The high-paying tourists usually bypassed Coyote Wells, preferring the beaches to the south in Crescent City or San Francisco over the rustic little village of two thousand. The town did get its fair share of beachgoers and travelers, but it was nowhere near the mass that larger cities had to deal with during the summer months. It was mostly locals who frequented their sandy shores in droves, people who lived nearby in little neighboring hamlets that wanted a day trip to the beach and believed Coyote Wells was a cheaper destination than pricey San Francisco.
It’s why the locals felt that fall brought a calm and peaceful tranquility to the area. No wild out-of-towners to control or revelers to corral. Fall in Coyote Wells could be a thing of beauty. Along with its woodlands and chaparral, there was coastal sage in bloom and mountain meadows bursting with autumn wildflowers.
Gemma dug into her bag and brought out the box of Pop-Tarts. Ripping open the foil with her teeth, she handed the contents off to Lando.
His eyes lit up as his stomach rumbled for breakfast. “And that’s why I love you. You know what I love to eat.”
Opening her own package, she pinched off a generous corner of the crust. “You’re too easy. How’s Suzanne working out?”
“She’d be fine if she could just stop being so nervous about making a mistake.”
“We’re all afraid of making mistakes when we start a new job. You don’t plan on letting her go, do you?”
“Nah. She’s doing her best. At least she doesn’t have Louise’s smartass mouth and surly attitude.”
“Not to mention Louise’s propensity to kill when backed into a corner.”
“That, too,” Lando mumbled as his eyes tracked to the smoke belching from the side of the mountain. The county firefighters were already there, armed with their tools, digging a fire line in an attempt to rob what was now a full-blown wildfire of its oxygen.
Lando pulled his cruiser up to the foothills, made his way around the fire trucks, and pulled to a stop beside Zebediah Longhorn’s official SUV. The tribal police chief was already on the scene.
Gemma got out of the car and saw Zeb making his way down the mountain. “How bad is it up there?” she shouted.
“Bad. I was first on the scene. Near as I can tell one fatality. The pilot. From the number on the tail, that Cessna belongs to Peter Woodson.”
“But do we know for certain that it’s him?” Lando asked, scanning the ridge above where debris from the plane littered the side of the mountain and the scrub still smoldered black.
“Obviously not without dental records. Despite that, I’m going on record now as saying it’s Woodson.”
“Why?”
“The guy would never let anyone fly his plane. He was always at the controls. He’s a stickler about that. Was.”
Lando squinted in the distance, still surveying the debris trail. “Really? I didn’t know him that well. Sounds like you did.”
“The local airstrip is closer to the Rez. I’d see him out there all the time tinkering with his plane. And he was a frequent visitor to the stables. Had a colt there he favored. Plus, he liked to roll the bones quite a bit at the casino.” Zeb scanned the horizon as patrol cars pulled up, one after the other. “You should probably know that the body was not totally incinerated from the blast in midair. But then there was the impact with the ground.” He slapped Lando on the back. “This is your deal, your side of the mountain. I just showed up because I heard the explosion. Stepped out on the upper deck from my bedroom in time to see the plane shatter into pieces.”
“NTSB will want your statement,” Lando reminded him.
“I’ll be around. Call if you need help with anything. I’m going home. Leia’s making breakfast tacos.”
“Lucky you,” Gemma teased. “We had Pop-Tarts.”
“Let me guess. Red velvet crap with enough sugar to rot your teeth.”
“Pretty much nails it. Getting nervous about the wedding?”
“Not yet. It seems to be making Leia a little crazy, though. But I figure if you two can go through with it, we should be fine.”
“I’m not sure that was a dig or a compliment,” Gemma fired back.
“Compliment. Look, I need coffee,” Zeb grumbled as he headed back toward his patrol car.
After Zeb left, the entire Coyote Wells PD turned up in force. Lando began giving orders. He bobbed his head toward Payce. “Get this area cordoned off and don’t let anyone past this point unless I say it’s okay.”
Payce Davis, who bore a strong resemblance to Barney Fife, gave a quick salute and started stretching police tape from one tree to the next. “Good to have you back, Chief.”
