Saddled With Trouble (26 page)

Dwayne looked up at her and something about his expression caught her off guard. She saw sadness there. Despair. “I see you know,” he said.

“Yes, I know. I know exactly what you’ve been doing for God knows how long to my uncle, and I want to know why. Why in the hell would you scam owners out of money and breed them to Rocky instead of Loco? I realize that hasn’t been proven yet. But you and I both know that it will be.”

He crossed the mare’s blanket straps under her belly, fastened them, and stood up slowly, staring at her for long seconds before saying anything. Why was he looking at her like that? Booger lifted his back leg onto the front tip of his hoof, going into resting mode. She gave him a squeeze with her calf— enough to wake him. She wanted Booger on alert and ready to run if needed.

“I did not do what the police have accused me of.”

“Really? How do you explain that your name came up when the owners of those mares were questioned?”

“I . . . don’t know.”

“That’s a great defense, now isn’t it? You don’t know?” She shook her head. “You better hope you have a good lawyer, because I think the police also believe that you may have killed my uncle and Bean. And I think so, too. I’m not sure how you did it, but the police will figure it out. I believe that.” As the words escaped her mouth, she again realized that she was possibly confronting a killer. Alone. What the devil was she thinking? She started to back Booger away.

Tears sprang to Dwayne’s eyes. “Wait. I did not kill Lou. I did not kill Bean. I loved both of those men. I loved them like they were my own brothers! And I did not steal money from Lou or frame him, or steal money from anyone. I never posed as a breeder. If you look at all of this, I am the one who is being framed.”

“Oh come on!”

“How is this not obvious? You think if I put together a con that the police say I did, that when I talk to horse owners, I give out my name? How dumb do you think I be?”

Michaela couldn’t respond. Dwayne had never struck her as stupid, and the point he was making was a decent one. If he was trying to steal money, why
would
he give out his name? No. She wasn’t going to buy into this. He was a liar. He had to be. It was the only thing that made sense.

“You have to believe me. I did not do this.”

Now the tears flowed freely down Dwayne’s face, and something inside of Michaela softened. Could he be telling the truth? Should she at least listen? “Then who? Who would have done this, and why?” She still made a point of keeping her distance. He didn’t approach her, but instead put the mare back in her stall and returned with another one for the nightly ritual.

“I think a lot about this when the police ask questions, fingerprint me, and put me in the cell until I make bail.”
Ha! “Yeah, how did you make bail? It had to have been at least a few thousand dollars. I’ve never known you to be loaded. What did you do, use the stolen cash?”

He shook his head. “I tell you, I did not do this. I have a little savings. A little from my auntie who passed away a couple of years ago.”

“Sam’s mom? I didn’t know she died.”

He nodded. “Yeah. He don’t talk about it much. Too hard for him. But it was that money I use.”

She still didn’t know what to think, but if he was lying, he sure was smooth. She sighed. “So who, Dwayne? Who do you think could have done this?”

He looked at her, his face taut. “Brad.”

A flashback flooded her about Brad having dinner with Bean the other night, and how she’d wondered they were still so tight. Then, another thought came to her: Kirsten and the prints on the pitchfork. The fight with her at the funeral, and getting run off the road. And, Brad showing up at her place, trying to worm his way back into her life, pretending to be Mr. Nice Guy by tattling on his girlfriend. “Why do you say that?”

“You know what I think?”

“No, but I’m all ears.”

“I think Brad find out that I be the one who Lou had follow him and his girl around to get pictures to prove to you he no good.”

“
You
took the photos?
You
followed Brad?”

He nodded. “I agree with Lou, the man no good. He no good with the horses and he no good to you, so I follow him and take the photos and give them to Lou. Sam help me, too. I think when Brad find out I did that, he got mad, and he been planning on getting even ever since.”

“Why?”

Dwayne laughed. “Why?’Cause Brad know that this place going to you.”

“What? How did you know?”

“Lou talk to me about it. Tell me that if something happen to him, he gonna leave it to you because you good with the animals and he didn’t want Cynthia to have to worry about it. He afraid it be too much for her. He ask me to stay on with you. Help you out, if he passed on.”

“He did?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, how about Brad? How did he know?”

