“What was She-Guy doing with you?” Service asked.
“He rides along sometimes. He knows the animals and he’s a big help.”
“He says somebody let an animal loose.”
“That’s his conclusion. I’m not so sure.”
“Are you sure you set the trap right?”
“I thought I had.”
“Have you ever had one get loose before?”
“Once, ten years ago. A huge sow managed to bend the metal grates. The weld was bad. That’s the only one.”
“Any sign that this one tried to break out?”
“No,” she said.
“Are you sure an animal was inside?”
“Absolutely. I clean the traps thoroughly after every use. There was scat in the cage and some hairs. The bait was gone.”
“Has anybody else had a similar problem?”
“I heard a rumor that Griff Stinson had one get out on him. He borrowed a trap from Joe and Kathy Ketchum.” The Ketchums were married COs who lived in Newberry. Joe handled the north end of Luce County and Kathy handled the south. Stinson was a bear guide and outfitter.
“Did you talk to them?”
“Haven’t had a chance.”
“Last fall Griff found a bear taken for its gallbladder just north of McMillan,” Service said. “I went over to take a look and I thought it might be the start of something, but nothing more came along.”
“Until now,” Gus said.
“Maybe,” Very cautioned. She was an excellent officer, but not one to jump too hastily to conclusions. As a result, the cases she made usually stuck.
The three officers examined the trap. Service even crawled in to see if he could find a flaw from inside. Bears were not just strong, but extremely intelligent animals who could solve a wide range of challenges. After a half hour the three of them had no answers. Something had been in the trap, but that something was long gone. How was the issue.
“What kind of tracks around the can?” Service asked.
“All rock up here,” Very said.
“The recovered hair sample look normal?”
“Plain old Ursus americanus,” Bearclaw said. “Black as a crow’s behind.”
“Scat?”
“The usual for this time of year, chokecherries and some crab apple fragments. Nothing remarkable. He or she was just working the usual chow line for winter.”
Back at Service’s truck, Bearclaw said, “I haven’t heard anything, but you might give Elza Grinda a call. She gets her fair share of nuisance bears, but you know how she is talking about what she’s doing.”
Service grunted acknowledgment. He had worked with Grinda the previous fall. She had shot and killed a female assassin only seconds before the woman could shoot Service, and he felt deep gratitude to the young officer. He had also learned later that Grinda had been up for the detective job he had gotten and disappointment might have explained her initial reluctance to work with him. But Grinda had come through when it counted and that’s what mattered most to other officers.
“Maybe I’ll give her a call.”
Betty Very said, “You’ll be in a long line of gentlemen callers.”
“I’m offended by sexist innuendo,” Service declared.
“I’m not,” Gus said.
The three agreed to stay in touch and to talk to other officers to see if anyone had encountered a similar problem. Service doubted routine inquiries would yield anything. Whatever they were dealing with was complex and very, very well planned. And Betty Very’s trap escapee might not have a damn thing to do with anything other than bum luck.
On his way back to the office in Marquette, Service called Simon del Olmo on his cell phone. “Any word on Trapper Jet?”
“Arson says it was definitely an arranged deal, not an accident. They have the point of origin, but not the exact cause yet.”
“Jet been around?”
“Nobody’s seen him. I checked his other camp and no sign of him there either. Should we be concerned?”
“Not officially,” Service said.
“Gotcha,” the younger officer replied. “I’ll let the county and Troops know to keep an eye out for him.”
Service had just gotten home when Ralph Scaffidi called. “Did I wake you?”
“No, I just pulled in.” Nantz was standing at the bottom of the stairs, waggling a finger for him to follow her upstairs.
“I got a guy might know something about the business you and I were discussing today. You got a pen?”
“Let me have it.”
“Name is Vaughn Sager.”
“He in the business?”
“You’ll have to ask him. He tries to hit you for grease, you remind him who called him.”