CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Back inside the inn, their hostess was already setting out breakfast for them. She reminded them of Mama Irene with her stained apron and gray hair tied up in a bun.

"Didn't I tell you boys to leave the food last night?" she said, looking at them.

"Yes, ma'am, you did. But where we come from, that's not how guests behave. We help, and we do our fair share of chores. We're a lot. We know that. If you need anything done around here, let us help," said Kev.

She stared at the men, shaking her head. She liked these boys. They were polite, quiet, handsome and paid their bill upfront.

"Well, if you're offering, I'll give you a discount on the room rate if someone could chop some wood for me. I always need firewood, and it's getting colder."

"No need to discount the rooms, ma'am," said Rett. "We'll make sure you have enough wood for the entire winter and make some repairs to your woodshed."

"Well, now," she smiled. "That would be worth an extra pie for dinner."

"Told you I liked her," smirked Alec.

"What are your plans for today? You don't strike me as leaf peepers."

"Leaf peepers?" asked Alistair.

"Folks who come up here to see the changing of the fall colors. We get lots of them, although it's getting late for that."

"Oh, well, we're definitely not leaf peepers," smirked Alistair. "We're here to find someone. Something actually. In fact, you might be able to help us."

"Sit," she said, nodding at the huge table. She set the last of the dishes down and took her own seat. "What can I help you with?"

"We're going to trust that you'll keep this quiet," said Tailor, "but we're looking for some men that are making drugs in the mountains."

"You boys do drugs?" she frowned, glaring at them.

"No, ma'am. Not even for a headache," said Alistair. "These men are creating a drug that will kill people and has killed people. More than that, they're targeting some friends of ours."

"Well," she nodded, "I hate to say it, but it wouldn't be the first time in these mountains. West Virginia's a beautiful and complicated place. We've got people who prosper in their respectable businesses, go off to college, work hard for their families, and then we have the few. The few who give us a bad name.

"Coal mining is all some of these mountain folks have ever known. It's dirty, dangerous, kills a man one way or another. He either dies in a collapse or explosion or dies from the lung diseases caused by the mines. These young men around here, they get bored and want money fast, and drugs are the way to do it."

"We're familiar with the area," said Gator. "We stopped a drug ring once before."

"Are you boys feds?" she asked.

"No, ma'am. We're part of a private investigation and security company," said Dan. She nodded again, eyeing the men. She stood, disappearing into the next room, and returned with three photos.

"These were my boys," she said to them. "Charlie, Mike, and Theo. They all joined the Army right out of high school. I lost Mike first and thought my heart would never be the same again. Seven months later, they knocked on my door again. This time it was Charlie."

"We're so damn sorry, ma'am." She nodded, wiping one tear. "What about Theo?"

"Theo died the hard way. He came home wounded, in pain, suffering from PTSD, and decided that drugs were his way out. He took a handful of pills and left me the next day. I spoke out to our town council, the state legislators. Anyone I could think of. They all said it was a ‘societal' problem. What the hell does that mean?" she asked with tears in her eyes.

"I don't know, ma'am," said Alistair, "but we're going to stop this man."

"Well, you'll need to hike up into those woods in the mountains. There are thousands of square miles for them to hide, and they know the area a helluva lot better than you. If you see a group of young men just standing around, chances are they're waiting on either the drugs or the opportunity to work with the drugs."

"Have you ever seen the movie star Lance Stone in the area?" asked Dan.

"Lance Stone? I haven't seen him, but I heard he was seen up near Mt. Clare. He wasn't doing anything. Just seen going into a store or something silly. I don't pay attention that much. Besides, why would it be odd?"

"What do you mean?" asked Gator.

"The boy is from here. Him and his whole family. Brother, sister, and him. Their parents died years ago. Daddy was killed in a coal mining accident, and his mama died of grief, I expect."

"Why doesn't anyone know that? His bio says he's from California," said Alistair. She laughed, shaking her head.

"Because nobody wants to admit this is where they're from if they're trying to be famous." She stood, stretching her old body and letting out a long sigh. "You boys be careful. I'll have your rooms cleaned and ready when you return. Give me a minute, and I'll fix you something to eat while you're on the road."

They all smiled at her as she disappeared into the kitchen. Alec turned to Tailor and grinned.

"Didn't I tell you? She's like a West Virginia Mama."