Incident At Elder Creek Page 16

  “Then how can you say for sure you weren’t sexually assaulted?”

  “It’s instinct or something. I can’t explain it. Besides, I have no sign whatever that anything like that happened. You have to trust me on this one, Jackie. I am positive nothing like that happened. This is about something else entirely.”

  Jackie blew out a breath. Tucker could tell she was finally calming down.

  “Don’t you see, I’m remembering. It’s just a small piece, but I’m finally figuring it out. It’s a good thing. I’m putting the puzzle together. If I can fit more pieces together, I might actually see the whole picture.”

  “Okay, I see what you’re saying about fitting pieces together.” She smacked Tucker across the arm. “But there better not be any little Tuckers running around here in nine months.”

  “Trust me, my friend, that’s not going to happen.”

  WHEN JACKIE YAWNED, reflecting the weariness Tucker realized she too felt, Tucker said, “We should probably go back to town and get to bed.”

  “I agree. If we don’t leave soon, I may be sleeping here tonight.”

  Tucker stood and held out her hand to help Jackie up.

  “If you do, you’ll need a chiropractor in the morning. Did you drive up here?” Tucker knew Jackie would have to leave her car at the bottom of the hill because only a narrow path took them to the top where they sat now.

  “No. After I made sure Leah got home, I drove to my house and left my car. I decided I’d take a walk to try to get a handle on my concern for you. Leah was concerned, too, but she wouldn’t have known to come after you up here. I was pretty sure I’d find you here.”

  “And so you did,” Tucker pronounced.

  “So I did.”

  “I’m glad you came, Jackie, and I appreciate your help and support.”

  “For the revitalization project.”

  Tucker looked at her and said, “Yeah, for the project, too.”

  She barely made out Jackie’s smile in the darkness.

  They walked back into town in silence, hugging when they reached Main Street. Then they each walked in opposite directions. As Tucker strode back to the hotel, she thought about puzzles, and about the new information she put together, which only produced more questions for which she needed answers. Who dropped her off, groggy and hurt, in front of The Charlie the night this all started? And what happened to her before she got there? If she found answers to those questions, she might be able to fill in a vast section of the puzzle.

  THE NEXT MORNING, as Tucker, Leah and Jackie sat eating another tasty breakfast Leah cooked, Tucker filled Leah in about puzzle edges and on her new insights. She pulled out the now crumpled list, flattening it with her palm against the kitchen table and enumerated what she knew.

  “Dunbar and this guy Notch are one and the same, I’m positive of it,” Tucker said. “Once I figure out how I know Notch, I might be able to discover why he’s a part of all this.”

  “I’m starting to think Olivia Justice and Lily Hart are my brain’s way of telling me this all means something. After all, if a bunch of strangers invaded my mind, I might think of it as a bad dream. I’m not sure whether it’s a dream or reality, but I’m realizing it actually means something important.”

  She indicated the next item she’d written on the piece of paper. “Why does Dunbar want to kill me? I’m not sure about this one. Maybe I’m being warned off. Whenever I feel like I’m getting close to remembering something, I keep hearing the word ’forget.’ I also get these feelings of being afraid of something, but I have no idea what it is that’s causing the dread. If it’s a warning, I have no idea what I’m being warned against.

  “Although the fire in the jail back in 1873 held the potential to harm me, someone set it outside the jail. It was started in a pile of rubble. Maybe the jail caught on fire in error. I don’t know for sure, but I’m starting to think so. Maybe it’s another edge to the puzzle.”

  Leah and Jackie listened intently.

  “Finally, what do this guy Notch and his missing groupie have to do with any of this? This is the one I must find the answer to. It might be a key piece. If this has something to do with the missing girl, I might have information the police need. The problem is I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to access the knowledge I might have buried deep within my subconscious. Until I make some progress, I’ve got to go about my business and hope something happens to help me make some sense of it all.”

