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Still playing a hunch, Gera decided a visit to Detective Chao wasn’t a bad idea. She ducked into the café next door and did a quick search for the Cottonwood police department on her phone. As it turned out, even getting through to a high-level detective on a busy police force was easier than getting through to her editor. Within minutes, Gera had an appointment scheduled for early afternoon.
Having missed breakfast, Gera decided to multitask. She would grab a bite to eat while searching for information on this Billy Boy Macandie. The last thing she wanted to do was go unprepared into her meeting with the Detective.
Since she carried her iPad and notebook in her purse, Gera whipped them out and set up shop. She typed in Macandie’s name and waited for the page to load.
“My, my, what a busy boy you’ve been,” she murmured.
Robert ‘Billy Boy’ Macandie was a low-level thug with a string of questionable acquaintances and minor skirmishes with the law. In his late twenties, he had stopped short of committing any serious crimes, but he was a person of interest in numerous cases involving organized crime. He managed to graduate high school but had an employment record with huge, gaping holes. Having lived his entire life in a twenty-five-mile radius, Billy Boy showed no visible prospects of expanding his borders, unless it happened to be the state penitentiary over in Phoenix.
“Here’s your pancakes,” Loretta said, sliding a fluffy stack between Gera and her iPad. She looked at the social media page splayed across the screen. “What you doing looking up that boy? He’s nothing but trouble. You need to concentrate on Jake Cody. Now there’s a fine catch.”
Surprised by the woman’s candid invasion of privacy—not to mention her attempt at matchmaking—Gera quickly choked back any indignation she might have felt. Loretta could be a valuable source of information.
“I don’t know,” Gera said, trying to sound thoughtful. “You don’t think he’s sort of cute?”
“I don’t go for all the rings and baubles stuck here and yonder,” Loretta snorted, running a finger beneath her nose. “You know some of those have got to hurt.”
“Do you happen to know where I could find him?”
“Sure. Walk across the street and ask for the bartender at The Cactus. But mark my words, girl. He’s nothing but trouble.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Say, did you get in touch with Anise?”
“Yes. As a matter of fact, I went on a tour with her last night.”
“Oh, yeah?” Loretta grinned. She was already moving away as she asked, “What did you think about it?”
“It was very interesting,” Gera answered in all honesty.
A deep, pleasant voice spoke from behind her. “I hope you’re referring to your conversation with me.” She turned to see Grant Young smiling down at her. “Hello, Miss Stapleton. How are you today?”
“I’m fine, thank you.”
He nodded to the empty chair across from her. “Is this seat taken? Would you mind some company?”
“By all means...” she invited, scrambling to scoop up some of her scattered papers.
“Don’t mind me. I just came in for coffee.”
“They don’t make coffee at the bank?”
His eyes twinkled as he admitted with a charismatic smile, “All right, I admit it. I saw you in the window and came to say hello.”
Not sure how to respond, the best Gera came up with was a lame, “Oh. Well, then... hello.”
He found her discomfort amusing. And yes, Gera decided, the man was flirting with her.
“I see you’re having a late breakfast. By the way, the pancakes here are fabulous. Please, don’t let me keep you.”
“Brunch,” she corrected. “Saves time, not necessarily calories.” This, as she drowned the stack in maple syrup.
“No need for you to worry about that,” he murmured in appreciation.
Gera cut into her pancakes with precise detail. Anything to keep from acknowledging his flirtatious remark. She still wasn’t certain how she felt about that.
“I see you’ve been busy making friends here in town.” There was a slight tone of disapproval in his voice. His eyes indicated her iPad.
It seemed to be a common practice here in Jerome, nosing into someone else’s business. Closing the page and pushing the device aside, Gera shrugged. “Not really. Just surfing the net.”
“My advice? Keep surfing. Macandie is bad news.”
“Loretta said the same thing.”
“Listen to her. The only positive thing Macandie ever did was finger Mac for the crimes that have taken place recently. Thanks to him, the police have positive identification. From what I understand, Macandie is a key witness in at least two of the crimes.”
Not knowing how to respond, Gera stuffed a pancake into her mouth.
People are allowed their own opinions, Gera. Keep an open mind.
