Dead Reckoning and Murderous Intent, A Red Pine Falls Cozy Mystery (Red Pine Falls Cozy Mysteries Book 4)

by Angela C Blackmoore

  “Come on, Becky,” Abby soothed as they headed back to Becky’s Café. “Not every man is like that. Gabe isn’t, and neither is Charlie. There are a lot of good men here.”

  Becky just threw her hands in the air, not giving up her anger entirely, but happy to walk quietly next to Abby.

  Chapter 11

  Abby picked up the ball and threw it, watching as Cheerio chased it through the leaves and pine needles before pouncing on his prey. He then trotted back, practically wiggling with happiness before plopping his bright green toy at the feet of the three people who stood there.

  Gabe picked up the ball this time, smiling as he winged it in a different direction for Cheerio to race after. “I’m so glad to see him back to his normal self. Boy, he really looked sad with that cast on.”

  “I know,” Abby said as she wrapped her arms around herself, bracing against a gust of wind. “He’s such an active dog. It just didn’t feel right to see him sitting around all the time.

  When Cheerio came back, it was Lanie, the spunky blonde deputy who reached down and retrieved the object of Cheerio’s attention. She made as if to throw, but kept the ball in her hand. Cheerio ran about four steps before turning back and looking at her, his accusing glance eliciting a chuckle before the deputy threw the ball for real this time. “He’s so smart. I swear, my parent’s lab is about as dumb as a box of rocks. Loveable, but dumb.”

  “Labs are good dogs,” Gabe said. “Great hunters. At least most of the time. If they’re trained and have something to do, they seem to become smarter for some reason. Personally, I think it’s just like people. Give them a sense of purpose, and they tend to be more responsible.”

  Abby frowned. “Maybe it depends on the purpose. This whole Foundation thing seems to have given people purpose, but it feels like their sense of responsibility has gone out the window.”

  Gabe threw the ball again after giving Cheerio a ruffle on the top of his head. “Personally, I think this whole Foundation thing is more like a big bucket of meat rather than a purpose. At least, that’s how people are behaving about it. Did you know that two people got into a fight over one of those stupid applications?”

  “Yes, I was the unlucky one that had to deal with it,” Lanie groused. “George Hickman and Sally Trusk. It seems George was taking one of the flyers off of Sally’s car windshield and she came out of the hardware store and lit into him. It didn’t come to blows, but they were both screaming at the top of their lungs. I couldn’t believe it. And the worst part was there were flyers on all the cars. George could have gotten another one in about five seconds.”

  “This is really scaring me,” Abby said. “People are fighting over flyers. What are they going to do next? And it’s Christmas!”

  Gabe took her in his arms and hugged her as she put her forehead on his chest. “Don’t worry, Abby. It will blow over. It has to. There’s no way he can just keep dumping money into the town, right?”

  Lanie turned from throwing the ball again. “I don’t know, Gabe. We just received notice we’re getting a brand new cruiser. State of the art. It has so many computers I keep expecting it to talk to me. The sheriff isn’t happy about it either, but the other deputies are thrilled. We’re also getting a whole bunch of stuff for the department.” Lanie paused. “I think the sheriff is thinking of sending it all back, but I worry.”

  “Worry about what?” Gabe asked.

  Lanie bit her lip as she considered what she was going to say. “Well, people have long memories, and I’m worried about what it might do to the sheriff if people lost faith in him. Not that they should, but all they're going to see is he turned down equipment that will make our department more efficient. The other deputies seem thrilled, but what will they do when the sheriff sends it all back? Will they question him or talk behind his back?”

  “You don’t question him, do you?” Abby asked.

  Lanie furrowed her brows. “Of course not. I can totally see what the sheriff is concerned about, especially knowing who’s behind the money. I wouldn’t take a stick from the senator if I were drowning in quicksand. Not after he convinced the state police to leave us hanging when we went after the bikers. We could have all died if things had happened differently.”

  The three went quiet, watching as Cheerio raced up and dropped the ball at Abby’s feat. She extracted herself from Gabe’s embrace, retrieved the ball, and tossed it high in the air. Cheerio ran a few steps, looking upwards as he tracked the tennis ball before jumping and catching it.

