Episode 1: Fresh Cuts

Seeking a fresh start in Turners Grove, former journalist and dog walker Evelyn Carlisle takes a job with the local conservation office, where signs of illegal tree cutting on protected land awaken her investigative instincts. After crossing paths with Theo Lambert, an enterprising walking tour guide, and wildlife biologist Jordan Bennett, who shares her concerns, Evelyn suspects someone is illegally cutting valuable trees and covering their tracks.

About Rambling Roads Mysteries

Rambling Roads Mysteries is a full-cast audio drama set in the town of Turners Grove, Massachusetts, where former journalist Evelyn Carlisle teams up with the enterprising guides of Rambling Roads Walking Tours to solve ecological mysteries and conservation crimes. Cozy mystery meets environmental suspense in a series about community, second chances, and protecting the places we love.

Credits

Rambling Roads Mysteries was created and written by Diana Renn, with production management by Nora Shalaway Carpenter and sound design by Hayden Robinson. It was recorded at the Western Piedmont Community College Production Studio in Morganton, North Carolina. 

The production incorporates professionally licensed sound effects and music from sources including Monument Studios, Adobe, and CC0 recordings from Freesound.org, all used in accordance with the applicable licenses.

Theme music "HEAP" by Life Span (FineTune Music), licensed through Adobe Stock.

For cast and crew bios, visit our website https://ramblingroadsmysteries.com/

Follow the Trail

Connect with us on Instagram at @ramblingroadsmysteries and on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@RamblingRoadsMysteries for behind-the-scenes conversations and more! 

Want to read along? Official transcripts for every episode are available on our podcast host page if your podcast app doesn't display them: https://ramblingroadsmysteries.buzzsprout.com

Support the Show!

Rambling Roads Mysteries is an independent podcast production. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show, leave a rating or review, and share Rambling Roads Mysteries with a fellow mystery lover.

We welcome donations! Listener support helps cover the costs of producing the show and paves the way for future seasons! https://buy.stripe.com/7sY3cw2Fi7XG4Go66qgEg00

Transcript

Announcer 
You're listening to Rambling Roads Mysteries, an audio drama. Episode One. Fresh Cuts.

Evelyn 
[footsteps crunching in snow] Arrow, here, boy! [whistles] Arrow, come back! Don't you dare go out on that ice! [splash] [dog whimpering]

Evelyn 
Oh no! Hang on, Arrow. I'm coming! [dog whimpering]

Evelyn 
Okay, I got you, buddy. I got you. [dog whimpering]

Evelyn 
There, you're leashed up. Now I'll just slide you up, out, over the ice. [splash] Here we go. Oof. [more splashing] Good boy, Arrow. You're out. Let's get off this pond. Hurry.

Evelyn 
[splash] Help! Help! [splash, dog barking, more splashing, heavy breathing]. I made it. Whoa! Just . . . oh, so cold. We'll rest here for a sec, then we'll get going. I promise. Good boy, Arrow. Just . . . a quick . . . rest.

Dog Walker 
[dog whimpers] [footsteps on snow] Arrow, is that you? [dog whimpers] Arrow? Where's    . . . Oh my God. Evelyn! [cell phone dialing]

911 Dispatcher 
911. What's your emergency?

Dog Walker 
I'm at Robbins Pond. My friend fell through the ice. She's out, but she needs help.

911 Dispatcher 
Is she conscious?

Dog Walker 
Barely. She's shivering, and her lips look blue. Please hurry. [dog whines]

911 Dispatcher 
Emergency responders in the area have been dispatched. Stay by your phone.

Dog Walker 
Hang in there, Evelyn. Help's on the way. Here, let's get my coat on you. [fabric rustling] What are you doing this far off the main trail?

Evelyn 
[breathless] Missed a turn. Arrow saw a squirrel, ran out on the ice, then I had to save Arrow. Is Arrow   . . . ? [distant sirens]

Dog Walker 
Arrow's fine. One lucky dog, that's for sure. Judy Feldman's gonna be so grateful. [sirens approaching, then footsteps on snow, hurrying, crackling of EMT pagers]

EMT 
She's here. Bring the stretcher.

Dog Walker 
Her name's Evelyn Carlisle. We work for the same dog walking agency. Will she be okay?

