High Desert Detective, A Fiona Marlowe Mystery (Fiona Marlowe Mysteries) (25 page)

They exchanged small talk for a while then Fiona said to
Samantha, “I have to ask a question that’s been bothering me. Do you think
Tillie would set fire to the bunkhouse to scare me away?”

Samantha took her time replying, sipping her wine. None of the
three of them spoke while they waited. Jake had to admire Fiona. She had the
gumption to ask the tough questions. She could be the dispassionate observer
and investigator.

Finally, Sammie said, “Tillie is all bark. She makes threats,
says awful things, but I don’t think she’d carry out the threats.” She paused.
“Howie is another story. He is sometimes so far gone on alcohol he gets
violent, and then remembers nothing the next day. Tillie has the bruises to
prove it. I think he could do something like that in a drunken rage. But I’m
not sure he would have the smarts to pull off such a slick deal as the fire.
Opal said it happened fast. Howie is not fast when he’s drunk.”

 
Fiona said, “I had to ask.
I don’t mean to cast blame, but I’m determined to find out who’s behind this.
I’m looking under all the rocks.”

Jake smiled. “She’s a pretty good detective so you better watch
out.”

Sammie said, “I’m glad someone is using a scientific approach. Frankly,
I’d say Tillie and Howie are right up there at the top of the suspect list.
She’s my own sister, but I’m tired of trying to cover for her. That’s another
reason I decided to drive down here and see what was going on for myself.”

Fiona filled up the glasses again, and they launched into a
serious who-done-it discussion.

About midnight Jake stepped out onto the back patio. One of the
dogs was barking in the distance, and he wanted to investigate. The girls were
still going strong. Olympia had come back about an hour ago and was regaling
them with stories of fabulous ranches for sale, some for millions of dollars. She
had also brought a new friend along, a man she introduced as Paul, who she had
found somewhere in town.

 
He headed for the corral
and the hay shed and the sound of the barking dog. The way was lit by starlight
and a half moon. Glory was supposed to be on watch tonight. Jake needed to turn
in pretty soon since there’d be another long cattle drive in the morning,
except it was already morning.

All was still and silent except for the lone barking of the dog. The
wind had died down. Jake circled the corral, and the smell of the horses
drifted by. They had only two horses in training, since they were cutting back
on the horse operation. They used fewer these days now that ATVs could go just
about any place a horse could go, and they were much less temperamental. He
liked horses but he liked bulls better, and he loved the bull operation. He
used to bull ride in the rodeos in his younger days. The last rodeo he had gone
to with his buddies was back east last year and that was when he had met the
amazing Ms. Marlowe. His life had not been the same since. He had spent the
year pining for her. Now she was back, and he was lusting after her.
 
He shook his head. He had a bad case, and he
knew it, and he hoped it wouldn’t be his ruination. Half the time he couldn’t
think straight when she was around.

The dog seemed to be at the hay shed beyond the corral. It was a
pretty night, and it felt good to stretch his legs. The barking kept on, and he
followed the sound. He spotted the white outline of one of the Pyrenees standing
in the corner of the hay shed where there was a stack of old hay. The barking
settled into low growls, and the dog turned his massive head toward Jake.

Jake broke into a trot and pulled out a LED flash light from his
second best vest since his favorite was now burned tatters. The dog pranced
back and forth. It was Earl the sniffer, ever on the scent of things. Jake
hoped it was just a rabbit having a little feed on old alfalfa.

But it wasn’t. His flashlight caught sight of an overturned can
of gasoline on the ground in front of Earl. He flashed the light around the
shed.

“Where’d he go, boy?”

Earl growled. He wished he could understand dog growls better.

He flashed the light to the top of the hay bales but saw nothing.
He walked around the back of the shed and flashed the light into the brush.
Nothing.
Whoever it was hadn’t had a chance to set a match
to the gasoline before he took off.

