Murder Fir Christmas Read online

  The driver of the fireboat, Rufus Palcomb, let her know that they’d spotted a fishing boat off the side of the island that appeared to be adrift. “We’re dispatching another boat to get it. Chief says not to bother you with that since there are so many animals on the island that need rescuing.”

  “Copy that,” she replied. “We’re almost there.”

  Harvey brought the boat in close to the shore, and the man, rifle in hand, waded into the water to climb aboard.

  “My boat got away from me,” he told them. “Can we go pick it up?”

  “Someone else is taking care of that,” Bonnie told him. “Do you have a permit for that rifle, sir?”

  “Permit? I live in Sweet Pepper. Why do I need a permit?”

  “You were hunting, weren’t you?”

  “Only a few ducks.” He shrugged. “I wasn’t hunting deer or anything.”

  “You still need a permit, son,” Harvey told him. “What’s your name?”

  He took out his driver’s license and handed it to Bonnie. “Ray Hoy, sir. I’d really appreciate it if we could get my boat before it drifts further away.”

  “We’re not doing that right now, Mr. Hoy.” She wrote down his name and address. “But someone will pick it up. I’ll have to confiscate that rifle. It’s not duck hunting season, and you don’t have a permit. Is it registered?”

  “No, ma’am. My daddy says only communists register their weapons.”

  There was a call from the Teardrop. “Royce Pope has the boat. Is your man named Fletcher Bancroft?”

  “No.” She glanced at his driver’s license again. “Ray Hoy.”

  Rufus laughed. “Better hold him for the sheriff then. I don’t think this is his boat.”

  Bonnie had only used her handcuffs a handful of times in the past ten years. She took them out and told him to turn around. “I’m placing you under arrest, sir, for several wildlife violations as well as possibly stealing a boat. Just take a seat, and we’ll get this settled.”

  He sat where she put him. She pocketed his license with the first paperwork.

  “Don’t forget we’ve got him for this fire too,” Harvey said. “This is our jurisdiction out of the city. If it was a structure fire, it would be different.”

  “Sure. Thanks.”

  There was an old dock on the island. It was enough to tie the boat up to but not enough to use to get on land. Bonnie and Harvey jumped into the thigh-high water with their nets and snares to save what animals they could by getting them off the island.

  A third splash followed as Ray Hoy pushed himself backwards off the boat. Bonnie realized that she should have cuffed him to the railing and not trusted that he’d stay where she put him.

  “I’ll get him,” she told Harvey, red-faced after she’d made a rookie mistake on her first day.

  “Don’t take all day about it,” her partner said in an irritated voice. “This place is going up quick.”

  She looked at the burning treetops. The smoke was heavier now as the forest on the island was consumed. She could only guess that there were a couple of acres out here. She’d been out there as a kid—they all had—but never paid any attention.

  The water cannons from the Tennessee Teardrop were blasting at the fire as she dove into the cold water. It was one heck of a welcome.

  Bonnie made quick movements into the water, knowing Ray Hoy couldn’t have gotten far in this cold water—or with his hands cuffed together either. She circled the boat, watching for him, and came up for air near the old dock. Taking a deep breath, she was about to go down again when she noticed her quarry. He was close to the dock, as though hoping she wouldn’t notice him there.

  Looking to surprise him so she wouldn’t have to chase him again, she came around from the other side of the dock, put out one hand to grab him by the shoulder, and surfaced. He didn’t move or try to get away.

  “Let’s try this again,” she said as she surfaced with him, using her other hand to grab the cuffs on his wrists. No way he was slipping out of his jacket and trying to get away.

  She expected some kicking and thrashing right away and then pleading and debating once they were out of the water. To her surprise, the first part didn’t happen. But he also didn’t get to his feet, even though they were close enough to shore. She grabbed the front of his jacket. He was limp in her hold. She dragged him to shore, his feet still in the water.

  There was a bright red wound in his chest, still bleeding. He’d been shot.

