Chapter 9
Nine
E than paid for his lunch at the Harvest Moon Diner and strolled toward the sheriff’s department, saying hello to a couple of residents.
He felt good—his stomach was full. No one bothered him at lunch, which surprised him since that hadn’t happened in a while, plus the town had been quiet.
Although too quiet meant something big was about to happen.
It was a bright, sunny Monday afternoon. Fall was slowly winding down, and soon the snow would fall. Maybe this year, he’d take a trip up to Stowe to visit Kane, get in some skiing, go snowshoeing, and even visit that new brewery that just opened up there. It’d been a while since he saw his older brother, and it would be a treat if all four brothers could meet there.
However, Tanner was busy running the farm, making it difficult for him to get away. Dylan probably could if he didn’t have a show. Sean might if he didn’t have a big security job on the books. Fingers crossed. That would be fun.
“Ethan. On my way to Jane’s farm,” said Adam, who was standing by the door to the sheriff’s department. “Want to come?”
“Are you kidding me?” Ethan pursed his lips in irritation. “What now? Did someone steal a sheep or did a bee escape?”
“Wow. Petty much?” Adam closed the door behind them before heading toward his truck. “Are you coming, or are you going to keep bitching?”
Ethan let out a heavy sigh and followed Adam.
Why was he acting like this? What was wrong with him?
Jane had done nothing wrong. Now he was being an ass to Adam, who didn’t deserve it. Was it because of Corrine? Her leaving still had him unsettled.
Or was it because Jane was a newcomer and had little understanding about the small town she now lived in? Most people here dealt with their own problems unless it was something big. Broken windows weren’t high on the list.
Although he couldn’t help but admire her. She lost her husband, was renovating an old farm, and was finding her way in a new community. He wondered where Jane was on her journey to reconnect to her former self. He was stuck on first base, unable to move forward.
Adam drove down the Mills River Road, passing small and large farms until they reached the junction of Old Mill Road and turned right. They passed Sugarbush Farm, and Ethan waved to Tanner, who was collecting the mail. They turned right into Jane’s driveway.
“Oh, that’s the sign Clarence made for Jane,” Adam said, pointing out the farm sign.
“I’d ask how you knew that bit of information, but I don’t care.” Ethan looked over at the Mountain View Farm sign. “Clarence does great work,” he admitted.
Clarence had captured Elephant Mountain in the background. It was a white sign with black letters, and the mountain was green. Simple but nice.
Jane was pushing a wheelbarrow out of the barn and halted at the sight of their arrival. She shielded her eyes to see who it was.
Adam parked, and they both got out. Ethan adjusted his belt and gun, then put his hat on. “Hello, Ms. Goodwin.”
“Jane, please,” she said with a smile. The smile, Ethan noticed, was for Adam and not for him. Although she did look fine, even with streaks of dirt on her face. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She had on a form-fitting pair of jeans, boots and a blue fleece jacket and looked every bit the farmer.
“Fine. Jane it is. What seems to be the problem?”
“We suspect someone has been in the barn, searching for who knows what.”
Adam walked back from the chicken coop where he’d been looking. “Who is ‘we’?”
“Oh, Bucky.” Jane started to head back to the barn. “I’ll get him. We’re working in the greenhouse.”
“We’ll come with you,” said Adam.
With the men following her, Jane briskly marched toward the greenhouse, her ponytail swaying. A man was dumping dirt into a raised bed and glanced over when they came in. Bucky looked nervous as he wiped his hands on his pants, walked over, and extended his hand.
“Sheriff, this is Bucky Marsh.”
They shook hands, and Ethan looked around the greenhouse. It wasn’t huge, maybe ten by thirty feet, built onto the side of the barn. Shelves and benches were already laid out. Black flats and pots were ready for seeds. Bags of dirt and compost were on the floor. A water source was on one wall, and since it was cold in the winter, another housed a heater. The glass windows let in a lot of afternoon light.
Ethan wondered if Jane had found a boyfriend already, although this guy looked a little rough around the edges—definitely no stranger to hard work or hard luck.
His jeans were worn, especially around the knees. He topped them with a black Henley and quilted plaid shirt. Bucky’s hair was light brown streaked with gray, short on the sides, longer on top, and his blue eyes were void of emotion. There was something that bothered Ethan about him, but he couldn’t pinpoint it.
“Why do you think someone’s been in the barn?” asked Adam.
“Well, things have been moved around, and when I was leaving the other night, someone ran out of the barn and into the woods,” replied Bucky.
“Did you stop and follow them?” asked Ethan. “Could you tell if it was a man or woman?”
Bucky shook his head. “No, I couldn’t tell. It was dark, and they disappeared.”
“Let’s take a look,” said Ethan. They followed Bucky into the main barn.
Bucky pointed out the locations where tools and equipment had been moved. “Also, these feed barrels have been pushed aside.”
Ethan gave Adam a look. Did they really come out here just for this? He noted that things had been moved, but was that it?
“Hmmm, there’s not much we can do about this, Jane. Nothing seems to be damaged,” said Ethan, while Adam walked around the barn.
“What about the person Bucky saw running into the woods?” she asked.
“Probably kids,” he huffed.
He looked over at Bucky, who had assumed a casual pose against the barn wall.
Jail. That was what was bothering him. Bucky had been to jail. “So, Bucky, how long have you worked here?”
He shrugged. “About a month.”
“Are you from around here?”
Bucky stared at Ethan’s hairline. He refused to make eye contact with him. “No. I’m from Massachusetts.”
“I didn’t know that.” Jane turned to look at him. “Where?”
“Framingham,” said Bucky.
“How did you find Beaver Creek?” Ethan asked. Gah, it felt like pulling teeth to get this man to talk. Ethan was getting more and more suspicious.
“My dad used to come up here to fish.”
Humph. Okay, a lot of people vacationed up here.
“Bucky helped me gather the sheep when they got out,” said Jane. She looked over at Bucky and smiled. “He’s been a great help.”
Ethan was about to ask another question when Jane abruptly pulled out her gloves and put them on.
“I’m sorry if I bothered you. Bucky and I have a lot of work to do. Thank you for coming.”
Ethan was speechless. Jane called them and now was outright dismissing and pushing them out. God, the woman was rude.
He and Adam walked out and got into the truck. “What’d you make of this mysterious person who moved items and ran into the woods?” asked Adam. He turned the truck on and reversed it to face the road.
“I don’t know what is going on there. Running into the woods is suspicious. Could be kids or maybe someone looking for something specific. I have a feeling we’ll be back,” Ethan replied.
“Bucky seems a little squirrelly. I hope Jane knows what she’s doing hiring him,” said Adam.
“Yeah,” Ethan replied. “I have a bad feeling about him. I think ol’ Bucky served time. There’s a medium security prison in Framingham. He’s pale, probably just got out. It’s always the eyes that give them away. Vacant. I’ll check him out when we get back to the station.”
“Strange that he moved up here,” said Adam. “Although if his father came up here to fish or hunt, it would make sense that he’s familiar with the area. I wonder what he’s doing at Jane’s farm, though?”
Ethan was wondering, too. Did Bucky really see someone, or was he the one looking around? If so, for what?