Twelve

Fiona cleaned up the kitchen while Opal went off to find Sammie a
place to lay her head. Olympia had retreated with Paul and a nightcap to the TV
room to watch Hallmark re-runs of her novels. Fiona worried her way along the
kitchen counters, wiping them down and collecting glasses for the dishwasher.
In her opinion Opal was overdoing it. She had another treatment in the morning,
but it was already morning. Opal wasn’t getting enough sleep. She wouldn’t slow
down, and she had a truckload of worries of her own. Fiona chided herself. She
wasn’t Opal’s mother. She should stop worrying.

Sammie was a sweetheart.
Amazingly different
from her sister.
Fiona had no siblings and had always found sisters in
her friends. Olympia was a prime example. She could be over the top sometimes,
but Fiona loved her like a sister. They had met when Fiona had redesigned
Olympia’s sprawling house in McLean, Virginia. In the years since they had
shared many adventures, but this one might make number one on the list.

What had happened to Jake?
Another person to
worry about.
He had gone off to see why the dog was barking. She turned
off the kitchen lights and went out on the back patio to see if she could see
him. Maybe he had gone to bed.

The stars overhead were incredible. There were millions, billions
of them. She arched her back looking at the display. Points of light like a
bristling pin cushion covered the heavens. What a place this was. She never saw
the stars in the city. Why would anyone ever want to leave here? Why would she
want to leave?
 
Because she needed to
work and there wasn’t much here. She could always take Jake up on his offer
though he might not get this beautiful ranch and then what. Would she want to
stay up on her little knoll looking down on Tillie’s house? She realized then
that overlooking Jake’s house had been part of the attraction of having the
place on the knoll.

A horse out in the pasture whinnied. Another answered. Was that
the sound of a horse’s hooves on the gravel lane? Had one of them gotten loose?
She hurried around the side of the house and in the light of the stars she saw
a man coming in the lane on horseback.
At this time of night?
She waited, watching, unsure what to do. Then she realized it was Jake on his
pinto and behind him trotted one of the big white dogs. He pulled up beside her
and dismounted. He was riding bareback with nothing more than a rope on the
horse. The big white dog stood by, sniffing the breeze.

“What are you doing?” Fiona asked.

“I’m investigating why someone wanted to set fire to our hay
shed. The dog was barking over a spilled can of gasoline.”

“Oh, no,” said Fiona. “Was there fire?”

Jake shook his head. “No. Whoever it was didn’t have time to
strike the match. I’ve been riding around trying to find tracks or a rig or
horses or an ATV. I’ve found nothing. I’m beginning to think this is an inside
job. I haven’t been able to find Glory, and the other dog is missing.”

“This is awful,” Fiona said. She went to Jake and put her arm
around his waist. “I’m so sorry. This is terrible. Do you think Glory tried to
set the fire and ran off? Maybe someone paid him to do it. He doesn’t seem the
type that would think that up by
himself
.”

“I don’t know. Most of these guys really need a job. If someone
is paying him, it’s worth more than a job here. I’m on my way to the new
bunkhouse to see who is there. I’ll have a serious talk with the three of them,
that is, if Glory is still here.”

“What do you know about Glory and his background?”

“He’s a good worker. He came recommended from another rancher who
had hired him as temporary labor. He’s been with us since the beginning of the
year. It’s hard to get good background on some of these guys. They drift from
ranch to ranch, coming and going for a variety of reasons. They range all over
the region from California to Nevada to Idaho.” He ran a hand around his face.
“I don’t know what to think.”

“Do you want me to go with you?”

He smiled at her. “No. This is a man’s job. You might not like
the talk. And besides they all sleep naked. It’s a cowboy thing. Why don’t you
get some sleep? You take Opal for treatment this morning.”

“I don’t feel sleepy. And now I don’t think I could sleep. There
was the fire back in Virginia at Albert’s mansion, then the bunkhouse, and now
this. I must attract firebugs.”

He turned to face her. “You sure attract me.”

He pulled her into a full embrace. She buried her face in his
neck and inhaled the man smell of him. He could be hers, if she wanted. And all
the problems that came with him.

He pulled back and lightly brushed her lips with his. “I got to wake
those boys.”

“Right,” she said, kissing him back.

