Prime Catch

by Ilona Fridl

  Sarah sat back on her heels. “Tunny took off after them. Maybe he can catch whoever it is.” She gathered the bits of net and put them in her jacket pocket. “I suppose we should keep this in case it helps our case.” She snapped the blade back into its groove and the knife followed the net into her jacket.

  “Who’s taking care of the injured man?”

  “The plant guards are handling that. Tunny and I came as soon as we saw you were in trouble.”

  Amos sat and steamed for a few moments. “Let’s go tail Tunny.” They set off following the footprints. Arriving at a small stream, they found Tunny examining the shore.

  Tunny glanced up. “Must have had a craft waiting for him. It was gone by the time I trailed him here.” He pointed to where the tracks disappeared by the water. “With it being springtime, the stream is at its deepest now. Other times it’s a trickle.”

  The three studied the area around the tracks to see if anything had been dropped, but they found nothing. Sarah pointed to the ground where the tracks ended. “It may mean nothing, but there are some animal tracks here, too.”

  Tunny looked closer. “Looks like there may have been a wolf here.”

  Sarah shook her head. “They look more like a domestic dog. See, where the man’s prints are? It seems a dog pranced around him. They go in a circle, then disappear again.”

  Amos made a note. “So we think he might have acted alone, but he had a dog with him.”

  She pointed downstream. “The current is strong. He’s probably quite a ways by now.”

  Tunny nodded. “Let’s see what’s happening at the plant.” They climbed the bank and tramped back through the woods.

  One of the plant guards greeted them. He turned to Tunny. “The doc is here. He said to give you this.” He handed the sheriff the broken arrow.

  “Darcy, look at this.” Tunny untied a piece of paper that had been wrapped around the shaft. He glanced at it and gave it to Amos.

  Number four. Will the traps come down before another dies?

  Amos pulled out the envelope from Polar Star and compared the handwriting. “We’re dealing with the same man.” He put his hand on the guard’s shoulder. “How’s Mr. Jensen?”

  The man ran his fingers through his hair. “The doc broke the shaft off and took Jensen to the hospital to remove the rest of it.”

  Amos turned back to Tunny. “Let’s go back into town. I want to wire for an airplane to take us to Juneau.”

  Tunny looked surprised. “But don’t you―?”

  “You can take care of it. I have my own fish to fry in Juneau, so to speak. We can keep each other informed on anything else that happens. I’ll tell the offices in Cordova and Soldotna.”

  Sarah took a step forward. “We should stop by the hospital to see about Mr. Jensen before we leave.”

  Amos patted her shoulder. “Good idea, Lakat. Tunny, wire us with any developments. We’ll see if we can help in any way.”

  After they took care of the communications, Tunny pulled up in front of a large white clapboard building. “Here’s the hospital.”

  The three made their way to the reception desk, where Tunny removed his hat. “I’m Sheriff Tunny, ma’am,” he said to the nurse. “I would like to find out about Mr. Orville Jensen, who was brought in here earlier.”

  She consulted a ledger. “Ah, yes. Dr. Harper is still in surgery with him. Would you like to wait?”

  Amos cut in. “Since we can’t leave until tomorrow morning, we’ll wait for word on Jensen. I’m Sheriff Amos Darcy from Juneau, and this is my Deputy, Sarah Lakat.”

  The nurse nodded, then went back to her work.

  Tunny turned to leave. “I have to make a report. I’ll check with you later and get more details.”

  When he left, Amos and Sarah settled on two of the padded chairs in the waiting room. Sarah had concern in her eyes. “Amos, don’t take this so hard. We tried our best to keep the man safe and catch our murderer.”

  Amos ground his teeth. “I probably would have caught him if I’d seen that net.”

  “You weren’t expecting a trap. Any of us would have been caught. I can find out, at least, what tribe he’s from. Every group has their own way of making nets. That’s why I kept the pieces.”

  “Good thinking, Lakat.” Amos put his head back and closed his eyes. Between last night’s miserable sleeping arrangements and the long day he’d just had, he was exhausted.

