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“Thanks for coming, Carrie, and thanks for that offer. I may just take you up on it. I hope the next time I see you, it’s under better circumstances. Take care.”
As Carrie exited the funeral parlor, she felt glad she’d attended. Carrie agonized over whether she should attend the funeral. She knew Jeff and Eddie but had not seen Grant since childhood. She went back and forth about attending the funeral. She also wondered how Jeff would react following their uncomfortable ride to the lab. She appreciated the fact they were able to clear the air. Carrie also thought about the comments Elk made. Did Jeff really have a crush on her? How did she even feel about Jeff? Was she being honest with herself? She definitely felt better, having garnered the courage to visit the funeral home. For now, that would have to be good enough.
Chapter thirty
The funeral viewing and service were draining for Jeff, and he felt exhausted when he got home that evening. Eddie left before Jeff could catch up with him to talk. Steele waited for him as soon as he walked in the door and let Jeff know, in no uncertain terms, it was time for a walk. Since Jeff lived on the water, he loved to walk Steele down to the lake. Steele plunged into the freezing water as if it were a warm summer day. When he emerged, he shook vigorously and trotted down the beach, ready for part two of his walk.
Jeff had a lot of thoughts swirling around in his head. Grant, Carrie, Deputy Stassin, and Eddie were all there as he walked Steele along the beach. He had to talk with Eddie since Stassin considered him a suspect. Jeff decided to call his brother when he and Steele finished.
Eddie didn’t answer when Jeff called, so he left a message on his voicemail. Eddie called him back about an hour later. “Hey bro, what’s up? I’ll bet you loved that ceremony. Wasn’t it fun? Having to tolerate all those people, many of whom didn’t even like Grant. I would rather submit to Chinese water torture than go through that again.”
“Eddie, are you aware the police consider you a suspect in Grant’s death? Am I missing something? Why are you a suspect?”
“Look, Jeff, I owe some money to the casino. Nothing I can’t handle. Stassin is anxious to close the case, so he figures I may be the killer. I really have no idea what he thinks. He’s crazy!.”
“I saw you coming out of Clay Thome’s law office the other day. Is there anything I need to know about?”
“No, not at all. Clay is just helping me with some financial stuff. No need to bore you with the details. Everything is good. Don’t worry about me. They can’t get me for a murder I never committed. Just the idea of me harming Grant is ridiculous. Hey, sorry to cut our conversation off, but I have somewhere I need to be. Take care of yourself, and don’t worry about your little brother.”
After the call, Jeff didn’t feel much better and couldn’t help but wonder if the police knew more than Eddie had told him. The mere fact Eddie owed some money sure didn’t seem like enough to make him a suspect. He decided to quiz Deputy Stassin the next time they talked to see why he suspected Eddie.
Jeff stopped by the Sheriff’s office to see if he could meet with Deputy Stassin. He hoped for an update on the case and to get an answer about Eddie. The receptionist told him Stassin was out of the office, so he left a message requesting a call when he returned.
Following his stop at the sheriff’s office, he went back home to look over some material from Westgate Community College. They wanted him to teach a photography class for their night school students. They approached Jeff shortly after his pictures went viral, and he began appearing on TV and podcasts around the area. He wasn’t sure yet if he wanted to commit to teaching. In Northern Michigan, a career in wildlife photography typically requires people to generate revenue in various ways. Teaching and offering classes could bring in extra money to supplement your photography earnings. Jeff had an advantage because he had achieved a notoriety that far exceeded what most newcomers in the profession could hope for. He had to decide if he wanted to teach the weekly class in a city about 45 minutes away. The money would come in handy, but it also took time that might be better served chasing new business clients. He had much to consider as he reviewed the college’s class proposal. After about an hour, he decided to postpone his answer for a couple more weeks.
At 4:30 pm, Jeff headed toward the camp to meet with Frenchie and Mooch. Jeff volunteered to pick up a pizza from the Coyote Grill on his way to the cabin. He dialed the number as he left Granite Cove and ordered the usual extra large with pepperoni, mushrooms, and green pepper. The bartender said it would be ready in about 20 minutes, just about the time he expected to arrive.
Jeff parked his truck out front of the Coyote Grill, surprised at how busy the bar was. He saw a truck he recognized in the parking lot. It wasn’t hard to notice a full-size red Silverado with a “Burn it Down, Baby” bumper sticker. Chet must be in the bar, but Jeff had no desire to talk with him. Jeff entered the crowded bar, anxious to get his pizza and leave. Only one or two open tables remained in the back of the bar. The locals were getting off work and liked to stop for a drink on their way home. Jeff didn’t see Chet at first as he strode up to the bar. He said, “I ordered a pizza for Jeff Koehler.”
Before the bartender could say anything, Maggie O’Shea came around the corner from the kitchen and said, “Hi Jeff, I can grab your pizza. Nice seeing you.”
