Murder Fir Christmas (10 page)

The next moment, Stella’s cell phone and radio went off.

“I’m sorry, Bonnie,” she said. “Someone was using a barbecue grill in their house to heat, and now we’ve got a structure fire. If you can’t find anyone else before we get done, I’ll still be glad to go with you.”

Chief Rogers also had a call from one of his officers. He left her in the conference room with his cell phone on his ear.

Oh well. She wandered out of the room, not knowing who else to ask for help. She could call to have her pickup taken care of, but that still left her with a vehicle she couldn’t drive down the mountain by herself.

“Looks like you’ve been busy.” Matthew hailed her from the coffee table with a cup in one hand and a cinnamon roll in the other.

“It’s already been that kind of morning.” She smiled as a thought occurred to her. “I was wondering if you’d be willing to drive one of my vehicles home for me. I got the keys for the Hummer from Harvey’s family. I just can’t drive that and my brother’s truck down the mountain at the same time.”

“I get that.” He nodded as he swallowed. “I’ll be glad to help—if I can drive the Hummer.”

“That wouldn’t work, since the Wildlife Agency won’t let anyone drive their vehicles except their agents. My brother’s truck is pretty new.” She tried to entice him into driving it.

“Okay. But you’re buying lunch, right?”

“Right,” she agreed with a smile as she handed him Eric’s keys. “Thanks. I have to call about a tow truck, and then I’m ready to go.”

Max Morrison said he’d be over to get her truck as soon as he finished a call to pick up a stranded driver. She thanked him and walked out of town hall with Matthew.

“Any news about the missing body?” he asked.

“Not yet. We’re all trying to figure out why Harvey was killed right now. Chief Rogers says the coroner will be up here today. That’s going to be embarrassing.”

“I guess so, even though there were extenuating circumstances.” He drove slowly through the empty streets with Bonnie on the passenger side.

The elegant gingerbread houses on Main Street were beautiful, draped in their white coats. Icicles glistened off the edges of the roofs, and children took advantage of their day out of school to build snowmen and forts. Bonnie and Matthew laughed at a snowball fight between a dozen children as they went by.

“Lucky for you, we didn’t live in the valley when you were a kid,” he said. “I make a mean snowball.”

“Not better than mine. I sent many young boys home crying.”

He smiled at her in a way that made her feel awkward. “I’ll bet you did.”

Luckily they were turning down the gravel drive to the landing where she’d left the Hummer. It was covered in snow that hadn’t melted quickly, since it was beneath heavy tree branches. They got out and had to scrape the snow and ice from the vehicle for several minutes.

Bonnie finally had enough space cleared on the driver’s side to open the door. She pulled it hard to break the icy seal that had been created overnight. As she did, Harvey’s body dropped at her feet.

Surprised by it, she jumped back and lost her footing, falling on her butt as she stared at the dead man.

Matthew came around to her side quickly. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. I guess we found Harvey before the coroner got here.” She sighed.

* * *

Chief Rogers asked them to stay at the scene. Judd Streeter had just arrived. They were coming out to them shortly.

Matthew crouched at the side of the Hummer without disturbing the body. “Look here. The same size twelve we saw at the ice house today. And I’ll bet we find those big tire tracks here too.”

“But why?” Bonnie wondered. “Why steal his body and put it back here?”

He looked up at her. “Kids’ pranks?”

“That would be a pretty weird prank.” She studied Harvey’s body without touching it. “Look at his clothes. I think someone went through his pockets.”

“Maybe just to get the key,” he suggested.

“It’s not just that,” she said. “The rest of him looks mussed too. And the buttons on his shirt aren’t fastened correctly. I think someone might have undressed him as they looked for something they didn’t find in his pockets.” She took several pictures with her cell phone.

“That’s possible. If so, it probably had something to do with his death.”

The siren from Chief Rogers’ car was getting closer.

“It had to be something really small if they thought he had it on him.”

He shrugged. “It could be anything.”

She agreed as the coroner—who reminded her more of Santa than someone who cut apart dead bodies—jumped out of the car. Chief Rogers followed him more slowly. Another Sweet Pepper police car rolled in after them.

