“Too bad you don’t have any family to leave it to,” Arnie said.
Dick glanced at Peggy who was looking out over the field, and said rather oddly. “I’ve only loved one woman.”
Elizabeth noticed that Peggy blushed a little at this. A Royal Canadian Mounted Police cruiser arrived just at the same moment, and Ed Bowman jumped out of his car. He quickly introduced himself. “You may remember me from the hog manure episode, Corporal Hildebrandt.”
“Yes, I do,” the taller of the two police officers answered. “And this is Constable Branson.”
Bowman nodded at the constable. “I’m preparing the land for the hog barn,” he explained, as he led them over to the septic tank, again on the upwind side. Dick followed, with Arnie and Elizabeth again coming behind. Peggy joined them this time. “I hired Dick to drain the two septic tanks here so they could be hauled away. He spotted the bone.”
Elizabeth watched as the two officers bent over the tank. She admired them for not holding their noses. They couldn’t reach it by hand so Branson found an old tree branch in the grass and moved the bone with it. The bone slipped and plopped into the muck.
Hildebrandt looked at Dick. “How deep is this?”
Dick took a long measuring stick off the ledge on the truck and plunged one end into the tank. He pulled it back up and showed the officer.
“Can you suck up some more without picking up any bones?”
“I can’t guarantee that,” Dick said. “But I can hold the hose as close to the surface as possible. You’ll have to turn the motor on for me when I’m ready.”
Hildebrandt nodded to Branson.
Dick went to the truck and showed Branson the motor switch. He lifted the hose up until it was out of the slime, then immersed it slightly and nodded. The suction began immediately and Dick had to hold tight to the hose to keep it from wiggling out of his hands. Even upwind the horrible smell increased with the disturbance of the mess. He kept lowering the hose until the rounded top of what appeared to be a skull emerged.
“Stop!” Hildebrandt yelled.
Branson quickly shut off the motor.
Dick let go of the hose as the others gathered around. He dropped the end of the stick in again and this measurement showed that the sludge was about ankle deep.
The officers held a brief discussion then Branson went to their car and opened the trunk. He pulled out a pair of green hip waders, yellow rubberized gloves, and a mask. How convenient, Elizabeth thought, or maybe they’d thrown them in when Arnie explained the situation.
He carried them over to the grass and taking off his boots stepped into the waders, pulling the suspenders up over his shoulders. He put on the mask and gloves before going to sit on the edge of the tank. From there, he slowly lowered himself in, much like one would into a swimming pool.
He must have landed on something because he immediately shifted one foot and bent to gingerly pick some smaller bones out of the scum, along with what looked like a partial shoe. He placed them on the grass before returning his attention to the stinking sludge. When he pulled out the skull, everyone gasped. They could clearly see the hole with cracks radiating out from it on one side—it looked like the skull had been hit with something hard. Elizabeth shivered in spite of the heat.
Branson then systematically began to comb the rest of the tank while Hildebrandt finally addressed Arnie, Peggy and Elizabeth, who were standing in a little group.
“Mrs. Wilson,” he said. “I understand this is the property you sold to the Western Hog Corporation?”
“Yes. As of last Friday it belongs to them.”
“How long has it been since you’ve lived on this place?”
“I moved into town when my husband, Harry, left nine years ago.” Peggy looked straight at the officer as she spoke.
“Were you here when the bone was found?”
“No. I was showing Ms. Oliver,” she nodded to Elizabeth, “the way to my daughter’s bed and breakfast when Dick and Arnie stopped us and asked for a cell phone.”
Hildebrandt looked at Elizabeth. “Do you reside in the area?”
“No. And I know nothing about this.”
“That’s what I’m trying to establish. Where are you from?”
Elizabeth had learned that you can cooperate with the police right off and save a lot of questions or you can be uncooperative and have them on your back until they get all the answers they need. Since she really knew nothing and could be eliminated from any further questioning by being helpful now, she answered. “Edmonton.” With a slight grin at the thought, she suppressed the urge to add ‘Home of the Oilers’. She didn’t think this was an appropriate time.
