Prime Catch (15 page)

“Oh, my dear God!” Sarah choked out. “I hope no one’s hurt!” The bell of the fire truck clanged out as it came to a screeching halt in front of the building. The firemen scrambled off and a few moments later had a steady stream of water roaring out the length of hose.

Amos worked his way through the spectators that gathered, gaping. He was stopped by a red-faced policeman. “Halt! You can’t go any farther!”

“I’m Sheriff Darcy! Let me through!”

“I’m sorry, Sheriff. I didn’t recognize you.” The man stepped aside and let Amos go by. Looking around, he spotted Luke, who was in charge.

“Did you get everyone out of the building?”

“Thomas was supposed to get Annok out. I haven’t seen them, though.”

Amos raced around to the back, where he caught a glimpse of an old man and his dog disappearing between the buildings across the alley from the jail. A form was lying next to the patrol car. It was Thomas, and he groaned as his hand cradled his forehead, blood trickling between his fingers. An empty handcuff dangled at his wrist. Amos knelt beside him. “What happened?”

It took time for Thomas to get his wits about him. “I―I got the prisoner handcuffed and out here. Then I was hit on the head.”

“Did you see who did it?”

“No, sir.”

“Son of a bitch! He must have had a handcuff key.”

Sarah came running around the building in her stocking feet, high heels in one hand. “Are you both all right?”

Amos told her what had happened. “What about the fire?”

“A hole was burned in the front wall of your office,” she said, “but the damage inside wasn’t too bad, thanks to the fire department’s quick arrival.”

Amos glanced at Thomas. “I want the doc to take a look at you.” He helped Thomas to stand.

Thomas nodded. “Yes, sir.” The three of them returned to the street where the firemen were finishing up.

Amos strode to the fire chief, who was inspecting the exploded vehicle. “Abner, was there anyone in the auto when it blew?”

The chief shook his head. “No. It seemed to be deliberately parked here. I want to show you something.” They walked around to the gas tank. “The cap was removed before it exploded.”

Amos scratched his head. “Are you sure the blast didn’t catapult it?”

“If you examine the tank, the only damage is around the top. If the cap had been on, the whole tank would be in pieces. We are seeing the work of an arsonist.”

“Or someone who wanted to create a diversion. Our prisoner escaped.”

Sarah appeared beside Amos. “Thomas is being checked over.” Sarah paused. “I heard the last of your conversation. Do you think the Revenge Ravens had a hand in this?”

“I’d bet my paycheck on it.” Amos turned to the fire chief. “Thanks for your input, Abner. I guess it’s our work now.”

The chief slapped Amos on the back. “Happy to be of service.” He started helping his men load up.

Amos glanced around. “Luke!”

The deputy strode to him. “Yes, sir?”

“Did you question any of the witnesses to see if they noticed who left that auto there?”

“Yes, I did. No one remembered anything.”

Amos sighed. “Let’s all go in to see how much damage there is.”

Sarah’s mouth was a tight line. “What about George?”

“I think he was alerted somehow. We can start in the cell, then search out back.” He turned to Luke. “Go through the outer office and mine to see how much is salvageable.”

They found Thomas standing near the front door. “The doc gave me a clean bill of health, but he said I should rest.”

Amos clapped him on the shoulder. “Go home. We can take care of this.”

Amos grabbed a flashlight on the way into the cell room, and Sarah swung the iron door open. “What are we looking for?” she asked.

“Anything.” Amos took the side with the cot, and Sarah scanned the wall under the window.

“Amos, hand me your penknife.” She studied the floor. She used the knife in the cracks between the boards until a little wedge of paper popped out. Amos held the light over as she unrolled it. “It says, ‘Tonight. Be ready.’ ” She started working on a couple more white flecks as Amos sat on the cot. “This one says, ‘Escape being planned.’ Then this one, ‘This is the way we’ll message you.’ ”

Amos put his face in his hands, a dark cloud descending. “What’s the city going to say? This is the second jailbreak in a month. I should have seen this coming.”

Sarah rose and patted his shoulder. “You did everything you could.”

“No, I missed something. How did he get these messages?”

“We all went through anything he received. As far as going by the cell window, nobody stopped. The only person we saw regularly was the old man and his dog.”

