Fire Mountain

by Vickie McKeehan

  “That would be nice, yeah.”

  “I’ll see what I can do without getting a warrant or tipping my hand.” Zeb picked up a bear claw from the box, but before biting into it, he stopped. “You know two of your cases are connected—Woodson and the unidentified female. I’m not so sure Talia’s is.”

  “That’s what I’m thinking. I’m keeping an open mind there.” Lando sipped coffee from a Styrofoam cup then dumped the bag of coins on the table. “Real or fake?”

  Zeb picked up a few and examined the fronts and backs. “Nice work. I’d say fake. If you look close enough, you can see the copper filling is poorly done. It doesn’t match up with the old dates, either.”

  “Yeah. The weight might be correct, but the copper in the middle is the giveaway.”

  “You know my dad collects coins, considers himself to be somewhat of an expert on everything minted in the west, San Francisco and Denver.”

  “Then take a few samples and let me know what he thinks.” Lando cleared his throat and shifted in his chair. “Not to pry or anything, but are things any better between you and Leia?”

  Zeb rolled his eyes. “Since yesterday? Not really. She didn’t get home until almost midnight last night, then got up early and left the house before I got up. On purpose, I think. I’m starting to worry, Lando. If things don’t improve soon, we may not make it to the wedding.”

  “I’ll get Gemma to talk to her. See where her head’s at.”

  “I’m afraid I already know the answer. And it’s not good.”

  “Don’t give up, bro, especially if Leia is what you really want.”

  “I thought she was. But these days, I’m not so sure.”

  8

  “I suggested Leia take the weekend off to get her head on straight,” Gemma admitted, standing at the stove, throwing a chicken pasta dish together. “And yes, that would mean being away from Zeb for two days.”

  “How will that bring them closer together?” Lando asked. “How does that work? Not being in the same room at the same time to work things out?”

  “It won’t. Probably. But if it isn’t meant to be…look, no one can push Leia into anything. I wouldn’t even want to try. I’m not having that on my conscience. I’m sorry, Lando. Only she can decide if she wants to go through with it. Which is why I agreed to do the waitressing Saturday and Sunday, let Lydia work the grill. Offering to work for her is the only way I thought Leia would ever take the time off for herself.”

  “And you think this free time will have her acting better toward Zeb?”

  Gemma lifted a shoulder. “Acting better toward everyone. She’s driving your mom crazy, too. Leia taking time off away from work couldn’t hurt.”

  Lando leaned against the kitchen counter and watched the dogs gobble up their food. “When you put it like that, I suppose not.”

  “The plan is for her to leave Friday night and head up to the cabin, come back on Sunday afternoon.”

  “With a better attitude?”

  “We can hope. I thought I’d have Zeb over Saturday night for dinner after my shift at the restaurant, but then I decided it might be awkward.”

  “Yeah. I can help out, too. I’ve bussed tables before. So has Luke. We’ll volunteer him for a shift. It’s about time the doctor pulls his share of the load while sister Leia’s acting all pissy.”

  “The thing is, I’m not convinced this is about Zeb or the wedding. How would you feel about doing a background check on your own sister?”

  He cocked a brow. “And what would that tell us that we don’t already know? What do you suspect is going on?”

  “Leia has always been a bit of a puzzle, hasn’t she? Am I right? It wouldn’t be the first time she’s kept secrets from us. Like the time she rode her bike out to Shadow Canyon to meet up with that snake Fleet because he was—”

  “Blackmailing her into doing his English papers,” Lando finished. “Every report for an entire semester. That’s why I beat him up when I found out.”

  “But do you remember why?”

  “As I recall, Leia got into some trouble at school and forged Mom’s signature on the notification slip. Fleet somehow discovered it, and—”

  “Extorted her,” Gemma tossed out. “A precursor to Fleet’s political career. Business owners keep telling me he used those same tactics to get them to donate to his mayoral campaign.”

  “What’s that got to do with Leia?”

  “Maybe nothing. But she’s certainly acting like she has something to hide—like blackmail.”

  “Come on, you think someone could be blackmailing Leia? But why?”

