by Kathi Daley
This was a small thing, but it made me feel good that Judge Harper was continuing to help people even after his death.
“Of the initial five, we still have Striker Bristow, who wants to build a strip mall, and someone associated with Steven Reinhold, who’s in prison, though Judge Harper believed he might be innocent of killing his wife.”
“Correct.”
“Did Bristow not have an alibi or did you not speak to him?”
“The latter,” Roy confirmed. “I’ve left several messages for him, but all I’m getting is the runaround from his assistant. I’ll keep trying. And Clarissa Halloran, the woman who approached Judge Harper regarding Steve Reinhold’s innocence, isn’t answering her phone. I’ll keep trying to track her down, and I’ve requested the sheriff’s file on the death of Mrs. Reinhold. It might be beneficial for me to familiarize myself with the initial murder investigation as well as the trial file and Harper’s notes.”
“Sounds like you’re doing what you can at this point. Maybe Kyle will be able to help you with the research when he’s back.”
“There are a lot of notes to weed through and Kyle’s help will be appreciated, but Kate is wondering why I’ve decided to investigate these particular people. She isn’t making an issue of it yet, but at some point I’m going to have to tell her the truth about the files we found and the fact I’m working with you.”
I narrowed my gaze. “Is Kate working the case as well?”
“She is. So far she’s limited her investigation to interviews with the people who attended the town council meeting. They were coming and going all night, and she believes, probably rightfully, that someone must have seen something.”
“She has a point. We have the video of the meeting, so we can fairly accurately determine who was there. It makes sense that someone either came or left during the time the car was being tampered with.”
“Yes, she does, and she’s busy following the idea to its inevitable conclusion, so unless she comes up with something significant I’ll just leave her to it. Are we still on for dinner tonight? I’m anxious for you all to meet one another. Bringing Kate into the loop will make my life a lot easier.”
I glanced out the window and considered our options. “Why don’t you plan to bring her out to the resort? The place is going to be packed, but I’ll have some takeout delivered to the house.”
“Sounds good. We’ll talk later to settle on a time.”
Chapter 8
After I hung up with Roy, I decided to head over to the Beef and Brew and speak to Hank Hammond. Not only did Hank own the popular lakeside steakhouse, he was also a member of the town council. I figured he might have another take on what, if anything, might have been going on that could have led to Judge Harper’s death.
We really only had two suspects: Striker Bristow and Jennifer Reinhold’s killer, assuming that wasn’t Steven Reinhold. In my mind Jennifer Reinhold’s killer was a longshot. Not that I was going to remove them from the suspect list, but it had been eight years and Steven Reinhold’s conviction hadn’t been overturned. The only conclusion I could come to was that the man had been guilty of the crime he was currently in prison for committing.
As for Striker Bristow, he seemed to make as good a suspect as any, but I felt like he was far from a shoo-in, and at this point in the game we really should open the suspect pool up a bit.
The Beef and Brew didn’t open until four, but I knew Hank well enough to know he’d be in the kitchen overseeing the preparation of the soups and desserts that would be served throughout the day. Hank was born and raised on a ranch in East Texas, though he had lived in Serenity for quite some time.
“Well, look what the cat dragged in.” Hank greeted me with a smile on his sharply chiseled face. “I heard you were back.”
“I got home on Thursday. I guess you heard about my dad.”
Hank lowered his eyes as he stirred something in a pot that smelled like his famous beer-based chili. “I did. How’s Mike doing?”
“Better, I think. He may be waking up. Hunter is running some tests.”
Hank set his spoon on a plate sitting on the stainless steel counter and turned down the heat to let whatever was in the pot simmer. “That’s good news indeed. I still can’t believe Harold is gone. To lose your dad as well…” Hank shook his head, then refocused his attention on me. “What can I do for you today?”
“I’ve been doing my own investigation into the accident that killed Judge Harper and almost killed my dad, and I wanted to ask you a few questions relating to the town council if you have a minute.”
“If you don’t mind asking your questions while I fill these eclairs, ask away.”
I settled onto a barstool while Hank began gathering the ingredients he would need for the creamy filling.
“I’m not sure if you heard that Judge Harper’s brakes were tampered with.”
Hank looked surprised. “No, I hadn’t heard. Who would do such a thing?”
“I’m not sure yet. I know you were at the town council meeting on the night of the accident. I was wondering if anything stood out to you as a possible motive.”
Hank paused and looked directly at me. “You think someone who attended the meeting tampered with the car?”
“I think it’s a possibility. I know the brakes were tampered with during the meeting.”
Hank gathered a couple of items from the walk-in refrigerator and set them on the counter. He appeared to be considering my question as he measured and then dumped the first two ingredients into a large mixing bowl. “There’s always a certain amount of bickering that takes place at each meeting,” Hank began. “Most of it is just that, bickering. But there have been a few hot topic items as of late. Two come to mind.”
I got out my small notebook and a pen, prepared to write down whatever it was that Hank planned to share.
“There’s a man named Striker Bristow who wants to build a strip mall.”
“His name has come up several times,” I confirmed.
