Stone Cold Read online

  “When was this?”

  “Last summer. He died in August, and we closed the mine for the winter in September. We’re snowbound all winter, and I got the mine equipment ready this spring, but it’s been tough. We mine for a few days and get shut down. Equipment failures, labor issues, paperwork going astray just before site inspections. I can’t get a damned thing done. We’re getting into the season now and I still haven’t got enough gold to pay for fuel. The workers have been paid this week, but I can’t get a delivery of fuel until I pay for the last one.” She wiped a tear away, then sat back in her seat as their food arrived. Maude smiled and placed Katy’s basket of fried catfish and fries in front of her, then placed Stone’s steak down and picked up the empty plate. She could see that their drinks were still half full and smiled before walking away. “I shouldn’t really be spending money in this place, but I just couldn’t face being on my own and opening a tin of something. Sometimes when you owe so much, the cost of a dinner can’t possibly make it any worse…” she said, then added, “Sometimes it’s just nice to drone away to a stranger…”

  “I guess,” Stone replied. “But we’re hardly strangers now that we’re having dinner together.” He sliced off some of his steak. It was an inch thick and rare in the middle. The knife was not overly sharp, but it sliced through easily. Maude certainly knew her way around a griddle. “How did your father die, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  She shrugged, but he could tell that she had not become accustomed to the loss just yet and her eyes seemed sad and distant. “A car accident. He must have lost control of his truck and gone into the river. The point where he crashed is a deep and fast-moving part of the river. Hell, the whole damned river runs too fast, but on that bend it’s like a washing machine.” She sighed, then looked at him, her eyes sparkling once more. “I’ve never done this before,” she said. “I saw you looking at me at the diner, and I liked the fact that I was the object of somebody’s attention. I guess I haven’t had much of that lately…”

  “You’re struggling at the mine,” he said. He shrugged and added, “Look, it’s common knowledge, you’ve even told me more than you probably wanted to, and we barely know each other. That kind of pressure is hard to escape.”

  “You know about pressure? Sorry, but I had you down as a drifter who uses fake names in hotel registers…”

  “I have a past,” Stone replied. “But this is Alaska, it’s a prerequisite, right?”

  “Well, that’s the truth…”

  “Pressure breeds mistakes. The thought process is muddled, and you can start to spiral. Like water down a drain. You need to clear your head. And whether that’s getting away from here…”

  “Not an option,” she interrupted. “No time. It’ll only get worse.”

  “Well, perhaps just relieving yourself of the burden with a stranger is a way to get the pressure out, like a vent.”

  “It does feel better to talk, I must admit.” They ate in silence for a few minutes, and then she said, “Did you feel that?”

  “What?”

  “That moment when we just didn’t speak, but it was OK.”

  “My mom and dad didn’t speak for years…”

  “No, silly. I meant that it felt OK because it just was.” She smiled. “Really comfortable.” She reached across the table and touched his hand gently. “I feel like I’ve known you for years, and we’re just getting reacquainted.” In truth, Stone could not remember having ever felt this comfortable and relaxed with a woman. His last real relationship had been with someone he had helped, the two of them bonded together by circumstance and fate, but after the demons had been slain and life had been returned to normal, their fire had extinguished, and life had taken them in different directions. Stone smiled. This experience was all new. “So, what are you running from?”

  “Nothing.”

  “No, you’re definitely running from something. Most people come to Alaska because it just didn’t work out for them anyplace else, and then find they were in fact, only running from themselves. They didn’t have problems. They were the problem.”

  “How’d that work out for them up here?” Stone asked between mouthfuls. “I’m guessing not very well.”

  “You’d be correct on that count. The same old shit happens because they were in fact part or all their previous problems. That is why Alaska is so full of lost souls, contentious people. Don’t get me wrong, there are some good ones too. The best I have ever known. But largely, Alaska being the end of the line or the last resort, they end up bitter and twisted. That’s my take on Alaska, anyway.”

  “Been far to get a comparison?”

