Forbidden Entry (38 page)

“Yeah, a real sweetheart,” Jim observed with a hint of sarcasm. “Crying over a deer and yet able to kill his own mother and those innocent people. Kinda twisted logic. Sounds like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to me.”

“Good analogy.”

Appearing confused, Walter asked, “So, why do you suppose he let you live?”

I gave him a solemn look. “He saw me hiding in the corner, but he didn't give me away. I think he wanted me to hear his final confession. Maybe it was his shot at redemption or his way of making sure his stepbrother got taken down. Who knows? Burton was terrified he'd be sent to prison, so to save his own butt and justify his actions, he devised ways to humanely do away with the witnesses knowing that if Pomeroy and his toadies got hold of them it wouldn't be pretty.” I looked up at my captive audience and tacked on, “Speaking from my recent experience, I believe he was right. These people are every bit as ruthless as any of the Mexican drug cartels.”

Tugg leaned forward, one brow arched in question. “Correct me if I'm wrong, but how does a guy getting stung to death by bees qualify as humane?”

“That puzzled me from the start. According to Daryl Hinkle's confession, he claims the first death actually
was
an accident. Apparently they caught Mr. Campbell trespassing on the property taking pictures of the Hinkles' rock artwork, but they didn't know what else he'd seen and decided to lock him in the modular toilet until they could figure out what to do with him. Daryl swears he didn't know there were bees inside and when they found him dead the next morning, they erased the memory card in his camera and just left him there until he was discovered two days later. When his death was ruled accidental, that set the paradigm. Should any other incidents occur in the future, the deaths would appear to be accidental. Nothing happened for nine months until Benjamin Halstead began asking questions about unusual activity he'd witnessed near the vertical mine entrance while he'd been hiking.”

“Why did they use the entrance on the hill to transport supplies?” Tugg asked, drumming his fingers on the desk. “Why didn't they just bring ‘em in the main gate?”

I consulted my notes again. “Apparently not all of the employees at the sand and gravel company were aware of what was going on inside the mine. It was a legitimate business by day, and at night the drugs were concealed in the trucks for transport the next morning.”

“Clever,” muttered Tugg. “So who slipped the OxyContin into the Halstead boy's drink?”

“Daryl Hinkle claims it was Burton Carr, but then he's no longer here to defend himself. It could have been any one of them, but there's no way to prove it now. It was pretty simple to make his death appear accidental, but pulling off the deaths of Jenessa and Nathan was a lot more complicated.”

All three of them leaned forward in anticipation. “So tell us how he did it,” Jim urged.

“I don't have all the answers yet,” I replied. “But, I've got an inside source who tells me that sheriff's detectives found more incriminating evidence at Burton Carr's house today and he's promised to share some of it with me tomorrow.”

Jim's blue eyes twinkled with mirth. “And that inside source wouldn't happen to be the charismatic, got-the-hots-for-you Duane Potts, would it?”

I gave him a sly grin. “Possibly.”

CHAPTER

34

True to his word, Duane Potts did provide me with most of the answers to the mystery of how Burton Carr had cleverly orchestrated the deaths of Jenessa and Nathan when he contacted me with the disturbing facts on Saturday, just hours before Tally was scheduled to pick me up for the engagement party. “Thanks, Duane. Would you scan that last document you mentioned to me?”

“I sure will,” he agreed amiably before adding in an insinuating tone, “I'll be expecting at least one dance with you this evening. A nice, slow song.”

Good grief. The payoff. Oh well, I could survive a few minutes of his unwanted attentions to get what I needed.

“As long as your wife doesn't mind.” Without waiting for his response, I hung up and glanced down at my injured arm with a rueful smile. The cast would prevent him from having much bodily contact and for that I was thankful. I was thankful for so many things—the emotional reunion I'd enjoyed with my family the previous evening, the warm sunshine pouring down from an electric blue sky and the fact that my furry feline companions had bonded much faster than I'd expected and now lay close to each other on the couch. My heart swelled with happiness knowing that Marmalade would never be lonesome again and Fiona's sad vigil outside Jenessa's bedroom door was over forever.

