FIREWORKS IN PARADISE Read online

  I could see how this could be a hot topic of conversation, but, again, not hot enough to kill someone over. “What else?”

  “The pancake breakfast has always been held in the high school cafeteria, but it’s under renovation, so we discussed the option of canceling the breakfast this year. Some residents petitioned to hold the breakfast outdoors in the park. The controversy arose when a couple of folks on the planning committee pointed out that if a storm blew in we’d have spent all that money on food but would have nowhere to serve it.”

  Paradise Lake was in the mountains and known for its funky and unpredictable weather. A random storm was a real possibility. “Were there any serious arguments?” I asked.

  “Not about the Fourth of July, although there was a lot of squabbling. I guess the most heated argument of the evening was between a man named Striker Bristow and Harold.”

  That got my attention. “Kyle mentioned him. He wants to build a strip mall.”

  “Exactly. At this point I think the council is split. Bristow is promising a lot of jobs for the next two years as phase one and, eventually, phase two of the project gets underway. He’s also promising an increased source of revenue for the town in terms of the local sales tax. I would say maybe half of the council members believe the promise of jobs and tax dollars justifies a change in the current ordinance prohibiting this type of construction. On the opposing side, Harold and several other council members have argued that new development already has impacted our small-town feel and should be heavily regulated to prohibit Serenity from turning into just another big city.”

  “I’m assuming Bristow stands to make a lot of money if the project goes forward?”

  “Oh yeah,” Bookman answered. “After both phases are complete, he’d be looking at a payday of tens of millions of dollars.”

  Wow, I thought. “Tens of millions of dollars might be a motive to want your strongest opposition out of the way.”

  Bookman shrugged. “Maybe. Bristow seems like a snake, although he’d need to be pretty desperate to resort to killing a man, and from what I understand, he’s been very successful in the past. I can’t imagine this one project is that big a deal for him.”

  I narrowed my gaze. “Maybe not, but he’s staying on my list. Anyone else with a grudge against the judge?”

  Bookman paused before answering. “Bristow has been the most vocal in his argument with Harold, but Fred Deerborn spoke at the meeting before last.”

  I knew who Deerborn was. He’d moved to the Paradise Lake area from a small farming community in Kansas and seemed to have a problem with pretty much everyone he came into contact with. “What’s he mad about now?”

  “The teen center. I’m not sure if you remember, but it lost its lease a couple of months ago. The new location backs up to Deerborn’s property. He claims there’s been an increase in vandalism in the area since the teens moved in and he wants the center shut down. Harold looked into it and reports of vandalism in the neighborhood haven’t changed in the least since the teens have been there. In addition, Harold interviewed some of the neighbors in the area where the old teen center was, and everyone agreed the teens hadn’t caused problems in the five years the center had been there. Based on that, Harold decided Deerborn was just blowing a lot of hot air, the same way he does about almost everything, and he told him so. Deerborn wasn’t a happy man when he left that meeting. Though, as I said, that was a couple of weeks ago.”

  “Maybe he’s been letting his beef with the teens fester. He might not have attended the meeting this week, but he’d know the judge would be there.”

  Bookman admitted it was possible Deerborn could have been at the meeting even though he wasn’t on the agenda. The room had been packed and he couldn’t remember if he’d noticed him or not.

  “Anything else?” I asked.

  Bookman squinted, considering my question. “There are always petty arguments, but nothing else really stands out. The town employees recently had their annual evaluations. It seems like there’s always grumbling from at least a few of them, but I know no one was fired, so I doubt anyone had a strong reason to be angry with Harold. I suppose there could be disgruntled citizens whose names weren’t listed on the agenda, but no one specifically comes to mind. I’ll think about it and let you know if anything occurs to me.”

  “Thanks. I know these leads are long shots, but we need a starting point. Judge Harper’s role as mayor seems as good as any.”

