Page 15 of Exposure of Murder

“Did you stop and follow them?” asked Ethan. “Could you tell if it was a man or woman?”

Bucky shook his head. “No, I couldn’t tell. It was dark, and they disappeared.”

“Let’s take a look,” said Ethan. They followed Bucky into the main barn.

Bucky pointed out the locations where tools and equipment had been moved. “Also, these feed barrels have been pushed aside.”

Ethan gave Adam a look. Did they really come out here just for this? He noted that things had been moved, but was that it?

“Hmmm, there’s not much we can do about this, Jane. Nothing seems to be damaged,” said Ethan, while Adam walked around the barn.

“What about the person Bucky saw running into the woods?” she asked.

“Probably kids,” he huffed.

He looked over at Bucky, who had assumed a casual pose against the barn wall.

Jail. That was what was bothering him. Bucky had been to jail. “So, Bucky, how long have you worked here?”

He shrugged. “About a month.”

“Are you from around here?”

Bucky stared at Ethan’s hairline. He refused to make eye contact with him. “No. I’m from Massachusetts.”

“I didn’t know that.” Jane turned to look at him. “Where?”

“Framingham,” said Bucky.

“How did you find Beaver Creek?” Ethan asked. Gah, it felt like pulling teeth to get this man to talk. Ethan was getting more and more suspicious.

“My dad used to come up here to fish.”

Humph. Okay, a lot of people vacationed up here.

“Bucky helped me gather the sheep when they got out,” said Jane. She looked over at Bucky and smiled. “He’s been a great help.”

Ethan was about to ask another question when Jane abruptly pulled out her gloves and put them on.

“I’m sorry if I bothered you. Bucky and I have a lot of work to do. Thank you for coming.”

Ethan was speechless. Jane called them and now was outright dismissing and pushing them out. God, the woman was rude.

He and Adam walked out and got into the truck. “What’d you make of this mysterious person who moved items and ran into the woods?” asked Adam. He turned the truck on and reversed it to face the road.

“I don’t know what is going on there. Running into the woods is suspicious. Could be kids or maybe someone looking for something specific. I have a feeling we’ll be back,” Ethan replied.

“Bucky seems a little squirrelly. I hope Jane knows what she’s doing hiring him,” said Adam.

“Yeah,” Ethan replied. “I have a bad feeling about him. I think ol’ Bucky served time. There’s a medium security prison in Framingham. He’s pale, probably just got out. It’s always the eyes that give them away. Vacant. I’ll check him out when we get back to the station.”

“Strange that he moved up here,” said Adam. “Although if his father came up here to fish or hunt, it would make sense that he’s familiar with the area. I wonder what he’s doing at Jane’s farm, though?”

Ethan was wondering, too. Did Bucky really see someone, or was he the one looking around? If so, for what?

Ten

“That was interesting,” said Bucky. He lifted a bag of compost and headed toward a raised bed.

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