The chime on my phone alerted me to Duane's email and as I read over the document, I shook my head in disbelief, realizing that without it no one would have ever figured out how the young couple had actually died. I checked the time and sent Tally a text asking him to come by a half hour earlier than planned. Marcelene deserved to know as soon as possible that her instincts concerning Jenessa were correct.

The evening sky was ablaze with fluffy lavender and gold tinged clouds when Tally arrived looking more handsome than ever in his well-cut, black western suit, polished boots and black felt hat. The original dress I'd bought especially for the occasion still hung in my closet because the sleeves were too narrow to wear with my cast. Ginger had jokingly suggested that I cut the left sleeve off, but instead, I opted for wide black velvet slacks and a sleeveless peach-colored top. “Not exactly the outfit I had planned,” I sighed, as he draped my coat over my shoulders.

He turned me to face him and eyed me appreciatively from head to toe. “You look mighty fine to me, Miss O'Dell. In fact, that pink cast is pretty damn sexy,” he murmured, leaning in to plant a warm, sensuous kiss on my lips. As always, his touch sent a fiery tingle coursing through my veins and I thanked my lucky stars that I had found this exceptional man. In a gallant gesture, he hooked his arm through mine, led me outside into the cool, desert air and helped me into his truck. On the way into town my emotions fluctuated wildly between exhilaration, anger and sorrow as we discussed the tumultuous events of the past week. The ordeal had left me both physically and emotionally drained, and now I had one more uncomfortable stop to make before I could relax and celebrate.

“Are you okay with my mother being there tonight?” Tally asked with a note of hesitancy.

“As long as she behaves herself,” I answered before adding coyly, “Sean is going to be there too. Are you okay with that?”

His sidelong glance held a spark of mischievous humor. “As long as he behaves himself.”

I couldn't resist smiling. “Touché.”

We rode in companionable silence until the Castle Valley city limits sign popped into view. “I thought your folks already had a ride to the community center?” Tally asked, turning off the highway.

“Ginger and my mom have been there for hours.” I checked the time on my phone, adding, “And Brian should have already picked up my dad and Sean.”

“So why are we stopping at the motel?”

Sighing, I answered, “I've got news for Marcelene and I want her to hear it from me before I file my story on Monday.”

He raised one dark brow. “Is it so important that you have to tell her right now?”

“Yes.” I shared the information I'd gotten from Duane and his expression grew somber. “All things considered, I'm a fortunate man to still have you sitting here next to me.”

I beamed him a loving smile. “I was just thinking the same thing about you.”

We pulled into the motel parking lot just as the sun vanished behind the jagged purple mountains, leaving in its wake a brilliant sky of molten cinnamon sprinkled with chocolate gold-rimmed clouds. For a long moment, we both sat staring in reverence, savoring the magnificent tapestry of colorful splendor, before I finally turned to him. “Do you want to come in with me, or have I injected enough drama into your life for a while?”

After hesitating a few seconds, he said, “I think I'll wait here.” He reached over to push my door open. “Don't be too long. Half the town is waiting for us.”

“Gotcha. Fifteen minutes.” I hurried up the steps, rang the bell, and when the door swung open, Marcelene gaped at me in surprise.

“Kendall! What are you doing here? I thought you'd be at the party by now.” She dropped her gaze. “I apologize for not attending. It's just that…”

I knew she was remembering that Jenessa would have been playing the piano for our celebration. “No need to apologize,” I said softly. “I have something to tell you. May I come in?”

“Of course.” Squirt rushed up to greet me, making little grunting noises and twirling excitedly in a circle as Marcelene led me into the darkened living room, turned on a table lamp and gestured for me to sit. “I feel terrible about your arm,” she fretted, pulling the Pug into her lap. “Please believe me when I say that if I had known for one minute you were going to be in harm's way, I would have never…”

I interrupted her with, “I'll be all right. Listen, I want you to know that your suspicions regarding Jenessa were correct.”

She inhaled sharply and pressed a hand to her breast. “I knew it. My baby was murdered. It was John Higglebottom, wasn't it?” Her breathing was so ragged, her complexion so pale, I was afraid she was going to faint.

