White Cloud Retreat (4 page)

Early Monday morning, Kelly dressed
in her usual coffee shop attire of jeans and a red T-shirt with the words,
Kelly’s Koffee Shop, emblazoned in white on it, and took her keys from the rack
near the front door. She motioned for Lady to come with her. For the last few
weeks when Kelly left early in the morning for the coffee shop, Rebel had opted
to stay at the house with Mike. Mike woke up a couple of hours after Kelly left
and took Rebel with him to the sheriff’s office. Rebel was getting older and
didn’t mind getting the extra few hours of sleep.

She parked her minivan in
the lot adjacent to the pier and opened the door for Lady who immediately ran
down the pier to where Madison, Charlie, and Roxie were waiting for Kelly to
open up the coffee shop. Each of them reached down to give the growing puppy an
ear scratch. The three of them were well trained as Rebel had let it be known
over the years exactly what dogs like. Kelly waved to them, silently giving
thanks to the coffee house gods for sending these loyal employees her way.

Her grandparents had
started selling coffee and sweet rolls out of a small little building on the
pier many years before she was born. At the time, the lumber industry was
flourishing in the area and most of their customers had been lumbermen. It
wasn’t long before they started requesting different kinds of food and the
little coffee shop had expanded several times over the years, becoming an
institution in the small town. At some point, almost everyone in Cedar Bay had
passed through the front door of Kelly’s Koffee Shop. When Kelly’s grandparents
passed away, Kelly’s parents had taken over the coffee shop and named it
Kelly’s Koffee Shop in honor of their daughter. When they retired, Kelly and
her husband, Mark, ran it, however, Mark died at a very early age from a rare
type of cancer. Since then, the coffee shop had supported Kelly and her
children, Julia and Cash. It was open for breakfast and lunch Monday through
Friday. On any day of the week a number of the regulars would be there as well
as tourists who were exploring the Oregon coast.

Kelly was certain that a
lot of the people who ate at the coffee shop came because of Roxie. She’d been
with Kelly for over ten years and was one of those people who made you feel
good by just being around them. Roxie not only knew everybody by name and
everything about them, but she really cared about them. You always felt better
after talking to Roxie.

Charlie was the son of
Chief Many Trees and lived on the Indian reservation just outside of town. Even
though he was surly and deeply suspicious of anything relating to the
government because of the harm he felt it had done to his tribe, he was a very
valued employee. Kelly made the signature coffee shop casseroles and a lot of
the other things, but Charlie was the one responsible for the short orders and
Kelly was always amazed by how many orders he could juggle and prepare at the
same time. The newest addition to the coffee shop staff was Madison, who had
replaced Amber after she’d been murdered. Madison’s life had taken a turn for
the better when her father stopped drinking and she’d started attending
cosmetology school in Sunset Bay after she graduated from high school. Kelly
knew she only had a few more months until she’d have to replace Madison at the
coffee shop. Wanda, the owner of the town beauty parlor, planned on hiring
Madison full-time as soon as she received her license. She was already
interning at Wanda’s beauty parlor after Kelly’s closed for the day at 2:00
p.m.

“Morning, everyone. How
was your weekend?” Kelly asked.

“Probably not half as
exciting as yours was,” Charlie said. “Rumor around town is that you’re the one
who discovered the Zen Master’s body. Any truth to it?”

“I should know by now that
nothing happens in this town without everyone knowing about it, but it still
amazes me how fast word travels. Yes, I discovered Scott’s body. You may have
heard he was shot. That’s all I know. Mike’s working on the case, but so far he
doesn’t seem to have any suspects in mind. The Center is having a service for Scott
Thursday afternoon from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., if any of you are interested in
attending.”

“You know it’s funny,”
Roxie said. “I don’t remember ever hearing about a murder in Cedar Bay before
Amber’s, and now with Jeff and Scott, that makes three in just a few short
months. Wonder if the town has bad juju or something.”

