Snow Ordinary Family

by Wendy Meadows

  “Dr. Milton, they all three admitted to killing Mitchel Cochran,” Sarah explained, her voice growing stern. “I don't know how they killed him, though. Or if they are simply talking nonsense in their old age. I'm hoping the autopsy report will help shed some light on this very confusing situation.”

  Dr. Milton glanced at Amanda. “Do you believe this?” he asked.

  “I did hear those women confess to killing Mitchel,” Amanda told Dr. Milton. She glanced at the body, shivered all over, and then eased back toward the kitchen. “I'll go pour us some coffee, love,” she told Sarah and hurried away.

  Dr. Milton lifted his hand and rubbed the back of his neck. “I suppose it could be possible. I always knew there was some bad blood between the Greenlight-O’Healey and Cochran families...but murder? Why, the O'Healey sisters are as harmless as butterflies. This is utter nonsense.”

  “We have a confession,” Sarah reminded Dr. Milton. “I agree that it is strange. We’ll need a psychologist to examine them eventually, though it will have to wait until after the storm. After spending a few minutes with the O'Healey sisters I realized they're as harmless as you're claiming, Dr. Milton. But they’re also not telling me everything. And the fact remains that they confessed to killing Mr. Cochran.”

  “And I suppose you have them locked up at the police station?” Dr. Milton asked Sarah in an upset voice.

  “No,” Sarah sighed. “I didn't...have the heart, okay? I sent them home under house arrest and ordered them to stay there. No more walks into town.”

  “Well, at least there's that,” Dr. Milton replied in a grateful voice.

  “Dr. Milton, what do you know about the O'Healey sisters?” Sarah asked.

  Dr. Milton took a quick sip of his coffee and then studied Sarah's eyes. “You want information from me?”

  “Please. It might help.”

  Dr. Milton hesitated and then cleared his throat. “It would be nice to warm up with some coffee before I bag up our poor Mr. Cochran. Okay, then. I'll tell you what I know.”

  “I would be very grateful.” Sarah gestured to a chair. Dr. Milton walked over, and they sat down a couple tables over from where the body lay still and limp. Sarah leaned forward toward the doctor. “I want to help the O'Healey sisters, Dr. Milton, not harm them. Anything you can tell me would be very helpful to this case. I can pass your information along to the police psychologist.”

  “I suppose you do want to help,” Dr. Milton said, reading the sincerity in Sarah's eyes. He took another sip of coffee and set down the coffee cup. “I don’t usually speak about people. Frustration and anger can make a man speak more words than he's prepared to defend...and I don’t like to gossip. But if it will help…”

  Sarah leaned back and folded her hands in her lap, relaxing. “Take your time.”

  “If that man was poisoned,” Dr. Milton told Sarah, “time will not be our friend.”

  “I understand.”

  Dr. Milton nodded. “Mrs. Spencer—”

  “Sarah...please, my name is Sarah.”

  “I’m a little old fashioned about names,” Dr. Milton said with a dry chuckle, then continued. “I've known the O'Healey sisters for many years. However, not as a doctor but as a friend. The O'Healey sisters refuse to see doctors...I doubt any of them have ever seen a doctor, not since their baby vaccinations. On occasion I have struck up conversation with them around town, simply to be friendly, and then perhaps once in a while over the years I have asked a friendly question or two about their diet, tried to figure out if they were experiencing any worrisome symptoms. I’ve even slipped in little hints like taking baby aspirin as a blood thinner. Strictly as a friend, you understand.”

  Sarah nodded, impressed. “What about the trouble between the Greenlight and Cochran families?”

  Dr. Milton warmed his hands around his coffee mug, thinking back. “All I know is what Abigail told me, years ago, after Mitchel Cochran moved to Snow Falls. You see,” Dr. Milton explained, “years ago when this town was nothing but a few cabins and a general store, both the Greenlights and the Cochrans had gold claims here. This was after Matthew Greenlight had been feuding with Billy Cochran over a gold claim somewhere in the Yukon.”

  “Why did both families move to this area?” Sarah asked, confused.

