Teaberry Chase

by R A Wallace

  The RV shifted from side to side, as though the resident had just bounded from bed. She looked under the RV. There were stabilizer jacks underneath but they were situated directly on the ground. She glanced at the RV behind her. Those jacks were on stacks of thick boards so they didn’t sink.

  She heard fumbling noises for a moment as the occupant tried to open the door. After several more tries, he was finally successful. The man in his late twenties squinted as the light of day hit his eyes.

  “Harley? I’m officer Henley. I’d like to have a few more words with you.” Erica backed up indicating that she expected him to step outside. There was no way she was going to cram herself into that tiny RV with him.

  His eyes fell on her coffee cup. He glanced behind him into the RV.

  “It will only take a moment,” she said.

  He looked longingly at the cup in her hand. She took a sip then motioned to the picnic table.

  He stumbled from the RV and lifted his legs over the bench seat. Once seated, he propped his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his hands. “What’s this about?”

  “We’re investigating the death of Ken Medina.”

  A look of impatience crossed his face. “I know that. I already talked to the police.”

  “Yes, sir. I just have a few more questions.” Erica took another sip. From behind her sunglasses, she watched his eyes follow the cup in her hand.

  “So? Ask,” he growled.

  Erica studied him from behind her sunglasses. He was a stocky man and had what was called a barrel chest giving the impression that he was larger than he really was. She had to admit, his arms looked massive, though she wasn’t certain it was all muscle.

  “Tell me again about the night of the murder,” she said.

  “We were over at Gabe’s drinking.” He dropped his face into his hands and began rubbing as though trying to wipe away the last vestiges of sleep.

  “At Gabe’s. You mean his camp site?”

  “Yeah, sure. Where else would he be?” Harley propped his head up again.

  “And you were drinking?”

  “Along with everyone else. We were all at the campground. It’s allowed.” His eyes dropped to her coffee cup again.

  “Did you see anything unusual happen with the victim?” She took a final sip before crushing the cup.

  “See? No.” He dropped his hands to the table. “I heard an argument, if that’s what you mean.”

  Erica tossed her cup into his fire ring. “Who had the argument?”

  “Gabe and Ken got into it.” His eyes were a little more alert now.

  “What about?”

  He shrugged. “I couldn’t hear what they said. I just know they both sounded angry.”

  ***

  “I can’t thank you enough for putting up with us.” Lee Compton reached for Megan with both hands, engulfing her hand within his. At five nine, he was the tallest of his companions. He was comfortably dressed for a day of travel in shorts and a polo.

  “You weren’t any trouble at all. It sounds like you had a great time visiting with your family.” Megan smiled at the others to include them in her comments.

  “Oh, we did.” Molly nudged her husband aside to take her turn. Instead of a handshake, she enveloped Megan in a hug.

  “We actually did things on this trip that we never did when we lived here,” Naomi said.

  “I guess as kids you always think that the place where you live is boring and there’s nothing fun to do,” Clark said as he positioned two suitcases on wheels on the front porch.

  Megan moved to the side to clear a path for all the luggage.

  “Now I know what we were missing out on.” Naomi turned to Molly. “We also had a blast with that gambling site.”

  Megan’s head quickly swiveled toward the two women. “Gambling site?”

  “Oh, yes. You haven’t tried it yet?” Naomi pulled her phone out.

  “Gambling isn’t for everyone,” Clark reminded her.

  “Oh, I know. But in this case, some of the proceeds go toward charity,” Naomi said as she keyed an address into her phone.

  “Maybe she hasn’t heard about it yet. It’s supposed to be new,” Lee said. He turned to Megan. “We were told that it was for people local to Teaberry but since we were former residents who happened to be visitors, we figured it was okay.”

  “How did you hear about it?” Megan leaned forward as Naomi held her phone out.

  “Oh, everyone was talking about it,” Molly said.

  “Everywhere we went,” Lee agreed.

  Megan tried not to grimace. “Can I ask how much money you lost?”

  “Actually, that’s the thing,” Naomi said. “We all broke even.”

  ***

  Jerry sat on top of the picnic table and waited. Periodically, someone would walk by and nod a greeting or even stop to talk. One of those kind campers had been nice enough to tell Jerry where the occupant of the camp site was. It was why he’d taken a seat on the table to wait. He knew the man he wanted would be back soon.

  Eventually, he saw a man in his mid-twenties walking toward him. Ike wore blue jeans low on his thin hips. His tee was hanging over one shoulder. The bare skin of his arms and chest sported a kaleidoscope of tattoos. A mesh bag hung from one hand as Ike returned from the restroom. His dark hair was still wet and slicked back.

  Ike didn’t pause when he reached his camp site. He walked directly to his RV and opened the unlocked door. After tossing the mesh bag inside, he turned to face Jerry.

  “What’s up?” Ike positioned himself on the other side of the fire ring and stood facing Jerry.

  “Just wanted to ask a few questions.” Jerry stayed where he was.

  “Thought you already did all that.” Ike used the tip of his boot to kick a charred log protruding above the fire ring. A mushroom cloud of ashes ballooned out in all directions.