Lando ignored the sentiment. To Jimmy and Dale, he pivoted toward the mountain. “As soon as the fire department gives the all-clear, scan the area for debris and take as many pictures as you can. Collect whatever you find in evidence bags. Let’s not be sloppy. While Tuttle is taking his sweet time getting here, we should get as much done before he loads up the body.”
“You got it, Chief,” Jimmy said, leading the way up through the rough scrub and hilly terrain.
“What do you want me to do?” Gemma asked.
Lando reached for her hand, tugging her toward the scene. “Come with me. Can you make it up that far?”
She rolled her eyes. “I hiked up to Haleakala summit, didn’t I? Well. Most of it. And that’s ten-thousand feet up. Fire Mountain should be a piece of cake.”
“Need I remind you that you only got maybe halfway up Haleakala. Besides, Fire Mountain is higher than it looks, steeper, too. If you’re okay with a hike, then let’s go take a closer look at our victim.”
She trudged behind him, up the steep path toward the scorched earth, still charred and smoldering. Debris from the aircraft littered all along the trail. “Maybe you look, I’ll just…you know…try to catch a vibe, maybe latch onto something on the wind.”
“Burned body is what’s on the wind,” Lando stated, sniffing the air. “You can smell that even from here, along with the fuel and torched eucalyptus. No getting around burned flesh. If Tuttle isn’t here in fifteen minutes, I’m calling in Luke.”
“What are brothers for?” she muttered to herself, trekking up the hill avoiding thorny scrub and prickly brush.
“You remember why this is called Fire Mountain, right?”
“Remind me,” Gemma said, trying hard not to disturb a snake or two hiding underneath the sagebrush.
“Back in the day when the tribes roamed this land, fireflies would light up the hillsides. I told you that story in seventh grade, brought you up here to show you.”
“I remember we came up here a couple of times to see that. Probably would’ve come more often but it was a tough trip on our bikes. We stood at the very top and looked down into the valley. We could see thousands of fireflies gathering just like our ancestors did. Do you remember how one of our teachers in middle school laughed at us and said it was just a legend, that the story wasn’t real?”
“Mr. Hollis,” Lando supplied with disgust. “He gave me a C on a paper I wrote about it. He claimed that fireflies didn’t exist this far west. He used that to say we’d made the whole thing up, that we didn’t see what we saw.”
“I should’ve brought my Polaroid to take pictures, at least the second time. But we did end up at the library to look up fireflies and proved old man Hollis wrong, didn’t we? Remember that? Score one for the kids. We showed Hollis that contrary to popular belief—and not based on his gibberish—that eighteen species of fireflies actually make their home here.”
“Yeah, but the SOB still didn’t change my grade.”
“There was that,” Gemma replied, beginning to get short of breath from the climb up. “Hollis was not happy about us proving that fireflies existed west of the Rockies.”
“Yeah, but he said the adult fireflies didn’t glow here in the valley like they did elsewhere back east. But we’ve seen fireflies light up the night sky here, Gemma. That was the thing that pissed me off
the most. The guy thought we were lying about it.”
“We saw them here…together. We just couldn’t convince Hollis of it. Why don’t we come up here next summer at night, and get it on video, send it to him then?”
“Because Hollis died a couple of years back. But even if he was still around, I’m pretty sure he’d claim we doctored the video in some way. When it came to accepting Native American lore and customs around here, the man could be an ornery cuss.”
She took a slug of the water she’d brought and wiped her brow. “How much further?”
“We’re almost there.”
“Who is this Peter Woodson anyway? The name’s not familiar to me.”
“Some retired federal agent who bought a place in town about five years back.”
“Really? Huh. I guess he doesn’t like chocolate. He never came into the shop since I’ve been here, not once.”
“Woodson kept to a close circle of friends. Always has. But I’ve seen him a time or two hanging out at Thackery’s Pub, prefers that to Greendeer’s place or to Captain Jack’s.”