Amos gripped her arm. “Sarah! I saw him going between the buildings on the far side of the alley just before I found Thomas. He could have been flipping the small pieces of paper through the window bars as he went by. Damn it, I should have caught that!” He sank to the cot, and Sarah sat beside him.

“We’re not perfect, even though we try to be. None of us suspected the old man. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

“I’m the sheriff. I need to be on top of everything.” He felt Sarah’s arms go around him, and the warmth flowed. He sighed. “Let’s see if we can find out about the old man.” He glanced out the window. “It’s dark now. Bring the flashlight.”

They stopped to talk to Luke before going out. He was going through the papers Amos had left on his desk, most of them wet but salvageable. Luke opened one of the drawers. “Looks like the papers that were inside the desk are dry.”

Amos pointed at the broken front wall. “See what you can do about boarding up that wall until we can get it fixed. Call someone to help you.”

“Yes, sir.”

Amos headed for the back. “We can look for footprints. I doubt if we’ll get any clear impressions around the burned auto, though.”

Sarah held the flashlight over the area where Thomas’ scuffle had taken place. “I see three different prints in the dirt. And over here, a dog’s paw prints.”

Amos nodded. “I know where they went after the escape, but I only saw the old man and his dog.” He took the flashlight from Sarah and went to the buildings where he’d last seen the old man. The prints disappeared when they reached the sidewalk. “Damn! With all the people passing by, I doubt if any of them were here when he got to this point.”

“Maybe one of the shopkeepers saw something.”

“Trouble is, at this hour, most of these shops are closed.” Amos glanced at his pocket watch. “It’s almost midnight. Come on, I’ll walk you home.”

Standing on her porch, Amos noticed Sarah’s dress was dirty and torn. “I guess we shouldn’t have gone to a fire dressed in our best duds.”

Sarah grinned. “You’re pretty shabby yourself.”

Amos pulled her into an embrace. “Come here, beautiful.” She smelled like smoke, and he kissed her thoroughly. “We’ve got our work cut out for us tomorrow. Sleep tight.”

She caressed his cheek. “You too. Goodnight, and thanks for an evening of excitement. You really know how to keep a girl interested.” Her melodic laugh echoed in his mind as he strode home.

****

Sarah sat on the corner stool at Millie’s counter. “I’ll have toast and jelly with coffee, please. Millie, have you heard anything about Sally Cusnoo?”

Millie hesitated a moment. “Only hearsay, but I heard that she and Bobby were in Angoon. I’d be willing to bet that’s where George Annok escaped to.”

Sarah nodded. “That makes sense. Thank you for the tip.”

At the office, Sarah told Amos what Millie had said. “Angoon would be the perfect place. The native community would close around them. I’d be the perfect one to snoop around there.”

Amos’ eyes went dark. “Not after your last episode. People may recognize you even without your disguise.”

A canvas tarp waved back and forth, dividing Amos’ office in half, while sawing and hammering raised a din as the carpenters worked on the front wall. Sarah sighed. “Can we talk in the cell room?”

After giving the high sign to Sam, they opened one of the iron doors and sat on the cot. Amos turned to her. “How do you know the hearsay was correct?”

“We should check out any leads. I could even ask Will if he’s heard anything around town.”

“All right, but stay with your cousins. You don’t know what the others would do if they knew you were there. Meanwhile, I’ll find out about the old man.” He gave her a kiss, and then she got her things and took off.

She decided to borrow Ivan’s truck, but before that she’d stop at her mother’s and ask Aunt Jane if Will was at home. Sarah packed a small bag and headed to the family property. She brightened when she saw Will’s truck in the front. He was on the porch with Aunt Jane and Mother. “Good morning, all! Will, I need to talk to you.”

He tapped his pipe out on the side of the railing. “What is it?”

“How long are you going to be here?”

“I was just getting ready to go home.”

“Could I ride to Angoon with you? Something has come up in the investigation, and it would be better not to alert certain people.”

“How will you get back?”

“I can catch a boat to Juneau.”

Will paused in thought. “All right. As long as it doesn’t endanger the family.”

“You can let me off in town.” She greeted and hugged her mother and her aunt and chatted a moment before requesting, “Aunt Jane, could you tell Ivan I won’t need his truck after all? He can come pick it up.” Sarah hopped into the passenger side of Will's vehicle for the three-hour drive.

