Lethally Logged

by Amber Boffin

  It hadn’t solved the mystery of how Ted had gotten hold of the document, but the professor had revealed that someone from the forestry business provided the samples. That meant it wasn’t Fearon, and there was no reason for him to have pretended to be a forester; quite the contrary, it seemed. As for Kate, it was equally unlikely.

  She looked up from her car dashboard, thinking she spotted a black silhouette at the border of her yard. It was a plump black bear that scampered away when she opened her car door. She watched his bum disappear into the woods, replaced by a vision of Ted in his bearskin coat. He could have pretended to be a forester…which was why he didn’t give the cover sheet.

  Maggie sped off to Foxton. The field outside the town was packed with little stalls and people browsing to the squall of bagpipes. Even a weaver from a tiny village north of Scotland had a stand, piled high with colorful tartans. A son of one of their founders had moved to Canada and discovered a stronghold of Scottish heritage in need of kilts and bagpipes.

  Maggie wasn’t convinced she liked the sound of the pipes; it was one of these tastes that you like a bit of in the appropriate context but would never indulge for long periods of time. A chorus of voices intensified at the far end of the field. The large crowd prevented her from seeing what triggered it. The closer she came, the louder the voices and encouragements, followed by a disappointed “Aaaah.”

  Maggie wiggled her way through the group. The candidate sawyer, with drops of sweat on his forehead, handed the bucking saw back to the judge of the contest. He hadn’t been able to cut through a twenty-inch diameter white pine log within the time given, let alone for the best time. He was one of Foxton’s sporty teenagers and strong for his age.

  Next up was Barrie. He was very strong, as she had witnessed in the past when he singlehandedly lifted a small car. It had been a bet between Raj and Barrie; Raj hadn’t believed it was possible. They always seemed to like challenging each other.

  From the excitement and crowds, it seemed that the concept of betting with parts of the proceeds given to a charitable cause was a success. She looked for the betting booth she had read about, wanting to put a wager on Barrie. It was easy to find, thanks to Sergeant Humphries’s unmistakable rotund silhouette and moustache, even though he wasn’t wearing a hat. She had once seen him without it and hadn’t recognized him at first because she hadn’t expected him to be bald.

  A line of people was standing in front of the beaming sergeant, who held his arms straight, hands spread out on a sawhorse table. Behind him was a large whiteboard with the list of names of the participants in the different events so far, the winners, prizes, and money raised for the food bank. While waiting for her turn, Maggie spotted her name together with Barrie’s.

  “Good afternoon, Sergeant. Yours is the most popular stand around.” Hearing some cheering, she turned around to see if Barrie had started sawing. “I might’ve missed my chance of backing Barrie in the saw contest.”

  “Hi, Maggie, no, no there’s always time. We’ve got a long list for this one. By all means go ahead. How much?” He pressed his index and thumb against his moustache, smoothing it. “And you know if you lose, nothing’s lost. Your money goes to charity, after paying the winners, of course, who’ll have the option to donate part of their gains, but no obligation. We want as many participants as possible. So be generous.”

  “I know, I like the idea. I understand it was yours?”

  The sergeant took hold of his pen. “Who do you back today?”

  Maggie had high hopes for Barrie, who wouldn’t miss the chance to earn some money. Knowing he would enter any competition that would have some weightlifting in it, Maggie opted for the caber tossing. In spite of his lack of Scottish heritage, he might be able to handle it, given that it was more about style than the distance covered.

  This time some of the typical Scottish Highland games had been replaced by lumberjack-focused games to provide the locals a chance of winning. They were more used to handling a saw than throwing hammers. They also had changed the hill race, since there were no hills to run up close by in the public fields of Foxton, to the partners carrying race.

  Sergeant Humphries cleared his throat as Maggie tried to make up her mind. “I’d like to place several bets on Barrie, for the saw and the caber tossing. I’d also like to place a bet for the partners race.”

  Sergeant Humphries turned around and ran his finger down the list of participants for the latter. “You’re in it. You can’t bet on yourself.”

