The Passed Prop--The Morelville Cozies--Book 1 Read online

  “You’re thinking maybe the four of them were divided on who to target and when Lee went off to watch Blake Wagner, King convinced the other two guys to go after Brietland?”

  “Exactly, and, maybe Blake is still in jeopardy.”

  Chloe started depositing coffee cans in the cupboard where I kept them. Back over her shoulder she asked, “You don’t think they’ll lay low since they were almost caught?”

  “Who knows what their mindset is? They’ve taken their nickname to heart and they’ve gone plum crazy!”

  “Do we try and watch Blake’s place again?”

  “No,” I told her. “I think it’s time to go to Mel. There are too many coincidences here and things that fit for us not to be right.”

  “How are we going to pull that off without her getting annoyed at us for sticking our noses into police business again?”

  “You just leave that to me. I’ll figure it out.” I sounded more confident than I felt.

  Chapter 27 – Police Business

  Wednesday Afternoon, November 12th, 2014

  Muskingum County Sheriff’s Department

  “Hi Holly.”

  “Faye, what on earth brings you by?”

  “I know Mel’s busy but I was hoping to get in and see her. It’s about a police matter.”

  Mel’s assistant raised her eyebrows but indicated I should take a chair along the wall. “Let me check with her. I’ll be just a sec.”

  Holly returned less than a minute later with Shane Harding following her, a stack of papers in hand. He looked exhausted.

  “You’re in luck Faye; Mel and Shane were just finishing up. She said she can talk to you for a few minutes if you want to go on in.”

  “Mrs. Crane, nice to see you,” Shane said, as he started to pass me by.

  I put a hand on his arm to stop him. “First of all, call me Faye.”

  Shane cracked a smile at that.

  “Second, you might want to hear this too. I’m hoping it will help you.”

  “Oh, um okay. Are you sure?”

  I nodded and moved toward Mel’s office with him trailing behind me.

  “Hey mom, what brings you by?” Mel half stood behind her desk as I stepped through the doorway.

  “I’m not going to beat around the bush. I’ve been hearing things and seeing things this week that,” I paused and indicated Shane should take the only visitors chair. “I figure you may want to write some of this down,” I said to him.

  Once he was seated, I continued, “Chloe, Dana’s mama,” I said for Shane’s benefit, “has been here since last week. In her off time decorating for Barb, I’ve been showing her around town because she and Marco are considering buying the store and moving here to operate it.”

  Mel nodded. I knew she knew about Chloe but I needed to justify us moving around town the way we had been, in her eyes.

  “We’ve talked to several people this week and information that we’ve just stumbled across has started to...shall we say, pile up, that implicates some people as your potential murders. At the very least, you should take a look at these guys pretty closely.”

  Mel leaned forward and braced her hands on the edge of her desk. “Just ‘stumbled across,’ huh? What exactly have you seen and heard mom?” She looked at me eyes narrowed but she fell completely silent, waiting for my response.

  “We’ve talked to several people in town and right outside of town for various reasons that have said things, unknowing of course, that when you add them all up point to the four guys that call themselves the Quadvillians: Ed Taylor, Frank Lee, Pierce King and Tony Flores.”

  “Mom, you can’t be serious? Those four guys? They’re all in the sixties at least.” Mel’s tone was skeptical.

  “Hear me out, please.” I proceeded to tell them what I knew about Taylor, Lee and King and about Frank Lee following us.

  Mel latched onto the last bit first, “Why do you think he was following you?”

  I knew she was going to ask me that! I made a quick decision not to talk about going to the feed mill and finding the business card. “Like I said, I was showing Chloe around town, pointing out this and that when we bypassed him watching Blake Wagner’s place.”

  For Shane, I explained, “He’s a local gunsmith and a real rabble rouser around town. Anyway, I waved at him but he didn’t even acknowledge it and then he ended up literally chasing us out to the farm acting all weird. Thank heaven your father was there!”

  “Mom, Frank and dad go back a little way. He could have been headed out there anyway.”

  Okay, I should have seen that coming... “Yes, you’re right but, you can ask your father, he was acting strangely that day and, admittedly, Chloe and I saw him later that night watching Blake’s place again while you were being called out to the scene where Kimber was assaulted and almost killed. Your witness said he only saw three men leaving that scene. Frank wasn’t with them.”

  “Only?” Shane questioned. “Isn’t three enough?”

  “And how do you know he was watching Wagner’s place?” Mel asked, at the same time.

  “Sorry,” I said to Shane. “I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.”

  I turned sideways and put a hand down on the surface of Mel’s desk. Looking back and forth between both of them, I told them, “I know this all sounds crazy; I didn’t want to believe it at first either when Chloe and I were going back and forth about all of it. That changed this morning though.”

  I related my conversation with Nancy Simpson about Kimber. When I finished telling them what she told me, both of them were just staring off into space in silence.

  Mel started talking again first, “So, your theory is that these four men are going around taking out people they don’t like or that annoy them?”

  “Something like that, yes.”

  “That’s just a little too pat,” she said.

  “Sheriff, people have killed for far less,” Shane put in.

