Murder in the Devil's Cauldron (50 page)

Bailey snorted. "See you tomorrow." He hung
up.

Fae grinned and called the sheriff.

The rest of Fowler's day was a lot more
relaxed than the morning had been. He finally had a decent meal,
even indulging in a drink which took the edge off his mood. He was
able to spend ample time at the hardware store, picking up the
supplies he'd need later on, including a backpack to hold all his
new purchases. Then it was back to the Enchantment River State
Park.

He parked at the base of the trail and turned
to Viv. "All you have to do is go back to the motel and stay out of
sight. I'll be back later tonight. Right?"

Viv nodded. "I still think we should ditch
the car. They're probably looking for it."

"Not yet," he said.

She held her hand out for the keys. Fowler
was about to drop them in her hand, then stared at her, his eyes
hard.

"Keep in mind that they're looking for this
car," he reminded her.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"If you decide to take off, chances are
pretty good they'll nail you before you get to Duluth."

Her face colored and he knew she'd at least
been thinking about it.

"Furthest thing from my mind," she said
coolly.

"Good. Let's keep it that way." He dropped
the keys in her hand. "Besides, this time tomorrow, we'll be back
in the Cities and looking at a lot of zeros at the end of some very
nice numbers."

She gave him a crooked smile. "That's what
I'm counting on."

"I'll see you later. Don't panic if it's
really late. This could take awhile."

She nodded and Fowler got out of the car. He
held the keys up as she came around to the driver's side. "Don't
forget to make that call."

She just gave him a dirty look, took the keys
and got in.

Fowler stood off to the side while she drove
away, then slipped on the backpack and started to climb.

Mike Thompson listened as Fae brought him up
to speed. He gave her the appropriate responses, put down the phone
and then looked back at the report of the break-in at the Nelson
cabin last night.

He hadn't had time to look at it earlier, but
had finished it just before Fae O'Neill's call. Now he felt as if
he was onboard one of the old sailing ships getting tossed onto the
rocks of the Lake Superior shore.

He had a lot of respect for both Fae and the
BCA. He'd seen her in action before her accident and, from the
looks of it, she hadn't let a broken back slow her down. But he did
have to wonder if the drugs she was taking for her back weren't
affecting her judgment in this case.

He flipped the intercom. "Sherrie? Is Hartman
still around?"

Sherrie's disembodied voice echoed over the
line. "Sure is. Want me to send him in?"

"That'd be good."

"Okey dokey."

Peterson flipped open the report and re-read
it, his forehead creasing into a frown. He looked up when he heard
the knock and gestured Deputy Hartman in.

"Got a couple of questions about this report
you took last night."

"The break-in?" Hartman's voice was loaded
with sarcasm.

"So you think the kid was lying."

"Well, if she wasn't, she was certainly
hiding something."

"Any idea what?"

"Well, I figure the kid snuck out to go do
something. And she left a mess when she came back in. I imagine she
lied so she wouldn't get into trouble."

"So you don't think there's anything to this
break-in, then."

The deputy shook his head. "I rather doubt
it."

"Did you check the screen for prints?"

"Mrs. Nelson was standing right there, so I
kinda had to."

"Get the results back yet?"

"Haven't sent them in yet. We've been kinda
busy, you know."

The sheriff knew that really meant Hartman
would likely never get around to it. "I know. Just in case there's
something to this, let's make sure everything is dotted and
crossed. Okay?" The last thing the sheriff wanted at this point was
to find out that the break-in really had happened and his people
had dropped the ball.

"Okey dokey. Want me to do that right
now?"

"Sure do. You printed the kid and her mom,
too, right?"

"Sure did."

"Good. Have fingerprints send me a report
right away."

"Yes, sir." The deputy left, leaving the door
open behind him.

Thompson tapped the report thoughtfully. He
was inclined to go with Hartman's assessment of the situation, but
he also had to consider the fall-out if the deputy was wrong.

He picked up the phone and dialed Karen
Nelson. Might as well hedge his bets just a tad.

Everything in place, Fowler took his time
heading down the walkway towards Storm Point Lodge. He had to pass
the Lodge and wanted to time it just right. He dressed like one of
the normal, everyday hiker types that had infested the area this
last week, so he wasn't terribly worried he'd be noticed, let alone
recognized.

When he reached the woods south of the Lodge,
he found the fork in the trail without difficulty and again
followed the path into the trees, making his way back towards the
kid's cabin. He stopped briefly to slather on more mosquito
repellent and several times after that to make sure no one was
keeping an eye on the woods.

When he got to the cabin, he snuck around
back. It would just take a minute to get inside. When the brat got
home, he had no doubt he could persuade her to give him the
film.

He came around the corner.

"Damn." The screen, which had simply sat on a
couple of nails last night, was now securely screwed into the
window frame.

Fowler stared at the window, wondering if
someone had figured out that he'd broken in or if it had simply
been pure luck that he'd had the opportunity to get in last night.
Whatever the reason, it meant that this part of the plan had to be
tossed in the dumpster.

Fortunately, it was only a small part of his
plan. Catching the kid in the cabin would have made things easier,
but he'd planned for a variety of contingencies and now simply
changed gears. Fowler backed away rapidly and made his way into the
woods behind the cabin just in case. Seeing no one, he circled
around behind another cabin to an area with thick trees and
underbrush he'd spotted near the employee parking area.

Finding just the right spot now was going to
be the most delicate part of tonight's operation. He couldn't wait
in the SUV because he'd be spotted. So he had to find exactly the
right place where he wouldn't be seen, but where he could watch
everything. Then he had to get the timing right, not to mention
keep from being eaten alive.

