01-A View to Die For (2012)

by Richard Houston

  I opened the door to the lower level deck, and Fred quickly ran down the stairs to his favorite patch of ground, where he started his circling, sniffing, and circling. He finally did his thing after he found the perfect spot. It made me want to do the same, so I headed toward the bathroom where I had installed a toilet a few days earlier. I had no need to circle the room. I knew where the bathroom was without smelling every spot on the carpet to find it.

  I looked at my face in the mirror and wondered what Amy saw in me. The face staring back at me reminded me of the hunchback in The Beauty and the Beast. It wasn’t that I was bad looking. But my three-day beard, and hair that hadn’t seen a barber in months, should have been enough to make her run screaming for help. I was so glad she didn’t.

  Our little tryst was fantastic, while it lasted. We had finished with the bed and were in the shower when Taylor returned with Kevin. I don’t know if they believed my excuse of fixing the upstairs toilet, and I really didn’t care. All I could think about was Amy. I even had a hard time concentrating on the DVD when I showed it to Megan later.

  Fred was already watching Megan in the kitchen when I flushed and joined them. “Good morning, Sleeping Beauty,” Megan said. She was making French toast and sausage while Fred waited patiently for her to burn the sausage.

  “Now I know what woke Fred,” I said. “That smells great.”

  Megan soaked another slice of bread in her egg batter then threw it in the skillet. “How’d it go with the DVD last night? I’m sorry I couldn’t help, but you were making me dizzy with the fast forward, then reverse, then fast forward again and again.”

  “It’s the only way to find what we want without spending days watching them,” I said while taking a cup from a hook under one of the upper kitchen cabinets. I chose one with the picture of a John Deere tractor she had picked up at a garage sale. “Too bad the fool didn’t set the date on his system or we could have fast forwarded to the date Born2fish was supposed to meet Hal.”

  “I take it you never found it then?” she asked.

  “No. I finally gave up when I realized I didn’t have the June disk after all. He must have labeled the disk with the month he removed it from the system, and that makes the video over a month old.”

  Megan flipped over the toast in the pan and looked at me strangely. “How on earth did you figure that out?”

  I poured my coffee and went back to sit down. I slowly took a sip just to create a little suspense. “That clip you pointed out of the Paddlefish snaggers. You know, where those fishermen were swinging their poles back and forth like they were trying to snag something.”

  “Spoonbill,” she said. “We call them Spoonbill.”

  “The article I googled called them Paddlefish,” I said grinning. “But regardless, your snagging season on those monsters is in the Spring. From March fifteen until April thirtieth. That means Hal labeled April’s recordings as June. I had assumed 6-1 was the first week of June, but June must have been when he did the backup. My guess is he copied everything on the hard drive until he got to what he wanted. The meeting with born2fish is probably on the last disk.”

  “I should have caught that. Mike use to go every spring,” she said, looking like a kid who just flunked a math test. “So are you going back for June?”

  “As soon as I figure out a way to get back in. In the meantime, are you going to cook that so only Fred will eat it, or do I get some first?”

  “Fred needs to learn to eat his own food. This may be our last meal for a while unless one of us gets a job pretty soon, so I hope you enjoy it.”

  I finished my coffee and made a show of the empty cup. “Damn if you don’t sound like Natalie. But don’t worry. I bought us a little more time last night after watching the DVD.”

  Megan came over with the coffee pot and filled my cup. “And just how did you do that, Mister Chauvinist?”

  “I borrowed twenty thousand on my 401K. If we watch our money, it should be enough to catch up your payments and get us by a few more months,” I answered. “You can pay me back when you sell the house.”

  “Jake,” she started to say before throwing her arms around my neck to hug me. “You’re the best brother in the whole world.” She said between sobs.

  Fred loved the burnt French toast and sausage. Meg and I settled for some pop tarts and scrambled eggs. A combination I don’t ever recall seeing on a four star menu.

  We had just finished our breakfast when we heard Taylor’s truck. The boys had stayed at Taylor’s since Hal was on the road. Megan pretended to look at a watch on her wrist that didn’t exist. “Whatever got those two up so early?” she asked.