  Confused, wondering if he’d taken his rifle and shot himself for one long moment, Bonnie dragged him further up on the shore. She checked his pulse—there was none. He was dead.

  “I need immediate response from an EMS unit,” she shouted into the radio. “Our suspect has been shot. No pulse.”

  “We’ll get someone to you as soon as they can,” Rufus shouted back.

  “I can’t stay with him,” she returned, looking at the inferno the woods on the island had become. “Any word from Harvey?”

  “Negative,” Rufus said. “If you can get in there and do any good, I’d say leave Hoy and do what you can. It doesn’t sound like he’s going anywhere.”

  Bonnie got her gear together and put on a mask to protect her lungs from the heated smoke. They didn’t carry scuba gear as the fire department did, but it should be enough. There was no point in her trying to get in the burning zone. The animals that had survived would be long gone.

  She called Harvey as she bagged two possums. She left them on the shore where she could easily put them in the boat and get away quickly if needed. There was no response from her partner. She hoped he hadn’t gone in too close to the center of the fire.

  Several raccoons ran out, and she put on her heavy gloves to pick them up. They were almost overcome with smoke, so they were docile. Again she left them where she could grab them on the way out.

  There was a gunshot that brought her head up from what she was doing. It was loud, probably a shotgun, to be heard over the roar of the fire. She called Harvey again. There was still no response. A group of rabbits were directly in her path. She scooped them up and ran back to the shore with them.

  Despite wanting to save as many animals as she could, she had to go after Harvey. As far as she knew, he was the only one on the island with a gun. It could be that Ray Hoy had a hunting partner. She watched a hundred ducks fly away from the trees, some with their feathers smoking, but they seemed all right if they could make shore on the other side of the lake.

  “Harvey?” she yelled against the force of the strong wind generated by the fire. She followed the path that led along the shore. He couldn’t be in the woods. There was no point in searching for him there. She saw a dozen field mice get to safety floating on a piece of wood.

  She used the radio again and again, calling to her partner. He didn’t reply. When she found him face down at the edge of the woods, she knew why. Rushing to him, she turned him over.

  There was a bullet wound in his head. There was no point in checking for a pulse. Harvey was dead.

  An animal growled at her—a young wolf. His coat was covered in sand where he must have rolled to put out the fire on his fur. He’d been burned. His eyes were glued on her, watching her every move. There was also blood on his side, as though he’d cut himself in his haste to get away.

  She called Rufus to confirm Harvey’s death and gave him specific details on where he could be found. Though she knew she shouldn’t do it and some medical examiner would have her head, Bonnie moved his body to the edge of the water so there was no danger of him being burned. She hadn’t known him long, but common decency dictated that she preserve his body as well as she could for his family. The crime scene was a mess anyway. She was willing to take the lumps for her actions.

  Dozens of small animals still streamed out of the woods toward the water. Two skunks waddled by. She was grateful that they were in too much of a hurry to raise their tails. One long black snake slithered close to the water then backed awa
y before taking the plunge. He followed a zigzag pattern along the edge until she couldn’t see him anymore.

  The wolf was still in the same place, not even ten yards from where she was beside Harvey. He looked hungry. His body was thin and his eyes ferocious. He wasn’t growling anymore. She thought he might not have the strength for it. If he was weak to begin with, he might be in shock. Normally a single wolf, especially a pup, would run off when he saw a human.

  Finally the smaller boat that had come with the fire brigade reached her. The medical examiner wasn’t with the two firemen who were unknown to her, but they insisted that they had permission to move the body.

  “You won’t mind if I confirm that, will you?” she asked, taking out her radio.

  “No. I’m Allen Wise, and this is Tagger Reamis. You can call Chief Griffin or Rufus is on the radio on the Teardrop. You must be the new Wildlife Agent. Welcome to Sweet Pepper.”

  The older man put out his hand to shake hers. Rufus answered her call and told her the two men should be there. “They’ll take Harvey and Ray to the coroner’s office. Don’t worry about it. Finish up what you’re doing and get off the island as soon as you can.”

