Earl turned and stared glumly at Abby for a long moment before he gave her a grim smile and smacked the countertop as if squashing a bug. “You know, I do have something, and I’ll gladly let you use it. We don’t use it during the winter, and it should serve your purposes. Come with me.”
Earl buttoned up his coat and led them out onto the docks, walking to the last boat house that jutted out into the water, and stopping at the door. Opening it, he led them into the small, well-kept boat house containing a medium-sized covered craft sitting in the water. He lovingly ran his hands along it before unhooking the cover and then peeling it back showing Abby and Gabe a gorgeously maintained antique wood motorboat.
Abby and Gabe both smiled, looking at the clean lines and shiny wood that made up the top and sides. The seats were covered in red leather with buttons spaced in a diamond pattern. “Mr. Hugyens? Are you sure you want to lend us this?” Abby asked shyly. Clearly, the boat was not a run-of-the-mill affair, but one that had been lovingly restored and maintained, and by the look Earl had on his face, it was he who had done so.
Earl blew out a breath and looked up, nodding. “She was built in 1940, and I found her out on some old farmer's land, just sitting there and wasting away. It took me a few years to restore her, but I figured if I was going to own a marina, I would find the time to enjoy her. She’s been good to us,” Earl said and smiled. “Just…take good care of her.”
“Thank you,” Abby said. “This means a lot to me, but you know once they figure out what you’ve done, all those rentals will probably go away.”
Earl shrugged. “Well, they’d go away anyway, and it’s for a good cause. It'll be worth it if it sticks in Senator Clark’s craw. I never did much care for someone that spends their time messing with good folks.”
He fished the keys out from his pocket and dropped them into Gabe’s hand. They had a foam floater attached that said Red Pine Falls Marina, but even so, they still fit into Gabe’s pocket. “Thanks, Earl,” Gabe said, shaking the man’s hand. “We owe you one. Also, is it okay if we park in your parking lot? I am kind of nervous about just parking next to the bridge. I don’t think the sheriff would let it happen, but who knows what the state police might do to our vehicles.”
“Not a problem, Gabe,” Earl said, then held his hand out to Abby. “And you must be Abby Morgan. Sorry, I should have introduced myself, but I feel like I already know you.” He chuckled and shrugged. “You know about small towns and gossip.”
Abby smiled. “I do, and I’m sure you are having a hard time not calling me Hurricane Abby, aren’t you?”
“Maybe a little,” Earl said, shrugging. “But as I hear, you’ve done this town a lot of good. You’re all right in my book.”
“Mr. Hugyens,” Abby began hesitantly. “You’ve already done us quite a favor, but there was something else I wanted to ask you.”
“Oh?” he answered, turning from covering up the boat. “What can I help with?”
“We were wondering if you knew anything about this Association that Don Buckshire has created,” Gabe said. “We were over at McGradys, and he showed up, telling the new managers that they should sign up for it and that all of the council members were already on board.”
Earl’s face clouded over as Gabe spoke, then he shook his head angrily. “Well, Don just shows what a liar he is every time he opens his mouth. I knew he was talking about it, but I didn’t know he’d pulled the trigger. Now he says that all of us are involved?” The man’s dark face became ruddier as he got angry. “We can’t just tell everyone how they’re going to run their lives. I didn’t fight overseas just so some idiot like him could order people around.”
Abby felt a profound sense of relief that Don had been lying. She had been mortally afraid that he’d been telling the truth, but at least now she knew it was not as cut and dried as the man had made it seem to be. “Do you know how many other council members are involved?”
Earl pursed his lips as he thought and then gestured for them to follow him out of the boat house and headed back toward his bait shop. “I can guess, but honestly I thought we’d managed to squash it at our last meeting, so I hadn’t given it much thought. Ruby Anderson and Francine Carthridge seemed pretty positive about it. Neither of them was ever much vested in actually helping people.”
He held the door for Gabe and Abby, then entered himself and moved back behind the counter, leaning on it as he continued talking. “Joe will be against it. He and I agree on most things like that. I’m all for improving the community, but not at the cost of our freedom. I have no clue what John Tillsdale or Gini Moore think of it. The last time it came up, they were pretty tight-lipped and non-committal. I suppose you can go and ask them, though.”
