Unwelcome

"Stay back," Collin said and added, "The edge might give way under your feet. They're about fifteen feet down the line," and he pointed straight ahead.

"They were under the trees?"

"Those trees haven't been there all that long. Planted on top of the graves within the last couple of years I'd guess."

Ellie and I had a tight hold on each other as she said, "Oh honey, they must be your relatives."

"Probably. They didn't abandon the farm, they were murdered and buried right here."

"I'm so sorry Ben."

"It's okay, their just too far removed in our family tree, but I'm sorry for them and their immediate family."

"But their belongings. I mean their clothes and personal effects were gone."

"And buried with them maybe. The person or persons that killed them no doubt did that to make it look like the family had just disappeared. The dishes on the table might have been in preparation of a future meal, not knowing they were about to be murdered."

"Look at the...the whatever those things are and things buried with them though. Why would the killers bother to do that?"

We heard the sirens far in the distance as I told Ellie, "I don't have a clue about any of this. Hell I can't even identify some of what I'm looking at. Okay, the police will be here any minute, so study and remember as much as you can, and later you and I can see if we can figure out what we're looking at."

We backed away and I punched in Ennis' number as the first State Police car appeared. "Sheriff's office," I heard.

"This is Ben Whitehead out on Yancy Road and we have just discovered two bodies on the farm. If Ennis is there, he'll know who I am."

"The old Whitehead farm?"

"That's the place."

"Somebody is already on the way to you."

"Thanks," and I put my phone back in my pocket. The State Police barely glanced at us before they made their way over to the burial site. We had another fifteen minutes to stand there and stare until a detective Unger arrived and we went inside to talk to him. It took us half an hour to discuss my possible relationship to the victims, and how I came to be there and to own the house. Ellie and I weren't suspects, so it was an easy going interview, and without the baggage of grief to deal with, it was all matter of fact and efficient.

"Detective Unger, will it be possible for us to see any of the effects that were buried with them?"

"Possibly, but for what reason?"

"Just hoping we can make some sense of this in terms of family I guess. There has to be a reason those things were buried with them, so those items must have some meaning. With some knowledge of those items, maybe through old memories and discussion we can connect some dots and provide some peace for those that were close to them."

"If nothing else, as things settle down, perhaps I can get you a list of identified items and some photographs."

"We'd appreciate whatever you could provide us with."

"So you're restoring updating and improving in hopes of turning a profit."

"Right. I really do like it here, and it won't be all that easy to part with, but I'll have well beyond a hundred and fifty thousand invested, so I won't have the option of keeping it forever. At the moment I'm real estate poor."

"Well I hope the rest of your restoration goes much more smoothly than this part is going."

"We do too. We're on a self imposed deadline of sorts and this doesn't help us with that at all."

As soon as the detective left I called Hugh and told him about the bodies found on the farm.

"Oh shit Ben, your relatives?"

"We don't know, but we see that is a very good probability. I wanted you to know just in case you didn't see me for a couple of days next week. I better stay here because nosy people are going to try to be all over this place once the word is out."

"No kidding. Well be safe, and above all and good luck."

"Thanks." Then I called Ted and gave him the news before I put my phone away.

"Are you really going to stay here Ben," Ellie asked me.

"I really am."

"Then I'm going to town and get you some things. You won't even have coffee or linens that could be considered clean. Everything in the house is dusty and smells of old smoke."

I wrinkled my face and said, "I know."

A sheriff's car pulled in and the officer went straight out to join the others. He finally came back and we were waiting, because he'd surely want to talk to us. "Hi, I'm Officer Sorensen, but call me Buddy. The sheriff will likely be here very soon, but I wanted to stop and check with the other officers. We'll be working closely with them of course."

"Nice to meet you Buddy. This farm sure is full of surprises."

"No kidding. I'll leave it to the Sheriff to talk to you, but if you need anything at all, just ask for me, and just for the record I don't buy into the rumors about this place at all."

"That's good to hear. We don't either, but we have to remember there are others that would just as soon see these buildings just disappear. I don't know what they think should happen to this despoiled land."

