Deadly Revenge (Pearl River #3)

Chapter 44

44

Max parked his truck in Jenna’s drive and grabbed his laptop before jogging to her SUV. He was worried about her, especially after she’d thought someone was watching them and then zoned out in Alex’s office. She needed a break. But getting her to take one was another thing. Maybe a mini-break.

“I googled some of the addresses Alex texted,” Max said. He stashed his laptop in the back and climbed into the passenger seat. “And one is not far from the barn where you keep Ace. After we visit Eva, why don’t we check out the address and then drop by the barn?”

Jenna turned right out of her drive. “I’d love that. I was trying to figure out a way to check on him, but we have so much to do.”

A minute later, he swayed as she turned into Eva’s drive. “It’s settled then.”

They climbed out of the SUV. “I wonder if your uncle will show up.”

“I saw his pickup when we passed his house. If he’s watching Granna’s house, he probably will.”

He followed Jenna as she strode to the front door and tapped before opening the door and entering. “We’re here, Granna,” she called.

“About time,” Eva said, coming from the kitchen. “What happened? I was about to give up on you.”

“We got tied up with Alex.” Jenna hugged her grandmother.

“Come on back. I have carrot cake and a good cup of coffee waiting for you.”

“How did you know carrot cake was my favorite cake?” Max asked.

“A little bird probably told me,” she said, winking at Jenna.

They followed her into the kitchen. “By the way, Sam said he’d probably stop by too.”

They needed to get whatever information Eva had before her son arrived. “You were going to tell us why you thought Harrison Carter had something to do with Paul Nelson’s death and maybe Joe’s.”

She looked up from cutting the cake. “I said I’d think about it. Do we have to jump right into that?”

“It’s important,” Max said, making his voice softer. “Three people have died, and we have no one with a motive.”

“Oh, there’s plenty with motive.” She gave him a knowing look then plated each of them a large piece of cake and set the servings on the table. “Jenna, would you pour the coffee?”

Once they were all seated, Eva waited expectantly.

“You were saying,” Max said.

“Try the cake first.”

Was Eva stalling to give Sam time to arrive?

“Granna, you talk while we taste,” Jenna said.

Her grandmother sighed. “It’s just such a hard thing to talk about. We were all so happy in the valley before that company started trying to buy everyone’s property.”

“Was that before the mayor and city council proposed the dam?” Jenna asked.

“Yes. Some people sold out, but your granddaddy wasn’t about to sell. My Walter told that man who came to the house to get lost and never come back. What he offered was an insult, not that Walter would’ve sold if it’d been a million dollars. Then three years later the state comes along and tells us we have to sell.” Eva stopped and caught her breath, then looked pointedly at Max’s cake he hadn’t touched. “It’s not good?”

“Sorry.” He took a bite. “Delicious. Do you know what the initial offer from the state was?”

She shook her head. “It’s been so long ago. I couldn’t even tell you what they ended up paying us. Sam and Randy handled everything after the accident. They helped me to get moved here.” Eva looked around and smiled. “It’s the house where I grew up, you know.”

“It’s good that you could come back home.”

Max knew exactly how much the state gave them after the court hearing. He made a mental note to ask Sam about the initial offer, and TerraQuest’s offer. While this wasn’t stocks, it still smacked of insider trading on someone’s part. “Why do you think Harrison Carter could be involved in the death of Paul Nelson and maybe Joe Slater?”

She raised her head, her gaze fiery. “Those three were thick as thieves back then. And until the dam came along, Paul and Joe didn’t have a pot to—”

“Granna!”

Eva’s face turned crimson. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but every time I get to thinking about that dam reservoir, I want to curse.”

“It’s all right.” Max patted her hand. Maybe they’d better change the subject. He took another bite of cake with his coffee. “This is really good, Eva.”

“Thank you.” Eva beamed at him. “I love to cook, and Jenna does too.”

“Granna, I do not.”

“Well, you would if you ever tried it.”

“I don’t have to.” She hugged her grandmother. “I have you. Besides, I cook some, I just don’t love it.”

“You’re a fantastic cook, Eva, and I bet Jenna is too.” Like he’d ever find out. He forked another piece of the cake and looked up in time to see Jenna blush.

Once he finished the cake, Max shifted his attention back to Eva. “Okay, back to Harrison Carter. Why do you think he’s involved in the deaths of three people?”

Eva pursed her lips. “I said more than I should’ve. Sam’s always saying I need to watch my words.” She sighed. “I don’t think Carter actually killed them, although I wouldn’t put anything past that man. But I think they would still be alive if they hadn’t known him. He”—The mudroom door scraped open and stopped Eva in midsentence.

“Anybody home?” Sam called.

She put her finger to her lips and shook her head. “We’re in the kitchen. Come have some carrot cake.”

Eva’s too-bright voice was a dead giveaway they’d been discussing something Sam probably didn’t want her to.

“Want some coffee?” Jenna asked when her uncle entered the kitchen. This afternoon he’d added a John Deere cap to his outfit and was chewing on a toothpick.

