Chestnuts, Camping and Culprits

by Cindy Bell

  “Ranger Bancroft told us where to find you.” Kerri met the woman’s eyes. “I just wanted to speak with you about what happened last night. About Pam’s death.”

  “Pam’s death? What are you talking about?” Sylvia’s voice lifted with a hint of fear.

  “Pam, she was here with the protesters that are trying to stop the loggers. She was found dead last night.” Kerri studied the woman’s expression. “Did you know her?”

  “Pam.” Sylvia closed her eyes and spread her arms out beside her. “Oh no, not Pam. What happened to her?” Her eyes opened again, and her arms dropped back to her sides.

  Kerri’s words stuck in her throat. She didn’t expect to be the one to inform Sylvia of Pam’s death.

  “It appears to be foul play.” Steve slipped his arm around Kerri’s waist. “A tree was cut down, and she was struck by it.”

  “Foul play?” Sylvia folded her hands on her stomach. “How terrible. Who would use a tree as a murder weapon?”

  “I don’t know.” Kerri frowned. “But that’s what we’re here to find out. You told me yesterday that you’ve been in these woods for quite some time, and I thought that you might have seen or heard something strange.”

  “Uh, no not really.” Sylvia bit into her bottom lip and tilted her head from side to side. “No, nothing that I can think of at the moment.”

  “But you did know Pam?” Steve let his arm fall back to his side.

  “Yes, we had spoken a few times. She was a very sweet girl. She believed in what she was doing. I tried to explain some things to her, to help her along her way. I’m not sure that she really understood me, though. She seemed to be pretty distracted.” Sylvia smiled some as her eyes grew distant. “Ah, to be young again. It’s so easy to jump from interest to interest at that age.”

  “Did she ever mention having any trouble with the loggers?” Steve asked.

  “Not specifically, no. But those loggers are trouble.” Sylvia pursed her lips.

  “How so?” Steve took a step towards her, his eagerness clear.

  “Always getting into fights. Such violent people.” Sylvia scrunched up her nose in distaste.

  “Can you tell me about a time you witnessed one of the loggers being violent?” Kerri’s heart skipped a beat.

  “Oh honey, I can do better than that. I can show you.” Sylvia reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. “The last time I caught one of them acting up, I decided I’d had enough. I took a video, so that I could show it to the ranger. Of course, he didn’t do anything about it. He’s a sweet man, but he’s far too timid for his job.” She turned her phone around for them to see, then pressed the play button on the screen. “It was after the group of loggers took a trip into town. You know they love to go to that bar, Broomers, and then they come back up here to the woods all liquored up.” She rolled her eyes. “A bunch of kids is what they are.”

  “Is that Colin?” Kerri peered at the phone. She saw two men on one of the trails. One she suspected was Colin, the other, she soon realized, was Elm. “Are they shouting at each other?”

  “Oh yes, the mouth on that logger. It was horrible.” Sylvia continued to hold out the phone. “Keep watching, it gets far worse.”

  “I can’t make out what they’re saying.” Steve frowned as he leaned closer to the phone.

  “Don’t bother trying to, I wasn’t close enough to record what they were saying. But that doesn’t matter, what matters is what happens next.” Sylvia peered over the top of her phone to watch the video as well.

  Colin lunged forward, his fist raised. Elm met him with a hard blow to his stomach, then shoved him down to the ground.

  “Ouch.” Steve winced.

  “Oh no, poor Colin.” Kerri sighed. “But it did seem as if he was ready to throw the first punch.”

  “The other guy is at least twice his size. He never should have put his hands on Colin.” Sylvia clucked her tongue, then tucked her phone back into her pocket. “Mark my words, if something happened to Pam, it was because of one of those drunken loggers. I bet one of them only cut a tree part of the way through and left it. They are always doing that. So irresponsible.”

  “They do that?” Kerri’s eyes widened. “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely. I’ve filed a few reports with Ranger Bancroft about it. All it takes is one strong breeze, or a good hard shove and those trees will come down.” Sylvia covered her mouth with her hand. “Do you think that’s what happened to Pam?”

