Desperate Measures

by Patricia H. Rushford

  How convenient, Jennie mused. With his wife and daughter both gone, that left Mr. Sutherland alone. The scenario sounded like a setup, and Jennie wondered if Tess had thought of that possibility. Maybe she’d ask later. The question was, who wanted to get Sutherland alone? Maybe the same one or ones who released his mink. Maybe Scott. Jennie quickly shoved the thought aside.

  Tess checked out the tractor and told them exactly what Jennie had surmised.

  “Is all this really necessary?” Aleshia stared into the murky water. “I mean, he can’t be in there. He doesn’t swim—” As if the foolishness of her comment occurred to her, she flushed. “I mean … he probably got mad at the tractor and drove it in here himself, then stalked off somewhere to work off his anger. You know how he does.”

  “That’s not likely, Aleshia.” Jim Owens moved to her side and took her into his arms. “Your father has always been careful with his equipment.”

  Aleshia rested her head on Jim’s chest. “Then why?” She leaned back to look at him. “It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.”

  Jennie did a double take. She wasn’t the only one.

  Jim stepped back and gripped Aleshia’s arms. “What do you mean? You’re not saying … You told me you didn’t have anything to do with the release.”

  “I didn’t.” She struggled to escape his grasp. “Let go of me.”

  “Then tell me what’s going on.” Jim dropped his hands to his sides.

  Tess had perked up as well. “Yes, Aleshia, I think that might be a good idea. Did you know about the release beforehand?”

  ”Aleshia?” Christine started toward her daughter, then stopped.

  “It’s all right, Mom.”Aleshia tossed her mother a sad look and rubbed her upper arms. “I had no idea they were going to hit my parents. It’s just that I understand how ARM operates and this isn’t the way they work. They cut through the fences, release the animals, and clear out. It’s too dangerous to hang around. Her gaze drifted to the ground. “Besides, they’re my friends. They wouldn’t have hurt my family.”

  Tess eyed Aleshia with interest. As a law officer she’d be taking in every detail, suspecting everyone—even family. Aleshia would be a primary suspect, but not the only one. One by one, she’d talk to them all, find out where they were, and what, if any, motive they had. Jennie hoped to question them all as well, in her own way. She tried to determine whether or not Aleshia was telling the truth but could never make eye contact with her. If body language had anything to do with it, Aleshia was lying, or at least she wasn’t telling them everything she knew.

  Christine wrapped her shawl more tightly around herself. She still wore the gauzy autumn-colored dress she’d had on at the restaurant. Her lips had turned a corpse-like shade of blue. “M­maybe we should go up to the house to wait.”

  Jennie wasn’t sure who she’d issued the invitation to, but she didn’t want to leave, not yet.

  Aleshia stared at the water again. “You go if you want. I’ll stay here.”

  Christine nodded. “How about you, Mary? Do you and the girls want something warm to drink? It’s getting so cold.”

  Mary nodded. “Yes, that might be a good idea. Girls?” Jennie opted to stay, hoping she’d find out more information.

  Lisa and Megan said they’d get the hot chocolate and bring some back for the others. Jennie turned up the collar of her jacket and inched closer to the water to get a better view of the divers.

  Fifteen minutes passed before the thermoses of hot chocolate and coffee came. Megan and Lisa poured everyone a cup, ending with Jennie.

  “Find anything?” Lisa handed her a steaming cup.

  “Thanks.” Jennie shook her head. “Nothing yet.”

  “Megan and I are going back over to the house to get stuff ready for tonight. Are you staying long?”

  “I’m not sure.” She took a sip of the hot drink. “I’d like to at least stay until they finish diving.”

  Lisa leaned forward and whispered, “You’re worried that Scott had something to do with Mr. Sutherland’s disappearance, aren’t you?”

  Jennie glanced up and noticed Tess watching them. “Scott wouldn’t kill anyone.” She spoke loud enough for Tess to hear.

  “Everyone is capable of murder, Jennie.” Tess moved over to where they were standing. “Even your friend.”

