Dyer Consequences (19 page)

Mimi’s face lit up. “It’s Burt? Then tell him I’ve got his favorite pot roast simmering right now. Dinner at six thirty.” She fluffed out the robin’s egg blue before leaving the room.

“Did you get that?” Kelly heard Burt chuckle.

“Oh, yeah. My stomach’s growling now. But before I head over there, I wanted to tell you the reason I called. I just heard from Don. You know, the deputy sheriff who works the canyons?”

“Oh, yeah. Deputy Don,” Kelly said as she reached for her coffee mug.

“Remember a few days ago, when I told you he’d learned about a black Toyota parked near your ranch and he was going to keep an eye out?”

“Yeah, did he spot it?”

“He sure did. It was parked on some vacant land next to an auto repair shop. Dent in the trunk, broken right taillight, and a Broncos sticker. Don ran a check on the license number, and you’ll never guess who’s the registered owner of the black Toyota.”

“Okay, I’ll bite. Who?”

“Geri Norbert.”

Kelly paused for a second. “What? How can that be? She’s in that treatment facility waiting to go to prison. What would her car be doing in the canyon?”

“That’s what I’m wondering, and so is Don. He called me as soon as her name came up. Believe me, Deputy Don knows where Geri Norbert is, and what she did to get there.”

“You know, Burt, I never saw Geri in a black Toyota. She always drove that old beat-up pickup. Maybe it’s another Geri Norbert.”

“Don already checked that. Car registration shows the same address in Colorado Springs that Geri Norbert gave police for her former residence. Apparently she lived with her sister in the Springs area before she moved to Fort Connor.”

The little buzzer inside Kelly’s head went off. “What’s that address, Burt?”

“It’s 15432 County Road 11, Colorado Springs.”

Kelly sat still for a second, recognizing the address. She reached for her daytimer and reread the address Jennifer had given her earlier. The address of the woman who wanted to buy her ranch. Geri Norbert’s former ranch. It was a match. Kelly’s pulse speeded up.

“Kelly? Are you there?”

“Yeah, Burt, I’m here. I was just checking the address that I’d written down in my daytimer earlier today. Jennifer told me we received an offer from a buyer in Colorado Springs. One Carolyn Becker, who lives, interestingly enough, at 15432 County Road 11, Colorado Springs.”

This time, Burt went quiet. “Now, that is interesting,” he said when he spoke.

“Isn’t it, now? There’s no way that could be a coincidence, Burt. The woman has got to be Geri Norbert’s sister.”

“It would seem so. Listen, let me give Jennifer a call and have her fax a copy of the cover page of that purchase offer to the detectives. They can check the names on it with Geri Norbert’s records, and see if this Carolyn Becker is listed as a relative. Meanwhile, I’ll let Don know about this, so he can start snooping around some more.”

“Do you think Geri Norbert’s family is buying the ranch for her?” Kelly asked, feeling slightly unsettled.

“I don’t know, Kelly. But I don’t believe in coincidences like this, either.”

“That doesn’t make sense, though. She’d be in prison a long time, right?”

“Not necessarily. It all depends on the judge’s sentencing. He may be lenient, and she could be out in a few years and on probation. Who knows?”

The unsettled feeling in Kelly’s stomach switched to uneasy. “But even if Geri’s family is simply trying to regain her ranch, that wouldn’t explain the car, would it?”

“No, it wouldn’t. In fact, I think the detectives will want to ask Geri Norbert a few questions. Maybe she sold the car to someone in the canyon. That would explain it. If so, Deputy Don could check them out.”

Somewhat reassured, Kelly nodded. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Listen, Kelly, let me make some of these phone calls before it gets too late. I’ll let you know when I hear anything, okay?”

Kelly listened to Burt click off, then flipped her own phone closed. Still unsettled, Kelly returned to casting on stitches. Realizing she’d lost count, Kelly carefully counted the neat stitches she had so far. Twenty-six. Forty more to go. She wound the yarn around her fingers and began casting on once more.

Twenty-seven. Twenty-eight. The rhythmic movements were calming, settling. Kelly’s thoughts slowed down, too, becoming more orderly. One by one, her earlier concerns claimed her attention.

