Coulson's Crucible Read online

  “Probably a good thing, I have a feeling Jimmy would be pissed if you started hitting on his girlfriend.” Tommy sat on his bed holding a guitar, attempting to tune the instrument.

  “According to Jimmy, they’re just good friends. Why, has Alex said something different?”

  “No. I just figured the kid is always hanging around her. I know if I was spending my Christmas vacation hooking up some girl’s tape player, she’d be more than a friend.”

  “Why do you get pissed when I make cracks about your kid sister, but you’re okay with the possibility my brother is hitting on her?” Ryan turned from the window and sat on the floor.

  “Probably because I don’t worry about Jimmy. I don’t think he’s a match for Alex.”

  “Not sure how I feel about that.” Ryan laughed. “But you’re probably right.”

  “Did Russell ever call you?”

  “No. You?”

  “No. I guess he has more important things to do than hang out with old friends.”

  “Yeah, well he is a Harvard boy now,” Ryan said in his best New England accent.

  Garret Coulson silently observed the interactions of his family. The day after Christmas, they gathered in the living room of Coulson House, while Gladys served an informal brunch. He watched as his mother congratulated Russell on his new girlfriend.

  “She’s a lovely young woman. I’m so pleased she could spend Christmas with us,” Vera told Russell.

  “Fine family, excellent connections,” Randall had mentioned when Alicia was out of earshot. He slapped Russell on the back, congratulating his grandson for his wise choice.

  Even Harrison Junior seemed to find Alicia an acceptable match, although his comments were primarily whispered to his younger brothers when no one was listening, something along the lines, “I bet she’d be a hot little fuck. Have you done her yet?”

  Of course, Sonny boy didn’t dare voice such crude praise when his own fiancé, Shelly, or his parents or grandfather might overhear his comments. The three elders were equally charmed with Shelly.

  Garret could not stomach Alicia or Shelly. In his opinion, both women were spoiled, self-centered, and shallow. He prayed Russell would come to his senses. Since it was only his first year of college, there was hope. What made him nervous was how his parents encouraged the match and would probably be delighted if Russell married the girl before finishing college.

  He rather hoped his older brother married Shelly. It would serve him right. But if both women became his sister-in-laws, he didn’t imagine future family gatherings would be pleasant. Garret suspected that if Alicia and Shelly were put together in the same room for a prolonged amount of time, they would start sharpening their claws—probably on each other.

  “Aren’t you going to see some of your friends while you’re in town?” Garret asked Russell when the two were standing together on the edge of the living room having a private conversation.

  “Not really any time. You know Mother.”

  “True, she loves to plan her little parties. But you always found time for your friends before. Just surprised me, since this is your first time back in Coulson, and you’ll only be here for a few days.”

  “I just don’t have time. And I realized a while back, people change and move on. My life’s different now, and I don’t really have anything in common with my old friends.” Russell sipped his mimosa.

  “What about your history with them?” Garret asked.

  “A person can only spend so much time talking about the good old days.”

  “Does this mean you aren’t moving back to Coulson after graduation?”

  “That’s quite a ways down the road. And don’t forget, I may not be as lucky as you when they pull my lottery numbers.”

  “I imagine Grandfather can get you out if you get a low number.”

  “I wouldn’t do that. Dad didn’t use Grandfather’s connections to get him out of the service.”

  “Well, like you said, that’s a ways down the road. And I hope you don’t do something stupid like me.”

  “What do you mean?” Russell asked.

  “Rush into a marriage.”

  “Garret, your marriage, well, that was an entirely different thing. I’m in love with Alicia.”

  “How do you know? You’ve only known her for, what, four months, if that?”

  “Mother and Dad seem to like her a lot. So does Grandfather.”

  “Please Russell, don’t rush into anything. Finish college and then think about marriage, if that’s what you want to do.”

