Silver Lake

Turner stood in front of his truck on the very same dirt road he had tracked the killer to a day before, the area was much less hot than it had been previously as a large amount of clouds had made the day an overcast one. The cool mountain air blowing against his skin was something he looked forward too every year, the transition between summer breezes and autumn winds. It was oddly poetic, in his opinion, that the seasons should be changing as the town faced the first murder case in over fifty years. The pressure was on from Long Wire to find something, anything, that could give them a chance at making an arrest.

Something about this road didn’t make sense to Turner, if the killer had wanted to kill Emerald Aura someplace isolated there were at least a dozen easier locations to get to. What was more, the road wasn’t marked on any maps, the entryways to it were almost completely overgrown up until the killer’s carriage had gone through them. The victim had been a doctoral candidate, working towards a PHD in geography and geology, but specializing in ley line surveys. This was the type of road she would know, but not her killer… Not unless she’d brought them here before.

“I’m the killer…” Turner mused aloud as he walked forward from his truck a bit. “I’m a hateful angry sonofabitch, big as a house and strong enough to saw through bone… But somehow, I’m not threatening to her…” Turner looked around. “Did she bring me out here, or was this my idea?” The man stopped walking, looking around the sides of the road as he did so. There was something he was missing, something that could be big. “Let’s run through it again… Miss Yearling happens upon the body while searching for the Double Ott treasure, calls us in… We get there, find the body…” The man trailed off, talking to himself would get him nowhere. He opted to try and reset his thoughts by distracting himself momentarily.

From his pocket he withdrew the phone Sam had sent him, he looked it over and unlocked it. There was an indication that he had a message from Sam, but for the life of him he couldn’t figure out how to check it. Setting up the mailbox had been easy, but actually listening to it… Well, it seemed finding Double Ott’s treasure would be easier…

“Wait a second.” Turner said to himself as he looked around the road once more, then took his radio from his belt. “Buckeye, can you look into something for me real quick?”

”Sure, what is it?” The mare replied over the radio.

“The land that the vic was found on, has anyone pulled the paperwork on it recently?” Turner asked as he walked off the road and began looking at the trees, knowing exactly what he was looking for. “Specifically geological surveys, ley line surveys, and so on.”

”I can do that for you quicker, Deputy.” Agendum’s voice cut in over the radio, Turner was about to reply with something along the lines of ‘Take your help and shove it.’. He stopped himself though, this wasn’t about a jurisdictional pissing contest. Someone had been murdered in Evergreen County, his county…

“Appreciate it.” Turner said flatly as he continued looking at the trees, frantically examining each one for what he was expecting to find. Then, at long last, he saw it. Thirty feet from the road, a bright pink plastic ribbon tied around a tree trunk.

”I checked with our records people in Dodge Junction, that entire area was just purchased by Mil and Spec Mining. Geological Survey on it is still pending, but they bought it anyway.” Agendum said about ten minutes later over the radio, Turner examined the ribbon from afar before he approached. He listened to the stallion on the other end, paying attention to every word. ”Let’s see… The Survey was being conducted by… Whoa…”

“Emerald Aura.” Turner finished for him as he stopped in front of the tree and looked it over, now that he had found it he had a bit of an easier time spotting more trees like it through the forest, all of them bearing the same pink ribbon. “How much did they spend on this land?”

”Looks like thirty million bits, they were looking to have it rezoned for mining use.” Agendum stated, Turner reached out and grasped the ribbon quietly. “Preliminary survey said it was worth at least twenty times that in the amount of Alicornium they could’ve mined there.”

“Except the land’s worthless.” Turner said bluntly as he looked over the ribbons. “Just found a survey marker here, it’s pink.” The man quietly lowered the ribbon and started walking back towards his truck. “Before I was a deputy I used to guide ponies through the woods, including a couple survey teams…” The man stepped out onto the road and walked up to the driver’s side, opening it and reaching inside for his rifle. “According to what I heard from them, Survey Guidelines indicate pink survey markers mean minimal alicornium in the ground.”

”So that’s thirty million reasons to kill Emerald Aura, from what I see here Mil and Spec basically invested everything into this deal.” Agendum said in surprise, Turner closed the door to his truck and looked around again. ”Her financials indicate she was paid nearly eight grand a month, most of that went to college though…

“If the land was worthless those juicy paychecks would'a stopped coming in and she could kiss that doctorate goodbye. Doesn't seem like a stretch to think she was falsifying her reports.” Turner began walking back up the road towards the survey marker again. “If she bankrupted her employers in the process our suspect pool just became considerably smaller. Pass this along to the Sheriff, alright? It’s gonna take some double checking by professionals, but I’m gonna see if I can confirm my theory a little more.” As usual, Turner heard the usual quick ‘Roger’ from the radio, leaving him once again in silence as he stood next to the tree.

The man quietly looked at his rifle, he’d charged it to max capacity before coming up here. Down in Silver Lake where he’d charged it, the level of Alicornium was pretty average compared to the rest of the county. Slowly he shouldered the rifle and took aim at a tree around twenty yards ahead of him. With an exhale he squeezed the trigger, prompting the weapon to kick back against his shoulder as it emitted a thunderous ‘Crack!’. He winced in pain, it had been a while since he’d fired a rifle quite that powerful… It reminded him of a .45-70 he’d fired at a gun expo more than anything else. The man lowered the weapon and walked towards the tree, examining the three inch deep hole he’d put into the wood before looking back at his weapon.