“Thank you, Mr. Hugyens,” Abby said. “We might just do that. And thanks again for the use of your boat. I don’t know how often we’ll need it, but maybe once or twice during the week for groceries? We’ll be careful with it.”
Earl nodded and waved as they made for the front door. “Just keep your eyes open. I don’t like all of this stuff that’s going on around town. Keep me posted on what you might learn, and I’ll do the same. Don’s making my teeth itch, and that usually means trouble.”
“We will!” Abby called, and Cheerio barked, racing ahead of them as they headed back toward Gabe’s truck. It was still parked on the street, and thankfully no one had messed with it.
“Where to next?” Gabe asked as he and Abby walked hand in hand. “Do you want to go talk to John Tillsdale or Gini?”
Abby shook her head. “Oh, I think you know, Mr. Wilson. I think Mayor Tomlin needs to be made aware exactly how much we dislike our bridge being blocked.”
“I think you’re right, Mrs. Morgan,” Gabe said, grinning.
Chapter 17
“Hello, Claire,” Abby said cheerfully as they opened the door to the mayor’s outer office.
The woman looked up and smiled, waving at Abby, Gabe, and even Cheerio as they came trooping into the room. “Wow! Two visits in less than a week! Where’s Becky?” Claire said, looking apologetically at Gabe. “Not that we don’t appreciate our noble forest rangers. You know you are always welcome to come visit anytime as well, just as long as you don’t bring any critters with you.”
Gabe grinned. “All out of critters today. We wouldn’t want to have a recap of what happened at Becky’s café, would we? One skunk is enough.”
“Is the mayor in?” Abby asked as her smile faded. “Unfortunately, I have yet another bit of trouble to bring to his attention.”
Claire saw the look on Abby’s face, and her own warm greeting faded before she held up her finger and stood. “He’s in, but let me check with him. The sheriff is in there, and they’ve been talking for a while. I’ll see if he’s just about done.”
Claire moved to the door and opened it, peeking in and exchanging words with the men inside. Surprisingly, when she turned around, she looked fairly happy. “The mayor said to go on in. He didn’t seem too be surprised to hear that you were here, so maybe your issue is related.”
She held the door as Abby, Gabe, and Cheerio moved into the inner sanctum and saw the mayor and sheriff looking expectantly at them. They didn’t look overly pleased, but when they saw Cheerio, both men’s faces brightened considerably, and they reached for treats almost simultaneously.
Cheerio, of course, didn’t have a problem with double treats and paid suitable doggy attention to each of the men as they fed him. Claire left the door open while she dragged one of the chairs from the outer office over, but Gabe picked it up before she’d gotten halfway across the room and carried it in the rest of the way. After they’d shut the door and gotten seated, the mayor gave them all a tired look.
“So, Abby Morgan, let me guess,” the mayor said. “You’re here to talk about the barricades they just placed across the bridge to your island.”
“You bet your sweet bippy I am,” Abby said as she leaned forward in her chair. “Did you know about this?�
�
The mayor and sheriff both shook their heads. “No, or at least not until a few hours ago,” the mayor answered. Bob brought it to my attention, and we’ve been sitting here discussing the situation.”
“Discussing the situation doesn’t sound too promising,” Abby said, frowning. “It sounds like you’re saying you can’t do anything about it. Is that true?”
Mayor Tomlin exchanged a look with the sheriff before turning back to Abby. “More or less true, Abby. I’m not going to lie to you. Part of the issue is that your Grandmother’s island lies on county land, not city land. Technically, we don’t have any jurisdiction over it.”
“But the bridge connects to the city roads, doesn’t it?” Abby said angrily.
“It does, about ten feet from the bank of the river,” Sheriff Pearson said. “You can thank your thrice Great-Grandmother Kat Morgan for that. She didn’t want anyone to have a say in how she did anything, so she made sure to link her land with the county, not the city. Back when she built your house, almost no one was at the county level. It was all towns at that time. She had no idea how things would change.”