  “I studied on the east coast. Then, I trained in law and practiced in San Francisco.” She paused and took a sip of beer. No moustache this time. “What about you?” Stone smiled, took a mouthful of steak, and chewed slowly. “Oh, I get it,” she said knowingly. “Too soon?”

  “Probably always will be,” he replied. “I have a few things to work through.”

  “Don’t we all?” She looked up as a man entered and stood at the bar. The man looked around and held up a hand when he saw her. The man had not seen Stone from his position at the bar and the angle of the booth. “Damn,” she said quietly.

  “Problem?”

  “Duke Tanner,” she replied. “He’s been hassling me to sell my land and the mining rights to him.”

  “Sell your mine?”

  “Yes.” She paused. “Sorry, this won’t take long.”

  Stone pushed his plate forward and looked up at Duke Tanner as he approached their table. Six-four, two-twenty and with hands like dinnerplates. Stone had seen him before, held a shotgun on him while the two men who had robbed him had been ushered away like naughty children.

  Lame Horse. I need it done. No witnesses…

  Chapter Four

  “You…” Duke Tanner stared at Stone indignantly.

  “Can I help?”

  “I’m here to talk to the lady.”

  “Well, the lady is at my table.”

  “You were lucky earlier,” Tanner sneered.

  “Earlier?”

  “At the bar,” the big man frowned.

  “The bar?”

  “Near this place,” Tanner snapped. “You know where the damned bar is!”

  “Why was I lucky?”

  “You had a gun on me, and you had cover.”

  “That was you?” Stone stared at him. “Sorry, you don’t have any sort of presence that I would remember, or a distinguished face for that matter. I kind of looked right through you just then.” He paused. “I guess you get that a lot. So, you’re here to settle a score. Man to man, with fists.” He looked at Katy and said, “I’m sorry, I’ve just got to step outside for two or three minutes with this guy, probably a bit less. I’ll just finish my steak first…”

  “Asshole…” Tanner glared at him, took a step forwards but Stone did not move. He looked down at Katy and said, “Who’s your friend? I wouldn’t go getting too close to him…”

  “I’ll do what I want, Duke. And the answer is still no. No, I won’t sell. Not the land, not the mining rights and certainly not to you. Good night.”

  “Last chance, Katy…”

  “Or what? The land is legally mine; I have the permits in place. So, you won’t offer again? Great, then you can stop harassing me.”

  “I think she’s made it clear,” said Stone. “Go on outside, I’ll be right out when I’m done here. Get some stretches in, I wouldn’t want you pulling a hammy…”

  Tanner shook his head at Katy, then turned on his heel and stormed across the bar and out into the motel foyer.

  “Jesus, he’ll be mad now,” Katy said quietly.

  “Who the hell was that guy?”

  “Duke Tanner. He owns Macintosh Creek. It’s one of the largest gold mines up here.” She paused. “And it backs right onto my claim.”

  “How long has he wanted to buy you out?”

  Katy pushed her meal aw
ay from her. She had lost her appetite. She looked at Stone and said, “Forever. And especially since my father took the core samples. They were life-changing, or would have been, had he lived long enough to mine the ground. He had labor problems, trust issues, so he never said where he had drilled the core samples. He just rented the specialist equipment and did it on a Sunday. Not many mines operate on a Sunday around here. The miners need a day a week to rest. But not my daddy. He mined seven days from April if the weather broke early enough, through to September. Duke Tanner has been like a dog with a bone since daddy died. He knows that I haven’t got the money to mine unless I can get on the gold to recoup costs. But he has the resources. He just won’t stop hassling me to sell.”

  “I know nothing of mining,” said Stone. “But it sounds a great way to lose yourself. Head down, a target in sight.”

  “Many people come here to work a season. But only the fools stay and buy up gold claims…” she laughed, then looked at him seriously. “You’re not seriously going to fight him, are you?”

  “I’m sure I will,” he said. “But not tonight. Tell me, is there an auto parts store near here?”

  “Right here in Lame Horse. Fuel station and garage down near the river.”