  “I’m not sure.” Kerri glanced over at Steve. “But it sure gives us something to think about.” She reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet. “Detective Carver is investigating Pam’s death. Here’s her card.” She pressed it into Sylvia’s hand. “Do you think you could send that video to her. I’m sure it would help her investigation.”

  “Absolutely, I’ll send it right away. Thanks Kerri.” Sylvia gazed at the card a moment, then nodded. “I hope she’s a good detective, no matter what happened, Pam certainly didn’t deserve this.”

  “She is.” Kerri assured her, but suddenly her thoughts shifted to her grandfather being interviewed by Detective Carver. He had so many secrets, so many things that he couldn’t reveal to her, that it aroused the detective’s suspicion. Detective Carver really was a great detective, which meant she was relentless. She doubted that her grandfather would withstand her scrutiny long. His patience could be thin.

  As Kerri and Steve rode back to the diner in Steve’s car, he allowed her to remain in silence, until he reached the parking lot.

  “You have a lot on your mind. Do you want to share any of it?”

  “I just wonder if that fight that Sylvia recorded had to do with something other than the protests. I feel like we don’t have much more to go on than we did before we went up the mountain.” She stared down at her hands, which were splayed across her lap.

  “It’s barely been a day, Kerri, we’ll find more evidence. It may take us some time, though.” Steve took her hand in his. “What are you going to do now?”

  “I’m going to swing by the shop and get some paperwork done. Maybe that will take my mind off things a little. Then I’d like to check on Grandpa. I’m sure that Detective Carver will be done with him by then. I hope Detective Carver finds something solid to go on soon.” Kerri stroked Steve’s hand lightly with her thumb and did her best to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. Being alone with Steve never failed to generate some electricity between them. However, she couldn’t focus on that at the moment. “Thank you for tagging along with me.”

  “Anytime.” Steve met her eyes. “After what Sylvia said about those loggers, I want you to be careful, all right? I know that you’ve got your own way of doing things, but keep in mind that these men have their own ways, too.”

  “I will be, don’t worry.” Kerri closed the car door, then walked over to her car. As she glanced over the darkened windows of the diner, she recalled Colin’s emotions earlier that day, and the sight of him being punched in the stomach on the video. He was a thin man, if not a little frail. She could only imagine how much that must have hurt. She wished she knew exactly what the argument had been about. However, she doubted that Colin would be too eager to talk about it with her. Maybe he would confide more in Detective Carver. She climbed into her own car and drove towards the shop. Natalie would be closing up for the day, and she could offer her a hand with the end of day tasks.

  Chapter 11

  Kerri pulled into the parking lot of the shop then headed for the front door. As soon as she opened it, she heard Natalie call out in a sing-song voice.

  “Welcome to Nuts about Nuts, where you can find the perfect gift!”

  “Oh, I like that.” Kerri grinned as she stepped inside.

  “Kerri!” Natalie flung her arms out wide, then wrapped them around Kerri. “I heard what happened. I didn’t want to call you because I thought you might be sleeping. Why aren’t you sleeping?” She raised her eyebrows as she took a step back and looked her f
riend over.

  “I slept enough.” Kerri stifled a yawn. “More than I expected. I’m sorry I didn’t call you, I just didn’t want you to think I was checking up on you. I thought I’d do some paperwork and help you close up.”

  “Thrilling.” Natalie shook her head, then looked into her eyes. “I’m so sorry that you saw what you did. I know it must have really upset you.”

  “Honestly, I’m still upset. I think I’ll be upset until I find out who did this. But now, we’re not even sure if it was a murder. It’s possible that the tree wasn’t cut all the way through, and just happened to fall on her.” Kerri leaned against the counter and frowned. “I’m just not sure what to make of it.”

  “I don’t believe that for a second.” Natalie leaned against the counter beside her.

  “Okay?” Kerri looked at her friend with a short laugh. “That doesn’t make it any less true.”