Geri Norbert’s family wanted her property. That was clear. And they wanted it cheap, too. Wanting Geri’s ranch back in their ownership, she could understand. But their offer was almost insultingly low. Jennifer’s comments about J. D. Franklin rose to the surface. He always made unbelievably low offers. That was his habit. Maybe the low offer was his idea, not Geri’s family’s.

An image of a black car parked in the trees surfaced next, and uneasiness began to nibble once again.
But what about that car?
What was it doing there? Did that car belong to the psycho who tried to kill her? Was there a connection?

Kelly counted the stitches again. Fifty-two. Almost done. She cast on the last stitches and counted again to make sure. Sixty-six. Meanwhile, the uneasiness kept nibbling. Suddenly, a familiar face appeared in her thoughts, and Kelly dropped her knitting and reached for her phone again.

After punching in Jayleen’s number, she waited for an answer. Voice mail came on instead. “Jayleen, this is Kelly. Give me a call, will you? I need to talk to you. A car registered to Geri Norbert has been seen up in the canyon parked on the edge of my ranch. In the trees. Call me, please.”

Jayleen rested a booted leg on her knee as she sipped from one of Kelly’s ceramic mugs. Leaning back in the dining room chair across from Kelly, she frowned. “Lord, Kelly, I don’t know what to make of all this you’re tellin’ me. It makes no sense. Geri’s in prison, or soon will be.”

“Well, according to Burt, she may get a light sentence. Maybe that’s why her family wants to buy back her land.”

Jayleen shook her head. “If she gets away with only a few years in a mental health facility after killing those two women, then there is no justice in this world.”

Kelly agreed silently. “And you’re sure you never saw Geri Norbert with a black Toyota?”

“Never. The five years I knew her, she only drove that old blue pickup.”

Kelly stared into her coffee. “Well, maybe she did sell it to someone else. But even so, why would someone park it on the edge of my land? Unless the car belongs to the guy who’s been out to get me.”

“I tell you, Kelly, I can’t help but think the same thing.”

“Do you think Geri’s family is behind all this? You know, all the vandalism and attacks against me and the other people who bought the ranch?”

Jayleen stared at the floor. Carl was sleeping at their feet. “I don’t know, Kelly, maybe they are. It just sounds so crazy.”

Kelly nodded. It did sound crazy. Maybe she was crazy to even think it. Maybe the car belonged to some local who simply parked it there a few times. Maybe . . .

A quick knock on the front door brought Carl to his feet with an authoritative “woof!” Steve appeared, and that was all Carl needed to break discipline and race headlong to the door. Steve was here! That meant playtime.
Oh, boy, oh, boy!

“Hey, big fella,” Steve said, rubbing Carl’s head. “No! No jump. Have you folks eaten yet? I brought some pizza.”

“No, thanks, Steve, I’ve gotta mosey back up into the canyon,” Jayleen said as she rose and headed toward the door. “I can’t wait for springtime and more daylight. I’m sick and tired of this darkness.” She stared out the window.

Steve gave Kelly a quick kiss before placing the white box on the dining room table. “It’s pepperoni and cheese. I was starving after that last meeting in Old Town, so I ate a couple of pieces already. Down, Carl. No jump.”

Carl, of course, was paying no heed to Steve’s orders and continued to leap and dance about.

“Hand me his leash,” Kelly said. “Let’s see if this Alpha Dog thing really works.”

Steve grabbed the leash and handed it over, then snatched another slice of pizza. Carl saw the pizza and lost it.

Okaaaay,
Kelly thought,
let’s give this a try.
She immediately switched into On-the-Field Command Voice, suitable for instructing players of any sport. The Voice of Authority.

“Carl,
sit
!” she instructed, copying Rosa’s no-nonsense manner. She gave a quick tug on the training collar.

Carl glanced over his shoulder and started to jump again. This time, Kelly repeated the command, complete with quick jerk and release of his collar. Carl sat. Clearly, he didn’t want to, but he sat.

“Good dog,
Carl
!” Kelly exclaimed, delighted in his performance. Rubbing his shiny head, she enthused. “What a
good
dog. Such a
good
dog. Yes, you are. Now,
stay
!” She held up her hand in the signal. Carl looked disappointed.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Steve said, as he started another slice.

“Good work, Kelly,” Jayleen said as she opened the door. “If Carl learns to mind his manners, my chili will be safe.”

“I am Alpha Dog. I am pack leader. I am the one to be obeyed,” Kelly intoned in a deep theatrical voice.

