“There’s no need to go into a ruse to get information from him or attempt to trick him into talking. Flanner’s not holding anything back.”
“Are you sure about that? What’s his relationship to Bruce Barnhart?”
“I’d say friendly. Barnhart provides him with a place to hunt and clean water from the tap. When you’re living off the grid, those two things are a big deal.”
“But how loyal is Flanner to Barnhart?”
“If you’re suggesting they’re in cahoots with this murder thing, forget it. Flanner has no motive to kill a stranger. And that’s what Daniel Albrecht was to him.”
“I need to hear it from Flanner, though.”
“Suit yourself. But I’m telling you, Flanner has nothing to do with this. Except for living adjacent to the Trask land, he’s not involved in any way. If we’re headed there, I’d like to stop at the store first and pick him up a few things.”
“Like what?”
“Canned goods for one. I noticed his cupboard was on the bare side.”
On the drive through the countryside, Gemma hoped Flanner wasn’t hiding anything. Her intuition said it wasn’t a factor. But there was always a chance she could be wrong.
When Lando pulled up to the cabin, Flanner was out chopping wood. She raised her hand in greeting, and at that same instant, a feeling washed over her. She knew then she had nothing to worry about from Flanner. On the other side of the car, however, Lando would need convincing.
Flanner put his ax down and walked over to the police cruiser. “What are you guys doing back here?”
“Just follow up,” Lando began. “During the dust-up, after you discovered the body and crime techs were all over that creek bed, I forgot to ask you some routine questions.”
“Like what?”
“We found out the guy’s name was Daniel Albrecht. Does that name ring a bell?”
“Nope.”
“The medical examiner said he’d been dead about a week. The thing is, the man was seen in town on Thursday, two or three days before he died. We don’t know where he was during those few days. Did you ever hear any gunshots during that time? Did you ever see a stranger walking around out here, say Thursday afternoon or Friday, maybe Saturday night, where he shouldn’t have been walking?”
“I hear gunshots out here sometimes. Hunters come and go. Local guys mostly. I know a lot of ’em. Sometimes they nose around on Trask land, sometimes even mine. Not much to hunt though on my land except a few raccoons and squirrels. I only go after them when I’m desperate. If you want anything bigger, then you gotta hunt on Trask property. I got permission. Rabbits tend to hang around the creek bed, maybe half a mile from here. That’s what I was doin’ there the other day, huntin’ for rabbits.”
“So you never saw a stranger lurking around the Trask land last week?”
Flanner paused and scratched his chin. “Nope. Not that I remember. If that guy had been out there that long, Bruce might’ve seen something. You should ask him.”
“Yep. That’s where we’re headed next.”
Flanner looked at Gemma. “Are you still interested in me building you a shed?”
“Absolutely. Once you get mine finished, there’s a list of others who need one.”
“Hard to imagine. You want shelves in yours, right?”
“I think I’d need shelves. Yeah. And I want windows similar to what yours look like. Not the same, just whatever you can find and recycle.”
“Really? Okay. When do you want me to start?”
“As soon as you want to. There’s no rush. But I do have a couple of questions. Do you want me to buy the lumber, or do you have enough on hand? If we’re still trading, then you need to come in and pick what vegetables you want out of my garden.”
“I have a stack of construction-grade wood left at Duff’s. But depending on the size you want, there might not be enough.”
“I’d say seven by seven would work for me. Anything larger, I might have trouble fitting it next to the greenhouse. I want it to be a focal point of the garden. So maybe we could sit down and come up with a few ideas. I really would like you to work on it at my house. There’s no one home during the day. I’m sure my neighbors wouldn’t bother you.” When she saw how his face fell, she quickly added, “Just think about it. Okay?”
“We’ll see. I’ll need to figure out the logistics anyway. I could carry the cut lumber from Duff’s to your