The Eagle and the Fox (A Snowy Range Mystery, #1) (28 page)

Marcus nearly choked on the word “abduction” and sputtered, “N-n-no, Kit’s not like that. He would never do anything to hurt Petilune. God, no. I’d stake my life on it.”

Calhoun gave Marcus a hooded glare. “Are you willing to stake the
girl’s
life on it?”

Josh jumped in. “Hold on, Cal. Marcus is right. Kit’s not doing this on a lark. He’s been worried shitless about Petilune for a couple weeks. He even told
me
to look out for her. If he took Petilune, it was for a good reason. I suspect the kids, both of them, might be in danger. Kit’s just protecting her.”

Marcus grabbed the maps and stalked toward the check-out counter. He spread them side-by-side, then grabbed a pencil, quickly making circles around the trouble spots that had had all of them strung tight for over two weeks. When he finished, he systematically pointed out the sequence of events and where they’d occurred.

“I don’t know how much you remember from when you grew up here, Detective, but the valley’s changed some over the years.” He tapped at a circle on the northwest edge of the county. “This is a new guest ranch on Toller’s Ditch. This was where it started, with some vandalism.”

Josh continued, “Centurion’s pretty much the same. First time we run across the new thugs in town was here, behind the restaurant.” He dragged his forefinger due east. “You know the Barnes’ spread. That was a case of arson, but they’ve yet to identify any suspects.”

Marcus piped up, “I’m laying odds on the ones who beat up Will Barnes.”

Josh summarized his run-in with Kit, then some of the odd stuff Petilune had let drop but they hadn’t gotten to the point where they were able to recognize the importance of it. The night at the school dance, Petilune’s brothers being tortured on the football field, right where anybody could see them. The kids in the parking area, high on drugs. The two who had knocked Marcus around, the threat to ‘get rid of him’...

“The one in charge, the one they called ‘Dee’, I don’t know if that was an initial or his nickname. He seemed pretty sure Petilune knew something. When her brothers said different, he decided to take it out of their flesh.”

Calhoun asked, “Were they protecting the girl? And what’s she supposed to know anyway?”

Josh snorted. “Protecting? Not likely.” He grew quiet for a few minutes. When he spoke again, he’d closed his eyes, as if connecting the dots inside his eyelids. “Friday night was when we got up close and personal with how bad it’s got around the schools, with the drug dealers swarming like ants, and new shit being peddled for a song. The only explanation, as I see it, is that the new guys in town were handling the designer crap supply line, with the Goggles kids on the distribution end.”

Marcus interrupted, “God knows, Janice...” He paused to explain who she was to the detective, then continued, “She was high most of the time. Didn’t have a steady job to feed her habit, so I’m betting she helped the boys set it up. They had a nice little enterprise going. After the brothers got hauled off to the hospital, the cops checked her place over. They found small quantities of weed and X, but not much else.”

Calhoun asked, “You think they had the high value stock hidden somewhere else?”

Nodding, Josh confirmed, “That would be my guess. I think if you ask around, you’ll find the newer shit’s been moving down from the northern end of the state.”

“The rez.” The detective was definitely on the same page.

“Exactly. Route 130 is a cut-off to Laramie. They come this way to avoid the state cops on the interstate and do a little business on the way.”

Calhoun moved around to the other side of the counter and eased onto a stool. He stared for a long time at the two maps while Josh and Marcus exchanged glances. Marcus had gotten so good at reading Josh’s expressions that, when the revelation hit, it lit him up... literally.

“I think I know what’s going on.” Josh had their undivided attention. “If the four white guys are moving product toward the more populated centers, like Laramie and Cheyenne, maybe even heading eventually for Fort Collins and the colleges, then it strikes me the small stash at the Goggles place ain’t right. There’s got to be more, enough to supply a wide area. If I’m right, then what we should be asking is... Where the hell is it?”

Marcus groaned, “Petilune, sweet Jesus, Josh. She found it.”

Calhoun looked confused and interested at the same time. “Then the girl knows where it is.”

“Not just that, Cal. I’m betting she found it and moved it so that she’s the only one who knows where it is.”

Marcus added, “You want to also bet that Will Barnes might be a part of that, too?”