“You too Maggie. Looks like you guys are really busy this afternoon.”
“It’s like this most afternoons for a couple of hours after work. Then it thins out until after 9:00 pm when the serious drinkers arrive. You had the extra large, right?”
“Yup, that’s mine.”
As Jeff waited for Maggie to return, he spotted Chet in the corner in a deep conversation with a guy he didn’t recognize. Maggie returned shortly with the pizza, and Jeff paid the $15.00 with a $20 bill telling her to keep the change. “Hey Maggie, who is that guy at the back table talking to Chet?”
“Oh, that’s Tim Starks. I think he’s now working at the Silver Lake Lodge.”
“So that’s Tim Starks, eh? Thanks, Maggie. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”
Jeff exited the bar, wondering what Chet and Tim Starks would have to talk about. Chet never indicated he knew Tim when they visited the Silver Lake Lodge and spoke to Jack Perkins. Why should that be a surprise since Chet hid so many other things? What could those two be discussing now? More questions without answers.
Jeff drank a second beer after the pizza was consumed at Roads End while Mooch and Frenchie were preparing to leave. Jeff planned to spend the night. He wanted to capture some shots in the morning of fresh snow on the tamarack trees to use as a background for some cards he planned to sell for Christmas. The guys had found themselves talking more about the case, and every thread they pulled on seemed to lead to another layer. What started out with no suspects now seemed to lead to a number of possible killers. They had to narrow down the list by determining who had means, motive, and opportunity. Jeff kept returning to the poison derived from water hemlock. Somebody had access to this deadly poison, and if they could figure out who, they would have the killer.
Jeff sat in the empty cabin drinking one last beer. The fire burned warm and inviting, and Jeff reflected on all his good times at Roads End from childhood to the present. It felt like a violation of the tranquility of the camp to have had a murder committed on this extraordinary land.
Jeff also thought about Carrie and wondered where that relationship was going. After their car ride to Petoskey, a dark cloud hung over them. She trusted him enough to share personal information about her marriage. He didn't know all the circumstances that led to her divorce, nor did he particularly care. Certainly, he had not lived a perfect life himself. His failure as a husband haunted him, just like her failed marriage impacted her. He also couldn’t avoid thinking he could have done something to save his brother Grant. These were the demons and doubts he would have to live with. It was encouraging that Carrie came to the funeral. Jeff knew that the day would soon arrive when they both would need to figure out if they could ever have a real relationship. As all these deep thoughts churned in his head, he finally let the fire expire and headed back to the bunk to sleep.
The next morning it snowed lightly at Roads End, offering the perfect conditions for the photos Jeff sought. He couldn’t get the case off his mind and thought about it continuously as he trudged through the deep snow towards the tamarack trees that grew in a marshy area on the property. He set up his tripod and snapped almost 100 shots of different trees and snow patterns that hung on the branches. When he finished up and started back, his wandering mind focused on a terrible thought. What if we never solve Grant’s murder? That would be the ultimate unbearable thought. He imagined a world where someone got away with Grant’s murder without consequences. Part of the legacy of Roads End would become this unsolved mystery where someone killed his brother and never faced justice. This couldn’t be allowed to happen. Somebody killed Grant, and that person must be held responsible. However, any objective look at the facts and evidence showed the case had stalled out.
Jeff arrived back at the cabin in a down mood he couldn’t extinguish as he reviewed the photos he had just taken for the Christmas cards. They would do quite nicely and should bring in a handsome profit when he sold them to the card company in Traverse City. Sitting at the main dinner table in camp, he looked over to the shelf by the bar and spotted the camera he used to capture the buzz of opening night at deer camp. He’d forgotten he even took those shots. Since he felt nostalgic and a bit depressed, he turned on his computer and viewed the photos and video clips. They might highlight images of his brother Grant during a happy time before his tragic death. Jeff pulled the chip out of the camera and inserted it into his laptop as he turned it on. He scrolled through the 220 photos and video clips he snapped that afternoon and evening. Some pictures showed guys drinking shots on the buck they had yet to shoot. There were pictures of each person at the camp in a celebratory mood. A few featured the incredible meal Elk prepared with hungry men lurking in the background. One wonderful image featured Eddie presenting the lime green Speedo to Cyrus as a joke gift for his cruise. Cyrus’s had a priceless look on his face. Jeff made a mental note to give Cyrus a copy of the picture as a remembrance.
Each shot captured excellent memories of good times at Roads End. Jeff paused for a few minutes while he plugged in his laptop because the battery had just died. As the computer hummed and booted up again, one of the final images appeared. The picture absolutely shocked Jeff. He couldn’t believe what he saw! “It couldn’t be! He found himself staring at a clue that could be the key to the mystery of who killed his brother.
Chapter thirty-one
