by Lynn Cahoon
Kirk Hanley’s warning about it not being safe the first time she’d met him echoed in her head. He’d been right, it hadn’t been safe, but she hadn’t known at the time that he was actually the bad guy.
As she’d figured, the parking lot at the trailhead was empty. She unloaded Dom, grabbed her backpack, and remote locked her car. The beep echoed against the canyon walls and a startled bird flew up from a bush near the trail.
Dom gave a quick woof to let the bird know that he hadn’t been scared at all and they started hiking. Ten minutes later, she thought she was at the switch back where she’d made the rock arrow, but she couldn’t find it. She slowly walked up to the next turn, and then the next, scanning the edge of the trail. Finally, she found the pile of rocks that looked nothing like an arrow now. She took out the map and glanced at the markings, then compared them with her current location. It looked like the same place.
It was time to go off trail and see if she was right. But as soon as she pushed through the bushes closest to the trail, she realized she was still on a trail. Not one used a lot, but one that had been carved out of the dirt years ago.
Following the trail and remembering where she saw the bunny disappear, she approached the rock wall. If you just glanced at the rock wall, there was no opening, but going around the stone edge, you came into a large entryway. She grabbed her flashlight out of the bag and shined the beam on the edge of the opening. It seemed solid enough. Then she shone it on the stone floor. No sudden drop offs like in the River Vista cave. She’d seen drunk kids fall into the creek there when they’d gone down to the cave to party.
She eased herself around the rock and into the cave. The air was cool and the temperature dropped from the high seventies outside on the trail to a balmy sixty, maybe sixty-five. A large temperature gauge was hung on the entrance of the cave with a table underneath it. In Gerald’s scrawled handwriting, dates and temperatures had been recorded. Sometimes twice a day. The temps never got over sixty-five or under sixty from the pages she scanned. Two flashlights sat on the table next to the notebook.
She shined the light farther into the cave. There were wooden shelves lining each side of the cave. Wheels of cheese sat with a label on the shelf with the create date written in ink. Some of the first ones were so faded she couldn’t read the date, but as she went further into the cave, she realized some of the dates went back five, ten years. Why wouldn’t he just let the cheese commission certify the cheese and sell it? Why did he keep this a secret from even the woman—or women—he’d been courting?
Questions she’d probably never get answers to, as they died with Gerald Moss. Ian needed to see this. She’d call him when she got home. Or maybe stop by the farm. He could be still sleeping on Gerald’s couch, hoping to deter local treasure seekers or teenage kids looking for a new place to party.
She wandered farther back into the cave and realized she’d run out of shelving. She swung her light over the back of the cave and saw something on the wall. Curious, she stepped closer and realized it was drawings. Not just drawings, petroglyphs that must have been from the original Indian tribe that ran this area before the first white settlers came in from the west. The park that lined the canyon walls following the river had two examples of Indian art, but they looked old and weathered. These looked like they had just been painted, the coolness of the cave keeping the colors bright.
She took out her phone to snap some pictures and noticed she had two missed calls and a text from Felicia. Where are you?
She hadn’t been gone more than an hour, had she? She checked the time. Angie didn’t think she had cell service, but just in case, she responded back. I found the cheese cave and more. I’ll call you as soon as I’m in the car.
She opened the camera app and snapped several pictures of the walls. She was just getting ready to leave when she heard Dom’s low growl. Fear ran through her and for the first time, she was hoping she’d see coyotes when she turned.
“You have got to be kidding me.” Kirk Hanley stood watching her and staring at the walls. “This is the so-called treasure? The only thing this does is mess up the sale of the property. I’m sure the biddies at the historical society will put this place under a no-build order, until they decide what to with the cave.”
Angie felt a chill go through her body as she eased toward the cave entrance. Her legs were shaking so hard, she thought she might fall before she even got close. Trying to keep the waver out of her voice, she said, “I don’t know. Maybe the cave isn’t that special.”
He shook his head and pointed a revolver at her. “Nice try, but you and I both know that’s not true. I’ve been hearing that you’re quite the little detective. What exactly do you think I did?”
“You mean, besides holding me at gunpoint?” She tried to think of a way to get out but she didn’t think she could win a footrace against him or a bullet. She’d have to talk her way out of this. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I just saw the cave from the trail and decided to come explore.”
“And you just happened to have a flashlight?” Kirk shook his head. “I followed you from your place out here. You took out of there like a bat out of hell. I knew you’d found your grandmother’s map.”
“How did you know she had a map?”
Kirk shrugged. “My mom always talked about how stingy Moss was with her, yet he and your grandmother had some sort of relationship. Mom said he told her that your grandmother was the only woman he trusted. Mom saw the map once, but then he just handed it over to your grandmother. He was probably sleeping with her. He should have put family first, don’t you think?”
Angie thought about arguing for Nona’s virtue, but honestly, she couldn’t think of anything to say. Her mouth felt dry and she could feel Dom shaking beside her. She didn’t want to work Kirk up, not when she could still talk him into letting her leave. She had to.
“You’re related to Gerald? Why haven’t you told anyone? They’re looking for a relative to take over the farm and the inheritance.” Angie decided this was her chance. “Let’s just go outside and you can call Sheriff Brown from my phone and let him know you are the legal heir.”
