Moonshine Murder [Hawkman Bk 14] (11 page)

"No, he came by before I got to the office."

Jennifer remained silent as she read the missive. She wrinkled her forehead and glanced at Hawkman. “What was his point in writing this note?"

"Beats me,” he said, opening the refrigerator and pulling out a beer. “You want a drink?"

"Sure."

He mixed her a gin and tonic, then moved to the other chair. “So, what's your take?"

"I'm not sure. Either he wants you to stay away, or keep checking. Hard to say."

"My thoughts exactly.” He waved a hand. “Enough about Jacob. Tell me why you went to the cabin."

Jennifer told him about the paranormal callings she'd received this morning coming from Randy. “Very weird sensation."

Hawkman stared at his wife. “I can imagine. So that's why you took a notion you should go see if there was a problem?"

"Yes. I couldn't get anything done."

"So what'd you find out?"

She related how she'd found Beth on the floor in dire pain. “Randy told me he'd been sending me telepathic thoughts to come quickly because his mother was ill. Guess I received them."

"Continue."

"I wanted to take her to the doctor, but she wouldn't have anything to do with my suggestion. She said the pain would go away and she'd be fine."

"What do you think was her problem?"

"I'm only guessing, and want your opinion. I think she had induced a miscarriage, probably with herbs."

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Hawkman looked fixedly at his wife. “Since I know nothing about pregnant women, you still want my opinion about this? What I'd like to know is, why would she want to abort her baby?"

"It's too soon after Marcy. Beth doesn't need another infant to look after."

"Do you think she's done this before?"

Jennifer raised her hands in the air. “I haven't the vaguest idea, but it's very possible since several years have elapsed between Randy and Marcy."

Hawkman scratched his ear, and grimaced. “How would she accomplish this dangerous deed?"

"I imagine her being American Indian; she knows a lot about herb concoctions that do all sorts of things."

"I suppose you'll take a trip to the cabin tomorrow to make sure she's okay?"

"I've thought about it, but I don't think I will. If I become a nuisance, she won't want me around. If there's a problem, she'll either send Earl, or I'll get a mental message from Randy."

"Wise decision, dear wife.” He slapped his hands against his thighs. “I almost went to sleep driving home; so I'm hittin’ the sack early tonight."

She stood and took the empty beer bottle from the table. “You want something to eat before you retire?"

"Nope, had a late lunch. I just want some good old shuteye."

She leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. “Goodnight."

Hawkman disappeared into the bedroom and closed the door before the cat could follow.

"Miss Marple, you get back in here,” Jennifer called. “He doesn't need your help."

The feline meandered back into the living room, hopped onto the hearth and lay down on her favorite throw.

Jennifer sat in the chair, threw an afghan over her legs, turned on the television and promptly fell asleep, not awakening until the wee hours in the morning. Blinking at the mute movie on the television screen, she shook her head, and for a moment didn't realize what woke her. She thought she'd heard clomping horses, and the rolling wheels of a wagon.

Flipping off the lamp beside her, she jumped up and ran to the kitchen window. Not seeing a thing, she figured it had already passed. Taking Hawkman's night binoculars from the dining room table, she put them to her eyes and watched the bridge. Nothing passed over it, nor did she see anything on the road across the lake. Could they have possibly been headed in the other direction? If so, why didn't she spot the wagon earlier? She finally decided she'd been dreaming, turned off the television and trudged off to bed.

Friday morning, Hawkman awoke refreshed, climbed out from under the covers, stretched and glanced at his sleeping spouse. He remembered peeking at the clock when he felt the mattress bounce at three in the morning. She'd either gone to sleep watching the tube, or her muse had visited her with some brilliant ideas for her book.

He jumped into the shower and by the time he dressed, the aroma of bacon had made its way to the bedroom and wrapped around his nose. “Aah, that smells so good,” he said, padding into the kitchen carrying his boots.

"Figured you'd be hungry,” Jennifer said, smiling.

"You certainly didn't get much sleep last night. How come you're so bright and bushy tailed?"

