AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“So there’s no evidence to support where you say you were.”
“My word should be enough. I had nothing to do with Grant’s death.”
“Well, Chet, don't try to leave town, or it won’t go well for you. At this point, you’re definitely my prime suspect for being the last person to see Grant alive and lying to the police.” With that, Deputy Stassin got up and drove away in his cruiser.
Chet tried to talk to Jeff, Frenchie, and Mooch after Stassin left, but Jeff told him nobody wanted to hear his lies anymore. Upon hearing this dismissal from his friends, Chet flew into a rage. “Fuck you guys then! I know I'm not always the easiest guy to get along with, but I sure as hell ain’t no murderer. Jeff, you and your brothers never appreciated everything I did for this camp. Despite all the work I’ve done, you never allowed me to become an owner. You Koehlers just expected me to follow your stupid rules and go along with whatever bullshit you came up with. Now you’re accusing me of killing Grant. Well, I’ve had it. I’m officially resigning from this camp! You guys will miss me more than you think. F-off, all of you. Burn it Down, Baby!”
Chet stormed out of the camp, slamming the door behind him. He leaped into his truck and burned rubber exiting the parking lot.
Chapter twenty-six
Jeff left camp shortly after Chet and drove home for a Zoom call with a potential client in Munising, Michigan. He sat in his home office talking about doing a feature on moose that had been reintroduced into Michigan’s upper peninsula. Moose were challenging to photograph because they travel great distances and are relatively solitary animals. If Jeff were going to accept this job, he would have to be compensated for whatever time it would take to complete it. The client even liked Jeff’s suggestion that he could photograph on Isle Royale National Park to obtain the pictures. Isle Royale is an island in Lake Superior, a part of Michigan, that is a US National Park. It contains, by far, the largest moose population in the state. The Michigan DNR introduced wolves to the island years ago to keep the moose population in check. Their ongoing study spans decades, looking at the interaction and dynamics of the moose and wolf populations. The job would be much quicker and cheaper if he filmed on Isle Royale. The client had funding and knew what he asked would be time-consuming. Jeff got the job of creating a calendar featuring moose during various seasons of the year.
***
When Jeff finished talking with the new client, he saw a message on his phone from Sarah. He realized he’d promised to keep in touch with her and quickly dialed her back. “Hey Jeff, thanks for returning my call. Any news on the case you can share?”
“I just talked to the deputy in charge of the investigation, and he has a number of leads to pursue.” He also briefed her about Chet, Stanky, and Tim Starks but cautioned her no evidence yet existed to conclusively link anyone to the murder. “How are you and Julie doing?”
“Oh, not so good. I’ve been having trouble sleeping. Julie too.” I just can’t believe Grant’s gone. It happened so unexpectedly. Anyway, I didn’t call you just to express my grief. I really need your help with something. As you might expect, we have a huge job ahead of us sorting out Grant’s estate. I’ve retained Harry Shemanski, a lawyer I have used in the past, to help with the estate. Harry is asking some questions about Roads End that I can't answer. I hoped you could help me explain how it works.”
“For sure Sarah, fire away.”
“First, how does the ownership interest break down, and were there restrictions on the deed when you and your brothers inherited the property?”
“Ok, here’s how it works. Our father wanted to ensure that Roads End remained viable for future generations of Koehlers. He structured it so that if one of us died, their ? interest would pass equally to the other two brothers. So, following Grant’s unfortunate death, Eddie and I now each own 50%. When either Eddie or I die, the other brother will own the property outright 100%. Dad left the property to all of us brothers as “tenants in common.” What “tenants in common” means is that each of the three brothers owned ? of every acre. So, for example, Roads End has 480 acres. Dad could have designated each son owning 160 acres outright. Instead, “tenants in common” means we all own an interest in every single acre. I think he structured it this way to ensure we’d work together and make joint decisions. Dad aimed to ensure the property would remain in the family and couldn’t easily be sold.”
“Ok, thanks for that, Jeff. So what you’re saying is Grant’s estate has no further legal interest in Roads End.”
“That’s correct, Sarah. Does that upset you?”
“Oh, of course not, Jeff. You know neither Julie nor I are outdoor hunting camp people. I just wanted to understand the arrangement so I can brief Harry. One last question, what do you estimate the property is worth?”
“That’s a tough question to answer, Sarah. I’ve never thought about it since we’ve never entertained the idea of selling. I guess if it’s really important, I could ask a real estate appraiser to provide an estimate. Is this something that’s critical for you to know?”
“No, don’t bother getting an appraisal. I just wondered about the market value in case Harry asked the question. It’s not that important for now.”
“Well, did I answer all your questions?”
“Yes, you did. If Harry has any more questions, I will ring you back up or tell him to call you directly. Please promise to keep me posted on any developments in the case. Deputy Stassin promised to keep me updated, but I haven’t been getting much information from him.”
“I will definitely keep you in the loop Sarah. Feel free to call me anytime if I can be of help.”
Chapter twenty-seven
Sitting in a cold interview room with only a metal table, two chairs, and a two-way mirror sat Eddie Koehler awaiting his interview with Deputy Stassin. Eddie requested his interview be done at the police station because he wanted more privacy than the Roads End camp would provide. After a few minutes, Stassin entered and gave Eddie the cup of black coffee he’d promised when Eddie arrived.
“So, Eddie, I hope you don’t mind my taping this interview. This will ensure I don’t mischaracterize anything you say here today.”
“No worries, Deputy. Tape away. I’ve got nothing to hide.”
“Ok then, let’s get started. How would you describe your relationship with Grant?”
“Very good. My brother, Grant, always came through for me when I needed help. Like all brothers, we had disagreements, but overall we were very close.”
“I heard from a source that overheard you saying, “Grant is my biggest problem,” in the Coyote Grill. What did you mean by that?”
“I don’t remember exactly saying that. If I did say something like that, it would probably have been before Grant changed his mind about loaning me some money.”
