by VC Angell
They sat on the couch talking as they did the first night Pam had joined him, but it was interspersed with kissing and hugging this time.
* * *
A few days later, when Jim got home, Laura was working in the garden. He invited her in for coffee. They were sitting at the kitchen table when Jim said, “I have been trying to figure out why my brother Alex was killed. I thought it might have something to do with this plant I keep hearing about that’s coming to Alma, but that doesn’t make any sense. I can’t see someone wanting to kill him for anything related to that possibility. I’ve been asking everybody, so I’ll ask you. Do you know anything?”
“I don’t know anything about the plant other than the rumors I’ve heard. I know your brother was a man.”
Jim frowned, “What do you mean he was a man?”
“He needed sex. He never came to see me. He used my friend Birdie now and then,” Laura said.
“Alex never said anything about that. What about his wife? Wouldn’t she take care of his needs?”
“As I said, he came to Birdie. I’m not sure what he wanted, but I can ask her. Remember me telling you that older wives wouldn’t do certain things?” Laura asked.
“Yeah, I remember you saying that. Would you ask Birdie for me?”
“No problem. I am not sure when I will see Birdie again. She often goes to the Rez and stays with her family there.” Laura punctuated her reply by finishing her mug of coffee.
Jim heard another car drove up and said, “I think that’s Carol. If it is, would you tell her the story you told me about why you became a prostitute?”
“Sure, it’s no secret. Should I clean it up?”
“No, be as brutal as you were with Julie and me. She can’t imagine why you made the choice you did. She needs you to tell her your story honestly,” Jim said.
“If you say so, okay.”
“I need to put on a pot of coffee. We finished the pot I made earlier,” Jim stood up.
When Carol came into the kitchen, Jim stopped his coffee-making long enough to kiss her and asked her to sit down at the table. Carol and Laura greeted each other and chatted while Jim finished his chore of making coffee.
He sat down at the table with two women and said, “Carol, I asked Laura if she would tell you her story when I heard you drive up. She can tell you her story while the coffee brews.”
Laura calmly described her father’s actions and his covert actions with Laura’s little sister. Because of her difficulty in school, she only knew one thing that she was good at because her father told her that.
Jim watched the changing emotions on Carol’s face as Laura described her past with her father. When Laura’s comments on being good at only one thing came, Jim said, “Laura was told that she has dyslexia. That is the reason she had so much trouble with school. Julie at the newspaper and I have been looking for programs that might help her with her dyslexia.”
“I don’t know what to say. That’s an awful story. Have you talked to your father about it?” Carol asked.
“No, he died just after I got out of high school. I never thought about talking to him about it. I knew it was wrong, but it also proved he loved me. He always told me how good I was at it,” Laura said.
Jim could see Carol wince, so he said, “I think if Laura could find something else she was good at, she would be happy to stop doing what she’s doing. Isn’t that right, Laura?”
“Yup, it sounds like the coffee is made,” Laura said.
Jim got up and fetched a mug for Carol and then the coffee. When he sat back down, he said, “Laura was telling me just before you came that she’s going to have a big potato crop.”
Carol seemed relieved at the change of topic and said, “I have been watching the garden every time I come out here. It must’ve been a pretty good season for gardening.”
“Jim’s not going to get many winter squashes, but I think that’s the only bad thing either of us planted this year,” Laura said.
They continued to chat about the garden and gardens past until Laura got up and left. Carol turned to Jim and said, “I can’t believe it. Her father told her she was good at incest.”
“I know if you asked Laura about it, she would tell you that he told her she was good at fucking. She would’ve used that word too,” Jim said.
“I’ve never liked that word.”
“I’ve never met a woman who liked that word. Laura tells me that she uses it because she knows what she does has nothing to do with love. It was the only time her father ever exhibited any interest in her or told her that she did something well. Laura never really knew her mother and always craved her father’s love. She knows what went on was wrong, but part of her is happy that her father finally took an interest in her,” Jim explained.
“God, that’s brutal.”
“I agree. Let’s change the subject.”
“Not quite yet. You’re trying to help Laura change, aren’t you?” Carol asked.
“Yup, for all the good is doing at the moment.”
Carol kissed him and hugged him. It felt good to Jim, but he didn’t feel he could initiate anything more intimate than a kiss after discussing Laura.
* * *
A short note in the form of a letter arrived from Levi. It contained a business card for a Swedish company called Alla Saker Trä. Jim got online, and the name translated to All Things Wood. Next, Jim looked at one of the clocks worldwide and looked up Stockholm. He would call from work, but by the time he got there at 9 AM, the business day would end in Stockholm. Jim knew his cell phone would make international calls, so I got up from within the following morning and made the call from home. The woman who answered spoke English. Jim explained that he had a business card and gave her the man's name on the card. She told him the man also spoke English and she would transfer the call to him. Jim talked with the man, Liam Persson, about his visit to the Alma area.
