Marja McGraw - Bogey Man 04 - Awkward Moments (10 page)

Chapter
Eighteen

“Charlie and I went to college together,” Tony explained.

“He went to college? And he had
family money? Why was he working as a busboy at a diner?” I asked.

“Let me start at the beginning and I guarantee you’ll understand.” He scratched
his ear before continuing.

“Mikey, would you go inside and get me a glass of iced tea?” I didn’t know where this was going, and I wanted him out of the way for a few minutes.

“Sure, Mom, but hold the story ‘til I come back.” He ran to the house.

“You don’t need to wait for my son,” I said, encouraging Tony to tell his story.

He smiled. “There’s nothing in the story he couldn’t hear. Kids today are a lot smarter than they used to be.”

“Be that as it may…”

“Okay, Charlie and I met at college we became good friends. After we graduated we moved to California and got good jobs. He was a financial wizard and I was, um, not so much of a wizard. I couldn’t make it in the business and I kind of trailed along on his coattails.

“Then Charlie’s parent
s died within a few months of each other. His mother died of cancer and his father had a killer heart attack. I came back to Serenity with him to take care of business, and while we were here we met Jonni. She was new in town.”

“Don’t tell me,” I said. “You both fell for her and that was the end of the friendship.”

“Not exactly. Charlie fell for her and I pegged her as a gold digger. He fell hard and he wouldn’t listen to me. I tried to tell him she was a train wreck waiting to happen. We had an argument and I took off, heading back to California.”

“So were you right about this woman?”

“Yes. At first he was very generous with her. She could do no wrong in his eyes, and he couldn’t spend money on her fast enough. He called to tell me how wrong I’d been about her, but I thought I could hear doubts in his voice. So I came back to see what was going on.”

“And?”

“Jonni took a liking to me. Since she had Charlie under her thumb, she figured she could get away with a little romance on the side. She flirted her little heart out. I figured – and remember, I was young – that if I took her up on her offers, Charlie would see the truth and get rid of her.”

“Did he?”

“Yeah. He got rid of both of us. I tried to tell him why I’d done what I’d done, but he wouldn’t listen. Jonni left town for parts unknown, and I returned to California.

“I didn’t see Charlie for years, and on a whim I came back here about three years ago. Charlie was working at the diner. I guess he’d fallen pretty hard for Jonni because he said he’d just given up after that. He wanted his freedom more than a corporate job
and a woman on his arm.”

The screen door creaked and slammed, and I looked up to see Mikey carrying two glasses of iced tea.

“By the way,” I said, “contrary to what you thought, that isn’t a story I’d want my son to hear. He’s only eight, and he’s already seen enough of the wrong side of life.”

“That’s okay. The rest of the story is tame.
Besides, I left out some of the dirty details because of you being a stranger, and because you appear to be a nice woman.”

Mikey approached us and handed a glass to me and the other to Tony. “I thought you might want a cold drink since you’ve been helping us fill in the holes.”

I hadn’t even noticed, but while we’d talked Tony had finished filling in the hole we’d been working on and started filling another.

Stu had said Charlie was recently involved with a woman. The story Tony told had to do with history, not the present.

“Did Jonni ever come back to town?” I asked.

“No. Neither one of us ever heard from her again.”

“Who’s Jonni?” Mikey asked.

“Just an old friend of Charlie’s,” I replied, not giving Tony the opportunity to say anything I might not approve of.

“Oh.” Mikey picked up my spade and began filling another hole.

I glanced around the yard. How many holes had people dug? None of the
m were very deep, but still… I nonchalantly dug my heel in the soft dirt of the hole containing the leather bag. I didn’t want to lose track of which one it was.

“Are you aware of anyone Charlie was seeing recently?” I asked, turning back to Tony.

“No. He dated a little off and on over the years, but he never got serious about anyone again.”

So either Tony didn’t know about the mystery lady or he was lying.

Glancing up I saw Bill’s truck pull up next to the car by the side of the road. Chris leaned out the window and said something to the driver, and the car pulled away. Bill drove up to the house.

Chris hurried over and stood beside me. “Who’s this?”

“This is my husband, Chris,” I said, looking up into Tony’s eyes.

He
held out his hand. “Tony Hellman. I just stopped to visit with your wife and ended up helping her and your son fill in some holes. It looks like you folks had some ambitious treasure hunters here last night. You’re the talk of the town.”

Chris took him time in grasping Tony’s hand, letting him know he wasn’t too happy about the unexpected visitor.

“Well, I guess I’d better get moving.” Tony fished his keys out of his pocket. “Nice talking with you Mrs.… I never did get your name.”

“Pamela Cross. Nice talking to you, too.” I left it at that.

He handed me the empty glass and headed for his truck.

I handed the glass to Mikey. “Would you please take this in
side?”

He took the glass and slowly walked toward the house. I had a feeling he was hoping to hear Chris and me talk about our visitor.

“What did that guy want?” Chris asked.

Before answering I turned to make sure Mikey was out of earshot. He was.

