Dark Secrets and Dead Reckoning, A Red Pine Falls Cozy Mystery (Red Pine Falls Cozy Mysteries Book 3)

by Angela C Blackmoore

  “The mobster?” Gabe asked, looking at Abby incredulously.

  “Yes,” Abby said, looking over at John and his two men as they talked to the Sheriff. “He came to the station to warn the Sheriff about the bikers if you can believe it.”

  Gabe looked at her with his eyebrow raised, but Becky nodded, backing up Abby’s story and putting her finger into Gabe’s face. “You better believe it. He saved our lives. If he hadn’t been there, those bikers would have gotten into the sheriff’s office. I have never been more scared in my entire life.”

  Gabe nodded, looking once again at the short man and his two towering men. The Sheriff didn’t seem to be overly happy, and Lanie looked nervous, but John was smiling and talking as if he were selling the man a car. Despite that, Abby decided they should go over to make sure things went smoothly.

  “I made sure not to actually shoot at anyone, but fired over their heads,” John was saying when Abby, Gabe, and Becky walked over.

  “Or, you were making sure your friends weren’t hurt,” Sheriff Pearson said, giving John an unfriendly look.

  “Sheriff,” Abby said, breaking into the conversation. “The head biker, Wallace, told John if he turned over Frank, he’d let us all walk. John Troutdale could have overpowered us easily, but he didn’t. He and his men didn’t even try.”

  The Sheriff listened quietly, though the expression on his face didn’t change. Instead, he turned his glower over to Lanie who looked even more nervous to be the center of the Sheriff’s attention. However, she didn’t back down but nodded. “It’s true, sir. It was a risk, but Mr. Troutdale was, well, helpful. I’m glad he showed up when he did.”

  “I’ll expect that your report will be an interesting read, deputy,” The Sheriff said slowly before turning back to Abby. “As for you, Mrs. Morgan. Am I going to have to assign a deputy to follow you around? I figure I’ll find out about anything a lot faster that way.”

  “It’s not my fault!” Abby complained. “I stayed here at the jail house. I thought that at least here, it would be safe. Instead, all those bikers you were supposed to arrest showed up here and started shooting at us.”

  The Sheriff gave her one of his rare grins before turning back to John. “Well, seems I owe you a bit of an apology, Mr. Troutdale. Though I do have one question for you.”

  John raised one of his eyebrows. “Of course, Sheriff. I’ll be happy to answer whatever you have for me.”

  “You said you were going elk hunting,” The Sheriff continued. “I take that to mean you brought down some high-powered rifles with you? Do you mind me asking what you’ve got? And more importantly, where they are?”

  John gave the Sheriff a level gaze for a few moments before he answered. “I don’t see the harm. All three of us have Winchester M70’s. As for where they are, they are secured in the safe at the bed-and-breakfast where we’ve been staying. You can ask the owners, too. We’ve not taken them out since we got here. I’ve not been able to find a guide yet.”

  The Sheriff frowned and looked down, shifting his hat on his head before nodding. “I hope you don’t mind if I check on that, but if it’s true, then you’re not the shooter we’re looking for.”

  “Shooter, Sheriff?” Abby asked, curious. With all the bullets from that night, she wasn’t sure who he meant.

  “Yep,” Sheriff Pearson said. “The shooter from out at the Hole-In-The-Wall. They used a .338 cartridge. Also, kind of hard to shoot people in the back when the three of you were in front of them during the shooting. Had to ask, though. I’m betting it was the same bullets that were fired during this fiasco, but I’ll have to wait for that until we can dig some of them out of the bodies.”

  There was still a mystery to be solved. Someone had been shooting at the bikers, both out at the bar, and here in town. Abby was thankful for the timing, as it had disrupted the bikers enough they couldn’t mount an effective defense when the police showed up. Still, she was curious. But she was also very, very tired.

  “Can we go home now?” Abby suddenly asked, looking plaintively at the Sheriff and leaning against Gabe. It had been a terribly long day. First, the search for Gabe, and now being in the middle of a shootout. It was late, but Abby felt like it had been a week since she got up this morning.

