Murder by Misadventure

by B. T. Lord

  “I shouldn’t have said anything,” he responded.

  “Listen, if something is about to happen to Twin Ponds, I need to know about it.”

  “What is about to happen is beyond your guns and manpower. Let it be.”

  “How can I let it be if you’re acting like it’s the end of the world?” Her eyes widened. “Shit, it isn’t the end of the world, is it?”

  To her surprise, a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Would you believe me if I told you it was?”

  “This isn’t funny, Paul.”

  He shrugged, then poured himself a cup of tea. “Have you discovered any more on Todd’s death?”

  Cammie eyed him. “Is there something about Todd’s death that you’re not telling me? Is it wrapped up in this darkness stuff you’re talking about?”

  Paul took a long sip of his tea, wrapping his massive fingers tightly around the mug. “It was just curiosity.”

  Cammie knew he wasn’t being completely honest with her, which frightened her even more. She leaned forward until their knees were touching. “What is going on, Paul?”

  “I wish I knew, Cammie.”

  “Then why all the sage and chanting if you’re not sure?”

  He lifted his eyes to meet hers. They spoke of weariness, of a burden he didn’t wish to carry, but of which he had no choice.

  “Just taking precautions. Always better to be prepared than to be caught unawares.”

  “By what?”

  He shook his head. “Not sure. But next time you’re in the woods, see what the trees tell you.”

  Cammie sat back, visibly exasperated. “I’m not like you, Paul. The trees don’t speak to me.”

  “You haven’t listened.”

  After that he wouldn’t say any more. He did another healing on her arm, tightlipped and unresponsive. She left his cabin feeling out of sorts. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but for the first time in all the years she’d known Paul, she’s seen him deliberately evasive.

  And that was enough to completely unnerve her.

  Cammie needed something to calm down. With her plans to go to her cabin completely forgotten, she headed towards the one place she could think of that would help her compose herself.

  It was close to two o’clock when Cammie walked into Zee’s Bar and Grille. The lunch crowd was dwindling, with only two tables occupied when she arrived.

  Slipping into the restaurant, she walked up to his immaculate, highly polished mahogany bar and slid onto the stool. Now that lunch rush was over, he was behind the counter, polishing the glassware.

  “What did you do to Doc?” he asked as soon as she sat down. “His temper is worse than a badger’s lately.”

  Cammie threw her hands up in the air. “Why does everybody think I have something to do with his bad mood?”

  “One, you’re living with him. Two, you have been known to tick off a person or two and three, you have been known to tick off a person or two.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “Doc was born with a bad temper.” She shook her head. “Look, if I knew what was wrong with him, I’d tell you. But I don’t dare ask him. I value my life too much.”

  Zee gave a sympathetic nod. “What can I get you today?”

  “I’m splurging. A Waban Burger and a ginger ale.”

  The big man’s eyebrow went up. “Something must be on your mind. You only order the Waban Burger when you’re trying to puzzle something out.”

  That was the thing about small towns which both attracted and repelled Cammie. Sometimes it was nice to have someone know you so well. Sometimes it was a pain in the ass to have someone know you so well. She sat back on her stool and sighed.

  “I guess you could say that.”

  “Let me guess. Marcy Audet and Todd Paradis, right?”

  She eyed him. “You know Zee, sometimes you scare me.”

  He chuckled. “This is the winter doldrums. Nothing else going on around town except the usual knuckleheads getting even more drunk than usual because they’re bored with the snow and the cold and can’t wait for spring. Marcy and Todd’s deaths are the only things worth talking about. That is, besides you and Jace and the inevitable question of whether you’ll get back together.” He learned forward. “Unless there’s been another murder we haven’t heard about yet.”

  Cammie shuddered. “God, no. And I hope not to have one of those until I’m long dead and buried.”

  Zee placed the glass of ginger ale in front of her and she took a long sip from the straw.

  “I’m waiting for the toxicology results to see if Marcy took anything that would have caused her erratic behavior. As for Todd, we could smell the booze on him a mile away.” She shrugged. “Do you know if anyone saw him the night before his death?”