  “The fast-moving one you told me about?”

  “No, another one. We have plenty of rivers up here. This one is in Lame Horse and it’s more of an estuary. The auto parts store is near the bank of the river. It’s a good store and does repairs, too. It has a good selection of everything to keep a vehicle on the road.”

  “I’ll pay a visit tomorrow.”

  “You have car trouble? Anything serious?”

  “I hope not,” he said. Between talking and eating and Duke Tanner’s interruption, Stone had lost his appetite. He had cleared most of his steak, half the fries and a few mouthfuls of coleslaw. He put his knife and fork together and pushed his plate aside.

  “You shouldn’t underestimate Tanner,” said Katy matter-of-factly. “He’s a tough guy.”

  Stone nodded, but he had known tougher for sure. But he consciously checked himself, knowing that he had always had a side to him that people would describe as cocky. He had always thought of it as belief in himself. There was no stock to be had in self-doubt. Step into a boxing ring thinking you will lose, and you will be on the canvas looking up at the lights and hearing the count. Stone had never entered a fight doubting he would win. He had certainly been beaten in the past, but he had always got back up and carried on. He had served in the Airborne Rangers and a recon unit before being recruited into the Secret Service. And he had been in the company of enough tough guys to know that he was one. “The man’s parting comment sounded more like a threat rather than that it was your last chance, and he wouldn’t be offering again. How many men work for him?”

  “A dozen or so.”

  “I think I met two more today…” Stone told her of his chance encounter, the theft of his vehicle and Duke Tanner getting between them. Katy listened intently, frowning as Stone described them to her.

  “They don’t sound like anybody I know on Tanner’s team. I don’t know why he would employ anybody who has shown dishonesty, let along blatant grand theft auto. I mean, when you’re digging gold out of the ground, you want good people around you.”

  “Do you have good people?”

  She pulled a face. “I have people I trust, and then there are a few question marks above some heads. My foreman worked for my father, but he also goes fishing with Duke Tanner when the salmon are on. It’s a small community, spread over many miles. People have known each other for years.”

  “Do you live at the mine?”

  She nodded. “Sort of. I sleep there in a basic cabin. But I have a bolt hole for when it gets too much. Many of the miners live in their RVs and trailers for the summer. There are a few guys who drive in most days, but it’s difficult when they work twelve or fourteen hours and then face a hundred-mile drive on these roads. So, some of them camp a few nights a week in tents, then get back to their families when they haven’t had such a tough day.”

  “And what about morale?”

  “We work hard, and there’s not much gold in the pan. So, I guess it’s pretty poor,” she replied solemnly. “I’m running out of time. I don’t have much money left and bills need paying. The workers know there’s not much chance of a profit share while we fail to get to paydirt.” She paused, sighing heavily. “I’ve been coming into town to get away from it all. I should be sat in my cabin eating beans and saving every penny, but I just can’t face it on my own…” She sighed again and looked at her watch. “This has been nice,” she said. “But it’s on me. I’ve used you like a therapist. Here you are just passing through and trying to lose yourself and I’ve bent your ear for more than an hour,” she smiled. “It’s getting late, and I don’t like the drive at the best of times, let alone in the dark.”

  “I’ll see you to your car,” he said. “He dropped three twenties onto the table to include the tip and said, “But it’s on me. No arguments.”

  Stone walked her through the restaurant and foyer and out into the chill Alaskan night air. Katy’s truck was parked near his own. “Your tires!” She exclaimed. “They’re all flat!”

  “That auto parts store will come in handy now,” he said.

  “You knew…” She paused. “Who are you?”

  “Why?”

  “You clearly got the better of two guys and Duke Tanner this afternoon, and then again in the restaurant. You weren’t scared, and he’s a big guy. You seemed to enjoy antagonizing him. And you knew that he would damage your truck.” She paused. “Trouble has followed you around, hasn’t it?”

  “I’ve seen my fair share.”

  “What will you do now?”

  “I’ll crawl to the auto parts place in the morning and get a new set of rubber.”