  Maggie looked at the board. Sergeant Humphries had a separate column for the performance of the police staff, both in terms of how many people backed them and then what they won. She knew he couldn’t refuse her request if it could make his team look good. “I wasn’t planning to, believe me.” Maggie laughed at the mere thought of her winning the race. “I was thinking of Raj and Indira for that one.”

  “All right then.”

  As Maggie handed him her money in exchange for her tickets, she thought she recognized a male voice. When he spoke, the sound formed at the back of the throat rather than low down, like the sergeant’s voice. It had to be Stuart. Although she wanted to ask him about the tree forensics, thinking he might have ordered the test, she hurried to watch Barrie, who was about to start sawing.

  A large group had gathered behind her, making it difficult to slip away from the table without gently pushing them away. She had inadvertently caused a domino effect, with one woman jumping back to let her pass and landing on another, who finally pushed another woman, who shouted, “My foot! Be careful.”

  It was Kate, and she was standing next to Stuart. Maggie was about to apologize to her, but they seemed have resumed their discussion with heavy gesticulations on Kate’s side. Maggie rushed to the group of people who were chanting, “Barrie, Barrie, Barrie…”

  Barrie’s latest tattoo of a dragon seemed to flap its wings as he thrust the saw back and forth with conviction. The loudest cheers came from Brigit and Adam, who were both towering over the spectators. Maggie slipped to their side and joined in to the chorus. It didn’t take long before Raj and Indira appeared, followed by Heidi.

  No one wanted to miss Barrie, it seemed. They must have all betted on him. For a brief moment Maggie thought he would win, until Andy—or Chainsaw, as Barrie called him—appeared among the group. Andy clapped his hands and whistled between his two fingers. That was a surprise, given their past. Maggie mused about who Kate would cheer, and what would be the consequences.

  Barrie had managed to cut the log far faster than the allocated time, but was his time going to be better than Chainsaw, with his years of experience as a lumberjack? Maggie doubted it. At the sight of more loggers lining up as participants, she knew she would lose this bet. Hopefully, they hadn’t put their names down for the caber tossing.

  Adam approached Barrie and put a hand on his shoulder. “Well done, mate. I’ve never seen you saw like that! Scary.”

  Barrie wiped his brow with the back of his hand. He tilted his chin toward Andy as he handed him the saw. He appeared to have grown a few inches taller. Andy was the lean type, slightly shorter than Barrie. Fully covered up in clothing, one would bet on stocky Barrie…until Andy started cutting in a mist of sawdust.

  Everyone was silent. Even Barrie seemed to stare at him, mesmerized. Maggie thought of all the trees that took so many years to grow and with a click of a finger would be felled by the Andys of this world. And he wasn’t even using a chainsaw. The crowd that had gathered to watch the spectacle was peppered with kids and adults, all in awe at the strength of one man. All eyes were glued on him. Even Kate, whose long face appeared among the onlookers, seemed to be impressed. All but one person—Stuart was looking for someone beyond the group.

  Maggie followed his gaze and saw a figure in a hoodie at the far end of the field. To her surprise, Stuart kissed Kate’s neck. She might have been mistaken; her view was momentarily blocked by the head of a woman standing next to them. Maggie kept looking in
their direction. The head moved aside, and she met Stuart’s eyes in an intense stare before he sneaked away.

  Adam and Brigit were joking with Barrie as they watched Andy. The timing didn’t seem right for Maggie to share her findings about the tree forensics; she might have the opportunity to gather more information if she spoke to Stuart, who she thought was an undercover cop. He was the only logger who she imagined could have asked for this type of analysis, and he was in the best position to do it without raising any suspicion among the perpetrators.

  Maggie followed Stuart at a distance, pretending to head to the dance platforms, where young girls were hovering over two crossed swords, their kilts swinging from side to side with every dance step. She was short enough to walk along the side of the stage, popping her head up now and then to see where Stuart had gone. From his attitude, she sensed he didn’t want to be seen or followed, which triggered her curiosity.

