Man's Best Alibi

by Tara Meyers

  Grinning, Nathan took the mitten back out his pocket and tossed it into Ember’s lap. “Great. I’ll pick you up at six? I need to get going. Our team is meeting at the fire department parking lot at eight fifteen.”

  “Six is good, but I didn’t mean I wanted my glove back. I was thinking yesterday about the gloves Kurt was wearing when he died. Could his finger even fit in the trigger guard with those on?”

  Pausing at the top of the steps, Nathan wagged a finger at her. “You really need to reconsider running for the coroner position. That’s the kind of deductive reasoning you need in order to see the bigger picture.”

  Embarrassed by the compliment, Ember ignored it. He knew how she felt about the job. “The gloves?”

  “While Dr. German didn’t think to ask that question, I already addressed it.”

  Nathan was normally very modest, and Ember was enjoying this glimpse of a bolder personality. She had a feeling that if pushed, he could be very commanding.

  “After examining the glove to determine what brand it was,” Nathan continued, “I went to the local hardware store and bought a pair. While it was awkward, I could still draw and shoot my Glock without any problems.”

  Impressed with how thorough he’d been, Ember was glad he was involved in the investigation. It left no question that every angle had been looked at, and she could let it go. Daenerys was hers. Though her owner had died a tragic death, he was finally going to be laid to rest, and they could get on with their lives.

  But as she watched Nathan’s forestry truck disappear down her driveway, Ember frowned. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Picking up the cold coffee cups, she waited for the warmth of the sun to reach across the lake and chase away the chill settling in her chest.

  There was something lurking in the bigger picture, and she knew it was only a matter of time before she saw what it was.

  NINE

  “So, we can count on you to show up and make a little speech, Elly?” Becky was staring earnestly at the mayor, a french fry dangling from between her fingers. She was one of the few people who addressed the mayor by her first name. They’d been friends for a very long time.

  “I wouldn’t miss your fundraiser!” Mayor Gomez looked insulted. “In fact, the city of Sanctuary would be happy to waive the rental cost of the community center, and I’ll even throw in the use of the kitchen facilities. We at city hall appreciate all that your shelter does, Becky. You let me know what time you want me there, and I’ll drop in for a visit. Do I need to wear a costume? I wasn’t planning on dressing up this year.”

  Ember watched the exchange silently, content to chew on The Rusty Wagon Wheel’s spicy ribs while the two women went through their charades. Becky already knew Mayor Elly Gomez wouldn’t miss her Halloween party fundraiser for the animal shelter, and Elly knew Becky knew she wouldn’t miss it. The two of them had the type of friendship that fed off a certain level of drama and conflict. How they’d managed to remain so close for over two decades, Ember would never know.

  “Not dress up!” Mel exclaimed. Dropping her burger back to her plate in mock despair, she frowned at the mayor. “As the leader of this community, Mayor, I think you should set a better example.”

  Mayor Gomez opened her mouth to say something but then closed it again. She began to look concerned before realizing the younger woman was messing with her. “Michelle, who invited you?”

  Mel feigned insult before taking another big bite of her hamburger. “Seriously, though. If you need any help coming up with something, I’m a pro at costume design. Which reminds me.” Turning to Ember, she dabbed at a spot of catsup on her chin and then grinned mischievously. “I hope you’ve learned to embrace the red, because all I can say is ‘flaming superhero.’”

  Ember immediately regretted agreeing to let Mel create her costume for the fundraiser. It had been classified as “top secret,” and she had a growing feeling that it wasn’t going to be subtle.

  “Do whatever you want with my hair, but make sure everything important is adequately covered up, okay?”

  Laughing, Mel rubbed her hands together evilly.

  “I think I’ll pass on the costume idea,” Mayor Gomez interjected.

  “Smart move,” Becky mumbled. “And thank you for the use of the center, Elly. I appreciate it, as always. How did your meeting go last night with Wyatt Parker?”