“I’ll get it. You two sure are coming around a lot,” he said as he poured his coffee.

Max saw no need to answer him. He had a few questions he’d like to ask Sam out of his mother’s hearing, but he didn’t want to be obvious about it. “I understand you have coon dogs?”

Sam eyed him with suspicion and gave him a curt nod. “You?”

“Actually, not yet, but my brother does—he’s been trying to get me to coon hunt with him. He has some fine Treeing Walkers.”

From Sam’s expression, Max had gone up on the man’s respect meter. “Who’s your brother?”

“Lewis Anderson. Lives up near Franklin.”

“I’ve heard of him, and you’re right, he breeds good Walkers, almost as good as my Treeing Tennessee Brindles.”

“You raise Brindles?” Max pumped excitement in his voice. “My brother mentioned adding them to his brood stock.” He gave Sam a wicked grin. “Got one for sale? Maybe just once I can get ahead of him.”

“Maybe. I don’t sell my dogs to just anyone. They’re working dogs, and I put in a lot of sweat training them. I gotta know the buyer will work ’em and not buy a dog just to one-up his brother.”

Max took his coffee cup and dessert plate to the sink and ran water over them.

“Nothing wrong with a healthy rivalry between brothers, but that’s not why I’d buy a dog.” This was the perfect opening to talk one-on-one. “Do you have time to talk to me about your dogs?”

“I always have time to talk dogs.”

“Good, but I’m sure the ladies aren’t interested. Why don’t we step outside?”

“Sounds good to me.”

Max caught Jenna’s eye. “I won’t be long.”

“I don’t know about that,” she said. “When Sam starts talking about his dogs, he doesn’t know when to stop. But it’ll give me time to visit with Granna.”

Without Sam’s interference—Max was pretty sure that’s what she was thinking. He followed the older man through the mudroom to the outside.

“Got one of my Brindle pups in the back of the truck if you want to see him.”

“I’d like that.”

“Wouldn’t have figured a city slicker like you to be interested in coon hunting.”

Max bristled at the label. “First of all, I don’t live in the city, and second, I grew up mucking stables and digging packed manure out of horse hooves.”

“Couldn’t tell it now.”

Max didn’t know whether to be offended or say thank you. Before he could respond either way, the air filled with a clamor of yelps from the back of Sam’s pickup.

“Quiet.” Sam’s command wasn’t loud, but it held authority.

Two of the dogs stopped immediately, but the third continued to bark. Sam grabbed a leash and opened the barker’s cage. “Still training him. He’s just a pup yet. Quiet, Watson.”

He snapped the leash on the dog’s collar and allowed him out of the cage. Watson danced in circles around Sam’s feet until he told him to sit. Dutifully the dog settled at his owner’s feet for about ten seconds and then he pranced again.

“Like I said, he’s still in training.”

The dog’s short coat was mostly brown with muted black stripes and a white diamond on his chest. Expressive amber eyes seemed to take everything in.

“He’s beautiful,” Max said. “When will he be fully trained?”

“Another couple of months.” Sam petted the dog’s head. “Taking him out for a training run with these other two tomorrow night ... if you want to come. There’ll be several other hunters with us—some of them I figure you want to talk to—they’re all former landowners who lost their land to the dam and reservoir.”

So Sam knew what they were investigating. What kind of cat-and-mouse game was he playing? “Okay if Jenna comes?”

This time Sam hesitated, then he gave a slow nod. “Just tell her not to find any more bodies.”

“Believe me, I don’t think that’s on her agenda.” Max eyed Jenna’s uncle. “Who do you think killed Paul Nelson?”

“It depends on what the motive is. Paul had a wandering eye when it came to the ladies, and it didn’t matter whether they were married or not. Some husbands might not take too kindly to that.

“On the other hand, he also was involved in a project that took land that families had owned for generations. Anyone in those families could’ve killed him, me and Randy included.”

“Did you?”

Sam sat on the tailgate. “Nope. And Randy didn’t either.”

His voice hadn’t wavered, and his body language indicated he was telling the truth. Watson placed a paw on Max’s knee, and he knelt beside the dog and ran his hand over his back and sides. “Good muscle tone. How much you asking for him?”

“He’s not for sale, at least not yet. Just thought you might want to take a look at him for the future.”

“How much when he is ready?”

“Twenty-five.”

“Hundred?”

“You don’t think I meant twenty-five dollars, do you?”

“Of course not.” Max ran the prices his brother got for his young dogs through his mind. Comparable. He pulled a card from his wallet and handed it to Jenna’s uncle. “Call me when you’re ready to sell.”

Sam stuck the card in a wallet bulging with other cards. “Sure,” he said and checked his watch. “Tell my mother I’ll drop by later this afternoon.”

“What time tomorrow night?”

“Ten. Jenna will know where.”

Another short night of sleep, but they couldn’t miss this opportunity to talk to the ones displaced by the dam and reservoir in a relaxed setting.