by Patricia Fry
Craig couldn’t help but blurt, “You all work for him and you have to pay him?”
River explained, “Well, we pay to stay in the house. If we don’t pay, we can’t stay here anymore.”
Craig winced. He studied the boy for a moment, then asked, “Want a ride back to your house? I have a message for your mother.”
River kicked a stone, then said, “Naw, I’ll ride Shorty back.”
“Shorty?” Savannah questioned.
“My mule.” He looked toward the makeshift corral. “He should be finished eating by now.”
Craig watched the boy walk away, then said to Savannah. “Okay, let’s go give White Horse the bad news.”
Savannah chuckled and corrected him again. “White Fox.”
They found the woman in the kitchen finishing up with the breakfast dishes. “Oh, hello,” she said, surprised. I thought you’d left.” She turned to Craig and wiped her hands on her apron.
“Well, your husband sent us to tell you something.” As White Fox waited, Craig thinned his lips and thought about how to say it. Finally, he spouted, “Melvin has been detained.”
“Detained?”
“Yeah. Everyone’s been questioned and they decided they had additional questions for your husband, so they took him down to the station…” he frowned. “…wherever that is in this jurisdiction.” When the woman slumped into a nearby chair, he said, “Melvin told me to assure you he’d be home in time for supper.”
White Fox began to cry. “When will it ever stop?” she wailed. “Even when Harold Milner is locked up, there is no peace.” Her eyes turned angry. “I don’t imagine there will be peace for us as long as he’s walking this planet.”
Craig and Savannah looked at each other. When Rags began to pull on the leash, he took her attention. “No, Rags,” she said. When he stood up with his paws on White Fox’s knees. Savannah moved forward and reached for the cat.
“He’s okay,” White Fox said, smoothing Rags’s fur with one hand. She smiled weakly at Savannah. “He wants to comfort me, doesn’t he? I’ve never known of a cat to do that.” She put her hands on each side of Rags’s face and rested her forehead against his. “He is a very special cat.” When she pulled back, she wiped at her eyes and looked at Craig. “You’ve delivered my husband’s message. Thank you.”
“Is there anything else we can do?” Craig asked gently.
She looked up at him. “If only the years of torment could be erased.”
Craig chuckled. “I’m afraid I don’t have that sort of power, but…” realizing he was going out on a limb, he suggested, “…if things are bad here, you can always make a change, can’t you?”
White Fox shook her head and continued to pet Rags. “Only if…” she said. “No, we’re prisoners here.”
Savannah frowned. She sat down next to White Fox. “Prisoners?” she questioned.
“Yes, of this life, of this place.” Before Craig or Savannah could respond, White Fox looked up at them and said, “I teach my children that decisions come with consequences, and I warn them to be careful what they choose to do in life.” She bowed her head. “My family lives with consequences that none of us deserve and all because of…” She looked up and pressed her hands into her face. “So no, there’s nothing that can be done to change the way things are here, without putting more consequences upon my innocent family.”
Craig and Savannah stood silently, wondering if White Fox would say more.
Finally, she took a ragged breath and said, “I have a secret that is slowly killing me. But if I share it, it could kill the spirit of those I love most. So I live with the consequences of my decision not to harm my family.”
“Mom,” River called as he ran into the house. He stopped when he saw her tears. “What’s wrong? Is Dad really coming home, Mom? Or was that a lie?”
By then, Rags had wandered back to Savannah and lay at her feet. River approached his mother. “Why are you crying?”
She wiped at her eyes and feigned a more cheerful demeanor. “No, son,” she said bravely, “that is not a lie. Of course your father’s coming home. I’m sure he’ll have a story to tell us over dinner tonight—you know, about his day at the police station helping the officers to solve the…”
“The murder?” River said. “Someone killed Señor David, didn’t they? I heard people talking and I saw them take something out of the mine and put it into a big car.” He faced Craig. “Was that Señor David? Is he really dead? I thought he just went away like he told Señor Harold he’d do.” As the adults watched, River looked down at his shoes. “I heard them arguing. Señor David told Señor Harold that he would talk to Dad. That made Señor Harold really mad and he yelled at Señor David. Then they fought. I hate watching people fight, so I went inside the mine to see if there were any baby kittens yet. A couple of the mine cats were going to have kittens.”
