In the Paths of Righteousness (Psalm 23 Mysteries) (5 page)

Brent glanced at her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“No, it’s okay,” she said hastily, not wanting to spoil the fun they were having.

“He’s got a good team of people working with him. They make sure he stays safe. Plus, a lot of the things look a lot more dangerous on television than they actually are.”

She couldn’t help but think about her own recent accident. How would that look on television? Would it look worse than it had been? Living through it had been bad enough, she wasn’t sure she’d want to watch it when it did air on television.

“I still can’t believe I let him talk me into this,” she said out loud.

“He’s got a gift for that,” Brent admitted.

Lunch arrived and it consisted of sandwiches that people could eat in their saddles if they chose to. After distributing them along with more bottled water Brent settled back down on the seat next to Cindy.

“It’s a concession,” he admitted. “I didn’t see most of this crew faring too well with some kind of beef jerky.”

“I know that I, for one, am thrilled to have the roast beef,” she said.

“Me, too. Dollars to donuts, though, that this never makes it onto television. People will think I starved everyone until dinner. Everything around here is ninety percent perception and ten percent reality.” He actually sounded a little bitter as he said the last.

Cindy resisted the urge to pat him on the shoulder. “Well, at least I know the truth. And the truth is, this is an amazing sandwich.”

When they finally stopped for the night Mark practically fell off his horse. He was sore in muscles he never knew he had and his backside wasn’t about to
forgive him anytime soon. He did his best not to think about the fact that he’d have to do it all over again the next day even as he tried to stay upright on legs that were suddenly incredibly wobbly.

“Takes a while to get used to for a city slicker like you,” one of the cowboys noted with thinly veiled sarcasm.

Mark noticed that the cowboy was carrying a gun. That was good. Mark was, too, and this way if he shot the man he could claim some sort of self-defense.

He walked over to Traci as she dismounted from her horse and he was gratified to see that her legs looked a little wobbly, too.

“I’ve never been in the saddle that long at one stretch,” she admitted with a laugh as she reached out and grabbed onto his shoulder.

She was laughing which meant she was having a good time. That made him feel a bit better. Then he saw Jeremiah walking toward them, no signs of wobbly legs at all. Mark hated him in that moment. He also couldn’t help but wonder if the rabbi had spent more time on horseback than he’d led the rest of them to believe.

“You grow up on a ranch?” Mark asked him.

“No.”

That was it, just the one word. He was actually surprised he’d gotten that much out of him. Jeremiah didn’t talk about his past. Mark knew nothing about him from before he had become a rabbi in Pine Springs. It was only out of respect that he hadn’t gone digging. Plus, he wasn’t sure he’d like what he found.

Together the three of them walked over to the chuck wagon where everyone seemed to be congregating. The
chef was already in the back, hard at work on dinner. At least, that’s what Mark hoped was happening.

“You okay?” Jeremiah asked Cindy, the worry in his voice clear.

“Yes. Glad to have stopped bouncing around. It was starting to get wearing,” she admitted.

Mark kept a snarky comment to himself. Given what had happened to her earlier he wouldn’t want to trade places with her even if riding on the wagon sounded a whole lot better than riding on a horse.

Dinner was not nearly as festive an affair as it should have been. Given the things that had happened and the pure exhaustion he knew he personally was feeling Mark wasn’t surprised. Kyle, though, kept going around making jokes trying to get people to lighten up. Even he finally gave up after a while, though, and suggested that maybe it was a good idea if everyone turned in early and got some sleep. It was the most sense he’d made all day.

They laid out their sleeping bags all close together. The real cowboys were going to take turns watching the herd that night, although Kyle made it clear that starting the following night everyone was going to get a chance to pull night duty.

Mark finally stretched out in his sleeping bag next to Traci who had already burrowed into her bag. She was the only one in the group smiling and he was grateful she was enjoying herself. On her other side was Cindy and Jeremiah’s sleeping bag was next, although the rabbi was nowhere to be seen. As he heard Cindy and Traci whispering together Mark felt himself began to drift off to sleep.