“He is a high achiever who isn’t used to taking no for an answer. I saw him chatting with Judge Harper during the break we took halfway through the meeting.”
“Do you know what they were chatting about?”
Hank shook his head. “No. I honestly didn’t pay much attention, but it did appear that emotions were high. There seemed to be a considerable amount of hand gesturing going on and both men had intense looks on their faces. Bristow is close to having enough votes to get the support he needs to move forward with his project. All he really needed to do was get Judge Harper to back off from his aggressive campaign to deny Bristow the permit he needed, and the few remaining holdouts on the council would most likely have gone along with the idea.”
“You’ve been working with Bristow for a while now. Does he seem like the sort to resort to murder to get what he wants?”
“Honestly, no. Bristow is a shrewd businessman, but I don’t see him killing a man over a project.”
Hank hadn’t really told me anything I didn’t already know, so I asked him about the second person he had mentioned.
“Duffy Welby.”
“And who is Duffy Welby?” I asked.
“He works for the town in the capacity of facilities maintenance. It seems Duffy was tasked with painting the town offices, but for some reason he hadn’t followed through with the task assigned to him. Based on what I’ve heard, Mayor Harper spoke to him about his shabby work ethic on several occasions before coming to the conclusion that it was time to move on. Harper fired Duffy on the very afternoon of his death. Now, I’m not saying the man killed Judge Harper, but I could see him doing something to get back at him.”
“Have you mentioned this to Roy?”
“No, but I did mention it to his new partner. She said she’d follow up. I assume she has.”
I spoke to Hank for a fe
w more minutes, then headed out to Grandpa’s truck. I called Roy, who informed me that Kate had followed up with Duffy Welby, who had a solid alibi. I asked if he had ever gotten ahold of Bristow and he said he was still working on it.
After I left the Beef and Brew, I decided to head back to the hospital. I hadn’t heard from Hunter, but I was done waiting. If my dad was going to wake up, I wanted to be there. I hated to think of him coming to and not knowing where he was or what had happened to him. Of course, I knew the nurses were keeping a close eye on him, but when he finally opened his eyes he should have someone he knew there to help him navigate his way back to us.
I pulled into the parking lot and found a space near the entrance. As she had earlier in the day, the woman manning the front desk near the elevator waved me through. When I arrived on the third floor, the nurse who usually worked the desk wasn’t there, but I could hear a commotion from down the hall, so it seemed one of the patients needed immediate help. Everyone must have been assisting that one patient; I didn’t see anyone else as I walked to my dad’s room and let myself in.
As he had been every time I’d come into the room, Dad was lying perfectly still. The ventilator had been removed, but the sound of the heart monitor filled the air as I tried to tame the butterflies in my stomach. I don’t know what I expected; I guess I hoped to walk in and find Dad sitting up in bed, chatting with whoever was visiting him. I quelled my disappointment and sat down on the bedside chair. I gently placed my hand over Dad’s, but this time he opened his eyes and looked directly at me.
“Tj?”
I was so shocked I just sat there for several seconds before responding.
“Dad?” I started to cry. “You’re awake.”
“Where am I?”
“You’re in the hospital. You were in an accident and have been unconscious for a few days. I need to get Hunter.” I stood up and looked around. There were usually nurses lurking just outside the room, but of course when I really needed one there were none to be found. “Don’t move,” I said as I released Dad’s hand. “I’ll be right back. I promise. And don’t go back to sleep.”
I ran for the door and headed down the hall. When I got there, I discovered the man in the room where it seemed the entire third-floor staff had congregated had gone into cardiac arrest.
“You shouldn’t be in here,” one of the nurses said when I poked my head inside.
“It’s my dad, Mike Jensen. He’s awake.”
“Go and sit with him,” a nurse said. “Someone will be there as soon as we’re able to stabilize this man.”
I held my breath as I returned to Dad’s room, praying I hadn’t imagined things, that he’d still be awake. His eyes were closed again and he didn’t seem to hear me enter the room.
“Dad?”
I swear my heart stopped in the two seconds it took him to open his eyes.
“How are you feeling?”
Dad narrowed his eyes but didn’t answer. He looked dazed and confused.
I sat down in the chair next to the bed and put my hand over his. “It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything. Hunter’s going to be here in a few minutes and he’ll explain everything.”
“Rosalie?”
“She’s at home. I’ll call her.” I looked toward the door. “As soon as Hunter gets here. She’s going to be so happy to see that you’re awake.”
Dad closed his eyes.
“You aren’t going back to sleep? You should stay awake until Hunter gets here.”
Dad didn’t answer, but he shook his head ever so slightly. He was probably light-headed and dizzy, but I didn’t want him to go back to sleep until after Hunter had a chance to examine him and confirm that the danger we’d all been worried about was over. I had no idea whether talking to him would help keep him from falling back into unconsciousness or not, but I needed to do something, so I began to ramble.