  “True, but four people working together in ritualistic style killings because someone annoys one or two of them?”

  He spread his hands, “We have a witness that has made a sworn statement that at least three people were involved in the attempt...in...with Kimberly Brietland.”

  I nodded at Shane.

  Mel spoke again, “It’s not a lot to go on, mostly hearsay. And,” she looked up at me pointedly, “you’ve given us nothing at all on Flores; not even speculation.”

  “If Kimber comes around, maybe she’ll be able to ID Ed, Pierce and Tony. She knows them all,” I pointed out.

  “We can’t count on that mom. She’s in pretty bad shape and who knows what she saw. She wasn’t even conscious when we got to her.” She fell silent again.

  I looked on as Shane and Mel’s eyes connected. They needed to talk and they didn’t need me there. I’d done my part. “I’ll leave you two to think things out. If you decide you need a statement from me or Chloe or anything else, you know where to find us.”

  Neither one of them said a word as I departed.

  ###

  I knew I needed a new plan. I’d given Mel and Shane plenty to think about but they hardly had the manpower and resources to investigate or watch four men simultaneously. I needed to help them out by getting the four men together and somehow finding a way to get them to incriminate themselves.

  When I pulled into the driveway and got out of my car, a noise caught my attention from down by the barn. Looking that direction, I watched as Cole led his 4H steer by the halter back into the old structure.

  I lifted my chin and sighed. There’s another thing on the ‘to do’ list. We’ve got to get that torn down...

  Suddenly, a thought came to me. I walked down the side drive that led to the barn. When I got close, I could hear Cole and Beth talking so I put on a smile and walked inside.

  “Hi Grandma,” Beth said as she spotted me first. Cole just waved.

  “Hi yourself kiddo. No game tonight?”

  “Naw, it was postponed on accou
nt of we were supposed to play at Philo but their gym roof is being fixed or something.”

  I grinned at her, “I see.”

  “Cole, Beth, let me ask you guys something; how would you feel about a new barn?”

  “Grandpa’s already been talking about that,” Cole reminded me. “He says the Amish guy is coming to tear this one down in the spring and he’s got a new barn what’ll be built here by the end of summer.”

  “What if we got this one torn down now and had the new one built in the spring?”

  “But, where would we put our steers now and our calves when we get them in February?” Cole asked.

  “Your house; you do have a barn, remember? It’s not like you pasture your show animals anyway; a barn is all you need.”

  “True, Cole,” Beth told him. He just shrugged in response. “It would be nice to have a new, better barn Grandma, no matter when we get it.”

  “Well then, I’ll see what we can do.”

  With that, I headed up into the hayloft to take a quick look around. It looked undisturbed from the day I’d been up there with Mel. There was still no sign of the vampire victim prop. Boy, it would sure help to find that thing!

  I walked over and inspected the boards where wood was missing again. It might not have been obvious to Mel that a fresh chunk was gone but it was obvious to me. I wished that she would just get those evidence stakes from wherever she sends them, bring them by and try to match them up. Wait, maybe I can make that happen too...

  In the house, I picked up the phone and called Kris at the gas station.

  “What’s up mom?”

  “I need you to make me a sign and hang it on your board after you open tomorrow, not tonight.”

  “What about?”

  “It needs to say something like, barn wood for sale from a vintage oak barn, all hand hewn and sawn. The wood goes to the highest bidder, cash to be paid immediately, you deconstruct and you haul. Needs to be done by spring. Say, we’ll let people assess the value from 12:00-1:00 only on Friday. After 1:00, bids will be taken on the spot. Oh, and tell them refreshments will be served since it’s lunchtime on a work day. Did you get all of that?

  “Um, that’s a lot mom to put on one sign. Besides, I thought that Amish guy that always does construction type work for dad was going to tear the barn down this coming spring?”

  I ignored her question. “Get as much of that on there as you can. Tape it to the counter; people will read it.”

  “Okay, but what about the Amish guy? You promised that wood to him.” She just wouldn’t let it go.

  Tapping my foot impatiently, I told her, “He was doing it for nothing, Kris, because part of the deal is he has to haul everything away and he has to pay someone to haul it and dump it where he wants it. He can certainly come out here and bid on it if he wants to. Let him know if he stops by there or put the word out to someone that will let him know.”

  “Okay mom,” now she sounded exasperated, “whatever you want. It’s not like you need the money that bad though.”

  Chapter 28 – No Trespassing

  Faye

  Thursday afternoon, November 13th, 2014

  Crane Family Farm

  “Woman, what in heaven’s name were you thinking?” Jesse was livid.

  I tried to play it cool in the face of his ire.

  “I just saw that notice taped to the counter at the gas station. Was that your doing?” Before I could respond he continued giving me the what for, “I had a deal with John Gingrich, that Amish saw mill owner I always deal with, to tear the barn down in the Spring. You don’t go back on your word around here, Faye!”

  “Might I remind you that your deal with him is for no money? True, he’ll tear it down and remove all the rubble and we won’t have to lift a finger but wouldn’t you rather have a few dollars for such valuable old wood and have someone haul everything away? John can certainly come and bid too, for all that. Getting a little out of the wood would sure help us to spring for concrete for the new floor instead of going with dirt again.”