  Kevin was the first one to walk into the kitchen and went straight to the refrigerator. Taylor sat down at the kitchen table next to Fred and patted him on the head. “Good morning, Mrs. Carver. Jake,” he said.

  “Thank you Taylor,” she answered. “Aren’t you going to say ‘good morning’ too, Kevin?”

  “We’re all out of energy drinks, Mom,” he said while staring inside the refrigerator.

  “Yes, I know. You’ll have to settle for coffee until I can get to the store,” she answered. “I didn’t expect you guys up before noon. What’s up?”

  “My dad came home this morning and started a big fight with Mom,” Taylor said. He now had Fred’s head between his hands and was rubbing Fred’s ears. The boy didn’t seem to be the least bit upset.

  “Yeah, we had to get out of there,” Kevin said after pouring the last of the coffee.

  Megan’s expression turned solemn at the news. “Is she okay?”

  “Where’s the sugar, Mom? There ain’t no sugar in the bowl?”

  Taylor stopped petting Fred and turned to Megan. “Yeah, she’ll probably go to grandma’s in Clinton. That’s what she usually does when they get into it.”

  Megan got up, went to her pantry at the far end of the kitchen, and came back with a nearly empty bag of sugar. “What happened to get him so mad?” she asked.

  Kevin left his cup on the counter and took a seat at the table. I saw he wasn’t going to make another pot of coffee, so I got up and started rinsing out the pot. I wanted to ask about Amy but decided to just wait and hear what the boys had to say first.

  “Dad came back from his trip in a foul mood and started calling Mom names,” Taylor said. He didn’t look at anyone in particular – just stared out the sliding glass door. “He’s not my real father, you know. Mom says my real father bolted when he found out she was pregnant, and Hal came along just in time. The SOB never lets her forget it.”

  Megan filled the sugar bowl, then put three spoonfuls in Kevin’s coffee before throwing the empty bag in the trash. “Why doesn’t your mom just leave him?” she asked when she returned to the table and gave Kevin his cup.

  “She loves that freaking house. Sometimes I think she loves it more than me. Says she’ll lose everything if Hal walks out,” he answered, then started to rise from his chair. “Is it okay if I go out on the deck to have a smoke?”

  “Yeah. This coffee tastes like shit anyway, “ Kevin said and slid his cup toward Megan. “Then I gotta get some sleep.”

  Fred followed the boys out to the deck. Maybe he thought they might be hiding a treat in their pockets, or more likely, he was hoping for another ear massage. Next to food, there is nothing a Golden Retriever likes more than having someone rub his ears.

  Fred started barking the minute he went through the open door. I had just finished with the coffee pot, so I went out to see what he was barking at. “What is it, Boy? Don’t tell me we have another intruder,” I said as I looked to see what he was growling at. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

  A huge bald eagle was perched in an oak tree overlooking the lake. It couldn’t be more than fifty feet away, and it had turned its head toward us. I swear I could see it blink. It must have heard Fred, for it spread its wings and swooped down toward the water before catching an updraft. It was amazing to watch the beautiful creature fly with hardly
flapping a wing.

  “Quite a sight, isn’t it?” Megan had joined me on the deck. “You should be here in the winter. We have dozens of them come down from the north because our lake hardly ever freezes over. That’s one of the locals. We have several pairs that never leave.”

  Fred ran down the stairs after the eagle. He would stop every few steps and bark at it while it circled to gain more height. I looked over at Megan and saw her smile for the first time this morning. “Do you need a cashier’s check or will a personal check do? My bank has a branch in Sedalia if you need the cashier’s check.” I asked her.

  Her smile faded to a frown. She must have realized what I was asking. “My bank will put a ten day hold on a personal check. A cashier’s check would be better.”

  “I need to make a trip up there anyway. There’s a sale on tires at that tire shop across from my bank, so I’ll take the motor home. It’s going to need them for the trip home.”

  “You can’t leave now, Jake. You’re so close to getting the proof we need to prove Mike didn’t kill himself.”

