Deputy Defender

by Cindi Myers

  “I wonder what they plan to do with the property.”

  “That’s one of the things we’re hoping to find out.” He held open the car door and returned the settlement statement to her. “What are you doing this afternoon?”

  “I’m putting the finishing touches on preparations for the reception tomorrow night and the auction Saturday. Everything is almost in place. Then, tonight, I’m going out with Lacy and Paige and Maya.”

  “That’s a good idea. You’ve been working hard—it will be good for you to relax a little.” His eyes met hers, so serious and at the same time, tender. “I’m on duty. But call me if you need anything.”

  “What would I need?” She tried for a flirtatious tone, but wasn’t sure she succeeded. “Are you expecting trouble?”

  “I didn’t mean it that way,” he said. “Just that I’m here for you. Whenever.”

  She waited for the automatic resistance she expected at such a statement, but it didn’t come. Instead she felt warmed—comforted by his words. “That’s nice to know,” she said. “So if I drunk-dial you at two a.m. you won’t hang up on me?”

  He laughed. “I promise I won’t. Though I can’t imagine you doing something like that.”

  “You never know,” she said. “I’m beginning to think it’s time to try a lot of new things in my life.” Maybe even trusting this kind, patient man who was coming to mean so much to her.

  * * *

  DWIGHT TRIED TO put Brenda’s troubles out of his mind and focus on work as he and Gage headed out of town toward the Eagle Mountain Resort property. “I talked to the mayor’s brother, Garrett, this morning,” Dwight said.

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah. I looked him up online. He actually has quite a few acting credits—dinner theaters, some commercials, some walk-ons in movies. So Larry was telling the truth about that.”

  “What about their dinner?” Gage asked.

  “He confirmed that he met Larry in Junction about six and they were together until after eleven. So the mayor is off the hook.”

  “Yeah, well, he wasn’t at the top of our list anyway,” Gage said. “My money is on the guy who was with Brenda—Brownley.”

  “I haven’t been able to find out much about him,” Dwight said. “But I’m still looking.”

  “I ran some more background on these folks we’re meeting,” Gage said. “Came up with nothing. The company itself—CNG Development—is a subsidiary of a subsidiary of a holding company, and part of a consortium of capital improvement corporations, etc. etc. etc.” He waved his hand. “One of these big corporate tangles even the IRS can’t figure out, which I guess is the whole point.”

  “What about the men we’re meeting today?” Dwight asked.

  “Pierpoint and Reed,” Gage said. “Sounds like a law firm. Nothing on them, either. Low-level corporate drones.”

  Dwight nodded. That was all he’d been able to come up with, as well. “I don’t expect to get much out of them,” he said. “They’ll tell us about as much as a press release, but at least we’ll be able to size them up.”

  “Size them up, and let them know we’ll be keeping an eye on them,” Gage said.

  Marcus Pierpoint and Bryce Reed met the two deputies at the entrance to the property. Dressed in gray business suits and white shirts with no ties, they were cut from the same mold—middle-aged and serious, with firm handshakes and big smiles. Pierpoint was the taller of the two and did most of the talking. Reed tended to echo whatever his colleague said.

  “Thanks for meeting with us this afternoon, officers,” Pierpoint said after the introductions, as if the meeting had been his idea and not the sheriff’s. “We’re always interested in establishing good relations with local law enforcement.”

  “Always good to have the police on our side,” Reed agreed.

  “What do you know about the activities that have gone on here the past few months?” Dwight asked.

  The two businessmen exchanged looks. “You’re referring to illegal activities?”

  Dwight and Gage said nothing.

  “We’re aware that wholly unauthorized persons have used the property for illegal activities,” Pierpoint said.

  “Wholly unauthorized,” Reed echoed.

  “Did you know any of these persons?” Dwight asked. “Wade Tomlinson or Brock Ryan?”

  “No,” Pierpoint said, while Reed shook his head.