  The Sheriff nodded. “Yep, though I’ll send someone by tomorrow for statements. We’ve got a lot of cleaning up to do.”

  Abby turned to Becky. “You’re welcome to come home with us, Becky,” she said, happy that they were going to be allowed to leave.

  Becky shook her head. “I’ll stay here with Charlie. I don’t want him to leave my sight, and he looks as exhausted as I am. Maybe I can help him and then we’ll go when we can.”

  Abby nodded, then turned, slipping her arm into Gabe’s as they headed to one of his Ranger trucks. It wasn’t his normal truck since that was out somewhere in the mountains waiting for a tow, but this one would do just fine if it got them to the Morgan house. She’d accept a scooter if it came to that.

  Chapter 29

  Abby smiled as she watched the last of the diners getting ready to leave. It had been an excellent dinner service, and everyone who had come seemed to have enjoyed themselves. It was nice to have Becky’s Café re-opened.

  Mr. Capshaw and his crew had done a great job of the rebuild, and the floor plan of the building no longer looked like a converted house, but like a real restaurant. They had done some landscaping work on the outside and created a more inviting entryway as well. Best of all, they had finished ahead of schedule. It made Abby smile, and Becky had been truly overjoyed.

  “I can’t believe it’s almost Thanksgiving,” Becky said, coming up to stand beside Abby. “It’s a good thing that Hazel agreed to share her secret for her apple pie along with several other recipes. If nothing else, Mr. Martinez from Butters Ice cream is going to be a lifelong customer. He’s offered to sell his ice cream through us, too,” Becky sighed happily. “I think it will help both of us out. If today is any indication, I think business is going to be good. We even had some people come in from Salem for the grand opening.”

  “Even if they did call it Skunk Hollow?” Abby asked, giving her friend a nudge.

  Becky’s face clouded over as she grimaced at her friend. “Please don’t call it that. I hate that name.”

  Abby laughed softly. “Probably as much as I hate Hurricane Abby, but I think you’re stuck with it. That skunk has come back a few times and keeps nosing around. You might as well rename the Café.

  “I-” Becky said with her jaw set, “-am not going to rename the café to Skunk Hollow.”

  Abby shrugged but continued to smile. “Has Gabe figured out what’s attracting it? I didn’t get a chance to ask him before I came to work.”

  Becky nodded. “Yes, he said that the BBQ sauce we were using for your grandmother’s ribs was what was attracting it. Apparently, they love peanut butter.”

  “That’s why it cornered you in the storage area because all of the cooking equipment was in there with you,” Abby said happily. “Good to know! So how are you going to be able to keep the little critter from visiting?”

  “Gabe bought by some repellent and told me to spread it out along the boundaries of the café. Especially in the back where the trees are. He said it wouldn't hurt the skunk, which is good. Despite the trouble he’s caused, I didn’t want to do anything permanent to him.”

  “I hope it works. The skunk is cute, but I don’t think it will be good for business.”

  Becky shook her head. “I saw the letter that Hazel brought by for you earlier. She looked serious. Is everything okay?”

  It was Abby’s turn to look sour as she glanced toward the back. She’d had a chance to take a look at it earlier and didn’t know what to make of it. “It was an invitation.”

  “Oh? From who?” Becky asked, curious.

  “From Senator Clark, of all people,” Abby said. “He invited Hazel and me to a dinner next month at some fancy country club or something.” She th
ought for a minute before continuing. “I think Sunnyside Estate was the name? I’d have to check the invitation to be sure.”

  “You’re not thinking of going, are you?” Becky half-whispered in disbelief. “I mean, seriously, Abby. You probably won’t make it through the salad before he lunges at you with a knife.”

  Abby shrugged. “I’m not sure. I mean, on the outside, it sounds like a truly terrible idea, but I can’t help but be curious. Besides, it wouldn’t be just me going. It said I could bring a guest. Hazel said Mr. Wilberson wouldn’t go, so she won’t either, so I bet I could talk her into letting you take her place.”

