Moonshine Murder [Hawkman Bk 14] (26 page)

"You've thought of everything. Now, all we can do is pray we don't get caught."

They headed back toward their campsite. Jeb placed the bucket near the cooking utensils and covered it with a clean rag he found in one of the pots. “I'll have to go down to the cabin several times a week,” He said. “I'll check your garden and bring home any ripe vegetables. I brought what little smoked meat we had, and hung it in a tree quite a ways from the camp. Earl can get what you need. Hopefully, no animals will feed off it, before we can eat it."

Beth nodded. “I'll fix it soon. I'll have the fire pit done by supper time, so a hunk of it could be used tonight. Everyone will enjoy a hearty meal after working all day. There won't be anything ready in the garden, it's too early, but you might throw some water on it."

"I'll do that. Just remember not to start the fire before dark. Smoke would give away our hiding place."

"Yes, I know."

When they reached the site, Randy had sat down on a log in front of Marcy's crib and had her giggling. Earl had collapsed on the opposite of the clearing. “Did we get enough rocks?” he asked.

Beth glanced down at the pit which the boys had encircled with large round stones. “Perfect,” she said. “Rest awhile, then you'll need to gather some kindling and small logs before night falls."

Jeb went to the buckboard, loaded one of the rifles and brought it to Beth. “Here's a loaded gun, in case you need it against a bear or varmint.” He handed her some extra bullets. “I'm saddling the horse and going down to the cabin. It will take me several hours to and from, so don't expect me back until after dark."

She took the gun and found a safe place to set it against the crook in a tree trunk, not far from her reach, and dropped the bullets into the pocket of her jacket. Knowing why Jeb was going back to the cabin gave her an uneasy feeling. What if he got arrested and didn't return. She knew he'd never disclose their hideout, but what would she do? Shaking the thought from her head, she watched him walk toward the tethered horses.

Once he'd galloped out of sight, Beth turned her attention to the children. “I'm sure you're hungry. I can't fix anything hot until after dark, but I think I've got some cold biscuits.” She rummaged through the things she'd brought from the cabin. “Yes, here they are, along with some wild berries."

Both boys hungrily stuffed the biscuits into their mouths, washed them down with a cup of water, and then ate the berries.

As they ate, Beth studied Earl. She reached over and touched his neck, then ran her fingers down some wounds on his arms. “Where did you get these scratches?"

His face turned red. “Uh, I was picking blackberries a couple of days ago, slipped on some squashed ones I'd dropped, and fell head first into the briars."

Beth frowned. “A couple look infected. I better put a salve on them."

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Monday morning, Hawkman decided to stop by the Yreka Police Department on his way to work. He'd have to take the long way to Medford, but he had nothing pressing on his calendar. When he reached the station, he went directly to Chandler's office. The door stood open so he poked his head inside and found the detective at his desk, concentrating on signing papers. Hawkman gently knocked on the siding.

Chandler glanced up and smiled. “Come in. I need a break."

Hawkman slid a chair up to the desk. “I just wanted to ask a couple of questions about Tami Spencer."

"Shoot."

"When you went through her things, looking for relatives, did you by any chance find an appointment book?"

The detective shook his head. “The closest thing we came to that was an address book and after checking the few phone numbers listed, we discovered none were relatives.” He stood and pulled open a file drawer where he removed a medium size box. “It appeared she was very poor; all the personal belongings we found from the car and in her apartment fit in this. She didn't even have a bank account. We found a couple of hundred dollar bills taped to the underneath side of a dresser drawer. Probably to pay rent."

"That bad?"

Chandler nodded. “Here's the book."

Hawkman thumbed through it and found an entry he studied for a moment. “This is interesting."

The detective raised his brows. “What?"

"Looks like an appointment. “JH and MA four p.m., It could be Jeb Hutchinson and Moss Atkins. However, there's no date or reference it happened."

"Yeah, I spotted it, but like you, couldn't figure out who, when, or where."

He checked through the rest of the pages. “Nothing of interest here but a grocery list. Doesn't look like she wrote down anything to indicate her setting up moonshine runs."