  Chapter 29

  Barreling down the dirt road, windows open, and the music of Simon and Garfunkel blaring from the speakers, Alex steered her van toward Sutter’s Lake while Jimmy sat in the passenger seat. Katie sat in the backseat looking out the window while tapping her hand against her knee in rhythm to the music. Unseasonably warm for December in Coulson, there was no need for jackets.

  Tommy and Ryan had already left the house by the time Jimmy was finished installing the tape deck, so Alex didn’t invite them to come. She doubted Tommy would be interested, considering they didn’t run with the same crowd, and Alex’s friends were all in high school.

  Once they reached the lake, it didn’t take them long to find the campground with their friends. Someone had already started a campfire and was roasting marshmallows when they pulled up and parked. Without taking an actual head count, Alex guessed about twenty of her friends had shown up.

  Getting from the van, she was greeted by Mickey Davidson, a boy she had been seeing for several weeks. Without hesitation, he pulled her into an embrace for a kiss, pressing her back against the vehicle. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Alex pulled him closer and returned the kiss with equal fervor.

  Jimmy stepped from the van and paid little attention to his old friend, who was busy exchanging gropes with her current boyfriend. Spotting a girl he had been wanting to ask out he smiled and walked in the girl’s direction. Katie slipped from the van and casually walked passed her sister, who was still kissing Mickey.

  When the kiss finally ended, Mickey and Alex walked hand in hand to the campfire where Katie and Jimmy were sitting with friends. Mickey sat on a camp chair while Alex sat on his lap.

  “Hey, Alex,” Katie said. “Want to hike up to the caves later?”

  “I started walking up there when I first got here,” Mickey said. “But the paths are all wiped out.”

  “I bet it was from that rain storm last week,” Jimmy suggested

  “What do you mean? That was just a sprinkle,” Alex said.

  “Not on our side of town, and I heard Sutter Lake got hit pretty hard,” Jimmy explained. It wasn’t unusual to hear about pockets of rain, hitting one area of Coulson hard while it remained dry across town.

  “Well, I’m game for a hike. We’ve been up in these hills enough times to be able to find our way by landmark,” Alex said.

  After a considerable amount of discussion, it turned out only six people from the group were up to a hike, which included Alex, Jimmy, Mickey, and Katie. The other two hikers were Jane Hilton—the girl Jimmy had his eye on—and Stanley Fields—a junior, who had his eye on Katie. Before heading out, the girls visited the public restrooms then met the boys on the path leading to the caves.

  “Must have been one hell of a river,” Alex commented as she stepped over a tree limb, which blocked the washed out pathway. She wasn’t wearing a watch, but judging by the location of the sun and the time they had left her house, she guessed it was around 2 p.m. A little breezy, she was beginning to regret not bringing a jacket.

  “Shit, there must have been a hell of a lot of water coming through here.” Mickey surveyed the area, while stepping over storm placed debris.

  Alex glanced over her shoulder and smiled. Trailing behind them were Jimmy and Jane. Jimmy was obviously making a play for Jane, and by the girl’s flirtatious smile, it looked as if she was interested. Katie, being high energy, had raced ahead, with Stanley by her si
de. Considering the time of year, Alex wasn’t worried about stumbling over a rattlesnake. The area had mountain lions, but she’d never known of anyone who’d actually seen one of the elusive wild cats in the area.

  They had been hiking for about fifteen minutes when Alex heard it—a piercing scream coming from her little sister, Katie. Without hesitation, Alex and Jimmy took off in a full run, dodging fallen tree limbs and misplaced boulders as they made their way to Alexandra’s little sister. Jane and Mickey sprinted after them.

  The sound of Katie’s scream drifted to the campsite, and moments later the rest of the group raced toward what appeared to be a cry for help. When they arrived, they found the six hikers standing a considerable distance from what had once been the hiking trail. Katie and Stanley had wandered off from the pathway, bringing them to what had provoked Katie’s outburst.