Cal muttered, “I’m lost.” Josh agreed with the detective.

“Think about it. At the party for the reverend, Will takes on three guys. One of them bigger than him. What if Dee decided to hit on Petilune just because she’s Jackie and Joey’s sister. Maybe asked her where her brothers hid the stash.” He sighed. “Knowing Petilune she probably had one of her meltdowns and gave them reason to believe she knew more than she let on. You know how that child gets when she’s upset. It’s likely Will overheard and decided to take matters into his own hands.”

Josh asked, “You think he knows about the drugs?”

“He knows Pet’s family. So yeah, he probably guessed. Thing is, we won’t know what he knows until we get a chance to interrogate him.”

Cringing, Marcus felt a flood of anxiety race through his system. This was all well and good, coming up with explanations and a timeline, but the bottom line was Petilune was missing and they couldn’t say for sure who had her. Or for what purpose.

Josh seemed to understand Marcus’ state of mind. “Hang in there, buddy. I know this seems like all talk, no action. But truth is, we have no idea where Pet’s got to. The only way we’ll change that is if we understand what’s been going on.” He looked at Calhoun. “What’s the status of the Goggles boys? When do they get sprung? And what’s the status of the two in county lockup?”

Calhoun stared at a spot over Marcus’ shoulder. “I have bad news and badder news.”

Josh froze in place while Marcus murmured, “What? Wait, what’s going on?”

“The oldest boy, Jackie? He and the brother were released this afternoon.”

Marcus asked, “Were they released to the mother?”

“No, sorry. The oldest is nineteen. He’s legal age. I didn’t know about it until a couple hours ago.”

Josh frowned. “What’s the badder news?”

“A lawyer from outside the area showed up today. Since no drugs were found on the white kids, it boils down to assault and battery.”

Josh huffed, “Let me guess. The Goggles brothers aren’t pressing charges.”

“Bingo. I can check, but I suspect they’ve already been sprung.”

Groaning, “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Marcus bolted outside. Gasping for air, it seemed his airway had shut down.

Josh joined him, taking Marcus in his arms and whispering, “We’ll find her, Marcus. I swear to God, she’ll be fine.”

Calhoun coughed and sidled past, leaving them with, “I need to get back to the department and get the ball rolling.” At his vehicle, he opened the door, then asked, “How do you want me to play this, Foxglove? Abduction or missing persons?”

“Not abduction, Cal. I don’t want the Feds involved, not yet. They’ll take control and right now, I think that’s the last thing we need.”

Calhoun considered that, then said, “You say that boy, Kit, is going to protect her. How do you know that?”

Marcus answered, “His soul name is Golden Eagle.”

Josh added, “And he loves her.”

––––––––

J
osh watched the passing storm with relief, not so much because the hail and snow bursts had ended, but that the nasty weather had meant he could take a breather. There’d been a steady stream of inquiries about the remaining two reining prospects which prompted him making a special effort to polish the geldings’ skills. That meant round pen work and extra wet saddle blankets to get the youngsters fit.

They weren’t the only ones getting a workout.

Becca hugged him from behind. “How’re you doing, cowboy?”

Josh grinned. Ever since Becca had heard Marcus use “cowboy” like a term of endearment, she’d jumped on the bandwagon too. He had to admit he kind of liked it. Answering his sister’s question, he confessed, “A little sore, Becs. Not complaining though.”

“It’s all right to complain. Did you take your meds this morning?”

“Yeah. I know better than to skip them when I’m gonna be in the saddle for more than a couple hours.”

He’d finally gotten to the point where the pain actually lessened while he was riding, sort of like a weird physical therapy that worked just the right muscle groups. It was the dismounting and landing on hard ground that presented a challenge. The worst part was anticipating the pain, then not being disappointed. He hoped someday he could switch that equation around to being more in his favor.

Becca asked, “You mind if I skedaddle? I want to pick up the girls from school and take them to Marcus’ store.”

“I’ll be meeting him at Polly’s for dinner. I can pick up whatever you need from the feed store.”

His sister giggled. “Not this time. Marcus called and said he got something very special in for Maudie’s pony. But he’s a little worried she won’t approve. He wants to see if she’ll pick it out from the display all on her own.”