Without a word he racked the lever ten more times and walked back to the same spot as before, as his rifle drew power from the Alicornium in the area it was charged he figured that the less Alicornium there was the less effective it would be. If this area was rich in Alicornium the shot would probably go clean through the trunk and vice versa. Calmly the man raised the weapon to his shoulder and aimed around a foot below the first hole, when he fired he barely felt an appreciable kick. It was more akin to a 7.62, and the sound was far less distinct. That was his first clue towards his theory, and as he examined the hole in the tree he found it only went around an inch and a half deep.

“Figures… One of the oldest motives in history.” Turner mused with a scowl as he examined the hole, then looked back at his rifle. Quietly he racked the lever ten more times and began walking back towards his truck, the sound of his feet crunching the pine needles on the forest floor echoing in the area around him. The man came to a total and complete stop when he reached the edge of the road, listening to the area around him. There was another set of footsteps out there, near his truck. The man gripped his rifle calmly and stepped into the open, looking towards his vehicle. There was someone over on the other side of it, what they were doing was a mystery. “Sheriff’s Department!”

The pony stopped and quietly walked into full view, he was a bigger Earth Pony. Unlike most earth ponies he wore clothes, his face displayed a smile but his eyes were cold. Turner quietly walked towards the stallion, still gripping his rifle with each step he took. The stallion had a light blue coat, his mane was crew cut, not a hair was out of place.

“Well… What have we here?” The stallion asked with a rather mirthful tone. “Just the person I wanted to talk to, it seems someone has been trespassing on my land. You, to be precise.” Turner stopped around thirty yards in front of the stallion, looking him over closely.

“A crime was committed on your property… Someone got killed. Can I assume you’re either Mister Mil or Mister Spec, of the mining company?” Turner replied maintaining his distance from the stallion near his truck.

“Mil Spec is my full name, I added the ‘and’ to the company name to give it more weight…” The stallion replied, still smiling like a shark. “And last I checked, Trespassing is also a crime.”

“Yeah, it normally is, where I come from you’d be right and I wouldn’t be allowed out here.” Turner replied, not once letting go of his rifle. He looked behind his truck and sighted a carriage, more designed for streets and city driving than anything else. “But Evergreen County has this neat little law about land with crime scenes on ‘em. Surprised you didn’t know about it, considering you bought property here.”

“We’ll see how that law plays out when my company begins mining here.” The stallion replied with a grin, Turner raised an eyebrow at him.

“You still plan to mine here? Even knowing the land is worthless?” Turner asked, he gestured to the survey marker wrapped around the tree. Mil Spec’s smile gradually faded into a flat expression, slowly he reached into the pocket of his forest green polo shirt and withdrew a cigarette.

“Well, yes… This town is still rich in Silver-” The stallion said as he lit up.

“No, it ain’t.” Turner replied, walking slowly closer to suspect numero uno. “Silver dried up, ain’t no coal, ain’t no alicornium, ain’t nothin worth anythin’ out here.” The stallion didn’t step back as Turner got closer, his grip remaining on his rifle. “You already would know that, wouldn’t you? I mean, you had to have a surveyor, right?”

“Of course, Emerald Aura... She was quite experienced, close to getting her doctorate.” Mil Spec replied, his expression remaining calm as Turner leaned on his truck. The six foot man loomed over the waist high pony like a grizzly bear.

“Was?” Turner asked with a cocked eyebrow. “You know, Mister Spec, I find it quite odd that you didn’t flinch at the mention of a death on your property… Didn’t even ask who the victim was.” The man drummed his fingers lightly against the truck, creating a rhythmic continuous noise. Mil Spec puffed on his cigarette and exhaled, taking a deep drag each time as the pressure mounted. The stallion quietly looked at his fingers, then back at the neutral expression on Turner’s face as he examined the pony up and down. He noticed a couple smudges of makeup under the stallion’s eye, it didn’t match his fur color. “Emerald Aura, she’s your employee?”

“Yes. She’s my chief surveyor.” Mil Spec replied as he finished his cigarette, Turner watched him squeeze the butt and push out the filter which he pocketed… Then crumpled up the paper and dropped it.

“I thought you said she ‘was’ your employee. Past tense…” Turner replied calmly, his fingers still drumming against the metal of his truck as he continued watching the stallion intently. “I’ve been studying your language recently, got grammar on the brain…” The man knelt down for a moment and picked up the piece of paper that Mil Spec had dropped. “You know what else is a crime, Mister Spec?”

“Littering?” The stallion replied as Turner took a bag from his pocket and placed the piece of paper in it. It was very clearly marked ‘Evidence’.

“Murder…” Turner said as he sealed the bag and put it back in his pocket. “See, that’s the crime that was committed here. A real nasty one. Emerald Aura was the victim.” Turner noted the stallion’s facial features, he didn’t even flinch. “Y’all play poker where you come from, Mister Spec?” The man continued drumming his fingers on the truck, Mil Spec continued to look at them more and more frequently, as if he could feel them walking up his back. “You familiar with the concept of a ‘tell’?”