“What happened next, son?” Craig coaxed.
River looked up at Craig, then shook his head. “No kittens. That’s all,” he said. “No kittens. So I walked home.” He then turned and started to run away.
White Fox called after him, “Where are you going, River?”
“To my room to study,” he said. He turned to his mother. “Mom, I’ll be at our house in my room.”
“He has never adapted to his room in this house,” White Fox said, following her son with her eyes. “He’ll sleep here when we’re minding the house for Harold and he’ll eat meals here with us, but he prefers spending time in his room out back in our place.”
“That must be where he feels secure,” Savannah said quietly.
White Fox nodded. She abruptly stood. “Well, I must get busy around here. Lunch for the workmen comes on the heels of breakfast and I’m the only one on kitchen duty these days.” She looked down at her hands. “Señor David’s wife helped me for several years, but when he disappeared, she went back to be with her family.” She jumped up. “Oh, I wonder if someone has contacted her.” She looked at Craig. “Should I do that? Is there proof positive that was David Milner in the mineshaft?”
Craig tightened his lips. “I guess they’ll know for sure once they get him to the morgue.” He wrote something on a business card and handed it to her. “Here’s the number down at the station if you want to check with them later.” He took a deep breath. “We’d better get on the road.” He started to turn away, then faced White Fox again. “We’ll be in touch, okay?”
Savannah looked at Craig, then reached out and hugged White Fox. “Thank you for your hospitality. I’m sorry about what…you know, what we found. I’m sure your husband will be home soon.”
****
Savannah and Craig had reached the main road when she broke the silence. “So are you going to tell the officer what River said?”
“About what?”
“About what?” she said incredulously. “About seeing the two brothers fighting.”
“Already did,” he said. “I was able to get a call through while you grabbed us those water bottles back at the diner.”
After sitting quietly for a while longer, Savannah asked, “Do you think River is actually a Milner?”
Craig grinned at her briefly while he drove.
“Well, do you?” she pushed.
“I’ve seen stranger triangles,” he said.
“Well, what does that mean?” she asked.
“It means, it’s entirely possible.”
“Even probable,” Savannah asserted. She turned a little in her seat to face him. “I mean, River looks like David Milner. But I’m more inclined to think Harold was the culprit, aren’t you? David sounds like a nice guy.” She frowned. “Although, what would White Fox be doing with someone like Harold, who she believes is holding her prisoner?”
Craig glanced at her, then said quietly, “Maybe it wasn’t her choice.”
Savannah looked confused, then she scowled. “Oh, are you saying that Harold Milner—that creep—that
he…?”
“Fits the profile and the story line, don’t you think so?” he asked.
“Wow,” Savannah said. “If that’s true and not a fairy tale that we manufactured, that poor woman. No wonder she seems tortured. I mean, she’s such a genuinely nice woman, but there’s obviously something beneath the surface that haunts her.” She raised her eyebrows. “I thought it was Melvin—you know, his crab-apple demeanor. I was worried that he was maybe abusing her—maybe emotionally. He seemed so…well, unavailable emotionally—rather insensitive.”
Craig nodded. “Yeah, he was kind of grouchy at first. He may be carrying a heavier load than we know. In fact, I’m certain that he is. And I sure hope it all comes out in the wash. Maybe your cat’s discovery there in the mine shaft will shake things up enough that River’s family can get a new start.”
“Rags didn’t find the body,” Savannah reminded him.
Craig tilted his head. “He surely did. He led us on a wild-goose chase into the mine, didn’t he? If he hadn’t run off like that, we wouldn’t have found it.”
