The Problem Child (Emerson Pass Historicals 4)

Viktor

Two days after we sent the men packing, Lord Barnes asked Phillip and me to accompany him out to the old mine where Flynn had cleverly built his distillery. The actual operation was in the old office. Inventory had been stored in one of the mine shafts.

“Years ago, this is where I found Li and his grandmother and little sister,” Lord Barnes said. “It wasn’t fit to live in. They’d almost starved and frozen to death out here. I’d never have imagined it would someday be a place to make moonshine.”

“How did they ever find this place?” I asked. We’d driven for a while down a dirt road. One seldom used, other than for Flynn’s purposes.

“Flynn said he thinks they followed him out here one day,” Phillip said. “One day he heard rustling in the bushes and looked around but figured it was a deer or some other critter.”

“A critter all right,” Lord Barnes said. “Two of them.”

The day before, Phillip and I had come out to pack up the inventory and take it to the club. Lord Barnes had reluctantly agreed after Phillip had explained how it would hurt business to go suddenly dry. Where they would get more was a mystery still, but no one wanted to talk about that at the moment.

Mrs. Barnes had asked that they stop serving altogether, but I had a feeling Flynn wasn't that reformed. All I cared about for now was that he’d been well enough to go home that morning to his new baby and his wife. I hoped for the children's sake that Shannon could forgive him. Having parents at war would be terrible for the them. What other choice did they have, anyway?

Lord Barnes took a pile of rags out of the back of his car. We wrapped them around several sticks and soaked them in kerosene. The area around the old building was dirt and rock, all covered with snow. We figured this was enough insurance that the fire wouldn’t spread, but it still unsettled me.

“The place will go up fast,” Phillip said.

“Good riddance,” Lord Barnes said.

“Should the car be a little farther away?” I asked. Who knew how far the flames would reach?

Lord Barnes nodded before driving his car a ways down the road and coming back to us on foot. “Ready?”

“Now or never,” Phillip said.

We each lit our rag and tossed it into the building, then sprinted away to avoid the blast and the heat. From some distance, we watched the old place light up and burn. Thirty minutes later, it was nothing but a pile of charred wood.

Lizzie had packed us a lunch. We sat in the car and ate to make sure the fire was out.

“Only Lizzie would think to send a meal with us,” I said.

“Everyone has their own way of showing love,” Phillip said.

“Thanks for coming out here with me, boys. This has been a rough time for me.” Lord Barnes opened the picnic basket to pull out an apple. “I won’t be sorry to see all this end.”

“Christmas is coming,” Phillip said. “The best time of year.”

“Before that, the ski competition,” I said.

Phillip sighed. “I won’t be sorry when it’s over. Without Flynn, my workload has increased dramatically.”

“He’ll return shortly,” I said. “Theo said he should be able to go back to work in a few weeks.”

“Just in time for the event,” Phillip said with a touch of bitterness in his voice.

I looked at him closely. Had his partnership with Flynn soured? I couldn’t blame him. Flynn had kept a lot from him.

Lord Barnes took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair before putting it back on. “Phillip, I’ve been thinking. If you’re unhappy working with Flynn, you have my permission to do something else.”

“How could I do that? He gave me such an opportunity. One that supports my family.”

“You make an impressive ski,” Lord Barnes said. “Maybe you’d be more content working with your hands. When you came out, you wanted to build furniture. Perhaps you’ve gotten too far away from your calling. You could run your own shop. Do things your own way.”

“Sounds fine. Very fine.” Phillips eyes sparkled as he looked out over the terrain. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot. Perfecting my techniques. Like you said, I could have my own shop. Sell them to tourists and townspeople.”

“I’d like to help Flynn run things out at the mountain,” Lord Barnes said. “Just for a while. Until he gets back on his feet.”

I wondered how much of it was helping Flynn versus keeping track of him. Either way, it seemed to be a good solution for all.

“You wouldn’t think less of me?” Phillip asked Lord Barnes. “If I’m only a humble woodworker who makes skis?”

“Son, you’ve proven yourself to me time and again to be a fine husband, father, and friend as well as a son to me. It would take a lot more than a wish to follow your interests to dissuade me from my respect and love for you.”

“Thank you, sir.” Phillip cleared his throat and looked away. “I appreciate it.”

“What about you, young Viktor?” Lord Barnes asked. “Are you content?”

“Yes, sir. All I’ve ever wanted was to have Cymbeline by my side. I’ll work every day just to get home to her.”

Lord Barnes smiled at each of us in turn. “My girls have excellent taste.”