  “What about Henry Hake?” Gage asked.

  “What about him?” Pierpoint asked.

  “When was the last time you saw him?” Gage asked.

  “We never met Mr. Hake,” Pierpoint said.

  “Do you know anything about his disappearance and subsequent death?” Dwight asked.

  “No.” Pierpoint shook his head emphatically. “We had nothing to do with any of that.” He looked around the property, at the bare limbs of the aspen trees, and the piles of golden leaves among the concrete foundations of buildings that had never been completed. “We were, of course, horrified to learn of the goings-on up here. I assure you both that we intend to put a stop to anything like that.”

  “Oh?” Dwight waited for Pierpoint to fill in the silence that followed. He struck Dwight as a man who liked to talk.

  “We will be installing new gates and locks to keep out trespassers,” Pierpoint said. “And we’re going to be hiring a security service to patrol the area. We want to make sure everyone knows that this is private property and trespassing will not be tolerated.”

  “What about the public trail?” Gage asked.

  Again the look between the two. “What public trail?” Pierpoint asked.

  “The one on the west side of the property,” Gage said. “A court case last year established that it is a public right of way and can’t be blocked.”

  “We contest that assertion and will be appealing,” Pierpoint said.

  Did the man always talk like he was presenting a case in court? Dwight wondered. “Until the court order is overturned, any gates or locks you install blocking the trail will be removed,” Dwight said.

  Pierpoint’s expression made it clear he didn’t like this, but wisely didn’t argue.

  “What are your plans for the property?” Gage asked.

  “We will be building a private research facility on-site,” Pierpoint said.

  “What kind of research?” Dwight asked.

  “We’re not at liberty to say, but the remote location and high altitude could prove beneficial,” Pierpoint said.

  “Was the laboratory we found here on the property, in the underground bunker, yours?” Dwight asked.

  “No,” Pierpoint said. “That has nothing to do with us. We’ll be building a completely modern, state-of-the-art facility.”

  “You’ll be applying for all the proper permits from the county,” Gage said.

  “Of course.” Reed apparently decided it was time for him to get another word in.

  “Is there anything else we can do for you?” Pierpoint asked. He pulled a set of car keys from his pocket. “We have another meeting we need to get to.”

  “That’s all for now,” Dwight said.

  He and Gage returned to Dwight’s SUV. Pierpoint and Reed followed and Reed shut and locked the gate behind them. Dwight waited until he was on the road again before he spoke. “What do you think?” he asked Gage.

  “Hard to say if they were telling the truth or not,” Gage said. “I can’t think of any good reason they would be linked to Henry Hake’s disappearance and death—the transfer of the property was completed before he died. And it doesn’t make sense they would have a connection to Wade and Brock.” He shrugged. “But stranger things have happened.”

  “Interesting that they’re going to use the place for a research facility,” Dwight said.

  “I don’t know,” Gage said. “I think high-altitude r
esearch is kind of a thing these days. There are a couple of facilities around Denver—and one in Crested Butte—studying climate and who knows what else.”

  Dwight nodded. “I guess so. Just seems like a remote place to do research.”

  “Maybe the remote location is an advantage,” Gage said. He shifted in his seat. “The environmental folks might like that idea better than a big resort.”

  “Maybe. And the place is an eyesore in the condition it’s in now.”

  “Do you really think they had no idea what was going on up there?” Gage asked. “I mean, that underground lab, what happened with me and Maya—and don’t forget someone shot at me and at Travis on different occasions. It was like they were using that place as a headquarters for something.”

  “These guys are based in Utah,” Dwight said. “I can see how they might not know if someone was up to something on the place. And I can see how it would attract the wrong element—all those empty buildings and the remote location. I’m glad they’re going to be looking after the place now.”

  “That public trail is going to be a sticking point. If they try to close it, Paige and her group will fight them on it.”