  “Because Miren Cochran married Stephen Greenlight,” Dr. Milton explained. “The families were connected through marriage.” Dr. Milton finished off his coffee. “Abigail told me that Billy and Meredith Cochran were both very protective over their daughter and vowed to follow her wherever she moved. According to Abigail, when Miren agreed to marry Stephen Greenlight, she only agreed once he accepted the condition that her parents would move with them. In the old days it was not uncommon, living with parents and adult children all in the same home, especially in the frontier era. You had to work together to survive.”

  Sarah rubbed the tip of her nose and thought for a few seconds. “Abigail said that Matthew Greenlight claimed Billy Cochran stole gold from his claim. Is that true?”

  “From what Abigail claims,” Dr. Milton nodded. “Abigail said shortly after the marriage of Miren and Stephen, a feud broke out between the two families, and Stephen Greenlight was forced to leave the Yukon Territory and ended up in this area. He bought a gold claim and, as I explained, so did Billy Cochran. They had fought in the Yukon, but from the way Abigail tells it, there was some thought that a fresh start in a new town would help the families let go of the old enmities.” Dr. Milton glanced at the café door as if expecting the sisters to walk in and chide him for telling their secrets. “However, Stephen had a distaste for Billy Cochran, and moving to a new town couldn’t wipe that out. They only ever tolerated each other because Stephen loved Billy’s daughter. As Abigail tells the story, the day came when Stephen publicly claimed Billy Cochran stole from his claim—dug up a sack of gold nuggets already mined, one that only Miren knew the location of. He claimed Billy had bullied his own daughter into revealing the location of the hidden gold, then stolen it in retribution for the old feud between the families. Abigail said Stephen wrote in a letter that was intercepted that he had had enough and threatened to kill Billy Cochran. Some kind of a duel. Pistols at high noon, Alaska style.”

  “How did Stephen Greenlight's wife respond?”

  “According to Abigail,” Dr. Milton continued, “Miren Cochran left her husband, fled to a cousin’s house amid the trouble. Stephen Greenlight, infuriated, believed her departure was proof that her own father had hurt her, so Stephen swore he would never rest until Billy Cochran and his entire family were...dead.” Dr. Milton looked at the door again and leaned forward. “As it turns out, Billy refused to meet Stephen for a pistol fight, said it was a slur on his honor to even respond. That very day, Abigail said, Stephen Greenlight drew a line on his property and threatened to kill any Cochran who dared to step over it. Billy Cochran drew a line and dared any Greenlight to step over it. Thus, the feud, one that began in the Yukon Territory, became renewed right here in Snow Falls.”

  “And then some,” Sarah added, stunned. It was worse than she thought.

  Amanda appeared, carrying a fresh pot of coffee and two empty coffee mugs. “More coffee, Dr. Milton?” she dared to ask.

  “Please.”

  Amanda shot a surprised look at Sarah. “Your coffee must be rubbing off on him.”

  “Guess so,” Sarah agreed and took one of the empty mugs from Amanda.

  “Here you go,” Amanda said and carefully refilled Dr. Milton's mug and then Sarah's. “Mind if I join you?”

  “Not at all,” Sarah assured Amanda.

  Amanda sat down, filled her own mug full of coffee, placed the pot of coffee down on the table, and looked at Dr. Milton. “I've been listening from the kitchen,” she confessed. “And I have a question.”

  “Okay,” Dr. Milton said, as he shifted in his chair.

  “If the O'Healey sisters and Mitchel Cochran are all still living in Snow Falls, that must mean there is a reason, rig
ht? Like maybe...gold...or some other hidden treasure?” Amanda asked. “I mean, let's face it, Snow Falls isn't exactly the tropics. Yet the sisters come back here all the time.”

  Dr. Milton took a sip of his coffee. “I've often wondered why the O'Healey sisters travel back to Snow Falls each winter,” he confessed. “Actually, Mitchel Cochran leaves Snow Falls in the spring and returns when winter arrives, too. He visits his two daughters who both live in Los Angeles.” Dr. Milton lowered his coffee. “I wish I had an answer, but I do not. Abigail only spoke to me about the feud because my wife is a very close friend who Abigail, Betty and Martha all love. As a matter of fact,” Dr. Milton said in a serious voice, “it was my wife who asked Abigail about the feud. I, like yourself,” he told Amanda, “simply listened and asked a few curious questions here and there. Abigail only answered because my wife was curious too, and now that I think about it...Betty and Martha didn't seem very happy about us learning all these details...or that Abigail was even allowing it.”

