Page 30 of Mile High Mystery

“I’ll get it.” Zach stepped in and took the bag from Todd.

Todd slapped him on the back. “Guess I’d better leave the heavy lifting to the real mountain man.” He followed them to the parking area, then waved. “See you at Mo’s,” he said, and loped toward a white sedan.

“You don’t mind having a drink or two with this guy, do you?” Eldon asked when he and Zach were alone in Zach’s truck.

“It’s okay,” Zach said. “He seems nice enough.”

“He’ll probably want to hear search and rescue stories,” Eldon said. “He had that look. But we only have to stay for one drink if he’s too much.”

“I’m good,” Zach said. Normally, he wouldn’t spend time with someone he didn’t know, but he was trying to be more sociable since moving to Eagle Mountain. He wanted to stay here awhile, and that meant fitting in with the community.

Mo’s Pub was busy with a midweek crowd. Drinkers filled the stools around the L-shaped bar, a baseball game showing on the TVs overhead. The three men found a booth along one side and ordered beers. “So what brings you to Eagle Mountain?” Eldon asked Todd.

“Oh, you know, the scenery. The outdoors. I live in Denver and wanted to get away from the city for a few days. I’d never been here before and thought I’d take a look.” He turned to Zach. “What about you guys? Have you lived here long?”

“A little while,” Zach said.

“I can see why someone would want to settle down here,” Todd said. “I really like the vibe of the place. Are there any good jobs? Where do you work?” He glanced at Eldon, then focused on Zach once more. His laser focus made Zach uncomfortable. Why was this guy asking so many questions?

“We work at the Zenith gold mine,” Eldon said.

“A gold mine? No kidding? What do you do there?”

“Nothing exciting,” Zach said before Eldon could answer. They were never going to see this guy again, so there was no need to tell their life stories.

“Zach Gregory.” Todd said the name as if trying it out. “Are you related to that woman who was killed during the flood at that campground early last week?”

“How did you know about that?” Zach asked.

“I read about it in the paper. Was she a relative of yours?”

“She was my sister.” He kept his voice flat, hoping Todd would get the message that this wasn’t something Zach wanted to discuss.

“Hey, I didn’t know. I’m sorry.” Todd shook his head. “That must have been rough. What happened to her? The paper said a tree fell on her van.”

Zach met Todd’s eyes with a hard stare. Apparently, this guy couldn’t take a hint. “I don’t want to talk about it,” he said.

“Yeah, I get it.” Todd nodded, then opened his mouth, as if to ask another nosy question.

“What happened with your rental ATV?” Eldon asked, and Zach was grateful to him for changing the subject. “They didn’t ding you too much for the damage, did they?”

“Three hundred bucks.” Todd winced. “But I guess it’s going to cost that much to knock out the dents. That’s what I get for going too fast on those rough trails.” He turned back to Zach. “My sister died a few years ago,” he said. “So I know how you feel.”

I doubt it, Zach thought. “I’m sorry to hear that,” he said.

“Yeah. She was shot in a drive-by shooting. They never did find out who killed her. That’s hard, you know? No closure.”

Zach stared. Was this guy telling the truth? How much did he know about Camille’s death? Zach hadn’t read the article in the paper, so he didn’t know how much it said. Maybe he should find a copy and read it. Or he could ask Shelby.

“Zach!”

He jerked his head up to see a familiar woman working her way through the crowd toward them. More than one man’s head turned to watch her as she passed. The tall blonde wore formfitting jeans and a black, low-cut sleeveless top that showed off an impressive figure. Zach stood as she approached the booth. “Hey, Janie,” he said, aware of Eldon and Todd staring.

“Hey, there,” she said, and leaned in to give him a big hug.

When they separated, Eldon was grinning, and Todd was frowning. “I don’t mean to intrude,” she said, “but I’ve been looking all over town for you.” She kept one hand on his arm, her hip brushing the top of his thigh. She was tall for a woman, close to six feet, and he felt less like a giant next to her. “I wanted to say thank you again.” She looked at the vacant seat next to Zach.

“Sit down,” he said, moving over to make room.

---