by Vikki Walton
“All right. Let’s get this stuff finished up and we can see about going over there this afternoon or tomorrow.” Kandi emptied the dishwasher. “Oh, I saw that lady again.”
“The one staying at Sam’s?”
“Yes. She was on the trail at the back of the house. Probably out on a run.”
“Probably.” While it wasn’t uncommon to see people from town, this woman seemed to be turning up quite a lot. Had she seen what happened at Hope’s shop? Maybe they needed to ask her some questions.
Want to drive out to Sam’s and see if we can catch her?” Anne wiped down the counters and loaded up the trash. Anne recalled how the woman had warned her in a similar way to Carson.
Kandi nodded. “Sounds like a good idea. Everything’s done here for now and Hope will be over in a while to take over, so we could leave any time.”
“Okay, my truck or yours?” Anne knew Kandi preferred driving and she didn’t mind being the passenger.
“Mine. Meet you at my house in, like, fifteen?”
Anne opened the back door. “Let’s say forty-five. I need to set up Mouser’s food trays and I’d like to take a quick shower and change.”
“K. See ya then. I’ll honk, and you can come out.”
“Great.” She reached over and gave Kandi a quick kiss on the cheek. At home, Anne filled up Mouser’s timed trays with dry food and some treats. She refilled his water and quickly checked the mail she’d picked up earlier. A cool shower helped to invigorate her and gave her time to think.
Carson has been charged. There’s sufficient evidence to show his guilt so why don’t I believe it? Then there’s Thelma’s note. Why didn’t she just say it out loud to me? Who did she not want to hear—Carson or the deputy sitting nearby? Why the secrecy?
Anne turned off the water and began the process of drying her hair. Out loud she said, “What is the connection?”
She drew with her finger on the steamed mirror.
Bill and Lori—attack and vandalism.
Ray Lawrence-murdered.
Bennetts—greenhouse, fire, murder victim, house almost destroyed.
Hope’s place—arson.
Nothing made any sense. Nothing connected.
Anne had finished getting ready when she heard Kandi’s horn. She went out the back door, around the house and headed to the front. Climbing up on the truck’s automatic step, she grabbed hold of the handle and pulled herself up into the cab.
The day was nice, and they let the windows down to enjoy the breeze. One great thing about Colorado was the low humidity, which allowed such a treat. They pulled up at Sam’s and as they watched, Mary came out on the porch. The woman wore a tank top and shorts, sweat glistening on her arms and face.
“Hi, there!” She waved at the pair.
“Hello. Hope we’re not intruding. We just thought we’d come over and see how you’re doing.”
“Thanks.” She wiped her face with the back of her arm. “Sam had called and asked if I needed anything and I asked if I could use his gym—so I’ve been working out.”
Kandi responded, “Well, it’s working, you’re totally, like, buff.”
“I need it in my line of work.”
“What’s that?” Anne inquired, shielding her eyes from the sun.
“You want to come in and have a drink?” Mary replied, ignoring Anne’s question.
“We don’t want to bother you if you’re in the middle of working out.”
“Nah. It’s a good time for a break anyway.” She led them into the house. Anne turned and looked out over the lake, sparkling against the sun’s reflection.
“I’ve always been envious of Sam’s place. It’s so nice.”
“I have to agree with you there. Beer? Soda? Water?” Mary pulled bottles from the fridge.
“I’ll take a beer.” Anne reached over to take a bottle of Bristol’s Beehive Honey Wheat from her hand.
“Soda for me.” Kandi took the offering.
Mary grabbed a beer and closed the refrigerator. “Want to sit out on the deck?”
Anne and Kandi nodded agreement. “Yes.”
After they’d all settled into deck chairs and admired the lake view again, Mary said, “So what do I owe the pleasure of your company? You’re obviously here for a purpose, not a simple side trip way out into the woods.”
Anne wiped the sweat off her bottle. “You’re right. We hate to bother you, but to be honest, some crazy happenings have been going on and we thought you might be able to help us.”
