him to where she wanted the litter box. Just as he positioned it on the towel, a tower of boxes spilled out of the closet. “What the…?” Craig groused.
“Rags!” Savannah scolded. She lifted the cat from a shelf and with him came another tumble of boxes. “Shoes,” she said, when one of the boxes broke open, displaying a pair of men’s sandals. She chuckled. “I guess he was hiding behind them.”
“He did that on purpose,” Craig griped.
“Oh, he did not,” Savannah insisted, holding Rags in her arms. “Look at that innocent face.”
Craig glanced at the cat and ran a hand over his hair. “Yeah, as innocent as the cat that ate the canary.” He patted Rags on the head. “Did you eat a canary?” He shook his head disgustedly and began picking up the boxes, while Savannah filled Rags’s bowl with cat food and poured a little more water into his water bowl.
Rags, in the meantime, had something else to take care of and he leaped into the litter box.
“Can’t you at least wait until we leave?” Craig snarked. He started to reach up and return another stack of boxes to the shelf when he stopped. He stepped inside the closet.
“What is it, Craig?” Savannah asked.
“I’m not sure,” he said quietly. He placed the boxes on the floor and pulled a flashlight out of his pocket. As he prepared to aim it, they heard a light rap at the door.
“Señor Craig, Señorita Savannah, time to eat.”
Savannah opened the door a crack and said, “Thank you, River. We’ll be right down.”
Before she could close the door, River peered in and asked, “Where’s the cat?”
Savannah winced. “Using the litter box.”
“Litter box?” he questioned.
“Yeah, you know, going…um…to the bathroom.”
“Ohhh!” River exclaimed with a grin. Before he could say anything more, the door was pushed all the way open.
Startled, Savannah stepped back.
“You can’t stay here,” Melvin said in his hoarse voice. He pushed past his son, then addressed him, “Go down to the table.” He looked at Savannah and glanced at Craig, who had quickly closed the closet door behind him. “You can’t stay in this room,” Melvin insisted. “It was a mistake. Please gather up your things. I must move you to another room. You can stay in White Fox’s room tonight.” He hesitated, then stared at Rags as the cat lapped up his food. “…with the cat, if you must.” He scowled. “However, around here, cats belong outside.”
Savannah recoiled and Craig moved closer to her. “No problem, Mel,” he said. “We can move her things and the cat to another room. Just show us the way.”
“After the dinner meal,” Melvin said. “Now it is time to eat. Please come now.”
When Rags looked up from his food and saw the bedroom door standing wide open, he started to walk toward it. Savannah scooped him up. “Oh no you don’t.” She told Melvin, “We’ll be down in a minute. Please, can we close the door so the cat doesn’t get out?”
Melvin looked at Rags, then at Savannah. He stepped back and started to close the door, stopping to say, “The time to eat is now. Come now.”
Savannah nodded and closed the door. She let Rags go, then turned to face Craig. “What was that all about?”
Craig shrugged. He glanced back at the closet, then picked up the stack of boxes and returned them to the shelf.
As they left the room, she asked, “What were you looking at in there?”
“I’m not sure,” he said, “but I suspect it could be a can of worms.”
Chapter 4
“The meal is lovely,” Savannah said. “Thank you so much for including us. We didn’t expect…”
“We’re happy to have you,” White Fox said. “It can get lonely out here sometimes. And with Melvin gone on the road so much…”
“Our guests don’t want to know about our private lives,” Melvin complained. “Let’s just eat and get on with our evening.”
Savannah gazed at the woman. She’s just trying to be friendly. She glanced at Melvin. He seems kind of controlling. He sure doesn’t like us being here. I wonder what that’s about. She smiled at River. “The trout’s delicious. Is this what you caught today?”
The boy nodded.
“Yes,” Craig said. “It’s really good.” He looked at White Fox. “Do you cook for the others? I mean Miguel and the other men I saw outside there?”
She nodded. “Yes. They dine in the bunkhouse. But tonight they’re eating venison stew. There was not enough trout to go around.”
“So you eat off the land, do you?” Craig asked.
“As much as we can,” White Fox responded. “We eat a lot of venison and fish.” She looked at her husband. “Melvin brings us beef when he’s driving a refrigerated truck.”
Craig looked at Melvin, then back at White Fox. “Have you lived out here long?”
“All my life,” River said between bites.
White Fox smiled at him. “I was born in these mountains, so I’ve lived this life always.” She nodded toward Melvin. “He found me on one of his cross-country trips.” She leaned toward Savannah and Craig. “He still doesn’t like it much out here. So he drives a lot while I take care of the men who work the mines.”
Craig sat back against his chair and looked across the table at Melvin. “So what is it you get out of the mines?” he asked.
Melvin tightened his lips and seemed to glare at Craig. “Enough to satisfy our curiosity.”
Craig chuckled. “Well, that’s not something I considered.” When the others looked at him, he explained, “I would think you’d be after riches. You’re doing this for the satisfaction?”
“Pretty much,” Melvin said.