  “Amos―Amos!” The words were accompanied by a gentle patting on his shoulder. “Tunny is back, and we have a report from Dr. Harper about Mr. Jensen.” Sarah’s voice was a sweet thing to wake up to.

  Amos slowly stretched his stiff neck. “Thank you, Lakat. How is he?”

  Tunny took up the report. “The doc said he came through surgery, but it’s going to be touch and go for a while. His liver was damaged, but they were able to remove the rest of the arrow safely and repair the damage.”

  Amos rubbed his eyes. “Well, here’s one the murderer wasn’t able to pull off. I wonder if the stakeout had anything to do with it.”

  Tunny nodded. “He might have had something else planned, but we got in the way.”

  “We’d better alert the other coastal law offices to do this if there’s a suspicious Personal ad in the paper.”

  Sarah sat on the other chair. “Hopefully, they won’t quit posting them because of this.”

  Tunny turned to her. “This is a way they can get their message out. I think there should be a tighter identification system for the Personals, but I don’t know if the papers will change their policy.”

  Amos jabbed his thumb southward. “The problem is, we don’t know where he will strike next.”

  “Darcy, do you want to go back to the cabin to wait for morning?”

  Amos winced at the thought of that couch from the nether regions. “No. Can you think of anything else?”

  Tunny hesitated a moment. “We have a couple of cots at the office, in the back room, for when we have to be there overnight. You’re welcome to use those.”

  Amos glanced at Sarah. “I don’t―”

  “We’ll take them,” Sarah interjected. “I know you didn’t sleep well on that couch. I don’t care who wags tongues in this town. We’ll be gone tomorrow.”

  Tunny nodded. “I’ll treat you to supper and then get you set up. There are pillows and blankets at the office.”

  After they’d eaten at one of the diners, Tunny brought what they needed for the room at the office. “I’ll bring in some breakfast on trays in the morning before I take you to the airfield.” He removed his hat and turned to Sarah. “Miss Lakat, I want to apologize to you for your reception in Sitka. I think you are as good a deputy as any of my men here. I was impressed with your work today.”

  Sarah looked surprised, but shook the offered hand. “Thank you, Sheriff Tunny. I accept your apology.”

  With a smile to them both, he took his leave.

  Sarah picked up one of the pillows and a blanket and made up one of the cots. “I’ll sleep in my clothes, so you won’t feel uncomfortable.”

  Amos followed suit. “You’re a classy lady, Lakat.”

  Sarah grinned as she stretched out on the cot. “You’re quite the gentleman, Amos, when you want to be.”

  Amos grunted as he turned out the desk light. “Go to sleep.” He was out in seconds.

  Chapter 8

  Sarah awoke to a pounding on the door. At first, she didn’t know where she was, until she heard Sheriff Tunny’s voice ring out, “Breakfast!” She swung her feet to the floor as Amos opened the door. Tunny balanced two trays in his hands and set them on the desk. “There you are. You have an hour before we leave for the airfield.”

  She went into the station’s lavatory to freshen up a bit. When she returned, Amos already was digging into his ham and eggs. She picked up her knife and fork and cut some of the fragrant smoked ham, savoring it.

  When they’d finished eating, Amos took his turn in the lav and came out a little
less disheveled than when he went in. “Ready to go home?”

  “More than. This has been quite a trip. I trust you slept better on the cot?”

  Amos’ face had a strange, amused glint to it. “As well as could be expected.”

  Sarah cocked an eyebrow at him but didn’t offer anything, as Tunny came in and hustled them out of the office. She slid into the back seat of the patrol car while Tunny and Amos stored the bags in the trunk.

  The sea air had cleared the night fog away and the sky was a deep Alaskan blue as they turned into the airfield and bounced along the gravel path to the waiting plane, where Bill Wright waved to them as they stepped out.

  Amos went over and shook his hand. “Mr. Wright, I’m glad you could make it here so early.”

  Bill nodded. “With the daylight getting longer, I can get an earlier start.” He juggled their bags and started up the steps. “Come on in when you’re ready.”