“Oh my God!” Judd Streeter yelled as he approached Bonnie and Matthew. “What have you done? This isn’t a crime scene, it’s a disaster. Didn’t anyone teach you how to preserve the scene?”

Chief Rogers came quickly to handle the problem. “Sorry. I hadn’t had time to fill him in yet when you called. Judd, this is our new Federal Wildlife Agent, Bonnie Tuttle. And you know Brown Elk. I told you Harvey was killed on the island yesterday. I didn’t tell you that we moved him to the ice house until you could get here. Someone took his body last night, and I guess they left it here.”

The round coroner seemed only slightly mollified by his words. “This is going to be impossible, Don. I’ll do the best I can, but three locations that we know of? No telling where else they took him.”

He didn’t apologize but immediately started to work looking for evidence on Harvey’s uniform and person. Bonnie and Matthew backed away.

Chief Rogers stood with them. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “He’ll figure it out. Good work, you two. At least Jean Shelton never has to know what happened to her husband after he died. I can take statements from you later, if you like.”

But Matthew wanted him to see the familiar tire and boot marks. “I think the same person brought him here that took him out of the ice house.”

Bonnie mentioned Harvey’s clothes and showed Chief Rogers her pictures. Before she was done, the coroner was looking over his shoulder.

“He was moved so much, his clothes might not mean anything,” Judd said.

“But his shirt buttons were redone,” she pointed out. “Why would anyone bother with that?”

“You see everything out here, Agent Tuttle,” he answered. “I’ll let Chief Rogers know of my findings as soon as I can. But don’t expect too much.”

Chief Rogers nodded and thanked him. “You two can go. This is gonna be a while. Sorry, Bonnie. I know you wanted to get the Hummer back to your place. I’ll let you know when the investigation is complete.”

“Thanks.” What else could she say? She knew the protocol that was employed when a body was found. She wished they could have observed it at the island.

“I suppose you want to drive.” Matthew tossed her the keys as they walked back to her brother’s truck. “You still owe me lunch. The cafe is open.”

She checked her watch. It was slightly after noon. “I should check on my mother, and my brother had someone coming for a tree later today. Lunch at my house?”

“Sounds good.”

Chapter Eleven

Bonnie dropped Matthew off at his truck, and he followed her down the mountain. The road had improved even more as the sun warmed the day. The pavement wasn’t exactly dry, but it wasn’t too bad. She was less nervous today about it than she had been yesterday.

Matthew pulled to the side of her truck in the drive. There was already a truck parked there that Bonnie didn’t recognize. She got out and looked around. It was kind of creepy knowing that Harvey had been killed. It made her scan the area intensely, even though she doubted that the person who’d killed him had it in for all Wildlife Agents—still a strange feeling.

But the man in the pickup got out with a big smile on his face, and she knew that he was looking for a Christmas tree.

“Need some help with this?” Matthew asked quietly. “You might be rusty after so many years.”

She shook her head. “I think I can manage.”

It wasn’t something you ever forgot when you were from the valley. How many times had she stood outside in the cold with her grandfather and her father as they walked someone through the trees to find the one they wanted?

“I’m looking for a tree about seven or eight feet,” Rev. James from Pigeon Forge said. “I want it to go all the way up. We’ve got a lovely star for the top.” His cheeks were red from walking and the cold. He’d taken some chances coming out there to get the tree today.

“I think we’ve got what you’re looking for,” Bonnie told him as they walked toward the bigger blue spruce trees. The trees started at about five feet and went up to ten or twelve feet. They didn’t sell many that big, but it happened sometimes.

He stopped as he looked straight up one impressive tree. “Oh yes, this is beautiful! Can I get someone to wrap it and help me put it in the truck?”

“Of course.” She smiled. “Do you want to cut it yourself?”

“No. No,” he denied. “I don’t want to ruin it.”

“All right.” She got the small chainsaw from the shed where they kept the equipment. “I’ll take care of it, and of course we can wrap it for you.”

“Thank you. Everyone is going to be so excited when they see it.”

Rev. James was twenty dollars short of what she was supposed to ask for the tree, but she gave it to him anyway. The netting machine spun a web around it. She and Matthew helped him load it on his truck and waved as he drove away.

