Light Me Up

“Never you mind. I’m worried about Jean, you know, Tucker’s wife. She doesn’t know if they can survive until the insurance payout. And what if they don’t pay out? I mean, arson is tricky, you need to find a culprit so the insurance company is appeased. I know they always suspect the owners in these types of things, they never want to pay a dime.”

My mom was on a tangent but something jostled in my brain while she spoke. It just didn’t jostle enough for me to remember it. My mind searched for answers, going over everything she just said, trying to jog my memory.

“I feel just awful. He’s always been a bit of a strange one, but Jean is just a doll. You know she brought me flowers and a casserole after my surgery. So kind. So I just feel awful for her. She said she’s afraid Tucker’ll going to go off the deep end after all this, you know like last year.”

Last year.

“Wait, what?”

“I said Jean is worried about Tucker and the insurance money.”

“No, what about last year?”

“Oh, you remember when he got caught dumping waste in the inlet? Over in Marshallville? What a lunatic, he was in the wrong, but he caused a riot, acting like they were persecuting him. Got charged for resisting arrest, tried to punch the officers, can you imagine? You need to make sure you stay safe out there, you never know how crazy a person is.”

That was it. He was arrested in a town about twenty miles north. We didn’t collar him, so I didn’t remember at first.

“He had some trouble after that, right? With the Coastal League.”

“Oh sure, they protested over at the mill and Jean said they did some kind of social media campaign against him. I mean, I don’t know what he was thinking, dumping all that waste in the inlet like that. I know the Coastal League gives you a headache, but I’m telling you, we’ve only got one earth. We have to protect our environment. I told Jean as much, and she agreed with me…”

Tucker Pyle found himself the target of the Coastal League. And Jim Dugan was well-known for playing fast and loose with the law. He’d been cited multiple times for not keeping his commercial boats up to code, and was known to fish out of season and in protected waters. He was a nuisance and everyone thought so, certainly the Coastal League did too. But I’d forgotten about Tucker’s run-in with them. We might not have a specific suspect yet, but this could be a potential motive.

I needed to get to the station. I stood up, cleaning my trash away and putting my plate in the sink.

“I’m sorry Mom, I gotta go.”

“What? You just got here.”

“I have to check on something at work. I’ll come back soon.”

“Bring barbecue next time.”

“You got it.” I leaned down to kiss her cheek again. “Love ya, pretty lady.”

“Love you too, son.”

* * *

It was after eight, but I called Dane on the way back to the office to tell him I might have a lead. He agreed to come back in right away. I looped in Miller too, so we could all be on the same page.

When I arrived, they were both already there, waiting in my office.

“Hey guys,” I said as I took a seat.

“Hey Sheriff. What’re you thinking?” Miller asked as he sat in the chair in front of my desk.

“Well, I might have found a motive. Dane, I know this isn’t your responsibility after turning in your report, but I wanted to involve you in the investigation as much as you’re interested. We’re a small community with a lot of land and I figure the more eyes on this, the better.”

“I agree, and I’m here to help. However you need me.”

“Thanks, man. We could certainly use your expertise.”

He nodded in response.

“So what’s this about a motive?” Miller asked.

“Both of the properties damaged in these arsons are owned by men who’ve been the target of the Coastal League.” I paused, knowing it was flimsy, but damn more than we had yesterday. “We know chapters in other cities have been found to resort to violence and crime to get their message across.”

“You’re right, boss. I found no solid connection between the two men when I interviewed them. But that’s a lead.”

“Yeah, it sure is.”

“I’m lost, what are we talking about here?” Dane asked.

“The Coastal League is an environmental group.”

I thought about how hard Sara worked for them and my stomach turned. I didn’t want to seem like I was messing with her pet project. I know how important it was to her. But I had to follow leads wherever they took me. I tried to be diplomatic as I explained the situation to Dane.

“They do some good things, like raise funds for beach clean ups and teach about water pollution. Basically just trying to keep our coast clean and safe. But there are chapters all over New England and some of them are run by some scummy people.”