  Tunny gave Amos’ shoulder a clap. “Thanks for your help. If you need anything in Juneau, let me know.”

  “What we need is to get the word out and catch whoever is doing this. Keep in touch, Tunny.”

  Tunny tipped his hat to Sarah. “Thank you, as well, Miss Lakat.”

  Sarah expressed her goodbye and joined Amos on the airplane. They strapped themselves into their seats, and Amos called to Bill that they were ready. Sarah was a little more comfortable this time, knowing what was going to happen. She broke out of her reverie and found Amos watching her with a small smile as they started moving.

  She chuckled. “Before you say anything, yes, I’m better about this now.”

  “I know. You seem to overcome things that bother you. I think I understand you more than I did before.” He grinned.

  Amos was an attractive man, hidden under all that scruffiness. She’d seen him one time shaved and polished and had been astonished. I can’t let myself fall for him. She admonished herself for such foolishness.

  The small plane bounced along the airfield until it was airborne. Bill Wright had to be an A-one pilot, because he took pains to keep the plane steady on their way to Juneau. They arrived in time to have lunch at Millie’s.

  As Millie served their soup and sandwiches, Amos glanced up. “Anything happening here the last two days?”

  She shook her head. “No, it’s been quiet.” She glanced at Sarah. “I almost forgot. There was a man asking about you yesterday.”

  Surprised, Sarah asked, “Did he say what he wanted?”

  “No. I never saw him before.”

  “Thank you, Millie. I’ll keep an eye out.” When Millie left, she found Amos staring at her. “What do you think?”

  His jaw twitched. “That doesn’t seem to be any of my business.”

  Sarah swallowed a bite of sandwich. “As far as I know, I wasn’t expecting a man to be looking for me. Especially a stranger.”

  Amos cocked an eyebrow at her. “Wonder if it had anything to do with that incident at the ANB?”

  A bolt of concern burned through her mind. “I hope I didn’t stir up the wasps’ nest too much.”

  “Be careful. Whoever it is may not like you continuing to work on the case. No telling what he’ll do.”

  After lunch, Amos gave Sarah the afternoon off, so she headed the three blocks to her small house. Everything looked the same as when she’d left, but she hesitated when she put the key in the lock. She opened the parlor window a bit to let the stuffiness out of the ground floor. Because of the warning, she cautiously checked every nook and cranny. There didn’t seem to be anything amiss or out of place, so she slowly relaxed. She lit the gas range and put the water kettle on to boil.

  Hurrying upstairs to her bedroom, Sarah changed out of her uniform and into one of her house dresses, then scurried down to the porch to gather up the delivered newspapers and mail. By then, the water was whistling urgently, and she put some hot water and tea into the ceramic pot to steep.

  With yesterday’s newspaper spread in front of her, she settled down. The sound of someone turning her doorbell brought her up short. “Just a minute!” she called, throwing a shawl across her shoulders. Sarah peeked out the parlor window, and when she saw a large man standing at her front door, she reached deftly into her desk drawer and palmed her Derringer.

  Behind the fringed curtain on her door, she called out, “Who is it?”

  “An old friend,” came a voice from out of the past.

  “George?” She opened the door. “George!” A choking weight gripped her chest. “George!?” Slipping the small gun into the sash of her dress, she stepped out onto the porch and put her fists on her hips. “Where in God’s name have you been for six years?”

  The handsome Tlingit man grinned, and the outer corners of his dark eyes crinkled. “You missed me?”

  She laid her hand in a smart smack across his cheek. “You left me a week before our marriage! Not a word except a note saying, ‘See you sometime. Be well.’ ”

  “And I meant every word of it,” he remarked, rubbing his cheek. “Here I am, and you look well. May I come in?”

  Sarah was tempted to use the small gun, but she swallowed her anger. She was curious what kind of story she was going to get. “Yes, but I wouldn’t try anything funny if I were you. I am armed.”

  “Really? Come here and greet me with a hug.” He reached out for her, and she ducked away.