Mary took a deep swig of her beer before replying. “In what way? I don’t see how I could help you with anything. I’m not from here.”
Kandi set her soda down on the table between her and Anne’s chairs. “Here’s the deal. We have a friend who’s been arrested for something he didn’t do.”
Mary looked between them. “A friend?”
“Sheriff Carson.” Anne held the beer between both hands, the cold felt good in her grip.
“The sheriff? He’s been arrested? For what?”
She’s turning the tables on us. We’re supposed to be asking the questions and not the ones giving the answers.
“Supposedly arson. Of my friend’s shop. I think you saw it the other evening.” Anne sought to flip the narrative.
Mary smiled. “Yes. I’d gone out to dinner in town and was strolling the main street that evening when I heard the sirens.”
“You weren’t there before it happened? You didn’t see anyone—a young man, running away from the scene? Anything that could be helpful.” Anne set her drink next to Kandi’s.
“Sorry, no. I was a few blocks down doing some window shopping when I heard the commotion.”
“Shoot!” Kandi crossed her arms. “Another dead end.”
“I have to ask—why are you involved in this? Shouldn’t you let the police handle it? They know what they’re doing.”
Anne retorted, “If they knew what they were doing they never would have arrested Carson.”
“Carson?”
“I mean, Sheriff Carson.” Anne reached for her drink.
“Do you think you may be a bit too close to it to be unbiased?” the woman asked Anne.
Anne’s cheeks flushed. “I don’t know…”
“That’s what I thought.” Mary pulled a tan, muscled leg up with her arm and stretched. “You’d be surprised how many people want to believe someone’s innocent.” She repeated the gesture with the other leg.
“But he is innocent.” Kandi crossed her arms in defiance.
Mary smiled at her. “You want that to be true. But it doesn’t mean it is.”
“How do you know that?”
“I just know.”
Standoff. Anne knew they wouldn’t get anywhere with this type of back and forth.
“We appreciate your taking the time to speak with us. We’re just trying to help a friend.” Anne stood, and Kandi grabbed her soda.
Mary also stood up and twisted her back in a stretch. “I will say this. Stay out of it. You, or someone you love, could get hurt.”
“That’s what Car—” Kandi burst out.
Anne touched Kandi on the arm to silence her. “We have to do what we can.”
Mary responded, “Then do so without making yourself known.”
What did that mean?
“Oh, I forgot. Sam is supposed to be back tomorrow, and I think I’ll stay on for a few more days. Do you have a room available at the Inn?”
“Yes,” Kandi affirmed. “We had a group leave today. I’ll hold you a room for tomorrow and you can, like, let me know when you think you might check out when you register.”
“Great.” They’d headed down to the truck when they heard another vehicle approaching. A black pickup came slowly up the drive, tires crunching on the gravel. It pulled over toward a copse of trees and as the woman watched, a young man exited the vehicle.
Deputy Ruiz.
He raised his hand in greeting and walked over to the group.
&nbs
p; “Deputy.” Anne shielded her eyes with her hand.
“I’m off duty. You can call me Benjamin or Ruiz.” He adjusted the blue baseball cap he wore.
“Did you come out to see Mary?”
“Um, no. Nice to meet you.” Deputy Ruiz shook hands with Mary.
Even with the pretense, Anne felt like they’d met before. Maybe her imagination was on overdrive.
“Nice to meet you,” Mary responded to Ruiz.
“Then what are you, like, doing out here? Sam’s out with the scouts until tomorrow.” Kandi cocked her head, a habit that Anne had become endeared to seeing.
“Sam lets me park my truck here, as it’s easier to access the lake through his property. I’ve got my fishing gear in the truck.”
Anne smiled at him. “That’s great.” She turned to Kandi. “Ready?”
“Bye.” Kandi pulled her keys out and walked over to the truck. As they got in, Anne watched as Ruiz pulled out a tackle box and retractable pole from the truck’s bumper storage. He waved, and Kandi began her three-point turn. As they drove down the road, Anne looked into the rearview side mirror.