  Maggie lost him among the growing amount of people streaming into the field. She had reached the line of old-timers, a mix of candy-colored Chevrolets and Cadillacs with a few very old black carriages among them. She looked at the elegant curves of the cars. To the proud owner of a particularly well-maintained Chevrolet, Maggie said, “Nice car. It must be lots of work to shine those chrome bumpers like that.”

  As he acknowledged her, behind him, a hooded figure was gesticulating. It could have been anyone, given the prevalence of those types of sweaters, but the person was speaking to Stuart.

  Maggie pretended to inspect an old Chevy that provided the perfect cover for her to come closer and see who was wearing the hoodie.

  Stuart appeared calm, while the other person was agitated, shifting from one foot to the other and raising a fist at him. He seemed unfazed, and after a few more words he put his hand in his pocket and then shook the other’s hand. Stuart left him there and disappeared into the large assembly of visitors.

  The hoodie had turned his head slightly and looked down at his hand at what might be a roll of money, given the colors. It was hard to tell; it could also have been betting tickets. His profile was familiar. A triangular nose stuck out of a thick beard. She walked as casually as she could around the car, keeping her eyes on the hooded individual.

  “Hey, watch where you’re going.”

  A man popped up from his foldable chair like a jack-in-the-box. Maggie steadied herself on the car. “Sorry, I didn’t see you. I hope I didn’t step on your foot too hard?”

  He laughed. “Not at all, but I’m glad you weren’t looking at my car like that back there. You looked so serious.” He glanced over his shoulder. The hoodie had disappeared. “I don’t see anything.”

  The old man leaned with his hand on the roof of his 1970s Chevrolet Impala, not a model Maggie liked—too beige and square. She smiled, embarrassed. “I thought I saw someone I knew. Sorry again.” She glanced at the car. “It reminds me of my youth. A friend of my dad’s had one like that.”

  A voice from behind reached her ears. “There you are.” It was Barrie. “I’ve been looking for you. We’re up next. Not that I like the idea.”

  “You have to honor your bet with Raj. We should have practiced at least once.”

  “Come on, you shouldn’t complain. I’ve got to do all the heavy work.”

  “Well, I’ve never hung upside down on someone’s back. Do you really want to do it that way? Can’t I just piggyback normally?”

  “Nope, Raj is doing it that way, so we have to. Let’s get it over with.”

  Barrie dragged Maggie by the arm to the start of the race.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Twenty contestants stood in line, waiting for the beginning of the race. Maggie’s courage failed her—it turned out to be one of the most popular betting events. Thankfully, they had refrained from commenting too loudly on the contestants’ chances based on their physique, with only a few speaking about them as if they were racehorses with their jockeys.

  “I’ve put money on you,” Adam said in her ear from behind. “You only need to cling on.”

  Maggie turned around. Adam grinned naughtily. He seemed to be looking forward to the show. Brigit wasn’t with him.

  “You shouldn’t have. Raj and Indira would’ve been a better bet.”

  Adam tilted his head. “Raj has to carry Indira, while you are pint-sized.”

  Maggie felt flattered. “Well, height-wise maybe, but it doesn’t mean I’m light.” Not wanting to linger on the topic of her extra pounds, she gestured for him to bend over. “Here, can you keep this? I don’t want it to fall out of my pocket.”

  Adam took the papers. “Why the whisper?”

  “Read it, you’ll see. I think we should speak after this. Maybe without Brigit…”

  A sharp whistle cut through the hubbub. It was the signal for the pairs to get ready. Maggie watched as Adam walked away, his eyes on the paper. Her heart was beating with expectation. He glanced back at her and raised a thumb. That was all she needed to feel a surge of energy. She grabbed Barrie’s shoulder.

  “Let’s do this. Upside down then?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You’re really not going to hold me at all?”

  “I have to focus on balance. Look over there, it’s very muddy.”

  Maggie hadn’t accounted for obstacles. She hoisted herself as daintily as possible onto his back, trying not to think about what she must look like with her bum up in the air, head down, not quite sweeping the ground with her curls but worryingly close to it all the same.