“This guy doesn’t go into the best restaurant in town. At all? That’s kinda…weird. His loss then. What kind of federal agent?”
“No idea. Why?”
“The federal agent had a nice plane. Old maybe, but an expensive toy to maintain.”
“He did, didn’t he?”
“I’m just saying. I’ve always heard the FBI has a great retirement plan, but would it really be enough to buy a plane?”
The closer Gemma got to the wreckage, the queasier her stomach got. “Since you’ve been chief, did this Woodson guy chat you up about crimes he’s solved?”
Lando’s forehead creased with deep lines. “Now that you mention it, no. He never came into the station to talk shop like you’d expect a retired law enforcement member to do.”
With a belly doing flip-flops, the vibe she’d been seeking hit her about the same time Lando reached the body a few steps ahead. While he studied the charred remains, she hung back, clutching the stones that hung around her neck. Turquoise for protection. Moonstone for truth. Lapis for power. The stones didn’t do much to keep the images out of her head. A man’s face first. But then a mask fell away revealing another mask. Soon it disappeared only to have another mask take its place and then another and another.
Lando glanced back at his wife. “Gemma, what’s wrong? You’re white as a sheet.”
To keep from falling, she reached for the nearest tree, hugging the trunk to steady herself. “I’m not sure. All I know is your Peter Woodson over there had a secret. A big one. You’d better check his background. Go deep. Because I don’t think he’s who he said he was.”
2
By eight-thirty the rain had stopped as the gray clouds gave way to blue sky. The sun came out and brought a few onlookers with it. As promised, Payce kept them back at a distance.
Standing on the lower elevation of the foothills, Gemma looked up to where Lando had stayed behind with the coroner and waved. She’d texted him already that she’d caught a ride from his sister Leia to take her back home. When she finally got his attention, she blew him a kiss.
Leia—a dark-haired beauty with golden skin—rolled her big brown eyes filled with impatience. Not a fan of her brother, she glared at him in the distance.
“Oh, for Pete’s sake, let’s get moving. Places to go. You guys really are acting like newlyweds again,” she snarled as she walked back to her car. “Can’t keep your hands off each other for a minute. Why is it you’re out here, standing in the chilly air doing Lando’s job for him? Don’t you have enough on your plate as mayor?”
“Jeez, what crawled up your ass this morning? Zeb said the wedding was getting to you, but I didn’t think it had turned you into a stone-cold bitch. Someone died this morning so don’t take your frustrations—whatever they are—out on me. Or Lando. And if anyone should be mad…it’s me…at you. Going behind my back like you did and putting my name on a ballot without even hinting at what you were doing is a betrayal between friends. Dropping that bombshell at my wedding was uncalled for and out of line. It could’ve ruined our honeymoon.”
“That wasn’t my intent,” Leia spat out, letting a frustrated groan escape before covering her face with her hands. “I’m sorry. But maybe you’re partly right. When Lianne first brought up the idea, she ran it by Luke and by the time I heard about it I thought it’d be hilarious. Yes, I wanted to play a little prank on Lando. But when he found out about what we’d done, he was fine with it.”
Gemma twisted in her seat. “So, your little joke backfired, did it? You didn’t quite get the response you were after, did you? You do realize that you could’ve ruined our trip to Maui. Had we not pulled ourselves together like we did, this might’ve ruined our second chance. Our second chance, Leia. Did you even think about that risk? Did you deliberately want to put a wedge between Lando and me right off? Because if you did, it hasn’t worked.”
“No. No. I would never want that. Lianne actually thought you’d be the best candidate. She did. We didn’t mean any malice.”
“And what did you think about me as mayor? It was a joke, wasn’t it? I was the joke. You never thought I’d win, did you?”
Leia bit her lip and looked away. “I thought it’d be a hoot for you to be on the ballot. And sure, I wanted you to win. I voted for you. But part of me knew that Lando would have to answer to you if you did win. It was kind of payback. That’s why Lianne and I covered the fee. Initially. Once you actually won, I was shocked. I am sorry about that part.”