  Jesse scratched his head. I felt like I could almost see the wheels turning for him as he thought over what I’d said.

  “Well,” he said, “It’s hard to argue with that logic...I can’t say I disagree; I just want to be fair, is all.”

  “We’ll auction it Jesse. Everyone can bid. Highest bidder gets it and John is certainly welcome to be among them. He does it all the time and, who knows, he may be the only one to come and bid.”

  “Alright then, but who’s going to do the auctioning? Auctioneers cost money. You know that.”

  I told him, “It will be a simple sealed bid process. I’ve already been thinking the whole thing out. We’ll have Mel here for just a short time...wouldn’t want to tear her away too long. She can unseal the bids and award the ‘contract’ so no one will dispute it.”

  “She’s our daughter. They’ll dispute it!”

  “She’s also the Sheriff and she can show them the bids once they’re all opened. The idea is to not have to pay an auctioneer and then pit our friends and neighbors in a bidding war against each other. One bid each; sealed, highest one gets the job.”

  ###

  After Dinner, November 13th, 2014

  Crane Family Farm

  Chloe and I spent the early evening working out a removal contract for the old barn. She really had a knack for that sort of thing.

  When Jesse was out of earshot, I let her in on the real plan.

  “What makes you think,” she asked, “that any of those men will come to bid?” when she’d heard what I had in mind.

  “I honestly think they know...or at least a couple of them do, that we found that prop up there and maybe even that we know about the wood. They have to know we knew about the prop, Chloe. Why else would they have moved it so quickly after we saw it?”

  “True that, but what brings them back here?”

  “If a stake, or stakes...probably their second one, came from that wood, don’t you think they’d want to ensure the destruction of the barn so it could never be matched up?”

  “That’s a reach my friend, I mean, I’m just saying, we’re assuming a lot here.”

  “Are we? If they were watching the barn long enough to know they needed to move the prop?”

  “I guess that makes sense.” She paused while she printed the document we’d been working on. Once she pulled it off the printer she asked, “So what’s the plan for tomorrow?”

  “Tomorrow is easy; some paper, pens, envelopes and a few refreshments. Tonight’s the hard part.”

  “What else do we have to do tonight?”

  “We...I...have to watch the barn and make sure they don’t come to burn it down.”

  ###

  It was late and it was cold. At this rate, I figured, we’d have snow before Thanksgiving.

  After Jesse trundled off to bed about 9:00, I headed upstairs, telling him Chloe and I had some things she wanted me to look at that she was planning for Barb and that I’d be down to turn in soon.

  I’d staged some warmer clothes and Jesse’s .22 rifle in the front bedroom that had belonged to Mel growing up. One of the windows in her old room, that Beth used mostly these days when the kids stayed out with us, faced out across the front of the property. I could see the front entry and one side of the barn pretty well from it.

  I sat with the lights out in the room by that window with it cracked open just enough to hear our old farm collie if she got riled up about anything. Sandy was 15 but she still got around well and both her hearing and her bite were excellent. A bonus for me was, in the cold, she would spend most of the night taking refuge in the barn.

  Chloe sat with me until just after 11:00 when she turned in but not before she offered to get up in a couple of hours and take a shift.

  “And do what?” I’d asked. She admitted she’d have just alerted me if she saw anything. For my part, I’d been shooting all my life and I wasn’t afraid to take a shot at trespassers that had no
business on my property in the middle of the night.

  Somewhere around 11:40, while I was squatted down holding my hands close to an electric heater to warm them, Sandy started to kick up a fuss outside.

  I scrambled back up to the window and peaked out. I couldn’t see the collie but I could hear her, plain as day. She was somewhere beyond the far side of the barn in the field. I waited and watched but she got quiet after a few more barks and I saw nothing.

  False alarm...she probably saw a rabbit or a raccoon or something...

  I hauled myself back into the chair and tried to find a comfortable position that kept me near the heat, with a good view but not framed in the window. I was still struggling about when Sandy started carrying on again.

  Hoping all the commotion didn’t wake Jesse, I peeked out again. This time I saw just the barest glint of moonlight reflecting off glass near the end of the driveway. Someone had parked down there.

  I scooted lower in my seat, all the while scanning the driveway and fenced pastures to the right and left of it out in front of me.

  Sandy stopped barking but probably only because she was listening and waiting. I listened, waited and watched too.

  Movement caught my eye in the lower pasture area about 100 yards beyond the barn and just slightly downhill from it. Some of the ground down there, around where the creek from a natural spring flowed through, was covered in dense brush that we never bothered to cut back. It kept the longhorns from going all the way to the fence and away from the road beyond it when they worked their way down there for water. Now I found myself wishing we’d been more diligent and had cleared that part too.

  As I watched, slowly, a solitary figure in dark clothing emerged from the brushy area. Scanning around quickly and then back again, I saw no one else out there but him. After I edged the window up just a little more, I slid the barrel of the .22 out it and aimed in his general direction. He wasn’t quite in range yet but once he was, I’d tag him before he got too close to the barn and out of my sight.