“It’s a good thing you woke up when you did. Tomorrow is the beginning of the Star-Spangled Spectacular. You worked so hard on the planning for both the resort and the town. I’d hate for you to miss it. Not that I want you to worry about it. Because I don’t. Rosalie, Grandpa, and I met with Noah today and everything is all set. I’m not anticipating any problems.”
Dad hadn’t responded or even moved since I’d been talking. “Are you still with me?”
“Ice cream.”
“You want some ice cream?”
He shook his head ever so slightly. “Cook-off.”
“Oh.” I realized he’d been listening to my rambling after all. “You want to be sure we ordered the ice cream for the make-your-own-sundae stand we always have at the cook-off. I’m sure Noah has taken care of it, but I’ll ask him. Everyone knows you can’t have a Fourth of July celebration without ice cream.”
Dad squeezed my hand just a bit.
“Grandpa’s filling in as judge for the BBQ cook-off and Noah is going to announce the bands. It looks like you lined up a few new ones this year. I think that was a good move. I know everyone has their favorites, but it can’t hurt to bring in some new talent.” I glanced at Dad. He hadn’t moved. “Still with me?”
He nodded but didn’t speak.
“Are you dizzy?”
He nodded again.
“I hear our sleeping beauty has decided to wake up.” Hunter strutted into the room with a smile on his face and a lightness in his step that hadn’t been there the last time I’d seen him.
“Oh, good, you’re here. Dad’s feeling dizzy.”
“That’s to be expected. Do you know how long he’s been conscious?”
“Not long. I stopped by to check on him and when I sat down and began to talk to him, he opened his eyes.”
Hunter reached down and took Dad’s pulse. It seemed like taking a person’s pulse was the first thing doctors ever did, even though Dad was hooked up to a heart monitor that should have given him all the information he needed. I supposed going for the pulse must have become a habit for Hunter and other doctors.
Dad opened his eyes and looked at Hunter, who immediately took out his penlight and shone it in each eye.
“Can you wiggle the fingers on your right hand, Mike?” Hunter asked.
Dad did as requested.
“Good. Now how about the left hand?”
Dad complied, as well as moving his right and then his left foot.
“Is he okay?” I asked. “Has the danger passed?”
“Probably. The tests I ran earlier didn’t show any sign of permanent damage. I’ll run additional tests now that he’s awake. As far as I can tell, though, it looks like he’s going to be fine.”
I looked toward the door. “I need to call Rosalie. She’ll want to come here. Grandpa too.”
“That’s fine, but I’m only going to allow brief visits. Your dad still has a lot of healing to do. We don’t want to tire him out.”
I took several steps toward the door. Then I stopped, turned around, and looked at Hunter. “Thank you.”
He shrugged. “Just doing my job.”
“No. It was more than that. I know you slept at the hospital before I got back. Thank you for watching out for him.”
“You know how I feel about your dad. He’s been like a second father to me. I was happy to do whatever I could to make sure he pulled through. Now go make your call, but remember, short visits.”
After I left the hospital I called Rosalie and told her the good news. She had been busy helping out at the resort, so I agreed to come back and help out so she and Grandpa could have a short visit. I wasn’t sure exactly what time Kyle and Doc would get here, but I knew if I didn’t keep busy I was going to explode with nervous energy.
After I checked in with Grandpa, I headed outside to get an update from the resort managers on the status of the day’s activities.
“Tj!” Our guest services mana
ger, Leiani Pope, hugged me. “I heard you were back. How’s your dad?”
“Better. He just woke up today, and Hunter thinks he’s out of the woods.”
Leiani, a native Hawaiian with dark hair, dark eyes, and dark skin, had worked at the resort for years and was more like family than an employee. She was outgoing and personable and a huge hit with the guests who returned year after year.
“I’m so glad. I’ve been so worried. We all have. It just isn’t the same around here without him.”
“Noah’s been taking the lead in Dad’s absence. How do you think he’s doing?”
Leiani smiled, her dark eyes shining as she spoke. “Noah’s doing great, but I’d say Ben is the one taking the lead. He’s been out there since before it got light, making sure everything’s perfect.”
“Well, he did run this place for a lot of years before Dad took over. If anyone knows what needs to be done, it’s him. Do you know where Noah is? I wanted to chat with him about a few things.”
“Try the grassy area where they’re holding the BBQ cook-off. I saw him there earlier.”
“I will, thanks.”
I was heading for the grassy area when I saw Bookman’s van pull onto the resort road. Bookman had been the one to pick up Kyle, Doc, and the animals from the airport. I changed direction and headed over to the house.
As soon as the van stopped and Doc opened the passenger door, Echo jumped out and ran over to greet me. He was so happy to see me that he almost knocked me down in his enthusiasm. I fell to my knees and wrapped my arms around his neck. My heart filled with joy as I buried my face in his warm clean-smelling fur. Echo licked my cheek as everyone else piled out of the van.
I glanced up and saw Kyle still standing near the now empty vehicle. He was smiling but looked uncertain. I remembered my talk with Jenna. I’d actually thought about it a lot. I knew Kyle cared about me and I cared about him. I didn’t want things to be awkward between us, and I knew if we took time to analyze things, awkward really was the most likely outcome.