Another voice spoke in her head, taunting her. Yeah, and look where an open mind got you last night!
The pancakes really were delicious. Gera made a show of chewing well and swallowing. What could she say, without insulting the man’s intelligence? She may have seriously questioned that intelligence at the moment, but she couldn’t be so rude. Chewing gave her time to formulate a plan.
She could try her hand at acting again. Maybe she could act as if she didn’t think he was nuts.
Details, she reminded herself. Gera tilted her head just so, to indicate her thoughtful interest. “From what I understand, Mac has gone from being friendly to antagonistic. Why do you think that is?”
Nice save, Gera girl, she congratulated herself. Now to remember to nod a lot and act convinced, no matter how ridiculous his answer.
“Good question. My opinion?”
“Yes, definitely. Absolutely.” She bobbed her head with enthusiasm.
Grant Young leaned in across the table, dropping his voice to a confidential tone. “I think he’s trying to drive people off the mountain.”
“But, why? Whatever for?”
“There has been... talk.” He chose his words carefully, as if deciding how much information to confide in her. “Rumors that there is another slide coming, a substantial one. Geological studies have confirmed that eventually, the entire town will slip off the side of the hill.”
“You mean, like they predict California will eventually break away from the continent?”
“Exactly.” His eyes sparkled, appreciating her sharp interpretation. “I have friends within the field, highly renowned scientists, who confirm that early test results show the slide will occur within the next few years.”
Gera frowned. “This is public information?”
“Not exactly,” he admitted.
“But—shouldn’t you tell them? Isn’t this information the public deserves to know? Aren’t you putting their lives at risk by not telling them?”
He looked around in concern, afraid someone had overheard her hissed remarks.
“Shh, please,” he urged, leaning even closer. “This is highly confidential. And believe me, it is for the safety of the community that we don’t release this information to the public.”
Gera had heard enough. The man truly was nuts. “Oh really?” she asked sardonically, leaning back in her chair.
“Please, hear me out.” He motioned her forward. “The scientists tell me that if there were to be a mass exodus off the mountain, it could actually cause immediate danger. Something to do with pressure points, calibrations of the earth’s vibrations, undue stress on specific fault lines, and whatnot.” He talked with his hands, indicating movement. He flashed a disarming smile. “To be honest, it’s above my head. I deal with numeric equations, not scientific ones. But I understand the basic principle.”
She nodded. “Like displacement of weight, triggering detonation of a bomb.”
“Exactly! In fact, my friends used that very analogy. They stressed the importance of not causing a panic within the community and having everyone leave at once.”
“So, what? You just leave them here like sitting ducks?” Gera scoffed.
Loretta came by with the coffee pot, filling the cup already on the table. The normally vocal waitress looked at them with curiosity, noting their proximity and the urgency within their hushed voices, but she made no comment. The look in her eyes spoke for her. She didn’t trust the banker. Gera didn’t have time to wonder if her distrust was directed to all people in that profession, or him specifically. Grant Young spoke again as Loretta moved away.
“Think of it this way. People in California know an earthquake will happen, and that sooner and later, it will be devastating. The same can be said for the people in Oklahoma and Kansas, with their tornadoes. And for people along the coasts, with the very real threat of hurricanes and floods. None of us are completely safe from the elements, no matter where we live.”
“Okay,” she said with grudging reluctance, “I guess I see your point.”
“So, I don’t have to worry about seeing any of this conversation in print?” He tipped in closer, just enough to make the conversation feel intimate.
“It’s a little late to worry about that now, isn’t it? How do you know you can trust me?”
His eyes were warm. “I just do.”
They had gotten far off topic. The last place Gera wanted to go was to where the look in his eyes led. He was an attractive man and apparently quite the eligible bachelor, but he was at least fifteen years older than she was. And he believed in ghosts.
So does Jake, a voice whispered in her head.
Oddly enough, that last realization hurt, far more than it should have.
She shook her head free of the distractions. “What does any of this have to do with Mac?”
“I think he knows the slide is coming, and in his own unique way, he is trying to save the town. Scare people away slowly, one household at a time, so that everyone is safe.”
“That is a nice theory, I suppose, except for one thing.”