  “I hate to even bring this up given the situation, but do you know if Maggie’s Hideaway still plans to hold the Fourth of July events your father has been advertising?” Bookman asked.

  I hesitated. “I have no idea. I’ll look into it and call you. Grandpa’s back now, so he’ll probably be overseeing things.”

  Bookman looked surprised. “I wasn’t aware Ben was back. I’ll call him. Is Doc back as well?”

  “He should be here on Sunday if things go according to plan. He stayed behind to help Kyle deal with the animals and such. Grandpa just got back a few hours ago.”

  “Please let us know if there’s anything we can do to help,” Bookman offered.

  “Yes,” Helen, who had been sitting quietly, seconded him. “Anything at all.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate the offer, and I just might take you up on it at some point.” I glanced at the clock on the wall. “I should get going. I want to stop by the hospital to check in on my dad.”

  “Please let us know if there’s any change,” Bookman said as he stood up to escort me out.

  When I got to the truck I grabbed a binder I had brought along with me and wrote down the names Striker Bristow and Fred Deerborn. I liked having an actual list in front of me now that I’d gathered a couple of names. Two possible suspects wasn’t a lot, but it was a start. Maybe I’d have more names to add after I spoke with Kyle. I decided I’d head to the hospital before I called either Kyle or Roy to give them more time to do their research.

  The nurse at the station near the elevators waved me through without my having to stop to explain who I was and why I was there. When I got up to the third floor I was informed that my dad was resting comfortably, although there hadn’t been any change from the previous evening. I asked if Hunter was in the hospital and a nurse offered to page him to find out. Then I went into my father’s room and sat down on the chair next to the bed. There was no sign of Rosalie or Grandpa, so I assumed they’d driven back to the resort.

  “Your eye looks a little better today,” I said to Dad as I placed my hand over his. “The purple is much lighter and the swelling has gone down quite a bit.”

  I glanced at the heart monitor, which was beating steadily. I didn’t understand what all the lines and tones meant, but Dad looked peaceful and they seemed steady and strong.

  “I guess you know Grandpa and the girls are back. Grandpa is going to help out at the resort until you’re able to take over. The big weekend is coming up, you know. I should sit down with Noah to figure out what needs to be done.”

  I paused as I watched the ventilator fill my dad’s lungs with oxygen. The setup looked pretty uncomfortable. I wondered if he could feel pain given his state of unconsciousness. I hoped not.

  “Ashley and Gracie are with Jenna. I miss them, but I think that’s best. They can relax and have fun with Kristi and Kari instead of having to deal with all the stress at home.” I looked around the room. “I just went to see Helen and Bookman. They asked about you.”

  I sat back in the chair for a moment, then leaned forward again. It felt awkward talking to someone who couldn’t respond. I doubted Dad could actually hear me, but I’d read accounts of coma victims coming to and reporting they’d heard everything those around them had been saying.

  I continued to ramble on, just in case. “Kyle and Doc are still in South Carolina, but they’ll be home in a couple of days. Kyle decided to try to sell the cars ra
ther than driving them back. At first I was irritated that he’d made the decision without checking with me, but then I realized he was just trying to get home sooner, and I really do need a new car anyway. We both know my old one was on its last legs. I need a four-wheel drive, of course, but I’m thinking about trying something new. I liked my Toyota, but maybe I’ll look for a Ford or even a Nissan this time. I guess I can go to Reno to look around at what’s available once things calm down, although I’m really not looking forward to car shopping. In the meantime, I’m driving Grandpa’s truck. I didn’t notice your truck in the drive. I should check with Rosalie to see what happened to it.”

  I glanced out the window, which overlooked the hospital lawn and walkways. It was such a nice day. On any other summer day I’d be on the lake or at the beach, but any other day seemed like nothing more than a distant memory. I got up and walked over to the window for a better view. The sky was painted with white fluffy clouds that looked like they’d been strategically placed against a field of blue.