EMT 
I hope so. We're treating for possible hypothermia. Let's move, everyone, now. [sirens start up again then fade away] [transitional music, contemplative]

Evelyn 
[Coffee brewing] [voiceover narration ] There's something about fresh coffee that always makes me feel at home. Even though Turners Grove isn't really my home. Nor is this historic New England carriage house my home. But I've got fresh coffee and a fresh start. If only a fresh start were as easy as it sounds. The drive up from Maryland yesterday? Exhausting. Just me and my little Honda Civic stuffed with boxes. I forgot how much work it is to move. It's been a while. After grad school five years ago, I moved from California to Maryland when I landed my dream job at the Washington Post, I thought it was a permanent move. "Showed promise," they said, as an investigative reporter. But then the rounds of layoffs finally came for me. Financial losses, industry changes, blah blah. "Wasn't personal," they told me. I knew better. We won't get into all that now. Fresh start, right? I told myself I just needed a break from journalism. Plus, those student loans weren't going anywhere. So then I moved from Georgetown to Silver Spring, rented a tiny studio apartment, and started walking dogs. It was simple, predictable. I like dogs; they don't lie to you. The money was decent. Add in some leash training and a towel-off at the door? Big tips. Pull someone's dog from an icy pond? You might get even more. Like a rent-free historic carriage house in Massachusetts and a new job courtesy of a very grateful client. [cell phone buzzes] Speaking of Judy Feldman. [answers phone] Hey. Judy. What's up?

Judy  
Good morning, Evelyn! Just checking in to make sure you're finding everything you need. I know the old carriage house is humble, but I hope you can survive there.

Evelyn  
It's charming. Plus, the coffee maker works. What more do I need?

Judy  
I know you love coffee, so I made sure to have a big stash delivered.

Evelyn  
Ten bags of Italian Roast. I may never sleep again. Seriously, thanks.

Judy  
My pleasure. You know, if a sleepy Massachusetts town isn't your thing, you can always come back to Silver Spring. Arrow misses you.

Evelyn  
I appreciate that, but the dog walking gig was never the long term plan. I mean, I'm thirty-one. It's time to figure out what's next. Turners Grove seems like a good place to get clarity, get my bearings.

Judy  
I hope so. And the Turners Grove Conservation Office will be a good start. I think it could open up interesting paths.

Evelyn  
I can't wait to start on Monday. Thanks again for the connection.

Judy  
It's the least I can do. The news said it perfectly. You're a hero. Talk to you soon. [cell phone beeps, call ends]

Evelyn  
[voiceover] Ah, yes, the news. [sighs] Five weeks ago, I found myself on the other side of the headlines. "Heroic Rescue on Thin Ice." "Woman Goes Out on a Limb to Save Dog." I admit "heroic" didn't feel right. If I'm being honest, well, Arrow was off leash and shouldn't have been, and that's on me. I got us lost. I get so turned around in the woods. Judy doesn't exactly know that part. Anyway, time to shower and get the day on. 

Evelyn  
[shower turns on, running shower water] [voiceover] So Judy's carriage house definitely has its quirks, like this shower that takes forever to warm up, and the clanking radiator that kept me up half the night. And the windows that rattle in their casements when it's windy, which was last night. Oh, and the front door lock that doesn't quite catch. I should probably mention that to Judy. Anyway, this is a temporary roost, not a nest, and the charms make up for the quirks. Brick walls, high ceilings, wide plank floors of smooth old wood, worn down by time. I do love the tall windows. [distant conversation outside, a man explaining architectural details about the carriage house]

Evelyn  
What the . . . ? Who are all these people outside? Where's my towel? 

Theo  
[outside, faint but increasingly audible] The whitewashed brick walls were distinctive in the late 1800s    [sound of window sliding open, man's voice becomes more clear] and these green wooden shutters are restorations, but modeled after . . .,

Evelyn  
Hey! Excuse me. What is going on?

Theo  
Oh, hello. Uh, sorry. Who are you?

Evelyn  
Evelyn Carlisle. I live here.

Theo  
What? The Ashcroft Carriage House has been unoccupied for years.

Evelyn  
I just moved in. Is this a tour? 

Theo  
It is. So, hello, Evelyn. Welcome to Turners Grove. Everyone, let's give Evelyn a warm welcome.

Tour Group  
Hey there! / Hi! / How are you? / Hello!

Evelyn  
Oh my God. Is this actually happening?

Theo  
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you, especially while you're . . . Uh, well, it looks like you were getting dressed. Anyway, I'm legit. Here's my card.

Evelyn  
"Theo Lambert. Off the Beaten Path Walking Tours. Architectural Curiosities of Turners Grove." Interesting. Well, please take this house off the tour. It's occupied, and the show's over.

Theo  
Wait, why don't you join us? [sound of window slamming shut] We're walking through the Lower Ashcroft Forest next. You can catch up.

