Fire Mountain

by Vickie McKeehan

  Jim Dutton grinned at her. “I don’t think anyone would ever think that about you.”

  “Don’t be so sure. Small towns are often made up of small minds, quick to change sides. I get one shot at this. I don’t intend to blow it.”

  After the meeting, she headed to the elementary school to kick off a new after-school program she’d initiated. She’d conned Lando into showing up as their first speaker. He spent forty-five minutes fielding questions from a group of curious first graders who wanted to know a variety of things about law enforcement.

  One little boy wanted to know, “Do you ever turn the siren on just for fun?”

  “No, that’s definitely not allowed. The siren’s used for emergencies only.”

  A little girl asked, “Do you ever get a cat out of a tree?”

  “No, that’s the fire department. Call Tully Beacham for that.”

  Another tyke stood up to relay his father’s concerns. “Um, my dad says your deputy gave him a speeding ticket and he wasn’t even speeding.”

  “That’s a real shame, but I don’t have a deputy. I have patrol officers. The county has deputies. Maybe it was one of those guys.”

  “My dad says he won’t pay the ticket.”

  “Then I might have to arrest him.”

  Lando’s answer got a reaction out of the kid. The child’s eyes bugged out, and a look of terror settled on his face.

  Gemma nudged Lando in the ribs. “Try to remember these are little kids. We don’t want them scared of the cops; we want them trusting the cops. So please, try not to make anyone cry today.”

  “I’m a little nervous.”

  “Talking to a bunch of six-year-olds? Relax. You’re doing fine. Just don’t threaten to arrest anybody else.”

  From there, the event went off without a hitch. Afterward, Lando was swarmed by his adoring fans, albeit diminutive in stature.

  Gemma looped her arm in his. “I’ll say one thing, once you took arresting the parents off the table, you were a big hit.”

  “Yeah, I guess that wasn’t exactly the way to go, was it? By the way, it turns out, Salt Lake City PD exhumed the body they thought belonged to Peter Olson. They finally were able to ID the homeless man and send him back to Sumner, South Carolina, to his family.”

  “That’s only fitting.”

  Walking back to City Hall, they were met by an anxious Lucien Thorne. “I need to talk you guys about Talia Davis, or you know, Lewis.”

  “Want to follow me into my office?” Lando suggested. “We’re right here.”

  “I just need to get this off my chest, doesn’t matter where I get my say.”

  “Do you have valuable evidence I could use against Darby Berwick?”

  “I heard he was arrested. I’m glad. I just wanted someone to know so they could tell Talia’s family that I put about twenty thousand dollars into an account for her.”

  Lando took a step back and exchanged glances with Gemma. “Why would you do that?”

  “Talia and I went to high school together. I’ve known her since she was a kid. I was trying to help her out, give her access to money so that she could get away from that rotten sod she’d married. Once it became clear that Lewis only married her for the money, she wanted him to leave, demanded it. That was last August. She tried to get him out of the house. Only Lewis refused to pack up and go. He told her he wouldn’t go anywhere unless she ponied up fifty grand.”

  Gemma needed clarification. “Wait, you’re saying Lewis wanted fifty thousand dollars and he’d leave the marriage? That’s the same amount Shaun Emberley mentioned.”

  “Talia had thirty of it but needed the rest. It took me a couple of weeks to sell some stocks, but I was able to get my hands on the other twenty grand she needed. It’s just sitting there in an account that she opened. But I don’t want Brandt to get his hands on the money. I’d rather it go to her family than to him.”

  “Don’t you want it back?” Lando asked.

  “I won’t lie, I could use the cash. But the account is in her name. Since California is a community property state, I just don’t want Brandt getting a dime. That’s my major concern now.”