“He know because he used to get the mail sometimes for the ranch and give it to Lou. Envelope came back from his attorney and Lou asked me who got the mail, ’cause it looked like someone had opened it and tried to reseal it. I knew it was Brad.” He shrugged. “I got no proof. But my gut say so. The man already been cheatin’ on you, and I had the pictures. Brad realize he lose out on big cash if something ever happen to your uncle.”

Michaela thought back to the conversation at the bar with Brad— his pitiful apology and excuses— and his appearance at her house. Was that because he knew she was about to inherit her uncle’s ranch? Had that also been a part of his plan? Kill Lou, and get back into her good graces? But why the breeding scam? Suddenly, it hit her. The scam was to set Dwayne up and get him out of the way. That bastard! But was Dwayne telling the truth? Again, she had to wonder. And the money? How did Brad gain access to the bank accounts? Did he have the breeders sending checks to another address— one he had set up just for this purpose? Could he have forged the checks? Shit, Brad could hardly write his name legibly, and Uncle Lou had fairly neat handwriting. Damn if she wasn’t terribly confused.

“I know he’s the one who do this to me, Michaela. I told the police. But I don’t think that detective believed me. I tell you Brad hated me. Hated Lou, and Brad a bad man. He did this. I can prove I didn’t kill anyone. For one thing, I was in Vegas. That I can prove. I can also prove that I . . .” He blushed. “I spent that night before and morning with a woman I met in the bar at the hotel. I still have her number. I gave it to the police. I didn’t steal anything and I didn’t kill no one. You have to believe me. You have to.”

Michaela closed her eyes and uttered, “I believe you.”

THIRTY-FOUR

MICHAELA
DID
BELIEVE DWAYNE, BUT IT WAS hard to swallow that Brad had put this thing together. Still, the man had lied to her more than once, cheated on her, manipulated her . . . and yes, she was starting to believe he was capable of stealing, and even murder, especially if he thought he might get some real money out of it. He must have figured that the owners of the mares would eventually be asked about their contact for the AI breedings. Brad had made sure he slipped both Lou’s and Dwayne’s names in, figuring that they’d both be caught. But why murder her uncle? Revenge? Or had Uncle Lou discovered the truth? Is that what he’d wanted to talk to her about the morning he was killed? Had he been about to blow the whistle on Brad? Her ex probably hadn’t thought far enough ahead to take into account that, eventually, Lou would be able to put two and two together. The timing worked as far as Brad being one of the breeding handlers at the time the mares in the lawsuits were being bred. Brad never did think things through all the way, and this was case in point, assuming he was behind all of these events. Unless killing Lou was part of his evil plot.

Before she left Dwayne, he’d told her that the police were not allowing him to leave the state. Therefore he couldn’t compete in the calf roping events at the NFR. “I can’t believe it. First year in five I haven’t competed. Me and Hobbit was gonna win, too. Just feel it in my blood, you know. Just know it.” He wiped tears from his face. “Sam’s driving there tomorrow to get the horses for me. But I worry about him with the seizures. Something happen to him on that drive, well . . .”

Michaela immediately volunteered to go with him. “I was heading there anyway. Ethan’s getting married and wants me to come.”

“What? Oh no. Not to that dipshit Summer?” She nodded. “Girl be trouble. I promise. That man have nuthin’ but trouble for years to come with that one.”

“I know. What can I do?”

“Tell him no piece of ass that good. None.”

She couldn’t help but laugh, and Dwayne smiled, too. She was going to help Dwayne out of this mess. She’d been partly responsible for getting him in trouble. Now, she’d do what she could to make sure Brad didn’t get away with this. “So, I’ll drive to Vegas with Sam. He can go to the wedding with me, and then we’ll bring the horses home. We’ll stay the night. Camden’s flying over, later in the afternoon. She’s getting us rooms at the Bellagio.”

“Your crazy friend. I like her. She fun.” He laughed. “But don’t let Sam be staying there. He spend too much dough in a place like that. He need a cheap Motel Six. That work better for him. Not so good with money, my cousin.”

“Not a problem. He can drop me and head to the other side of town.”

“He good with food, though, so you watch him. Tell him to take his medicine.”

“I will.”