  Leah pointed toward the paper on the table. “What about the whole thing about feeling beat up and confused and not remembering anything when you came out of The Charlie?”

  “I don’t think I came out of The Charlie at all. I realize now, I stood there with the wall holding me up, afraid of collapsing, but I never remembered coming through the door. And there’s something else—the time. I got back to the hotel after three o’clock in the morning. The Charlie looked closed when I was in front. I also think I remember a car—and being dragged from a vehicle. I think someone dumped me there.”

  Leah wrinkled her brow. “Then where were you before you found yourself in front of the saloon?”

  “Ah,” Tucker said, “there’s the question, wouldn’t you say? And I’ll bet it’s a big section of the puzzle—if only I can find the pieces and link them together.”

  Chapter Ten

  TUCKER THOUGHT LEAH looked sexy in her tight jeans with her hair pulled back in a ponytail, ready to work. She extended an invitation to Leah to join her as she did a cursory inspection of the outside of the mine. After she picked Leah up at her house, they struck out, clipboards in hand, to evaluate what they could so Tucker could meet with the mayor to give him a report.

  As she and Leah walked the road to the mine entrance, Tucker said, “I contacted a firm from Sacramento to evaluate the condition inside the mine. Once we get access, I’ll firm up an appointment with them. They’re going to give me a written report on what might need to be done to ensure people touring the mine are safe. They gave me an estimate on what the initial assessment will cost with some contingencies, so I’ll get the mayor’s approval once I meet with him.”

  “So what’s the purpose of our visit today?”

  “Just to have a look around the outside. The last time I was here I think I was a freshman in high school. I just wanted to see if anything’s changed, like road access, and get a feel for what the place looks like from the outside. There used to be thick wooden doors on the mine entrance with iron braces bolted to the wood, holding the planks together.”

  Leah double-timed it to keep up with Tucker’s long strides. When Tucker realized she was having trouble, she slowed her pace.

  “I’ve heard it was a rite of passage to come up here and try to get into the mine.”

  “Yep, I guess we all tried it a time or two. Some of the kids I came out here with only wanted to see it from a distance. Others scrambled all over these hills with me to try to find a way in. Jackie’s been out here with me.”

  “Did you ever figure it out? How to get in?”

  “Nope. Never did.” Even all these years later, she felt the disappointment of a failed adventure.

  They reached the door and saw that it was just as Tucker described. A large old, rusted padlock held the doors firmly closed.

  Tucker walked up to the lock and pulled on it. When it didn’t budge, she looked at Leah and shrugged. “A girl can try.”

  “A girl can try, but she didn’t succeed.”

  Tucker said, “You can wipe that smirk off your face now.”

  Tucker jotted some notes about the trail leading to the mine and the condition of the doors and the lock.

  Below those notes, she scribbled, Leah’s name, followed by the two-word comment, “like her.” She added a smiley face.

  As they headed back toward Tucker’s truck, Leah said, “Can I take a look at your notes? I can see if I have anything to add to help out.”

  Panic oozed up Tucker’s spine and she felt her face redden.
“Oh, nobody can read my chicken scrawls. That’s why I do most of my writing on my laptop. Besides, I just put down that the place would be accessible to equipment trucks and the doors were locked up tight with that padlock and pretty secure because of the thick wood and the iron bars. That’s all.”

  Tucker saw Leah look down at the clipboard in her hand. Before she tried to gain access, Tucker decided she’d better add, “If you saw anything else you want me to add, just let me know and I’ll put it on the list.” She switched the clipboard out of the hand nearest Leah and waved it around where she was sure she couldn’t see it.

  Leah gave her a perplexed look and said, “I don’t think your writing is all that bad. I could read the list you made at my house just fine. But, no, I don’t have anything else to add. I think you’ve just about covered it.”

  Tucker ignored Leah’s comment about her writing and they continued back up the access trail until they reached Tucker’s truck and drove back into town. Once she dropped Leah off, Tucker went back to the hotel to get cleaned up for her meeting with the mayor.

