The Light Keeper's Legacy (A Chloe Ellefson Mystery) Read Online Free PDF

“Did you decide you need a map?” The visitor accepted a map and wandered off.
    Garrett rejoined Chloe again. “Anyway, Door County’s got ten lighthouses, so it’s a bit of a mecca.”
    “Ah.”
    “And I, of course, consider Pottawatomie the crown jewel. Lighthouse people may quiz you on every detail, but they’re usually fun to talk with.” He sighed. “Anyway, though, every once in awhile we see someone I’d rather stayed home. A salvage diver passing through, or a protester.”
    Chloe frowned. “Protesting about what?”
    “It changes day to day. The park was established just seventeen years ago, in 1965. The purchase was controversial.”
    “Really? People didn’t support the idea?” It seemed incomprehensible. Rock Island was a jewel! Once lost, such places couldn’t be reclaimed.
    Garrett snorted without amusement. “Stop by my office some time and I’ll show you the map of proposed development. It’s an artifact now, but I keep it as a reminder that different people had different visions for the island. Even now, some people don’t want their taxes supporting the DNR.”
    “Really?”
    “Oh, yes. The park is vulnerable to the whims of urban politicians who don’t understand this place. We only use our old truck for emergencies, and for maintenance along the trails. People complain to their legislators that if rangers can drive on Rock Island, they should be able to as well.”
    The very idea of cars on Rock Island instilled in Chloe a sense of panic.
    Garrett worked his jaw. “And a handful of fish tugs still work out of Jackson Harbor. That’s bringing us unwanted attention, too. Some fringe environmentalists want the state to outlaw gillnet fishing. Or commercial fishing altogether.”
    “Outlaw?” Chloe felt her eyebrows rise. “That seems extreme.”
    “Most of the ruckus comes from people who mean well, but don’t understand a damn thing about it.” Garrett rubbed his knuckles. “But one of the reasons the zealots cite for wanting to ban gillnets is that they can snare other species, so it’s … unfortunate that the woman who drowned got tangled in a gillnet.”
    “Yeah,” Chloe said slowly, finally understanding.
    “Nobody wants to see the whitefish thrive more than the commercial fishermen. They’re more responsible than the trophy fishermen who—” Garrett stopped abruptly. “Sorry.”
    “It’s OK.” Chloe had never understood the lure of killing critters just to hang them on the wall, and she’d stopped eating them too. She considered herself an environmentalist, but bottom line: she didn’t know enough about this to take sides.
    What she did know was that Garrett didn’t need any more headaches. “I’m off,” she said. “Here’s wishing you an uneventful day.”
    _____
    Roelke poured himself a cup of coffee. The chief was at a meeting and the clerk was running an errand, so he was alone in the Eagle Police Department office. He’d come in on his day off to tackle a mountain of paperwork regarding a complicated domestic disturbance call. Instead, he was thinking about Chloe.
    He wished he had a clue where he stood with her. They’d gotten off to a rocky start. Just when things were looking good last summer, her stupid Swiss ex had shown up. Alpine Boy had almost won Chloe back.
    Roelke tapped his pencil against the desk. In the past few weeks, since Alpine Boy had disappeared again, Chloe had kept things with him low-key. “After everything that’s happened, I just need some time,” Chloe had told him. “Some space.”
    Roelke had no idea what that meant. What he did know was that he’d met Chloe three months ago and she still couldn’t decide if she wanted to go out with him or not. And that, he thought, probably tells you what you need to know.
    So maybe he should just face facts and move on. Besides, he really needed to buckle down at work. When the full-time patrolman job had opened up a month ago, Roelke and Skeet Deardorff both applied. Roelke