“I was the legal heir until that old man decided to disinherit me. I got a letter from some attorney working in Nevada telling me I was out of the will. Seriously? All I get is a measly 10K? That didn’t even last me the weekend on the tables. I had some bad luck.”
“Ian told me Moss didn’t have a will. No one needs to know.” She took a step toward the entrance. A tiny ray of hope filled her as she could see the light from outside. “Let’s go outside and talk this through. I’ll keep my mouth shut about the lawyer and you’ll be a rich man.”
“With an old goat farm? Seriously? All that land is worth is to sell it off to a developer.” He waved the gun at her. “You move again and I’m going to shoot you. Or maybe I’ll shoot your dog first. That should keep you still.”
Dom growled again at the threat. Angie slapped her leg. “Come here.”
“See you can follow orders. Training people is just like training dogs. You have to have an incentive to follow.” He nodded toward the wall. “Go sit down there. I need to make sure the guy didn’t hide anything else in here before I deal with you.”
Angie found a blank wall and slid down to the floor. Dom laid his head on her lap. Tears filled her eyes as she rubbed his ears. Kirk was going to kill her and probably Dom too. And no one knew they were in a hidden cave on the Snake River. She should have left him at the house. She should have stayed at the house and let Sheriff Brown deal with this. She should have never started investigating. She wasn’t made for this. Instead of listing off more shouldn’ts, she buried her face into Dom’s fur. “You’re such a good boy. I love you.”
All of a sudden, the cave was lit up with bright lights and people rushed inside. She kept her head down and held on to Dom’s collar, keeping him beside her. When
she looked up, Sheriff Brown was cuffing Kirk and Ian was standing over her.
“Are you okay?” He held out a hand to pull her to her feet.
Shaking, she took in a breath. “I am now. How did you find us?”
“Let me get you out of here, then we’ll talk.” Ian put his arm around her and led her out of the cave. They paused at the entrance and moved out of the way when officers came up the trail.
Angie glanced behind her to see where her dog was but Dom padded behind them. She wanted to cry, but not here. “There’s too many people here. It’s going to excite Dom. I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep him quiet.”
“I’m going to take you down to your car and drive you home. Allen can come talk to you there.” He walked her down the trail and to the passenger side of her car. “Give me the keys.”
She did as she was told. She wondered if she was in shock. Even though it was still warm, she grabbed the hoodie she kept in the car and covered her upper body with it.
“Do you want me to turn on the heat?” Ian sat beside her and adjusted the arm of the hoodie. Dom was in the back seat, leaning his head over her shoulder.
“I’m not hurt.” She said, taking a deep breath. She put her hand on Dom’s head and pressed it into hers. “I think I was just scared. He would have killed us.”
“I believe you’re right. Something’s off with that guy. If anyone stands in the way of what he wants, he feels justified in getting rid of them.” Ian started the car and pulled out of the now crowded parking lot.
“So you think he killed Mr. Moss?” Angie thought about the way he discarded the value of the petroglyphs. “All he wanted was money.”
“I don’t know if Allen has enough evidence to prove the guy killed Gerald, but he has enough to lock him in a cage until he can prove it.” He rubbed her hand. “We heard him threaten you. That was enough to lock the guy up for kidnapping and attempted murder.”
“He didn’t kidnap me, he followed me. I led him right to the cave. I should have realized he was watching the house, but I assumed he was in Jackpot gambling.” She took a bottle of water out of her pack.
“Which was a good assumption, but I guess someone tipped him off that you were looking into who killed Gerald, so he started watching you.” Ian turned the car down the road that led to her house. “And he made you stay there against your will. That’s kidnapping. Tell me he touched you and Allen can add assault to the charges.”
He sounded so earnest, so angry that Kirk had done this to her. It made her feel warm and cared for, even if it was just in the heat of the moment. “He didn’t touch me, but thank you for this. I needed someone to lean on for a few minutes.”
Ian smiled, his blue eyes twinkling. “I’m always here if you need a shoulder.”
They rode in silence for a few minutes. Then she looked at him. “How did you find me? Find us, I mean?”
“Allen got your voice mail and came out to the house to talk to you, but according to Mrs. Potter, you’d just left. Then Erica told him she’d seen Kirk’s truck following you down the road.” He glanced at her. “She was really worried. She told him you’d said to stay away and call the police station if she saw him. I guess she was coming inside from a walk to do just that when Allen showed up.”
“And you?” She narrowed her eyes. “Where were you? And why did you get involved in this whole take down?”
“Superman to the rescue.” He shot her a quick grin. “Actually, Allen called me after he talked to Felicia. He knew I was over at the farm. You’re going to have to take me back to my car in the morning.”
“You’re staying the night?” Angie didn’t know how to react to the news.
Ian laughed. “Don’t look so stricken. I’ll be sleeping on your couch tonight. I know the killer is going to be behind bars, but until Allen makes sure he was working alone, I’d rather not take a chance of you being out here by yourself.”
“I could call Felicia to come stay over.” She sank her head into the headrest.