Evelyn  
I'm all set. Thanks. [to self] Like I really want to go get lost in a forest again. Hard pass. Note to self: get some curtains ASAP, and talk to Judy about getting a good lock on the door. [transition music, instrumental, vaguely upbeat]

Evelyn  
[voiceover] Monday morning, fueled by two cups of Judy's coffee, I'm reporting to work at the Turners Grove Conservation Office. I'm running a little behind. I'm still on dog walker time. We work in windows and general ETAs. Miriam Blake is the director of conservation, my new boss, and an old friend of Judy's. I hope Judy told her lots of good things about me. I'm also wearing office shoes again, first time in years. Oof, so weird. Just the walk through the parking lot gave me a blister.

Miriam  
Hello. You must be Evelyn Carlisle.

Evelyn  
Yes. Are you Miriam?

Miriam  
Yes. Nice to meet you.

Evelyn  
Nice to meet you too. Sorry, I'm --

Miriam  
--a bit late. The position does require a 9 a.m. start time.

Evelyn  
It won't happen again.

Miriam  
[sighs] We're a three-person operation -- well, now four -- running on budget crumbs. We do a lot with a little. That's our strength and our curse. [chuckles, sighs] I'll give you the quick tour before I run to a meeting. My office is there. Walt Grady, our field technician, sits in that corner. Though he's rarely at a desk, he's usually out in the field doing site inspections, monitoring easements, and managing our volunteer trail stewards. Knows every trail around here by heart. Laila Desai sits here. She's working part time while finishing up her Ph.D. in environmental policy. She handles our GIS mapping and spatial data.

Evelyn  
GIS mapping?

Miriam  
Oh yes, Judy mentioned you're not from an environmental science background. GIS is Geographic Information Systems. All right, here's your office. [door opens] 

Evelyn  
Oh, it's . . .

Miriam  
It''s technically a closet, or was. I'm sorry, there's no window. But if you keep the door open, you should get some airflow. Sorry, it's not glamorous. Judy mentioned you worked for the Washington Post in a former life. You're probably used to better office space.

Evelyn  
It's totally fine. I'm thrilled to be here. Um, Judy mentioned I might be writing the newsletter? I do like to write.

Miriam  
Yes, "Roots and Branches." But there's not much to it. Just a little email missive. It can just be typed up each week from my notes. There's a template.

Evelyn  
Ah.

Miriam  
I'll be delegating some tasks to you, often on short notice. Most of my energy is going toward trying to preserve a 200-acre parcel of land at Maple Junction near the train station. It includes wetlands and a retired orchard. Naturally, the developer wants to put in luxury condos. The select board's split, and the developer's already lawyered up. So I might need you pulling environmental reports, proofreading letters to prep for the town meeting, possibly even looking into some of the select board members. Whatever comes up. But today, what I really need help with is filing permit applications and inspection reports. Let me show you the files. [laughs weakly] There's a bit of a backlog. 

Evelyn  
[Instrumental transition music, contemplative] [voiceover] Backlog? More like avalanche. When Miriam finally says the word "lunch," I'm gone, straight out the door. Fresh air has never tasted so good. [High pitched flute-like notes] What's that? A flute? [Notes repeat] Oh, wait, a fife? [Fife note repeat] Oh wow! It's that tour guide, Theo Lambert. [Fife notes] Wearing full colonial regalia, like a Revolutionary War reenactor or something. [Fife notes] Maybe he is.

Theo  
Ah, Mistress Carlisle. Pray, what brings you to these humble streets on this fine April day?

Evelyn  
I work here. At the conservation office. You remember my name?

Theo  
I tend not to forget things. Tis a virtue, mostly.

Evelyn  
What's with the outfit?

Theo  
Tis but my modest attempt to embody the spirit of 1776!

Evelyn  
And the . . . fife?

Theo  
[Extended fife trill] Mock if you must, but this humble fife was once the clarion call of liberty!

Evelyn  
Patriots Day isn't until April 18th, right?

Theo  
I see your confusion. A holiday it is not. I am a herald of history, weaving the tapestry of our town's storied past for eager ears.

Evelyn  
Got it. So, do you bring the fife on your Off the Beaten Path tours too?

Theo  
Shh. Please don't say "Off the Beaten Path Tours" out loud here.

Evelyn  
I'm sorry?

Theo  
That's my side hustle. But Henry, my boss, wouldn't approve.

Evelyn  
I'm confused. Where do you work?