  “What a downer. I hate talking about the senator,” Lanie said, then perked up. “Did you hear that John Troutdale was back in town?”

  Abby and Gabe both shook their heads, encouraging Lanie to continue.

  “Yeah, apparently he bought McGradys bar or something. I don’t know the specifics, but he worked out some kind of deal with Mike after he turned himself in.”

  “Is he moving down here?” Gabe asked, showing a bit of excitement. He had taken John and his two friends out elk hunting and apparently they’d all hit it off while male bonding out in the woods.

  Lanie shrugged. “I have no clue. The sheriff briefed us on the situation as a potential watch point.”

  “Why?” Abby asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Abby,” Lanie said, raising an eyebrow back. “I know John said he’s trying to get out of the crime business, but he’s still got some ties. I like the man, but it would be silly for us not to keep an eye on things, right?”

  Abby nodded. She liked John Troutdale as a person, and he had even saved her from being kidnapped. It was easy to forget the man’s family used to be heavily into criminal activities. He’d said himself he was trying to go legit, but it was slow and delicate. He was doing it for his wife and kids. “We should probably go visit. Is the bar open? I wonder if he’ll have some of Mike’s hard ciders. Those are tasty.”

  “I don’t think it’s reopened yet, but they’re planning to do something during New Year’s Eve,” Lanie said. “Boy, I sure wish he wasn’t married. Can you imagine kissing that on New Year’s?”

  “Not even a little,” Gabe said.

  Abby grabbed him and planted one on his lips. “You better not, mister. You’re very taken, but that does sound like fun. We should head over there and say hi.”

  Gabe perked up, nodding. “That sounds like a great idea! Do you want to come with us, Lanie?”

  Lanie shook her head. “Naw, as much as I would love to put it down to police business. I’d just stare. Besides, I have to head back.” Lanie began to head toward her patrol car, throwing the ball one more time for Cheerio. “I have to do some work today.”

  Abby and Gabe loaded up Cheerio into the back of Gabe’s truck before following Lanie down the small road to the bridge that connected their island to the town. Abby reached back, scratching Cheerio’s head and smiling. “Aren’t you so glad you can come with us again, Cheerio? Good boy. I bet it was boring sitting around the house all the time, wasn’t it?”

  Cheerio woofed, lolling his tongue out as they all headed into town.

  Chapter 12

  McGradys’ bar had been shut down following the incident with the bikers. They had been trying to get to Frank Millerson, the ex-bank manager for Red Pine Falls Mutual. The man had been fired following an incident where he’d cut off Becky’s bank accounts, believing she had been responsible for the death of one of his friends, but the owners of the bank did not see it that way.

  No one knew at that time that Frank was also laundering money for several criminal organizations. Before being let go, Frank had decided to steal money from those same accounts and skip town.

  It had caused a rough motorcycle gang to come to town looking for Frank. They tried to take him after he’d gotten arrested, resulting in a shootout at the jailhouse, but Mike had distracted them, firing a hunting rifle at them from behind. It had caused enough confusion for Sheriff Bob Pearson to arrive and save the day.

  Unfortunately, Mike had also been hunting
the bikers for personal reasons and, as a result, had killed several of them. Despite saving the day, he was now awaiting trial for murder. It caused a strange sense of conflict within Abby.

  Still, when they pulled up, Abby was happy to see lights on inside. The bar had held some good memories, and seeing it closed had been depressing even during the holiday season. There looked to be a small crew of local workers outside putting up Christmas decorations on the building’s exterior and touching up some of the old paint.

  Gabe waved as they got out of the truck while Cheerio bounded down from the cab with enthusiasm. The two men who were working both stopped and greeted Cheerio, petting and smiling at the dog with equal enthusiasm.

  “Is John Troutdale here?” Gabe inquired, walking up to the door to the bar but looking at the older of the two men.

  “Yep,” the man said, gesturing toward the door. “He and the new manager are inside.