Hildebrandt frowned at her. “Are you staying in the area?”
“I will be, yes, at the Prairie Bed and Breakfast.”
“For how long?”
“A few days.” He didn’t ask why she was here and she didn’t volunteer anything. If he wanted to know later, he knew where to find her.
He turned to Arnie.
“Your name, sir?”
“Arnold Trebell. Arnie, for short. I came along just after Dick found the bone. Shortly after that Peggy and Elizabeth drove up. I’m the one who made the call to the police.”
“So you weren’t here when he made the discovery?”
“No.”
Elizabeth noticed the disappointment in Arnie’s voice at having to admit that.
Hildebrandt turned to Peggy. “Where can you be reached if we have any more questions?”
“I’ll be staying at Shirley’s for supper. I’ll be home later this evening.”
“Thank you.”
By the time the officer finished his questioning, there was quite a large pile of different sized bones beside the tank, and Branson had climbed out. He tried wiping the boots in the grass and then gave up, finally stepping out of the waders and leaving them on the ground.
Peggy watched, lost in thought.
“Peggy, are you okay?” Elizabeth asked.
Peggy didn’t reply. Elizabeth waited a few more moments then tried again. This time Peggy grimaced at her. “This is not going to look good in an article.”
Her comment caught Elizabeth off guard. Was Peggy trying to be funny? “An unusual mystery always grabs the reader’s attention,” she finally managed.
“Well, finding a skeleton in a septic tank is definitely unusual.” Peggy looked at her watch, gathered herself together, and said sharply. “We’d better go or Shirley will be having a fit. I promised to be there to look after my granddaughter while she and Al go into town for a night out.”
Elizabeth bundled Chevy into the vehicle and followed her for less than two kilometres before they pulled into a circular driveway and parked. Elizabeth stepped out of her vehicle and surveyed the yard. The two-storey house was old, though well kept, and painted white, with green trim to match the green tin roof. A verandah, with baskets of pink and white impatiens hanging at intervals, ran along three sides. Flowerbeds in front of the house and around the drive overflowed with multi-coloured flowers, not to mention the widespread branches of the beautiful trees that shaded much of the yard. She sighed with delight. It was exactly as the picture on the web site had shown.
Behind the house was a garage and a large, hip roof barn with a bright coat of red paint. She was very happy to see two horses looking at her over the top rails of a corral and four more out in a pasture behind the barn. Trail rides, which were offered when weather permitted, were the one feature that had prompted Elizabeth to pick this bed and breakfast over any others. For a few minutes she forgot about the commotion with the septic tank, picturing herself astride one of the horses, the wind blowing her hair as she galloped over the prairie. She grinned at her fantasy. In truth, she’d be lucky if she didn’t fall off as soon as the horse began to walk.
She grabbed her things from her Tracker and with Chevy following climbed the steps onto the shaded verandah, which was well furnished with seating for a relaxing afte
rnoon sipping lemonade or an evening of star gazing. It even had a three-seat swing and a hammock.
When she got inside the cool air was a welcome relief, though the light was dim. She noticed they were using the power saving technique of air conditioning—the shades had been pulled to keep the heat out. Once her eyes adjusted, she saw she was in a large room that must have been the living room. It was now used as a dining room with tables and a sideboard. Against the wall to the left were the stairs to the second storey.
Straight ahead Elizabeth noticed Peggy standing at a swinging door, animatedly talking to a short, slim woman in her early thirties with poker-straight black hair. She was wiping her hands on her apron.
Peggy stopped talking when Elizabeth entered and introduced the woman as her daughter Shirley.
Shirley smiled and held out her hand. “We spoke on the phone.”
Elizabeth was surprised at Shirley’s level of calm in light of the news she must have just heard. “I know I’m early,” she said, shaking Shirley’s hand. “So I’ll just drop off my things and go into town to eat.”