  “Don’t you dare touch me!” She pointed at a chair. “Sit here, I’ll pour some tea, if you’d like.”

  “Thank you.” He settled onto the seat.

  Sarah banged the cups and saucers down. What on earth is he doing here, and why? Breaking my heart, then showing up on my doorstep years later... Well, I’ll let him have his say and then show him out the door! She poured tea into the cups when she had put down the serving tray on the small table in front of George’s chair. “Cream or sugar?”

  “Two sugars, please. You should remember how I like it.”

  She restrained herself from throwing the tea in his lap. “You have the gall to come in here and tell me I should remember, when you lit out on me? I’m trying to be civil, because I want an explanation, but I will show you out the door.”

  He laid his hand on her arm as she set the cup down. “I had a good reason. Sarah, sit and listen. You won’t need to use that gun tucked into your sash.”

  “At least you realize I told you the truth.”

  “My mother sent me out before I was ready to find a woman. I know the tradition is to find a wife in another village and settle there. You would own everything and I would just be your protector and provider. I couldn’t do that. There was so much I wanted to experience, and having a family was far down on the list.” He sighed. “I wanted a business of my own, and I joined the Americans in their world.”

  Sarah was silent a few moments. “As you can see, I don’t hold to the Tlingit traditions, either. If you had bothered to tell me then, I would have understood. You hurt me.”

  “I’m sorry. I was too young to think about anyone else, but I’ve changed.” His fingers caressed her cheek. “Will you take me back? Please?”

  Strangely she wasn’t moved by him anymore. “I’ve changed, too. I’m not the wide-eyed child you left. I’ve made my own way in the American world.”

  “That’s what makes us so right for each other. We know how to take care of ourselves. Is there anyone else courting you?”

  Sarah’s mind flashed to Amos for some reason. “Not really. I’ve married my job.”

  “Then let me try to win you back. Dinner tonight?”

  “George, no―”

  “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

  Sarah hesitated. “All right, but I want to be home early. I just got back from a trip.”

  “I promise I’ll have you here before ten.” She’d forgotten how wonderful his smile made him look. She walked him to the door and watched him go down the street. What the hell have I done? I don’t want anything to do with him. Well, I’ll go tonight and tell him I’m
not interested.

  Later, she readied herself for the outing she was dreading. She slipped her new dropped-waist silk dress on, adjusted her new cloche hat, and slipped on her white gloves. Just as she put on her pumps, the doorbell rang. When she opened the door, Sarah took in the handsome man, clean and fresh-shaved.

  “Are you ready? I thought we’d go to Golden North for dinner and a movie.” He made a motion to come in.

  “I’ve got my coat right here.” She slipped it on as she came out. “I want you to know right now I’m only going because I want some answers.”

  He tipped his hat and offered his arm. “Shall we?”

  They were silent as they walked to the theater. Sarah was trying to come up with explanations in case anyone happened to ask tomorrow. The brightly lit theater marquee advertised The Sheik, with Rudolph Valentino, as the main feature. Wonderful. A passionate movie, to boot.

  George nodded to the young girl in the ticket booth. “Dinner and a movie for two, please.”

  “That will be thirty cents for the tickets, and the feature will start at eight-thirty.”

  He gave her the money and picked up the tickets. “Thank you.” After checking their coats, they hurried through the lobby doors and into the adjoining restaurant. The hostess at the door seated them and slipped the menus into their hands. After she left, George leaned in. “How’s the food here?”

  “The cook here is exceptional. Anything will be good.” Sarah was secretly hoping that no one she knew would see her. After George ordered two Swiss steaks, she glanced at him. “I want more of an explanation than I got earlier. Why did you choose now to have a change of heart?”

  He lifted his glass of ginger ale toward her in a toast. “You’re such a fascinating woman.”

  “This isn’t getting you very far with this woman.” She raised her glass. “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “A detective to the end. Okay, I started a business I could make a king’s ransom on. I lead expeditions into the back country for rich scientists and explorers. Also, I have been hired by bored rich people who want a fashionable outdoor experience.”