Liam said, “We talked to the people on the reservation because the town of Alma wouldn’t have a large enough workforce to supply the plant with workers. In the town, we talked to Ralph Hansen. We told him what we needed in land and infrastructure, and he pointed out several places to us. We are going to make a decision late this year on where to locate. It should be someplace between the town and the reservation with good roads and ample water supply. We asked Ralph not to say anything because it could drive up the price of land we would need to purchase.”
“Thanks, you told me everything I need to know. I’ll keep your plans secret until you’ve had a chance to purchase the land,” Jim said
“Mr. Hansen will purchase the land on our behalf. As soon as the purchase is complete, you are welcome to run the newspaper’s story. It will help us attract workers and perhaps build good feelings for our company. Would you like me to send some information about our company?” Liam said.
“You probably want to send it to my home address and not to the paper. That way, we can keep things secret until the land purchase is if done,” Jim said
Liam agreed and promised to get the information in the mail that day. He also suggested that Jim look through their website.
Jim got off the phone and realized that he had no reason anyone would want to kill his brother. The only reason for secrecy about the company coming to the Alma area was to ensure the company would get a fair price for the land they would buy. It certainly wasn’t something worth killing for!
* * *
Jim picked up Carol for dinner and a movie. They went to the Riverview Inn. Carol didn’t seem very talkative as they looked through the menu. She ordered the walleye on special, and Jim ordered barbecued ribs.
After the waitress took their orders, Jim asked, “Did the sale on the resort go through?”
“Yes.”
“Did they have any trouble financing it?”
“No.”
Jim continued to try to talk to Carol with growing frustration at her one- or two-word answers.
The arrival of their orde
rs gave Jim a chance to think while he ate. Somehow Carol was remote. He wanted to get more than just a yes or no answer was complicated. Jim began to wonder if he had done something to make her unhappy. He reviewed their last couple of dates in his mind. They had both seemingly gone well. She certainly was no fun to be with tonight. Maybe he could even say that he didn’t want to see the movie.
The waitress cleared away some of the dishes and asked if they wanted desserts. They both said no, but both asked for more coffee.
Carol stared into her coffee as if there might be something there. She looked up at Jim and said, “I know you are not a prude, and I know you’re not inexperienced because of what you told me about Pam. What I don’t understand is what is wrong with me?”
“I don’t understand. What do you mean, what’s wrong with you?”
“I expected… I mean if… Why haven’t you treated me as a woman?”
Jim could see she was on the verge of tears. He didn’t understand, so he told her so, “I’m lost. What haven’t I done?”
Carol looked at him as if searching for an answer before saying, “You kiss me but nothing more. I’m a woman, you know.”
It was becoming clear to Jim he understood what she was saying. He tried to explain, “It was because of Pam that I didn’t do anything. I didn’t want you to think all I wanted from every woman I met was to sleep with her.”
“This woman wants you to do exactly that! I want to know if we’ve got the real thing. I want to know if it’s love or just lust,” Carol looked him directly into his eyes.
“I just wanted you to understand that wasn’t the only thing I wanted from you. I want your company. I enjoy it. I come away from my dates with you feeling alive,” Jim said.
“I thought there must be something wrong with me. I don’t have the figure of a teenager anymore. I thought maybe I just wasn’t pretty enough for you. If you had tried to get too friendly on our first date, I might’ve reacted badly. With each date, I felt more and more for you. I wanted you to do something.”
“Okay, let’s skip the movie. Should we go to my place or yours?” Jim asked.
“Yours, and to make sure you understand, I want you to make love to me,” Carol said.
“I understand. I just didn’t want to lose you by doing something you didn’t want too soon.”
“You can’t lose me that simply. Let me be absolutely explicit with you. I am wearing a brand-new bra. I expect you to take off.”
Carol’s words had an instant reaction in Jim’s body, and he smiled at her. They didn’t finish their coffees but went out to Jim’s car. Jim thought as he drove, “Is it that easy to make a mess out of a relationship by trying to do the right thing?”
Chapter 11
When the materials from Liam Persson arrived, Jim quickly reviewed them and then went to see Ralph Hansen. Jim had never been there even though Hansen Associates were the accountants for the Journal.
Jim was taken back to Ralph’s office by the receptionist. They shook hands, and Ralph offered him coffee, “No, thanks. I think I have had a whole pot already this morning. I wanted to see you because I’ve been talking to Liam Persson.”
Ralph was shocked, “I…I am surprised.”
“Liam explained to me that you were acting on behalf of his company to acquire land for it for their new plant. I also understand the need for secrecy to keep the land price down,” Jim said.
“That’s correct, and yes, Liam was afraid they couldn’t get a fair price for a piece of land that would meet all of their specifications. There seemed to be only two that would. How did you find out about it?”
“Just the kind of research any reporter would do. My brother left me a file folder that helped start it all.”
“We were afraid from the editorial he wrote that he might spill the beans before the land deal could go through. We thought he probably did know about the deal, but we didn’t know how he found out.”
“From the file he left, I’d say he suspected something. Even I did very early on when I returned Alma. I kept hearing reports of something coming but could never substantiate the rumors. Who knew besides you?” Jim asked.