  “And that will be an end to it?” she asked somewhat dubiously. “I can’t imagine that. So, you’ll just fix the tires and move on?”

  Stone looked at the tires and smiled. “Thanks for the company,” he said.

  She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. There was no sense in escalating it, it was meant as an affectionate thank you and he took it that way. “Maybe I’ll see you again, perhaps on the way back down when you realize that you can’t truly run away without forgiving the past or atoning for it.”

  “Maybe I’ll grow a beard, wear plaid shirts and live in the woods.”

  She rubbed his day-old stubble and gave his cheek a little tap. “No, you look pretty good as you are.” She walked to her truck and said, “Goodbye, Rob. And if you pass back this way, stop by and I’ll definitely buy you dinner back.”

  Stone watched as she started up the big truck and trundled out onto the road. Right for up the coast, left for the lower forty-eight states. He looked back at the ruined tires and headed for his room. He had already figured he would stick around for a few days. At least until he had bumped back into Duke Tanner and worked out compensation for the tires. He headed across the dirt carpark and realized he would have words with Duke Tanner sooner than he thought. Standing in the shadows between rooms ten and twelve, the big man stepped out into the dim orange light from the covered porch running the length of the building.

  Stone kept walking. Right up until three more men stepped out from behind the gable end of the building and lined up beside their boss.

  Chapter Five

  “You owe me for four new tires,” said Stone.

  “You just don’t learn, do you?” Duke Tanner sneered. “What’s your business with Katy McBride?”

  “That’s my business, and no business of yours.”

  “She’s vulnerable after her father’s death. I’d hate for someone to take advantage of her.”

  “Like you, you mean?”

  “You know nothing. I’m looking out for her is all.”

  “She doesn’t want to sell. Not to you, not to anybody.”

  Duke Tanner shook his hea
d. “She doesn’t know what she’s doing. She’s a rank amateur. She’ll ruin herself trying to do what it takes people a lifetime to learn.”

  “So let her ruin herself. Let her fail and buy her mining rights when she’s bankrupt.” Stone paused. “But you don’t want that because you know something, and you just can’t wait to capitalize on that. And if she doesn’t sell to you, then she’ll sell to somebody else and that puts you back at square one.”

  Tanner stepped closer. At around six-four and two-hundred and twenty pounds he was a big man. And as a big man, he was used to getting his own way, but Stone could see in the man’s eyes that he would normally have intimidated his opponent by now, and there was a level of uncertainty there. Stone himself was around six-feet tall and packed into a two-hundred-pound frame. He worked out daily and considered himself match fit. Tanner had weighed Stone up earlier and elected to bring along three friends. As far as Stone was concerned, the man had already showed his weakness. A fear of losing.

  “I want you to leave town,” Tanner said coldly. “Hit the road and keep on running from whatever the hell you’re running from.”

  Stone nodded. “You’re a big man, Tanner. And I’m sure you’re tough, too. But you haven’t got the smarts for this. You don’t make a man’s vehicle undrivable and then ask him to leave town. Just like you don’t face off a man you know nothing about with three guys who need their arms and legs to pay next week’s rent.” He looked at the three men in turn and then said, “You’ve been warned. Your boss had better have four months’ pay waiting for you and be as good as his word. Because you won’t be working for the rest of the season…”

  “Enough of this shit!” The largest of the three men shouted and charged forward.

  The man leapt off the decking and covered the open ground in three strides. Stone dropped low and shot out a side kick, the heel of his foot connecting with the man’s kneecap. The man’s forward momentum met Stone’s and the weakest point snapped cleanly, sounding like a thick twig being stepped on. The man howled and went down hard, but not before Stone straightened and sent a right hook into the left side of the man’s jaw. The other two men had followed but stopped when they heard the snap. Stone stepped forward and stamped on the man’s right hand. He stared at the other two men as he ground the man’s hand into the dirt like a cigarette butt. The man was lulling between the two states of consciousness and murmured for Stone to stop, but Stone was in a fight four against one and he needed some shock and awe.