“Hey, Mister.” The sheriff, who appeared to be in his late twenties, eyed Michael Adam Baker. He circled the writer’s body, studying it from every angle. He did the same with the surrounding area. “You didn’t touch anything? Move anything?”
“No,” Dee said. “We’ve just been standing here. I’m Dee Stern, by the way. And this is Jeff Cornetta, my business partner.”
Jeff extended a hand to the sheriff and the two men shook. “The rumors are true,” Jeff said. “Two citiots bought the Golden, and we’re them.”
This brought a glimmer of a smile to the sheriff’s face, so brief that Dee almost missed it. She and the others watched as Aguilar slowly and carefully scoured the area around Baker’s body.
“We think a bear got him,” Dee said, trying to be helpful. “I don’t know what he was doing in this part of the property, though. Maybe the bear dragged him here?”
The sheriff shook his head. “This was no bear attack.”
Dee stared at him, bewildered and more than a little scared. “If it wasn’t a bear, then what—”
She didn’t get to finish her question. Several park rangers emerged from the woods, led by a stocky middle-aged ranger, who was red-faced and wheezing from the brief hike to the body.
Deputy Sheriff Aguilar acknowledged him with a curt nod. “Chief District Ranger O’Bryant.”
The older man dismissed the greeting with an annoyed wave of the hand. “What’s the deal, Aguilar?” He managed to get this out between huffs and puffs of breath. He gestured to Baker’s body. “Why are you calling national park rangers for a local crime? We got a whole dang park to police.”
“I asked you to come because of this.”
Aguilar pointed to the late writer, and for the first time, Dee noticed part of a broken chain-link fence lying under his body. O’Bryant trudged over. He took in the scene and scowled. “Sonuva—”
“Since he’s half on national park property, I have to bring you in on the investigation.” The Goldsgone sheriff didn’t sound happy about this.
“Garland, Mendoza,” O’Bryant barked at his subordinates. “Tape off the crime scene. And get an investigative unit up here.”
“They can work with county CSI,” Aguilar said. “The unit’s on their way here from West Camp.”
O’Bryant gave a grunt of displeasure. Now that he was on board with the investigation, he seemed disinclined to surrender any control of it.
“I’m Jeff Cornetta, and this is my business partner, Dee Stern,” Jeff said, taking the lead on introductions this time. “We’re the new owners of the Golden Motel. The vic—Mr. Baker was our guest.”
“He was, huh? Not getting off to a great start, are ya? I never heard of the previous owner hosting a dead guest.”
Dee whimpered, drawing O’Bryant’s attention, much to her regret. He squinted as if trying to place her. “You look familiar.”
Dee flashed on the angry exchange she’d had with Michael Adam Baker in the All-in-One parking lot and the reason why she looked familiar to the ranger dawned on her. Unfortunately, whispers between O’Bryant and his underlings indicated they’d also remembered where they’d seen her before.
“Williker’s,” O’Bryant said. “You were having a fight with a guy.” He pointed to the prostrate body splayed on the ground. “That guy.”
“I wouldn’t call it a fight,” a nervous Dee tap-danced. “More like an exchange of words.”
The chief ranger glowered at her. “You yelled that you hoped Stoney the bear ate him. We don’t take threats like that lightly around here.”
“It wasn’t a threat,” Dee defended herself. “It’s not like I can control what a bear does or doesn’t eat.”
O’Bryant shot her a look. Then he folded his arms across his chest and studied Baker’s body. “I’d say it was a bad fall, but—”
“The injury is to the back of his head,” Aguilar said.
“Which is what I was about to point out,” O’Bryant said, annoyed at being interrupted.
“My money’s on this as the murder weapon.” Aguilar gestured to a heavy, rectangular rock about the size of a large shoebox. A corner of it was covered with a reddish-brown sticky substance. Realizing this was probably blood, Dee suddenly felt queasy.
“We’ll see what the coroner has to say about that, Wyatt Earp,” O’Bryant said.
Dee could see Aguilar steam at the crack and felt for the sheriff. It couldn’t be fun doing such a serious job dressed like an extra from a TV Western. “If it’s okay, we had new guests check in today and I should see how they’re doing,” she told the law enforcement officers.
“I’ll need to interview you.” Raul and O’Bryant said this simultaneously. They glared at each other.
“Why don’t you start with me?” Mister suggested. Dee, who’d forgotten he was there, started at the sound of his voice. His rough-hewn clothes made him blend in with the background, which Dee assumed was intentional on the part of the backwoodsman. “I’m the one who found the body,” he continued. “Dee didn’t see him till I fetched her.”
“Thank you,” a grateful Dee said. She made her escape from the crime scene before the ranger and sheriff had a chance to object.
Dee raced to her apartment. She opened the fridge and pulled out a chilled bottle of expensive Napa sparkling wine she’d been saving to celebrate the first time she and
Jeff lit up the Golden’s NO VACANCY sign. But with a parking lot full of law enforcement vehicles, she figured the beverage would be put to better use buttering up their current guests.
She hurried from her apartment to the motel and gave the guests’ door a friendly rap. No one answered. “Hello,” she called in a chipper voice. “It’s Dee, your host. I have a welcome gift for you.” Again, there was no response.
She noticed the blinds were up a few inches and peeked into the room. Her heart fell. It was untouched. The Golden’s guests hadn’t even stayed long enough to sit on the bed.
Dispirited, Dee dragged herself to the motel lobby. The couple’s room key sat atop a piece of paper on the reservations counter. She hung the key in the cabinet with the other room keys, all of which were sadly still in place, and read the note: We decided to try our luck in the park. Thanks anyway!
Liars, Dee thought glumly. You probably just checked into Yes-that-Donner’s perfect Victorian B and B.
Dee heard the lobby door swing open. She turned, hoping to see either new guests or the couple’s return, having had second thoughts about their hasty departure. Her hopes were dashed at the sight of Deputy Sheriff Aguilar and Ranger O’Bryant. The latter officer crooked a finger at her. “Your turn.”
