Moving Ice

By Mike Combs

This story set in the tourist belt of Upper and Lower Michigan will satisfy your need for a quick, exciting read.

When new store owner Bill Davenport’s store get broken into, Mitch Armstrong and his company assist the State Police in capturing the culprits responsible.
Another Info. Inc. Detective story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 2, 2023
• ISBN: 9781669876335

Book preview

Copyright © 2023 by Mike Combs.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 05/02/2023

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

851586

Contents

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

(10)

(11)

(12)

(13)

(15)

(16)

(17)

(18)

(19)

(20)

(21)

(22)

(23)

(24)

(25)

(26)

(27)

(28)

(29)

(30)

(31)

(32)

(33)

(34)

(1)

Michigan is a beautiful state, and you owe it to yourself to visit if you haven’t had the chance. If you enjoy the outdoors, this is the state for you. The state offers many activities: hunting, camping, hiking, and color tours in the fall; golfing, skiing in water and on the snow, and snowmobiling in the winter; and, of course, fishing all year round. This is what Mitch Armstrong, and his friend Mac Tekker were doing in one of Mitch’s father’s rental boats. Fishing….. Fishing and talking.

The office of Info Inc., owned by Mitch Armstrong and his best friend Wendy Alstott, was busy these days. The local news had reported how Mitch’s company was critical in solving a series of murders in the city of Hillston. The media had dubbed them The Dark Cloak Murders due to the long coat the man was wearing during his crimes, along with some crooked insurance dealings that went on earlier in the year. Business had never been better, and he was considering hiring his good friend Mac Tekker as an investigator.

Mac had been in the security business overseas and recently came to Hillston due to some deaths in his family. The two men had met each other while serving in the military overseas, and Mitch had assisted in the investigation of Mac’s uncle’s murder. They both were athletic and around six and a half feet tall, they could handle themselves well under pressure. The two of them had some touch-and-go episodes with the Taliban, but they made it out with a few scars. Mac had stayed over in Iraq working after Mitch got out.

Mitch was a state trooper for a few years before striking out on his own. Now the two men were fishing off the shores of Lake Michigan, near Mitch’s family’s sports shop in Hillston, Michigan. They were trying to iron out some issues: wages, what vehicle Mac would drive, that sort of thing. Mitch’s dog Sophie, a Golden mix was lying in the front of the boat, soaking up some nice warm sun.

You won’t get rich, but you will stay out of trouble, said Mitch. Info Inc. has 16 cases pending right now, with three about to finish up. Mitch, Wendy, Mac, and Sophie planned to meet later at Mitch’s parent’s house for a barbeque.

Mitch and Wendy had known each other through school, an ill-fated romance, and were still best friends. With Wendy’s computer skills, and both highly trained in all things related to security, they still made quite a team.

As the friends were socializing, the conversation naturally came around to the new store opening in town. It was unknown what kind of store it would be just yet; construction crews were still finishing the building. It looked like a Knick- Knack type of place to Mitch. One of the places the tourists would stop in to purchase some memento to remind them of their trip to Michigan.

I think working for you could work out, said Mac. I’ll get to see more of Wendy and that sure sounds good!

Mac and Wendy had been sharing each other’s company for about 3 months and Mac thought the world of her. He was ready to take the relationship to the next level but did not want to scare her away if she was not ready. He had rehearsed in his mind a dozen times how he would talk to her about it, but the truth was he was just scared to bring it up.

Wendy was not only super proficient with her computers; she was obsessive with her health. She had also just recently achieved a black belt in martial arts, not a girl to fool around with in a dark alley. She had received a dual scholarship in sports and academics, so she was the total package.

Mitch’s parents owned and operated a sports shop in town. You could buy your fishing bait, and ammo for hunting, or rent a boat, or cabin, this was the place to get it all. It was located just below the Mackinac Bridge, which the locals just called the Mackinaw, or The Mac. The bridge connected the upper and lower parts of the state.