  “Let’s hope we don’t have to get involved,” Dwight said. “I’d be happy if I never had to go up to Eagle Mountain Resort again.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  It didn’t take long for the four women to agree that a proper night out on the town meant a town other than Eagle Mountain. “There’s only one bar there, there’s no place to dance, the only fancy places to eat are full of tourists, and everyone we know will see us and gossip about every move we make.” Paige ticked off all the reasons the quartet had to leave town if they were really going to cut loose.

  “Just how wild do you plan on this evening being?” Maya asked. A recent transplant from Denver, the high school teacher with dip-dyed blue hair probably had more party girl experience than any of them.

  “I don’t know,” Lacy said. “Do you think we can get enough drinks in Brenda that she’ll dance on a table?”

  “It will never happen,” Brenda said. “You know I don’t drink that much. And someone has to stay sober enough to drive.”

  “I’ve already taken care of that,” Lacy said. “No worries about any of us getting behind the wheel with too much to drink.”

  “What do you mean?” Paige asked, clearly skeptical.

  “We have a driver.” She gestured to the window and the street outside her parents’ house. A young man dressed in jeans, a navy blazer, and a chauffeur’s cap saw them all peering at him and tipped his hat.

  “Parker!” Paige exclaimed.

  “He had the night off, he doesn’t drink as a condition of his parole, and he’s a good driver,” Lacy said. “I figure it would be the perfect solution.”

  “I’m not sure how I feel about going out with my kid brother,” Paige said as the women gathered their purses and wraps and headed for the door.

  “He’s not going to go into the restaurant or club with us,” Lacy said. “And I’ve already told him that if he tries to take any photographs of any of us in compromising positions, I’ll take his phone and step on it.” She extended one foot to display a wicked-looking stiletto heel. “I think he believed me.”

  Parker drove them to Junction, a college town about an hour away, in the dark blue Toyota sedan he usually used for pizza delivery. Paige had made the dinner reservations, selecting a Japanese grill where they sat on cushions around a low table while a chef made their meals to order—and flirted outrageously. They took turns daring one another to eat unfamiliar foods—they all tried the octopus, but Paige was the only one who would brave eating eel.

  By her second glass of wine, Brenda realized she had laughed more in the last hour than she probably had in the last year. While a waitress cleared away their dinner plates, she excused herself to use the ladies’ room.

  “I’ll go, too,” Lacy said, and hurried after her.

  “Thank you for pulling this together,” Brenda said when the two friends found themselves alone in the ladies’ room. “You were right—this is exactly what I needed.”

  “It’s what I needed, too,” Lacy said. “I’ve been working so hard at school and on plans for the wedding—it feels great to relax with friends. As much as I love Travis, being with him isn’t the same as being with female friends, you know?”

  Brenda nodded, too choked up to speak. In the months following Andy’s death, she had too often cut herself off from others. Only recently had friends like Lacy reminded her how important other people were in her life.

  A few moments later, they emerged from the restroom into the hallway that divided the restaurant into two halves—their table was in a large space full of low tables, colorful cushions, shoji screens and traditional Japanese décor. The other side of the restaurant had a more Western vibe, with dark booths and small tables.

  Brenda glanced into this space and stopped short.

  “What is it?” Lacy asked.

  Brenda took a step back, behind a large potted firm. “That booth on the far side of the room—the second one from the left.” She kept her voice low, just above a whisper. “Is that Eddie Carstairs?”

  Lacy peered around the firm. “It is him! But who is he with?”

  The two women stared between the fronds of the fern at Eddie, who was dressed in a dark suit a little too big for his slight frame, and at the man across from him. This man also wore a dark suit, though better tailored and obviously more expensive than Eddie’s. His upper face was in shadow, only his chin visible. “I can’t tell who that is,” Brenda said.

  “Eddie looks upset about something,” Lacy said. At that moment, Eddie leaned forward, jaw set, and stabbed his finger at the man opposite. The man didn’t even flinch, merely waited for Eddie to finish whatever he was saying.