Kelly flipped the light
switch on as the four of them entered the coffee shop. “Don’t know about that,
but I do know we’re probably going to be pretty busy today. People always seem
to come to find out all the latest rumors when something happens around here. I
came in yesterday and made some things, but I need the three of you to hustle
because there’s a good chance we’ll have some early birds this morning.
Madison, I’d like you to turn the ovens on right away. Charlie, I bought a lot
of sausage. On cold wet days like today, people love to order biscuits and
sausage gravy. Think it’s a comfort food thing. Anyway, I made the biscuits
yesterday. You can start the gravy.”

Shortly after 7:00 a.m.,
the normal opening time for the coffee shop, it was already filled with
curiosity seekers. A number of the townspeople had taken workshops and classes
at the Retreat Center or had bought some of their wine. Scott was very much
liked and everyone who knew him felt a personal loss. Kelly, Roxie, and Charlie
worked nonstop. Madison had to leave at 9:00 to attend her cosmetology classes,
but promised to return right after they ended.

Promptly at noon, just as
he did every day of the workday week, Doc walked into the coffee shop with the
yellow lab Kelly had given him. Doc stopped to give Lady an ear scratch and
Lucky, Doc’s dog, sniffed her and wagged his tail. “Doc, let me wipe this table
down and you can sit here.”

He slid into the booth and
wound Lucky’s leash around the back of a nearby chair. “Doc, I’m surprised to
see Lucky on a leash. Thought you were going to train him to do everything off
leash.”

“I have, but the one place
I don’t want to create a disturbance is here at your coffee shop. Between the
plates, coffee cups, glasses, and everything else, you’ve got a lot of
breakable stuff in here. He still gets distracted and I don’t want to be
responsible for Madison or Roxie having an accident or even worse, some
customer who’s not used to dogs, panicking, and spooking him. Could be a
disaster.”

“Thanks. That I don’t
need. I’ve just gotten Lady to the point where I can keep her off leash while
she’s here at the coffee shop with me. She knows her place is on her bed by the
cash register. I try to keep her out of the kitchen because I’m not real sure
if it’s against the Oregon Health Department’s rules and I really don’t want to
find out. It’s one of those, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ things.”

“I understand. I don’t
think I’ve ever seen a dog that young be so good off leash. Are you doing
something special? I thought I was pretty good with dogs, but I think you have
me beat by a long shot.”

“Jackie Lewis, the owner
of the kennel where I got Lady, told me that Lady was probably the smartest dog
she’d ever had at her kennel. Maybe that has something to do with it, or then
again, maybe she just watches Rebel and tries to do everything exactly like he
does.”

“Well, whatever it is,
it’s working. I’m starving. What do you recommend on today’s menu?”

“That’s easy. Biscuits and
sausage gravy. I made the biscuits and Charlie makes the best sausage gravy
I’ve ever had. Can’t be beat on a gloomy January day like today.”

“You’ve sold me. I heard
about Scott and I’m really sorry. I liked him a lot. He was one of my first
patients at the clinic after I got my Oregon medical license. I’m going to miss
him. It’s hard to believe someone would want to kill him. I can’t imagine why.
I also heard you were the one who found him. Is that right?”

“That I did and like you,
I can’t believe anyone would want to kill him. I can’t even begin to think what
the motive might have been. I’ve never heard anyone say a bad word about him.
Did he ever say anything to you? Since he’s deceased, you wouldn’t be violating
a patient’s confidence by telling me anything you might know about him.”

“As soon as I heard about
it, I replayed our past conversations in my mind. He was actually in pretty
good health. He came to me because he had a nasty laceration on his arm from
one of those rose bushes they have at the end of each row of grapevines out at
the Center. It had happened a few days before he came to see me. I remember
asking him why there was a rose bush in a vineyard, since it seemed like a
strange place for one to be. He told me rose bushes showed problems with mildew
and other plant diseases long before they showed up on the grapevines
themselves. I thought that was an interesting self-help way to keep the vines
healthy. I guess it was part of his being an organic vineyard owner. Anyway, the
cut just needed a couple of stitches and he was fine after that. He came back
for a follow-up visit two weeks later and he was perfectly healed.”