  “New manager?” Abby asked, looking at Gabe and raising her eyebrows. “So at least we know John’s not moving down here. I would be surprised, but you never know.”

  “Naw, he’s not moving down here but the new manager is from out of town as well. Big guy but nice,” the first man said. “It won’t be the same without Mike, though.”

  The other man nodded while Gabe and Abby went inside, followed quickly by Cheerio. Within, Abby got a surprise when they saw John and his friend Reggie talking to Eric Capshaw, the same contractor that had worked on Becky’s Café.

  Abby and Gabe!” John said, throwing his hands up and smiling. “What a great surprise! I didn’t have time to call you yet. How did you know I was here?”

  “Do you really think the sheriff isn’t going to keep his eye on you?” Gabe asked.

  “Well, now that you mention it, no,” John said nonchalantly and shrugged. “I think I’d be disappointed in the old warhorse if he didn’t.”

  “What does that mean?” Eric Capshaw said with a frown. “Why would the sheriff be keeping an eye on you?”

  John turned. “Don’t worry, Mr. Capshaw,” he said. “I’m not going to lie to you. My family used to be involved in things that the sheriff should keep an eye out for but that was under my father’s guidance. Since I inherited, I’ve made sure we don’t involve ourselves in that kind of activity anymore.”

  Mr. Capshaw narrowed his eyes and stared at John Troutdale for a few moments before nodding slowly. “Okay, I’ll take your word on it.”

  “Good,” John said, shaking the man’s hand. “We’re just going to be running McGradys exactly as it was before, or as close to it as possible. No sense in ruining a good thing. Besides, I owe the man, and I always make good on my word.”

  “Did you buy the bar?” Abby asked, curious.

  John shook his head. “No. I’m always looking for a good deal, but Mike doesn’t deserve for me to swoop in and buy his place just because he’s in a spot of trouble. I offered to run it for him, but he still owns it. As I said, I owe him for saving us.”

  “That’s very altruistic of you, John,” Abby said, smiling at the man. She had to admit; it assuaged some of her guilt at having forced Mike to turn himself in.

  John spread his hands out and shrugged. “Well, before you go thinking I’m a total saint, this place was making a decent profit before. Besides, Reggie took quite a shine to Red Pine Falls and was happy to retire here to run a bar.

  “Yep,” Reggie added. “I grew up over in Pullman, Washington, and kind of missed the small town attitude. Not that a university town is quite the same thing. Still, I wanted a change of pace, and running a bar sounded fun.” He grinned and flexed his well-developed muscles. “Besides, I won’t need to hire a bouncer.”

  Abby eyed him speculatively. “I have only one question, Reggie.”

  “Oh yeah?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “What is it?”

  “Do you have the recipe for Mike’s cider?” Abby almost pleaded. “Please say yes!”

  Reggie grinned and nodded. “You bet I do! I can’t say as the first several batches will be perfect, but I’ve got some time to practice. There were a few kegs in the cold storage, and Mike gave me the names of some of his buddies that brew around here. I’m going to learn how to do that!”

  Abby clapped. “You’ve got your first customer, Reggie!” she said, hugging the large man.

  Reggie hugged her back and pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. “We’re not open yet, but that doesn’t mean I can’t treat everyone. Anyone else want some?”

  They all said yes, including Mr. Capshaw who was looking uncommonly happy for some reason. Abby wondered if he had a thing for home brewed hard cider.

  Reggie had just disappeared into the back room when the front door opened again, making them all turn at the sudden influx of sunlight. There, framed in the doorway was a smiling Don Buckshire followed by three men. They weren’t the same ones that had been with him at City Hall, but they had the same look.

  “Oh, jackrabbits,” Abby sighed, wondering why she suddenly had a sick feeling in her stomach.

  Chapter 13

  “I’m afraid we’re not open yet,” John said, smiling politely and taking a step toward the four men. “We’re going to have a grand opening on New Year’s Eve, however. It should be quite fun, and we have some festivities planned.”