"If it wasn't so serious, I'd see it as a bad joke. But it's my job to serve, so I have to be very circumspect about my comments."

"Well thanks for introducing yourself Buddy, and it's comforting to know that there are at least a few that haven't taken leave of their senses."

"Nice to meet you too. I don't think the Sheriff believes those tales either, but he and I don't get into discussions about any of that."

Once he was gone Ellie said, "I didn't get the feeling that he exactly admires the good sheriff."

"That's how it struck me too. Not from what he said, but by his face and the inflection in his words." The good sheriff never did put in an appearance.

Chapter Twelve

Most of Collin's crew moved their efforts to the barn, so the up side of the disaster of finding the bodies was Ellie and I would see a lot of progress made in the barn project.

Hardly a day went by that Collin and I didn't talk either by phone or in person, and most of those conversations involved the barn. The house project was pretty much pre-determined. The front of the house and the porch would be returned to its original look, and we'd worry about the living room and dining room furnishing later. The custom additions and improvements had to go in first, so those details were nearly complete. Near the end of the day the police packed up and left, and the last of the trees were finally removed, and that whole area graded and smoothed. I had a couple of portable flood lights compliments of Collin so if I heard anything I'd be able to illuminate the front or back area. It wasn't the best night's sleep I ever had, but not the worst, and I wasn't bothered by anybody trying to explore the scene of the crime or whatever the hell it should be called.

The weekdays seemed to drag for me, but staying busy at the office helped a lot. Ellie and I didn't see each other through the week, but I'd be at the farm by Friday night and we'd be inseparable all weekend.

Ennis had been surprisingly quiet through the whole disaster of finding my relatives buried in my backyard, but that was likely because he had to be very careful. He wanted to be sure he'd be reelected.

As I sipped coffee for the first time in my kitchen, Ellie came in with a bag of breakfast goodies from McDonalds. "I know this is totally unhealthy, but it's food for us." She put the bag on the table and asked me, "Did anything happen last night?"

"Not a thing."

"Good for you. I fell into bed and I don't think I moved all night."

Between bites and sips of coffee I said, "Let's go to Cookeville for lunch."

"Ben, I can run into Sparta and get us something. That's a lot closer and faster."

"I want to get on the internet and look something up."

"Oh. Well if it weren't for this crazy town we could just go to my place and do that."

"Do you have a garage?"

"A carport."

"Oh. Well could I get inside without being seen?"

She smiled and said, "I think that would work. Let's forget about Cookeville."

"Thank you honey."

That plan had great merit until a state police car pulled in and two officers got out and came to the backdoor. I opened the door and the shorter one said, "We'd like to look around the area if you don't mind."

"Of course not, have at it. Do you have anything that you'd be allowed to share with us?"

"Not right now. The victims will be autopsied of course, but we don't expect to learn a lot that we don't know. We have a lot of tedious but necessary things to look into."

"I'd never have the patience for that. Anyway, help yourselves. We'll either be in here or out in the barn."

"What's in that smaller building behind the barn?"

"Empty. I didn't really study it because I don't care if it's there or it falls down, but when I toured the property I glanced inside and didn't see anything."

"Okay, thanks," and they turned and walked toward the area behind the barn.

Ellie was close behind me and asked, "Why would they care about that building?"

"I haven't a clue. Let's see...the line of trees would just about line up with that building but...well that takes me nowhere. It has a dirt floor, but...that doesn't mean anything either. Oh well, that's their problem."

"I wonder what was in those bags they hauled out of here after the bodies were removed. I mean other than the odd looking items you and I saw."

"Could be soil samples or anything small. The big stuff they covered and hauled out like they were more bodies. Let's go see how much they got done in the barn yesterday."

"They made a lot of noise out there."

I unlocked the door and opened it far enough for us to enter and I almost walked into a small trailer that was no doubt full of Collin's equipment. We both saw them at the same time. "Oh wow," Ellie said, "Look at the stairs. They're perfect."

"Collin said they would go up fast. They look rustic and...hot damn, look at the handrail. It's a long sapling he picked up somewhere. He stripped the bark and fit it to the stairs. Damn he's good."