  Zee shook his head. “If anyone did, they’re not saying.”

  “What are people saying about Marcy and Todd?” she asked.

  He put down the cloth he’d been using to polish the glasses and tilted his head for a moment. “Not much really. Everybody knew Marcy was a whisker away from the nut hatch. In fact, most folks are surprised it took her this long to fall off the sane wagon. As for Todd, it’s sad he froze to death in the woods, but that’s not so unusual a way to die up in these parts. Especially for someone who wasn’t from up here, and didn’t know the ways of the land.”

  “But he did survive in that tiny cabin for four years,” Cammie pointed out.

  Zee shrugged. “When you’re living out in the wilderness like he was, you can’t ever let your guard down. When Todd first arrived in Twin Ponds, he’d stop in and have a beer or two. Never more than that. However, from what I’ve heard since his death, he went from two beers to two cases of beer with a whisky chaser in one sitting. Matter of fact, last time he stopped by, he had a few too many. I made him sit it out in my office until he was able to drive home.”

  “When was that last time you mentioned?”

  “Had to be April. He was bitching about the deep ruts of mud he had to drive through to get into town.”

  As much as Twin Ponders looked forward to spring, they also dreaded mud season. With so much snow melting, any roads that weren’t paved turned into a morass of mud, made worse by the deep ruts vehicle tires created as they drove through the muck. Jace spent most of the spring hauling out vehicles that were bounced off the roads and into the woods.

  Zee glanced up and saw the distracted look on Cammie’s face. “Apparently, you’re not buying Doc’s death by misadventure conclusion.”

  She lifted her shoulders. “It’s silly I know. There’s nothing to indicate foul play.”

  “What does the autopsy tell you?”

  “When I left this morning, Doc hadn’t done it yet.”

  Zee lifted a surprised eyebrow. “Doc suddenly have a backup of dead bodies?”

  “It’s strange, I admit. He’s usually chomping at the bit to get an autopsy done. But you know him. If I ask, he’ll bite my head off. It’s not worth the hassle of arguing with him.” She shook her head to herself. “Especially since he’s probably right. Why hurry an autopsy when it’s obvious how the victim died. Bottom line - Todd drank too much, got lost in the woods and froze to death.”

  “Todd died the way he lived. Isolated, alone and drunk.”

  The burger, made from top grade Angus beef and slathered with mushrooms, onions and topped with goat cheese, accompanied by a healthy portion of sweet potato fries, was mouthwatering as usual. Cammie inhaled it, not realizing how famished she was. “That was excellent,” she said as she wiped her mouth with her napkin.

  “Help you with your puzzling?” he asked as he took the plate away.

  “It did. There were no unusual footprints around his cabin, or where the body was found to indicate there was anybody with him. He wasn’t shot. He had no defensive wounds on his hands. So unless he was poisoned, which Doc will discover once the toxicology reports come back, we have to conclude he died by misadventure. Makes me feel bad for Tor
ri Jackson.”

  “The gal who lives out in the trailer down near Highway 4?”

  “Yeah. It’s got to be tough losing your lover in such an unnecessary way.”

  “Todd and Torri were lovers?”

  “Yeah. For about six months.”

  “Who told you that?”

  “She did.”

  Cammie reached into her pocket and withdrew her wallet. Just as she was about to pull out some bills to pay for her meal, Zee’s next words made her stop.

  “Humph. That’s news to me.”

  “Oh?”

  Zee eyed her steadily. “Todd and Torri may have been friends, but I doubt they were lovers.”

  Cammie glanced up and met his gaze. “How would you know that?”

  “Because when Todd got drunk last time he was in here, he confided in me that he was gay.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  “Wait a minute. Todd could have been bisexual, you know.”

  Zee shook his head. “Nope. He was gay. Through and through. Told me the thought of kissing, much less sleeping with a woman, gave him the creepy crawlies. I mean this in the nicest way, but Torri is all woman. No way she’d be mistaken for a man.”