  “Looks like we’re doing it again.” Jerry watched the ashes settle on Ike’s boots. “Nice campground. You ever stay here before?”

  Ike shook his head. “Nah. First time.”

  “What made you decide to stay here?” Jerry watched a frown of indecision cross Ike’s face. “Was it your idea?”

  Ike scratched his chest. “Ken and Alva picked it. On account of the Chase.”

  “Would you say they were close friends? Ken and Alva?” The indecision was gone.

  “Oh, yeah. They go way back.” Ike stuck his finger in his ear and began scratching.

  Ike pulled his brows together in a look that Jerry assumed was meant to be sincerity. Or maybe he was just scratching his ear too hard.

  “Alva is real broken up about Ken’s death.” Ike stopped scratching and wiped his finger on the shirt still hanging over one shoulder.

  “What about Gabe? Is he broken up?”

  A scowl crossed Ike’s face. “Alva isn’t friends with him. Matter of fact, I heard the two of them getting into it.”

  “Yeah? When was that?”

  “I dunno.” Inspiration struck. Ike’s face became animated. “Just before Ken was killed.”

  “Really?” Jerry stood up from the picnic table. “What were they arguing about?”

  Ike shrugged. “Sounded like Alva was telling Gabe to lay off Ken.”

  ***

  He was either a light sleeper or he was already awake. The pounding on his RV door brought an immediate response. Erica couldn’t quite make out the words on the other side of the RV door. She was pretty sure she didn’t miss much.

  She knew that the man who answered the door was in his early twenties. He looked even younger. He had the face of a man who only needed to shave every other day at most. His bare chest was devoid of hair. After seeing Erica on the other side of the door, he struggled to pull on a tee shirt as he awkwardly descended the steps of the RV. He stumbled on the last step and turned accusing eyes toward Erica as though she were somehow to blame. She kept her face impassive as she waited for him to settle.

  He went d
irectly to the picnic table and flipped open the lid of a pizza box. Much of the pizza was already gone. After picking up one of the few remaining slices, he closed the box and turned to sit on the top of the table next to it. He took a bite before speaking.

  “What’s up?” He reached up with one hand to swat away a fly. Erica watched as he chased the fly around while he continued to take bites with little time for chewing in between.

  “How’s the pizza?” She saw the surprise in his eyes. It hadn’t been the question he was expecting.

  He swatted again. “It’s okay. They make it in the office.”

  She watched the fly land on the bandana on his head. “That’s convenient.”

  He waved the pizza crust toward the office. “You got that right. They deliver right to your site.”

  Erica turned her head slightly. Dack’s camp site was the closest one to the office. “I wondered if you remembered anything since the last time we spoke.”

  “About what?” He tossed the hard outer edge of the crust into the fire pit.

  She wondered for a fleeting moment if he was playing her. Then she dismissed the thought. “Ken Medina’s death the other night.”

  “Oh, yeah.” He flipped the box open and pulled out another piece. “Not really.”

  “Did you know him long?”

  Dack shrugged. “Long enough I guess.” He bit off the long point of the slice.

  They’d gone over that material the first time she spoke with him. She switched to a different topic.

  “What about Gabe? Did you know him long?” Erica watched the fly leave Dack’s head and land on the remaining slice in the box.

  “No. I just know what everyone else told me about him.”

  “What was that?”

  Dack folded the rest of the slice in half lengthwise and took another bite. “That he was a loser.”

  “A loser, eh? How so?”

  “He was always chasing the dream, you know? He wasn’t smart enough to know that he wasn’t good enough to catch it.” Dack tossed the remaining crust in his hand into the fire pit.

  Erica watched as he reached into the box for the remaining piece. The activity caused the fly to temporarily hover aloft above the slice then landed again safely as Dack lifted it to his mouth.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Looks like they’re back.” Roxie stood in the open door at the rear of the camp office and watched a female officer with a long braid walk in the opposite direction. They shared the same hair color though Roxie’s long red hair was now liberally sprinkled with white. The red that remained was no longer as vibrant.

  Zeke joined her at the door and peered out. “Yep. Still don’t have it solved yet.”

  She leaned back against him with her coffee cup in her hand. “I imagine it takes time.”

  “Time we don’t have,” he said above her head.

  “No one will blame us for the death.” She twisted to look up at him. “Will they?”

  “No one’s cancelled yet.” His eyes followed the female officer until she rounded a bend in the road.

  She settled back against him. “Well, that’s something then.”

  “She must be looking for someone else to question.”

  “I imagine they’re interested in anyone who spoke with the man that died,” she said.

  Deke nodded. “No shortage of them.”

  Erica reached Alva’s camp site just as the man was exiting his RV. She hadn’t spoken with him before. Jerry had questioned him initially. They were wondering if she’d have any luck getting some new information from him. He walked over to his picnic table and lifted a spatula. The small tabletop gas grill had metal sides around the top to help block the flame from the wind. There was a large cast iron skillet on one of the burners. She could hear the food inside it sizzling. The smell was phenomenal. She knew there was bacon involved. There was an old-fashioned silver coffee pot on the other burner. Alva had a coffee mug and a carton of eggs next to the grill.