  Lando slapped Lucien on the back. “If I have anything to do about it, Brandt Lewis will get nothing from Talia’s estate. As long as I have Darby willing to dish on Brandt’s role in it, and if he’s convicted of conspiracy to murder his wife, then the state should be able to prevent Brandt from benefiting from her death. So, if you can prove you gave the cash to Talia with receipts or bank transactions, I’ll see what I can do about getting the money back to you.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate that. But if it isn’t possible, I’m okay with the money going to Talia’s family.”

  “I appreciate the heads up,” Lando stated. “I’ll get a clarification from the county attorney and let you know.”

  Gemma followed Lando into the lobby. “The sad thing is, it seems Talia was doing everything she could to get Brandt out of her life.”

  “Yeah, well, he didn’t want to leave empty-handed. That’s a point in making the charges stick.”

  “You don’t think Brandt could wriggle out of this, do you?”

  “Not with Darby willing to testify against him.” He looked past Gemma and saw Tuttle walking toward them. “I hope this is about Claudia Bergamot.”

  “Oh, that. Yeah, the crime lab sent her swab results back to me this morning. She did have sex with Darby, whether it was consensual or not as Darby claims, we may never know.”

  “I was hoping for something more definitive,” Lando admitted.

  “You want definitive?” Tuttle pivoted to stare at Gemma. “The woman in the trunk was indeed Olson’s daughter. But she didn’t die of leukemia. In fact, she never had the disease at all.”

  “Okay, I certainly didn’t expect that. Could Olson and his daughter have been running some type of scam on Facebook? You know, donate money because my kid has cancer. It happens on the Internet all the time.”

  “Again, I hate to be noncommittal, but we may never know why he told people that his daughter had leukemia. Maybe that’s why Chloe ended up in that trunk. Maybe the daughter didn’t want to have anything more to do with the scam, and they argued about it.”

  “The girl probably didn’t want anything more to do with her father,” Lando concluded. “After all, we know Olson was nothing but a con man. Is there anything in Chloe’s autopsy that hinted at how she died?”

  “Not a mark on any of her bones anywhere. It’d be hard to prove murder. And it’s not like Olson’s around to prosecute.”

  Gemma patted Lando’s chest. “Look, I’ll see you guys later. I need to return a few phone calls before the end of the day. Let me know when you’re ready to head home.”

  Lando nodded and turned back to Tuttle. “Any other good news for me?”

  “Nope, I’m done. Just in time for the weekend. I’m headed for a beer. Want one?”

  “Maybe later. How’d your date go with that woman you met online, the one who wants to see Maui?”

  “Oh, that. She thought might job was too morbid, didn’t want me touching dead bodies and then touching her. These things are always hit and miss. With online dating, there’s a fifty-fifty chance you’ll be disappointed.”

  “Then you should be careful out there, Slick. You could be dealing with a serial killer and just don’t know it.”

  Lando had just finished up paperwork when he looked up to see Leia standing in the doorway. His sister had a wide smile on her still-bruised face. “You’re looking better than you did yesterday.”

  “I feel better every day. You never stopped by the hospital to see me.”

  Not knowing what to do with such a warm reception from his sister, Lando figured they were due for an argument of some sort. “I figured you’d prefer Luke or Zeb there to hold your hand. How’s the concussion?”

  “Much better. Face will probably still be swollen for my big day, but I’ll live.” Leia sucked in a breath and let out a long si
gh. “I haven’t been easy to be around these past few weeks, have I? Don’t answer that. Aside from being a little whacked out, when it comes to you, I’ve always carried around this big chip on my shoulder, haven’t I?” She quickly added, “It’s nothing you did. I guess I just always preferred Luke. You were always so…perfect, so self-assured, up there on your pedestal, looking down at the rest of us.”

  Baffled at her disclosure, he moved the papers aside and got ready for the battle she always seemed to want. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about exactly.”