Steve snickered. “If I see any packs, I’ll be sure to send ’em your way. Take it easy going up into the canyon, Jayleen. One accident in the group is enough.”

“Oh, I will,” Jayleen said as she paused in the doorway. She gave Steve a devilish smile. “You bring dinner over every night, do you?”

“Sometimes. Sometimes we go out. But I’m here every night for guard duty.” Steve reached for a soda can and drained it.

Jayleen leaned up against the doorjamb, her grin spreading. “You sleepin’ on the sofa, are you?”

Kelly knew where this was heading and decided to play along. “Unfortunately, yes.”

“That cast could do some serious damage,” Steve said with a wicked grin.

Jayleen laughed softly. “How much longer have you gotta wear that thing?”

“Another four weeks.” Kelly deliberately rolled her eyes.

“Well, I’ve got a hammer in my truck if you get desperate, folks,” she said as she left.

“
Good night,
Jayleen,” Kelly called after her.

Kelly sipped Eduardo’s coffee and looked through the café windows at the mountains in the distance. The foothills, as the locals called them. The Front Range of the Rockies, doorway to gorgeous scenery. From here, Kelly could see the glazed mountain peaks beyond, glistening white in the sun. The high country. Snowy high country, too. Nearly forty feet accumulated this winter, so far, and the season wasn’t over yet. March was always the snowiest month in Colorado. At least the reservoirs should be full.

Kelly remembered the cycles of drought and wet from her childhood. She’d heard they’d been going on for centuries. But Kelly also knew these past few years had brought droughts that lasted longer than ever before. Blazing hot temperatures in July, into the triple digits. That, she didn’t remember.

“You think I should counter Carolyn Becker’s offer?” she asked Jennifer, who sat across the table from her.

“Yes, I do. Now that we know Geri Norbert’s family is involved in this, I want to give the cops more time to poke around.”

“How do we do that?”

“This counteroffer will slow things down, especially since we’re giving them a week to respond. My guess is they’ll think about it for a whole week, then make a counter of their own.”

“How do you know they won’t accept my offer?”

“I don’t. But we’ve only gone down ten thousand dollars on the asking price. I sense they want to get this property cheap, so they’ll offer a little bit higher than last time but not much. But the important thing is we’ll give the cops more time to check into these people and see what’s going on.”

Kelly stared at the pages of legal-sized documents spread on the table. “Sounds like a plan, Jen. Where do I sign?”

“Hey, Kelly, what are you doing working in here?” Connie asked as she approached the cozy corner table in the café where Kelly sat with laptop and briefcase.

“I haven’t been able to pull myself away since breakfast,” Kelly said. “You on break from the shop? Have a seat.”

Connie shook her head. “Nope. Rosa and I are devoting the entire day to the basement. Mimi’s handling the front. She actually told us she was ‘relieved’ we were cleaning down there. You can tell Mimi wants to get back to normal, too.”

“All day? Wow, how’s it going so far?”

“Actually, we’ve gotten all the fibers stacked and sorted and back on the shelves. Clean shelves, too. We scrubbed down the walls, the shelves, everything. We’ve finished with the main storage room. Now we’re working our way back toward the dye tubs and those spooky nooks and crannies.”

“Boy, I wish I could go down to see the progress,” Kelly said, pointing to her cast. “But stairs are still a challenge. Thank goodness both the shop and the cottage are all on one floor.”

“Thanks, Julie,” Connie said to the waitress who refilled her coffee mug. “You know, when I had a cast like that, I used to go down the stairs on my butt. I live in a two-story so I had to find a quick way. Try sitting and sliding down the stairs. It’s not elegant, but it works, and it’s fast.”

Kelly laughed at the picture forming in her mind. “Okay, I’ll give it a try. But I think I’ll wait until you guys clean the stairs first.”

“That’s a good idea. I’ll let you know when we finish.”

Glimpsing Mimi hurrying through the café, heading their way, Kelly called out, “Hey, Mimi, what’s up?”

Mimi rushed to the table. “Kelly, someone just came in,” she said in a soft voice. “She says she’s Tracy’s sister. And she wants to ask some questions about . . . about Tracy and her death.” Mimi’s expression turned pleading. “Could you please talk to her, Kelly? For me? I just don’t think I can do it. She wants to talk to someone who was here when Tracy was found.”