  Ember saw the distinct change in the mayor’s demeanor and knew the answer wasn’t going to be positive. She suspected it was the real reason behind Becky’s lunch invite. While her aunt wasn’t what you’d call a gossip, she still had a strong pulse on the city. And the meeting in question had big stakes involved.

  Wyatt Parker was the patriarch of the Parkers, the last remaining members of the founders of the town of Parker. Sanctuary and Refuge were established by a group of pioneers a hundred years before, while the Parkers arrived with the logging boom some thirty years later. Their wealth and land ownership spread rapidly, but it also ended just as quickly when the logging industry was shut down. While much of the property was then bought up by settlers, as well as the towns of Sanctuary and Refuge, some key elements remained in the Parkers grasp. This included the Parker Water Reservoir.

  Situated several miles above the valley to the north, it was fed by Parker Creek, as well as natural springs and runoff. The water was so pure that there’d been ongoing talk about bottling and selling it, but the rights issue had never been hammered out satisfactorily.

  There was a lot of on-going debate as to how it all came about, but the most believed rendition was that originally, the settlers of Sanctuary got their drinking water from Crystal Lake and then private wells. As the city grew, so did the demand, and they had to look to a better and larger source. The Parkers had already spread out by then and had purchased the surrounding land for both the logging potential and the water source. At about the same time as the logging mill was shutting down, Sanctuary was in need of water, so the lease was created for the water rights. Fifty years seemed like an eternity at the time, but now the renewal date was looming.

  What should have been an easy negotiation had instead turned into a heated legal battle. The town of Parker was too far to the south to be able to gain any benefit from the reservoir, and they had their own solid water source. But the Parkers saw a financial opportunity. As part of the new lease, they wanted full rights to the bottling and sale of the water, which would also mean a large manufacturing plant would be built next to it. The mayor and council members were adamantly against it, for both the environmental impact and the restrictions it would place on the town of Sanctuary and its second largest source of income: the farmlands. The new water use limitations would mean the farmers would have to turn to other means for their irrigation. Sure, they could attempt to drill more wells or siphon from Crystal Lake, but that meant a huge cost and new infrastructure.

  The whole thing was a one huge, complicated mess.

  “I’ve called for a town meeting next week,” Mayor Gomez replied. Her voice was heavy, and she sounded tired. “Please don’t let this information go any further than this conversation, but Wyatt didn’t budge. The man is a thief! He doesn’t care who or what he steamrolls. All that matters to him is the money to be gained. Like the Parkers need it! If his father was still alive, he wouldn’t stand for it! At least Wyatt Senior was a reasonable man. I’m afraid we’re down to our last option, which is to hire an environmental lawyer. Our only hope is to do a comprehensive impact study, but that’s going to cost more than the city has in its legal budget.”

  “Which means what? That we have to raise the funds?” Becky didn’t sound optimistic.

  “I know that might sound daunting,” the mayor said, her voice low. “But I believe that once the cost analysis for our local farmers is presented, they’ll see that it will be to everyone’s benefit to contribute a small amount now instead of much more later on. We’re talking about the type of financial impact that a good portion of our ran
chers can’t afford, Becky. They wouldn’t be able to water their crops or their cattle. It would be devastating.”

  Ember sat back from her food, the lunch special forgotten. The situation was much worse than she’d realized.

  “How will getting a special lawyer to tell them they can’t build their factory make them renew the current agreement?” Mel had a knack for playing devil’s advocate.

  “Because that reservoir is otherwise useless to the Parkers,” the mayor explained. “Wyatt figures he can cash in on bottling it, making around ten times more than from our use alone. But take that option away, and he’s back to looking at Sanctuary as the only income source. Sure, he’ll likely still raise the stakes considerably to make up some of the difference, and it’ll mean a rate hike for everyone, but it would be much more manageable than losing over half the volume.”

  “Half?” Ember echoed. “They want to sell half of the year’s runoff as bottled water? Isn’t that a massive amount?”