  Bonnie would have to remember that in Tennessee they had coroners. In Alabama they had medical examiners. Just one of a thousand things she’d have to get used to—that and bossy firemen. She wasn’t used to being told what she should do.

  “Sorry.” She shook hands with Allen and Tagger. “I know things can get weird with handling bodies. I believe this may be a murder rather than an accident. I guess we’ll have to see what shakes loose when the fire is out.”

  They all looked up at the flames, which had mostly been quenched by the heavy water from the fire boat. It was still hot and smoldering in the dry leaves from the fall. They could catch on again easily in those conditions.

  As she was looking up, the first few flakes of snow from the promised winter storm fell delicately on her face. Snow would help put out the fire. Any moisture was better than none.

  The two men covered Harvey’s body with a tarp, carefully lifted it to the boat, and then did the same with Ray’s.

  “Don’t wait too long out here,” Tagger said with a grin. “We don’t want to lose you too.”

  “Thanks. I’ll get off the island as soon as I can.”

  She took the animals she’d captured and put them in her boat. When she looked back along the shore, the young wolf was still waiting there. He’d finally laid down on the gravel and sand.

  Bonnie wasn’t sure if he could make the swim to the mainland. She didn’t relish being gnawed by him, although she’d had her rabies shot and wasn’t afraid of that. The snow kept falling, now mixed with some freezing rain. The wolf didn’t move, and it started to cover him as it did the rocks and shrubs along the water.

  Common sense told her to leave him there and he’d find a way back on his own. Compassion and a great love of all animals made her get out of the boat and approach him again. That love was the reason she’d become a Wildlife Agent.

  “Let’s not make both of us sorry that I’m doing this.” She took off her jacket and crept closer to the wolf. He looked up at her with intelligence and pain in his eyes. “I’m Bonnie. Maybe you can introduce yourself later. Right now, we should get off the island. I hope that’s okay with you.”

  The wolf closed his eyes as she wrapped her coat around his ragged body. He barely weighed anything as she lifted him gently. His breath came out as a mixture of pants and growls.

  “Trust me. No one is going to hurt you now. Just lay back and enjoy the ride.”

  Chapter Three

  The lake water was so cold that the snow and ice stuck to the surface. Already the boat was glazed with it. The Tennessee Teardrop still waited by the island even though the water cannon and hoses were off. A group of five firefighters that included Chief Griffin started into the woods with axes and shovels. They’d have to make sure the fire was completely out before they left. She didn’t envy them their job.

  The Teardrop was big enough to navigate anything but a frozen lake. Bonnie’s boat was in good shape but didn’t care for the thickness of the water. She kept her focus on the boat reaching the dock on the other side of the lake. The wolf was quiet where she put him in a small pocket between the boat wall and the seat. She’d carefully kept him away from the other animals even though they were in sacks. She knew he could still smell them.

  The snow was falling much harder by the time she reached the dock and secured the boat. Putting on her elbow-high, leather gloves again to protect her hands and forearms, she carefully let the animals she’d captured out on land. They ran off quickly, although the possum had a few snarky complaints about his treatment.

  The little wolf wasn’t doing as well. He wasn’t unconscious, but he was barely breathing and didn’t move or growl when she picked him up in her jacket. Before covering the boat to protect it from the storm, Bonnie realized that her truck was still in town. When she couldn’t find the keys to the Hummer in the boat, she assumed Harvey had them.

  She thought about calling the fire brigade for help after the boat was protected, but with firefighters still on the island, there wasn’t much they could do to help. She had to get back to town and get the wolf to a vet.

  All the lines were busy at the police switchboard. Probably with weather-related issues. Bonnie saw a man setting up his boat for the storm too. There was a big, black pickup nearby, the only one in the parking lot. She got the wolf in her arms again and walked over to ask for a ride.