Abby threw her hands up. “So what can you do? Can you do anything to help us? What if something happens to Hazel or Mr. Wilberson and an ambulance can’t get to them?”
The mayor started to answer but stopped, frowning and reaching up to scratch his silver hair. “Abby, I don’t have a solid answer yet. I hadn’t even thought about that, but it’s not something I can just wave my hand and make it go away. Believe me, I will be working hard to set this right, but it’s more complicated than just the bridge.”
“Yes, we know,” Gabe said. “We were just over at McGradys talking to John Troutdale this morning. Guess who showed up?”
“Don Buckshire?” Sheriff Pearson said in his slow, deep drawl.
“What?” the mayor said, sitting up. “What’s that jack-a-lope doing now?”
“Sorry Gil,” the sheriff said, turning to his friend. “We hadn’t gotten to that part yet. It seems old Don has been running around town trying to sign up people for that Association thing he was talking about. I’ve not been able to run down the paper he’s passing out, but it can’t be good.”
“I should say not!” Mayor Tomlin ground out. “I swear, I thought we’d laid that to rest at the last meeting. That must be one of the reasons he’s pushing for this upcoming Town Hall. He probably wants to get support for it and then try to ram it down everyone’s throats! In the middle of the Christmas season, too!”
“When is the Town Hall?” Gabe asked. “I’ve not heard anything about it.”
“That’s because they’ve just started to plaster signs up all along the boulevard,” Sheriff Pearson said. “Don’s called it for a week after New Year’s on the sixth. I think he’s got several radio spots booked on the local stations, too. Gil and I were just talking about it and what it might entail.”
“We can guess,” the mayor said. “But we’re going to put a stop to it; this Association and this Foundation. I’m going to make it known that the city won’t be accepting any money from the Foundation which should effectively crush this Association of Don's. We can’t stop private individuals from taking the money, but I won’t put this town into the good senator’s debt. There’s no way.”
“What do you think will be their response?” Abby asked carefully. For some reason, she felt a chill race up and down her spine. “Is there anything they can do?”
The mayor slammed his hand down on his desk. “No, not without it taking quite a long time. They’d have to put it to a vote, and that can’t be done just on a whim. It’s got to go through two official meetings by the town council before it could be voted in, and that should give us a few months to dig into this issue deeper. Whatever the senator is doing, he wants to do it quickly.”
“We’re with you, sir,” Gabe said, holding Abby’s hand. She squeezed it and nodded in support. “But first, what can we do to get the Morgan Bridge opened back up?”
“Let’s make a few calls. Might as well get on that since we have everyone we need right here,” the mayor said, reaching for his phone. It was going to be a long afternoon.
Chapter 18
“You are an ingenious rascal,” Becky said to Charlie as he pulled up in a four-seat golf cart. The barrier that blocked the bridge didn’t leave enough room for a car to get by, but Charlie had surmised, and been correct, that a golf cart would be able to slide through. He was also wearing a tux and had on an old-style chauffeur's hat. Abby and Becky both thought it looked adorable on the slim doctor, but they saw Gabe roll his eyes and shake his head.
“You look like a clown,” Gabe said but softened his comment with a chuckle.
“You're just angry you didn’t think of it,” Charlie grinned, then doffed his cap and bowed to Abby and Becky. “Don’t let this cretin dampen your enjoyment of my services, m’ladies. I am here to serve.”
“Aren’t you cold?” Abby asked, smiling at Becky’s boyfriend.
Charlie blew out a breath and nodded. “Yes, but I can manage for a few more trips. If I put on a down vest over this tux, I really will look like a clown, and that would ruin the entire experience.”
“You could have put on a wool coat. That would have looked distinguished enough for an elegant chauffeur,” Gabe suggested.
“Well, yes,” Charlie said. “And it would have been fantastic if I had thought about it. But since I didn’t, I suppose I must suffer for my art.”
“My hero,” Becky said, leaning in and kissing him.
They held it for long enough that Abby cleared her throat and grinned, pointing down toward the bridge where some people were waiting for pick up. “I think you have some customers, Dr. Bennard,” she said. “It wouldn’t do to make them wait. You might not get a tip.”