  Nodding, Mayor Gomez pushed the leftovers around on her plate. She hadn’t eaten much of it. “Which is why I believe we have a real shot at getting it blocked. Wyatt underestimates the consequences that such an operation would have on the whole valley. Including the state and national parks’ land. In fact,” she continued, turning to Ember, “maybe Nathan can help. Do you think he could get me in touch with the right people from the parks’ program?”

  “Sure!” Ember looked around for a waitress to flag down. She and Mel needed to get back to the clinic. They had an appointment right after the lunch hour. “I don’t know if I’ll get a chance to talk to him before Sunday. He’s out on a search and rescue thing right now.” She took the bill from their server and handed it right back with her credit card. “But I’m sure he’d help any way he can.”

  “Help with what?”

  Jumping at the deep voice behind her, Ember knew who it was without turning around.

  “We weren’t talking about you, Sheriff,” the mayor assured him. “But maybe you can help, too. It has to do with the water rights fiasco. Can you swing by my office later this afternoon to talk about it in a more private setting? And what’s the latest news on that poor man you found? I hope I can reassure everyone that there wasn’t any foul play involved.”

  Sheriff Walker’s expression left no question as to how he felt about a private meeting with the mayor. Ignoring the invitation, he jumped straight to the reason for his appearance. “That’s why I’m here, Mayor. I wanted to let you all know that I just heard from Ranger Cooper. The Seattle office has determined that there’s insufficient evidence to suggest anything other than suicide, so that’s the official ruling.”

  Relief was the main emotion Ember experienced at the announcement, but it was slightly overshadowed by the unanswered questions. Thinking of Daenerys, she pushed any negative thoughts to the side. “That’s great news!”

  Becky turned a suspicious eye toward her.

  “What?”

  Squinting, her aunt slowly tapped the table top three times before answering. “I know you better than that, Ember. Let this one go.”

  Holding her arms up in a gesture of surrender, Ember huffed in frustration. “Why is everyone so convinced that I go out of my way to stir the pot? There’s a difference between seeking drama and seeking the truth.”

  “Agreed.”

  Ember turned to the sheriff with a shocked expression. He was the last person she expected to be defending her.

  “Anyway,” Walker mumbled, clearly uncomfortable. “I guess that’s that. I’ll leave you ladies to your lunch.”

  “Wait!” Ember called out as he took a step back to leave. “I was wondering if you happened to pick up Daenerys’s collar. I know Nathan left it in the tent. I…um, was hoping to get the nametag. For Daenerys.”

  Walker paused and then rubbed thoughtfully at his forehead. “Nope. I set it and the leash on top of the pile of clothing.”

  “Bummer,” Mel interjected. “But isn’t that all, like, a crime scene or something? Don’t you need to go back and get that stuff?”

  Appearing unenthused at having to explain it, Walker ticked out the points on his fingers as he spoke. “We already conducted and finished our scene investigation. Once we were done gathering the evidence there, it was no longer an active scene. The feds have closed the case. So, even if it had been an on-going investigation, it no longer would be. Everything remaining up there is pretty much trash. It’ll be collected by a clean-up crew in the spring. Just let Nathan know,” he added, waving a hand at Ember as he walked away. “I’m sure it’ll still be there next year.”

  As they all said their goodbyes, Ember was unusually quiet as she went over her plans for the weekend. She’d already seen the forecast and knew that while the unseasonably warm weather was going to continue for a few more days, rain and snow was due to hit again at the beginning of the week. She always manned the clinic on her own from nine to noon on Saturdays, but Sundays were left open. Plenty of time to go for a hike before her dinner date with Nathan.

  TEN

  “I don’t know how I let you talk me into these things.”

  Ember didn’t even try to stifle her laugh. Mel was decked out in the hiking gear she’d bought in July when Ember convinced her she wouldn’t die if she went into the woods. But after a few short treks on local trails, multiple mosquito bites, and one very unfortunate tick incident, Mel was convinced that her original stance was accurate. Bad things happened in the wilds.