"I really got plenty, went to sleep in front of the television watching a boring show. Didn't awaken until I dreamed about a horse and wagon going down the road."

Hawkman glanced up at her, while pulling on his boots. “You sure it was a dream?"

"I sure couldn't find any evidence of it. I looked out the kitchen window, checked the bridge, then across the lake, and saw absolutely nothing. If it was going in the other direction, surely I would have spotted it leaving earlier."

"Yeah, sounds like you had a nightmare."

She laughed. “Why do you say that?"

"As far as we know, the only people using a wagon drawn by horses are the Hutchinsons."

She put a plate of food in front of him. “The explanation answers why I woke with such a start."

"So what are you going to do today?” Hawkman asked.

"I might go to Yreka and do a little shopping, just to keep from thinking about Beth."

"You don't expect any telepathic messages?"

"No. I have a feeling she'll be just fine"

After they ate their breakfast, Hawkman left for work. On his way to Medford, he couldn't stop thinking of Jennifer's so called dream. He had a feeling the whole thing happened. Possibly Jeb took the horse-drawn wagon out on the narrow, dirt back road. It could be done, even though it would be a rough haul, but worth it to Jeb, if his load was illegal. Jennifer hadn't seen anything, because she'd looked in the wrong direction, thinking he was leaving the area; but Jeb could have been returning home with an empty wagon and took the easiest route.

Hawkman had some ideas forming in his mind about what Jeb might be doing, but wasn't ready to discuss them with his wife, or the law authorities, until he had more proof. He also worried about Jennifer's blooming friendship with Beth. The woman could well be in the thick of things with her husband, yet hiding unlawful activities from her children, and using Jennifer as a patsy.

Another thing bothered him: what did Jacob Hutchinson have to do with this operation? Hawkman felt in his gut, the man had an investment in Jeb's project. Someone had to put up the money, and what better person than your own father. The sooner he could find out what sort of shenanigans were going on, the better he'd feel.

He decided when he got home tonight, he'd talk to Jennifer about trying out the plan they'd discussed earlier. If they calculated right, and arrived at the property near the same time, maybe Jennifer could entice the whole family into the cabin, and he'd be able to sneak a look inside those outbuildings.

Jennifer headed for Yreka with her list. She hated leaving the house, in case Earl came needing her, but she planned to visit Beth this weekend and hoped to find her feeling well. Sweeping the negative thoughts from her mind, she concentrated on her driving. She first stopped at Walmart where she found several harder puzzle books for Randy. He seemed to find them fun, yet they were educational, so he learned while recuperating. Passing the baby items, she couldn't resist some cute toys for Marcy, and a darling pair of booties.

Leaving the department store, she headed for the Thrift Shop. She roamed the aisles and picked out a couple of comical tee shirts for Randy, a work jacket she thought would fit Jeb, and a couple of long sleeved casual shirts for Earl. Searching through the women's items, Jennifer realized she had no idea what size jeans would fit Beth, so decided to forget those and focused in on blouses she could wear everyday. She piled her items on the counter, then went back to the housewares and browsed through racks of stuff. Finally, deciding on a couple of long-handled utensils and a canvas wood carrier, she went back to the cashier. When she deposited her purchases into the Ford, it amazed her to think all the things she'd bought totaled under ten dollars. She figured she'd be stopping here more often for her own personal shopping.

After a trip to the grocery store, she headed home, and thought about the reaction she'd probably get from Jeb. If he gave her any static, she'd tell him the jacket belonged to her husband. He never wore it and she'd planned to throw it out, but hoped he could use it. It made her cringe to lie, but if it satisfied the horrible man, it would be worth it.

Jennifer pulled into the garage, carried the groceries in first and put them away. She had to make a couple of trips to the Ford, but finally transferred all the items inside. Glancing at the wall clock she couldn't believe she'd been in town so long. Too late to start a big dinner; sandwiches were on the menu tonight.

She stepped back, put a hand to her mouth and stared at the pile of stuff for the Hutchinsons. Had she been pretentious? Would they take this all wrong? Jeb seemed to have a certain amount of pride, but Beth seemed willing to take anything she offered.

