Snow Ordinary Family Page 14

  “Very, very wrong,” Martha added.

  Abigail walked over to a soft reading chair and sat down. “Miren and her brother Roger...they killed our beloved Stephen and stole all of his gold...every last ounce of it and moved to California. Papa would have killed them for such treachery and villainy but by the time the news reached him, it was too late…Miren and Roger Cochran had vanished with Stephen’s gold.”

  “But we never forgot Stephen and what he did for us,” Betty promised.

  “Indeed, we did not,” Martha agreed. “We vowed to find Stephen's gold and bury it next to him.”

  “Only,” Abigail added, “when a woman marries and has children, well, life gets in the way of a promise, dear,” she explained to Sarah. “My sisters and I were forced, for many years, to put our promise on hold. It wasn't until our children were grown that we were able to hire a man to help us fulfill our promise.”

  Sarah looked at Abigail. “Abigail, before we go any further, please, tell me, how did you think you killed Mitchel Cochran? Speak plainly.”

  “We found Stephen's gold, of course,” Abigail stated in a proud voice. “All of Stephen’s gold...or what's left of it...it is hidden in one of those...what do you call it?”

  “I think it's called a warehouse, dear,” Betty told Abigail.

  “Indeed,” Martha agreed.

  Abigail nodded. “We found Stephen's gold in a warehouse,” she confirmed. “Once we found it, we had to tell that Mitchel Cochran it was all over. We all knew Mitchel went into town for his morning coffee so we marched into town, told him we found his gold, and as soon as we did, he had a heart attack. Good riddance.”

  “The shock was too much for that awful man,” Betty explained. “The news killed him, and we're proud that he's dead.”

  “Indeed,” Martha added.

  Sarah bit down on her lower lip. “Ladies, I'm afraid I have some bad news. You didn't kill Mitchel Cochran. It certainly wasn’t your news that did him in,” she added. “I don't think Mitchel Cochran wanted Stephen's gold, either. I think he knew the gold was cursed.”

  “That's right,” Amanda jumped in. “We went to his cabin. The man was living like he was the poorest pauper in town. Also, we found a key to a storage unit. If that key leads to a storage unit full of a whole bunch of gold...why would a man lock up his gold in a place where it could be easily looted? Why not use a bank?”

  “Because he was a fool,” Jenson snapped from his position near the door, struggling against his handcuffs to face them. “Old Mitchel never wanted the gold but refused to tell anyone where it was. His daughters Alicia and Mandy did some digging and realized you three were living in the same town as Mitchel and figured you must know something. That’s when they came to me.” Jenson made a disgusted face. “We tried to work Mitchel first, but he wouldn't talk.”

  “Oh my,” Abigail gasped.

  “Abigail, there's more,” Sarah sighed. “Your son Caleb is…involved. Not of his own free will, though.” Sarah looked at Jenson with no pity for his tortured squirming. “Isn't that right?”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Jenson nodded in embarrassment. “My old man was forced to play the bad guy against his will. I'll give him that much.”

  “And it seems that he doesn't know the real truth, either,” Sarah continued. “Caleb O'Healey isn't aware that you killed Billy Cochran...by accident. He believes the story about the gold causing the heart attack. It seems that everyone else does, too.”

  Amanda rubbed her chin. “All this over gold...which is nothing more than money,” she said in a thoughtful voice. “Sure, I'm a girl that likes the good life, but goodness…is money truly worth all of this to you?” She gave Jenson a hard look. “Look at all the heartache and trouble it has caused.”

  “Cry me a river,” Jenson snapped. “You have no idea how it was for me growing up, trying to be perfect, scraping by with nothing. When Alicia and Mandy showed up, they did me a favor...and Charlie, he showed me what it was like to really live.” Jenson sneered at his grandmother Abigail. “My father was a weakling in the end. I enjoyed watching my friends destroy him and break him down into a pile of mush.”

  Sarah pointed at Jenson. “You sure talk big for someone who’s currently handcuffed and facing jail time for murder,” she said and sniffed the air. “Who’s the pile of mush, here, hmm? And is that the delicious scent of irony I smell in the air?” She gave him a menacing grin.