“And what would that be?” He studied her intently, waiting for her valued opinion.
“Abe Cunningham. What was that, a sacrifice killing?”
A frown tugged the corners of his mouth. “That’s a rather crude way of putting it, of course. However, it is possible, now that you mention it. Perhaps Abe knew about the impending slide and wanted to release the study. Abe may have been trying to stop him.”
“Wait. I never said—”
“No, no, you make a valid point,” he murmured. “It would make sense, now wouldn’t it?”
They were discussing a supposed argument between a man and a ghost. No, none of it made sense! Very little in this entire town did.
Instead of answering, Gera went back to her pancakes. Grant drained his coffee cup, his eyes thoughtful.
“Would you care to have dinner with me this evening?” he asked, quite unexpectedly.
“Uhm, I’m afraid I already have plans.” Again, not a direct lie. At some point this evening, she would have a meal and go to sleep. However loose and undefined, those qualified as plans, didn’t they?
“I understand. Perhaps before you leave town?”
“At this point, I can’t make any promises. I have a very busy schedule.”
“I understand busy schedules,” he smiled. “In fact, I have one of my own that I’m sorely neglecting.” He stood from the table and pulled several bills from his wallet. “That should cover things.”
“Oh, you don’t have to—”
Her protest was cut short when Mike Cooper came into the café. Not only was it the happening place in town, apparently, she was in the happening seat. The officer stopped behind her and looked down at her in surprise. “I thought you had an appointment with Chao?”
Gera was proud of her quick reply. “You were right. I would’ve had to drive too fast. I have a one o’clock appointment now.”
“Ah, I’m glad you rescheduled. Drive safe.” He shook hands with the banker as he passed on to an open booth in the back.
Grant Young smiled at her. “Well, Gera, I hope you have a lovely day.” The use of her first name and the warmth of his large hand cupping her shoulder had an intimate feel. “I hope to see you again soon.”
She wiggled her fingers in farewell. “You too, Grant.”
***
“YOU REALLY GO FOR THE bad boys, don’t you?” Loretta said, shaking her head with disappointment. “Poor Jake doesn’t stand a chance, does he?”
The waitress’ tendency to butt in grated on Gera’s nerves. “Two things,” she said, indicating them with her fingers. “First, I don’t go for Grant Young, nor this Billy Bad Boy. Two, what is it with you and Jake? Are you secretly in love with him or something?”
Loretta flashed a toothy smile, propping a hand onto her hip. “Ask my husband, it ain’t no secret,” she drawled. With a flip of her hand, she admitted more seriously, “I just think he’s a sweetheart, is all. He hasn’t had a girlfriend since he came back here to run the hotel. I worry about him being lonesome.”
“I can assure you, if Jake Cody is lonesome, it’s of his own choosing.”
Loretta grinned even wider. “You like him, don’t cha?”
Gera gave her an evil eye. “What, are we in junior high?”
The waitress completely ignored her and launched into a round of advice. “If you want to have a chance with Jake, don’t let him see you getting friendly with the banker. Those two don’t exactly get along.”
“I’m not getting friendly with Grant Young,” Gera denied. “I just met the man yesterday.”
“You sure looked cozy to me.”
Hearing the accusation in the waitress’ voice, Gera surmised, “I’m sensing you don’t like the man, either.”
“You could say that.”
“Anything you’d like to share?”
“I went to school with him. You know the type. Super jock, super cool, super rich, super smart. Super jerk.”
“Really? I didn’t get that impression at all.” In fact, I think he’s really nice, she thought to herself. A complete nut, but nice.
Loretta sniffed. “Maybe having to come home to his old stomping grounds took him down a peg or two. He was a real hotshot, you know, traveling all over the world, making a name for himself in the corporate banking world. Then his father had a stroke, and he had to come back here. To this.” She spread her hands, indicating the tiny little town beyond the plate-glass windows. “You know it had to take some of the piss and vinegar out of the man.”
“That’s commendable though, don’t you think, coming home to take over the family business?”
“Like he had a choice!” she harrumphed. “The way I hear it, that’s one of the conditions of the trust. A Young has to remain on the mountain, no matter what.”