  I looked to see if Taylor had overheard her. He and Kevin had gone to the far end of the deck to be downwind from us. “Better keep it down,” I said in a near whisper, nodding toward the boys. “I’m not leaving yet. I just wanted to get the old girl in shape to drive. I can’t keep borrowing everyone’s car forever.”

  Megan ignored my pleas to lower her voice. “You ought to trade that gas-hog in on something more useful. Why do you even want that beast?”

  This time Kevin must have heard her. “Are you selling your motor home, Uncle Martin?” he asked, flicking his cigarette off the side of the deck and joining us.

  “Kevin!” Megan yelled. “Do you want to burn down the house?”

  “Don’t have a cow, Mom. You know nuthin burns here. Mike tried every Spring to burn the ticks and could never get the weeds to burn.”

  “That was Spring, Kevin. We haven’t had any rain for a week. Get your ass down there and find that cigarette.”

  “Okay. Okay,” he answered. “Come on, Taylor. Let’s get out of here before I get grounded.” Taylor doused his butt in his now cold coffee and followed Kevin down the stairs.

  “We’re gonna take the boat, Mom,” Kevin called out when they reached the bottom of the stairs. His cigarette had landed on the path and was still burning. He stomped on it and ground it into the dirt. “Maybe we’ll go on over to Taylor’s and get something to eat. At least his dad won’t give us no shit about smoking.”

  “Don’t go too far,” she yelled back. “It must be just about out of gas.” Then she turned back to me. “So what’s next? Have you thought about how to get the other DVD?”

  “Another reason I want to drive up to Sedalia. Remember that beat-up truck we saw in the lot where I rented my car - the one with the roofing company sign? I need to see if they rent it out.”

  Megan’s expression turned blank. “What on earth do you want with a roofing truck?” So I told her how I was going to commit a felony breaking and entering.

  Megan thought my idea of impersonating a roofer was insane. I had explained how the only door without an alarm was the glass door in the master bedroom that led to a private deck. A deck that was only accessible from the master bedroom or a ladder. All I needed was to wait for Hal to leave on another business trip and then pretend I was a roofer fixing the flat roof that was both a deck and shelter for their screened porch below. She had asked how I knew the door wasn’t secure with some remark about ‘what was I doing in Amy’s bedroom.’ I made a lame excuse about ‘casing the joint,’ which I could tell she didn’t believe. She still had her doubts about my plan when we both left the house. I gave her my debit card, so she could drop by the ATM and get some grocery money, and I left for Sedalia in my motor home.

  Fred couldn’t go with me to Sedalia because of the heat. The cab-air in the motor home wasn’t working, so I left him at Megan’s with central air-conditioning to keep him cool. I had all the windows open and almost missed the telltale message beep of my cell phone because of the wind noise. There was a call from Amy and another one from Sergeant Bennet.

  Amy didn’t answer when I called back, so I left a message, then reluctantly called Bennet. “Hi, Jake,” he answered. This was a first, I thought. He always called me Mr. Martin before. “We recovered your credit card. A couple in Kansas tried to buy gas with it, and it didn’t clear because you had been smart enough to cancel it. They left without paying and were picked up by the Kansas Highway patrol twenty minutes later.”

  I had nearly forgotten how Bennet didn’t buy my story of being robbed. So now you believe me? I thought. “That’s great, Sergeant. I don’t suppose they still had my cash?”

  “No. No cash in the report. Of course Kansas is keeping the card for now. It’s evidence. I just thought I’d give you a head’s up in case you get subpoenaed as a witness.”

  After hanging up with Bennet, I tried Amy’s cell again. “Hi, handsome,” she answered. “I was beginning to think you forgot me already.”

  “Forget the girl of my dreams? No way. I’ve been trying to call all morning, but my service doesn’t work at Meg’s.” I didn’t let on that I heard about her argument with Hal.

  “I suppose Taylor told you Hal came back.”

  “Yeah. Are you okay?”

  There was a slight pause before she answered. “I get a break in an hour. Can you stop by the hospital, and we can get something to eat? I really need someone to talk to.”

  “I was going to my bank in Sedalia, but there’s a branch in Clinton. So I’ll stop by after the bank. Sure you’re okay?”