  Jenson stared into Sarah's eyes and lowered his head in shame. It was easy for him to bully an old lady like his grandmother, or to watch his father be tortured into compliance by the harsh words of his friends, but now that everything was out in the open, he didn't have the courage to stand up to a brave woman. “That's more like it,” Amanda said, standing up and walking over to Abigail. “Perry Mason is a lot more fun, huh, love?” she asked and hugged Abigail. “Sorry for calling you a crazy old bat.”

  Abigail hugged Amanda back but didn't say a word. Instead, she stared at Jenson sorrowfully and realized deep inside of her heart that Mitchel Cochran's death had ended something even darker than she had known existed. Both pain and relief washed through her heart. Her own family had betrayed her, though it had all turned out okay in the end.

  “Shall we have a little coffee?” Betty asked, uncertain of what to do with their guests, still dripping melted snow in the living room.

  “Indeed,” Martha agreed, and the two younger sisters hurried away to the kitchen realizing that Perry Mason was fun but real life sure could be, as the young people say, a real bummer.

  9

  Sarah parked outside an apartment building bathed with bright sunlight and eased a pair of dark sunglasses off her face. “This is the place,” she told Pete. “If our sources are right, Caleb O'Healey should be inside.”

  Pete tossed a cigar into his mouth. “We'll sit for a while,” he said and leaned his elbow out of the gray SUV Sarah had parked behind a UPS truck.

  Sarah turned off the engine and glanced into the back seat. Conrad and Amanda looked up at her. “We'll sit for a while,” she announced.

  Conrad smiled. “No rush. Sun feels good.”

  “I bet it does, surfer boy,” Amanda teased Conrad and poked at the blue, white and red floral Hawaiian shirt he was wearing. “You look like a spoiled bloody pineapple.”

  Conrad rolled his eyes and tossed on a pair of sunglasses. “I'm supposed to be a tourist,” he said and tossed a thumb at the pink and blue sundress and woven hat Amanda wore. “And what's with that hat? You planning to use it to fly to London?”

  Amanda gasped. “My hat is quite lovely, you twit.”

  “Okay, you two,” Sarah laughed. “We're on a stakeout, not a boxing match.”

  “Easy for you to say, love,” Amanda complained. “You're wearing a regular dress. I'm forced to dress like this bloke’s wife and act like a silly tourist.”

  Pete grinned. He loved it when Conrad and Amanda got after each other. “So tell me,” he said, chewing on his cigar, “whatever came of the gold?”

  Sarah looked over at Pete, studied the wrinkled gray suit he was wearing, and sighed. She had her old Pete back, and that was worth all the gold in the world to her. “Well,” she said, “the O'Healey sisters married three Irish men who knew how to dig for gold themselves. They're loaded,” she explained.

  “Must be nice,” Pete said. “Living on a policeman's pension isn't going to be easy.”

  Sarah nudged Pete. “I have your back,” she promised.

  “I know,” Pete smiled, “but I don't like handouts. I have some money put away. You can buy my cigars and Chinese food.”

  “Can we get back to the gold?” Conrad asked, “Before Pete steals my wife?”

  “Sure, sure,” Pete laughed.

  Sarah smiled. “The gold rightfully belonged to the O'Healey sisters...in a way, I guess,” she said. “The O'Healey sisters told me they never thought about what to do with the gold after they confronted Mitchel Cochran. Mitchel Cochran never knew the O'Healey s
isters were following him wherever he went, even when he left Snow Falls, or so they claim. I guess we'll never know the real mindset of Mitchel Cochran or what he was truly thinking. There's a lot of unanswered questions left in my mind.” Sarah picked up a strawberry smoothie and took a sip. “Anyway, the O'Healey sisters decided to give all the gold to a children's cancer center instead of burying it next to Stephen Greenlight.”

  “How much gold?” Pete asked.

  “Millions upon millions, love,” Amanda answered from the backseat.

  Conrad whistled. “I should have stayed home instead of helping my friend. Convinced those old ladies to let me take some of that gold off their hands.”

  “Speaking of your friend, how is he?” Sarah asked, keeping a close eye on the apartment building while a warm breeze played in the fronds of the palm trees lining the street.

  “He's okay,” Conrad answered Sarah. “We caught the bad guys and that's all that matters.”

  “That's all that matters,” Sarah whispered in a proud voice.

  “What?” Pete asked and lit his cigar.