  Brenda tugged on Lacy’s arm. “It doesn’t matter. Let’s get out of here before he sees us.” Having to deal with Eddie would definitely put a damper on the night.

  “What do you think Eddie is doing here?” Lacy asked.

  Brenda shook her head. “I don’t know. Maybe his brother is in town. Or a friend from college or a cousin. Or maybe it’s a business meeting.” The more she thought about the scene at the table, the more it struck her that way—very businesslike. Or maybe it was just that the other man seemed like a businessman to her—the tailored suit, the stoic demeanor.

  “I told them to go ahead and bring our checks,” Paige said when Brenda and Lacy returned to the table.

  “What’s next on the agenda?” Brenda asked as she fished her wallet out of her purse.

  “We’re going to a great club a friend told me about,” Maya said. “They have a fantastic DJ and a big dance floor. Plenty of room for the four of us to get out there and show our stuff.” She laughed at what must have been the expression on Brenda’s face. “It’s okay to dance without men, you know,” she said. “Women do it all the time at places like this.”

  “Sure,” Brenda said. “It sounds like fun.” Though she couldn’t help feeling a little pang of nostalgia for the times she and Andy had danced arm in arm. For all his faults, he had been a great dancer.

  They paid their bills, then gathered their belongings and filed out of the dining room. Brenda and Lacy waited while Maya and Paige went to the ladies’ room. They were standing in the foyer when two men emerged from the other side of the restaurant and almost collided with them. “What are you doing here?” Eddie demanded. He glared at Brenda, face flushed.

  “We’re having dinner,” Brenda said. “The same as you.” She glanced behind him, toward his companion, but the other man was already gone. She’d been so focused on Eddie, she had never gotten a good look at him.

  “You must be feeling better,” Lacy said. “Have they caught whoever it was who tried to poison you?”

  “It wasn’t
poison,” Eddie said. He glared at the two women. “I have to go.” Then he turned and hurried out the door.

  “Was that Eddie Carstairs?” Paige joined them, Maya close behind.

  “Yes,” Lacy said. “He apparently decided to have dinner here, too.”

  “I guess he won’t want pizza for a long time.” Maya covered her mouth and giggled. “I’m sorry, that was probably mean.”

  “He wasn’t happy to see us, that’s for sure,” Brenda said. The women trooped out to the parking lot, where Parker met them at the car. He had opted to go across the street to a popular burger place for dinner.

  “How was your dinner?” Brenda asked as he unlocked the car for them.

  “Good. I met a couple of cute girls.” He grinned. “One of them gave me her number.”

  “Since when are you such a flirt?” Paige asked.

  “You should try it sometime, sis,” he said. “It’s fun.”

  “Oh no!”

  At the cry from the rear of the car, the others turned to find Maya staring down at the rear wheel. She looked up at them, dismayed. “We’ve got a flat.”

  “Let me see.” Parker moved to her side and knelt to check the tire, which was, indeed, deflated.

  “You have a spare, right?” Paige asked.

  Parker stood and walked around the rear of the car to the other side. “I have one spare,” he said. “But both rear tires are flat.”

  “Did we run over nails or something?” Lacy looked around, as if expecting to find the cause of the tire damage nearby.

  “Or something.” Parker turned to Paige. “Maybe you’d better call the cops.”

  “Why?” she asked, even as she pulled out her phone.

  “We didn’t run over anything,” Parker said. “Both tires have been slashed.”

  * * *

  “EDDIE’S THE OBVIOUS suspect for slashing the tires, but he denies everything,” Dwight said when he saw Brenda the next night before the museum reception. Whereas when she had called last night to tell him about the incident in the restaurant parking lot she had been clearly upset, tonight she was the picture of calm, in an ankle-length midnight-blue dress that bared her shoulders and clung to her curves, subtle silver threads shimmering with every movement. She wore her blond hair piled on top of her head, delicate tendrils framing her face. The overall effect was elegant and incredibly sexy.