“Tony was an old friend of Charlie’s. He told me a story about Charlie and a femme fatale from their past. According to him, the woman took Charlie for a lot of money before she left town. This was years ago and didn’t have anything to do with the killing.”

“Or so Tony says.”

“Yeah, according to him. I think he was being honest though. He said he didn’t know anything about Charlie being involved with anyone recently. If they were such close friends, you’d think he’d know something.”

“You’d think.
But if he had anything to do with Charlie’s death, then you wouldn’t hear the real story.”

“Did you and Bill find out anything while you were in town?”

“Not much.”

Bill joined us, asking who the stranger was.

Chris explained and told Bill the story Tony had told me.

Bill cleared his throat and looked at me. “Did you believe him?”

“Yes, I did. But let’s face it. We really don’t know any of these people. How would we know if they were lying or not?”

Chris shrugged. “We had a chance to sit down with Essie and Joe, but we didn’t learn much. Essie said Charlie had been acting jumpy lately, but she didn’t know why. Joe just shrugged it off, saying nobody really knew what went on in his life.”

I watched Mikey walk back from the house. “From what Stu said, I thought they were pretty good friends with Charlie. What you’re saying sounds like they weren’t all that close to him.”

“It’s like Bill said earlier. This is an odd little town. I have a feeling there are a lot of secrets buried around here.”

“Do you mean more bodies?” Bill asked, sounding shocked.

“No, I meant that figuratively.” Chris rolled his eyes and I bit my tongue to keep from laughing. Bill didn’t see it.

“So what now?” I asked.

“Now we wait to see if anything else happens. We’re not the coppers, and there’s nothing else we can do.”

“Yes, there is.” I turned in a circle, studying the property. I didn’t see any more vehicles lurking around. “Come see what else your son found.”

Chapter Nineteen

“The last time Ace found something it was a dead body. Are the police on their way?” Bill asked.

“Certainly not,” I replied. “He didn’t find another
stiff. Now help me find the hole that’s been filled in and has a heel print in it.”

We found three with footprints. Chris and Bill had walked right over the recently filled holes. Only one had my smaller heel print.

“Dig here,” I said, “but if you see anyone coming, cheese it.”

“Cheese it?” Bill asked.

“Get away from the hole and run. Well, don’t really run, but walk nonchalantly to another part of the yard. And try to look innocent.”

“What’s this all about?” Chris asked. “You two didn’t find more treasure, did you?”

Mikey had joined us and brought the dogs with him. “You never know,” he said, giggling.

“I’ll take care of this.” Bill picked up the spade and began turning dirt out of the hole. Chris stood quietly and watched.
It didn’t take long because the leather pouch wasn’t buried deeply.

“There’s something here,” Bill said, tossing the spade aside.

“We
told
you there was something buried there. You didn’t believe us, did you?” Mikey stood, hands on his hips.

“Mikey, show a little respect. Your Uncle Bill is new to this kind of thing.” Chris was grinning.

Bill dropped to his knees and began trying to work the bag out of the ground. “Would you get over here and help?” He sounded cross and frowned up at Chris.

“You’re doing just fine.”

Chris knew what was coming and he continued to grin.

Bill bent over and Sherlock was all over him, licking his hair and arms. Watson sniffed his legs and rear end.

“Would you get these stupid dogs off me?” Bill jumped up and pushed Sherlock away. “What’s the matter with these mutts?”

“They like people,” Mike
y said.

“Especially when they’re on the ground and within easy reach,” I added.

“Come Sherlock. Come Watson.” Chris snapped his fingers and the dogs left Bill’s side.

Bill dropped to his knees again, keeping a sharp eye on the dogs.
He held up his hand, palm facing the dogs, and said, “Stay.”

Two yellow Labs sat, simultaneously, but Sherlock was so excited his rear end barely touched the ground.  I knew it would only take one lapse of judgment on Bill’s part and the dog would be all over him again.

Bill looked surprised. “Huh. You’ve trained them pretty well. Now how do I make them really stay away from me?”

“Ace, you keep an eye on the dogs,” Chris said. “Let’s see what you’ve found.”

Chris got down on his knees and helped Bill loosen the grip the dirt had on the bag. Then, with one big tug, it came loose. Bill lost his grip and went flying. Chris sat, holding the pouch.

Mikey couldn’t stand it any longer and ran to Chris’s side. “What’s in it? What’s in it?”

“The leather ties are in a knot, Ace. Years and the weather have sealed this thing tight. I’m going to have to cut them to get this open.”

“Let’s take it in the house.” I reached out for Chris’s hand, intending to help him up, but he didn’t need any assistance.

Bill walked past me, toward the house, mumbling something about dogs, holes and dead bodies. “Don’t take that dirty bag in the house,” he said. “Drop it on the porch and I’ll get a knife.”

We sat down on the porch and waited for Bill. He only took a minute to find a good, sharp knife. “Stephanie would have a fit if she saw what was going on around here. She’s such a neat freak.”