  “All woman? Do I really want to know how you know that?” Cammie questioned, raising her eyebrow.

  “Not by personal experience. I’m perfectly happy with Dolly.”

  Dolly was Zee’s girlfriend. They’d been dating since Cammie was a teenager. By normal standards, it wasn’t a typical relationship. In her capacity as an instructor of medical equipment, Dolly spent much of her time travelling around the world, teaching technicians the complexities of troubleshooting mammography and x-ray machines. The only extended period they spent together was in September, when they took their annual three week vacation to the Caribbean. Still, despite their time apart, the unusual arrangement suited the both of them, allowing them to attend to their own business, while making their time together that much sweeter.

  “Do you know Dwayne O’Reilly? He’s that tall lumberjack, cousin to Lars Landry.”

  Lars was the proud owner of the Grocery Emporium, a close second to Zee’s place as the center of gossip central because of its position as the town’s post office. Situated across the street from HQ, it was a small store with four aisles that carried everything from potato chips to caulking supplies. Lars prided himself on carrying everyone’s favorite stress food. He’d headed off many an argument by having just the right munchies on hand to calm down the combatants.

  “He comes into town about once a month and ties one on before heading back north to the lumber camp. Anyway, he came in here a few nights ago, all bent over and limping. When I asked him if he’d been in an accident, he told me he’d met a semi-tractor trailer by the name of Torri Jackson who didn’t let up until she’d reached nirvana at least four times. Just about killed him.”

  Cammie guffawed. “Reaching nirvana. That’s a poetic way of saying it.”

  “Heard it from Rick.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Of course. Do you remember the exact night Dwayne had his rendezvous with the semi?”

  “Last Friday.”

  “We suspect Todd died early Saturday morning. Do you know if Dwayne’s night of nirvana was a one night stand?”

  Zee smiled at her. “People only tell me so much.”

  Cammie mulled over Zee’s news. Dwayne was a 26 year old goliath who worked at the Northwest Maine Logging Company, located right at the border of Clarke and Aroostook counties. He was jovial, had muscles the size of steel girders and liked to work hard and drink hard. Torri indeed had to be quite the woman to cripple that behemoth.

  “Todd didn’t want anyone to know he was gay,” Zee continued. “I tried explaining that, contrary to what he might think, it doesn’t matter up here. What folks care most about is how you treat them. Doc is a perfect example. But I’m guessing he’d been burned too many times in the past, and it became second nature to be skittish. The next day, when he’d sobered up, he came to see me. He was very upset about spilling the beans and only calmed down when I promised I wouldn’t tell anyone. You’re the first person I’ve shared this information with since it doesn’t really matter anymore if people know or not. It isn’t going to change the fact that he’s dead.”

  “Torri told me they got together in August.”

  “Maybe they were just friends.”

  “To hear Torri tell it, they were friends with benefits.”

  “Well, Cammie, if you want to puzzle it out, I can always throw on another Waban burger.”

  “Hell no. I’ve still got about seven pounds to lose thanks to Doc’s cooking.”

  Zee nodded. “Yeah, I wasn’t going to say anything about that, but--”

  “Don’t say it.” She paused. “Can you tell me what Todd was like? Did he ever talk about his past?”

  Zee shook his head. “He was very close-mouthed. Just came in, had a few, then left. The only other thing I can tell you is that he was an excellent tipper. Wouldn’t be a big deal to leave me twenty bucks for a six dollar tab. One time, Barney Schaffer couldn’t cover his bill. Seems his wife borrowed cash from his wallet without telling him. Todd heard the commotion, then waited ‘til it was over before he quietly paid it. Didn’t want Barney to know it was him. It wasn’t much – about $30. But Todd was like that. Generous to a tee.”

  He certainly was, Cammie thought to herself as she paid for her meal. Climbing into her vehicle, she turned on the heat. Then went over her conversation with Zee, stopping at the part where he revealed that Todd was gay.