The air had become so still, it felt heavy.
This deep in the trees, it weighed on him like a wet felt blanket
and he found himself longing for air conditioning or, at the very
least, a fan. While his long-sleeved shirt provided protection from
the mosquitoes, it added to the oppressive heat.

Fowler finally found the perfect place to
wait. He added more repellent to protect his face and hands and
settled in.

Karen brought up the list of available rooms
to see where she could put the Norcrofts. There weren't many suites
and they were all taken, so she wanted to find one of the bigger
rooms that overlooked the lake. That left her only the rooms named
after state parks, and only the Split Rock and Gooseberry, were
available.

Karen narrowed her eyes as she tried to
remember what the rooms looked like. One had a great view of Storm
Point and the other looked north, but she couldn't remember which
was which. She was going to have to take a look.

She was half-way to the door when the phone
rang.

She looked over at the desk. The squat black
phone made her think of a particularly venomous rattlesnake as it
rang again. She crossed to the desk and answered, mentally crossing
her fingers in the hopes that whoever was at the other end of the
phone wasn't bringing more bad news.

"Mrs. Nelson?"

"Yes?"

"This is Sheriff Thompson. Do you have a
minute?"

Karen sat down slowly. "What can I help you
with, sheriff?"

"It's about your daughter."

"Is there a problem?"

"Well, you could say that."

Karen closed her eyes. The knuckles on her
left hand turned white as she clenched the phone to keep from
dropping it, while her right hand clung to the desk as if it was a
large wooden life raft.

She chose her words very carefully. "Did
something happen?"

"I really can't go into details," he said.
"I'd really appreciate it, though, if you could keep her inside
someplace for a day or two. Maybe at the Lodge?"

Karen hung on to the phone for dear life. She
didn't think she'd be able to get the words out, but finally
managed. "The Lodge is out of the question at the moment, I'm
afraid. I could ground her and make her stay at the cabin for a day
or two. Especially if you told me the problem…."

"Would she stay there if you told her
to?"

Karen thought about it. She was pretty sure
Starr had only snuck out last night because of Charlie. "I think
so. Especially if I told her that the alternative was staying with
her grandparents at their farm near Pipestone. She's not real fond
of them."

"That'd be good," he said. "It's just for a
day or two. I'll have a patrol car stationed in the employee
parking lot there to keep an eye on things."

This was the last thing Karen had expected to
hear. "Do you think whoever broke in last night will try again?"
Maybe she
should
move into the Lodge for a day or two. Then
she thought of how that would look to the Norcrofts and nixed that
idea.

"I shouldn't think so," the sheriff said.
"It's just a precaution. I'm sure everything will be back to normal
in a few days."

"Well, then, I'll keep her in. You'll let me
know it's safe to let her out again?"

"We should be done with our investigation in
a day or so and we'll probably need to speak to her again. I'm sure
everything will be fine after that."

"I'll do that then," she said.

"Thanks for your cooperation," he said and
then was gone.

Karen hung up, frowning. Something hadn't
sounded right to her, but she couldn't put her finger on it. It
sounded as if there was a lot more than the sheriff was saying.
Which made her wonder what else Stella had been up to. It sounded
as if there was a lot more to the break-in.

Karen thought about the impending visit from
the owners and what they might think when they saw patrol cars and
who knows what else hanging around the place. It was all too much
and she decided to go check out the rooms so she could decide where
to put the Norcrofts. Then she would figure out what to do about
her daughter. And
then
she was going to have a nice stiff
drink in the bar. Maybe even two.

Fae finally came back into the kitchen. Starr
watched as she poured herself a glass of the lemonade and sat next
to her. But then she didn't say anything. Starr felt her hands get
clammy and her heart start to pound as Fae just gazed at her
without saying anything.

"I'm trying to figure out what to do with you
for the next couple of days," Fae said finally. "The sheriff is
going to have a deputy watching the cabin, but I'm not entirely
certain that's going to be enough. Is there anywhere else you could
stay for a day or two?"

Starr shook her head. She wasn't about to say
a word to her mother about any of this.

"She could stay with me," Charlie piped
up.

Fae smiled. "Which is nice of you, but
unfortunately, you live much too close and then you might also be
in danger. So we have to come up with something else." She turned
her piercing green eyes back on Starr. "Do you think your mother
would put you in a room at the Lodge?"

Starr shook her head violently. "No way," she
blurted out. She glanced at Charlie and bit her lip, reluctant to
let either of them know how much her mother disliked her. "My mom
would get too upset if I suggested that. She's really worried about
her job right now."

"Do you have a way to bolt your door in case
someone does break in again tonight?"

Starr tried to remember what the door to her
bedroom looked like. "I think so. Besides, my mom will be there.
And you said the sheriff will have a deputy watching."

Fae sighed. "Well, I'm not happy about you
staying there until we catch this guy. So if anything feels weird
or you see something or anything, I want you to promise to call me
immediately. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Hmmmm." Fae looked at the clock. "I have to
get going. I can give you two a lift back to the Lodge if you
want."

"I have my bike," Charlie said. "Besides,
it's still early. He's not going to try anything while it's
light."

"Maybe. Maybe not. Just be careful on the way
back," Fae said. "In fact, don't go back through the woods. Take
the main path along the lake. It's more open and there will be more
people around."

"We will," Starr promised. The woods felt a
little creepy to her right now, anyway.

"Well then, off with you," Fae said. "Oh, and
Starr, I have a meeting with my boss tomorrow morning at Ole and
Lena's. He might want to ask you some questions afterwards. Could
you could stick close to home after breakfast so he could talk to
you?"