Theo  
Here. And . . . there. The historical museum across the square, part time. The rest of the time, I work here at Rambling Roads Walking Tours. But I'm trying to do the Off the Beaten Path tours off season and off hours. That gets me a little extra cash and a chance to try out new ideas.

Evelyn  
You'd really get in trouble for leading a different walking tour?

Theo  
Yeah, I could lose my license. Henry doesn't want any competition for Rambling Roads. But he also doesn't want us guides going off the routes or off the scripts. So I just do my specialized tours now and then. Word-of-mouth advertising, some loyal repeat customers.

Evelyn  
All right, I'll keep it on the down low. If you promise not to bring tours to my house anymore.

Theo  
But the Ashcroft Carriage House is a remarkable relic of -- 

Evelyn  
I'm serious. I can't have people jump scaring me at my windows, and I have no window treatments yet.

Henry  
[bell jingles, a door opens] Theo, all set for your 1:00 tour? They're waiting.

Theo  
I hasten! And shall be there forthwith! [to Evelyn] Alas, duty doth call. I must away to spread the tales of yore. [Paper rustles] Will you begrudge me the chance to breathe life into the annals of our ancestors and accompany us?

Evelyn  
I've got to get back to work. I'll take your brochure for now, though.

Theo  
Splendid. Until our next meeting, then, I bid thee adieu. [fife trill, upbeat, flourish]

Evelyn  
[voiceover] Theo Lambert's a character. Maybe a walking tour would help me get oriented to the town, and it's been weeks since I had a good walk. A little exercise wouldn't kill me, right? 

Evelyn  
[transition music, instrumental upbeat] By Friday of my first week on the job, it's clear I'll never get a long enough lunch break to take a walking tour. Theo's fife has called out to me every afternoon, but I'm stuck in this office with work piling up and Miriam's last-minute requests to pull files or send mass emails to her lists. And the newsletter I was excited to write? It's all about minor ordinance changes and scheduled trail maintenance. Even though Miriam's working on an important land issue right now, there's no mention of it. So it's a relief when someone new walks into the office on Friday afternoon to change the air. [Door opens]

Evelyn  
Can I help you?

Walt  
Ah, you must be our new admin assistant.

Evelyn  
Yes, Evelyn Carlisle. Are you Mr. Grady?

Walt  
Oh, call me Walt. We're not big on formalities here. And shoot, sorry about all the dirt. Looks like I brought half the trail in with me.

Evelyn  
That's okay. The great thing about working in a closet is I have easy access to a carpet sweeper.

Walt  
I'm glad you have a sense of humor. You need it here. Miriam's a bit . . . 

Evelyn  
Serious?

Walt  
That's one way to put it. Did she step out?

Evelyn  
Yeah, meeting with the Department of Public Works.

Walt  
No Laila either?

Evelyn  
No, I haven't even met Laila yet. Can I help you with something?

Walt  
Well, now maybe you could, but not in those shoes.

Evelyn  
Good thing I always keep a pair of hikers in my car. What's the job? 

Evelyn  
[sound of car driving on road] [voiceover] Walt's job, it turns out, is perfect for me. I do love walking. I miss the dogs, but I miss walking more. There's nothing like a hike in fresh air to clear your head. [car door opens and closes; chainsaw and chopping sounds, distant] And while I don't love getting lost in woods. I'm happy to follow someone who knows where they're going and has a map.

Walt  
[footsteps on leaves and dirt, walking pace] So the easement we're inspecting is on the Hargrave Estate. Fifteen acres of conservation restriction in what's known as the Hargrave Woods. [distant chainsaws and chopping]

Evelyn  
Wow, their house is gorgeous, like some brick mansion in an old novel. Is this all their property?

Walt  
Yep, except for this conservation easement running through it, like you see on our map here. Any modifications here, they'd have to run by us. Now, those denser woods off to the right with the tall white pines? That's the Upper Ashcroft Forest, also town-owned. It abuts the Hargrave property, separated by a stream.

Evelyn  
Huh. I live by the lower Ashcroft Forest in the old carriage house, but I don't feel like the Hargraves are my neighbors.

Walt  
It's not too far if you go as a crow flies. That is, if you take the public access trail, you'll eventually hit the edge of the Hargrave Woods. Might take you twenty minutes to walk. The Hargrave property is pretty much dead center between the Upper and Lower Ashcroft Forest, and the path goes around. You can see it right here on the map.

Evelyn  
I can't believe this family owns fifteen acres of woods. Is that normal around here?

Walt  
There are other properties with woods, including some old-growth forests that are rare in New England. But Turners Grove is a divided place. There's the old money, legacy landowners with deep roots here. And there's folks who're working hard to stay here. The mill closings meant a lot of people had to move away, and now the mills are shops for the rich.