  If there was one thing she hated more than anything, it was being lied to. And Torri had done a fantastic job of pulling one over on her.

  Yet why? What reason could Torri have to lie? Could it be she was indeed blackmailing Todd? Did she know about his sexual orientation and was using that to her advantage? If Todd had gotten drunk enough to share his secret with Zee, it was reasonable to assume he could have done the same with Torri. The few people she’d talked to confirmed that Todd had a serious drinking problem. If, while inebriated, he’d told Torri he was gay, could he also have let it slip that he was worth $3 million? Seeing how Torri lived, it wouldn’t be hard to figure out how incredibly tempting it was to better her financial situation by threatening to rat him out.

  Was Todd so paranoid about being gay that he would actually pay her $50,000 to keep her mouth shut?

  No matter which way she looked at it, she always came back to why? Why would Todd care if Twin Ponds found out he was gay? Doc was gay and absolutely no one cared. Was Todd’s secret worth $50,000?

  At the same time, she’d already discovered how bighearted Todd was with his money. Could the $50,000 be a simple act of generosity to help two women who were in dire straits?

  Before she went to speak with Torri, she needed to contact Dwayne.

  She drove down one city block to HQ.

  Entering through the back door, she hung up her parka in the office and walked down the short corridor to the front of HQ. Rick was at his desk, but Emmy’s was empty.

  “Where’s Emmy?” she asked as she poised herself on the edge of Emmy’s desk.

  “She went over to the Emporium to pick up the mail.”

  Cammie told Rick about her discussion with Torri and Zee.

  Rick eyed Cammie. “You thinking this Torri chick had something to do with Todd’s death?”

  “To be honest with you, I don’t have a clue. But the timing of everything is awfully suspicious. Torri starts dating Todd about six months ago. Paul tells me Todd started freaking out five months ago. You tell me he suddenly goes all doomsday prepper after living out in the wilderness alone for four years. Then just before he dies, he tells Paul he’s doing something that will save him. Next thing you know, he’s giving Torri $50,000 as a gift. And to top it all off, Torri tells me they were lovers, yet Zee tells me Todd was gay and hated the thought of sleeping with a woman.”

  To her surprise, Rick, who usually b
acked up her conclusions, merely shook his head. “You know, Cam, it could all be very innocent. Maybe Torri lied because it really is nobody’s business why Todd gave her the dough. You said yourself Zee told you Todd was very generous. And very private. It could have gone down just as Torri said. And now that you tell me he was loaded, $50,000 would have been just a drop in the bucket for him. If she was going to blackmail him, she could have asked for a lot more.”

  “True. But what about the timing of his supposed relationship with Torri and him suddenly arming himself for Armageddon?”

  “Wouldn’t be the first time that much solitude addled a man’s brains. Could be he went to Zee’s and heard some of the guys talking. You know how much shit they talk when they’ve had a few. In fact, Dewey Malloy loves those doomsday prepper shows so much, that’s all he talks about. Todd could have overheard the conversation, and it got the little wheels in his head turning.”

  “How do you explain all those books on witchcraft Todd owned?”

  “If you lived at the foot of Crow Mountain, wouldn’t you have a ton of books on witchcraft and how to protect yourself against all that negativity? I know I would. Hell, I’d have my whole cabin surrounded by charms to ward off the nasties. Especially the Giwakwas.”

  Once again Cammie remembered the night of her tenth birthday when she’d made her way to Paul’s cabin. She’d sat terrified as Paul told her of the beings who had once lived in their neck of the woods - the Giwakwas. The forest was supposedly so infested with them that the Natives shunned the shores of their lake, naming it Mkazawi. Darkness. No wonder her father had picked that place to build his cabin. And maybe that was why it remained underdeveloped after all this time.

  Rick gave her a side glance. “Look, I know how much you love to pick things apart and all, but--”

  She gave him a sharp look. “But what?”

  “Well, you know…”

  “Know what?”

  He raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. Yet she knew exactly what he was referring to. It was the same thought that had occurred to her that morning – a thought she refused to admit might be right.