He didn’t know how long he had been out, but the camp was quiet when a strong hand on his shoulder shook him awake. It was Jeremiah, still fully dressed. He put a finger to his lips indicating silence and gestured for Mark to follow him.

Mark got up and followed quietly until they were well out of earshot of the rest. Finally Jeremiah stopped and turned to look at him.

“What is it?” he asked.

“I wanted a chance to talk when I knew there were no cameras around,” Jeremiah said.

“Fair enough, but about what? What are we doing out here?” Mark asked.

“I managed to get a look at Cindy’s saddle. The leather didn’t look rotted to me.”

“You think someone saddled the horse wrong or missed seeing frayed edges, some sort of negligence?” Mark asked.

Jeremiah shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

Mark paled. “Why, why would anyone do that to Cindy? I mean, sure, it’s going to make great television, but I have a hard time believing Kyle would risk his sister getting hurt just to add some drama. He’s a jerk, but not that much of a jerk.”

Jeremiah shook his head. “Kyle was supposed to be riding the horse, not Cindy. They switched at the last minute.”

Mark frowned. “What are you saying?”

Jeremiah took a deep breath, realizing that once the words were out there was no taking them back. “I think someone tried to kill Kyle.”

Mark stared hard at Jeremiah. “You’re sure?”

“Not one-hundred percent, but worried enough to talk to you about it.”

“That’s good enough for me,” Mark said, licking his lips. “You think that what happened to that cameraman back at the cabin wasn’t an accident?”

“You tell me,” Jeremiah said quietly.

Mark’s mind raced. “He was roughly the same height and size as Kyle, and if I remember correctly their bunks were next to each other.”

“You think in the dark someone mistook him, slammed his head into that sink?” Jeremiah asked.

Mark swore under his breath. “I hope for all our sake’s you’re wrong.” In his gut, though, he felt that Jeremiah was on to something. He glanced back over his shoulder. “Should we warn Kyle?”

“It would be the logical thing to do. Except...”

“Except what?” Mark asked when Jeremiah didn’t finish his thought.

“I’m not sure it would make much of a difference. I don’t think he’d cancel this cattle drive. If anything it might just make him act strange and alert whoever it is that we’re on to them.”

“Which means we’d never find the killer and there’d be no justice for the guy he already killed.”

“And, if he’s someone that has access to Kyle, he’ll just try again in a few weeks when no one’s watching out for him and he’s let his guard down.”

“We’ve gotten ourselves in the middle of a fine mess,” Mark snorted.

“Don’t we always?” Jeremiah said grimly.

Mark glanced over his shoulder again. “What about Traci and Cindy? We should warn them.”

“We should.”

There was a lack of conviction in Jeremiah’s voice that matched his own feeling. “Then they’ll be the jumpy ones instead of Kyle.”

“That is a risk,” Jeremiah said.

“Well, crap. What are we supposed to do?”

“Make sure one of us has eyes on Kyle the entire time?”

Mark nodded. The rabbi’s suggestion made perfect sense. He wished suddenly and intensely that he was a praying man. “Do me a favor, Samaritan,” he said, using the sarcastic nickname he had given Jeremiah ages ago.

“What?”

“Pray enough for both of us. Pray that we’re wrong about this whole thing.”

Cindy woke up and blinked up at the night sky. She couldn’t have been asleep very long, but it felt like the temperature had dropped considerably in that time. She rolled over and noticed that Jeremiah’s sleeping bag was empty. He was probably just getting a drink of water or something like that, but for some reason it made her uneasy. Maybe it was because of what had happened at the cabin the night before.

She propped herself up on one elbow and twisted her head so she could look around. Everywhere there was a sea of sleeping bags. Next to her Traci was sleeping with one
hand flung over her eyes. On the other side of her, Mark’s sleeping bag was empty, too.

Cindy sat up, coming fully awake. One missing guy could be a trip to the bathroom. Two missing guys seemed like danger to her. She looked around, checking all the other sleeping bags she could see.

The moon was full and shining down brightly enough that she could count heads. Everyone else seemed to be accounted for except for the cowboy she knew was supposed to be taking the first shift watching the herd. Wherever Jeremiah and Mark had gone, though, they were out of sight.