  “Oh, do you have to do that,” Amanda fussed at Pete. “You know how I hate the smell of your cheap cigars.”

  “This isn't a cheap cigar,” Pete barked. “Sarah bought me this cigar as a present. This cigar cost a lot of money.”

  “A reward for helping me track down Alicia and Mandy Cochran,” Sarah smiled.

  “And don't forget Charlie Moorington, kiddo,” Pete added.

  “And Mr. Night Life himself,” Sarah agreed.

  Conrad leaned back in his seat. “Okay, so you guys caught the bad guys and I guess I have a clear understanding of this case. But what I don't understand is why Jenson O'Healey was going to kill the O'Healey sisters if he believed they knew where the gold was hidden? Wasn't his intention to blackmail them for murder and force them to confess?”

  “That was the original plan,” Sarah agreed, “but Caleb was able to contact his son and tell him about our talk—he guessed some of what we had planned. Jenson confessed to his father that he switched plans, decided to poison Betty and Martha, and threaten to spray the trigger smell on them unless Abigail spilled the beans. The rat was desperate, Conrad.”

  “And not very smart,” Amanda added. “To be honest, none of the bad guys seemed very smart this time. Greedy and cruel, but not smart.”

  “That’s what happens when you get desperate,” Sarah explained and tossed her eyes at the front door of the apartment building. She saw a UPS driver exit the building, run to his truck, jump in and speed away. A couple of minutes later, the front door opened again. Caleb O'Healey peeked his head through, looked around, and then eased out into the sun. “Okay, there he is,” Sarah whispered. “Conrad, Amanda, do your thing.”

  “You got it, honey,” Conrad said, leaned forward, kissed Sarah on her cheek, and then carefully left the SUV without being seen by Caleb. Amanda blinked cigar smoke from her eyes, held onto her wide-brimmed sun hat, and followed after Conrad. As soon as she was clear of the SUV, she started to complain. “We're lost and you refuse to ask for directions.”

  Conrad unfolded a paper “Map to the Stars” and pretended to study it as they sauntered toward Caleb, who was already crossing the street toward them. “I'm not lost...dear,” he snapped back. “I know exactly where I am.”

  Caleb spotted Amanda and Conrad arguing, studied their clothing, and recognized their type. Tourists, looking for celebrity houses and bits of old California history. Well, they wouldn’t rope him into their little marital spat. He continued toward his parked BMW. Even though he was nervous and paranoid, he kept reminding himself that it had been months since he had fled from Anchorage and nothing had happened. “Keep it together. Everything’s fine. I'm safe,” he whispered and quickly brushed lint off the fancy suit he wore. “New name...new job...I'm safe.”

  Conrad eased closer to Caleb and then stopped. “Hey mister,” he said, lowering his map, “maybe you can help me?”

  “I'm sorry. I don't have the time,” Caleb said in a quick voice and tried to hurry past Conrad.

  “Then maybe you have time for this,” Amanda said and pulled a gun out from her red purse. “Walk,” she ordered and pointed at the SUV where Sarah and Pete sat waiting.

  “Not bad,” Conrad congratulated Amanda.

  “I told your wife that I could pull this off,” Amanda beamed. “Now she has to take me to London to see my hubby.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Conrad sighed. “You won the bet.” He looked at Caleb. Caleb swallowed then tried to run. Conrad grabbed his arm. “We're the police, stupid,” he said, “so be smart for once.”

  “Please,” Caleb begged, “I didn't do anything...I didn't hurt anyone. I swear. I was forced to—”

  “Shut up and come on,” Conrad ordered Caleb and frog-marched the man to the SUV. “Amanda won the bet,” he told Sarah. “Looks like you're going to London.”

  Sarah grinned. “I figured she would win. I've taught her well, honey.”

  Caleb swallowed. “Please—”

  “Get in,” Sarah told Caleb in a stern voice. “We're taking a ride.”

  Conrad shoved Caleb into the backseat. Amanda hurried around the SUV and crawled in beside Caleb so he was trapped between them. “All set, love.”

  Pete turned around in his seat and looked at Amanda. “Not bad for a rookie. I thought you would flake and need Conrad to cover you.”

  “What Pete is saying is he owes me ten bucks,” Sarah informed Amanda as she pulled away from the apartment building.

  “You two bet on me?” Amanda asked and rolled her eyes. “I should have known.”