  When she reached his office, she found him sitting at his desk, working on some paperwork, waiting for her. They discussed the estimate, her observations about access, and the state of the entrance to the mine.

  “All we need now is access to the place. You don’t happen to know where the key to that lock is, do you?”

  The mayor said, “You’d think with all the talk about the mine, someone would have told you by now if they knew the whereabouts of the key. I don’t know where it is, but I’ll ask around. See if anybody around here knows where there’s one.”

  Tucker said, “I’ll put out the word at our next community meeting to try to find out who has access.”

  As they walked toward the hall, he added, “You’ve done some solid planning here, Tucker. I appreciate all the work you’re doing. The mining firm’s estimate for the evaluation looks reasonable. Hopefully, we won’t have too big an expense once they get in there and complete it, but right now, I think we’re good to go.”

  As they entered the corridor, they saw Joe Dawson, kneeling a few feet away.

  The mayor said, “Joe? Is that you? Do you need something?”

  Joe stood up and faced them. “No thanks. Got a loose shoelace. Darn thing won’t stay tied.”

  Tucker wondered what he was doing there, but Joe shrugged and walked off, leaving the mayor and Tucker with furrowed brows.

  THE NEXT TIME Tucker saw Joe Dawson, he stood at the back of his beat up old Toyota truck, struggling with a large antique bureau, trying to get it into the truck bed. Tucker approached and offered to help. He thanked her and hopped up into the truck bed, asking her to steady the piece as he tipped it up onto the floor of the truck. Once he got it into position, they wrestled it into place.

  “Where are you headed with this thing, Joe?” Tucker asked.

  “Someone over in Portero wants it. Paying a good price, too,” Joe said.

  It was the most she’d heard come out of Joe’s mouth since her return to Elder Creek. “Good for you,” Tucker said. She thought about broaching the subject of his objection about the mine, but as he was focused on the job at hand, she decided not to say anything.

  Joe jumped over the side of the truck and thanked her. Then, he took her by surprise by adding, “Hey, Tucker, I heard you’re going to open the mine.”

  Well, she thought, he made that decision for me.

  “Don’t think it’s a good idea.”

  She stepped toward him and said, “Tell me what the problem is, Joe. I think you might be the only one left in town who doesn’t think it’s a good idea. I’d like to understand what issues you have with it.”

  Joe wiped his brow with the sleeve of his shirt. “I don’t think it’s a good idea, is all,” he said. “Might be more trouble than you can handle.”

  Tucker’s anger bubbled to the surface. “How do you figure, Joe? It’s sure to be a money maker for the town. We’ll all profit from it in the end. If there’s good reason not to do it, I’d like to hear it.”

  “Oh, there’s good reason for it. The reason is you’ll be sorry if you do it.” He stopped and looked down at the ground. When he looked up, he said, “What about the ghost?”

  It took every ounce of self-control for Tucker not to laugh. “A ghost is your reason? It’s kind of a silly one, don’t you think? You’re a grown man, Joe. The ghost story is for little kids.”

  Joe scowled at her. “Watch your mouth, Tucker. I don’t think it’s silly and you shouldn’t either. You’re asking for trouble if you open the mine. There’re things you know nothing about.”

  “Then give me something better than ghost stories, Joe. I want to understand, but so far, I haven’t heard anything good enough to convince me.”

  He remained silent, glaring at her.

  She’d heard enough. He didn’t have a thing to offer. She finally recognized him as merely another inhabitant of Elder Creek, entrenched in his ways, not willing to budge. She’d probably engaged him too much over this topic already.

  “Well, Joe, I’ll take your warning under advisement, but I’ve still got a job to do and getting the mine opened is part of it.”

  She turned and walked away. By the time she put a block between them, Joe started up his truck and took off in the opposite direction, toward Portero. Tucker froze, hesitating before taking her next step, not knowing why. Uncertainty bubbled up within her as she turned and watched the truck take a left off Main Street and disappear around a corner.