  “I … I know. But …” she sighed. “Never mind.” How could she tell the sheriff she had a feeling about it? It wasn’t anything she could explain. She just knew.

  When Lisa and Megan left, Jennie took her cocoa to the Adirondack chairs where Aleshia was sitting. The four wooden lawn chairs sat in a half-moon around a fire pit and faced the lake. On a clear day the view would have been breathtaking. Today it was dismal and depressing. Fog and low clouds closed off the view and dampened everything around them, including their spirits. After repeated efforts Jim finally got a fire going.

  “Are you going to be okay?” he asked, hunkering down in front of Aleshia.

  Her gaze moved from the water to his face. “Sure. You go ahead.”

  “We’ll find him, honey.” He stood, leaned over to kiss her, then walked up the road.

  Jennie stood as near to the fire as she dared, staring at the flames and listening to the sizzling sound of raindrops hitting the hot logs. She wanted to talk to Aleshia, ask questions, but didn’t know where to start.

  “Where’s he going?” Jennie finally asked.

  For a moment Jennie didn’t think Aleshia heard or hadn’t wanted to. She looked at Jennie as though she were seeing through her. “To the mink barns. Said he wanted to go through them more thoroughly. There are a lot of places to hide a body in there.”

  Jennie swallowed hard, surprised at the callousness of the statement. “That’s a gruesome thought.” She moved to the empty chair at Aleshia’s right and dropped into it.

  “This entire operation is gruesome and premature if you ask me. I don’t think my father is dead, but everyone else seems to. Maybe I’m kidding myself. You know what they say about denial being one of the first stages of grief.”

  Jennie looked in the direction Jim had gone, wondering why he went alone. She thought about following him when one of the divers emerged waving a hammer.

  “Found it partly buried a few feet from where the tractor went in.”

  Tess examined it and brought it over to Aleshia for identification.

  “It might be Dad’s.” She looked ready to crumple. “He kept one like it in his tool belt in the shop.”

  “We’ll save it as evidence.” Tess made some notes in a small notebook and stuffed it back in her shirt pocket.

  Aleshia stood. “I could be mistaken. There are a lot of hammers like that one, aren’t there? I should go up to the shop and see if Dad’s is missing.”

  “Good idea,” Tess said. “Jennie, why don’t you go with her? It will give you both something to do. Don’t touch anything, just look. You don’t need to come back down here. I’ll come up to the house as soon as we’re finished.”

  Jennie didn’t comment but fell into step beside Aleshia.

  “I get the distinct impression she was trying to get rid of us.”

  “Yeah. I’m glad for the diversion, though.”

  They walked several yards before Aleshia spoke again. “She wants you to keep an eye on me.”

  “What makes you say that?” Jennie frowned, sensing the same thing.

  “If I’m alone I could put a replacement hammer in Dad’s tool belt. That is, if he’s missing. Like it or not, Jennie, you’re coming along as a witness.”

  “Maybe she wants us to keep an eye on each other.” Jennie dug her hands deep in her pockets as a gust of wind seemed to blow right through her. “We’re all suspects at this point.”

  “True. But you have no motive. I do. You see, Jennie, Daddy threatened to cut me out of his
will if I didn’t cut my ties with ARM. Money is a primary motive, isn’t it?”

  Jennie digested this new piece of information, amazed Aleshia would offer it. It occurred to Jennie that accompanying Aleshia might not have been a good idea. Not that she especially feared Aleshia. But Jim was somewhere in the mink barns supposedly searching. What if they had been working together? She imagined herself walking into an ambush. Jim could be waiting. Jennie reigned in her imagination. Don’t be ridiculous, she told herself. Neither of them would gain anything by hurting you.

  Jennie stopped just outside the shop door. “Did you do it?”

  Aleshia pushed the wide metal door about two feet to the side—barely enough space for them to slip through. “You apparently don’t think so. Neither does Tess. Otherwise why would she send you with me? And why would you have come?”

  Jennie’s heart quickened. She watched her warm breath turn to a puff of smoke when it hit the cold air. Maybe her imagination wasn’t that far off. What was Aleshia up to? Where was Jim?