“No… Can’t say I am.” Mil Spec replied, Turner leaned back slightly, tapping the truck with his full hand now.

“Well, it’s this neat little bit of behavior, translates over from humans to ponies… On you guys it’s quite easy to spot, it’s those big expressive faces of yours.” Turner sounded almost whistful, lulling Mil Spec into a bit of a more calm mood. “When we’re stressed, when we’re nervous… When we’re lying… Our tell shows. It’s beyond our conscious control, ain’t that fascinating?”

“Quite… What does this have to do with my mining operation, or Miss Aura?” Mil Spec asked, Turner stopped drumming his hand and looked the stallion square in the eye.

“Well… Everything, Mister Spec.” Turner said with a genuine tone. “A man can lose a fortune if he can’t spot someone who’s lying.” Mil Spec looked around the woods, and then his eyes darted back to Turner’s tapping hand. “I can, though… I grew up with a family of liars, Mister Spec. It taught me to pay attention to detail, which I suspect helped me to learn how to track and inclined me to a career in law enforcement… Like, for instance your mane.”

“It’s short, cut to a strict length and style… Even your name, Mil Spec… I reckon it’s short for Military Specification.” Turner continued, the stallion started reaching for his pocket for another cigarette. “You fieldstrip your cigarette butts, further points to you having some form of military background… But not in the field. Since Mining Companies normally take a while to earn thirty million dollars in profits, I suspect it was family money… You were a desk jockey.”

“How can you tell?” Mil Spec asked in a quiet voice, the area around them was dead quiet, the tension in the air was thick enough it could be cut with a knife. Turner leaned a little closer and wiped some of the make up from under the stallion’s eye, revealing a rather nasty looking purple bruise.

“Because you didn’t cover your tracks…” Turner said with a grim expression, Mil Spec gulped and started to go white. “I was able to track you all the way back here, I found all your fieldstripped cigarette butts, your wagon tracks, your hoof prints, bits of your shirt…” The man stopped tapping the truck, leaving the two of them in deafening dead silence. “I know you ran into almost every tree on your way back because you had no experience running with a night vision spell cast over you...” The man quietly reached to his belt. “Did you even have the decency to knock her out before you started cutting?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking abou-” Mil Spec began, he looked much more rattled, his eyes glued to Turner’s hand as it slowly gripped a pouch beside his holster.

“Did she scream for help? Did she beg? Offer you money? Apologize?” Turner asked in an almost casual tone, his expression just as cold. Mil Spec had never encountered a human before, he’d heard of them, but only now did he know why there was such a fascination with them. Their eyes were the window’s to their souls, Mil Spec could see utter contempt in the Deputy’s eyes. “We have your DNA, we have motive, and we have opportunity… But I’m curious about the how… How could you do something like that to someone while they were still living!?”

“I didn’t know!” Mil Spec blurted out, his heart pounding as he looked at Turner’s hand. The deputy opened the pouch and reached inside. “I… I didn’t know.” The Deputy quietly withdrew a pair of hoof cuffs from his belt. “She woke up almost as soon as I started… I panicked. I didn’t go out there to hurt her, honest… But when she told me what she was doing with the Survey, after I’d already bought the land… I flipped out and hit her, I thought she was dead so I tried to… Well...”

“Mil Spec, I am placing you under the rest for the murder of Emerald Aura.” Turner said as he pushed the stallion up against the truck and cuffed his forehooves. “You have the right to remain silent, if you give up that right anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law… You have the right to an attorney, if you can’t afford an attorney one will be appointed to you by the court. Do you understand these rights as I’ve recited them to you?”

“I do…” The stallion said with a small sob. “I didn’t want to hurt her… I was just so… Angry.” Turner started moving him towards the truck and pushed him into the passenger sheet, then he slammed the door shut and walked around to the driver’s side.

“Sheriff… It’s Turner, I got him.” Turner said as he climbed in and started the truck… “He confessed to everything…”

”How’d you get him to do that?” The Sheriff replied, Turner briefly looked over at the stallion who was crying before he looked back to the radio. Thoughts flashed through his mind, days long forgotten about were brought back to the forefront. Truth be told, he had taken a tremendous gamble, the stallion easily could’ve lawyered up. The Deputy had momentarily let his urge to find the killer blind him, it was only by providence that he had been correct.

“I did something stupid and it paid off…” Turner replied in a bitter tone as he put the truck in drive and began driving down the service road. “I got lucky and didn’t fuck up, but it could’ve gone wrong in a bunch of ways... I can assure you though… I won’t let it happen again. I’ll explain more when I get there.” In truth, he had had a hunch about Mil Spec when he first saw him… What followed was a mix of bluffing, praying, and pulling bits and pieces from the police procedurals that he had seen growing up. It was reckless and stupid… But at the same time, if he hadn’t followed his hunch a murderer would still be free. At the end of the day, Turner was just glad the whole affair was over… It wasn’t like murder was common in Evergreen County.