  Sarah took a sip of coffee. The coffee was perfect in her view. “Dr. Milton, the O'Healey sisters have many children, from what they told me. I need to run a check on each family member. I'll also run Mr. Cochran through the system and start checking on his family. It may be someone other than the O'Healey sisters who killed Mr. Cochran—”

  “Utter nonsense,” Dr. Milton told Sarah.

  “I have to check under every bed, Dr. Milton, and sweep out the dust bunnies,” Sarah explained. “That's my job. Your job is to perform an autopsy.”

  “I know my job, Mrs. Spencer.”

  “Then let's work as a team and solve this case together, Dr. Milton.” Sarah put down her coffee. “It's possible that the O'Healey sisters killed Mr. Cochran...somehow. Maybe with a poison? But I don't see how...not yet. I suppose we should search their house. It's also possible an outsider killed him, perhaps with a long-acting poison that took effect only this morning. The O'Healey sisters did claim they killed Mr. Cochran without touching him. But,” Sarah said in a very careful voice, “the O'Healey sisters can say one thing and mean another. They're old and the wordage they use can be a bit enigmatic. I want to be very careful before jumping to conclusions. I want solid data backed up by concrete facts and evidence. The lives of three women are on the line here and before I'm prepared to mark them as guilty, I want to dig under the snow and locate the truth.”

  Dr. Milton respected Sarah's concern and professionalism. “Okay, Mrs. Spencer, we will work as a team,” he assured Sarah. “I care about the O'Healeys myself. Besides, ever since I began taking cayenne and honey together every night before bed, my health has improved. I owe them a debt of gratitude.”

  “Cayenne pepper and honey?” Amanda asked, confused.

  “Don't ask...not yet anyway,” Sarah told Amanda and patted her arm. “Drink your coffee, because after Dr. Milton leaves with the body, we're locking up and going back to the station to put our noses to the grindstone.”

  Amanda sighed. “So much for girls-only week,” she said and looked at Mitchel Cochran’s still form slumped over the table and the forgotten newspaper. “Of all mornings...thanks a heap,” she grumbled.

  The doctor shot her a strange look. “What was that?”

  “Uh, I said, rest in peace,” Amanda quickly added, guilt passing over her face as she gulped down the last of her coffee.

  Amanda paced around Conrad's office like a tiger anxious to escape from a cage. “Our entire day is being wasted because a few old bats killed a cranky old man. Or want us to think they did.”

  Sarah lowered a report she was studying. “It says here,” she said, bypassing Amanda's complaints, “that Mitchel Cochran has two daughters.”

  “We know that,” Amanda pointed out. She walked over to a chair, grabbed a cup full of hot cocoa off Conrad's desk, and plopped down. “Did we really need to have a computer tell us something that we already know?”

  “No,” Sarah replied. “But this report goes into a lot of detail.” Sarah grabbed a half-eaten cheeseburger Amanda had trekked down to the diner and purchased for their lunch. The scent of french fries and melting cheese lingered in the chilly air of the station. “Mitchel Cochran’s two daughters have both been arrested for real estate fraud. His oldest daughter was released from prison five months ago and his youngest daughter was released eight months ago, three months earlier than her sister, for good behavior.”

  “Real estate fraud?” Amanda asked.

  Sarah nodded, scanning down the police report details. “They were buying bad properties and then obtaining false appraisals to raise the price of the property in order to sell it and make a profit. Mostly they bought old buildings under a shell company called Ceiling Properties, had the buildings appraised by a dishonest appraiser, and then sold them to companies as rental properties.”

  “Are these two women married?” Amanda said, her brow furrowed in thought.

  “Both are divorced, no children...no other siblings,” Sarah explained and took a bite of her cheeseburger. The cheese dripped out on her finger and she licked it up, glad for the filling meal with such an investigation before them. “I wonder if Mr. Cochran knew?” she asked and quickly wiped a bit of ketchup off the side of her mouth with a crumpled brown napkin.

  Amanda rubbed her chin. She remained cranky about the turn of events in her day but what was the point of fussing? The least she could do for Sarah was focus on the case at hand. Complaining wouldn't make the day go by any faster. “I knew Mitchel Cochran was a cantankerous old man...but I never knew he was a bad guy.”

