Caruso 01 - Boom Town Read Free

bad luck for one year. First the wife; now the son.
    “I’m sorry for your loss,” Tony said. He took a drink of beer and said, “What do you want me to do?”
    “Find out the truth about my son. I know he didn’t do this.
    Sure, he and Barb were having problems. But what young couple doesn’t have a few bumps in their marriage.”
    “His gun was found at his side. What if I find out he did it?”
    Humphrey let out a deep breath, as if that could be the last possible outcome. “Then I’ll have to start accepting that fact. But I know he didn’t. I understand you worked with the police as a consultant after retiring from the Navy. Maybe you could check over the scene, talk with the sheriff.” He hunched his shoulders.
    It was obvious the man was out of his element, and that bothered him. Control was everything to this man.
    “I’ll need some cash,” Tony finally said. “Make the whole thing professional. You’ve checked me out, so you know my fees.
    If the hours add up, I’ll also need a week in September on the Oregon coast.” For the last few jobs Tony had taken, he had gotten a week of timeshare at an Oregon resort for his services.
    Many people in the west had collected timeshares over the past two decades like stamps, and now found them as useless as internet stocks.

    12
    TREVOR SCOTT
    Humphrey nodded agreement and then pulled out his wallet and counted off ten crisp one hundred dollar bills. He handed them to Tony, who folded them into his back pocket.
    “If you need more just ask,” he said. “I want to know what’s going on. Call me at this number at least once a day.” He handed Tony his card with a business number and address for Bend and Portland. Below that he had scribbled another number. Probably a cell phone.
    “I’ll ask a few questions,” Tony said, shrugging. “But nine times out of ten these things are exactly as they appear.”
    “Not this time, Mr. Caruso.” He headed toward the door but stopped before leaving and turned back to face Tony. “And I want total anonymity. Tell no one who you’re working for.”
    “No problem.” Tony opened the door for him.
    Humphrey started out and stopped again. He retrieved an envelope from inside his suit and handed it to him. “That’s a pass card for Cascade Peaks Estates, and some things that will acquaint you with my son and his wife. Might come in handy. I have your e-mail address and cell phone number, and, of course, Joe’s number here.”
    After Humphrey left, Tony went over to the balcony and looked out onto the city lights, thinking a good portion of those were probably there because of Cliff Humphrey. He had a bad feeling about this case. It was stuck down in his gut fighting it out with the India Pale Ale. Maybe he should have listened to his Uncle Bruno and stayed in the hot tub.
    His dog came to his side and rubbed his head against Tony’s bare leg. Panzer was a good judge of character, and even he had growled. Great.
    Right now, at that moment, he wondered how it would be float-ing in the frigid waters of the Pacific.

    BOOM TOWN 13

CHAPTER 3
    Tony got up the next morning bright and early. It was another clear, crisp December day on the high desert. According to the weather guru on the local morning radio show, the temps would reach the mid-fifties.
    Bend, as Tony had quickly learned in the past few days, was a town of two sides, split down the middle by the Deschutes River—a world-class trout fishery, kayak Mecca and star of John Wayne westerns. The east side was Bend’s past, with small bun-galows inhabited by the working class who built high-end Pozzi windows and RVs for the uber-rich. The west side was new Bend—million-dollar houses in gated golf communities—houses owned by displaced Californians and second home owners from Portland and Seattle. Equity movers and shakers.
    Drinking his second cup of coffee zapped in the microwave, Tony sat down at the kitchen table and opened the envelope Cliff Humphrey had