Deep-Fried Homicide (The Laurel Falls Mysteries Book 1) (21 page)

“So, now what?”

Rachel was biting her thumbnail again, looking perplexed. “I’m not sure. We checked all the drains and there’s no electricity going in through there. There’s none at either end. So, how are they doing it?”

“Maybe they’re using generators, like I said.”

She made a soft
pfft!
sound and shook her head. “Or maybe they have some alien power source like in the comic books.”

Rick snorted. “Now who’s being silly?”

They sat in silence for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. Rachel knew she was missing something, some crucial part of the puzzle that was right under her nose. It was always like that, especially when she thought too hard about it all.

“Maybe if we figure out
what
they’re doing down there,” Rick said, studying her face as he spoke watching her reactions, “we can figure out
how
they’re doing it.”

“Oh, that’s easy. I know exactly what they’re doing down there.” She paused for dramatic effect…that and to irritate Rick.

“So, are you going to share or do I have to tickle it out of you?”

She smiled at that, a genuine, warm smile, full of love. “When Logan and I were out at The Point, we saw the two men get out of the truck and go into the cave. There were crates in the truck. Wooden crates and you could see raffia or something like it sticking out between the boards. They were the right length and height to hold guns. Big guns. The sort of guns that wouldn’t be legal in any state in the union, if you know what I mean.”

“So they’re running guns? Is that it?”

“Yea. I mean, it makes sense. Those boxes. The caves are set up perfectly to move the guns by truck or boat. So, they store them down in the pipe there and bring them out when they need to. Nobody on earth would ever think to look down there, so they’re completely safe.”

“Nobody but you.” He smiled again, then frowned. “So, why the electricity?”

“Moisture is bad for guns. It must be really wet down there. Maybe even flooded if we get a hard rain. Plus, it gets really dark about twenty feet into the pipe, so they need light and such.”

“But if they are pumping the tunnels out, then the discharge hose must be coming out of the cave. There wasn’t one in the cemetery and there are only two exits.”

“Leaving it out all the time would be a risk. Somebody would notice that big old hose sticking out of the cave. They must only reel it out when they need it.”

Rick nodded thoughtfully and grinned. “You’ve got all the answers, don’t you?”

“All except for where the power is coming from.”

“When you and Logan were at The Point, were you looking specifically for power lines and such?”

Rachel scrunched up her nose and glanced toward Rick. “Not really.”

“Then maybe you missed it. I think the lighthouse might be close enough that they could run a line from there without too much trouble. And it could be buried in the sand. Let’s go see. Before the sun sets, I mean.”

“Yea, let’s go see.” She shored herself up in her seat, happy once more.

She watched Rick as he drove and, if he were aware of it, he certainly didn’t show it. He was such a good man, and so patient with her little foibles and whims. He was a man who was not only willing to let her take the crazy train once in a while, but was willing to go along for the ride.

“We’ll park up here,” said Rick as he guided the truck into position behind a stand of tall bushes, “and walk down. No sense letting anyone know we’re coming.”

“Right,” she said, giving him her undivided attention.

He cut the engine and propped one arm on the back of his seat. “Now, you listen carefully. You’re the brains and I’m the brawn. I’ve got training. So, if I say
run
, you run. You hear me? You run back to this truck and drive away as fast as you can.”

“Rick…”

“Ah! You do as I say or we’re going home right now.”

She checked his face, frowned, and nodded. “Okay. I’ll do just what you said. I promise.” But she knew she wouldn’t.

“Good. Now, we’re just a couple of love-sick people taking a leisurely stroll along the beach. Got it?”

“Got it.”

“And if it looks like anyone’s around the cave, we’re out of there. It just got real and not one bit of this is worth taking a bullet for.”

“Absolutely.” She grimaced at her use of that word. It was sure to tip Rick off that she was just telling him what he wanted to hear.

Rick took hold of her chin and pulled her face around so that their eyes met. “I’m deadly serious here, Rach. I don’t care if they run a million billion guns into this country. I’m not going to lose you for it. If they catch us sneaking around, they’ll kill us for sure. And we’ve already been warned off, so if the cops catch us, we’ll likely spend some time in jail. So, do what I say, don’t ask questions, and everything will be fine.”