  “Because, even though you complain, I know you still like it up here. And I was serious when I said the ticks are gone. It’s too cold for them.”

  Mel stopped and turned to look pointedly at Ember. “I told you to never mention those things again. I still have nightmares.”

  This time, Ember tried to smother the giggle that bubbled up, but when Mel made a pained expression, it was too much. “I’m sorry!” she managed to get out around the strangled chortles. “But you’re making the same face as when Becky came at you with the tweezers.” Laughing harder, she had to stop and lean against a tree. “You would have thought an alien was burrowing its way into your soul.”

  “I think that’s a pretty accurate description!” Picking up a handy pine cone, Mel took aim. “This is for making fun of my attempted alien possession,” she yelled, nailing Ember in the chest. “And this is for dragging me on yet another unreasonable excursion to some freaky place to meet only God knows what fate!”

  “Ow!” The second pine cone was smaller but still stung when it hit Ember’s forehead. “Wait a sec,” Ember mumbled while rubbing at what was probably a red spot on her face. “I’ve never dragged you to a freaky place before.”

  “Well, I’m sure you’ve thought about it.” Sidestepping to easily avoid Ember’s half-hearted toss, Mel caught the projectile midair. “You threw a mushroom at me?”

  Picking another piece of fungus off the tree she’d been leaning against, Ember shrugged. “With my luck, I’d hit you in the eye, and then I’d really have to feel guilty.”

  Unable to keep up the pretense any longer, Mel dropped her last cone and broke out in a wide smile. “Coffee break!” She slipped her pack off and pulled a thermos from a side pocket.

  “You mean water break,” Ember corrected.

  “You might have water in that thing,” Mel retorted, pointing at Ember’s water bottle. “But when you drag me out into the wilderness at eight in the morning, I’m bringing coffee.”

  After a brief lecture on dehydration and the proper provisions for a long hike, Ember accepted the offered swallow of coffee. “Maybe you’re on to something,” she admitted.

  “You said it probably wouldn’t take more than four hours to get to that campsite,” Mel said. Looking up at the sun’s position, she attempted to guess at the time without checking her phone. “So, another hour or so?”

  “Close!” Ember said approvingly. “Could be even less than an hour. The dog that was tracking did a lot of stopping, backtracking, and
wandering. Plus, we were all loaded down with gear. Now I’m glad it was all muddy from the melting snow. I don’t know if I could have found it without such a clear trail being left behind.” She’d opted to leave Daenerys at home again, even though she likely could have helped them stay on the right trail. The thought of having her back at the spot where her owner died was still too … strange.

  “Why didn’t you just ask Nathan? I’m sure they must have marked the location with GPS.”

  Ember didn’t answer but instead busied herself with getting her pack back on.

  “Is there a reason you don’t want anyone else to know we’re coming up here?” Mel’s tone was light, but she was frowning. “Because I thought Walker said it wasn’t a crime scene or anything. It’s okay for us to go through that stuff, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it’s fine. I just didn’t want to get into a debate about my getting involved or anything. I was afraid Nathan wouldn’t believe me if I told him it was only because I want the nametag.”

  “And…”

  “And what?” Ember did her best to look innocent.

  “You and I both know that there’s got to be more to this guy’s story. So, it wouldn’t hurt anything if we happened to look and make sure nothing got overlooked, right? I mean, before winter moves in and destroys most of the stuff that’s left.”

  Mel paused to push aside a branch for Ember and then fell in step behind her. “But seriously, Em, is this going to make things awkward with Nathan?” She used Ember’s nickname as a sort of code word for, “This is me being straight with you, so don’t confuse it with sarcasm.”

  Ember stopped in the middle of the indistinct trail and gave the question some thought. “No,” she finally answered. Squinting up at the sun blazing against a bright-blue, fall sky, she breathed in the crisp air tinged with the smell of decaying leaves and pine. “Nathan and I are friends, Mel. We haven’t really crossed over into anything that would warrant any sort of ‘awkwardness’ over my acting independently.”