  “Oh, we’re not customers,” Don Buckshire said, giving John a patronizing smile as the three men who had slouched in behind him looked around at the work going on in the bar. “My name is Don Buckshire, and I’m part of the city council. I saw that old McGrady had gotten new management and wanted to come by and introduce myself!”

  John took Don’s hand and shook it, nodding. “It’s a pleasure, Don. My name is John Troutdale, and if you wait a few minutes, Reggie Bascom will be up in a minute. He’s the one that will be running things day to day.” John paused for a moment and tilted his head. “I have to say, I own a lot of businesses, but I’ve never gotten a visit by city councilmen. I hope everything is okay with the changeover? We’re not buying Mike McGrady out; we’re just going to run it for him while he’s otherwise occupied.”

  Don shook his head and waved one of his hands dismissively. “No trouble at all, Mr. Troutdale. This is more of a friendly visit than anything else. However,” he said, pulling out a piece of paper from the leather portfolio he carried in his hands. He held out the paper to John who took it smoothly. “I did want to make you aware of some initiatives that are ongoing. They are new, and I wanted to make sure you were aware. Especially considering how dilapidated Mike allowed his bar to become.”

  Abby watched as John’s eyes scanned the paper and though his smile didn’t waiver, she saw the faintest glint of steel emerge as he read down the page. “Very interesting,” John said after a few moments. “Very interesting indeed.”

  “Yes, we think so!” Don said happily. “Red Pine Falls is undergoing a new Renaissance, Mr. Troutdale. If you’ve been in our fair town any length of time at all, you’ll see there is quite a lot of room for improvements. Well, I’m here to tell you that those improvements are being made, thanks to the Foundation!”

  “Foundation?” John asked, narrowing his eyes at the tubby councilmen.

  “Yes, the Foundation for Oregon Urban Renewal,” Don said. It’s a statewide initiative that’s being pioneered in Red Pine Falls. It provides grant money for a variety of projects.”

  “I see,” John said slowly and held up the piece of paper Don had given him. “Is this paper part of that Foundation or is it something else? It seems kind of like a homeowners’ association. I’ve never seen one for a whole town, though.”

  “Well, it’s related, but it’s my own initiative,” Don said proudly. “I figured if we’re going to have the town making improvements, we don’t want one person being able to paint his or her house bright orange.”

  Abby was becoming concerned and held her hand out. “Can I see that, John?” She and Gabe huddled together, reading through the piece of paper after John had passed it
to them. It was obviously of a different quality than the flyers the Foundation had been spreading around, but there were marked similarities. It even used the same color palette and font.

  At the top, in clear black lettering, the title read ‘Red Pine Falls Urban Renewal Association Rules.' Below that, in three columns of tiny lettering, it listed off suggestions that were to be followed by any Association member.

  “What’s this about members?” Abby asked, waving the piece of paper toward Don. The three men had continued talking after Abby had started reading, but she hadn’t heard what they were saying to each other. However, when she looked up to interrupt, it didn’t look like John was overly thrilled with the conversation. Don just looked irate at being interrupted.

  “Excuse me?” Don said, frowning.

  “I said, what is this about members?” Abby repeated. “It says right here that this Association has members. What’s that about?”

  “I was just asking him the same thing,” John said sourly. “Seems this new initiative has a scaling membership cost depending on one’s residence.” He looked back at Abby and shook his head.

  “Well, yes! Of course!” Don said, spreading his hands out in a friendly manner. “Being a resident should have its perks, shouldn’t it? You are a wealthy man, Mr. Troutdale. I wouldn’t think the cost would be beyond you.”

  John turned back to Don, most traces of friendliness having fled in the face of his mounting irritation. “So tell me, Mr. Buckshire. What if I don’t pay this fee? Is this a requirement by the city? Also, I kind of like the older, rustic look of the bar. I had intended on doing some touch-up work, but for the most part, I was going to leave the bar how it is.”

  Don seemed to be taken aback and sputtered for a moment, not knowing what to say. John Troutdale was not a tall man, being just a smidge over five foot four, but he was well built for his size, and he carried a presence equal to someone much larger. His expression hadn’t changed much, but the steel he now held in his eyes shone through quite clearly.