Evelyn  
I get it. So in their file, this report says that the last inspection of the Hargraves' easement was more than ten years ago.

Walt  
It's long overdue. Eleanor Hargrave wasn't well in her later years. She hung on for a good while. Refused to go into a home, got by with health aides, and passed away just at Christmas. While she was alive, she resisted inspections, and well, we just didn't push it.

Evelyn  
Oh, really? How come?

Walt  
An elderly widow in failing health who never updated her landscaping? We weren't worried. But now that the new owners are here, we do need to be sure that they're in compliance and get our records up to date.

Evelyn  
Got it. So who lives here now?

Walt  
Eleanor's grandson Alex and his wife Megan just moved in a couple of months ago. They've got two kids.

Evelyn  
Got it. And today we're looking for . . . 

Walt  
Trash, construction, and landscaping debris. Stuff other people or contractors might have dumped. Also, invasives. Hopefully, you're up on the most common ones? Your knotweed, your barberry, your bittersweet. Your garlic mustard. Your multiflora rose?

Evelyn  
I'm sorry. I don't know anything about plants.

Walt  
That's okay. I'll look. You write and take some pictures. We'll make it work. We're a team.

Evelyn  
Hey, what's this narrow path branching off over here? It's not on our map.

Walt  
Deer path, most likely. Lots of white tails around here are making their own way. We share these woods with our wildlife neighbors. [pause, twig snaps] Huh? Here's a tree stump I don't recall. Right on the border of the easement. Check the file. Any tree removal paperwork?

Evelyn  
[papers rustling] Nope. Nothing.

Walt  
Interesting. The stump's got some moss, so it's not such a recent cut. Could be a year old.

Evelyn  
Look at this over here, Walt. Sawdust. Fresh. There's like a little trail of it along the deer path. Should I see where it goes?

Walt  
As long as. It's on the easement, sure.

Evelyn  
[footsteps, twig snaps] Oh . . . There are some broken branches scattered over here. And look, another stump underneath them. This one seems like more of a fresh cut, doesn't it? Smells fresh.

Walt  
Huh. Those are pine branches, but that's no pine stump. It's a black walnut tree stump. Interesting how the pine branches fell over it. Those storms we had in March did a number on our woods. But let's mark this stump on our map with an X. Here's a marker. And take pictures.

Evelyn  
Is it a problem not having a permit to take this tree down?

Walt  
Not necessarily. Like I said, we had a rough winter. Storms stacked on top of storms. Even some microbursts last month. [footsteps, leaves crunching] Everyone's calling in the arborists now. You've probably noticed the town is humming with chainsaws? They're still fixing the damage and unblocking some roads.

Evelyn  
Now that you mention it, I have been hearing a lot of tree work. 

Walt  
The Hargraves, being new to town, might have had a couple of damaged trees removed, not realizing they had to contact us first. Folks don't always recognize the borders of the restriction zones.

Evelyn  
Makes sense. Hey, what's over here? [footsteps, hurrying] Ow! Sharp. And greasy. Careful.

Walt  
Chain fragment. From a saw. [clinking sound] Probably snapped mid-cut. Not rusted. Must have happened recently. Let's wrap up the chain and bag it.

Evelyn  
Yes, let's bag it. For evidence?

Walt  
For recycling. As good stewards, we want to remove anything that doesn't belong in the woods.

Evelyn  
Both of these tree stumps are within the conservation restriction zone, so it seems they should have been filed for a permit to remove them.

Walt  
That's the preferred way. We'll follow up and ask them for more information so we can document it properly.

Evelyn  
Would a legit tree service really leave a broken chain behind? It seems kind of sloppy. Or rushed. And do you think this second stump was covered up with branches on purpose? Like to hide it? If someone knew the property was due for inspection?

Walt  
Well, quality varies with the tree crews, and a tree or two taken out isn't a crime. If there's a pattern, especially in a conservation zone, that's different. We'd need to report it.

Evelyn  
To whom?