“I’m not surprised he
didn’t seek medical help right away. From everything I know about him he led
about as healthful a life as anyone could. He was a little overweight, but I
doubt if he visited a doctor very often.”

“That’s true, but I do
remember he was pretty upset when he came back for his follow-up visit. He
mentioned that being the head of a Center like his had its share of problems.
Evidently he’d had some harsh words with one of the men in the residential
training program at the Center. They’re required to work in the vineyards as
part of the program and this particular man pruned the vines shorter than Scott
wanted them to be. Scott was still angry about it because he was afraid the
vines might not bear fruit in the next growing season due to the man’s improper
pruning.

“He also mentioned that a
couple of the wine growers from the region would love it if his White Cloud
Pinot Noir didn’t sell as well as it does now. He said they barely spoke to him
at the Oregon Wine Festival he attended last year because the Center’s wine was
getting far better ratings than theirs. They told him their vineyard was a family
business that was run for profit and it was unfair for a non-profit like White
Cloud Center to compete with them. They claimed he could eventually put them
out of business. Why do you ask?”

“I’m looking for anything
that might tell us why he was killed. I don’t know much about the wine
industry, but maybe his death has something to do with it. Remember any names?”

“Nope. Just that they were
local. You could probably…whoops! Slip of the tongue on my part. Actually, Mike
could probably find out on the Internet who grows pinot noir grapes locally.
Shouldn’t be too hard to do. Better yet, he could ask Jesse, the owner of The
Crush, the local wine store here in Cedar Bay. I’ll bet he’d know.”

“Thanks, Doc, I’ll be sure
and tell Mike,” she said, mentally crossing her fingers behind her back. “Just
sit there and relax and I’ll have your order ready in no time.”

“Kelly, I know it’s none
of my business, but you do remember the promises I’ve heard you make to Mike
about not helping him with his cases. Right?”

“Absolutely, Doc. Not a
problem.”

Sorry, Doc. Mike doesn’t
like to admit it, but he needs my help. Anyway, where would you be if I hadn’t
been responsible for suggesting you help out at the clinic and you met Liz? And
don’t forget I gave Lucky to you as a congratulatory gift when you found out
you’d been reinstated by the California Medical Board. And I believed you when
you told me you had nothing to do with Amber’s death. If it wasn’t for me, you
might still be a suspect in Amber’s death.

As she walked into the
kitchen to get Doc’s order, she was already making plans in her mind to go to
The Crush and talk to Jesse as soon as she closed up the coffee shop that
afternoon.

When Kelly returned and placed the
heaping plate of biscuits and sausage gravy in front of him, Doc said, “Looks
like there might be a slight break in the action. Got something else I’d like
to run by you.”

“Sure, Doc. I can spare a
few minutes. Just let me tell Roxie to cover for me.” In a few moments she
returned and sat across from him. “What is it?”

“Well, remember how I told
you about my divorce and having two sons that I hadn’t seen since I left
California?”

“Yes, I remember. I
thought it was a very sad situation and yet, from what you told me, your wife
and the boys didn’t want anything to do with you after you were found liable in
that civil lawsuit regarding the young woman you performed the abortion on.”

“I’ve wanted to pick up
the phone a million times and call the boys, but I never did. I figured the
boys didn’t need a dad in their lives who’d been found liable in court for
civil damages and whose medical license had been revoked by the California
State Medical Board. No, I figured they were better off without me, but once I
was reinstated, I started thinking about them a lot. I wondered if they knew I
was practicing medicine again. I also wondered whatever happened to the three
million dollar judgment that was entered against me. The parents of the young
girl who died were the ones who sued me and obtained the judgment. When they
were killed in an airplane accident, the right to collect the judgment against
me passed to their son, the brother of the young girl who died.

