Candace Carrabus - Dreamhorse 01 - On the Buckle (34 page)

It felt good to feel normal for a little while, to be in the routine. All the other horses needed attention, too. I would immerse myself in the work. But no amount of work prevented my thoughts from drifting to Malcolm, imagining him finding his father dead. And the little dog gnawing a strange bone. And Malcolm senior with a bruise on his head like someone with a ring on his hand had hit him before he died.
 

What would JJ want with Malcolm senior? Perhaps the better question was, what did Malcolm senior have that JJ wanted? The farm. Good lord. The farm would be Malcolm’s now. Unless Malcolm senior had a will that said something different. He couldn’t have left it to someone else, could he? In my dream, there’d been something important to find on the desk. I tried to remember. Could it have been the will? I needed to talk to Malcolm. Later. He probably had enough on his mind right now. Whether or not they were close, finding his father dead would be a blow.

Within an hour, Dex asked me to come into the tack room. We sat with the beat-up coffee table between us, and he drew a map of the farm. I showed him where I’d found the bones.

“That’s very close to the southern edge of the property and the river,” he said. “There are lots of smaller pieces of land down there that share that property line. Hunting and fishing shacks all over the place.”

“Let’s ride down there. I’ll show you—”

“Malcolm wants you to stay put, and I’m going to see to it you do.”

Oh, so the alpha male had surfaced again. “When will he be back?”

“Don’t know at this point. He’ll probably stay in town tonight.”

“How is he?”

Dex leaned back, clasped his hands behind his head, and scrutinized me with his peat-moss eyes. I crossed my arms and looked away, feigning indifference.

“Dex Two will be there as soon as he can, and Doreen is with him.”

My pretended indifference vanished. “Doreen?”

“She’s an old friend.”

Of course, Malcolm had a life before I came along. A good-looking, nice guy like him was bound to have lots of
old friends
. But Dex was deliberately provoking me. “I’m glad to know he’s not alone.”

“You’re full of shit.”

I took my turn assessing him, decided on the truth. “I guess it’s no secret I like Malcolm. If Doreen truly is an old friend, then I’m happy she’s there for him. That’s exactly what he needs right now.” The comfort of the familiar. I could relate.

His eyes narrowed. “You’re right. Better than Brooke.”

“How’d they hook up, anyway?”

“At work. She had an internship, but I’m sure it was an excuse to play hooky from mommy and daddy for the summer.”

“Mommy and daddy were mean to little Brooke?”

“Brooke’s a spoiled brat. Daddy has deep pockets. Owns a big construction company. Mommy and Brooke spend daddy’s money.”

“Did you do a background check on her?”

“Not at the time, no. She was young and cute and seemed harmless. She loved the farm and, supposedly, Malcolm.”

“You don’t believe it.”

“She only cared about pissing off her parents.”

It was none of my business, but I asked anyway. “Did he love her?”

Dex exhaled noisily. “She got pregnant. She was scared. Her parents would kill her, she said. So, Malcolm married her.”

“Did he think she loved him?”

“He tell you about his friend who was killed when he was in college?”

“Yes. It was very hard on him, I could tell.”

“It was right after that all this happened with Brooke.”

“Oh, I see.” Malcolm had been vulnerable, needed someone to take care of, a woman he could save.

“She lost the baby a month into the marriage.”

“You think she was ever really pregnant?”

“Nope.”

“But they must have been having sex, right, or he wouldn’t have thought he had to marry her?”

Dex shifted. The conversation had gone somewhere that made him uncomfortable. “I guess he’d tell you himself if you asked him. He said they did it once before they married. After a party. In the car. She jumped him.”

“Oh, and he couldn’t fight her off?”

“Sometimes the little head thinks for the big head.”

I laughed and wondered that I still could. “That’s a good one.”

Dex stood and walked to the window. “He thought they’d learn to love each other. She thought they’d live in the city, and she’d be a socialite. She liked being a member of the foxhunting club. They have a white-tie ball once a year. Lots of St. Louis bigwigs are members. But she never took to riding, and she hated the farm.”

“Wait, you said she loved it. You think she only said that to snag him? And faked being pregnant to clinch the deal?”

“Exactly. And now I do background checks on anyone who gets within ten feet of him.”

“And Nicky?”

“Sweet kid.”

He said nothing else. He wasn’t going to tell me about Nicky. Which meant there was something to tell, or something he suspected.
 

“He loves her,” he said, and rose. “Now, even if you aren’t full of it, you look like shit.”

“Gee, you sure know how to make a girl feel better.”

“Just go upstairs and get some rest. I’ll keep on eye on things.”

These guys were fond of telling me what to do, but I had to admit, I didn’t mind someone watching out for me a little for a change.

“What about—?” I rolled my eyes toward the ceiling.

“I’m the only one left. Brian’s useless. I should’ve known you’d charm him without breaking a sweat. I didn’t realize you were so devious, or I would have put him in the woods and someone savvy in here. The others are either at their posts, on the way into the city with that bone, or down at the south end seeing what they can find. It’s just you and me, kid.”

Devious? Me? I had nothing on Brooke. Which made me wonder what else she was capable of. But Dex was right. I was beat, and a nap sounded like a good idea. I started for the door, turned back.

“You’d rather be in the city with him, wouldn’t you? He could use your keen eye and experience in his father’s house, not to mention your friendship. I’ll bet you’re just itching to get in there and snoop around.”

“Don’t try to con me, Miss Parker. I don’t know what you did to Brian, but it won’t fly with Dexter Hamill. However, if you ever want to consider a new career—”

“I’ll let you know.”

I went upstairs. After a quick call to check on Sandy—condition unchanged—I flopped on the bed looking forward to an undisturbed rest, but didn’t fall asleep right away. There were too many unresolved questions. I was making most of them up, true, but they struck me as valid.