Savannah was deep in thought for a while, then finally asked, “Craig, are you convinced that Milner didn’t hide the jewels there? It doesn’t seem as though we looked everywhere.”
He shook his head. “No, I’m not. I’d like to get a search warrant for the place and do a thorough search of the mines before we close that chapter.” He chuckled. “It’s becoming a pretty big book, isn’t it?”
She nodded. “So will you start working that case from here since you think the stuff’s here, or will the Colorado people take over?”
“I don’t know yet. The feds might actually get involved, since we suspect that the jewelry crossed state lines. They may not believe there’s enough of the jewelry left to bother with, though, so I’m not sure how the feds will fit into this, if at all.” He looked briefly at Savannah as he drove. “So what do you have waiting for you when you get home?”
“Probably a hungry little boy and a horse that needs to be ridden, not to mention a husband and daughter who’ll want some attention. I’m glad to be getting home ahead of schedule. That will make everyone happy. It’s just too bad we don’t have anything of value to report.”
Craig frowned at her. “Nothing of value?” he challenged.
“Well, we didn’t find the jewelry.”
“No, but it certainly was a worthwhile mission. I couldn’t be more pleased. I learned a lot.”
“You did?”
“Yes, enough to know that we could be on the right track.” He became sullen for a moment and added, “Or we’re on the track of something totally unrelated to our case. But something’s not right up at that mine and I aim to find out what it is.”
“Maybe there are more dead bodies hidden in those old shafts,” Savannah said.
Craig raised his eyebrows, glanced briefly at her, then continued focusing on the road ahead of him.
Chapter 6
That evening over dinner, Savannah shared stories from their day-and-a-half trek into the mining country. She especially enjoyed talking about River and his family. She had just finished telling Michael, Gladys, and Lily about River’s job—taking care of the mules and how he rides one of them bareback all over the property—when her cell phone rang. She thought about letting it go to voicemail, then said, “Everyone’s nearly finished eating, I think I’ll grab that.” She was surprised to learn that the call was from Holly.
She sounded a little weary when she asked, “Savannah, do you have room for a displaced family?”
“Displaced?” she cried. “What do you mean, displaced? What’s going on?”
“Well, there’s a fire.” Before Savannah could respond, Holly quickly explained, “We’re okay. It’s in the mountains, but the smoke and ash are awful. They’ve closed the schools in the area and with Beth-Beth’s asthma, we’ve decided we’d like to get out of town. Keith may stay and help out with animal rescue, but the kids and I are going to leave. Keith suggested we come there. Is it…”
“Absolutely,” Savannah said. “Oh my gosh, how frightening. Yes, come. We’ll pick you up in San Francisco or you can take a puddle-jumper to a more local airport. I’ll text you the information, then you can let me know where and when. Yes, you can stay for as long as you need or would like to.”
“Just a minute, Cassie,” Holly scolded. Into the phone she said, “I’m sorry, Savannah. The kids are kind of upset and excited at the same time. Cassie wants to know if she can ride your horse.”
Savannah laughed. “Of course.”
“Oh, she’ll be so happy. Listen, once I receive your text, I’ll send you our itinerary. See you soon. And thank you. You’re a lifesaver.”
When Savannah returned to the kitchen, she found Gladys clearing the table. Michael was washing Lily’s hands. He looked up at her. “Problem?” he asked.
She nodded. “Well, sort of. I guess there’s a fire near Holly’s and Keith’s and she’d like to bring the kids here. Bethany has asthma, you know.” She turned away, then faced Michael, a bewildered look on her face. “I guess it’s pretty frightening. They’ve even closed the schools because of the smoke and ash.”
“Oh dear,” Gladys said. “So they’re coming here to get out of the smoke?”
Savannah nodded.
Gladys frowned. “They aren’t in any danger, are they?”
“No,” Savannah said. “At least I don’t think so. They’re just concerned about the air quality…and, since the schools are closed, they decided to take the children out of the area altogether.”