"No, unfortunately, it's a shame there's no connection. I talked with the owners of The Hut, Claude and Luke Graham."

"I didn't realize they were kin,” Hawkman said.

"Brothers."

"They swore they'd never heard of Tami Spencer or Jeb Hutchinson. So at this moment, I have no suspects in her murder, except the Hutchinsons. My suspicions have really heightened since you told me they'd up and disappeared. Any signs of them?"

"No. I think I'll go by and talk to Jeb's father, Jacob Hutchinson, and see if there's another cabin on that property."

"Get back to me if you find out anything."

"Will do,” Hawkman said, standing.

He left the station, and drove over to the old man's house. Maybe he could somehow persuade Jacob to step into the yard so he wouldn't have to go inside the stinking house. He knocked on the door, and heard the dog bark, then Jacob tell him to shut-up. When he opened the door, he squinted, “Mr. Casey, is that you."

"Yes, I'd like to talk to you a few minutes. Would you like to step out here so we don't disturb your father."

"He can't hear a damn thing. Nothing disturbs him. Come on in."

Hawkman took a deep breath and entered the room. Surprisingly, the stench wasn't nearly as bad as the first time he'd visited. Someone had cleaned up a little. Even the dog looked like he'd been bathed. Relieved, Hawkman took the chair Jacob offered.

The old man flopped down on the couch, and placed his cane across his thighs. “What can I do for you?"

"I'm wondering if there's another house on your property, besides the cabin Jeb and Beth live in?"

Jacob slowly shook his head. “Nope, why do you ask?"

"It appears Jeb and his family have moved out."

Jacob scowled and slapped the couch arm. “Really. Now why in the hell would they go and do such a thing?"

"Not sure unless they had something to do with the murder of Tami Spencer. Her body and car were found on the premises."

The old man's mouth flew open. “Shit, who would have murdered Tami?"

"So you knew her?"

"Sure, I met her when she and Beth were close friends. But Tami got sweet on Jeb, and Beth didn't like it one bit. So it ended their friendship. Then Tami appeared here in Yreka a few years back and asked me about work. I hired her for a little while, to take care of Dad, but she didn't like the job and she needed more money, so she quit.” Jacob scooted toward the edge of the cushion. His eyes sparkled. “You think Beth might have killed her?"

"I have no idea. I'd just like to find where they've gone, so I could question them. I figure they've just gone up into the hills, as their only transportation is the buckboard."

The old man raised a finger in the air. “There are many places one could camp in that forest and stay hidden for a long time. Beth could survive anywhere, being an American Indian."

"Tell me about the still. Did you put it there?"

Jacob narrowed his eyes and glared at Hawkman. “Ain't none of your business."

"If Jeb is running moonshine, it will be the police's business."

"I think I'm through talking to you. You can leave my house now.” He raised his cane.

Hawkman rose and hurried out the door before the old man could whack him or sic the dog on his butt. He'd definitely hit a sore spot with Jacob.

Driving down the block, Hawkman turned the corner, made a U-turn and parked on the opposite side so he could see Jacob's place. Just as he thought, the old fellow opened the garage from inside and backed out his pickup. He then jumped out and closed the big door. Following from a distance, Hawkman knew from the route Jacob had taken, he was headed for Copco Lake. He'd have to keep a good space between them, as the road had little traffic and Jacob might spot him.

When they reached Copco Lake, Hawkman let Jacob get across the bridge before he crossed. Then he quickly drove into his own driveway and jumped on the four-wheeler.

Jennifer stepped out the front door. “What's going on?"

"Don't have time to explain right now, I'll tell you later.” He gunned the machine and took off toward the back road he'd used before to spy on the Hutchinsons.

He parked a bit closer to the cabin area, since he knew the family had moved out, then hiked up to the corral area. Skirting the outside, he ducked behind some bushes when he heard the old pickup coming toward the cabin. Also about the same time, he heard a horse neigh, and a rider drew up at the front.

Hawkman recognized Jeb as he dismounted and waited for his father to alight from the truck.

"What the hell's going on?” Jacob yelled, shaking the cane at his son, as he hobbled toward him.