She nodded. “You’re totally right. I will do exactly what you say and I won’t hesitate.”

“Good.” He pulled her in and kissed her gently. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, Rick.” She kissed him again for good measure, then pulled at the door handle.

They were dressed for the occasion, wearing jeans and t-shirts. Rick wore his usual boots, which he removed at the first sign of sand. Rachel left her sneakers on, preferring to dump them out later rather than try to make an escape by running barefoot in the sand. She watched as Rick rolled up his pant legs, revealing pale but well-toned calves.

He took her hand as he stood, smiling at her and giving her hand a little squeeze. “Do you remember our honeymoon?” he asked softly.

“Do I ever!” She laughed at the memory and shook her head. “It took me weeks to get the sand out of my…”

“And I got stung by a jellyfish.”

They shared a laugh, walking slowly down the beach toward the lighthouse, but still keeping an eye on the cave. They hadn’t seen any sign of movement in or around the cave, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything.

Together, they ambled closer in on the shore, scuffing their feet along, looking for buried cables and the like. At the water’s edge, two gulls fought over something they had found in the sand. The sudden burst of angry cries startled Rachel and she yelped a bit. Further out on the water, a pelican floated aimlessly, its beady eyes watching the gulls, perhaps hoping for some leftovers.

Rick leaned in close and kissed Rachel on the cheek, whispering as he pulled away. “Let’s check out the source.” He nodded his head in the direction of the lighthouse and winked.

Rachel nodded back, smiled. “Okay.”

The lighthouse was nearly a hundred yards down the beach, but they kept a slow, steady pace. If anyone were watching, they would never know that the pair had come to find clues rather than romance and tranquility.

The sun had slipped below the treetops and a chill breeze came at them from over the water. The lighthouse hadn’t yet lit its great bulb and the shadows had begun to lengthen. Hand in hand, they walked toward the lighthouse, transitioning from sand to wisps of grass, then to full-on scrub grass. Tourists traipsed around the lighthouse all the time, so no one would think a thing about them being there.

They walked the perimeter, taking note of the electrical service box and the power lines. Nothing seemed to lead away from the lighthouse or the poles, save for one extension cord which ended at a flood light at the head of the walkway. Likewise, nothing led from that lamp and Rachel hissed out a breath of air as they turned away from the lighthouse.

“I don’t get it,” she whispered. No power coming from anywhere, yet they have equipment running down there.”

“I told you. It’s generators. Has to be.”

She scowled up at him, her eyes darting to a bit of movement near the mouth of the cave. “We’ve got company,” she said as she leaned closer. “What do we do?”

“We do nothing. We stroll back to the truck, get into it, and go home.”

She frowned at that. Give up? Not her. She didn’t want to disobey Rick and she sure didn’t want to put them in danger. But if there was someone around the cave, that someone might be their best opportunity to get to the bottom of it all.

In one quick movement, Rachel tore her hand from Rick’s and dashed a few yards down the beach, turning at the last second and giggling at him.

“Rach, honey, what are you doing?” His tone wasn’t quite annoyed; it was only slightly warning.

“You can’t catch me, can you?” She stuck her tongue out at him playfully and skipped away. “You’ll never catch me.”

Now, he was annoyed. His first thought was to catch her and corral her before she had a chance to put whatever plan she had into action. With a growl, he took off across the sand, kicking up great gales of the stuff as he ran.

Running was what he did for fun, so he was on her in seconds, reaching one arm out to grab hold of her shirt and draw her in. But she knew him, knew his tactics and the way he thought. She dodged hard to the right, tilting a bit but not quite tumbling to the sand. She laughed harder at that and as soon as Rick recovered his momentum, he could see that she was heading straight for the mouth of the cave.

“Don’t do it, Rachel. I mean it.”

That last had sounded most threatening of all. He was mad and she knew it. She cast a quick glance over her shoulder to check his face, see if she was in trouble, or if she was
really
in trouble. And that’s when it happened.