Michael exaggerated a grin. “Lily, did you hear that? Your cuzzes are coming to see you!” When Lily’s face lit up, he said, “Yeah, Beth-Beth and Cassie are coming to play with you.”
Without saying a word, Lily slipped off Michael’s lap and ran into the living room. When Savannah and Michael followed, they saw her trying to reach the doorknob.
“What are you doing, punkin?” Savannah asked.
“Cassie. Beth-Beth,” Lily whined. “Open the door, Mommy.”
Savannah chuckled and Michael said, “They aren’t coming right now. They’ll be here…” He looked at Savannah.
“Tomorrow,” she said. “Tomorrow after your nap they should be here. In fact, we might drive to the big city to pick them up at the airport.”
“After my nap?” Lily asked.
Savannah nodded.
Lily then pointed toward the hallway. “I go night-night now, Mommy?”
Savannah and Michael laughed and he said, “Maybe we shouldn’t have told her. I guess she doesn’t understand much about time sequences yet.”
Savannah nodded. “Yes, we might have trouble getting her to sleep tonight.”
****
Savannah drove into her driveway around four the following day with Holly and the children.
“Where’s your horse?” Cassie asked, straining to see out the car window.
“Peaches,” Lily chirped, pointing.
“You can’t see her from here,” Savannah said as she parked the car. “Cassie, once we get you settled inside, we’ll go out and you can meet her.”
“Can I ride her?” Cassie asked, excitedly.
“How about tomorrow? You can help me feed her in a little while, though. Would you like to do that?” Savannah asked.
Cassie’s smile widened. “Yes! Then can I ride her?”
“Me too,” Bethany said.
“Girls,” Holly said, “it’s been a long day. I think we should relax this afternoon and visit, don’t you? Aunt Savannah said you can ride the horse tomorrow.”
Once the women and children had carried in the luggage, Savannah noticed Holly looking around the house. She smiled. “Want a tour?”
“Absolutely.”
“Well, this is the living room,” Savannah said, gesturing. She pointed. “That’s Walter on the plum chair. You haven’t met Walter yet.”
“Where?” Bethany asked.
“I don’t see Walter.”
Savannah laughed, then spoke more quietly, “That’s because he has his eyes closed.” She walked to the plum-colored chair and petted the long-haired black cat. “Walter, wake up,” she prompted. “We have guests.”
“Now I see him,” Cassie said, moving closer.
Bethany looked up at Savannah. “Is he sick? Why is he under that blanket?”
“No, he’s not sick, just getting older.”
“Is he going to die?” Bethany asked, frowning.
Savannah shook her head. “I hope not.”
“I love the way your living room opens into the dining room,” Holly said.
“Yes, it’s a great space for entertaining.”
“And the high ceilings,” Holly swooned. “Elegant.”
Savannah led them into the kitchen next.
“A country kitchen. Love it,” Holly said. “They just don’t make kitchens like this anymore.” She turned to Savannah. “You know, years ago the wealthy had practically no kitchen. I guess the cooking was done somewhere else and brought into the house. The poor people, however, had huge kitchens because they spent so much time cooking, especially farmers.” She turned around in the room. “Yeah, I love this kitchen.”
“Hi,” Gladys said, joining the others. She hugged Holly. “Welcome.”
“Thank you. It’s so good to be here.”
“Hi, Grammy,” Bethany said, reaching for a hug.
“Ohhh, there’s my Bethany. How are you, honey?”
Bethany’s smile widened. “I rode on a airplane, Grammy.”
“You did?”
Gladys embraced Cassie. “And did you ride on an airplane too?”
Without responding, the six-year-old abruptly broke away and ran to the large kitchen window saying, “Hey, I can see her. Rags is looking at her. Look, Mama, Rags has a special shelf where he can see Savannah’s horse. What’s her name?”
“Peaches,” Savannah said. “Yes, he loves Peaches.”
“Can he go out with us when we feed her?” Cassie asked.