"Dang it!” she said aloud. “I'm not sure I'm doing the right thing."

At that moment, Hawkman walked in the door, and glanced at the mound of clothes. “Uh, oh, what have you done?"

"I went to the thrift shop and got carried away. I bought something for every one of the Hutchinsons, even Jeb. Now I'm having second thoughts. Jeb is not too keen on charity, and I'm afraid he's going to have a fit when I bring this load up to them."

"Well, let's talk about it,” he said, placing his briefcase on the counter. “You might have just done the right thing. Show me what you've bought."

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Jennifer stared at her husband with a dubious expression. “I don't understand what you mean, but here's what I bought.” She moved to the chair where she'd stacked the items, went through each article of clothing, and utensils, explaining why she'd bought them. Holding up the bag from Walmart, she showed him the gifts for Randy and Marcy. Biting her lower lip, she hugged herself. “Now, I'm having second thoughts. Jeb is going to have a fit about accepting charity. I want this to be a happy experience, not a big argument among the family."

"You've played right into our plan."

She furrowed her brow. “What are you talking about?"

"Don't you remember our discussion about me checking what's going on in those outbuildings?"

"Yes, but it certainly wasn't on my mind when I went to town."

"I'm sure you never gave it a thought, but it just might work. If you can get the whole family into the cabin at one time, then my chances of snooping around will be much safer."

"When did you want to do this?"

"This weekend, but first, we'll need to work on the timing."

"How do you propose to do that?"

"Before it gets dark, I'm going to take the four-wheeler, and see how long it takes to follow the creek that runs near the cabin. I'll go to the point where I think they might be able to hear the Polaris. I'll mark the spot, then hike the rest of the way until I can see the outline of the buildings. I figure it will take about ten minutes longer than you driving up in the Ford."

Jennifer sat on the arm of the big leather chair. “What if someone spots you?"

"I won't be getting close enough on this dry run."

"Where does the property end? I have the feeling Earl walks the boundary, and he'd just as soon shoot you."

"Let's hope he's having dinner."

"You better get on the stick. It'll be dark in about an hour."

"I'm going to change into some old clothes. Don't want to get these torn on thorns."

He went back to the bedroom and within minutes returned in faded jeans, a long sleeved shirt, work boots, an old favorite hat he wouldn't throw away and a worn jacket. Sticking his stop watch in a pocket, he went out the door.

Jennifer soon heard the machine start up, and Hawkman rolled down the driveway. She glanced up at the wall clock, and wrote the time on a paper pad.

Hawkman drove up the road he normally took to get to the cabin, but veered off and headed toward the back path, then cut off before coming to the guard rail which supported a large chain and padlock across the front. Jeb wouldn't have to contend with this barrier as he'd get on this route farther west. Finding the stream, Hawkman stayed on the North side until he came to a shallow spot with level ground on each side. He crossed over, and continued west. When he figured the noise of the four-wheeler might be heard by the Hutchinsons, he parked in a cluster of bushes and continued on foot. He didn't come across any fence to indicate the starting of the property, but he could see the outline of one of the outbuildings. It certainly seemed taller than he remembered. Slowing his pace, he took caution as he approached and ducked behind some brush when he heard a neighing. Peeking over the bushes he could see the corral with four horses on the south side of a large dilapidated barn. The big doors stood open on the building and the wagon sat inside.

He hunched down when a figure strolled around the corner with a bucket in his hand. The animals shifted toward the person, whom Hawkman recognized as Earl. At least, he didn't have a gun in his hand.

Hawkman didn't want Earl to catch sight of him so he moved to the north and took a chance of getting closer. He had no idea how many shacks occupied the piece of property, but he needed to figure out which ones he wanted to check out, and how close they were to the cottage. Crouching, and staying in the thick brush, he advanced westward toward the cabin. The barn sat quite a ways from the main house, but in between he counted three small buildings. One looked as if it could fall down any minute, but the other two appeared stable, well built, and bigger than he thought. Those two piqued his attention. He turned and started back the way he'd come, but got side tracked by a commotion in the barn area.