  “Actually, it does, because I know you, Kerri. I know how that brilliant mind works. What do your instincts tell you about what happened to Pam?” Natalie settled her gaze on Kerri’s.

  “Wow, you do know me.” Kerri grinned and winced at the same time. “I do have some ideas. But they are still forming. I can tell you that I don’t think the tree falling was negligence or an accident. I think that Pam went to the woods to meet someone last night, and I think that person decided to kill her. Whether they decided that before she met with them, or while she met with them, I’m not sure. Who it was, I have no idea. But my gut does tell me that she was murdered.”

  “There you go.” Natalie nodded slowly. “I wish it wasn’t the case, but if that’s what your instincts are telling you, then that is what I believe happened.”

  “I wish I could feel as confident about it as you.” Kerri shook her head, then swept her hair back over her shoulders. “I’d better get on with that paperwork. Don’t forget to turn the sign to closed. You’ll get last minute browsers otherwise.”

  “Going to do it right now.” Natalie headed for the front door of the shop.

  Kerri stepped into her office and looked at the stack of paperwork on her desk. She wasn’t supposed to have to deal with it until Monday, but getting a head start couldn’t hurt. First, she wanted to make sure that her grandfather hadn’t ended up in handcuffs. She sat down at her desk and pulled out her phone. As she dialed his number, she braced herself for what might come next.

  “Hello?”

  “Grandpa, I’m so glad you answered.”

  “Are you? Not sure if you should be.”

  “Was it that bad?” Kerri frowned and leaned back in her chair.

  “Let’s just say that Detective Carver is not a fan of mine.”

  “Were you polite? You should have been polite.” Kerri closed her eyes.

  “I was very polite. I complimented her hair, and her outfit and—”

  “Grandpa, I said polite, not flirting.” Kerri sighed and shook her head. “She’s never going to take you seriously if you don’t treat her seriously.”

  “I’m not flirting with her, are you kidding me? I didn’t say anything that I didn’t mean. Anyway, she wanted to know exactly where I was for the entire night. I could only tell her I was with you, and then in my tent for the rest of the night.”

  “Well, that’s the truth. So, what’s the problem?” Kerri pressed her fingertips against her forehead.

  “The problem is, she can see right through me. In all my years, doing what I did for a living, no one could ever read me the way she does. I might as well hand her the table of contents of my life.” George grunted, then Kerri heard Cashew bark.

  “Oh good, are you home? Can you feed Cashew?” Kerri frowned as she glanced at the clock. “And take her for a quick walk?”

  “Sure, do you think she’d have it any other way?” George chuckled, then his laughter faded. “Aren’t you coming home soon. Where are you?”

  “I’m at the shop. I thought I’d do a bit of work to try to get my mind off things. Did Detective Carver mention anything about the text I sent? Or a video that Sylvia was supposed to send?”

  “No, she spent most of her time grilling me. I barely made it out of there without getting arrested.” George sighed. “I thought she was starting to like me. Now, what video are you talking about?”

  Kerri filled him in on her conversation with Elm, the ranger, and Sylvia, as much as she could remember.

  “Wow, you found out quite a bit. There’s no way it was an accident though, too much of a coincidence.”

  “I agree. But I’m afraid Detective Carver will see things differently.”

  “I wouldn’t underestimate her. She has quite a keen mind. I’ll see you in a little while? Do you want me to start some dinner?”

  “Actually, go ahead and eat without me, this might take me a little while.”

  “All right, I’ll save you some. Bye Kerri.”

  “Bye Grandpa.” She hung up the phone and hoped that he hadn’t detected her lie. She had no intention of spending her entire evening on paperwork. Instead, she planned to visit Broomers, the bar that the loggers frequented. She wanted to speak to Elm about the video and see if any of his friends had noticed anything strange the day before.

  Kerri filled out a few pieces of paperwork, then left the rest for the next day. By the time she stepped out of the office Natalie had already shut down the shop for the day.

  “Headed home?” Natalie smiled at her.