  “Relax. I’m trying to admit to giving you a hard time for most of my life. Over nothing. Mostly petty childhood grievances. That’s right. I’ve been holding a grudge over things that happened when we were children. I tend to forget about the time you beat up the bully who was picking on me in the third grade. I’m done fighting with you about every little insignificant thing, done with giving you a hard time. That’s why I’m here, to tell you I’m sorry. And to apologize for all the times, I was unfair to you.”

  Not fully knowing where this was going, Lando leaned back in his chair. “Okay.”

  “It was my idea to get Gemma on the ballot for mayor just to needle you, hoping that it might put a wedge between the two of you.”

  Stunned at the depths of her meanness, he wanted to know, “Why would you do something like that? That’s terrible. After everything Gemma and I have been through, why would you purposely make things difficult for us?”

  “I know. I’m a bad person. I think I did it because…” her voice trailed off as she stood there trying to come up with a reason. “On some level, I was jealous of the relationship. But the bottom line is, there’s no excuse for it. Period. I’m sorry. I just want to start fresh, if we can. I want to wipe the slate clean and make up for my behavior. I’ve already cleared it with Luke, but I want you to be the one who gives me away.”

  Lando’s face registered the shock. “Me? Are you sure?”

  “Yes. I wouldn’t have made it out of that barn if not for you.”

  “If you’re basing this apology on that, you’re way off the mark. That’s simply not true. If I hadn’t shown up through the front, Zeb would have come in the back way. He was right there ready to move in until Brandt barreled over him.”

  Leia lifted a disinterested shoulder. “The details don’t really matter. You’re the one I was glad to see walk into that barn. Know why? Because I knew deep down in my heart that my big brother would show up and save me. I did. I knew you’d come for me. The minute Brandt threw me in the car, I knew exactly how you’d react and what you’d do to bring me back home. I’ve been mean to you for so many years, Lando. And I’m here to say I was completely wrong to let petty childhood stuff get in the way of us being friends as adults. I want to change that going forward. Will you ever be able to forgive me?”

  “You’ll always be my sister no matter what.”

  “That’s a start we can build on. So, will you do it? Will you be the one to give me away when I marry Zeb?”

  He stood up and rounded the desk, putting her in a bear hug. “If that’s what you want, I’d be honored.”

  She kissed his cheek. “It’s high time the Bonner triplets started sticking together like we were meant to do.”

  24

  The trick to pulling off an awesome bachelorette party was to make the bride-to-be happy. Serve her favorite foods, keep the slushy cocktails flowing, then wow her with a bunch of stupid games before she’s allowed to open her gifts.

  Good thing Leia wasn’t as grumpy as she had been before her abduction because the party had changed from its original all-girl motif to a blowout where the entire town had been invited to participate.

  Lydia had opened up the restaurant for another bash. She’d meant for it to celebrate Leia’s rescue, but somehow it morphed into much more. It became a celebration about her children, all three of them getting along for the first time in years.

  “Leia and Lando have been in the same room now for almost an hour without saying anything nasty to each other,” Lydia boasted to Luke.

  “Hard to believe. That’s why I marked this day off on the calendar,” Luke joked. “It might not come around again for a decade.”

  Lydia slapped her son’s arm in a playful gesture. “You aren’t mad about Lando giving her away, are you?”

  “Nope. Under the circumstances, I think it was the right call to make. Our little princess is growing up, taking responsibility for her crappy behavior.”

  Lydia smiled. “Better late than never, I guess.”

  “When will you and Paul be tying the knot?” Luke asked.

  “I’m in no hurry.”

  “Since when? I thought you two would beat Leia and Zeb to the altar.”

  “There are always little things to work out before taking that big step,” Lydia noted. “It’s no different with Paul and me. I won’t lie. I was worried Leia and Zeb weren’t going to make it this far.”

  Leia overheard that last part. Touching the purple bruises on her face, she admitted, “I wasn’t sure either. Zeb’s been incredibly patient with me.”

  “We should’ve better understood how Talia’s death got to you,” Gemma acknowledged. “I’m sorry I was so wrong about Brandt.”