"How do you know any thing's going on?” Jeb asked, holding the reins of the horse, to keep it from shying away from the old man and his stick.

Hawkman didn't have to adjust his hiding spot, as he could clearly hear the men conversing.

"The private eye fellow came to see me this morning, I forget his name."

"Casey?"

Jacob nodded. “Yeah, yeah, that's his name. He asked a bunch of questions."

"Like what?” Jeb asked.

"Wanted to know if there was another house on the property, and he told me you, Beth and the kids had moved out."

"Did he tell you why?"

"Yeah, said Tami Spencer had been murdered and they found the body on the property. I figured Beth must have killed her since you guys have gone into hiding."

"Don't believe everything you hear. It all points to us, but neither Beth nor I had anything to do with it; but with my record, we're suspects and didn't want to be hounded."

"He also asked if I'd put in the still."

Jeb jerked up his head. “How'd he know about the still?"

Jacob shrugged. “He didn't say."

"Guess I better stay low for a while. Sure don't want to get caught selling moonshine, on top of being suspected of murder."

"With Tami gone, you might have trouble finding contacts,” Jacob said.

"I have a few customers. One is coming in tonight to buy a load. I came down to bottle it up."

"So where are you holed up?"

"Camping up in the hills."

"When can I get my percentage? I'm running short of funds for grandpa's medicine."

"I'll put it in the smokehouse under a rock. You can pick it up tomorrow."

Jacob leaned on his cane. “Keep on selling; you'll only get a slap on the wrist if you're caught."

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Hawkman watched Jacob limp back to his worn out pickup and leave. Jeb tethered his horse in the shade of an oak tree, then strolled to the fermentation building. After unlocking it and going inside, he remained there for several minutes before reappearing, carrying a barrel. He then unlocked the other shack and disappeared within. Hawkman couldn't see the interior from his hiding place, but could smell the fire being started under the still.

Sensing Jeb would be here for several hours, Hawkman crept away and hurried to where he'd parked the four-wheeler. Since it was still early afternoon, he didn't worry about Jeb hearing the machine, as many people rode them in the area. He gunned it up, and took off for home. No way could Hawkman follow Jeb back to his campsite on the noisy Polaris; he'd need a horse, and even that would be risky.

He turned at the driveway, then into the shade of the lean-to, hopped off, and ambled into the kitchen. Jennifer quickly rose from the computer.

"Something distract you from work today?"

"Sure did. Before I talk to you, I've got to call Detective Chandler."

"Can I listen?"

"Sure, it will save me from having to tell my tale again."

He sat down at the kitchen counter, picked up the receiver, punched it on speaker phone, then breathed relief when Chandler picked up.

"Tom Casey here."

"Any news?"

"Yeah, a tidbit of information.” He told him about the encounter he had with Jacob, how he'd followed him out to Copco Lake, then rode his Polaris out to the Hutchinsons. “Jeb rode up on horseback and I think he was surprised to see his father. I hid close by so I could hear the two men talking."

"Does it appear a rendezvous will take place tonight?"

"Yes, but here's the dilemma. If you come out and arrest these two guys, we'll never find the rest of Jeb's family. He'll never tell where they are, even if you torture him."

"I see what you're saying. Have you got a better plan?"

"Let me run this by you, and see what you think."

"Okay, shoot."

"If I can follow Jeb tonight back to his campsite, we'll know where the family is."

"How will you do this?"

"Can't use my Polaris, too noisy, so I'll borrow a horse from my neighbor, and just hope I can keep the animal in line so he doesn't give me away. I'll follow Jeb, and find out where they're camping out."

"That's damn risky. You could get shot."

"It's hard to shoot a moving target in the dark."

"Are you that good with directions in the middle of the night? You could guide the police to them?"

"Yes, I've had training in that field. I might be a bit rusty, but feel it will all come back when I get into the situation."

"I'm going to trust you. Detective Williams said you were good. I'm going to believe him."

"Thanks. If I can do this without Jeb getting suspicious, he'll continue his moonshining business and we can catch him later. Right now we need to find where they're hiding, in case one of them murdered the Spencer woman."