“No, you won’t,” Peggy proclaimed. “You can eat with Stormie and me. Shirley always makes too much for us to handle.”
Elizabeth looked at Shirley who was already nodding her approval, so she agreed. “Elizabeth is a writer,” Peggy said to her daughter.
“Oh, how wonderful. What type of writing do you do?”
“I’m a travel writer,” Elizabeth said.
“She’s doing an article on the Crowsnest Highway.” Peggy was beginning to sound like her biggest fan.
“Well, welcome to the area. I’m sure you’ll find lots of fascinating material for your article. “ She looked down at Chevy who had been sitting quietly. “And this must be Chevy.” His tail started to wag when he heard his name. She reached out and let him smell her hand before petting him.
“I told Elizabeth that Stormie would love to play with him,” Peggy said.
“That she will,” Shirley agreed, then to Elizabeth. “I’ll show you to your room.”
Shirley led the way up the dark stained staircase and paused at the landing. “So, I assume you met Mom at the visitor’s centre.”
“Yes, she was just getting off work when I arrived there.”
They continued up the last two stairs into a hallway. There were several doors on this floor. The place could handle quite a few guests.
Elizabeth’s room was spacious with a large four poster bed against the far wall and a desk with a television. One large window had a view of the front yard, the other of the surrounding hay fields and wide open prairie beyond. It was perfect.
“I know you’ve only booked this room until Thursday, but if you are writing an article about the places along the highway you might want to visit our South Country Fair. It starts on Friday.”
Elizabeth had known about the fair before she arrived but she hadn’t planned on being here that long. If the weather held and she was able to find all the places easily, she hoped to be camping by the end of the week. But she never knew how her days would go so she didn’t want to refuse outright. “It will depend on how my research is going,” she said.
Shirley opened the doors of the closet and showed Elizabeth the hangers then pointed to the small ensuite, which contained a shower stall. “If you prefer to bathe, I can move you to another room tomorrow. The couple in it now will be leaving in the morning.”
“Showering is fine.” Elizabeth assured her.
“The television is hooked up to our satellite dish.” Shirley looked around. “I guess that’s all, so when you’re ready, come down to the kitchen.”
Chapter 3
Peggy watched Shirley lead her guest up the stairs then went into the kitchen. If she were home now she’d be bringing out the bottle of rum she kept for special occasions. As it was, the strongest drink in Shirley’s house was coffee. She took down a mug from the cupboard and filled it with coffee from the pot. Shirley always kept fresh coffee on for herself and her guests.
What a dreadful day this was turning out to be, Peggy thought as she sat down at the table. If she’d known at the beginning all the problems that would arise from the sale, she would never have sold the acreage to the Western Hog Corporation.
Before approaching her, Ed Bowman had tried to buy two other sites in the area but each time he had been turned down. He’d shown her the results of environmental studies and he had said it would mean more jobs for the people in the area. The very large sum of money he offered her was more than she would have received if she’d sold it to a private person. So after much personal deliberation, and discussion with Shirley and Al, she’d agreed to sell the land to the corporation so they could build a hog barn on it.
As soon as word got out that she had accepted the offer for her land, the opposition had begun. People phoned her to tell her to back out of the agreement. Some locals formed the group, CRAP, and held protest rallies in front of the town hall. They called the local member of the Legislative Assembly, the mayor, and the councillors, and sent letters to all the newspapers in the area. They even picketed in front of her home and at Ed Bowman’s office. When they realized that she wasn’t backing out she started getting phone calls in the middle of the night and one awful night hog manure was flung on her lawn and on Ed’s car. It was really unbelievable what they had done.
Ed had held a citizen’s meeting at the town hall to present the corporation’s side of the issue. One of the board members had come and showed the same environmental studies Ed had shown her. He’d answered all the questions and put up with a lot of heckling. Peggy had admired his patience but figured he had gone through this many times before.