The Armstrong’s were not threatened by any competition because they were the only sports shop in town, and a souvenir shop was nothing to be concerned about.

The Armstrong’s had seen a fancy sports car go through town; very curious, but it’s not like they haven’t seen some high-end tourists come through.

Later, as the group was eating out on the back patio, they saw the beautiful jade green Jaguar V-12 XKE swing through town again.

That’s the car I was telling you guys about, said Mr. Armstrong.

Whew! Mac whistled, That is one pretty car! They all watched as the vehicle rolled up to the newly constructed building in town. A short, bald gentleman got out of the car. He was dressed nicely in some chinos and a dress shirt, with a sport jacket over that. They all watched as the man entered the building.

This, of course, got all of them chattering about the newest arrival in town, cars, and how it would feel to drive something like that around.

That car must fly like the wind! said Mitch.

Oh, you would just wreck it, Armstrong! You better just leave the driving to me, teased Mac. They both, of course, had more than enough experience driving at high speeds in dangerous conditions – and that didn’t include the non-official dune driving in Uncle Sam’s Hummers. They both have had a little time behind the wheel.

(2)

William Bill Davenport had always wanted to break away from his father’s jewelry store and start one of his own. His father and uncles had taught him so much about how to buy, clean, cut, and make fine jewelry. Bill was a certified gemologist and a licensed lapidarist, which meant he knew the gem business inside and out. It was a passion of his, much to the chagrin of anyone who started an in-depth conversation with him on the subject. It wasn’t that he was unappreciative to his father and uncles for all their help and training; he just wanted to make it on his own, and so he scraped some money together to open his store across Lake Michigan from his family’s store in Wisconsin, ensuring he would not take any clientele from them.

The store was shaping up; not real big, but with enough room that if he was successful, he could expand without too much remodeling. Bill liked the Up-North look, a wood and stone exterior, with plenty of granite and marble on the inside. He had come over not only to look at the new place, but also to find a home for himself in town. The options were limited, mostly cabin-style houses on or off the water. Bill was not concerned with size right now; he was single, so he only needed a place for one for the time being.

The jewelry store was shaping up: the huge vault for the loose stones was to be delivered any day in fact, with a state-of-the- art security system already installed. As he stepped out of the building, he noticed a sign in front of the sports shop which advertised cabins. Might be smarter to rent one of those instead of a hotel room near the interstate, at least until I find a house, he thought.

Later, across the street, the little bell that hung over the door of Armstrong’s Sports Shop clanged, telling Mr. Armstrong someone came in while he was cleaning the bait tanks. He walked up front from the back while wiping his hands and noticed the man they all had seen yesterday over by the new store, who was now browsing through the shop.

Help you with anything sir? he asked.

Possibly, said the man. My name is Bill Davenport, and I am opening a new store in town. I was thinking of renting one of your bungalows instead of living in a hotel room until I find a house.

Well yes sir, I have several of them available. Most folks rent for a weekend or a whole week. Haven’t had many people interested in staying full time, though, said Armstrong. I might suggest one that’s on the end, away from the shop. It would be the quietest.

That does sound nice. Would you consider a reduced rate if I sign on a month at a time? asked Bill.

Oh yeah, we can work something out, said Mr. Armstrong. What kind of business are you in, Mr. Davenport? If you don’t mind my asking. Call me Bill, please. Bill Davenport then went on to tell Mr. Armstrong all about his dreams of opening his own shop. He explained the importance of the National Gem and Jewelry Authority (NGJA), which ensured the stores sold gems as advertised.

Regulations require that all gem dealers carry a valid license issued by the NGJA, said Bill. It is an accepted fact that Sri Lanka is one of the largest sources of some of the finest gemstones in the world. The Blue Giant of the Orient, the Logan Blue Sapphire, the Blue Belle of Asia, the Rossar Reeves Star Ruby, the Star of Lanka and the Ray of Treasure all were discovered there! He said with that glazed look only a true enthusiast of any kind can appreciate.

"Wow, so lots of diamonds