Charlie laughed as he broke the kiss and climbed back into the golf cart and started up the engine. “See, already suffering for my art.” He waited while Becky leaned in and gave him another long kiss before waving and driving down the small road to the bridge.
Abby peered, trying to make out who it was. It looked like Reggie, Lanie, and possibly Robert Carrington. She blinked. The red-haired lawyer showed up at the most unusual times, and it seemed he was also invited for Christmas dinner.
Abby was still baffled at how someone like Hazel would know a big city lawyer from Chicago. Where had they met? Or, more appropriately, where had Hazel met his father and why did it seem he was always there looking out for them? It was a mystery, and Abby despised not knowing. She resolved to grill Hazel about it later.
“Come on,” Gabe said, slipping his warm hand around hers and pulling gently. “I recognize that look. Time to go inside.”
Abby snorted and moved toward the front door as Gabe held it open for her. “Aren’t you the least bit curious? The man came out of nowhere.”
Gabe snorted back and shook his head as they moved into the warmer clime of the house. It was like walking into a hug, and Abby could hear the fire crackling in the fireplace. “It’s not out of nowhere. You heard your Grandmother say she knows his father. He’s just here renewing some sort of family obligation they have with each other.”
“Right, because that’s what fancy lawyers do all the time,” Abby said. “Drive into the wild jungles of Oregon to visit.”
Gabe laughed and grabbed Abby, pulling her into a kiss in the hallway. When they broke the kiss, he held her and looked deeply into her eyes with his hazel ones. Abby loved the laugh lines that crinkled up when he smiled, almost as much as his dimples. “We’re only thirty minutes from Salem; we’re not in the wilds.”
“Says someone who’s never lived in a big city,” Abby said, smiling back at him. “Seriously, don’t you live in a tree fort out in the forests?”
“Not hardly!” Gabe said, tickling Abby and making her laugh as she tried to escape. Cheerio came bouncing up, barking and yipping playfully as the two wrestled. “I’ll have you know it’s a nice, dry hobbit hole! It
’s carved into a pleasant little hillside overlooking a large tree, too!”
Abby broke from his grasp and moved toward the living room. Gabe couldn’t follow since Cheerio was tangled in his feet, but in her haste, Abby almost ran into Hazel as she carried a platter of cheese and crackers out to the guests who were already here. Fortunately, the old woman was still spry enough to dodge as Abby moved past.
“Oh, now! You almost knocked me over!” Hazel said, smiling. “You two children go outside if you’re going to roughhouse.”
“It’s his fault!” Abby said, pointing at Gabe as he walked up. “I am innocent.”
“You’re never innocent, Abby,” Gabe grinned. “Hurricanes always knock things over.”
“Not you, too!” Abby said, acting injured.
“You only do it to yourself,” Becky said, looking up from where she was talking to Earl and Janice. “Half of the reason I hang around is to see what you’ll do next.” Hazel had decided to invite the Hugyenses to dinner in thanks for using their boat. Since their children had elected to spend Christmas in Corvallis with their boyfriends, the offer had been eagerly accepted.
“Traitor,” Abby said playfully. “I thought it was my excellent skunk wrangling skills.”
“That too,” Becky said, grinning back and then sniffing the air. “I sure hope Charlie hurries up. It smells like the turkey and ham are ready!”
“Almost,” Hazel said. “Bill is in the kitchen right now cutting them up and everything will be ready in the next twenty minutes.” She placed the platter of crackers and cheese down on the coffee table. “These are just to tide you over, so you don’t stampede the kitchen trying to get scraps.”
As Becky and Earl dove for the crackers, the front door opened and allowed Reggie, Lanie, and Robert to enter, followed by Charlie. Reggie towered over everyone else as he stepped gingerly inside, making the spacious entryway appear small. Charlie took everyone’s coats and began to put them away.
Dead Reckoning and Murderous Intent, A Red Pine Falls Cozy Mystery (Red Pine Falls Cozy Mysteries Book 4) Page 7