  “Oh, well, that changes everything. We are totally going!” Becky said, grinning. “I want to sit there and stare at him all dinner. I’ll even practice my angry look.”

  Abby snorted. “You don’t need to practice that look, Becky. You’ve had it down since you were three, I’m sure.”

  They both laughed, watching as the teen girl they hired to bus tables swooped in to take care of the last table of the night. John Troutdale walked over, sweeping his hands out and smiling at the two of them. “That was very good food. Thanks for recommending that four-cheese macaroni. Very tasty.”

  “That’s the same recipe that Mike McGrady uses,” Becky said. “We got it from him last month. It goes great with Hazel’s ribs.”

  John laughed, his warm smile lighting up the room. “You are a real entrepreneur! I like that, and I’ll have my lawyers send you some offers for expansion. I know you are nervous about expanding, but I’ll walk you through every step so you’ll know what you might be getting into before we sign anything.”

  Becky nodded but didn’t answer. Abby wasn’t sure her friend was interested, but she’d talked Becky into at least hearing the man out. The problem was, it was very much outside of Becky’s comfort zone, and hers for that matter. Still, despite knowing more about his history than she ever wanted to know, she trusted the almost ex-mobster. He was still in the business, but desperately trying to work his way out.

  “Speaking of McGradys, I was heading over there after this to meet Reggie and Brian. Would you both like to come? We’re going to head back to Seattle tomorrow, and we want to celebrate.”

  “I could use a cider,” Becky said slowly. “It’s been weeks since I’ve had to work and I’m afraid I was getting used to the life of leisure.”

  “That sounds good to me,” Abby answered. “We’ll meet you there in about half an hour after we clean up.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you there,” John said as he walked out of the door.

  Chapter 30

  Abby was pleased to see that McGradys was not overly crowded as they walked in. There were quite a few customers, but it wasn’t difficult to navigate to the table where John and his men were sitting. She was even happier to see Gabe sitting there with them, beaming his dimples at her.

  “Hello, handsome,” Abby said, wrapping her arms around Gabe’s strong shoulders and kissing him. “What brought you out of your wooded hole?”

  “Good to see you, too, Mrs. Morgan,” Gabe smiled warmly after their lips separated. “I figured I owed it John to come into town to wish them well since they were kind enough to give me some of the Elk they’d shot. I have enough meat for a few months, now.”

  “I’ve never had Elk,” Abby said as she leaned against Gabe. “You’ll have to cook me something, and it better be good, mister.”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” Gabe said. “I’ve got just the recipe.”

  “Just as long as it doesn’t have mushrooms in it,” Abby said, giving Becky a wink. “I’m going to go up and get some ciders for Becky and me. I’ll be right back.”

  “Put it on my tab,” John called to Abby as she walked toward the bar.

  Mike McGrady smiled at her when she walked up, but despite the brisk business, the man seemed not his usual chipper self. Abby quirked her head as she stepped up to the bar, giving him a searching look. “Is everything okay, Mike?” She asked.

  Mike shrugged and looked off to the right, his eyes looking into the distance. “Yeah, just thinking about things.”

  “Is the bar okay?” Abby asked, concerned for her friend. She hoped it wasn’t anything to do with finances. Small towns had their issues, and money was usually one of them. They were still working on paying for the upgrades for the water treatment plant.

  “Yeah, the bar’s ok. Fortunately, I own the building, so it’s not a huge cost,” Frank said. Abby watched as the man’s face suddenly turned red, and he became angry as he leaned forward, almost hissing at her. “I just can’t believe they let so many of those bikers get away. They should have shot them off of their bikes. They were there; they could have done that!”

  Abby blinked, taken aback by the man’s anger. She didn’t know what to think of the sudden transformation, so she just nodded, trying to buy herself some time while she mulled over what the man had said. She had always thought of Mike as very happy-go-lucky, but with his face twisted in anger, he was scary looking.

  “There were too many of them,” Abby said softly and carefully. “The Sheriff said it could have turned into a bloodbath if they hadn’t given them a way out. They would have stopped trying to escape, and started shooting and they outnumbered the police.”

