Prime Catch by Ilona Fridl Read Free Book Online

delivering the breakfast trays when Amos returned. Sarah had tidied up the cabin while he was out.
    Tunny turned a questioning glance at Amos. “Slept well?”
    Amos glared. “It was livable. That’s all I’m going to say.”
    Tunny grinned. “You had the couch, eh?”
    Amos said evenly, “We’ll be ready to go at five-thirty.”
    “All right. You’ll probably be happier with some breakfast and coffee in you.” He picked up the dinner trays and left.
    Sarah poured the coffee as he sat at the table. “I told you to take the bed.”
    “There’s some things I won’t do. One of them is not being a gentleman.” He dug into his flapjacks without another word.
    At five-thirty, they were on their way to Alaska King Cannery. The filtered sun sparkled on the waters as they drove along the coast. Amos looked at the Personal from Sitka’s newspaper. Yes, it said something was going to happen at the cannery today. Now, maybe, between the three of them, they could prevent another tragedy and catch whoever was doing this.
    Tunny pulled into the grassy lot that served as a parking area. “The executives should be arriving soon. We can corral them and have them work with us.”
    Amos frowned. “Did you let any of them know?”
    “I told the owner, Travis Johnson, that there was a strange message in the paper for the cannery and that we would watch for any funny business. All of them are going to be here at the same time, so we can talk to them.”
    One by one the men arrived over the next fifteen minutes. Tunny gathered them around. “Sheriff Darcy is here from Juneau to talk to you about the Personal in the newspaper two days ago.”
    Amos faced the men and explained the situation, adding, “I’ve checked in Cordova and Soldatna, and the warnings were the same as the one in Juneau. So far these criminals have taken the lives of three executives. Tunny and I, along with Deputy Lakat here, will stay at the plant all day. We suggest that if you have a daily routine, break it. Don’t go anywhere alone, and be aware of everyone around you.”
    Tunny nodded. “If you see anyone suspicious, find one of us and let us know.”
    The men dispersed, and Tunny turned to Amos. “Why don’t you take the warehouse, I’ll take the canning area, and Miss Lakat, you can handle administration.”
    Amos agreed. “I think we should take lunches in shifts, so there will be at least two on the beat.” He pointed at Sarah. “Lakat, take your break from eleven-thirty to noon. Tunny, noon to twelve-thirty, and I’ll take the last.”
    Amos walked into the cavernous building that looked similar to Polar Star’s. Workers hurried about, putting boxes of cans on great pallets to be picked up by trucks and ships that moved the stock every day.
    After eight hours, the executives were ready to leave. Three of the plant guards were with them. They joined with Amos, Tunny, and Sarah by the administration building, so they could be escorted to their automobiles. Tunny pointed along the fence line. “We’d better keep careful watch in all directions.”
    Amos put his fingers on the handle of his revolver. “All right, let’s go.” Amos’ stomach knotted. Something wasn’t right. He could feel it in his bones. Suddenly, something whizzed past him from behind and he heard a thud. Mr. Orville Jensen went down with a cry, an arrow stuck in his lower back. Everyone hit the dirt at the same time. Amos pulled out his gun and took off toward a patch of trees to the rear of the fenced area. He heard a rustle in the bushes and took the chain link fence in a step and leap. Landing on his feet on the other side, Amos took off to where the noise had come from. Footprints were visible in the soft mud.
    Concentrating on the tracking, Amos felt himself ensnared by something from above. As he cursed and struggled, he became tightly tangled in whatever it was. Tunny and Sarah ran up, and Tunny continued the way the assailant had gone.
    Sarah dropped beside