I reached out and touched her knee. “No, it wasn't. He had nothing to do with what happened. He's just a bitter old man who chose to hide away in Raven Creek, and if Daisy hadn't brought Jenessa to his place to buy honey, we wouldn't have ever known he was there. I'm afraid it's much more diabolical than simple revenge. The forensics team and sheriff's detectives still don't know all the details, and more facts will come to light as the investigation progresses, but if you're up to hearing it, I can tell you what I've been able to piece together so far.”

She took several shuddery breaths and listened intently as I gave her a brief synopsis of the clandestine drug lab, Daryl Hinkle's confession and the information contained in Burton Carr's suicide, before adding in the new findings provided by Duane. “Daryl Hinkle stated that Jenessa and Nathan were caught trespassing near the vertical mine entrance and witnessed them delivering supplies. The Hinkles chased them off and that's probably when Jenessa fell and broke her ankle. Danny reported the incident to Darren Pomeroy, who decided he couldn't chance them telling anyone what they'd seen.”

“Dear Lord,” she whispered, her eyes reflecting horrified anguish.

“We don't know where they went or where they camped during the night,” I continued, “but we do know they returned their rented quad to Crown King the next day and picked up their camper. Burton Carr wrote in his suicide note that he'd intercepted them with news that the road was shut down due to an accident and offered to show them a shortcut. That's when he led them to the closed forest service road, where he knew they'd get stranded in the muddy ravine. He closed and locked the gate behind them, so that's why they weren't found until last week.”

One hand pressed to her mouth, Marcelene's eyes swam with tears as I continued. “It's pure speculation as to what happened from this point because there are no eyewitnesses, but sheriff's detectives believe this was his blueprint.” I pulled the article Duane had scanned for me from my purse and as she read it her eyes bugged out. It told the story of a couple who had cooked dinner on their charcoal grill and when they'd finished, had placed the lid on the grill to extinguish the coals, then set it underneath their camper and gone to bed. Sometime during the night, the coals had rekindled and the couple died from carbon monoxide fumes penetrating the floor of the camper. “It's believed that Burton returned sometime during the night on foot and carried out the exact scenario described in this story. Afterwards, he placed the grill inside their camper, making it appear to have been a tragic accident. We can't know for sure, but it's my guess that he probably planted the drugs on Jenessa to make it appear that they were impaired when the decision was made to use the charcoal grill for heat.”

“Oh my God,” Marcelene whispered. “What kind of a monster would do something like that?”

“They are all monsters,” I said grimly, then leaned forward and took her cold hand in mine. “I didn't want to upset you, but you needed to know how she really died.”

Weeping profusely, her voice overflowing with emotion, she hugged me and thanked me profusely for risking my life to restore her daughter's reputation and bring her some peace of mind. I left the cottage with mixed emotions. On the one hand I felt gratified that I'd helped put her mind at ease, but my heart ached for her. She'd looked forlorn and lost sitting there in that dark room clutching the dog for comfort. The timing wasn't the best and I had a hard time pumping myself up for the party as we traveled through town towards the community center where we found the parking lot jammed with cars and pickups.

In my high emotional state, I got a little misty-eyed when I noticed that Ginger had outdone herself decorating the outside of the building with colored lights strung along the eaves and wound around the branches of the trees and bushes.

“Pretty snazzy,” Tally commented as we walked towards the red brick building. Lively music from the band, excited voices and laughter wafted out as we reached the double doors where Ginger had taped two red hearts with our names written on them. A warm blanket of affection wrapped around my heart. I really was blessed with life, with love, with cherished friends.

Tally took my hand. “Well, my beautiful bride-to-be, are you ready to celebrate?”

“Yes, I am.” I looked up into his dark eyes brimming with affection and happiness radiated through every fiber of my being. “And my handsome husband-to be, I know I'm not the easiest person on earth to live with, but I hope you know that I love you with all my heart, and how important it is to me that you be happy.”

“I am happy.”

I squeezed his warm, calloused hand. “Are you sure you're going to be okay taking on my dysfunctional family?”

He tilted his head to one side and squinted at me quizzically. “You sure you're going to be okay taking on mine?”

Grinning, I held up two fingers. “I promise I'll do my very best.”

He stepped close, enfolded me in his strong arms and kissed me until I was breathless. When we drew apart, he pushed the door open and fixed me with that endearing, crooked smile. “All right then. Let's do this.”