  Sarah took another bite of her cheeseburger. “We don’t really know the truth of those old claims of thieving, let’s remember. What we do know is that both the O'Healey sisters and Mr. Cochran leave Snow Falls to visit their children when winter ends,” she said. “It's obvious the O'Healey sisters and Mr. Cochran have reason to harbor lingering harsh feelings toward one another...”

  “But?” Amanda asked, reading Sarah's doubts.

  “It's strange how they all leave town when winter ends,” Sarah mused.

  “Are you implying those three old bats and that cranky old man are somehow connected in...a bad scheme of some sort?” Amanda asked.

  “No...nothing like that,” Sarah explained. “I'm wondering if Mr. Cochran was somehow following the O'Healey sisters. If his own daughters are criminals...” Sarah looked out the office window and listened as the storm howled particularly loud for a second. “I want to examine Mr. Cochran's cabin and see how he lived. I need to see who he really was.”

  “Well...one of us is supposed to stay here at all times, but I would rather go with you,” Amanda told Sarah. “I don't like being alone.”

  “The only person who has called today has been Conrad and Andrew,” Sarah said and polished off the rest of her cheeseburger. “It's almost two o'clock and the phone has been silent. I'm sure we can leave for a while without Snow Falls crumbling down to the ground. And if someone does call, they can leave a message. Besides, everyone in town knows Andrew’s home phone number, if they don’t reach someone here, they’ll just call him directly.”

  “Good thing Andrew can’t hear you say that. He’ll put you in charge of a new 911 call center,” Amanda teased.

  Sarah smiled. “I can't stand sitting behind a desk. Pete is the same way and I learned under him. We like to work our legs.”

  “Hey, maybe we should call Pete for help,” Amanda suggested.

  “I thought of that, but honestly, June Bug, the poor guy is exhausted. I think I'll leave him alone for a while,” Sarah explained and grabbed a cup of coffee. “Now, the next report I ran is on all of the O'Healey children.”

  “Anything good?” Amanda asked and sipped her hot cocoa.

  “Clean as a whistle,” Sarah shrugged. “Every son or daughter of the O'Healey sisters works a very respectable job. One guy works as a medical researcher. Nothing more than parking tickets on their records.”

  “Maybe the researcher is the one who su
ggested taking cayenne pepper and honey?” Amanda suggested.

  “Could be,” Sarah rubbed her chin and continued. “All of the O'Healey children are married to people who have never broken the law. All of the grandchildren attend private Christian schools. As far as I can tell we're looking at an all-American, crime-free family.”

  “So that leaves us with the two bad sisters on the Greenlight side who like to make easy money.”

  Sarah grabbed a pencil and piece of notepaper and wrote something down. “A reminder for when I get back.”

  “A reminder for what?”

  “I need to call the prison Mr. Cochran's daughters were housed in and see if he ever visited them, and if he did, when and what times.”

  “Good thinking,” Amanda told Sarah, even though she wasn't sure what path Sarah's mind was walking down. Her brow wrinkled as she thought about it further, however. “Los Angeles, the old man is dead. I don't see how calling a prison and finding out if he visited his daughters will help us solve his murder.”

  “I'm not sure myself...yet,” Sarah confessed. “I just need to know if there was some kind of pattern that might help us. More importantly, I'm still trying to understand the O'Healey sisters. They admitted to killing Mr. Cochran but said they didn't touch him. What does that mean?”

  “Maybe they scared him to death?” Amanda suggested and drained her hot cocoa and then wiped her mouth with the arm of her dress. “So good.”

  Sarah leaned back in Conrad's chair and began nibbling her lip. “If they didn't use poison...then how?” she asked. “They also said they waited too long to kill him. That makes it clear to me that they were planning to kill him before today.”

  “Or that they’re just plain crazy. I can just imagine those three old bats sitting around, sipping tea, eating custard tarts, and planning a murder,” Amanda said and rolled her eyes. “Oh, let's stab him...oh no, we must shoot him...oh goodness no, we must hit him in the head with a pipe,” she continued in a silly old woman's voice. “And then we'll drag him outside and bury him under the mums in the flower garden...he'll surely be a delightful fertilizer.”