  “Something like that.” Kerri returned the smile as they walked out the door together. Kerri hung back and let Natalie handle locking the door. After they said goodnight, she settled into the driver’s seat of her car, and headed in the direction of the bar.

  Kerri paused outside of Broomers and stared up at the neon sign. It was one of the few establishments near Cascade Grove that she hadn’t visited. She’d never been much of a drinker, and when she did drink, she preferred to do it at home, where she could just crawl into bed when she was ready. She’d never really understood the draw of a bar, but then, she also had never had to work a full day out in the sun. Perhaps there was something cathartic about gathering at the bar after such hard work. When she stepped inside, she blinked as her eyes adjusted to the dim light.

  Lining the bar were several men that she didn’t recognize as locals. Each had a burly stature and wore similar clothes to what Elm had on earlier. However, none of them was Elm. A little disappointed, she thought about turning around to leave, but instead decided to find out what the others might know about Pam, and about Elm. With as much confidence as she could muster, she walked up to the man who seemed to have the kindest face among them. It was only a guess, but she hoped that she was right. As she paused by his side, she waited for him to turn to look at her. Once he did, she offered him a warm smile.

  “Hi there, my name is Kerri.”

  “Hi Kerri. I’m Duncan.” He flashed her a smile. “Want a beer?”

  “No thanks, I’m fine.” She hesitated as she wondered how to ease into the questions she had. In the end she decided it was better just to jump right in. “Are you working up on the mountain?”

  “Yes, I am.” Duncan took a swig of his beer. “Can’t you tell?” He gestured to his beat-up jeans and thick-skinned hands.

  “I guessed.” Kerri nodded with a small smile. “That’s hard work that you do up there.”

  “Sure, it can be hard, but the guys keep it fun.” He glanced at his friends, then looked back at her. “So, if you don’t want a beer, what are you doing in a bar?”

  “Actually, I’m here for a little bit of information.” Kerri glanced over her shoulder to be sure that no one was standing close enough to hear what she had to say. “About Elm.”

  “Elm?” Duncan raised his eyebrows. “What’s he done?”

  “I’m not sure. I just want to know a little bit more about him.” Kerri tilted her head to the side as she looked him over. “Is there anything that you can tell me?”

  “This is about that girl, isn’t it?” Duncan sw
allowed more of his beer, then set the bottle down on the bar. “The one that got herself killed?”

  “That’s an interesting way to put it, but yes.” Kerri braced herself as she expected him to launch into a tirade about the protestors.

  “I don’t know why you’re hounding Elm about that girl, he wouldn’t do anything to hurt her.” Duncan shook his head and signaled to the bartender for another beer. “Elm was sweet on her.”

  “Sweet on her?” Kerri rested one hand against the bar as she processed his words. “You mean he was seeing her?”

  “Not exactly seeing. He was just always sneaking off with her. At first, I thought he was just having some fun with her, but when I teased him about it, he got pretty heated.” Duncan accepted the beer from the bartender and took a swig before he continued. “That’s when I realized it was more than just fun. Some of the guys caught wind of it and gave Elm a hard time about it.”

  “Why would they do that?” Kerri glanced at the others, then back at Duncan. She knew full well why, but she wanted to hear him say it.

  “Because she was a protester. She was part of the group that chained themselves to the trees. I mean, he should know better.” Duncan drained about half of his beer.

  “Elm never mentioned anything about this to me. He said he didn’t know her.” Kerri narrowed her eyes. “Why would he lie?”

  “Why wouldn’t he, is the better question. If the guys found out he was still seeing her, they’d be upset. Besides, he doesn’t want any fingers pointing in his direction. Which there shouldn’t be. Elm’s a great guy, he wouldn’t have hurt that girl.”

  “Pam,” Kerri murmured her name.

  “Excuse me?” Duncan leaned close to her, his beer-laced breath hot on her face.

  “Her name was Pam.” Kerri met his eyes. “She was a good person, too.”

  “Maybe she was, maybe she wasn’t, I can’t speak to that, but either way Elm had nothing to do with it.” Duncan waved to another man that walked into the bar.