"The loft is going to be so cool." We went up and looked around, but there wasn't a lot to see. They were in the process of running wiring but that was all there was to see up there. We locked the door behind us and went a few feet before we saw one of the officers go to their car with a small bag of something. Ellie stopped and put her hand on my forearm as she said, "What could they possibly find out there?"

"I haven't a clue." Then the second officer appeared with another bag. He waved and said thanks again and they left without comment.

"This could get creepy. They found things out there that to us didn't exist."

"Let's go out there and look."

There was nothing to see except trampled weeds. We walked around and I peeked inside of the shed and said, "Honey, they found something buried in here."

"What?" and she came up behind me and peered around my arm. "Oh my god. This is going to drive us nuts not knowing what's going on."

I closed the door and turned around before I saw something in the trampled weeds. I bent down and said, "Oh shit, look at this baby."

She squatted down next to me and I pointed at the little shiny green square. "Can you see it?"

"Yes, but I can't believe it."

"I'm not touching it, but we both know what that means."

"Oh god, that raises all kinds of possibilities."

"What the hell do they call those little zip bags? I'm not even sure, but I think it's for cocaine. I guess I should pay more attention to the drug world. I do know it's bad news though. So my relatives were either using or selling drugs, or so it would seem."

"Well if they dug something up in that shed big enough to go out in that bag, then I'd think they were dealing."

"So maybe we were firebombed because they...whoever they is, didn't want us to discover this secret."

"But they...the guilty ones are dead now."

"But there may be others that were associated with my kinfolk."

"I don't like this very much at all."

"Well they have to be very careful now because the eye of the law is going to be on a lot of people and this place." I smiled and pulled out my phone and punched in the number that I should have put into my speed dial. "Yes, is it possible to have Officer Sorensen call Ben Whitehead when he has a minute?" I listened and then said, "Yes, tell him it's quite important." I smiled at Ellie, said thanks, and put my phone away. "Now honey, want to have some fun while we wait for the call?"

"Sure. Ben, what are you up to? You're grin tells me to be wary."

"We're going to carry that silly chair from the living room to the loft."

"What would we do that for?"

"I'll explain more as the day progresses."

"Now don't do that."

"Patience my love."

Chapter Thirteen

We carried that high backed chair out to the barn and up the new stairs to the loft. "Here is fine," I said and we set it down. "Okay honey, sit down, and what do you see?"

"Well I'm looking down the length of the loft."

"Right. Now sit straight, your crown on just so and your arms on the armrests with your fingers curled around the rounded part of the armrest. Feel a little like royalty now do you?"

She smiled and said, "I feel pretty silly."

"You look regal love. Okay, now you're wearing a long wrap around skirt and the fabric is open from ankle to hip. Oh you look so sultry and desirable. You're breasts are firm and proud...well just as they really are actually, and in front of you are a number of men and women and all adults, but of varying ages. They like how you look and the men are admiring your sexy exposed thigh. You have power over them." Then I kissed her and knelt in front of her. "Ellie, you do have power over me. You are so important to me honey."

She leaned forward and we kissed again before she said, "Ben, I care for you so much it scares me." I pulled her to her feet and we stood there in an long silent embrace. We settled down a little and she smiled and asked me, "What was that little scenario about?"

"That was a clue to what I'll share with you after we get back from your place."

"You shit."

"Royalty doesn't talk that way. You'd have me imprisoned instead."

"Now wouldn't that be funny, a small jail cell up here. What a conversation piece that would be. Honey, I don't know what you're up to, but thank you. You are so sweet and so caring," and she kissed me again. My phone rang and I said, "Well damn, talk about bad timing."

I put it to my ear and heard, "Hi, it's Buddy, what's going on?"

"Buddy, when you have a minute could you stop by? I want to show you something we found."

"Sure, I'm just north of Sparta now, so give me about fifteen minutes."

"We'll be out by the barn."

As I put my phone in my pocket Ellie asked me, "What are you up to?"