  Aleshia’s lips curved in a malevolent smile. “Not a smart move, was it? If I headed the release and killed my father, what’s to stop me from killing you too?”

  10

  Jennie could tell Aleshia was having fun at her expense but wasn’t quite ready to trust her.

  Aleshia chuckled. “Aren’t you coming in?”

  When Jennie didn’t move, Aleshia pushed the door open wider. “I was teasing. I’m not going to hurt you.”

  Jennie gritted her teeth. “You’re not funny. Pretending you’re the bad guy could get you into trouble.”

  “Who’s going to know?” Her smile faded “I’m sorry, Jennie, but you looked so serious.”

  “It’s a serious matter.”

  “You’re right. I shouldn’t be joking about Dad’s disappearance, but like I said, I don’t want to believe there’s anything to it. You know what the Bible says about laughter being good medicine. It reduces stress.” She sighed. “Well, I’ve stalled long enough. Let’s go see if we can find Daddy’s tool belt.”

  Even though she didn’t think Aleshia would hurt her, Jennie cautiously stepped into the shop, letting her gaze drift over the machinery, the tables, and up to the open rafters. She saw no sign of Jim or anyone else. The shop was neatly arranged. Tools of every sort hung from hooks that had been set into pegboards or screwed into the beams. Equipment—another tractor, a flatbed trailer, and a three-wheeler—sat in a row of stalls, ready for use. A pegboard next to the stalls held keys and were neatly labeled. One set of keys above the label “Tractor B” were gone—still in the ignition. A place for everything and everything in its place.

  “Whew. One thing’s for sure,” Jennie said, “you could never accuse your dad of being messy.”

  “Daddy was in the marines. He’s compulsive when it comes to keeping his work area neat. It’s his way or no way.”

  She relaxed some and followed Aleshia to a center post. The tool belt hung on a four-inch-long nail.

  “The hammer isn’t here,” Aleshia said, obeying Tess’s order not to touch it. “But then, I guess I didn’t expect it to be.”

  “I thought I heard someone out here.” Jim’s voice echoed in the building like an explosion. Jennie’s feet nearly left the ground.

  “Jim.” Aleshia ran to him, threw her arms around his neck, and started crying. Her action startled him, but he recovered quickly, wrapping his arms around her.

  “What’s going on?” He soothed his fiancée’s hair, but his accusing gaze settled on Jennie. When Aleshia didn’t answer, Jennie cleared her throat. “The divers found Mr. Sutherland’s hammer in the lake near the tractor. We came up to check his tool belt.”

  “I keep hoping he’s okay,” Aleshia sobbed. “It just keeps getting worse.”

  “I’ll admit things aren’t looking too good, but let’s not panic yet.” Jim took hold of her shoulders and leaned back to look at her. “Why don’t you go up to the house? Keep your mom company.”

  “No … I …”

  “Don’t argue. I’ll let you know everything that happens.”

  Aleshia hauled in a deep breath, and Jennie expected her to tell him off for ordering her around. Instead, she kissed him and said, “All right. Mom must be frantic.”

  “I’ll walk you up to the house.” He settled a protective arm around her shoulders and started for the door.

  “What kind of power does he hold over you?” Jennie wanted to ask but didn’t.

  “Do you want to come in too, Jennie?” Aleshia paused at the opening.

  “No … um … you two go ahead. I’ll go tell Tess about the tool belt.”

  Aleshia nodded and they stepped outside.

  “Just a minute,” Jennie heard him say a moment later. “I need to give Jennie a message for Tess. Keep walking, I’ll catch up.”

  Jim came back in. Fear reared up inside her. She needed to stop being so paranoid.

  He gave her an odd look, then said, “I went back through all the buildings. Didn’t see any sign of Bob, but I got to wondering about something.”

  “What?”

  “Come back in here and I’ll show you.”

  Jennie ignored the warning bells and followed him. There was no need to be nervous. Jim wouldn’t try anything with Tess only a few hundred yards away. Still, she followed at a safe distance, watching, waiting for him to make a move.