  It didn’t take long for the newly arriving teenagers to see what had prompted the scream or what now held the mute attention of the six hikers. Running water had moved the dirt covering what had obviously been a shallow grave. Visible to the teenagers was the skeletal remains of a man, if one was to judge by the tattered suit it wore.

  Twenty minutes later, back at the campground, Jimmy used the payphone to call the police. Alex and Katie returned to the campsite with several others, while the rest of the group stayed by the gravesite until the authorities arrived. Katie, still shaken from stumbling upon the horrific discovery, allowed Stanley to comfort her. They sat atop a picnic table, observing the activity from a distance. While the gravesite was out of their view, they watched as police vehicles arrived and parked nearby.

  Not long after the arrival of the police did the rest of their group return to the campsite, chased away from the gravesite by the authorities. Instead of going home, the teenagers watched from a safe distance, each speculating on who the corpse might be.

  “Shit, I bet it’s that guy who stayed at our motel,” Jimmy said.

  “What guy?” Katie asked.

  “They pulled his car from the lake. Remember, when Mike drowned,” Jimmy said.

  “I remember that,” Alex said. “You mentioned the guy had stayed at the motel.”

  “Yeah, I don’t really remember much about him. Other than he used to give Ryan and me candy for not bugging him.”

  “Who was he?” Katie asked.

  “According to Dad, they thought he was a hitman,” Jimmy said.

  Randall Coulson hung up the phone’s receiver. He looked across the desk to John Weber, who had been sitting silently listening to Randall’s side of the conversation. Earlier that afternoon, Randall told his family he was going to his office to get some work done. No one reminded him it was the day after Christmas.

  “That was the chief,” Randall explained, picking up his cigar.

  “So I gathered.”

  “Looks like last week’s rain did more damage than we bargained for.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I wouldn’t be surprised if those two FBI guys show up again.” Randall puffed on his cigar.

  “Did they ever talk to Vera?” John asked.

  “No. And now that you mention it, they never talked to Sonny either. You still have that photo of Marino?”

  “Yes.”

  “Give it to me. And then destroy any files you have on that son-of-a-bitch.”

  Within an hour, Randall Coulson was back at Coulson House and alone in the library, waiting for his eldest grandson.

  “They said you wanted to talk to me?” Sonny asked, as he and Shelly walked into the room. Randall looked up from the desk.

  “Shelly, if you don’t mind, I need to speak to my grandson alone for a moment. It’s family business. I won’t keep him long.”

  “Certainly.” Shelly flashed a smile at Randall then gave Sonny a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving the room, closing the door behind her. Sonny walked to his grandfather and sat down.

  “Sonny, do you remember this man.” Randall handed Sonny a photograph of Anthony Marino. Holding it, Sonny studied the picture carefully and frowned. Randall was the only member of the family who sometimes called Harrison Junior by his childhood nickname.

  “No, who is it?” Sonny set the photograph on the desk.

  “You met him before you left for Europe. We were having dinner at the Roseville and he sent over a bottle of champagne to our table.”

  Sonny picked up the photograph again and after a moment smiled.

  “That’s right, the man who flirted with Mother up at Clement Falls. I remember.”

  Randall sighed and took back the photograph. He looked up at his grandson.

  “Harrison,” Randall began. “I want you to listen very carefully to me. It’s possible someone from the FBI will want to interview you regarding this man. I don’t want you to remember anything beyond the bottle of champagne he sent to the table. I don’t want you to say anything to them—or anyone, including Shelly—about the man flirting with your mother. Do you understand?”

  “Why” Sonny asked with a frown.

  “That doesn’t matter. The less you know the better. As far as you’re concerned, you remember he sent a bottle of champagne over to our table, but you can’t remember anything about the conversation because your thoughts were on your upcoming Europe trip. Do you understand?”

  “I don’t really understand. But sure, I won’t say anything about him flirting with Mother. To be honest, I vaguely remember the guy.”