"I'm not even sure. Our overly friendly sheriff has been conspicuously absent. He never even showed up when the bodies were discovered. He probably has his hands full with the weirdoes though. We both seemed to be impressed with soft spoken Buddy, so why not get him more involved and see how he handles himself."

"Well our friendly sheriff is big on pandering to the locals. I question his skills as a cop, but he's a great bull shitter."

"That's the first you've spoken against him."

"Oh I have nothing against him I guess, but it's like he has occasional flashes of brilliance that can disappear into the darkness of mediocrity."

"That isn't a very flattering assessment of him."

"That's just how I see him. I agree with you though that it could be interesting to see how Buddy handles himself. Personally I don't trust anybody right now, because things just aren't adding up at all. We have the just discovered drug connection, and not surprisingly nobody is talking. The best that we can say right now is we aren't suspected of anything. We've had bodies in the backyard and we have a lot of people fearful that we're either plagued by, or maybe even are, evilness personified. My friends in town are boiling with curiosity, but at the same time they're a little afraid to be around me too much right now."

"I'll bet you're sorry you got tangled up with me now."

That bought me a very nice kiss before she told me, "You couldn't be more wrong."

"Once all of this is settled, and by damn it will be if I have anything to say about it, we'll miss the excitement."

"I'm ready for a more normal life. This situation is too stressful and distracting. We should be spending time talking about and working on things like your furniture. Normal things that normal people in normal situations might talk about."

"I hear what you're saying. Okay, let's walk out to the barn again." Then I stopped and asked, "How did the bad guys dig that long trench to bury the bodies and all of that crap? That would be far too much to dig by hand and there are is nothing like a tractor or anything like that. Where did those things go? Did they sell them before they were killed?"

"They probably didn't do anything that would justify having a tractor."

"I suppose that's possible, but...well look at the sixty acres. Somebody was keeping it mowed if nothing else, or there would be things like sumac or those little cedars that seem to pop up from nowhere, and supposedly the land hasn't been touched in years. It's ready to be plowed and used so there had to be farm tractors and implements."

"I see what you're saying."

"There isn't so much as a hand shovel here."

"This whole situation is just getting more confusing."

"To me at least, that has to mean there are locals involved somehow. Who is involved is anybody's guess."

"So everybody in Sparta and the surrounding area are suspect."

"You and I are about the only ones that can truly be seen as innocent. The sheriff and even the whole department could be in on something. Well Dan and the other commissioners would have to be innocent, because they were so eager to sell this place, where the good sheriff wanted to burn it to the...do you suppose?"

Ellie leaned into me and said, "God, what a mess. That's just too wild for me to even grasp. Let's go to the barn and wait for Buddy and pretend everything is coming up roses."

Officer Sorensen's tires crunched to a stop on the crushed stone and gravel driveway as he pulled close to the barn and got out. We joined him and shook hands as he smiled and said, "This place sure has the town in a stir. So what's going on now?"

"Did you know the state police were here again?"

"When did that happen?"

"This morning. Of course they told us nothing, but they left with two bags of something from behind the barn."

"Show me would you?"

"We'll do more than that Buddy. We'll show you what we think they found." Ellie and I led Buddy around to the shed and we stopped as I pointed down. "Look close because it's a soft green mixed in with the trampled green weeds."

He saw it almost immediately and said, "Well check that out," and he smiled. "So they took something out of here."

"The first bag held something that appeared to be heavier because the officer held one hand under the bottom to support it, while the second back appeared to be light, or even empty, but that wouldn't make any sense. Oh, and if you look in the shed you'll see where they dug something up."

Again Buddy smiled and said, "So they weren't just poking around, they had an idea of what they were looking for and where to look for it. It would seem our partners in the fight against crime are holding out on us little county po-lice." I smiled at his intentional drawl as he ended his sentence and he added, "Okay, so you wanted to talk to me about the state boys coming to visit, but I was the one to find this little baggy in the weeds. Now I'm gonna sort of wait a couple of days and then I'll make this discovery on one of my visits here. I need time to think about this and decide what to do. You two doing okay?"