  Jim led her into a large room that looked like a lab. It was set up a lot like the one Tom used for skinning the mink and preparing pelts. But where Tom’s worktables were wooden and rustic, Bob’s were cabinets covered with white Formica. Only the Formica wasn’t all white. Blood was spattered over one of the counters.

  “Take a look at this, Jennie. It’s probably from the mink—usually we don’t get much blood. Once in a while, though, we might hit an artery.”

  Jennie felt queasy. “You said it was probably mink blood.”

  “Yeah—that’s what I thought earlier. Now I’m wondering if it might be Bob’s. He’d never leave a mess like this. He was a stickler for cleaning up after himself. This probably means someone interrupted him and—well, I just think Tess needs to see this.”

  “Hasn’t she been in here?”

  “No, Tom and I looked for Bob up here and then checked around the grounds—that’s when we found the tractor. Tess has been concentrating in that area.” He glanced nervously behind him. “I’d better get back to Aleshia.”

  “Um—sure, but could you answer one question?”

  “If I can.” His frown deepened.

  “Tess said Stan called her about Mr. Sutherland. Why were you looking for him?”

  “Tom came over to check on him—see if he needed help. Couldn’t find him and got worried. Stan told him he’d called the sheriff. He took off, and Tom called me to help look for him.”

  Jennie nodded.

  “Look, if you think Tom or I had anything to do with Bob’s disappearance, you’re way off base.”

  Jennie shrugged. “What I think doesn’t matter.”

  “No, I don’t suppose it does.” He looked worried, frowning as he took a step back, then turned.

  Jennie took a few deep, settling breaths. She moved closer to the blood-spattered counter. Jim was right. The sheriff would be very interested in determining whether or not the blood was human. The mystery was unfolding minute by minute, drawing Jennie in. She knew she wouldn’t be able to rest until the truth was brought to light. There were so many questions—so many unknowns. Jennie left the shop, closed the door behind her, and jogged back to the lake: Only Tom, Tess, the two divers, and the tow truck driver remained. She met Tom halfway up the ramp and told him about the tool belt and her conversation with Jim.

  He shook his head. “Situation keeps getting worse.”

  “Are you going?” Jennie asked.

  “Y
ep. Can’t stand around doing nothing. Thought I’d go back to the farm and get some work done. Tess knows where to find me. You’re welcome to come with.”

  “That’s okay. I need to tell Tess about the blood in the shop. I’ll see you later.”

  She’d just finished reporting the possible evidence to Tess when the divers emerged for the final time. So far all they’d found besides the tractor was a hammer and gloves. This time, too, they came up empty-handed.

  “He’s not down there,” one of them said, stripping off his mask and hood. “Lake’s not all that big or deep through here, and we’ve thoroughly covered this portion. We could go out farther, but unless someone took a boat out and dumped him in the middle, I doubt we’d find him. There’s no current so he wouldn’t have drifted.”

  Jennie released a sigh and picked up the empty mug she’d set on the arm of one of the Adirondack chairs earlier. If Sutherland wasn’t in the lake, he could still be alive somewhere; Her mind drifted back to the gloves, the submerged tractor, the hammer, and the bloody counter in the shed. She had the gut feeling all was not right with Sutherland, but as long as they didn’t find a body, she’d hold to the hope that he would show up feisty as ever.

  “Thanks, guys. Appreciate the help,” Tess said. “Anytime,” the second one answered.

  Tess ran a hand through her short curls. “If he is in there, it’s too late to help him. We’ll do a land search and hope we have better luck.”

  “What’s the plan at this point?” The diver bent to pull off his flippers.

  “We’ll keep looking,” Tess said. “I have a Search and Rescue team coming with a couple dogs. If he’s here, they’ll sniff him out. I need to check out the shed for evidence of foul play. Could use your help up there as well.”

  “You got it. We’ll change out of these wet suits, dry off, and see you up there.”

  When the divers had gone, Tess asked the tow truck operator to haul the tractor into Albany, where they could have a forensics team go over it. In the meantime, she planned to check over the shed, take samples of the blood evidence, and tape off the shed as a possible crime scene.