Rick saw it coming first and he opened his mouth to warn her. He was too late.

Rachel’s head turned around again, but the moment of realization and the moment of collision were the same. She was running full-out when it happened, so that her attempts at putting on the brakes only caused her to pitch forward, her mouth forming a large “O” as she went.

The man had just stepped out of the cave and, whether he suspected what was going on or merely came out to check for himself, the results were the same. Rachel pitched forward and the man tried to step clear, tried to prevent himself from becoming tangled with the wild, falling woman. He failed miserably and as Rachel’s hands collided with his chest, the two of them crashed to the ground.

Rick was on them in seconds, his face a mask of disapproval and anger. They lay there in the sand, a tangle of arms and legs and sandy jeans, for a few seconds before Rachel began extricating herself from the situation.

“I’m so sorry,” she moaned, pulling herself off of the man and trying to help him up at the same time. “I was just playing around with my husband and I wasn’t looking…”

“It’s all right.” The man managed to lever himself onto his knees. He was covered in sand, his hair full of the stuff. At least he didn’t look mad.

Rick reached out a hand to Rachel and when she took it, he yanked her quite forcibly to her feet, eliciting a small “ow!” from her. “I’m sorry about my wife. Not only does she have the maturity of a six-year-old, but the coordination as well.” Then Rick offered a hand to the man on the ground, smiling good-naturedly.

“Hey!” Rachel exclaimed, hands on her hips, face pressed into a scowl.

“It’s okay,” the man said, trying to brush the sand from his shirt and shake it from his hair.

“Come on, darling. Let’s leave this poor man alone. You’ve done enough damage for one day.” Rick tugged at her hand, hoping to move her along a little faster. “Sorry again,” he cast back at the man.

Rachel followed dutifully, her face still sour and her hair quite a mess. She said not a word as they walked, knowing that their voices would travel and hoping to avoid an altercation with Rick as well. She brushed at her clothes and shook her hair, trying to get as much sand off herself as she could.

When they reached the truck, she climbed into it wordlessly. Rick would start the discussion, she knew that much. He was mad enough that he hadn’t said a single word to her yet.

Rick climbed behind the wheel and shut the door, then started the engine and sat back. “What the hell were you thinking?” he growled.

Rachel shrunk back, her eyes downcast and her face paling by the minute. “Well, that wasn’t my original plan, I can tell you that.”

“And just what
was
your original plan, if I may ask?”

“Well, I was just going to have you chase me for a bit, so I could get as close to the mouth of the cave as possible without arousing suspicion. But when I ran into him, that’s when my true brilliance kicked in.” Rick stared daggers through her and she recoiled again. “As we were falling, I realized that it was the perfect moment to lift his wallet and find out who he was.”

Rachel smiled. Rick buried his face in his hands. “So, did you get it?” he asked, letting loose a heavy sigh.

“No.” Her tone went mousy and soft. She looked at him sheepishly. “I checked both pockets but there was nothing there. He did have a holster on…though I didn’t get a good feel of the gun.”

“I swear! Sometimes I…” Rick clamped his mouth shut at that. Whatever would have followed would have been hateful and mean and, once said, would live in the space between them forever.

Instead, he put the truck in reverse and turned it toward home, the sunlight fading with each passing minute. Rachel was silent as she sat in her seat. Whatever thoughts she had, she kept to herself. Then, just as they reached the turnoff to the side road, she bolted forward and shouted, “Turn here!”

Rick slammed on the brakes, his head suddenly throbbing and his face reddening. “What?”

“Turn here. Remember the farm? Mrs. Knox said that there was an intake at the farm. It was the one condition the owner made when he allowed them to put the drain pipe through his property.” She studied his face for a moment, almost smelled the burning rubber as he thought it over. “Remember?”

“What’s your point?” He was short and churlish now, his eyes narrowed and his lips thin.

“Maybe the power is coming in through there. Or maybe there’s clues there. Or…something.” She grinned at him sheepishly.

“Or maybe we’ll pull up there and find a bunch of guys with automatic weapons. What then, Rach?”