“Thanks for doing this. You a good friend. You didn’t have to believe me, but you see people in the heart and that is good. You have a good faith. I like you for that and am grateful you trust me. If I can get that cop to believe me, then we all be good again.”

They arranged for Sam to swing by her place in the morning. She asked Dwayne to take care of Cocoa and her horses while she was gone, and he said that he would.

She wanted to give Davis a call and meet with him. She needed to tell him that she believed what Dwayne was telling her about Brad, but first she needed to talk to Cynthia. She also couldn’t help wondering if Kirsten was behind bars yet. She put Booger in one of the open stalls and asked Dwayne to feed him just a little, because she’d still have to ride him home.

“He can stay the night. It’s getting dark and I can drive you home.”

“No. A night ride won’t be too bad and God knows he could use the exercise. Thanks anyway.”

The house smelled like spaghetti and garlic bread. She walked into the kitchen and saw Cynthia standing over the stove. Cynthia turned, looking startled to see Michaela. “Hi. I didn’t know you were coming by. I’m glad you did.”

Something about her demeanor had changed. She didn’t appear angry any longer with Michaela. Almost the opposite— happy to see her. “I came by to talk to Dwayne.”

“He’s had a bad couple of days. He told me everything.”

“Do you believe him?”

Cynthia nodded. “The man wouldn’t hurt Lou. Not in a million years.”

“Then what do you think happened?”

“I think that Brad was involved.”

‘That’s what Dwayne thinks,” Michaela replied.

“And you? What do you think?”

“I don’t think that Dwayne had anything to do with the scam. I have my doubts about Brad.” She paused. “But I didn’t come here to talk about that.”

Cynthia turned back to stirring the spaghetti. “Finished. Will you join me? I couldn’t eat all of it.”

“I don’t have a lot of time. I rode over here and I’m losing daylight.”

“You sure?”

Michaela nodded. “Cynthia, I know you were upset with me the other day, at the funeral. Why?”

Cynthia sighed. “Sit down.” Michaela joined her at the table. “You’ve spoken with the attorney? The wills and trusts guy?”

“Today.”

“Well, I spoke with him the day before the funeral and he told me how Lou had adjusted his will.”

She hadn’t been angry over her telling Davis about the pregnancy.

“I had no idea that he’d changed it, and at first I was angry. Very angry.”

“Understandable.”

“I was angry at you. Him. If it had been up to me and I’d inherited this place, I would have probably sold it off in the future. It’s a lot of a ranch for me, and that Kevin Tanner has already tried to call me to discuss the possibility of buying the ranch.”

Bastard! “You wouldn’t sell this place.”

“I’ve got to think about me now, but you’re right, I won’t be selling the ranch, because it’s all yours. I’ve had time to think about that. Lou did the right thing. He left me plenty of money. No, not the ranch, but I know and he knew that I can’t handle this place and would likely sell. I don’t love horses the way you do.”

“You’re really okay with all of this?” She couldn’t help but feel a bit angry at the thought that Cynthia would even consider selling this ranch that her uncle had loved and devoted his life to.

She shrugged. “I have to be. I don’t have a choice, and what good would it do me to be mad at you, or at Lou? He was only doing what he felt was right. Granted, I wish we could have discussed it, but maybe this place was never mine.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your parents and Lou raised you to take on a ranch. I need to go home. My parents are in Seattle and I need to start over. I’m having a baby.”

Michaela couldn’t act surprised. “I know.”

“You
know
?” Her eyes widened.

“I saw the pregnancy test in your trash the other day. I threw a tissue away and missed and . . . well, anyway, I saw it.”

“And, you assumed the worst, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“That cop. Davis. You’re the one who told him I was pregnant?”

There was no sense in denying it. “Yes.”

“That explains it. He’s a thorough detective. He’s even gotten a court order that the baby have a DNA test when he or she is born to compare it with the donor we used. But I assure you, as I did him, that I don’t have a problem with it. I never cheated on your uncle, and he wanted this baby as much as I did. We didn’t tell anyone I was trying to conceive because we didn’t know if I’d even get pregnant, and besides, we didn’t want the criticism we thought we might receive. With Lou being sixty-one, it was a risky thing for us, but I knew he’d make a great father, and I knew that he would live to be a hundred. At least, I believe he would have.”