He snorted. “Two girls? That’s just a serial killer movie waiting to happen.”
“Okay Mr. Male Chauvinist, I’ll have you know, we ‘girls’ can take care of ourselves.” Anger flared up inside her.
“Now there’s the fight I expected to see.” Ian smiled. “Let me rephrase. Would you mind if I slept on your couch tonight? I’d be less anxious there than home in my bed wondering if you and Dom were all right.”
“Since you asked so nicely, I accept your offer.” The anger was gone as soon as it flared. All she felt now was bone-dripping tired.
He pulled the car into the driveway and parked. “Thank you. Let’s get you inside. I’ll handle feeding your zoo and if you feel up to making some, I’d love a cup of coffee when I come back.”
“Coffee coming up.” She looked down at Dom. “And several doggie treats for you, Mister. You were amazing in there.”
Dom woofed his agreement and ran inside to his bed where he did two circles and lay down. He was asleep before she finished setting up the coffee pot and got his treats out of the cupboard. She sat the treats next to him and lightly stroked his head, hoping not to wake him. “Thanks big guy. I appreciate the backup.”
Then she sat down with a plate full of cookies and waited for Ian to come back inside. Her body started to relax and she thought she’d need a cup or two of coffee to keep her awake until bedtime. The adrenaline of the situation having totally wiped her out.
The good news, she thought as she munched through a second cookie. She’d figured out who killed Gerald Moss and probably why. She wasn’t half bad at this investigating stuff. But she was amazing at this cooking thing. She figured she’d stick with that.
CHAPTER 23
Angie had guessed right on needing the caffeine because before she was able to climb into bed that night, she’d had to field a phone call from Erica and Mrs. Potter and once she got off the phone with them, Felicia was at her door.
Felicia insisted on cooking dinner for the three of them, but before she finished, Sheriff Brown was there, wanting to interview Angie for the record. She invited him to stay for the meal, but his wife had supper waiting for him at home.
She slept through the night and late into the morning. When she woke, she made her way downstairs, Felicia was working on her laptop and something smelled amazing. She went straight to the coffee pot and poured a cup. When she sat down after a few fortifying sips, she asked “What are you still doing here?”
Felicia didn’t look up from the screen. “Good morning to you too. There’s some strata in the oven. I ate with Ian before I drove him back to the park to get his car. He’s an interesting man.”
“He’s overbearing and chauvinistic.” Angie stood and dished up a plate of the breakfast casserole. Grabbing a fork, she returned to the table. “But I have to admit, I appreciated all he did last night. I’m not sure I wanted to be out here alone after the day I had.”
“From what I saw, you weren’t alone. We had to tell Mrs. Potter and Erica not to come over more than three times last night. They were worried about you.” This time she did look up. “You’re an important part of the community. I’ve been dealing with calls all morning from town folk wanting to make sure you were okay.”
“It’s because I’m Nona’s granddaughter. The woman was loved. And really, they just wanted to hear the gossip.” She took a bite of the food. “This is great. And just what I needed.”
“Thanks, but I think you’re wrong on why they were calling. They like you.” She went back to her computer. “I hate to bring up work after yesterday’s situation, but do you think we’ll need to push off the grand opening? I’ve had several emails asking if we were.”
“No.” She waved her fork for emphasis. “I’m not dead and people need to eat. Besides, I want something good to focus on. And opening The County Seat on Friday will keep me so busy, I wo
n’t be able to even think about what could have happened.”
“I’m glad you’re okay.” Felicia stood and gave her a quick hug. “I would have been really ticked if you’d had me move all this way to open a restaurant and then got killed the week before we opened.”
“Sensitive, are we?” Angie smiled, knowing her friend was really saying how scared she’d been.
“Not that I’m admitting.” Felicia poured another cup of coffee and then sat down to talk. “And that’s the last we’re going to talk about the ultra-scary thing that didn’t happen.”
“Then let’s pull up the to-do list and see what we can knock off remotely before we go into town to work.” Angie finished her breakfast and went to the sink to wash off her plate. Mabel was in the herb garden pulling up a large worm. She could see Precious in her pasture, munching on grass. And Dom was snoring in his bed. All was right with the world. “How’s front of the house set up going?”
* * * *
The white lights twinkled over the redwood pergolas set up in the dining room, making the restaurant look almost magical. White tablecloths covered the tables and red napkins added to the festive flair. The bar gleamed with the deep polished wood and a mirror backing where the liquor bottles set. A tall dark and handsome bartender, in a white dress shirt, suit vest and black jeans was filling the ice well. Jeorge was his name and Felicia had stolen him from one of the Boise restaurants. Angie thought he made the bar look even more perfect.
Estebe had run the prep time with a kindness and efficiency she hadn’t expected. The kitchen crew were ready, if a little nervous. The prep work was completed, and it was time to open.
“It’s real,” she whispered to Felicia who walked up in a floral dress and stilettos. Angie was dressed in chef whites with her hair pulled back into a low bun.
Felicia hugged her. “I told you we could pull this off. Of course, don’t expect me to wear these heels every night. My feet are already killing me. I have cute flats back behind the hostess stand so if I lose a few inches later, don’t complain.”