  Forget.

  A small dust cloud settled back onto the street in the truck’s wake. The cloud of confusion settled with it. As it evaporated before her eyes, she wondered what happened.

  WHEN TUCKER PUSHED open The Charlie’s front door later in the afternoon, she found Jackie standing at the community bulletin board, putting up a large poster with the picture of a young blonde woman. The big, bold letters across the sign read “Have You Seen Me?” and gave details about her and her disappearance. Almost a month passed since she’d been reported missing.

  “Hi, Tucker,” Jackie called.

  Tucker moved closer and did a double-take, struck by how much the young woman in the picture resembled Leah. She looked younger than college age, more like a sophomore or junior in high school. “That’s the missing woman, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. Apparently the search for her is ramping up again. They distributed small posters a few weeks ago.” Jackie indicated the bulletin board. “But they’re asking us to change to these larger ones in the hopes they’ll get more notice. Her parents and friends have promised to be out every weekend, searching the area and distributing flyers. They’re asking all the merchants to post these. I’ve got another one to put in the window, too.”

  “I suppose finding her car must have a lot to do with it. They don’t think she’s a runaway anymore, I presume.”

  “Her parents have never thought she ran away. She’s never done it before, and they insist it isn’t something she would do. I think the police know it now, after finding her car the way they did.”

  Tucker stared at the picture, tilting her head one way, then the other.

  “It’s uncanny, isn’t it,” Jackie said.

  Tucker gave her a questioning look.

  “She could pass for Leah’s kid sister don’t you think?”

  “Yeah,” Tucker replied.

  “It’s kind of unsettling, actually.”

  Tucker agreed. “I think I’d better keep a closer eye on her—Leah, I mean.”

  “Maybe we both should,” Jackie added.

  Once Jackie returned to the bar and served Tucker the beer she’d ordered, Tucker told her about the meeting she set up for the following week with the engineering company.

  “I’d like you to go with me to the mine when they do their initial investigation. The project engineer said he’d come out and take a look to see what equipment they might need and get the layout of the place, and we’d take
it from there. Once he’s done, he’ll bring a team back, and they’ll do the full evaluation and give us a written report. But for his first visit, since there won’t be any report, I thought it might be good if I have your ears and eyes, too.”

  “Sure, Tuck. What day and time? I’ll make sure either Tracey or Denise can be here so I’ll be free.”

  “He’s scheduled for next Thursday at eleven o’clock.”

  While Jackie agreed, noting the date and time in her phone calendar, Tucker’s phone rang. She broke into a broad smile when she saw the caller ID.

  “Hi, there.”

  “Hi, Tucker.”

  The sound of Leah’s voice reminded Tucker of rich, creamy vanilla ice cream with flecks of the dark bean running through it. “I’m on my way home from school and I thought I’d give you a call. I’ve got something interesting to tell you. Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?”

  “I’d love to, but you know, you can’t keep feeding me like this.”

  “Sure I can. Meet me in about an hour, okay?”

  “Will do. Say, what’s this information about?”

  “I’ll tell you later. One of the students at the school and I were talking and something interesting came up in the conversation I want to share with you.”

  “Mysterious,” Tucker said.

  “You don’t know the half of it. See you soon.”

  “I’m looking forward to it.”

  “So am I, Tucker.”

  Leah’s phone ID disappeared from Tucker’s screen, and she shoved her cell back into her jeans pocket.

  Jackie walked down the length of the bar from where she chatted with another customer and stood facing Tucker again.

  Tucker said, “Got a decent bottle of wine I can buy from you?”

  Without question, Jackie pivoted on the spot and pulled a bottle of red from the built-in wine rack. “Where are you going? Or might I be able to guess?”

  “Leah invited me to dinner. How much do I owe you?”

  “Nothing. I’ll put it on your tab.”