  “Obviously, I don’t know. Blackmailing is all about keeping secrets. But Luke saw Leia out on the road to Shadow Canyon talking to a girl from high school.”

  “So?”

  “She’s been acting weird ever since that meeting. My guess is whatever happened, messed with Leia’s head, and it must’ve cropped up while we were in Maui.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because she seemed fine at the wedding and before we took off on the honeymoon, smiling, laughing, relaxed. Now that we’re back, she’s a nervous wreck, agitated about every little thing, and ready to snap someone’s head like a twig. I understand part of it was not knowing about what happened to Talia. That did warrant worry. But the rest…no way. It’s not like Leia at all.”

  “What on earth could she have done that would be worth blackmailing…and from high school no less? I don’t think that kind of thing would show up on a background check.”

  “Unless it was illegal. So, what do you suggest?”

  “Might Zeb know what she’s been up to?”

  Gemma made a face. “You’re kidding, right? Are we talking about the same secretive Leia who doesn’t want to talk to any of us just now?”

  “Blackmail,” Lando muttered. “Only you could ruin my dinner by putting that in my head.”

  “Sorry. We could try asking Luke if she’s mentioned anything to him, maybe get the woman’s name that he saw her talking to.”

  Lando took out his cell phone. “I’m calling him now.”

  “By the way, I’ve decided to take the money out of petty cash to buy an inexpensive security camera to put on that light pole near Inez’s property. I ordered one this afternoon. But you’ll have to install it when it comes in.”

  “I said I would.”

  She patted his cheek. “Just a friendly reminder. Set the table for me, will you?”

  Lando got down plates from the cupboard. “Luke’s not picking up, so I left a message.”

  “Lianne still hasn’t settled on what to do about Roland Swinton’s old pizza parlor. First, it’s a bookstore, then it’s a community center. I’m not sure which way she’s planning to go. Do you have any ideas?”

  “Haven’t thought about it. What’s wrong with the bookstore, though?”

  “Lianne envisions the perfect business in there that will help the town, whatever that is. She thinks there’s not enough interest for a bookstore. She has a point. I’ve read the surveys and articles about the decline in book readers. No point in doing all the remodeling if no one wants it.”

  “More people would rather plop down in front of their TVs than crack open a book. I read the same survey. Can you imagine kids who haven’t read Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings?”

  “That’s my point. And it breaks my heart.”

  By the time Luke called back, they were almost finished eating. Lando pushed back from the table to answer the phone, explaining the reason for the call and detailing what he needed. Ticking off a list of questions, both brothers were anxious to solve the problem with Leia. Lando pushed the button for speakerphone so Gemma could be part of the conversation.

  “I couldn’t figure out why she was out there talking to Tiffany Ringgold. You guys have to remember Tiffany, right? Badass girl with attitude.”

  Gemma traded looks with Lando. “Always attitude. Tiffany used to hang out with Mallory all the time. Bo
th thought they were badass. What we want to know is why Leia would bother with Tiffany now?”

  “You’ll have to ask Leia,” Luke directed. “All I know is what I saw. When I asked Leia about it a couple of days later, she denied it ever took place, said I was wrong, lied to my face.”

  “And you’re certain it was Tiffany Ringgold in the car?” Lando clarified. “On a scale of one to ten…?”

  “I know Tiffany Ringgold,” Luke snapped. “If ten is a hundred percent, then it’s ten.”

  “Then that has to be it,” Gemma proffered. “Whatever is wrong with Leia, Tiffany has to be involved somehow. The thing is, I don’t ever remember Leia hanging out with Tiffany in high school? Do you?”

  Lando cocked his head to one side. “You mean hanging out with Mallory and Tiffany. Those two were inseparable. Whatever Mallory did, Tiffany was right there alongside her, partners in crime.”

  Gemma moved toward the door. “I’m going over there to confront her. Leia needs to come clean about what’s going on, tell us what she’s gotten herself into.”

  Lando grabbed her arm as she went by. “Wait. Just stop a minute and think this through. We should all go over to the restaurant at closing time, be there as she’s locking up. Ask her as a group.”

  “That’s fine by me,” Luke retorted, still on speakerphone. “Count me in.”