  He eyed her suspiciously as she came to a stop a few feet from him. “Can I help you officer?”

  “Mind if I ask a few questions?” Erica’s eyes fell to the bacon sizzling in the pan. He only had a few slices in there taking up one half of the pan. On the other half, there was a mound of sliced potatoes.

  Alva picked up a spatula and began flipping the potatoes. “Free country.”

  “We were wondering if you’ve thought of anything new since the last time we spoke with you.”

  Alva flipped the bacon over and inspected it for doneness. “Not that I can think of.”

  “What about the others in your group? I’m sure you’ve talked about things, right?”

  Alva transferred the bacon to a plate. “Not really. I haven’t anyway.”

  “And why is that?” She watched him crack open an egg into the pan. It hit the hot bacon grease and sizzled even louder.

  “Haven’t been around.” He cracked open a second egg.

  “Why is that?”

  Alva picked up his coffee mug and turned to her. “I’d rather spend my time with my girlfriend than hang out around here.”

  “You’re saying that you spend most of your time with her?” Erica watched him take a sip of his coffee before setting the mug down. He lifted the spatula and flipped the eggs over.

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying.” He began transferring the fried potatoes to the plate with the bacon.

  “Has this been just since the death of your friend?”

  Alva shook his head as he turned off the flame for both burners. “Been doing it ever since we got here.”

  She watched him flip the eggs onto the plate. He motioned to it with his spatula. “Mind if I have my breakfast now?”

  ***

  Megan stood on the porch and waved as her guests pulled out of her driveway. She didn’t waste any time getting her computer. She carried it to the kitchen and set it on the table. Within minutes, she was looking at the gambling web site that her guests had showed her.

  As they had said, there were references to proceeds benefitting the local community. She scrolled through the main web page for the site. It gave tantalizing leads about the activities at the off-road trail and alluded to the fun that could be had by gambling on the outcomes.

  After reaching the bottom of the page, she returned to the top and clicked on the first link. A window popped up informing her that she needed to create an account to proceed. Although it was only asking for a first and last name and not a credit card, it wasn’t a step she was ready to take. She closed the window and stared at the main page again. Perhaps one of the other links would let her proceed farther into the site without a login?

  She tried each of them with the same result. Whoever had written the code behind the web page had been thorough. She tapped her fingers on the table as she stared at the main page. She rather liked the layout for it. It reminded her of something else. Curious, she toggled the browser’s view setting to check out the code.

  As she scrolled down the long page of code, her brows pulled together. It wasn’t just the layout of the page that looked familiar. The code did as well. She toggled back to the regular view and clicked on the link to access the rest of the site again. This time when prompted, she entered in random letters for a name. It allowed her to pass on to the next page.

  This one gave a list of upcoming events all of which could be clicked on to place a bet. She toggled the browser to view the code behind the web page. What she saw led her to believe that her suspicions were correct but there was one more test. One more way to confirm without a shadow of a doubt. She clicked on the link to make a bet.

  It flipped her to another web page asking her to enter her information including her credit card number. Megan toggled the browser to view the code. She leaned back in her seat when she saw it. There was no doubt in her mind.

  ***

  Jerry looked down at his notes then lifted his eyes to look at the man in front of him. The forty-something
man was scowling.

  “You’re sure about that?” Jerry asked.

  “Of course, I’m sure. As sure as you’re standing here right now.” Bennie turned and spit into the fire pit.

  “Tell me why again?”

  Bennie waved toward the property line that separated the campground from the off-road trail property. “He isn’t fooling anyone with his RV that he calls a mobile service station. He can’t be trusted.”

  Jerry still wasn’t making the connection but nodded as though he agreed. “You think Gabe is putting people on?”

  Bennie made a noise that might mean that he agreed with Jerry.

  “I never trusted that guy.” Bennie waved vaguely away from them. “I remember him from the racing circuit.”

  “Do you think Ken felt the same way? I mean, he was the one who wanted Gabe to hang around, wasn’t he?” Jerry glanced down at his notes again as though reading from them.

  “Ken was just being too nice. Probably felt sorry for him.” Bennie shifted his gaze from Jerry to the female officer walking toward them.

  Jerry flipped his notepad closed. “You ready to go?”

  Erica stopped when she reached them. “If you are.”

  Jerry nodded to Bennie before walking away with Erica. “Anything?”

  “Not much. We’ll see once we compare notes back at the station.” Erica reached for her phone when it buzzed.

  Jerry glanced over and lifted his brows. “What have you got?”

  “It’s Megan. She wants to meet with us.” Erica typed something back.

  “You think she just wants to touch base with anything she’s learned?”

  Erica returned her phone to her pocket. “We’ll find out when we get there.”

  ***

  Megan arrived at the police station at the time Erica indicated they would be available. Martha finished typing something into her computer at the front desk then turned to offer her a smile.

  “In for a visit?” Her eyes glanced around the waiting room. There were a couple of small groups of people on the far side. For the most part, they were huddled together and talking quietly.