What if Brooke had been conspiring with Malcolm senior so she would benefit from the sale of the farm? She was the type to play a father and son against each other. She would use Nicky, too, if she could—threaten Malcolm with taking her away from him—the bitch.
 

Could she have killed Malcolm senior? And if so, why? Did he renege on their deal? Or did she go there to talk to him and scare him to death by waving an old bone at him? No, she couldn’t have been there today, because I’d just talked to Nicky that morning.

Of course, there was no telling when Malcolm senior died. It wasn’t necessarily today, or even yesterday.

Whether or not Brooke was part of this, she and JJ were two peas in a pod—lazy, grasping, manipulative, cold.

If Malcolm owned the farm, that changed the equation. As if I knew what the equation was. I’d never been good at solving for the unknown.

My last thought before falling asleep was a selfish one. If Malcolm owned the farm, what did he need me for?

- 38 -

“Vi!”

I swear to God, if a man yelling my name one more time roughly shook me from sleep, I would hit someone. I mumbled something incoherent and resisted consciousness with all my being.

“Vi, wake up.”

I tried to roll over and pull the covers over my head, but Dex had me by both shoulders. I was confused because he was calling me Vi instead of Miss Parker. He pulled me to a sitting position and shook so hard my head rolled around.
 

“Uh-uh,” I said.

He tapped my cheek. “Vi, honey, come on.”

I opened my eyes and gave him what I hoped was a murderous look.

“What?” I said.

“Christ. You had me scared a minute.” He released me and stood abruptly. “Don’t do that.”
 

I drooped back to the mattress.
 

“Don’t do what, sleep for a while? Are you kidding?”

“No, sleep for over thirteen hours then not respond when I try to wake you.” He pressed his thumbs into his eyes. “I thought—”

“Thirteen hours? I’ve been sleeping for thirteen hours? That can’t be.” The clock next to my bed said four o’clock. I looked out the window. Dark. “You rousted me from sleep at four o’clock in the morning to tell me I’d overslept?”

He eased himself to the bed again. I realized he looked whipped, haggard. It sunk in that he’d been calling me by my first name, and that could only mean something was wrong. Something even worse than Malcolm finding his father dead. My insides squeezed. I touched his hand.
 

“What’s happened?”

He took my hand in both of his. His skin was smooth, his touch gentle, but he was cold, and there was a slight tremor. “It’s Nicky.”

Jesus. This could not be happening. I didn’t trust my voice, so just waited. But I had to blink away hot tears.

“She’s been taken. Kidnapped. Brooke called Malcolm a little over an hour ago. JJ showed up at her door. She let him in. He pointed a gun at her and pulled Nicky from her bed. Had her call Malcolm and tell him if he wanted to see his family alive again, to come get them.”

I pressed both fists against my mouth until it hurt.

“Half an hour later, JJ changed his mind, hit Brooke with the gun, took Nicky and left. She couldn’t get Malcolm because his phone is out. She called me. I’m flying up there and taking my men. When you’re done with the morning work, go to Hank and Clara’s and wait until you hear from one of us. Do you understand?”

I didn’t understand anything, but I nodded.

“They won’t be home most of the morning. They went to see Clara’s mother. She’s ailing. Renee is visiting her sister in Kansas City. But Hank and Clara will be back later. You’ll be okay.”

“I’ll be okay,” I repeated without enthusiasm.

“Take this.”
 

He gave me a handgun in a black nylon holster. I pushed it away. His lips thinned into a determined smile.

“He said you’d be stubborn about this. You probably won’t need it, but you’re taking it whether you like it or not.” He took it out and folded my hands around it. “This is a Glock nine millimeter. No safety. The magazine has seventeen bullets.”
 

Oh, good. I could shoot off all my toes and most of my fingers without reloading.

He shifted to get behind me, aligned his arms with mine, and made me point it out the window. Nausea rolled up from my stomach.
 

“You have to pull the slide back once to chamber the first round.” He demonstrated without actually doing it. “Are you right or left handed?”

“Right.”

“Okay, hold it like this.” He pressed the grip into my right palm. “Don’t put your finger near the trigger until you’re ready to fire. Left hand here. Lock your right elbow.” He pushed that arm straight. “Use the sights to aim if you have time, otherwise, just point, and pull the trigger. Hold it tight. You’re strong, but it’s got a pretty good kick.”

It was smaller and heavier than I expected. The grip was rough and solid and its cold menace felt oddly reassuring. That scared me even more than holding it.

He let go. My arms sagged down. He lifted them again.

“Do you want to go outside and fire it before I leave?”

“No. I’m sure I won’t need it.”

“It doesn’t have a safety.”

“I heard you the first time.”

He took the gun, put it back in the holster, and laid it in my lap. He tucked a spare magazine into a pouch on the holster. I stared at the rig, trying to fit its dull weight and all the implications that went with it into my life view. There didn’t seem to be a place for it.

“Keep it with you,” he said.

Willy felt more solid and alive and, well, the bat was bigger than the gun. Willy made me feel safe. “I’ve got a baseball bat.”
 

“I’ve heard. But an assailant has to get too close for you to use it. Don’t let him get that close. Understand?”

“Who are we talking about?”

He hesitated, then said, “Anyone who threatens you.”

I swallowed hard. He stood.

“Here’s the deal. Malcolm had to take his dad’s Jeep because the radiator blew out in the Jag, and he left his phone charger behind in the rush. He called me after Brooke called him, but the battery went dead while we were talking. He’s out of touch until he gets to Chicago. He doesn’t know JJ took Nicky. I’ll be off line while I’m in flight.”