  This time, the pause was longer. She must not have covered the mouthpiece completely; I could hear a man’s voice. “I’ve got to go, Jake. See you in an hour.”

  The minute she hung up, I began to have doubts. It was the same feeling of insecurity I’d had before I’d found Natalie with someone else. This will never work, I told myself. It’s probably some old coot asking for his medicine. And I’m jealous of that? I tried to let it go and took a left at Highway C in Lincoln when I saw a sign pointing to Clinton.

  Getting Megan’s check for five thousand from the bank turned out to take a lot longer than I had expected. Although I had the three different forms of ID they needed, they still acted like I was trying to scam them. It wasn’t until they called my branch manager, at my insistance, that they issued the cashier’s check. By then I was late for my date. When Amy didn’t pick up my call, I went straight to the hospital.

  Sitting in the parking lot was Hal’s Mercedes. My blood pressure went up ten points. I sat in my motor home, trying to think. I knew Amy drove the SUV just as much as Hal, so I was probably jumping to conclusions. But what if it was him?

  My question was answered before I could get out of the motor home. Amy and Hal came out the Emergency entrance and headed for the Mercedes. They were holding hands.

  * * *

  Fred was waiting for me on the front entry, guarding a package from UPS when I returned. “How did you get out here, Freddie?” I asked when I went over to pet him. Then I noticed that Taylor’s truck was gone, and realized the boys must have come back after Megan and I had left. Fred wasn’t used to Missouri’s heat and humidity, and he was panting like a rabid hound. He even had foam dripping from his jaw. I needed to get him cooled off before he had a stroke. I picked up the package and opened the door.

  He headed straight for his water bowl in the kitchen. I yelled out to see if anyone was home. There would have been hell to pay if the boys had still been there, but unless someone was dumb enough to steal Taylor’s truck, I knew I was calling out to an empty house. Then I dropped the package on the table and went over to the refrigerator to grab a beer. The fridge was still empty except for a couple of beers, which meant Megan had not been the one to leave Fred out in the heat.

  Fred came over by me and laid his head at my feet. The package was for me. I knew it had to be the floppy drive I ordered off e
Bay, so I made a mental note to check out the floppy from the recycle yard later. There was no rush. I needed to take care of my dog more than I needed to play with a computer at the moment. “Want to go for a swim, Old Boy?” He was up in an instant, wagging his tail and barking at me. Whoever said dogs didn’t have the intelligence to speak never owned a Golden Retriever.

  Before I was halfway down the stairs, Fred beat me to the dock and jumped in the lake. Megan’s pontoon boat was parked in its slip, and the lift was at the bottom. That seemed strange. It wasn’t like Kevin to walk up the stairs when there was an easier way up the hill. I was still thinking about who could have taken it down without going back up when I caught up with Fred. He was back on the shore with a rock he must have found at the bottom of the water. “Give me the rock, Freddie,” I said, reaching toward his slimy muzzle.

  After a little tug-of-war, he gave me the rock then raced toward the end of the dock. He should have played football. He knew where to catch my forward pass and was right on his spot waiting for it. I decided to play a trick on him and threw it in the other direction, closer to the shore. He was on it in a heartbeat.

  The rock landed in the same place we had found the intruder’s footprint several days ago. But now, the lake was nearly two feet higher, and the print had to be washed away. “What do you have there, Boy,” I said when Fred came up with something other than a rock. Fred made me go through his keep-away game before he finally relinquished his prize. It was a waterlogged cell phone.

  It didn’t take two seconds to realize what we had. “Good Boy. This must be what our trespasser was looking for,” I said. “Let’s go back to the house and dry this thing out. If we can get it working, you may have just solved the case.”

  It stood to reason that the killer dropped his phone when he was feeding Bill Atkins to the fishes. I finally had some tangible evidence to prove or disprove my theory that Bennet was Hal’s stooge. Even if I was wrong about Bennet, I will have a pretty good idea who the killer is. Of course, there wasn’t much hope of the phone working again. But I knew the data on its SIM card was another story. Worst case, I would get another phone exactly like it and switch SIM cards.