“You should talk,” Chris said. “When we were kids
you’d
have fit if you got too dirty. I can remember you changing clothes a couple of times a day. I’m surprised you got into the construction business, as dirty as that job is.”

Bill scowled at Chris before cutting the ties on the bag.

“Dump it out,” Mikey said. “Let’s see what it is.”

Chris dumped
the pouch on the porch.

“Well, twinkle
, twinkle little star,” Bill said reverently as he picked up a gold coin. “I can’t believe this.” He started to laugh and thumped Chris on the back. “I just can’t freakin’ believe this.”

“Watch your language around my son, please
,” I said.

“Yeah,” Chris said, thumping Bill’s back.

I thought he might have thumped a little harder than his brother had done to him.

“What was it you said a while ago?” Bill asked. “Cheese it?” He pointed toward the road.

I saw Jimmy’s police car heading for our driveway.

Chris scooped the gold back into the bag. “Listen. If we tell Jimmy about this, the entire town will be out here tonight. Let’s just put it in the house until the dust settles.”

I nodded. He had a good point.

Bill helped him finish picking up the coins and they threw the bag inside the front door.

Creak, bang.

Jimmy drove past the cottonwood trees and pulled up to the house. After climbing out of his car, he adjusted his
holster and gun before approaching us. “What’s going on out here?” he asked.

“Nothing, Officer Stubbin,” Mikey said. “Us chickens are just sitting here jawin’.” He grinned from ear to ear and had a guilty look on his face.

“Mikey, why don’t you go inside and get Jimmy a glass of iced tea. I’ll bet he’s parched after the long drive out here.” I had a feeling if I had a mirror I’d see guilt written all over my own face.

“Is there a problem?” Bill asked.

Jimmy looked surprised. “Nope. Not unless you’ve found another body. I’m just passin’ the time of day.
Is
there something wrong out there? You’re all acting sort of funny.”

Chris stood and tipped his head back a little, narrowing his eyes and looking down his nose at Jimmy. It almost
looked like he was challenging the flatfoot. “Well, we found a little more gold, but we didn’t want to tell you because of last night. If the people in Serenity find out there’s more treasure, they’ll be all over this place like flies on honey.” He hooked his thumbs in his pockets and waited for a response.

My husband, the blabbermouth. Well, he’d probably done the right thing.

Jimmy licked his lips before responding. “You found more gold, you say. Hmm.” He hooked one thumb in his pocket, like Chris, and rested his other hand on his holster. “And you weren’t going to tell me. Seems to me we’d better have a talk about this. That gold could be evidence in either one of the murders.”

“No,” Bill said. “It wasn’t anywhere near the scene of the murders. That gold belongs to Ace and it’s staying here.” He sounded like he might growl, given enough provocation.

“Where did you find it?” Jimmy asked, ignoring Bill.

Chris pointed to the hole in the ground.

Jimmy glanced from the hole near us to the one under the oak tree. “I think you’re right. It probably isn’t evidence. And we wouldn’t want people digging all over your property again, would we?”

For some reason, I was hearing a maturity in Jimmy that I hadn’t noticed before. It surprised me.

“Jimmy? How’s your uncle doing?”

“Just fine, ma’am. He’s at home now. I drove over and talked to him about Charlie and all the goings on out here. He’s trusting me to do the right thing. To do right by everybody. I know the people of Serenity aren’t giving you the best impression of the town, but th
is business with the bodies and the gold is the biggest thing to ever happen around here.”

I zeroed in on the fact that the Chief was trusting Jimmy to take care of a murder investigation. No wonder he sounded different.

“I do have some news though, and I want to ask a favor,” Jimmy said.

“What’s that?” Chris asked.

“Let me know if anyone comes around asking questions. I mean someone who’s not looking for treasure. There’s something going on that I can’t quite put my finger on.”

“Well, there was a guy named Tony Hellman who stopped by earlier. He told me about his and Charlie’s past
friendship and problems, and he helped me fill in some holes.”

“Interesting,” Jimmy said. “Tony and Charlie don’t
have
a past friendship, only past problems.”

It was Chris’s turn to frown. “This guy was out here talking to Pamela and filling her head with all kinds of stories. You wanna
tell me about him?”

Jimmy looked at me.
“Did Hellman tell you he went to college with Charlie?”

I nodded.

“That part’s true. However, they weren’t friends. I heard Charlie tell my uncle the story about Hellman in the diner one day when we were taking a break. Charlie had a girlfriend in college and Tony lured her away. Charlie was nuts about her and never forgave him. Hellman showed up here about a year ago. It seemed like he just enjoyed getting under Charlie’s skin. He needled him about the girl.

“By the way, she left Tony after a couple of years of marriage. He was a drinker
with an attitude and she couldn’t take it. I guess he got kind of rough with her when he drank.”

“This sure doesn’t sound like the man I met this afternoon,” I said. “He seemed pretty normal. I wonder why he took the time to stop and lie to me.”

“I think you’d better be more careful in the future,” Chris said, frowning.