Walt  
Miriam, for starters. She's the boss. If she agrees it's a problem, she'd talk to the homeowners, get a little bit more intel. If there's pushback, she could get Mass Wildlife involved. See if any laws were broken. With the timber trespass law, a homeowner could face hefty fines, even if they say they didn't know the trees were taken. They're responsible for the trees on their land. [pause] And it's beautiful land, isn't it? Such a variety of trees, from birches to white oaks, black cherries to sugar maples. Mm. There's even patches of near-old-growth forest nestled in here. That's what the easement's for, protecting that rich ecosystem. [pause, soft breeze] And I love these stone walls left over from the old farming days. I often wonder whose hands put them there, and if they had any idea these walls would last for centuries. But we should get a move-on before we lose the light. [footsteps, leaves crunch]

Evelyn  
[voiceover] So we move on, at least physically. But my mind stays behind. People sometimes tell me I am overeager. Walt's telling me to pull back. But why would I when there's clearly something to find here? [instrumental transition music, contemplative]

Evelyn  
Walt and I only made it through five acres yesterday before we hit a patch of bittersweet, which had to be documented as invasive, and then we lost the light. Walt said we'd finish the inspection another time. It could be a week due to his wetlands assessment on another site, but I think we should follow up faster. The pine branches covering a black walnut stump didn't look like wind damage. It looked more like a cover-up. I keep thinking someone might be cutting trees illegally and concealing the evidence, especially if they knew an inspection was scheduled. And a journalist with a story idea is like a dog with a bone. Just can't let it go. 

Evelyn  
[voiceover] That's why on this rainy Saturday morning, I'm returning to the Hargraves' Woods alone [car door opens] to see what else turns up. [car door closes, chirp of key fob] [foosteps, soft rain] Now I'm walking the easement with my marked-up map, hoping the Hargraves don't see me. It'd be hard to explain my presence on their property outside of business hours. 

Evelyn  
[foosteps, soft rain] [voiceover] I retrace my steps with Walt. I find the two stumps we document. I pass the clump of bittersweet, and then I find more clues! Some wood chips. And a few feet away, another stump! It looks and smells fresh, still moist. I whip out my phone and take pictures. Then I mark a new X on the map. Then something else catches my eye. Movement through the trees. Maybe fifty yards off. A man in a dark green raincoat. Hood up. I can't see his face. He's carrying a stick. I use my phone to zoom in and see better. It's a long-handled pruner. [distant thunder, rain intensifies] 

Evelyn  
[voiceover] Could it be Alex Hargrave doing his own tree work? In this weather? That seems kind of unlikely. The man turns slightly. I catch a glimpse of gray hair, but then he turns back and starts to walk quickly, almost running. [rain; footsteps quicken] I follow, ducking behind trees, trying to keep him in sight. Not sure who I'm chasing. I almost call out to see if this is Alex Hargrave. I stop the words just in time. I'm not supposed to be here, so if it is Alex Hargrave, I have a lot of explaining to do. I try to take a picture, but then . . . [twigs cracking, soft thud] Ow! I trip on a root and hit the ground hard, twisting my ankle. Then the guy with the pruning pole takes off. [running footsteps, receding] He's gone. 

Evelyn  
[voiceover] Whoever it was, they heard me. Saw me. But why would Alex Hargrave run? It's his property. I'm the trespasser. Unless . . . that wasn't the homeowner. 

Evelyn  
[voiceover] I wait a few minutes till the rain lets up, then I follow the deer path again. Maybe it's time to head out of here. But just around a bend, I see another stump. This one lighter, with an unusual grain, a maze-like pattern. It's mesmerizing. I mark it on the map. Tree number four. There is something going on here. None of these areas by the stumps show storm damage. [approaching footsteps, leaves crunch] 

Evelyn  
[voiceover] Someone's coming. Pruner guy? I duck behind a nearby pine and hold my breath. But this guy's different. A blaze orange vest, not a green raincoat. Not hiding. He's coming straight toward the stump I just marked, and he's carrying a short curved handsaw. Could he be working with the first guy? My pulse spikes. I fumble for my phone. I need a picture just in case.

Jordan  
Hey, who's there? Hello?. . .  I see you behind the tree.

Evelyn  
[gasps, fumbles, drops phone] I'll just, uh, grab my phone.

Jordan  
Are you playing hide and seek with someone, or do you always lurk behind trees like that?

Evelyn  
Could you lower the handsaw, please? It's a little unnerving.

Jordan  
What this little thing? It's part of my work. I use it to clear brush or check on my trail cams, especially after storms. Lots of branches down.

Evelyn  
Well, you were walking toward me with it in a forest where some suspicious tree cutting has been happening.

Jordan  
So I'm a suspect?

Evelyn  
I don't know. You tell me.

Jordan  
Wow. Okay. A black guy in the woods, and I'm up to something. 

Evelyn  
No! No. That's not what--

Jordan  
Happens more than you'd think in my line of work.

Evelyn  
What's your work?

Jordan  
Wildlife biologist. I'm doing a bird survey. My name's Jordan Bennett. I have a permit to be here. Do you?