“Liz and I talked about it
a lot and she finally convinced me to call my attorney and see if he knew what
had happened. It turns out he’d tried to reach me to tell me that the girl’s
brother was giving up his attempts to find me and collect the judgment.
Evidently he married a doctor and she convinced him that I wasn’t negligent in
his sister’s death. He said the woman told the young man that there are things
in medicine that just happen and they can’t be explained. She’d been curious
about the case and had read all of the evidence. She convinced him, regardless
of the jury’s decision, that I wasn’t to blame for his sister’s death. The
attorney told me the brother had taken the necessary steps to dismiss the
case.”

“Doc, that’s wonderful
news! I guess it means you can get in touch with your sons now that no one is
trying to find you.”

“That’s exactly what it
means. Once Liz heard about it, she had me on the phone with them within the
hour and wouldn’t let me hang up. It wasn’t a particularly pleasant
conversation and there was still some anger on their part. I’m sure they have a
lot of questions about why I was an absentee father for so long. However, we
have had several other conversations since then that weren’t so bad. Anyway,
I’m picking them up tonight at the Portland airport and they’re going to stay
with me for a few days. I don’t have any unreal expectations that they’ll crown
me ‘Father of the Year’ or anything like that, but at least it’s a start.”

“Well, you have plenty of
room in the ranchette for them. What are you going to do with them while
they’re here? Any ideas?”

“No, absolutely none. I
mean, what do you do with your two sons when you haven’t seen them in over
three years? I’ve been trying to think of things they might enjoy.” He ran his
hand through his hair, clearly agitated.

“I kind of remember you
said they were teenagers when you left California. How old are they now?”

“Kevin’s eighteen. He’s a
freshman at Chapman College in Southern California. Josh is sixteen and he’s a
junior in high school.”

Kelly turned around in her
seat and motioned for Madison, who had just returned from her cosmetology
classes, to come over to the booth. “Madison, we have a little question for
you. Doc’s two sons are coming to Oregon tonight for a visit. One’s your age
and the other one’s two years younger. Got any ideas on what Doc can do to
entertain them?”

She stood there for a
moment, lost in thought. “Yeah, why don’t you plan on them shore fishing with
my dad. He still has pretty good luck catching fish out of the bay and that
might be a fun thing for them to do. The other thing that might interest them
involves Brandon. Over the past few months, we’ve become pretty good friends.
Anyway, he’s on semester break this week and he’s just the age of your oldest
son. As you know, he’s a freshman at Oregon State University. He and I were
planning on going horseback riding this week, but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if
they came with us. We could also take them down to the tide pools below his
ranch house and they could look for some jade on the beach. That should keep
them busy for a while.”

“Madison, thanks. Those
are great ideas,” Doc said. “Would you ask your dad about the fishing? I have a
fear of boats, so I’m not taking them out in the bay, but I’d love to go
fishing with your dad and them as long as we fish from the shore. I know
Brandon and I’ll give him a call this afternoon. Again, thanks for the
suggestions.”

“Doc,” Kelly said, “I’ve
lingered long enough. Don’t worry. I’m sure it will work out and I’m so glad
for you.”

“I’m happy, but at the
same time I’m scared. This is kind of a big deal,” he said with a worried look
on his face.

“Look at it this way.
They’re the ones taking a real leap of faith. They must have some feelings for
you or they wouldn’t have agreed to come visit you,” she said as she headed
back to the kitchen.

*****

“Jim, do you remember when you told
me about going out to the White Cloud Retreat Center and how you thought that
Zen Master, Scott Monroe, was doing the Devil’s work? Well, look at this. It
says in the paper that someone killed him. Someone else probably agreed with
you and took care of him. Good thing. Now maybe they’ll close that evil place.”
When she walked out of the room, she missed the smirk on Jim’s face.