She started to throw back her sleeping bag and the blanket she had over it and then hesitated. Where would she begin to look for them?

“Where do you think they’ve gone?” Traci whispered so suddenly that Cindy jumped and nearly screamed.

“Sorry,” Traci said.

“It’s okay,” Cindy whispered back. “I don’t know where they went.”

“They’ve been gone about ten minutes. I was starting to wonder what’s up.”

“Yeah, guys don’t go to the bathroom in groups,” Cindy muttered.

“But girls do.”

As if reading each other’s minds they both got up at the same time. Cindy winced, reaching for the walking stick Jeremiah had found for her after dinner. Her ankle was still sore even though the pain medication Zack had given her was pretty effective.

She hobbled slowly alongside Traci and they didn’t speak a word until they were out of earshot of the sleeping figures.

“Anyone who’s watching should think we’re just heading for the bathroom,” Traci said. “Actually, now that I’m up, that doesn’t seem like such a bad idea. I don’t want to have to go at like four in the morning.”

“Are you sure my brother won’t have us up at four in the morning anyway?” Cindy asked.

“He’s crazy. I’m hoping he’s not
that
crazy,” Traci said.

“So, where do you think the guys went?” Cindy asked, bringing them back to the topic at hand.

“Do you think they’re investigating the murder of the cameraman?” Traci asked, eyes widening.

“What? No, he wasn’t murdered,” Cindy said.

“Are you so sure?”

“Yes, why? Do you think he was murdered?”

Traci nodded. “The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced he must have been.”

That got Cindy’s attention. “Really, why?”

“Because even if something looks like an accident, if someone dies and you and Jeremiah are around, it wasn’t.”

Cindy fought the urge to laugh at the sheer preposterousness of the other woman’s reasoning. Then she realized Traci wasn’t smiling. She looked dead serious.

“There must be more to it than that,” Cindy said cautiously.

“No, just that, and a feeling I guess.”

“Feelings aren’t something to be ignored,” Cindy said. She’d learned that, if nothing else, through all her misadventures. “Okay, so who do you think killed him and why?”

“That’s what I want to figure out. You’re so good at this I was sure you’d have a theory already.”

Cindy shook her head. “To be honest, I was happy with the ‘just an accident’ theory. I’d like to live my life without getting sucked into any more of these situations.”

“Somehow I think the universe has other plans.”

“You mean God keeps putting me in these situations for a reason?” Cindy mused.

Traci shrugged. “I don’t know anything about God, but I do know that you’ve been involved in too many of these things for it to be coincidence. I think God or fate or whatever wants you to get involved, lend a hand. I mean, who knows how many more people would have died over the last couple of years if you hadn’t been around helping to solve these things.”

“Don’t let your husband hear you say that.”

“Mark’s happy for the help, but he would never admit it.” She sighed. “I just wish you could help him figure out the whole mystery of who Paul really was.”

“I’ve heard a little about that,” Cindy admitted.

“It’s driving him crazy, to be honest. He’s become so obsessed with it it’s hard for him to focus on anything else.”

Cindy reached out and gave Traci a quick hug. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Thanks,” Traci said, pulling back after a moment. “But now, back to the task at hand, who do you think killed that guy?”

“I don’t know who might be trying to kill Kyle,” Jeremiah said to Mark.

The detective sighed. “Who wouldn’t want to kill him might be a better question. I know I’ve harbored murderous thoughts a couple times in the past day and I don’t even know the guy.”

Jeremiah bit back a chuckle.

“I have a feeling I’m not the only one,” Mark commented.

Jeremiah shook his head, but didn’t say anything.

“Shouldn’t you be on your best behavior, you know, given that he’s the first family member of Cindy’s that you’ve met?”

“What do you mean?” Jeremiah asked.

“Please, don’t give me that. It’s not quite meeting the parents, but it’s certainly a step in that direction.”

Jeremiah rolled his eyes. “There’s nothing going on between Cindy and me.”

“Whether there is or not isn’t the point. There should be and you know it and I know it. You can’t tell me you’re not the least little bit trepidatious about spending time with one of her relatives.

“She’s not very fond of her brother.”