Will glanced at her. “I heard about the jailbreak and fire at the sheriff’s office last night. Were you there when it happened?”

Sarah related to him what took place.

Will frowned. “These people are giving all the natives a bad name. I thought at first they were really looking out for the villages upstream, but now they’re getting power mad.”

Sarah nodded. “Killing like that doesn’t make allies. I know American fishermen aren’t happy with the canneries, either, but they’re not murdering the people who work there, as far as I know.”

When they reached the outskirts of Angoon, Sarah had Will stop the truck. “It would be better for you if I walk the rest of the way. No one knows me here.”

“One of the men from the ANB might recognize you.”

“I’m in female clothes now. I doubt if they’ll even look at me.” Sarah kissed Will on the cheek. “Thanks for the lift, and give my best to Mary and the children.”

Will’s eyes were shaded with concern. “I will. If you get in trouble, you know where we are.”

Gulls screeched and dived into the waters of the harbor as she came into the village. Men hustled around the boats getting the netting fixed for tomorrow morning’s fishing trip. Sarah stopped to breathe in the salty air.
I wonder where I should start looking for Sally. She was a waitress. Maybe the café here in town would be a good place to start.

A small shack by the wharf proclaimed itself Fisherman’s Rest in weatherbeaten blue letters on its side. Underneath was the word Eat. She headed over the uneven path to the door and was hit with a noseful of heavy grease. In the dark interior, a bewhiskered man in a stained white apron served a few sad-looking seamen. There wasn’t room for tables―the whole place was a long counter. Sarah sat on a wobbly wooden stool that threatened to throw her at the first sneeze.

The man behind the counter sidled up to her, and his pungent body odor followed. “May I help you, doll?”

Just coffee, please. Black.” A steaming mug of questionable cleanliness was set before her. “Do you employ waitresses here?”

“You looking for a job?”

“No. Looking for a friend of mine from Juneau who worked as one there.”

One of the seamen spoke up, “There’s a new gal over to the general store.”

“Where is it?”

“Next to the town hall. Two-story green building.”

Sarah put a quarter beside her cup and rose. “Thank you for the information.” She gratefully opened the door to get out of the aromatic tomb and took the road into the heart of the village. She spotted the Dry Goods sign on a green clapboard building with black shutters. From the wooden sidewalk, she climbed the steps into the store.

The smell of dried fish and roasted coffee was strong inside. Two long counters lined the walls on either side in front of the shelves of goods. Larger tools and implements stood along the back wall, and a potbellied stove graced the center of the room where a couple of old men played a game of checkers. A woman with a shopping basket on her arm leaned across the counter, pointing to the items she wanted. The one filling the order was Sally Cusnoo.

Sarah busied herself with a newspaper on the other side of the room until Sally was finished with her customer. Then she put the paper back on the rack and turned to Sally. “Hello.”

Sally gave a squeal and her eyes got large. “Sarah! How did you find me?”

Sarah lowered her voice. “That doesn’t matter now. Can we talk?”

Sally glanced at the two men. “Yes, we have one of those out back. Follow me.” She led Sarah to an unattached storeroom that was little more than a wooden shed. “You’re going to arrest me, aren’t you?”

“No, I want information from you. If you cooperate, it will definitely help you.” At Sally’s nod, she continued. “Where are Bobby and George?”

Sally closed her eyes for a moment. “They’re on their way to Canada. They plan to meet George’s wife in Gustavus and hike their way through the interior to the Chilkoot Trail, where they’ll end up in the Yukon.”

“When did they leave?”

“This morning.”

Sarah worked over in her mind what should be her next move. It would take time for George’s wife to make it down from Yakutat. She knew she couldn’t try to find them by herself. Instead of taking a boat back to Juneau, maybe she should rent a seaplane. To Sally she said, “Stay here in Angoon. We’ll need you to testify.”

Sally chewed on her lower lip. “Please don’t let them know it was me that told you. They didn’t realize I was listening at the door.”

Sarah put a reassuring hand on Sally’s shoulder. “I won’t until I know you’re safe.”

Sally slipped back into the store. “Thank you.”