  The blood rushed to her head. “Jeez, my head. This feels horrible.” She looked at Indira, who had taken up a similar position on Raj’s back.

  “Keep your head up as if you’re looking at the ground. Better if you fall.” Indira’s cheeks were pushed up into her eyes by the downward pressure as she said, “Good luck!”

  “Easier said than done,” gasped Maggie, trying to clasp her hands tightly together, her arms only just able to circle Barrie’s trunk.

  Barrie adjusted Maggie’s body as if she were a backpack, shifting his hips and shoulders to adjust it. “What did you have for breakfast?”

  “Why? Not much.”

  “It doesn’t feel like it.” Barrie held on to Maggie’s legs, which were sticking out in front of his face, resting on his shoulders.

  “I’m not extendable!”

  “All right, I was just trying to balance you better.”

  “I should never have agreed to this…”

  “What did you say, Maggie?”

  “Nothing. Get on with it, I can’t hang on like this forever.” She reached out to circle his waist with her arms and make herself as comfortable as possible given the unflattering position.

  Barrie slid Maggie’s hands up. “Keep your hands on my chest, not on my tummy, please.” He laughed. “You don’t want to slide down.”

  Thinking about his insinuation of being heavier than he thought, Maggie replied, “I’d never thought your cherished Molson beer belly would be so handy.”

  Barrie drummed it to the rhythm of the bagpipes. “I’m ready, and you?”

  She was as ready as she would ever be. “I guess so.”

  A loud gong signaled the start of the race. Barrie took off like a rabbit, or at least that was what Maggie felt as she clung on to him and tried to keep her head up. Raj and Barrie were running side by side until they reached the mud section.

  Maggie dropped her head down, not wanting to get all the mud in her face, and saw Adam through Barrie’s legs. He looked different upside down. His chin had become his nose. His eyes were eerie, with drooping sides. Her head swung with every step Barrie took. She clung to him as if her life depended on it. She felt the veins on her temples swell with the rush of blood.

  She had a flash—that was it! She loosened her hands to signal to Adam and shouted, “It’s the other way around!”

  As soon as she lost her hold on Barrie, she slid down his back and fell head first into the mud. She lay flat on the ground and lifte
d her head to look back at Barrie, who had landed behind her with one of her shoes in his hand from his attempt to hold her. It all happened in slow motion. In their tumble, they brought down another team that was just behind them. In contrast, Raj and Indira appeared to defy gravity as Raj gracefully leapt ahead, his wife’s long braid swinging back and forth against his calf muscles, like a whip. The cheering grew louder, a sign they were nearing the finish line.

  Barrie pulled Maggie up. “All right?”

  Maggie raised a thumb, wiping the mud from her eyes. She was no longer interested in the race and was glad she was off Barrie’s back. She was in a bubble of her own thoughts as they spun around her, creating a barrier with the outside world. She had to speak with Adam.

  Barrie pointed to the couple next to them, who had struggled back to their feet and were ready to push on. “At least let’s try to finish it. We might not come last.” He waved his hand in front of her eyes. “Maggie!”

  “Sorry. I was thinking.”

  Barrie stood with his hands on his hips, shaking his head.

  “I only need to know who those papers were addressed to, and then I think I know what could’ve happened and why, at least—”

  “What? I don’t get ya.” Barrie let his hand drop heavily alongside his body. “Pfff. I’m dropping out.” He walked away a few steps, looking angry.

  “I’m sorry, Barrie, I didn’t mean to let go.”

  Barrie let out a loud laugh. “Don’t worry.” He whispered in her ear, “It was for show. Thanks for letting go. I hate running.” In a loud voice again, he added, “If you could see your face, it was worth it. At least we provided entertainment.”

  Tina said, “You sure did…and sensational, perfect for the Daily Stumble next week, the winners and losers of the Highland Games. Oh, and check out my new online version, I’ve spent a lot of time on it and added a video feature. I hope you like it.”

  “I’d think of Andy Smith sawing the log as a sensation, rather than us…” Maggie pleaded with Tina, knowing it was unlikely to work but worth a try. “Do you really have to post it? For once—”