“You’re never gonna make any money at this,” Matthew told her. “You have to get the money upfront, not after you cut the tree.”

“You do it your way. I’ll do it mine. But thanks for the help.” She smiled. “I really do owe you lunch now.”

“I’ll say. Maybe dinner too!”

Another older pickup truck came into the drive. Bonnie hoped it wasn’t someone else wanting a tree—it was nearly two p.m., and she was starving. Her mother had asked when they were coming in for lunch an hour ago.

But it wasn’t someone looking for a tree. It was a tall, dark man who resembled Matthew too much not to be his brother. He was heavier and sporting a small potbelly. He wore his black hair long and free of any restraint. He had a young boy with him—it had to be Peter, Matthew’s son.

“So this is where you are,” Thomas Brown Elk greeted his brother with a sly smile. “I knew it had to be special for you to miss lunch. Aren’t you going to introduce me?”

“Yes,” Matthew said. “I was hiding here. How did you find me?”

“I found you,” Peter replied. “We were sledding down here, and I saw your truck. Why were you hiding?”

“I wasn’t really hiding.” Matthew lifted his son and hugged him. “You know today was Uncle Thomas’s day to make lunch. I just didn’t want to eat his cooking.”

Peter laughed. “I know. The meatballs were terrible.”

They all laughed at the face he made. Matthew introduced Bonnie to his older brother and son. Rose came out on the porch, wrapped in a heavy shawl, and called them all in for something to eat.

“I have to go to Pigeon Forge for a part for our wrapper,” Thomas explained to his brother. “I didn’t want to take Peter with me in case it gets late. We know everything will freeze again, and I might not make it back down the mountain.”

Matthew nodded and thanked his brother. “I’ll see you later. Take care.”

“Nice to meet you,” Thomas said. “It’s good to have you home again. I’m sure your mother is happy to have you back.”

Bonnie thanked him and waved as he left. “Come inside. I don’t know about you, but I’m freezing.”

They went in the house together. Rose was putting lunch out on the table. Steam was rising from the cheese, sausage, and potato casserole she’d made.

“I have a whole room full of toys you can take a look at,” she smiled as she told Peter.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” Bonnie asked.

“I ate an hour ago,” Rose replied. “I can’t wait all day for you to come in. You’re as bad as your father. I wonder when he’ll be home.”

Bonnie took off her coat. “He’s not coming home, Mom. Remember?”

Rose’s smiling eyes blanked for an instant. Then she was right back to showing Peter Eric’s old toys as she helped him remove his jacket.

Matthew removed his heavy coat. “That food smells good.”

“Thank you. Don’t forget to wash up before you eat.” Rose reminded him. “You too, Bonnie.”

Bonnie washed her hands and then poured them each a cup of coffee. Eric had told her that her mother sometimes forgot that her father was dead. Rose wasn’t in bad shape and was just at the beginning of Alzheimer’s. She was stable for now. Still, it was hard not to think ahead to when it would be worse.

“Your mother is a kind woman,” Matthew said after he’d returned from washing his hands in the bathroom. “We were all sad to hear about her diagnosis. I hope you’ll count on me and Thomas if you need any help.”

“Thanks.” Bonnie smiled. She wasn’t surprised to learn that he was familiar with their house—no one had to show him where to find the bathroom. No doubt her mother had showed Peter Eric’s old toys many times. The boy was very polite not to say so.

“Moving into a small, tight-knit place like Christmas Tree Valley can be hard,” he remarked as he sat at the table. “Rose made it easier for us—your father too.”

She put some of the casserole on both plates and handed one to him. Her father had been dead ten years. It had been a hard time to come back for his funeral and leave again. Her mother had asked her to stay, but Bonnie just couldn’t. It was too soon.

“You must’ve sneaked in under the cover of night for his funeral,” Matthew said. “We were there, but I don’t remember seeing you. I think I would’ve remembered.”

She smiled back at him. “I had to get back to work pretty quickly. I stayed as long as I could.”

He sipped his coffee. “Why did you leave and stay away so long? Your family has always seemed to be very close.”

She knew he’d been there for a while and had heard the gossip. Everyone in Christmas Tree Valley knew everything about the people who lived there.