  “Excuse me,” she hailed him. “I’m Bonnie Tuttle with the Federal Wildlife Agency. I need a ride into town to get my pickup. Would you mind taking me there?”

  She could commandeer his vehicle, but this wasn’t the kind of emergency the agency meant for that power. Her partner’s death was going to be hard enough to explain—especially on her first day—she didn’t want to explain that she took this man’s truck to save a wolf’s life.

  He looked up at her from under his cowboy hat. “I’ll be glad to take you into town, Agent. I’m Matthew Brown Elk.” He shook her hand. “What’s that you’ve got?”

  “A wolf pup. He was on the island during the fire. I’m hoping to get him to a vet in time.”

  Matthew nodded toward the Hummer. “Is that not yours?”

  It had the insignia of the Federal Wildlife Agency on the door, of course. She knew he must think she was a complete idiot.

  “Something happened to my partner on the island. He has the keys. I’m sorry to rush you, but can we go now?”

  He clearly wasn’t the rushing type. She watched him impatiently as he thought about her story, at least that was what she thought he was doing.

  “There’s no vet around here that’s gonna take a wolf. Dalmatians and kittens, but no wild animals.”

  “Can you just give me a ride into town? I’ll take it from there. Thanks.”

  “Sure. I can take you to the vet’s office, if you like. Maybe you can convince them that a wolf would be a safe patient.”

  She stared into his dark eyes. His face had features from a Native American heritage, maybe Cherokee. They were still standing in the snow, large flakes falling on them. The roads were probably getting hazardous. She knew the road into Christmas Tree Valley got icy and dangerous quickly. It might already be too late to get out of Sweet Pepper.

  “Thanks. But I can find someone who’ll help me with the wolf. All I need is a ride back to town.” Right now, she wanted to add but didn’t.

  “I can give you a hand with him. I’ve worked on wolves before. I’m not a vet, but I might be your best bet in this case.”

  Her radio went off at the same time as her cell phone. Her phone was in her jacket pocket and the radio was on her belt. With her hands full holding the wolf, she couldn’t reach either one.

  “Shall I?” he asked.

  She almost said no. He had laughing eyes. She never trusted men who smiled too much. But it might be someon
e who could actually offer her a quick ride into town. Maybe the fire brigade members who’d left with Harvey’s body had come back.

  “Sure. The radio, please.” She shivered as a strong gust of wind blew off the lake. At least the wolf was warm in her jacket.

  It was Chief Rogers wanting to know what was going on. “I’ve got Harvey Shelton’s body under a tarp in my office, Agent Tuttle. The road was already impassable going to Pigeon Forge. I need you back here to answer some questions about what happened out there.”

  “The keys for the Hummer are with Harvey,” she told him as her companion held the button for her to speak. “I’m still at the lake and trying to find a ride back, Chief.”

  “I’m here too,” Matthew said into the radio. “I’ll bring Agent Tuttle back with me, Don. We’ll be there as soon as we can.”

  “Is that you, Brown Elk? All right then. You should be able to get her back here. Thanks.”

  “Chief, I—” But she’d missed her opportunity. Chief Rogers was done, leaving her to the same problem she already had. Great.

  “Look.” She could see being nice about this wasn’t working. “I need to get this wolf somewhere he can be treated. Can you do that in a short amount of time, or do I need to take your truck and do it myself?”

  He grinned. “You can try. The last person who wanted to take it ended up unconscious in the street. I don’t think that’s a good way to begin our friendship. I’ve worked with Agent Shelton. He was a good man but not much of a tracker.”

  “Okay.” She closed her eyes and asked for patience. “Can we go now?”

  “Sure. Let me get the door.” He clipped her radio back to her belt. “Are you sure you don’t want me to answer your phone too? That might be annoying to the wolf. I know it’s annoying me.”

  “Let’s just get in the truck and go back to town. I can answer it as we go.”

  He opened the passenger door and helped her in so she wouldn’t have to let go of the wolf. He didn’t waste any time getting to the driver’s side and starting the engine.