Evelyn  
I'm investigating trees that were cut without a permit on the Hargrave Conservation Easement. Black walnuts, like the ones I marked on this map, and also like this stump I just found.

Jordan  
That's yellow birch.

Evelyn  
Really? How can you tell?

Jordan  
Hartwood's lighter, bark's papery. And the smell. [sniffs]

Evelyn  
Smells like . . . gum?

Jordan  
Wintergreen. Same compound they use in flavoring.

Evelyn  
Do you think these trees were taken down because of storm damage?

Jordan  
Maybe. But honestly? This could be poachers.

Evelyn  
Poachers?

Jordan  
Timber poachers. Sometimes trees get sold for special purposes. I don't know too much about what they're worth or who buys illegally cut trees, but I think there's a market for them, and these cuts feel targeted to me. The species and the placement.

Evelyn  
I knew something was up. Hey, did you happen to see a guy with a pole pruner, green raincoat, big hood? I couldn't see his face. It was too far away, and the rain made it hard to see clearly.

Jordan  
No, but that could have been the homeowner checking on tree damage. A pole saw can't drop trees like this, just trim branches out of reach. Whoever took this yellow birch used a chainsaw or an ax.

Evelyn  
Could I set up trail cameras? Catch someone in the act?

Jordan  
Not here. Still private land, even with an easement. You'd need permission.

Evelyn  
Right, of course.

Jordan  
So, who are you anyway? Nancy Drew Super Sleuth?

Evelyn  
Evelyn Carlisle, conservation officer. Slash, admin assistant.

Jordan  
Oh really? I stop by the office sometimes. Haven't seen you before.

Evelyn  
I just started this week.

Jordan  
And what exactly does a brand new admin slash conservation officer do, besides hiding behind trees and making wild accusations?

Evelyn  
That was . . . yeah. I'm so sorry. Look, you're not suspicious. You're just the only person I'd seen all morning, and this is the conservation easement on the Hargraves' property. So . . . 

Jordan  
So I'm a suspect and a trespasser? [laughs, incredulous] This is going great for me.

Evelyn  
I just really want to understand what's going on.

Jordan  
I'm worried too. Technically, I shouldn't be here either. My permit's actually just for the Ashcroft Forest. I crossed the stream and came into the Hargrave Woods, but with good reason, same as you. I spotted fresh sawdust and wood chips. Followed a trail. I also saw some weird bark scrapes on a red oak tree near the property line. Then I saw you walking around over here and thought I'd see what you were up to.

Evelyn  
Got it.

Jordan  
Look, I've got trail cams set up in the Ashcroft Forest for my bird study. They're facing away from the Hargraves' property, so they're legal. But maybe I can angle one this way and just a little closer to the property line. See what turns up in the footage in the next day or two.

Evelyn  
That'd be great. Thanks. I know it's not really part of your job.

Jordan  
My job's to protect habitat. And trees are habitats for bugs, birds, mammals. If storms cause people to remove some trees, fine. But if someone's cutting them for profit, that's different. That's a game changer. It might be worth bending a rule or two to be sure about what we're seeing.

Evelyn  
Agree. Just don't tell my boss. She doesn't exactly know I'm here.

Jordan  
Oh, Miriam Blake? Yeah, she's . . . particular. We might need more than a hunch to bring this up with her. She's all about data. Tell you what. Let me show you that bark scrape I found in the Ashcroft Forest. See what you think. Maybe add that clue to your map. Take a picture. Then we can check out the rest of the Hargrave easement together. I mean, if you're serious about investigating.

Evelyn  
Oh, I'm serious. Lead the way. 

Evelyn  
[instrumental music, contemplative] [voiceover] By the time I left the woods on Saturday, Jordan and I had counted and marked on the map eight stumps: four black walnut, three black cherries, a yellow birch. Some were on the Hargrave property, including the easement. Jordan was outraged. I was . . . something else. Excited, maybe? Energized? My gut told me something wasn't right, and now I wasn't the only one who thought so. I spent the rest of the weekend falling down a rabbit hole, reading everything I could about those trees. Turns out, Jordan's theory about timber poachers could be right. High-end furniture makers and specialty wood dealers will pay hundreds, even thousands, for a single mature black walnut, if the quality is good. The other trees we found stumped have market value too, for cabinet makers and wood artisans. They're especially prized for their use in veneers, decorative inlays, and fine wood trims. 