  “It really is a beautiful day,” I murmured as I looked down at a flower garden on my right. “Maybe you should wake up and take a look.”

  I turned around and looked at my father, lying in the bed. Of course he hadn’t answered me, but for an instant I thought I’d seen the hand I’d been holding move. Probably just wishful thinking, but I returned to the bed and sat back down on the chair.

  “Dad? Can you hear me?”

  I stared at his hand, but it was perfectly still. If the power of my will could cause Dad to awaken, I’d sit here all day, but I knew in my heart that he’d return to me when he was ready, so I kissed his cheek and headed out to tackle the tasks I knew the day would bring.

  After I left the hospital I decided to call Grandpa and check on the plans for the holiday weekend. I knew our guests were expecting the usual events even if the family was dealing with a personal crisis. “Is Grandpa there?”

  “Yes. He’s lying down now.”

  “I think the three of us should talk to Noah and maybe a couple of the other managers. Bookman asked me about the weekend festivities and I didn’t know what to tell him.”

  “The fact that the resort is filled to capacity and our guests are expecting things to go on as planned has been weighing on my mind,” Rosalie admitted. “I’m new to this. I have no idea what to do or even where to start.”

  “Don’t worry. Grandpa and I are old pros. We’ll help make sure everything goes off without a hitch. I’ll be home in thirty minutes. Find Noah and ask him to come over to the house in an hour or so.”

  I called Kyle to check in after I completed my call with Rosalie.

  “Perfect timing,” he said. “I was just about to call you.”

  “You were? Do you have information for me concerning the files?”

  “Yes, but I have other news as well. Doc and I are flying home tomorrow morning.”

  I felt my heart leap, although I wasn’t sure if it was a leap of joy or terror. I couldn’t wait to see Kyle, but we still had that kiss to talk about, and I wasn’t sure exactly where that talk would leave us. “I thought you weren’t coming until Sunday.”

  “Garrett’s sister showed up early, so I called the pilot I hired and he had an opening tomorrow. We’ll be taking off at around six a.m. our time, so we should be home before noon. I was going to hire a car to pick us up, but with seven animals, I thought maybe we should arrange for a ride.”

  “You know I’m excited to see you, but we have events at the resort going on all weekend. I’ll ask Bookman if he can pick you up.”

  “I can call him,” Kyle offered. “I know you have a lot on your plate right now.”

  “Okay, thanks. That would help. I have a meeting at the resort. I’ll call you back when I’m done and we can discuss the files. I really would like to get this wrapped up before Dad wakes up and realizes what’s going on. I want to be able to tell him that the person responsible for landing him in the hospital and killing one of his best friends is behind bars.”

  Chapter 5

  By the time I arrived at the resort, Grandpa was up from his nap and Rosalie had set up a meeting with Noah. She’d spoken to Grandpa and they’d decided that it would be best to discuss the situation with Noah and then let him meet with the department managers himself. I hadn’t gotten the chance to get to know Noah very well yet, but he seemed smart and capable, and Rosalie was confident he’d be able to carry out whatever decisions we made.

  “The resort has been advertising holiday events every day beginning with July first and running through the fourth,” Rosalie informed me. “The kickoff for the long weekend is the BBQ cook-off scheduled for tomorrow during the day, followed by a bands-on-the-beach concert in the evening. I feel we’re locked into both of them. The contestants for the cook-off are all lined up, as are the judges, with the exception of your father, who planned to serve in that capacity. I spoke to Noah earlier this morning and he didn’t see any problem with holding that event as planned. The bands we have scheduled are likewise ready and willing to perform.”

  “We do this same thing every year,” Grandpa confirmed. “I’m sure Noah and the managers can take care of the details in Mike’s absence.”

  “The only thing we’ll need to do for tomorrow, then, is to replace him as a judge for the cook-off and announcer for the bands,” Rosalie commented.

  I glanced at Grandpa. “How about it? You acted as judge for the cook-off for a lot of years.”

