She smiles.
I need to admit my fears. “I’m not good enough for you. I—I’m sorry. Didn’t think about how you’d feel. You’re gonna have to teach me, keep me in line. I have no relationship experience.”
“I don’t either. We can learn together.”
The sound of a vehicle catches my attention. It must be headed to Twila’s. I hand her my mug. “Get in our cabin and lock up. I’ll be right back.”
“It’s probably the sheriff and propane people. It’s later than you think. I was headed over there anyway. I placed your little security trick with the piece of hair up like you showed me, before I came to find you.”
“Okay, but stay behind me until we’re sure.” Pulling on my T-shirt to cover the weapon at the small of my back, I grab the axe and lead the way down the trail, making sure we round Twila’s cabin and exit from the opposite side.
She was right, it is the sheriff and the propane company. After the inspection, we’re told that someone has tampered withthe valve, basically sealing it so nothing can come out. They’re able to fix it and install the protection cover I’d asked them to bring.
As they finish up another vehicle makes its way onto the property. This time it’s Patch with Amélie and the two dogs. The propane vendor waves and takes off.
Walking up to Norah, Amélie gives her a big hug. “Ready to practice and see what it’s like to have guard dogs?”
“Yes, please.”
“Norah.” She looks up at me. “I thought I’d show Patch and the sheriff a little bit of the mountain while they’re here.”
Amélie grimaces. “That’s man speak for they want to do recon and talk where we can’t hear.” She pats her cargo pants over her right thigh. “We have Vader and Shiva. We’ll be fine. Get out of our way.”
I glance at Patch and mouths ‘armed’? He nods then draws the sheriff’s attention, turning toward the mountain.
Once we’re out of hearing of the women I begin. “Sheriff, you know the team has been doing some investigation on our own regarding Twila’s murder. I don’t know if you’ve had time to look at the report. But our guys just found something suspicious on satellite feed that we need to check out. Since you were here, we thought having an extra witness would be wise.”
“Let’s do it.”
Patch and I both have the coordinates on our watches and I let him take lead and I follow the sheriff. As we get close to the area it’s easy to see through the trees that some type of activity has occurred.
Pulling his binoculars from inside his jacket, Patch scans the area below before handing them to me. At least six trees have been cut down and there’s a patch of turned soil where excavation has occurred. We all drop to the ground and look over the edge to the gully below. I point to the wheel trackswhere the trees once were, and the felled trees hidden to the side. No human activity today, but there’s enough to let us know people have been here. And recently, guessing by the depressed areas left by vehicles.
Rising, we make our way back toward the cabin, not speaking until we’re sure we’ve put enough distance.
“Sheriff, I can tell you, Twila did not authorize that work. We know someone illegally gathered samples to confirm the existence of vermiculite. My guess it’s whoever did this.
“We know she refused to sell and stipulated that even after her death there would be no mining on the land.
“And she changed her will three weeks before her death. Do we know if it has been recorded yet?” I ask the sheriff.
“Since this has now become a murder investigation, I talked with the lawyer yesterday and yes, the court has a copy and so do I. It’s part of why I tagged along today. I have a copy for Norah. Everything was left to her, again stipulating no excavation. Seems there is an American Indian burial ground where Twila’s parents and husband are also buried on her property. It’s where she will be buried and stipulates that it is to be protected for at least another one hundred years.”
I grimace. “I know Twila walked her mountain a lot. I didn’t realize she was visiting graves. My guess, she heard the construction and checked it out.”
“Would she have confronted them?” the sheriff asks.
“No, she was too smart, but she would have had a good idea and put her protection plans in effect immediately. Her daughter’s marriage was struggling. Twila knew the Pyles family as a whole have lost a lot of money the last couple years. Double check, but the land they stole from the Johnsons may border this same area.”
The sheriff shifts uncomfortably and looks at me. “I’ve known these people for years. Not saying I liked them or hungout with them, but I knew them. Faron Pyles cousin, Mary Jenner, works at the bank Twila used. As kids Faron and Mary were pretty close. What if Mary told Faron their names were taken off all Twila’s accounts?”
I clench my jaw. “So Pyles knew they weren’t going to inherit and that Twila was on to them. He would not have known about the new will.
“We need to compare the survey lines for the Pyles property and Twila’s to know if this excavation crossed the line. We need a professional surveyor to remark. Not a local one. Patch can you check with our lawyers to see who they would recommend. I want two to be safe. And I want it ASAP. Bill me.”
“I’ll call the main office and get them on it.”
The sheriff clears his throat. “There was one other reason I tagged along. Seems Pyles may have been a person of interest in another death when he was away at college in Georgia. She and her unborn child died in a car accident.”