“But it isn’t you who leases the land, is it?” When Melvin hesitated, Craig prompted, “Your wife said you work for someone else.”
“Yes,” White Fox said, “Señor Milner.”
Suddenly Melvin stood up. “If you’re finished with your plates, my wife will take them. You can go to your rooms now.” He asked, “You’ll be leaving first thing in the morning?”
Craig stretched his back against the chair and replied, “Well, I’d love to see your mining operation. I’m kind of interested in mining myself, but I don’t know much about it.”
“No,” Melvin said. “Uh…we can’t have outsiders coming into the mines. Insurance, you know. Our insurance doesn’t cover that. No. I think you’ll need to be on your way.”
“Speaking of insurance,” Craig said, scratching his head, “there’s the little matter of my car getting smashed on your property.”
“From the boulder off the hillside? Act of God,” Melvin spat.
Craig shook his head and grinned. “Well, let’s see what your insurance company says about that, shall we? I’ll be sure to tell your agent that we saw someone standing above us on the hillsid
e just after the rock came tumbling down.” When he noticed Melvin’s face start to turn red with rage, he said more cordially, “But if I were to get a tour of the mines, I could probably forget about dinging your insurance company. I’ll just tell my agent that I was on government land when the boulder happened to roll from the hillside onto my car.”
Melvin stared at Craig, then glanced at Savannah. “Okay, I have to leave early. I’ll tell the men to give you a quick tour in the morning. Then you’ll leave?”
“Sure,” Craig said. He asked, “Hey, what time do the men start working?”
Melvin looked at his wife, who said, “After breakfast—around seven.”
Melvin started to leave, then turned back and said to White Fox, “You and the boy will sleep with me in our house. Show the lady to your quarters in this house. That’s where she and the cat will stay tonight.”
“Oh,” White Fox said, obviously surprised. She smiled at Savannah. “Come with me. We’ll go get your things and move them.” She looked questioningly at her husband, then led Savannah up the rustic staircase.
****
Savannah had been asleep for hours when she was awakened by a knocking sound. What time is it? she wondered. As she raised up and patted the bedside table in search of the lamp, she felt Rags leap off the bed. She could see him in the dim moonlight, standing at the bedroom door. She heard someone call her name. “Savannah!”
“Craig?” she asked.
“Yeah. Can I come in?”
“Um…okay.” When he entered with a flashlight, she was able to see the lamp and turned it on. “What time is it?” She looked at her watch. “Five forty? In the morning?”
He nodded. “I found something in that room you were kicked out of. I think Rags was trying to show it to us when he knocked those boxes off the shelf.”
Savannah threw her feet over the side of the bed. “What?”
“A box of photographs.”
“Photographs?”
“Yeah, I’d say incriminating photographs and notes.”
“Do you mean like porn?” She frowned. “I wouldn’t put it past that creep Milner.”
He grinned. “It’s more like the stuff blackmail’s made of.”
“Blackmail?”
“Yeah. I’ve seen a lot of lawmen and women branch out into other careers and businesses using their law enforcement and investigative skills, but…” he shook his head in disgust.
“What?” Savannah prompted.
“Well, it appears that Milner digs up dirt and uses it to get what he wants—loyal, closed-mouthed workers, maybe; favors from government officials; even women.”
It took her a moment to digest what Craig had said. She looked up at him. “Why were you snooping in that room?”
“Well, you heard Melvin and White Dove…”
“Fox, Craig,” Savannah said, giggling. “White Fox.”
“Yeah, well, she was hesitant about putting you in that room and then Melvin kicked you out of there. What was I supposed to think? My first thought was, that’s where the jewelry’s hidden.”
“Oh yeah. I guess it could be in the house,” she agreed.
He gave her a sly look. “Or in the mine shaft.”
She squinted up at him. “Why would you say that?”
“Well, I’ve looked in all the obvious and not-so-obvious places in the house.” He grinned. “What a break that they’ve left us in the house on our own.”
“So you were busy digging around in here all night, were you?”
“Pretty much,” he admitted. “Get dressed. I’ll meet you out by the car.” He glanced at Rags. “And bring your cat.”
Savannah yawned. “Okay.” It took her just minutes to dress. She and Rags found Craig standing next to the car and she asked, “Where are the mines, anyway?”
“Remember where the rock fell? I think they’re up in that area.” He looked off into the distance. “I wonder if it’s too far to walk.”
“In the dark?” she hissed. “Probably.”
“But I have a flashlight. Besides, it’ll be light soon. And if we start the car, they’re likely to hear it. Melvin left a while ago. That’s why I thought it would be a good time for us to do our thing.”
She cocked her head. “What’s up with that guy, anyway?”
Craig snickered. “Well, I’d say he’s hiding something and he’s pretty darned protective of whatever he’s hiding.” He thought for a moment. “So either he’s dedicated to someone or something out of loyalty and admiration, or he has been motivated some other way to do whatever it is he’s trying to do.”
“That’s a vague concept. Motivated how?”