Josh hugged his sister and muttered, “Maudie’s got that man wrapped around her little finger.”

“Oh, right. Like he’s the only one? I swear... You guys. Wouldn’t surprise me if someday you two ado—” Becca clamped her mouth shut and ducked out the door. Calling back, “See you later,” she skipped over the puddles, then took the narrow stream in stride and disappeared from view.

A familiar tension gripped Josh. It was like anticipation, anxiety, and a healthy dose of fear—shyness even—rampaging through his midsection. Being with Marcus seemed the only cure. His sister was probably right when she said, “Tell him,” because the longer he waited, the worse it got. Marcus had to know how he felt, but Josh wasn’t stupid. A man needed to own up to his feelings, not hide behind excuses.

He might have fessed up if the time had been right, but ever since Petilune had gone missing, they’d all put in every spare minute looking for the girl, or pouring over maps, trying to figure out where the hell Kit had squirreled her away.

Marcus thought the child would be fine, that being with Kit would be like an adventure for her. Josh wasn’t so sure. It bothered him that the girl was so accommodating, that shuffling her around never punctured the sweet, calm veneer she wore.

What if they were wrong? What if she internalized and processed all the odd and terrible things that had happened in such a way that it twisted her up and spit her out into someone unpredictable. Someone not so sweet.

If they were right—that she’d found the drug stash—the fact she’d decided to hide it elsewhere had to mean... What? What did it mean? Marcus thought it had to do with Janice. He suggested Petilune might have made a connection between her mother’s sorry state and the drugs. That maybe she blamed her brothers for her mother’s rotten choices. She couldn’t fight the two boys, but there was one thing she could do...

Remove the drugs. Get her mother back.

It made crazy sense, especially if you looked at it through the girl’s eyes. What made less sense was how Marcus had looked when he brought it up. Sadness, anger, worry—all those emotions had warred across his face. There was more to the story and his lover wasn’t being forthcoming. Josh promised himself he would corner Marcus later, after dinner, and get him to spill the beans.

Checking his cell phone again, Josh clenched his jaw in irritation. The waiting was getting to him. It had been nearly forty-eight hours since the girl went missing. He hadn’t earned any bonus points with Calhoun from his incessant pestering for updates. What frustrated him more than anything was how quiet it had gotten. It was like all the major players had gone to ground. As soon as they released the two in custody, they were in the wind. The ringleader and the unidentified driver may have been spotted here, there, somewhere else. The cops had tons of leads that went nowhere. Dogs chasing their tails. One thing they did know, the Goggles brothers were home, recuperating.

Move along, Foxglove, nothing to see here...

As for Kit, he no longer felt the boy’s presence. At Marcus’ store, he’d have sworn on a stack of bibles that the kid’s eyes were on him all the time. Even Marcus said the same thing. Josh didn’t put much store in woo-woo explanations, but the kid had a creep factor that was off the charts. Marcus called it spiritualism. Whatever it was, it raised red flags, yet Josh admitted to himself that whatever the kid had been through, whatever he’d done, it had been necessary for his survival. Josh understood that, but he didn’t have to like it.

What Josh had trouble reconciling was the conviction the girl was safer with Kit Giniw than she’d be with them. If Marcus’ idea of spiritualism was that teen had a spirit guide or familiar, Josh was on board because there was no other explanation for how Kit managed to know everything that was going on. He’d become the girl’s guardian protector. Chalk it up to teen hormones, first love, puppy love, brotherly love...

Thinking about Petilune having a similar hormone attack wasn’t something that sat easy with him.

“God, Marcus. Do you have any idea what you’re asking for?”

Startled he’d spoken out loud, Josh decided he needed to get proactive. Sitting around and waiting wasn’t his style. Although getting back on a horse wasn’t his most favorite option, the fact was he’d made multiple runs on each and every road in the county, exhausting all possibilities before backing up and starting again.

It was apparent Kit hadn’t co-operated by parking at a trail head, or behind a convenient barn or other out-of-the-way shelter. Even if he discovered the van, the odds of Kit and Petilune being nearby weren’t good. He’d postulated Kit ditching the vehicle, then taking off to parts unknown with the Harley. It might not be an off-road model, but it sure beat most of the rides used to get backcountry.