He mounted the pinto and steered him toward the new bunkhouse.
She watched Jake ride away, the dog trotting after him. If only she could be a
fly on the wall. Naked cowboys might be an entertaining sight.

* * * * *

Jake walked into the living room of the bunkhouse without
knocking. He wanted the element of surprise to be on his side. He now had doubts
about all three of them. This wasn’t a time to trust anyone. He found the
switch to the over head light and flipped it on. A quick glance around the room
showed him that no one was sleeping on the old couch. He walked over and saw among
the clutter on the couch the old gun that Fiona had described to him. It was
lying on the couch like someone had tossed it there and forgotten it. He picked
the gun up and examined it. He was no expert, but the gun wasn’t collector
quality in his opinion. He laid it back down in its resting place and decided
it was time to wake up the buckaroos.

“Sweet, Glory, Tommy. Time to get up,” he shouted to the closed
doors.

He opened one door and saw Sweet sit straight up in bed.

“What?” said Sweet. “What’s going on?”
 
He looked wildly around the room and grabbed under
his pillow.

“Leave the gun under the pillow, Sweet, and get up. Get some
clothes on. Come out to the living room. We need to talk.”

Sweet took a deep breath and let it go. “What time is it?”

“Middle of the night,” said Jake, and he walked on to the next
room.

The door was closed. He opened it. Tommy Hide was sitting in the
dark on the side of the bed fully clothed.

“What’s up?” Tommy asked, blinking into the light.

Jake looked around the spare room. The dresser had a few personal
items. The closet door was open and two shirts hung there. A pair of boots
stood neatly on the floor.

Jake said, “Did you go to bed?”

“I was so tired I fell asleep with my clothes on. Is it time to
leave on the cattle drive?”

“Not quite yet but soon. Come out to the living room. I need to
talk to you. Have you seen Glory?”

“Wasn’t it his turn to be on watch?”

“Yes, but I can’t find him.”

Jake went on to the next room, which he found empty. The bed was made.
No one had slept there. Several flasks of empty whiskey bottles stood on the
dresser. A pile of clothes in the corner was the only other sign of habitation.

Jake tapped his leg and shook his head. Now they were going to
have to search for Glory. He could be on a drunk somewhere or he could be long
gone.

Tommy was in the tiny kitchen fixing a pot of coffee. Sweet came
out of his room, buttoning his shirt. They didn’t say anything. Sweet went into
the kitchen and pulled mugs out of the cupboard. Jake followed him and leaned
against the kitchen counter, arms crossed.

“Glory is gone,” said Jake.

“He rode out to check the fence and pond,” said Tommy. He had a
slight build, strong hands, and didn’t like to talk.

“Did you see him come back?” Jake asked.

“Now that you mention it, I didn’t,” Tommy said. “He wasn’t here
for supper. But that’s not unusual. He doesn’t always eat. He drinks his
dinner.”

“He doesn’t sleep much that I’ve noticed,” said Sweet. “He’s been
hitting the bottle hard these last few weeks.”

“Do you know why he’s drinking so much?” asked Jake.

Both boys shook their heads.

“He doesn’t talk about himself much,” said Tommy. “Not like some
people I know.” He gave Ruben Sweet a pointed look.

Sweet shrugged. “Some people have interesting lives, you know. Other
people might want to hear about them.”

Jake interrupted their banter. “There’s an overturned can of
gasoline in the back hay shed. You two wouldn’t know how that happened, would
you?”

Tommy frowned, and Sweet’s look registered his surprise. They
both shook their heads.

“No, sir.
I wasn’t anywhere near that
barn today,” said Tommy. “I bet I was in bed and asleep by eight o’clock. I was
out cutting hay in that hot sun and all that dust, and I was beat. I never
noticed who was here when I turned in.”

Jake looked at Sweet.

“I finished up mending fences so the goats wouldn’t get out like
you asked me. I came back here after dinner, watched a movie and turned in. I
wasn’t near the hay shed.”

Jake looked from one to the other. “I went out when I heard Earl
barking around midnight. He was guarding the overturned gas can. I rode around looking
for tracks, vehicles, you name it. I haven’t found anything. No Glory. And
Lester is gone.”