“I’m thinking torture, maybe, or threats of torture.” He squinted. “I have to wonder if Melvin’s throat injury was part of that motivation.”
Savannah shook her head. “Well, he sure isn’t what you’d call a happy-go-lucky-type guy. He seems to carry a lot of rage and resentment, doesn’t he?”
“You noticed, huh?” He motioned to the right. “Come on, let’s get going.”
Savannah held tightly to Rags’s leash with one hand and shoved her other one into her jacket pocket. What’s this? She pulled out her hand and saw that it was the mini flashlight Michael had given her a few months earlier. Good, she thought as she turned it on and shined it in front of her. Now I can see more clearly where I’m stepping.
Within minutes, the couple and the cat arrived at what appeared to be a mineshaft, situated about the distance of a city block from the house. Craig shined the flashlight inside the opening. “Now, if I wanted to hide something from everyone—even my trusted employees—where would I put it?” He looked around on the floor inside the shaft and at the wooden framing along the sides and ceiling. “This isn’t the most sophisticated mining operation I’ve seen.”
“Have you seen many?” Savannah asked. Before he could respond, she hissed frantically, “Rags!”
Craig turned to face her. “What’s he doing?”
“Dang, I think he saw a rat. He got away from me. Oh no.” She pointed. “Shine your light over there. Mine doesn’t reach that far.”
“I don’t see him.” He shook his head. “Darn, I’ll bet he ran deeper into the shaft. I was hoping it wouldn’t be necessary to go in there. “Rags!” he called. “Kitty, kitty! Call him, Savannah.”
“Rags,” she called rather softly.
“There’s no one up here but us. Louder, so Rags can hear you.”
“Rags!” she shouted. “Here kitty, kitty.”
“Nothing,” Craig said after a few moments. “I guess we’ll have to go in there. Come on, let’s go see if we can find your cat.”
“It’s locked,” Savannah said when they came upon a padlocked gate. “There’s a place where Rags could skinny through, but not us. Oh no. How will we get in?”
“I didn’t carry these in for the fun of it,” Craig said, displaying a pair of bolt cutters. He grumbled, “But I was hoping not to have to use them.”
After he cut the lock, they eased deeper into the shaft, calling for the cat. When Savannah stumbled, Craig turned and looked at her. “You okay?” he asked. “I should have brought you a flashlight. That toy light of yours isn’t going to do much good in here.” He handed her the flashlight. “Here, you take this one.” He started to walk deeper into the mine shaft, then realized Savannah wasn’t keeping up with him. “Come on,” he hissed. “Bring the light. It’s dark in here.”
“Craig,” she said weakly. “Come look at this. I think it’s a…”
“What?” he spat. He looked in the direction she aimed the light, returned to where she stood, and let out a long breath. “Holy…”
“Is that what I think it is?” she asked, her voice a mere squeak.
He eased the flashlight from Savannah and took a good look. “I’m afraid it is. Been dead for a while—maybe weeks.” Craig moved closer to the body and muttered, “Looks like someone tried to cov
er his tracks by throwing lime on the body. They must not be working this mine. It’s evidently become a tomb for…” he stared down at the body again and said, as if disbelieving, “…for this unfortunate guy.”
“Who do you think it is?” Savannah asked, her voice shrill and unsteady.
He shook his head. “Probably not a mine worker. He doesn’t look like someone from around here—I mean, look at the way he’s dressed.” Craig reached into the corpse’s jacket pocket and pulled out a wallet. He opened it and showed it to Savannah. “Here’s what he looked like before…”
“Hmmm. He could be River’s…um…brother or dad.”
“Yeah, now that you mention it, he does resemble the boy,” Craig agreed. “Let’s see, his name’s David Milner.” He frowned. “Milner,” he repeated.
“Oh my gosh!” Savannah exclaimed. “He must be related to the detective.” Suddenly, she stepped back and hissed, “What’s that?”
“What?” he asked, turning to look behind them.
“I heard something.”
After listening for a moment, Craig said, “Maybe it’s your cat. Call him, Savannah.”
“Rags, here, kitty-kitty,” she trilled. “Rags, where are you?”
When they heard it again, Savannah pointed her small flashlight in the direction of the sound. She attempted to adjust her eyes to the light and finally said, “It’s a cat, but it’s not Rags.” She moved closer. “It’s a yellow cat with kittens.” When the cat hissed, she stepped back, saying, “And she doesn’t want to be disturbed. She must be one of the mine cats that River talked about.” She looked around. “Where’s Rags? Darn him, anyway.” When Craig didn’t respond, she looked at him and asked, “What’s wrong?”
He shook his head. “I’m not sure, Savannah, but I think we should back out of here.” Wasting no time, he turned and said, “Come on.”
It didn’t take them long to reach the shaft opening. When they did so, Savannah gasped. “Look,” she whispered. She crouched into a bank of shrubbery and hissed. “What was that?”
The detective turned just in time to see a figure disappear over the ridge. He tightened his lips and glanced around the area. “I wish your cat would show up. We need to get the hell out of here before…”