  Lando looked at Gemma. “It’s better if it’s all of us.”

  “You’re right,” Gemma conceded. “Like an intervention. She’s more likely to talk if we gang up on her. Should we tell Zeb?”

  Luke’s voice rose in answer. “That might be a mistake. Let’s keep it just between the three of us for now. I’ll tell Lianne, but I won’t bring her with me.”

  “Why?” Gemma asked.

  Again, Luke’s voice was adamant. “Because whatever this is, it sounds like something Leia might be embarrassed about admitting. She’s known us forever. Whereas Lianne and Zeb might make her self-conscious.”

  “He’s right,” Lando acknowledged. “She’s so touchy. In fact, maybe it should be just the two of you and leave me out of it. You know how she is with me.”

  Gemma chewed her lip. “No. You’re her brother. It’s time she started acting like it instead of treating you like the enemy.”

  In order not to miss Leia, they waited until eight-thirty to show up in the parking lot even though the restaurant didn’t close until nine. Lydia’s car wasn’t there, which meant Leia was inside doing clean up alone.

  Perfect setup for a confrontation.

  “What are our chances of success?” Luke pondered aloud.

  Gemma shifted her feet. “We force her to talk. Better still, we fake her out and pretend we know what’s going on.”

  “You could do that with your psychic woo-woo,” Luke remarked. “Lando and I will back you up.”

  Lando shoved his hands in his jacket pockets. “Which leads me to ask, who does the talking?”

  “I’ll do it,” Gemma volunteered. “It’s gotta be me, right? The questions will be better coming from me.”

  At five minutes before closing, they moved inside, entering through the take-out door. Gemma stood there waiting. “Leia, are you in here?”

  “Where else would I be?” Leia called out. When she spotted Luke and Lando, her eyes filled with suspicion. “What’s going on? Is Mom okay?”

  “She’s fine,” Gemma said. “As far as we know. It’s you we came to see. We know what’s got you so wigged out. What does Tiffany have on you?”

  Leia’s shoulders slumped. She pivoted toward Lando. “Get me a drink, will you? A shot of Jameson’s would do nicely.”

  Lando nodded and headed to the bar.

  Luke took her arm and steered his sister toward the nearest table. “Sit. Talk. Don’t leave anything out.”

  Leia took a seat, but the trio remained standing even after Lando handed off the glass of whiskey. “We know your behavior lately isn’t about the wedding.”

  “Well, it is…kind of,” Leia said, letting out a weary sigh. “It all started when you invited Tiffany Ringgold to your wedding.”

  “I didn’t,” Gemma began. “Why would I ever do that? Why Tiffany of all people? That would be like inviting Mallory Rawlins. And there’s no way I’d ever invite that woman to be near me on my big day.”

  “Not to mention she’s dead,” Lando muttered.

  Leia squirmed in her seat. “Yes, well, Tiffany certainly isn’t. But I couldn’t figure out what she was doing there…at the wedding. Until of course…later. While you guys were hitting the road to the airport, Tiffany was cornering me in Marissa’s garden, between the hydrangeas and the wisteria. She started out all friendly. Let’s catch up, that sort of thing. Then she brought up…high school.”

  “Go on, what did she want?” Gemma pressed.

  Leia threw back the booze in one shot and cleared her throat. “I did something in high school that I’m not proud of. Tiffany knew about it. She wanted me to give her a thousand dollars not to tell Zeb about it, not to tell anyone about it, but especially Zeb.”

  Gemma exchanged looks with Lando and Luke. “It’s not like you robbed a convenience store.”

  “If only. No robbery or shoplifting to worry about. Just…something else…back in high school…I…did something far worse. At least to Zeb. I slept with Taylor Rainford while Zeb and I were going steady.”

  Luke stared at his sister. “Taylor Rainford, the French horn player in the band?”

  “Don’t give me a hard time about it,” Leia snapped. “I made a mistake. What else do you want me to say?”

  “Were you and Zeb on a break?” Gemma wondered.