Mary had joined Deputy Ruiz and they stood watching the truck drive away.
Was Deputy Ruiz really there to fish? Why had he acted like he didn’t know the woman but seemed like he really did? Maybe they were starting to see one another—they were both around the same age—late twenties looked like, and very fit. Could it be they just didn’t want others to know they were seeing each other?
Then words came spilling back in her mind. Mary had tried to deter them from helping Carson. She’d almost implied that Carson could be guilty. That people could be wrong about someone they know. Or at least think they know. What about Deputy Ruiz? Of all the people in town, he had the ability to frame Carson the easiest. He’d been first on the scene to find the Bennett’s place in flames. He’d have the same type of weapon that Carson used. Plus, he hadn’t been in the town that long before all the bad stuff started happening. Was Deputy Ruiz involved in something to get rid of Sheriff Carson? Maybe that was why Thelma hadn’t spoken. She knew it might get back to Ruiz. She had to go to someone with her suspicions. But who?
“Kandi, we need to take a detour. Take me to the police station. I need to talk to Chief Everett.”
Chapter Nineteen
When they arrived at the police station, Everett was out but Officer Dale was on duty. He led them into a conference room, grabbed a yellow pad and followed the pair inside.
After recounting their concerns, Dale thanked them and reiterated what everyone else had said—basically, stay out of it so no one gets hurt. Let the police handle it. He couldn’t promise that he could do anything as far as Carson was concerned, since that was a different agency altogether. But he’d fill Chief Everett in on their suspicions concerning Ruiz.
After exiting the police station, they stopped in at the herbal shop where Stewart, with Spencer’s help, was pulling out the destroyed walls and installing new two-by-sixes.
“Looks like you guys are making some good progress.”
“Spence here has been a huge help.”
Anne smiled. The young man had blossomed since Stewart had taken an interest in him. No longer his sullen self, his quick wit and work ethic had made him an essential part of the Inn’s success.
“I hope it’s, like, you know, okay for me to be helping out here instead of at the Inn today.” He pushed his hair off his face.
“Very acceptable. This is the priority right now. Thanks for being such a help to us.” Anne patted him on the shoulder.
Spencer beamed.
“You guys are really working hard. Want to stop by tonight for a BBQ?” Kandi quipped.
“Yes!” Stewart and Spencer responded.
“Great. Seven, seven-thirty work?”
“We’ll be there.” Stewart picked up a hammer and went back to work.
Outside, they got back in the truck and Anne turned to face Kandi. “Are you ever going to give that young man a real chance?”
“Who says I haven’t?” Kandi made a face.
Laughing, Anne said, “Okay. Good. Now, let’s go out to the Connors. I called Lori this morning and she said that Bill is up for visitors.”
The drive was nice and soon they were seated outside in the shade of a copse of blue spruce.
Once settled in, Anne queried, “Bill, how’s the head?”
“Better,” he replied. “The headaches aren’t as frequent, and I always wondered what I’d look like in a buzz cut.” He rubbed his hand on the side of his head not covered in a bandage. “Pretty easy and nice for summer. I may keep it.”
Lori rolled her eyes and groaned but everyone laughed.
“What do you think happened?”
Bill sat back, stretched his legs out in front and clasped his hands together. He looked over at Lori.
“It was vandalism. Pure and simple. I just came in and they panicked.”
Anne knew she was being given a rehearsed answer. No questioning. No reasoning.
“Why do you think someone came all the way out here?”
“Lori told me you found the pot plants.”
Anne shook her head in the affirmative but said nothing.
“It’s really expensive if you need to take it on a daily basis and we were trying juicing and also having the plant being made into oil. I’d been buying it elsewhere and figured I’d start growing our own. I have space in the greenhouse.”
“Where were you getting the plants?”
“From Cal Bennett.”
