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SIXTY-ONE

MARCH 2023

Whatcom County

The storage unit listed on the piece of paper Lucas had taken from Len Thundercloud’s trash was the last one on a row of units. As he had expected, most of the businesses were closed, with the exception of the tire place. The unit on the bill was shuttered and looked like it hadn’t been in use for some time.

He drove past it and pulled to a stop outside the tire place. A beefy guy with red hair wearing blue overalls sauntered out, giving his car a look up and down.

“Help you?” the guy said. He had a surprisingly high-pitched voice for a guy who had to weigh better than two-ten.

Lucas badged him. The guy didn’t look too perturbed, which meant he probably wasn’t the owner. He confirmed that when asked, and told him his name was Kayce Wallis.

Lucas asked Wallis if he had seen a black Nissan pickup truck recently.

He shook his head. “You mean a customer, or just in general?”

“Either.”

“Sorry, can’t help you.”

Lucas pointed over at the shuttered unit. “You know who owns that one?”

Shrug. “Think it’s vacant. Guy was there clearing it out a couple weeks ago.”

“Can you describe him?”

Wallis looked over at the unit, calling up the memory, then looked back at Lucas. “Average height, maybe forty, dark hair. I think he had acne on his face.”

Lucas nodded. Wallis wasn’t telling him anything he didn’t already know, but he seemed to be open and honest, which was good. He took his phone out and got Len Thundercloud’s DMV headshot up, then held the screen out for him to have a look at. He tilted his head, thought about it, and said, “Yeah, that’s him.”

“Ever see him before last week?”

“Not that I remember.”

“I don’t suppose you have a key for that unit?”

“Sorry, guess you’d have to see the landlord for that.”

“You know if he’s rented it out yet?”

“Don’t look like it.”

Lucas smiled. Wallis wasn’t falling over himself to be helpful, but he respected his straightforward manner.

“Thanks for your help.” Lucas peered over his sunglasses. “You look a little familiar. You ever…help us out with anything?”

Wallis met his gaze and gave him the answer he was half expecting. “I did some stupid shit in my younger days.”

“But not anymore, huh?” Lucas said, looking beyond him at the garage.

“No, sir.”

“Good man. I’m just going to have a look around, you mind keeping an eye on my car?”

Wallis gave his car another look over and shook his head slowly. “I don’t mind, sir.”

Lucas walked over to the empty unit and examined the fresh padlock on the door. It was new, and it was definitely locked. He would try the landlord later but he didn’t expect to find anything back there.

He walked around the back of the units. There was a partly asphalted road that petered out into a dirt track. He walked fifty yards along the track to see beyond the trees that encroached onto it and saw another structure with wood siding and a corrugated sheet metal roof. A faded sign advertised Jessup & Co Salmon Cannery .

Lucas turned and looked back toward the back of the line of units. He could hear the high whine of some kind of power tool from the tire place. No other signs of life. He took his phone out and googled Jessup & Co. Nothing came up other than a local history website which mentioned the place had closed in 1972.

He walked the rest of the way to the structure. The siding was rotted near the ground and the roof was rusty and holed in places, but it had weathered the last half-century well, considering. The front door was sealed with a sheet of steel that looked as though it had probably been there since ’72. He walked around the back and found another door. This one wasn’t sealed. And it had a padlock on it.

A new padlock, just like the one on the unit.