Page 17 of Exposure of Murder

Who was it from? Was it related to the strange happenings in the barn? She felt a mix of fear and curiosity. Silly! Staring at it didn’t help. Wiping her hands on her pants and taking a deep breath, she cautiously opened the envelope. A single piece of paper dropped out with writing on it.

Only five words, printed in bold letters.

You have something I want.

Bucky staredat Jane as she left. She was a kind woman, and Mike was lucky to have had her in his life.

He was fortunate to come along when the sheep got loose and he helped her gather them. Well, not really fortunate since he’d been watching Jane for a couple of weeks. He knew little about sheep, except like any other animal, if you shake a feed bucket at them, they’ll come running.

Prison hadn’t prepared him for farm work, but he was smart and a fast learner. It didn’t take much to understand how to feed animals, build a fence, or any of the other chores Jane needed him for.

The sheriff was going to be a problem. Bucky noted the exact moment McQueeney put two and two together. He was an itinerant worker from Framingham. Plus, his name would be in the system.

Would the sheriff harass him? Run him out of town even though there was no reason to? He hoped not. At least not until he found what he was looking for. Where would Mike have put the information? Better yet, had Mike kept it? Would Jane be upset when she found out who he really was?

The sound of approaching footsteps interrupted Bucky’s thoughts. He turned to see Clarence walking into the barn.

“Bucky.” Clarence greeted him with a nod. “How’s it going? Is the greenhouse finished?”

“Yeah,” Bucky replied. “We dumped the rest of the soil. Jane’s back at the house.”

Clarence nodded. “Great. I’m glad you’re here to help her. The woman has tons of ideas and energy but little knowledge of how a farm works.”

Bucky smirked. “True.”

He liked Clarence. The man was talented and fair. He knew a little of Bucky’s history, correctly surmised the part about prison, and never said a word.

“Well, I just stopped by to see if anything was needed in the greenhouse.”

“We’re all set.”

“Okay then. Talk to you soon.” Clarence left.

Somehow, he needed to get into the house. One afternoon he’d helped Jane move boxes marked personal into a small bedroom upstairs. If Mike still had what he was looking for, perhaps it would be in one of those boxes.

Bucky picked up a couple of tools and was putting them away, getting ready to leave, when he heard a vehicle approaching. He peered out of the barn and saw Sheriff McQueeney get out of his truck.

Shit. Was this the end for him? Bucky’s heart raced. There wasn’t anything he could do or say that would convince the sheriff he wasn’t causing trouble.

Bucky waited for him to walk down to the barn. Instead, the sheriff headed in the opposite direction toward the house. He exhaled slowly. Would the sheriff mention his prison stint to Jane? Of course he would, and that could ruin everything.

Eleven

Ethan slammed the phone down.

Was there no end to the torture Jane Goodwin was putting him through? Today would mark the third trip out to her farm and the second today. She refused to tell him what was wrong, just that she needed to see him.

He could have sent Adam to talk to Jane since the two of them seemed to get along well, but he was curious. So far, it was just minor incidents: a broken barn window and items being moved around. Both of which could be blamed on kids. So he couldn’t imagine what it could be this time.

The research he’d done on Bucky revealed that indeed, the man had served a three-year stint in prison for assault and battery. It made him wonder why Bucky really came to Beaver Creek.

Did he lie when he told Ethan his father used to fish here? How did he end up at Jane’s farm? Coincidence? Ethan didn’t believe in coincidences. Was Jane in trouble? That was a laugh. The ex-mystery writer was trouble with a capitalT.

Ethan hoped the convicted felon had turned over a new leaf. He vowed to keep his eyes open.

There hadn’t been any major crimes in town for a while, only the typical small-town stuff: DUIs, drug busts, animals getting loose, minor thefts. And he wanted to keep it that way, although he was involved in a few annoyance claims, like being called to the properties Maggie Thornton and Mark Sutton owned.

Mark had called the police because Maggie threatened to put up a gate on the shared drive, preventing access to his property from his end. It was only words right now, but if Maggie was anything like her father, David, it could escalate real soon. Since the town owned land at the other end of the drive, the mayor got involved. Maggie was told to back off, which she reluctantly did. But for how long, and what other trouble would she create?

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