“And you’re dodging the question. Whether she likes him or not doesn’t mean anything. You know he’s got to be sizing you up and that he’ll be reporting back to mom and dad about the guy she’s been spending all her time with.”

Jeremiah could feel his temper slipping. It didn’t help that Mark was right about that last part. He had worried about what Kyle might say to Cindy’s parents and whether or not they might object to her spending so much time with him. What made it worse was that he wasn’t sure whether or not Cindy would care what they thought. He wasn’t about to let Mark know he had struck a nerve, though.

“How about we get back to figuring out who’s trying to kill Kyle and worry about Cindy’s parents later,” he suggested.

“You do care, I knew it,” Mark said, a smug sound to his voice.

“What I care about is all of us making it through the next few days alive,” Jeremiah said.

“Okay, fine,” Mark said, sounding clearly disappointed. Apparently the detective would rather discuss Jeremiah’s love life than stop a killer. Maybe he was taking the whole vacation concept a little too far.

“So, despite how we all feel about Kyle, I think it’s safe to eliminate the four of us as potential suspects,” Jeremiah said.

Mark snorted. “Yeah, only worry from Traci is that she might hug him to death.”

Jeremiah bit back a sarcastic comment which would only lead Mark back onto the topic of relationships.

“The three cowboys weren’t bunking with us at the cabin when the cameraman was killed,” Jeremiah said instead.

“Yeah, what are their names again?” Mark asked.

“Zack is the doctor, Tex is the older one and Curly is the younger one,” Jeremiah said.

“Curly? Are you kidding me?”

“No, why?”

“Curly? Come on, the guy must have seen City Slickers one too many times as a kid and decided that Jack Palance was the god of all things cowboy.”

Jeremiah hadn’t seen the film in question. He had just assumed the nickname had to do with the young man’s extremely curly hair. He felt like he had done a pretty good job assimilating into American culture but every so often there were pop culture references he just did not get. It reminded him that he was an outsider, not really part of this world.

And unable to go back to his.

He shook his head. “So, unless one of them knew Kyle prior to this, I’m betting we can rule them out.”

“Someone could have hired one of them to go after him.”

“True, but I kind of doubt it.”

“Yes, because you’ve never met a hired killer before,” Mark said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Jeremiah stiffened slightly until he realized Mark was referencing the Green Pastures incident from Saint Patrick’s Day.

“One of them could have snuck into the cabin and they all had access to the saddle and could have cut the girth strap. Okay, so let’s not rule them out completely,” Jeremiah said.

“Done. So, moving on to the people Kyle brought with him, other than us, of course.”

“Hank and Norman arrived the next morning to replace Martin and the guy Aaron who left afterward.”

“I’d say we should be wondering if Aaron killed Martin but he was long gone by the time those horses were saddled up,” Mark said. “And, you’re right, Hank and Norman might have been able to do something to the saddle, but they weren’t even here when Martin got killed.”

“Still, they managed to get both of them here really quickly. I wonder where they were coming in from,” Jeremiah mused more to himself than Mark.

Mark shrugged. “What about Liz, the hair and make-up lady. I’ve got to say, I don’t know what they brought her along on this trip for.”

“Close-ups and things like that in the camp?” Jeremiah guessed.

“Could be. Okay, moving on. We have our cook, Brent. Think he resents being a gourmet chef and being stuck on a chuck wagon as a stunt?”

“He could, but would he really resort to murder to get this whole thing shut down? I mean, why not just sabotage?”

“You’re right. Yeah, whoever it is probably has a grudge against Kyle and not the production. That’s the way it’s seeming, after all. Although, we could be wrong.”

“So, that leaves us with three more guys, Jeremiah said. “Roddy is Kyle’s assistant.”

“Imagine having that job. I’m sure he has plenty of reasons to want to kill the guy.”

“And the last two are Wayne and Junior.”

“Father and son, aren’t they?” Mark asked.

“I think so.”

“And what exactly is it they do?”

“I get the impression a little of everything, hauling equipment, running errands and messages. I think they were even the ones that did the majority of the work setting up the camp.”

“So, do we know if any of these guys has worked with Kyle before, maybe on one of his other shows?” Mark asked.