“Only one other person, Ted Erickson. The land the company hopes to acquire belongs to his aunt and uncle. They both know the company wants it, but they live in Arizona since his uncle retired. They are both willing to sell the land, but it’s been one little thing after another, delaying the sale. It should go through in the next month. We were glad when you started to date Pam. We thought we had a way of knowing what you were thinking,” Ralph said.
“Pam told me that her father wanted her to use her feminine wiles on me. She thought it was humorous. We had a good time together, but she wasn’t over her divorce.”
“Ted did say her divorce hit her hard. I guess I’ve been lucky. I have been married for a little over 40 years now, and I’m still happy,” Ralph said.
“It was clear from what Pam told me that you were worried about me for some reason. I thought it had to do with the murder of my brother,” Jim said.
“Murder? I remember seeing something in the Journal, but I thought it was old news and didn’t read it. Who would want to kill your brother?”
“I don’t know. I thought it might have something to do with the editorial and…You know something secret that should remain secret.”
Ralph paused a moment before saying, “You thought I might have something to do with it, didn’t you?”
“Sorry, it was the whole editorial thing and your seemingly weird reaction to it.”
It took Ralph even longer to reply this time, “I can see that. I was trying to hide something, so I could see how it would look suspicious. You will keep the secret, right?”
“Sure, and I’m sorry if I misjudged you. I wanted you to know that. I came to see you as soon as I could after talking to Liam.”
* * *
Carol was lying in Jim’s arms. “Do you have any ideas about your brother’s murder?”
“Nothing, zip, and I don’t even know where to start looking.”
“You must learn more things than you can put the Journal. Suppose your brother found out something that someone wanted to be kept hidden?”
“It could be that, but how can I figure out what it might be? I’ve looked at all the paperwork he left at the Journal. I have to answer the question of why and I can’t even think of a question to ask. I thought it had something to do with that editorial. However, as I told you, it was about the Swedish company coming to build a plant. They were just trying to keep secret until they had the land in hand,” Jim pushed a stray lock of hair on Carol’s forehead.
“I like the sound of that secret because it will mean more real estate sales. I agree it is not the kind of secret you would kill for.” Carol thought for a moment and then asked, “What might a person kill if for? You know, the reason?”
“When I worked on the crime beat, I covered murderers. I was surprised that even the street gangs killed for the same reasons other people do, jealousy, rage, to shut somebody up, and so on.” Jim liked the feeling of Carol’s warm body next to him in bed.
“Let’s be practical about it. Make a list of the reasons why people kill. Then try to pick out things that seem most probable to you.” Carol said.
Jim smiled at her and said, “How can I be practical when I have the woman I love naked beside me in my bed? That’s more interesting right now than any reason why my brother was killed.”
“I bet you say that to all the naked women you find in your bed,” Carol teased.
* * *
Jim thought about visiting with Sheriff and telling him about the Swedish company’s coming but decided the fewer people who knew about the company, the better. Anyway, the land deal should go through. As Ralph had told him, they came up with the problem when they were doing the title search. That was the only reason the sale was being delayed now. Jim wondered if they couldn’t settle the title problem, wouldn’t they have to look for a ne
w site? Jim even went to the local library, but he couldn’t find a list of reasons people murder others. The librarian also told him there were no books on why people might murder other than the library's mystery novels. Jim turned to the Internet and tried searching for “why people murder.” He was rewarded with a list of mystery novels. Frustrated, he gave up.
As September appeared on the calendar, the coming winter signs were all around them, the blooming of the goldenrod, the blooming of the small purple asters, and the first trees changing color. Jim was hoping more of the acorn squash would mature before the first frost. Winter also meant declining revenues at the Journal. Jim had no answers to how to improve their income. His personal life was certainly going well. He had Carol. He even had a hobby, thanks to Luke. He was enjoying the fast draw competitions using the 9 mm he had bought.
One late afternoon when Jim arrived home, he found Laura working in the garden. She had pulled up the carrots she had grown, and they were stacked beside the garden, waiting to have the dirt washed off them and their tops cut off. Laura said, “They say there’s a chance for spotty frost tonight. I brought a couple of old sheets to cover things.”
“It looks like you did some harvesting too,” Jim pointed at the carrots.
“Yeah, is there anything you want to save if it frosts tonight?”
“Definitely not the zucchini. I can’t even give them away fast enough anymore to keep ahead of new ones. I do want to save my acorn squash because I’d like to put some away for winter,” Jim said.
Laura laughed, “You are a victim of the great zucchini blizzard. I think you only need to plant two seeds, and if both come up, pull one out. You’ll have all the zucchini you ever want from that one plant.” She pointed at the folded sheets beside the garden, “I’ve got enough sheets to cover at least part of your squash.”
Together they covered what Laura wanted to save in her part of the garden and covered most of the squash Jim wanted to keep. As they looked at the job they had done, Jim said, “Would you like to have supper with me? I cooked a beef roast on the weekend, and I was going to cut up the leftovers to make a stew.”