  “Yeah, I’ll do it. Let’s get Noah to announce the bands, though.”

  I looked at Rosalie. “What else did Dad have planned?”

  “There are various events and competitions for the visitors to participate in on Sunday, including a beach volleyball tournament, a sandcastle-building contest, and a sailboat race. Monday is focused on the finals for the bikini contest at the resort, and, of course, Tuesday is the fourth, with the parade, community picnic, kiddie carnival, and fireworks show in town.”

  “It all sounds doable to me.” I glanced at Grandpa. “Any input?”

  Grandpa shook his head. “No. I’ll pitch in where needed. The weekend is important to the resort. I wouldn’t want to let Mike down.”

  “Doc and Kyle will be home tomorrow and I know they’ll help, and Bookman and Jenna are always willing to pitch in if we need them.”

  “It’ll be good to have everyone home,” Rosalie said.

  I paused briefly and then changed the subject. “I haven’t thought to ask you about the veterinary hospital.” Rosalie had moved her practice out to the resort after she and Dad got engaged so she didn’t need to travel far should she have patients to attend to. Still, she was probably busy at this time of year and I doubted she had time to fill in at the resort. “Have you managed to cover everything? Is there anything we can do to help?”

  Rosalie looked pleased that I’d asked. “I’ve asked one of my old interns to come to Paradise Lake to help out for a few weeks. I’ll need to be on hand during the shot clinics and on call should there be any emergencies requiring surgery, but most of the day-to-day routine is being seen to.”

  “That’s good. What you do is important; I don’t want to see your patients suffer.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

  Noah showed up just as Grandpa, Rosalie, and I had made our decisions, and Grandpa took the lead, filling him in on what we’d decided.

  “Let’s discuss the files one at a time,” I suggested later that afternoon as we sat in Roy’s kitchen. We had Kyle on speaker on Roy’s phone so I could have my phone free if Hunter needed to get ahold of me.

  “I found three files I believe deserve our attention,” Kyle informed us. “Most of the papers you sent were old and the corresponding notes were dated as well. While it’s possible one of the older trials is behind Judge Harper’s accident, I doubt it. These three seem to correspond to investigation
s currently being conducted by either the judge himself or local law enforcement.”

  “Okay, what do you have?” I asked.

  I could hear papers rustling in the background before Kyle answered. “The first is something the judge seemed to be investigating himself; it isn’t part of a current investigation by the sheriff’s office. It involves a forty-seven-year-old man named Steven Reinhold, who was accused of killing his wife, Jennifer, eight years ago. After a lengthy trial, the jury convicted Reinhold of first-degree murder, even though the evidence was mostly circumstantial. Judge Harper presided over the trial, and at the time he believed the man was guilty, but two months ago he met a woman named Clarissa Halloran. She lived in the same neighborhood as the Reinholds did, and she encouraged him to take another look at the case.”

  “Do we know why he agreed to do it?”

  “She felt that Steven had been set up. While she didn’t have proof of this assertion, she did make a compelling enough argument to cause Judge Harper to reconsider his previous opinion. There are a lot of notes to go through and I haven’t had the chance to really analyze things, but I think the case is worth our looking into. If Judge Harper had changed his mind and realized Reinhold was innocent, he might also have formed an opinion of who might have been the real murderer.”

  “Do the notes include any suspects?” I asked.

  “There are a lot of names and, like I said, I haven’t had a chance to follow up on any of them yet, but it wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility that one of them might have also been guilty of killing a man who’d started to nose around. I’ll organize the list and we can start to narrow down the suspect field a bit when I get home.”

  “That sounds like we have two murders to solve,” I pointed out. “Judge Harper’s and Mrs. Reinhold’s.”

  Kyle paused and then answered, “I suppose that might be true if, after looking into things further, we come to believe Steven Reinhold really is innocent of killing his wife, as his neighbor believes.”