  “Good.” Randall stood up and walked to the fireplace in the library. He tossed the photograph of Anthony Marino into the flames and watched it burn, until there was nothing left but crumbling ashes.

  “What is this about, Harrison?” Vera asked as she walked into her bedroom. Ten minutes earlier, while in the sunroom visiting with Shelly, her husband had whispered to her that she needed to come upstairs immediately, alone. She suspected something strange was going on. First Shelly tells her Randall returned home and wanted to speak to Sonny alone, then Harrison is summonsed to the library for a private chat with his father.

  “Shut the door, please,” Harrison told her, as he paced the room.

  Looking curiously at her husband, she shut the door then walked toward him.

  “It’s about Anthony Marino,” Harrison explained.

  Looking as if someone had punched her in the stomach, Vera sat on the wicker chair next to her bed and looked up at Harrison. “Did he come back?”

  “In a matter of speaking.” He stopped pacing and faced Vera. “Some teenagers found what was left of him, buried in a shallow grave not far from where they found his car.”

  “Are they sure it’s him?”

  “They just found the body about an hour or so ago, so I don’t imagine they’re certain of anything at this point. His wallet was with the body, and according to the identification, it’s Marino. I imagine they’ll run some sort of tests to verify the remains are his.”

  “But how can we be sure it’s him?” Vera’s eyes filled with tears.

  “Vera,” Harrison snapped. “It’s him.”

  Vera’s eyes widened, and she stared at her husband. She didn’t respond immediately.

  “What do you want me to do?” she finally asked.

  Harrison sat on the side of the bed next to the wicker chair. Reaching out, he took Vera’s hands in his and held them as he looked into her eyes.

  “It’s possible the FBI might decide to start asking more questions, and that note he gave to Russell could come up again. You weren’t here the last time, but if they start asking questions again, I have a feeling they’ll want to talk to you.”

  “What do you want me to say?”

  Harrison could feel her trembling as he held her hands. “Stick to the story that you met Marino only once, at the restaurant when he sent the champagne over.”

  “If they ask why he sent the champagne over, what do I say?”

  “That he was trying to ingratiate himself to our family. Tell them you tore the not
e up after I found it. If they ask about why you left town, repeat the story that you fell in our driveway and injured your ankle and then went to the private clinic for treatment.”

  “But what if someone remembers seeing me talking to him at Clement Falls… and the one time I talked to him on Main Street?”

  Harrison considered her question a moment before answering.

  “If they happen to come across someone who remembers seeing you talking to him, don’t act overly concerned. Brush it off by saying something like you don’t remember seeing him before but that it is always possible you’d passed him on the street. I know strangers have asked me for directions before, and I couldn’t tell you what they looked like the next day.”

  “Thank you, Harrison.” Vera gave him a sad smile.

  “Thank you?” Harrison frowned, uncertain what she was thanking him for. Vera leaned forward and brushed the side of his face with her right hand.

  “For taking care of me. In spite of all that I’ve done, you’ve always been there when I needed you.” Vera leaned closer and brushed a kiss over Harrison’s lips.

  Resting her forehead briefly on his, they closed their eyes and said nothing.

  Chapter 30

  Russell was in the sunroom saying his final goodbyes to his family before leaving for the airport with Alicia, when Gladys announced two agents from the FBI were here to see them.

  “That was quick,” Randall muttered under his breath.

  “Who do they wish to see?” Garret asked. All members of the Coulson clan were gathered in the sunroom, including Shelly.

  “I’m not really sure, sir. They told me they needed to speak to Mr. Coulson and when I asked which Mr. Coulson, they said all of them.”

  “Show them in,” Randall told her.

  A few moments later Gladys brought the two men into the room. It was Agent Carmichael and Stephens. Harrison and Randall recognized the men.

  “It’s been a few years,” Randall greeted, putting out his hand first to Carmichael and then to Stephens. “I understand you found your missing hitman.”