Gera thought of Grant’s tale about the impending slide. Would keeping his family fortune be so important to him that he stayed here, no matter the danger? Somehow, she doubted it. There had to be a legal loophole that accounted for such a thing.
“Anyway,” Loretta continued, “I just don’t like the way he lords over the town, doling out money at his discretion.”
“Well, that’s kind of what bankers do,” Gera reminder her.
“I guess. Me, I avoid the whole lot of them, as much as possible.” She scooped up the bills on the table and counted them out. “Your bill isn’t half this much. I’ll be right back with the change.”
“Keep all of it,” Gera insisted. “Compliments of Grant Young.”
***
THE Cactus Bar stood on the corner, next to First Yavapai Savings. According to Loretta, it was one of Mac’s favorite haunts, and the place she saw him most often.
Gera eyed the elaborate fireplace in the back of the room, situated behind several card tables. Someone said this was where the Tuesday night poker game took place, but the space currently did double duty as a crowded lunchroom.
It seemed everyone favored the place, not just Mac, the one-eared ghost.
Billy Boy Macandie was working today, and as long as Gera was willing to order drinks, he was willing to talk to her.
No surprise after seeing his social media account, but tattoos covered most of his visible skin. They trailed up his long arms and wrapped around his neck, reminding Gera of a snake. Behind the piercings and the ink, she imagined he might be a rather nice-looking man, but it was difficult to know for sure. His hair was dark and cut in a strange wedge that was clipped close and short on one side, left long and full on the other. She wondered if he had trouble finding a hat to fit. Not that he looked the hat sort of guy. Beanies, most likely, and hoodies. Billy Boy was tall and lanky, and no longer a boy.
“Yeah, I saw him,” he said in answer to her question.
“What was he doing?”
“Just walking. Headed away from her car. Then the chick came out, opened her door, and started yelling that her purse was missing.”
“How did you know it was Mac?”
“Saw his coat and hat.”
“Did you see his face?”
“Had his back to me.”
“What about when Megan McCracken was assaulted? I understand you witnessed that, too.”
His smile was almost attractive, but his tongue ring was designed like a snake’s head. And like a snake, Billy Boy liked to flick his tongue out. Gera found the habit disgusting.
“I have a one-drink-one-question minimum.”
Gera pulled another bill from her purse. “I’ll take another.”
Billy Boy grinned, flicking the snake her way. “You haven’t finished that one yet.”
She tried to suppress a shudder. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll catch up.”
When he came back with a second glass, he noticed her first was now half-empty. “You’re getting there,” he said with approval. “So, what else did you want to know?”
“Megan McCracken. I understand you saw Mac assault her on the sidewalk, right outside the window.”
“Yep.”
“And?” she prompted.
“And you ain’t finished your drink yet.”
Tired of the game he played, Gera downed it in a single gulp. She refused to cough, no matter how badly her throat burned.
He laughed and pushed the second glass her way. “It was closing time, ‘bout one or so. Megan had just left and was going out to her car. Mac came up and pushed her. She staggered around and fell, right out there.” He pointed toward the windows.
“Are you sure she wasn’t just drunk?”
“Don’t matter. A gentleman should never push a lady.” His grin was lascivious as he leaned inward, a little too close for Gera’s comfort. “Wanna hook up later? I get off at eight.”
She ignored the offer. “It was dark at one o’clock in the morning. How do you know it was Mac?”
He leaned closer. “Take a sip,” he urged provocatively, “and I’ll tell you.”
This drink burned worse than the first. She couldn’t help but clear her throat this time.
He laughed softly. “How did I know it was old Mac?” His eyes danced with mischief and he spoke so quietly, she had to lean in to hear his whispered words. He paused for effect, before stretching out the words, “I saw his coat and hat.”
“Newsflash,” Gera said, matching his delivery. “A lot of people wear coats and hats.”
He had grown weary of his game. Pushing his lanky form away from the bar, he said abruptly, “You want anything else from me, you gotta pay again.”
“Sorry. For no more information than that, your prices are way too steep.”
She stumbled ever so slightly, killing the effect of storming away. Whatever he put in those drinks had been some powerful stuff.
And she still had to drive down the mountain.