  “No.” Leia looked around at the faces staring down at her. “Get it? In other words, I cheated on Zeb with Taylor, more than once. It happened out at Spirit Lake in his Dodge Charger. I snuck out of the house to meet him and…it just happened.”

  Gemma couldn’t believe her ears. “Oh, Leia, you’re beating yourself up over that? You were what, seventeen at the time? That was almost fifteen years ago. What does it matter now?”

  “Are you kidding me?” Leia shouted. “If Zeb found out, he’d probably feel that he couldn’t trust me. Not that I would blame him. But I couldn’t take that chance. Don’t you see? He’s very big on trust. And apparently, Tiffany knew I’d pay up because of it.”

  Luke plopped down next to her. “I’m with Gemma on this. You’re overreacting about something that happened way back in high school. It’s not important.”

  Leia slammed the glass down on the table. “You don’t understand anything, none of you do. Zeb left for college up in Oregon. And we vowed we wouldn’t see anyone else. That lasted about three weeks. Then that fall Taylor started hanging around me at school, then the restaurant, especially on weekends. We started becoming…friends first, then closer. Somehow, Zeb found out that he was hanging around—I always suspected his parents must’ve told him. Anyway, he asked me about it, and I denied that I was seeing Taylor. He believed me at first, but then he came down to see his parents. It became fairly obvious Taylor and I had been hanging out. And after that, Zeb and I began to grow apart. Once he got back to Corvallis, that’s when he broke up with me. Didn’t even bother coming home for the summer. That’s why we went our separate ways and stayed separate until we started seeing each other again two years ago on the sly. What we did that first year we spent apart has always been a touchy subject. That’s why I didn’t own up to it.”

  “Well, that’s just plain dumb,” Gemma spouted. “Don’t you think Zeb already figured out you might be banging Taylor while he was away at college? Come on, Zeb’s smarter than that.”

  “Oh, thank you so very much for your input, Gemma. That makes me feel so much better. Forgive me for trying to make sure the man I love doesn’t find out I cheated on him with stupid Taylor Rainford.”

  “A hundred years ago,” Gemma fired back. “The mistakes we made when we were young and stupid doesn’t apply to how we are today.” She loo
ked back and forth from Lando to Luke. “Does it? If it did, Lando and I wouldn’t be together now.” She kept looking back and forth between Luke and Lando, hoping they’d say something. “Well, somebody back me up here.”

  “Gemma’s right,” Lando finally said. “Eighteen-year-olds make all kinds of mistakes. It doesn’t mean you should be afraid to tell Zeb what happened with Taylor.”

  “I agree,” Luke joined in. “Is there any way you’d consider that? Telling him the truth?”

  “No, That’s not an option. Guys, I can’t do it. Zeb would be so disappointed that I’ve lied to him.”

  More pragmatic, Lando took a seat across from Leia and tried reason. “So, you’ve decided the best way to handle this is to let Tiffany Ringgold win by blackmailing you? Is that it? By my account, she’s already nicked you for two thousand hard-earned dollars.”

  Leia nodded. “More like forty-five hundred. When I met her out on the road the morning Luke saw me, she upped the ante to fifteen hundred each week. I gave in. What choice did I have? I’ve paid her every Sunday since the wedding.”

  “Tell Zeb the truth,” Gemma offered.

  “I knew you guys would react this way. That’s why I paid Tiffany and didn’t confide in any of you.”

  Lando stared at Luke. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not willing to sit here and see my sister extorted. Blackmail is illegal.”

  “Get Tiffany’s demands on video, even audio would work,” Gemma suggested. “Then threaten her with jail time.”

  Lando looked at Leia. “Well? You gonna let this woman run your life for who knows how long? If you don’t want to confront her, then you’ll need to be honest with Zeb.”

  “No. Not that. Let’s do it. Let’s go after Tiffany. Just tell me what to do.”

  “Wear a wire and get her to admit what she’s been doing.”

  “That shouldn’t be too difficult. Tiffany wants another payment this weekend.”

  “Change up the meeting place,” Lando suggested. “Refuse to meet her at the side of the road again. Tell her this time she’ll need to come here…after closing. Make it Friday night. I’ll be in the back out of sight waiting in the wings.”