Cal Bennett? That was one connection.
He shook his head. “I don’t know where I’ll get plants to replace the damaged ones. Thankfully,” he patted Lori’s hand, “we still had enough cannabinoid oil and salve, so we were able to keep Lori’s pain in check while I was in the hospital.”
“The Bennetts were growing weed? Wow, like, they seemed so, like, normal.”
Bill chuckled. “They are normal. You’d probably be surprised how many people ‘partake’ in this town.”
“But that doesn’t answer the question of why someone came out here and attacked you.”
“Kids. I think someone must have found out that I had pot plants and they came out to grab the buds.”
“I wouldn’t think kids would even know what to take.”
“Possibly.” He crossed his legs.
“But someone tried to kill you.”
Bill shook his head then thought better of it. He reached his hand up to the bandage. “I think they got scared. I don’t think they wanted to hurt me. Just get me out of the way so I couldn’t see who they were and report them.”
“But Lori said you were getting a gun.”
He looked over at Lori who focused on her hands in her lap.
“Well, you can never be too careful.”
Lori diverted the conversation and Anne got the hint. They bid the couple goodbye and headed back to the bed and breakfast. In the office, Anne found Hope going over paperwork.
“How’s it going?”
Hope looked up with a smile on her face. “I think we’ve actually entered into the profit side of things.”
Kandi had followed Anne into the office and raised her hands into the air, doing a combination of hopping and dancing in a circle. “We’re going to be rich.” We’re going to be—”
Hope wadded up a piece of paper and threw it at her. “You’re already rich, you goof.”
Anne looked over at the innocent looking young woman who giggled. “I’m gonna be richer.”
No one would guess that Kandi was a millionaire due to an inheritance left by her dead mother. She lived in the same house and was the same sweet but ditsy young woman that Anne loved as much as she would her own daughter.
“Hello?” A woman’s voice interrupted.
Anne moved toward the hall that led to the kitchen. Mary stood there.
“I wondered if my room might be ready.” She was dressed in black jeans and a blac
k tee-shirt. Her hair pushed back into a tight bun. No makeup. No jewelry.
That woman is all business, thought Anne. She pointed toward the front where the stairs leading to the upper floors were located. “I can take you. Follow me.”
“Great.” The woman picked up her small black roller-bag.
When Anne had settled Mary in her room, she returned to find Stewart down in the kitchen. Kandi was mixing something in a bowl that looked to be the makings for cupcakes.
“Hey, Stewart? How’s everything in your world?”
He pulled up a chair and sat down. “Good, though I’m a bit disappointed.”
“Oh, about what? Kandi turn down your proposal again?”
His face turned beet-red and Kandi shot Anne a look of frustration.
Anne went over and squeezed Stewart’s shoulder. “Sorry. I was teasing, and it came out badly.”
“It’s okay.” The color was already leaving his face. He scratched the day-old beard he wore. “No, it’s the Bennett place.”
“Soda? Iced Tea?” Anne held up a jar of sun tea.
“Tea, please. Does it have sugar?”
“No.” Anne set it down on the counter and started retrieving glasses from a cabinet.
“Oh, man, I got to have sweet tea.” He turned in his chair. “Kandi, you got any sugar over there?”
Anne bit her lip so as to not embarrass the two young people again with another of her obvious match-making quips.
“I’ve got sugar or honey.”
Hope had finished her work and had joined the pair. “I’ll take honey for mine. Thanks.” She’d just sat down when the back door swung open. It was Sam, browned and looking healthy after his camping trip.
“Sam!” Kandi bounced over and gave him a hug.
“Hey, girl.” He ruffled her head not unlike he would do his dog, Hank.
The pair had connected and now they were like an older brother and younger sister.
“Tea?”
“I was just stopping by—”
“I hope I’m not intruding.” Mary stood in the door.
Hope waved her in. “Certainly not. Please, join us. We’re just having some tea.”
“Is it sweetened?”
“No.” Anne replied.