Tears welled up in Gemma’s eyes. “When I came back here after Gram died, it was hard. But I wanted to be back here more than anything. I relied on you as my friend. Why couldn’t you just believe in me? Not only that, if I'm honest, something else bothers me. Why is it you’re so determined to make your own brother miserable? That’s not just right.”
“I’ve always gotten along with Luke better than Lando. You know that. Lando was always picking on me.”
“But that was when you were kids. Why can’t you put that behind you? For good. I’m tired of being caught in the middle of this war between the two of you. I want this marriage to work. And if I have to choose, Leia, this time around I’m picking my husband.”
“As you should. It’s nice to see you two are so happy.”
“That’s not what you said earlier. It sounded like you were surprised we were getting along.”
“That’s just me going crazy with the wedding approaching,” Leia admitted, firing up the engine on her small SUV. She spared a quick glance at Gemma before pulling onto the pavement. “Things have been strained between Zeb and me. Pre-wedding jitters are driving him up the wall. I’m driving him up the wall. Every single day we fight about something else. Trivial. Major. It all comes to the same result—a heated blowup. I’m beginning to not like myself very much. I don’t want to lose you, Gemma. I don’t. Not again. Not now. I’d die if we weren’t still friends.”
“I still need a ride home, so don’t dump me in a ditch somewhere along the way,” Gemma quipped before squeezing Leia’s fingers. “You won’t lose me. We’re sisters-in-law…again. Sisters may fight and argue, but they forever remain sisters. That’s us. If I managed to get through my wedding, then so can you.”
“I’m not so sure about that. I’m beginning to wish for an elopement. Just kill me now because we still have a month to go and I’m not sure I’ll make it.”
“Stop it. Three weeks is not a month. You can make that. What happened while I was gone anyway? You were fine when I left for Maui. Now you’re a basket case. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you like this before.”
“A couple of things happened. One, my mom is dating. Dating, Gemma. She and Paul are talking about tying the knot. My mom. Married. She could beat me to the altar.”
“Come on, Leia. Who cares? Don’t you want Lydia to be happy? I don’t see the problem. So what if Lydia and Paul want to get married before you and Zeb
do?”
“Okay, that one might be weak. I should’ve led with Talia.”
“What’s wrong with Talia?”
“You remember me telling you how several months back Talia Davis—well, Talia Lewis now—married this rich tech guy from San Jose that she met on the Internet. Turns out, he reported her missing on Monday, a week ago today to be exact.”
“Wait a minute. This new hubby reported Talia missing?”
“Yeah. Brandt Lewis, the husband,” Leia hissed before rolling her eyes. “Big fat phony if you ask me. I catered Talia’s wedding, remember? I was there and witnessed the very tense exchange of vows.”
“Really? So you don’t think Talia just got fed up and took off?”
“No way. That’s the hubby’s story.”
“You don’t believe him?”
“I really don’t, Gemma. For weeks now, Talia had been coming into the restaurant complaining Brandt was seeing someone else. I’m convinced this guy did something to her.”
“Did you call the police down in San Jose and tell them that?”
“Why would I do that? Talia and Brandt don’t live there. They live in Talia’s house over on Baffin Bay.”
“Our Baffin Bay? Don’t you think that’s weird? Why would a wealthy tech guy move to Coyote Wells to live in a three-bedroom rambler? Those houses are maxed at fifteen-hundred square feet. Am I right? Why didn’t this Brandt move her down to San Jose with all the other Silicon Valley tech giants, those so-called brilliant big shots who live in mansions?”
Leia swung right onto the cul-de-sac known as Peralta Circle. She pulled into the circular drive, stopping in front of a fountain and a cairn. She angled toward Gemma. “Now see, I never thought of it that way. That’s good thinking. The minute Talia told me she met this guy online, I should’ve said something.”
“And what would you have said? ‘Don’t fill out that profile because I think Internet dating is full of scammers.’ You and me, we believe that without question. But to Talia, it wouldn’t have mattered, Leia. Talia was gonna go that route no matter what. Even if you had warned her, I doubt it would’ve made any difference.”
Fire Mountain Page 2