  Caleb glanced at Conrad and then looked at Amanda. “Where are you taking me?”

  “You'll see,” Sarah told Caleb and aimed the SUV toward the deserted beach she and Pete always visited. Fifteen minutes later, she pulled into a sandy parking lot and parked beside a black Lincoln Town car. “Here we are,” she said and turned to give her best friend an exasperated look. “Goodness, why do you two have to argue so much? You fussed the entire drive.”

  “Your darling husband started it,” Amanda complained and waved more cigar smoke away from her face. “Pete, love, will you douse the cigar?”

  “Nope,” Pete grinned and took a puff.

  Conrad looked at Amanda. “You started the argument.”

  “I did not...you...twit,” Amanda fired back.

  “Oh, for crying out loud...shut up,” Caleb begged. “Who cares if he cheats at Scrabble. My life is on the line, you bunch of...morons.”

  Sarah held back a laugh. “Come on,” she told Caleb.

  “Where are you taking me to?” Caleb asked in a scared voice, fearing he had been lied to and that the four people holding him were not police at all. As far as he was concerned, he was a hostage about to be taken down to the beach and drowned.

  “You'll see,” Sarah promised. “Conrad, honey, get our package out of the backseat.”

  “No funny stuff,” Conrad warned Caleb in a tough voice and pulled him out into a warm breezy day by the bright blue-green ocean that was tossing gentle waves onto the lonely beach. “Walk.”

  Caleb watched Sarah walk over to the black car and slowly followed. “Okay, Abigail,” Sarah called out, “he's here.”

  Caleb froze in horror. “Abigail...my mother?” He panicked and watched the back door of the car open. Abigail appeared, slowly climbed out into the sun, and then smoothed down the lovely blue and white dress she had chosen to wear for the day she would confront her wayward son. “Mother?” Caleb gasped.

  Abigail raised her eyes, looked at her son, and fought back tears. “Come over here to me, son,” she said in a soft, loving voice.

  “You heard the lady,” Conrad said and nudged Caleb toward Abigail.

  Caleb hesitated and then moved forward on nervous legs. “Mother...it's not what you think...I...”

  “Come to your mother,” Abigail said as a gentle tear left her eye. She held out her arms. “Co
me to your mother.”

  Caleb, seeing his mother begin to cry, broke down, stumbled into Abigail's arms, and began to weep. “I never wanted it to be like this...I swear. I'm so sorry for...betraying you...I put my life before your own...I'm so sorry.”

  Abigail gently took her right hand and raised Caleb's chin. “In life, dear, there is real gold and fool’s gold. The gold we dig up from the earth can be real gold if we use it for good...or it can become fool’s gold if we use it unwisely and let it twist us toward evil. The same applies to our hearts. Life can be good if we live it with love...or it can become a fool’s errand if we bathe in hate.” Abigail forced a tender smile to her face. “These very kind cops are true gold. You should thank them.”

  Caleb wiped at his tears. “I don't understand.”

  “Jenson O'Healey confessed to a whole bunch of ugly stuff,” Sarah explained. “Alicia and Mandy Cochran played tough for a while but finally broke down after Charlie Moorington betrayed them and tried to make a deal with the Feds. We know that you were forced into playing a bad role in this whole charade, Mr. O'Healey.”

  “Yes, you were, my sweet son,” Abigail said and kissed Caleb's cheek. “Sisters?”

  Betty and Martha peeked their heads out of the back seat of the car. “We're going to take you home to Snow Falls with us,” said Betty.

  “And you're going to rest,” added Martha.

  “And no funny stuff,” Conrad warned Caleb. “Your mother is willing to forgive you and we're willing to help you get a second chance at life. You mess up this time and it's off to prison.”

  “We've talked with the Feds,” Sarah told Caleb. “They've dropped all charges against you and left you to our care. They have the bad guys they want. You're small fry to them.”

  Caleb couldn't believe his ears. He looked at Abigail in shock and then, as he stared into his mother's eyes, he realized that his real punishment was much more internal and real than jail could ever be. “I'll never forgive myself,” he whispered.

  “I'm afraid you've created your own prison,” Abigail agreed and then gently touched Caleb's heart. “But a mother's love is neverending and, if you let me, I'll help you escape from your prison and teach you how to find real gold. How to live with love again.”