Peggy had learned that at one time the decision on this matter would have been made by each community but a few years ago the Alberta government set up the Natural Resources Conservation Board. After hearing both sides the board gave the corporation the go ahead for the barn. This had set off a whole new round of letters and protests and phone calls. Things had become so bad that she had moved in with Shirley and Al for a week.
And now these bones had been found. She’d never expected the tanks to be removed for the barn. She’d thought they would just be covered over and left.
She rubbed her eyes. This was probably going to affect the vacation she had planned. It was her very first long distance one, and with someone special.
* * * *
After unpacking, Elizabeth went downstairs, Chevy at her heels. By the kitchen she noticed a hallway to her left with more doors along it. What a big house. She pushed open the kitchen door and was immediately greeted by an unusual mixture of aromas: chili and homemade cookies. Shirley stood at the stove stirring the chili while Peggy leaned against the counter.
“Are you sure it was a skeleton?” Shirley was asking Peggy. “A human skeleton?” She looked over at Elizabeth and gestured for her to take a seat at the large round table.
“Yes, we saw Constable Branson holding the skull, didn’t we Elizabeth?”
“It sure looked like a human skull to me,” Elizabeth said, sitting at the table.
Shirley shuddered. “You mean it could have been in that septic tank all the time we lived there?” She set the spoon down and placed a lid on the pot.
“Either that or someone put the body in after I moved off.” Peggy sat down beside Elizabeth.
“Did you live in that house?” Elizabeth asked, remembering the size and thinking that it would have been a cramped place for a family with a child.
“No. It wasn’t livable,” Peggy answered. “We bought a mobile home and set it up there. We also put in the new septic tank and field.”
“I gathered from the conversation today that you sold the land for a hog barn,” Elizabeth said, as Shirley slid some of the warm chocolate chip cookies on a plate and placed them in front of her. “And there are some people who were against it and caused some trouble.”
Peggy frowned. “It hasn’t been very pleasant.”
>
“That’s a bit of an understatement,” Shirley said.
“It is?” Elizabeth took a cookie. These were her favourite.
“Yes,” Shirley replied, sitting down at the table with a cup of coffee. “There were some people who formed a group called Citizens Rightfully Against Pigs, or CRAP as they called themselves.”
“Why were they against the barn?”
“They said that the manure would contaminate the water supply in the area and that the smell would cause headaches and many other medical problems. And they tried to stop the sale.”
“What did they do?” Elizabeth asked, as she ate another cookie. This story was starting to get good.
“They kept phoning Mom in the middle of the night and they threw manure on her lawn. It was just horrible.”
Before Elizabeth could ask any more questions the back door opened and a small blonde girl ran in followed by a tall, blond man. “Grandma!” she yelled, launching herself at Peggy. Elizabeth smiled as Peggy braced herself for the assault. The little girl gave her grandma a big hug and looked shyly up at Elizabeth then broke into a happy grin when she saw Chevy who was lying at her feet.
“Stormie,” Peggy said. “This is our guest Elizabeth Oliver. Elizabeth, my granddaughter, Stormie.”
“Hi,” Elizabeth said. “And this is my dog Chevy.”
“Sevy?”
“No, Chevy,” Elizabeth repeated slowly. “Like the truck.”
She hopped from one foot to the other excitedly. “Can I pet him?”
“Sure. He likes to be petted.”
Stormie knelt down beside the dog and gently rubbed her hand over his head. “Hi, Chevy.”
Chevy responded with a thump, thump of his pompom tail on the floor and Stormie giggled.
“And this Romeo is my son in law, Al,” Peggy said, as Al unwrapped his arms from around his wife’s waist and smiled at Elizabeth. He had a muscular build and stood a head taller than Shirley.
“Elizabeth is going to have supper with us, Stormie, while your Mom and Dad are out,” Peggy said.
The Travelling Detective: Boxed Set Page 3