  Mike snorted and pushed himself away from the bar. He turned slightly away from Abby, but she could see his hands clenched in anger. The man was shaking even as he nodded. “Sure, yeah. I can see that.” He said, but the tone of his voice said he believed anything but what he’d just said.

  Suddenly, the pieces fell into place, and Abby gasped. Mike heard her and froze, looking at her out of the side of his eye. “You were the shooter,” she said before she could stop herself and covered her mouth with her hand, watching the man closely. For a moment, she almost thought Mike would swing on her, but suddenly he relaxed and looked down at the floor.

  “Yeah,” Mike said sadly. It almost seemed like he collapsed in on himself as he slumped. “I was the one. Those damned Sun Riders. They came here and killed so many of my friends. So many dead. We were just into pot and riding crazy on our bikes, but they came in like we were some organized mafia.”

  “You were a member of the Ghost Riders, then?” John’s voice said as he came up beside Abby. He turned to Abby. “They were the gang that the Sun Riders pushed out of Red Pine Falls. Wiped them all out, or at least, that’s what I thought. It was stupid. They were never a threat.”

  Mike didn’t turn but nodded. “Yeah,” he said distantly. Yeah, I was one of the last ones. I waited for years for them to come back but they never did. I didn’t know why. So what now? Seeing as how I saved all of you, are you going to turn me in?”

  Abby stared at Mike for a moment before exchanging glances with John. It was true; the man had saved their lives. Things would have gone a lot differently if he hadn’t shot at them from behind, making the biker’s panic. Still, he’d killed people, and Abby couldn’t let that go.

  “No,” Abby said softly, giving him a hard look. “No, I’m not going to turn you in Mike, because you are going to do it yourself. I know you had your reasons, and I’m thankful you saved us, but we all know you were just interested in killing those men. That’s not right. You need to answer for that, and I don’t think you want to go on the run.”

  Mike turned and stared at her for a long moment, but finally nodded, slumping in defeat. “Can you give me a few days to get my things in order? I’ll turn myself in. I promise.”

  Abby nodded. She could give that to the man. She turned with John back to the table and slowly walked back, sitting down next to Gabe. Her mood was noticeable, and the table became quiet.

  “What’s wrong?” Gabe whispered, leaning forward.

  Abby didn’t have the heart to answer. She was sad that Mike’s life was effectively over, but also a little angry. He’d done it to himself, but she didn’t know quite how to explain what happened to her friend.

  It was John that answered. “Well, let’s ju
st say, Abby has a way of figuring things out, but we should probably give it a few days. Otherwise, it might make things more complicated for you, Gabe.”

  Gabe frowned at John, but then looked over his shoulder at the bar. Mike was standing there, looking very unhappy. He turned back to Abby and sighed softly. “Yeah, probably for the best.” Then he reached over and gave Abby a long hug.

  Authors Notes

  You are amazing for reading this book. I happen to live up in the Pacific Northwest and am quite happy to do so. The tall, stately pines and good nature of the folks up here are exactly as I describe in the book. Polite, but that doesn’t mean things are boring. I hope you enjoyed this story because I plan on writing many more about the exciting times Abby will have in Red Pine Falls.

  I must say it’s been an adventure in writing. I very much enjoy telling stories that people will enjoy. It took me a powerful lot of years before I first published, but I can’t imagine ever going back. To the fans of Red Pine Falls, thank you so much for enjoying my work.

  Something you may enjoy knowing is that I do all of this almost on my own. I taught myself how to do covers in January of 2017, and I self-publish my works. I do and have people read my books for editing and proofreading, but I don’t have the huge team of New York editors that I wish someday to have. I work continually to do better, and I apologize if my way of writing or typo’s throws you off too much.

  If you want to reach out and chat, please post something on my Face Book Page. It’s an open forum that I pay attention to, and I want to hear what you have to say! Whatever questions or anything you want to say, is welcome (as long as it’s polite, of course).

  Please leave a review. Reviews are very important for writers, not only for honest feedback from readers, but they help tell other readers if my book is worth reading. You would do me a GREAT service by doing so.