Evelyn  
[car door closes, footsteps] [voiceover] Now it's Monday morning, and I'm all fired up to tell Miriam and Walt what I found over the weekend. I've got my marked-up paper map with X's and labels for every stump. Except it's not Miriam and Walt I see when I enter the office. It's my mystery colleague, Laila Desai.

Laila  
Hey, you must be Evelyn. Let me guess. Miriam brought you on to help with the easement inspections? She's been threatening to hire someone to help Walt for months.

Evelyn  
I did help Walt on Friday, but I think I was mostly hired to rescue the office from a mountain of backlogged files.

Laila  
Oh, then you're the real hero. That filing cabinet over there is like an archeological dig.

Evelyn  
I already found a grant application from 2011 and an unopened granola bar from 2022.

Laila  
Ew! Don't eat that. Hey, do you have any IT superpowers? I just crashed our system for the third time.

Evelyn  
Sorry, no. In my former life, I worked in journalism.

Laila  
Ah. Oh well. It's why I do most of my work at my university and not here. Ancient computers, malfunctioning printers, lousy Wi-Fi. It's so hard to get anything done.

Evelyn  
I hear you. I'm filing papers in a closet office with no window. I'm living the dream.

Laila  
Welcome to the glamorous world of municipal conservation. What's that old-fashioned paper map you've got there with all the X's? Pirates' treasure?

Evelyn  
Something like that. Walt and I saw a couple of suspicious stumps just inside the Hargrave conservation easement on Friday. I went back over the weekend to look more closely, and I found a few more on the easement and elsewhere in the Hargrave Woods. Every X represents a stump. I labeled them. We also found fresh sawdust, wood chips, and even a broken chain from a chainsaw.

Laila  
Really? Let me see that. [paper rustling] You're sure about these species?

Evelyn  
Positive. I ran into a wildlife biologist who was working in the area. He also said he'd found a scarred tree in the Ashcroft forest next to the Hargrave property, and that made him concerned too. Like maybe someone was peeling back bark to look at the wood grain.

Laila  
Ah, you must have met Jordan Bennett.

Evelyn  
Yeah! You know him?

Laila  
Everyone knows Jordan. He comes into the office pretty often to file permits and share data. He's generous that way. And easy on the eyes. Yeah?

Evelyn  
I hadn't really noticed. I was focused on the tree stuff. Funny though, considering he's here so often, he didn't seem in a rush to tell Miriam about -- 

Miriam  
[door opens] Before telling Miriam about what?

Evelyn  
Oh, hi Miriam! I was just following up on something from the Hargrave inspection.

Miriam  
Oh?

Evelyn  
Walt and I noticed what looked like freshly cut stumps on Friday. I went back this weekend to look more closely and saw more. [paper rustling] Here's the map showing the stump locations and types of trees that were cut down on the Hargrave property, both within and outside the easement.

Miriam  
[sighs] Evelyn, you should not have gone back. We need clearance from the homeowners.

Evelyn  
I'm sorry. I just noticed these unusual things, and I wanted to understand them better. I had some spare time, so--

Miriam  
You are not a field inspector. Your job is administrative. I have to ask you to stick to the job.

Evelyn  
But Walt asked me to help, so I thought it was my job. He told me to look for anything unusual.

Miriam  
Look. People can get . . . prickly . . . about property inspections. We can't make accusations without evidence. We have delicate relations with the power players in this town, and believe me, there are certain people who won't appreciate your stirring anything up. Some of them sit on important committees. We need these well-connected, large property families to stay on board with land conservation. A few stumps is not worth a battle. If there are inquiries to be made, I will handle those myself once the inspection is complete. [door closes]

Evelyn  
Jeez, it's not even 9:30 a.m. and I've already screwed up.

Miriam  
She always sounds like that. You get used to it. [laughs wryly] You outlasted the last two assistants.

Evelyn  
[voiceover] Miriam might not want me asking questions, but I've never been great at following orders. I'm not stirring anything up. Just a little routine paperwork follow-up. Or that's what I'll tell the Hargraves. Besides, Walt's tied up at the Maple Junction wetlands assessment for the next few days, now that it's a little less muddy there. And Miriam closed the office early for a meeting this afternoon. This is my only chance to get here unsupervised, and get to the bottom of this. Something in these woods isn't right. 

Theo  
[Instrumental outro music] You've been listening to Rambling Roads Mysteries, written by Diana Renn, produced by Hayden Robinson and Jonathan Crumpler, with sound design by Hayden Robinson. Recorded at the Western Piedmont Community College Production Studio in Morganton, North Carolina. For more info about the author, the cast, the production team, and show notes, wander over to RamblingRoadsMysteries.com.