  “It’s okay. Turns out, playing detective isn’t as easy as it looks. And I didn’t count on the concussion that came with it.”

  Zeb strolled up behind Leia and put his arm around her waist. “She’s promised me she’ll hang up her sleuthing hat.”

  “Come on,” Gemma began. “You guys need us, and you know it. Besides, she was such a badass for confronting Brandt right there in his own house.”

  “It’s Talia’s house,” Leia corrected. “I’ll always think of that place as belonging to her. She spent so much time fixing it up, picking out the right paint color, redoing the kitchen. And for what? So some guy off the Internet could kill her and take it all away.”

  “By the way,” Zeb began, “I grilled Kenny Painter for several hours about his involvement. Kenny claims the man he knew as Woodson kept pumping him for information about casino chips and anti-counterfeiting measures.”

  “Do you believe that’s all there was to it?” Lando asked.

  “Strangely enough, I do. Kenny swore he wouldn’t do anything to put his job in jeopardy. I asked Kenny if he didn’t get suspicious about all Woodson’s questions. But Kenny said Woodson flashed his ATF badge and told him about a book he planned to write, that it was all research.”

  “Con men are adept at their craft,” Lando concluded.

  Gemma thought the mood needed lifting before the subject of murder took over again and spoiled the party. She angled toward Leia. “The question now is, what are you gonna do about your face? It will probably still look like that for the wedding. Makeup might hide most of it, but it won’t do much for the black eye. Did Tiffany do that?”

  “Is it too late to change my colors from blue to purple?” Leia cracked. “The face smashing was a combined effort. Although Tiffany did take it one step further and kick me in the ribs once or twice.”

  “There’s revenge in testifying against both of them,” Gemma pointed out as she draped her arm on Leia’s shoulder. “You could borrow my lilac dresses. But if it were me, I’d stick with your midnight blue choice and just flat out not care about what anyone says or thinks. Because in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter about your face. You’re alive. That’s what counts.”

  “I feel alive. I like my job again. Just being able to stand at the grill and create food is a gift.”

  “Lando told me how you apologized to him,” Gemma said in a low voice.

  “It was past time. It needed to be done years ago. I still have some things on my amends list that require attention, though.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like sticking you with this mayor thing.”

  “No need. I’ll stay with it until I get some major things sorted out, make some changes, maybe shake
things up, commit to doing some kickass improvements for the town.”

  “Funny how things work out,” Leia commented as Lando joined the group. “Any chance I could get you and Gemma to sing a duet at the reception?”

  “What’d you have in mind?”

  “I’ll think of something. Maybe a Faith Hill / Tim McGraw number.”

  “We could do that.”

  Gemma took her husband’s chin. “You look like you’re holding a secret. What’s going on?”

  “I am. I got a call from the lab. The tech guys lifted an interesting fingerprint from Darby Berwick’s house.”

  “How interesting?”

  Lando leaned in so only she could hear. “The fingerprint belonged to a state senator. The Feds think he was part of the gunrunning scheme. They’re going after him hard with wiretaps and undercover surveillance.”

  “Lesson learned. We need to be ever vigilant that our little town isn’t swallowed up by monsters like this ever again.”

  “Maybe the mayor will let me hire another officer.”

  “The mayor will let you do pretty much anything you want. Haven’t you figured that out by now?”

  “Really?”

  “Uh-huh. How about taking me for a walk on the beach?”

  “You always were easy.”

  “Where you’re concerned, you bet.”

  The October day had started out chilly, but the weather forecast promised it would be near seventy by that afternoon. As they walked down to the pier, the sun shining on the water, they could hear the waves crash onto the shore, delivering an angry surf at high tide. Somewhere off in the distance a foghorn blared, the sound traveling over the harbor.

  Gemma stood with Lando; their arms locked in an embrace. Resting her head on his shoulder, she turned his face down to hers. “I love it here. Why did it take me so long to realize that?”