Trouble at the Red Pueblo (19 page)

Laurie let out a sigh. “Oh, Dorrie. I’m so sorry. I don’t know if anything can be done.”

Dorrie drew her freckled brows together. “About what?”

Laurie swept her hand in an arc, taking in the house, the outbuildings, the rangeland. “Your ranch was worth maybe ten times what you got for it.”

Spider grunted. “Right next to this golf course and close to the freeway? And with water? More than that. Way more.”

Dorrie blinked. “I don’t care about that.”

Laurie and Spider spoke together. “You don’t?”

Dorrie shook her head. “Nah. I found a little place just south of St. George. It’s got stables and an arena and a little trailer house on it. I can board and train horses there. It’ll do me just fine.”

Laurie put her arm around the larger woman. “Dorrie, listen to me. Austin Lee is building up his personal fortune on the wreckage of other people’s lives. He ruined a family in St. George, and after the daughter committed suicide because of what he did, he ended up living in her house.”

Dorrie’s eyes narrowed. “What was her name?”

“The girl?” Laurie looked to Spider for the answer.

He supplied it. “Mary Defrain. They lost Defrain Estates to Austin Lee.”

Dorrie flung her arms out and jumped up. “I won’t listen to another word against him. I don’t know you people. You come here and say things against Austin, and you got no proof.” She reached down, picked up a rock and flung it, hitting the corral fence with a solid thwack. Trey jumped up, whining, and hopped over to stand by Dorrie.

Spider held his hands up, palms out. “Whoa, Dorrie. Easy. We’re just trying to figure things out, here. When was the last time you saw Austin?”

Dorrie turned on him, fists clenched, teeth bared. “Why are you asking that? You. Don’t. Know. Nothing.”

Laurie stepped between Dorrie and Spider, touching her arm and speaking softly. “We’ll go now.” She looked over her shoulder at him and jerked her head in a way that said
go
.

Spider went. As he walked away, he heard Laurie ask, “Will you tell me the address of where you’re going to live?”

He got in the pickup, started it, and turned on the air. Laurie joined him a few minutes later, carrying the water bottle and handkerchief. She climbed in, shut the door, and stashed the water bottle in the cup holder. “Thanks for the AC. I’ll bet Mesquite is a good fifteen degrees hotter than Kanab.”

“Never mind that. What happened after I left?”

She spread the handkerchief out to dry on the seat beside them. “I asked where she was moving to. She couldn’t remember the address, but she said you turn on that big interchange before you get to St. George and go about a mile. Her road is just past a gravel pit. She’s a half a mile in.”

“Can you write that down? I’ll never remember it.”

Spider gave her the pen from his shirt pocket, and she picked up the manila folder with
Dorcas Coleman
on the tab. As Laurie scribbled, Spider turned the pickup around and headed back out over the cattle guard. “Was she doing okay when you left her? She seemed really upset.”

“She was upset with us. She’s very protective of Austin, and she’s not going to let anyone paint him as anything but a knight in shining armor. He came and helped her out during a difficult time.”

“And he stole her land.”

She gave him back his pen. “I don’t think that matters. She was shaken up by our news about him at first, but I think that was because she hasn’t seen him for a good while. When you’re so in love with someone, just hearing his name can make you feel faint.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It usually happens when you’re in seventh grade, but I don’t think Dorrie has had a lot of social experience.” Laurie adjusted the vent, so it wasn’t blowing right on her. “What’s more, she’d probably be glad if you told her that Texas Capital Investments was owned by Austin Lee. She’d be glad to think of him having her ranch.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“Love very rarely makes sense.”

“You said she hasn’t seen him in a great while, but she wouldn’t tell us when that was.” Spider said that more to himself, and Laurie didn’t comment.

They drove in silence until they got back on the freeway heading for St. George. “She’s really got an arm,” he said. “Did you see her throw that rock?”

“Yeah I did.” Laurie laughed. “Do you think she was aiming for that board?”

“I’ll bet she was. The Lincoln County Lynx should recruit her for their slow pitch team.”

Laurie smiled and nodded in agreement.

Silence again.

“So, how do we convince her?” Spider looked over at Laurie. “What’s it gonna take?”

Laurie shot him a puzzled look. “To join the softball team? Why are you even thinking about that?”

“Not the softball team. How do we convince her she’s been had?”

Laurie thought a moment. “Why do you have to convince her of anything?”

“Because—”

“No, listen, Spider. What will it accomplish? It won’t get the ranch back. It won’t make her life better. What it will do is destroy any dreams she’s holding onto. She’s got a plan about how she’s going to go on. Leave her be.”

Spider gritted his teeth. “How are we going to get this piece of cow dung held responsible for what he’s done to people’s lives?”

“I don’t think that’s your job. You were asked to come and help the museum. You’ve made a good start on that.”

“Huh.” Spider thought about that. “The trick is to make sure he doesn’t come back with some other plan. Seems the way to do that would be to get him off the street for good.”

“I agree, but there’s a more important question to consider right now.”

“What’s that?”

“Are you going to feed me? I’m hungry. I meant to bring some of Amy’s cookies.”

“Amy’s phantom cookies. You’ve talked a lot about them, but I’ve yet to see even one.”

“You didn’t seem much interested last night.” She pointed at an oncoming off ramp. “There’s a drive-in. Let’s grab a taco or something.”

Spider did as she asked, and half an hour later they were back on their way. As they passed through St. George, Spider told Laurie what Bobby had said about raising his kids on the ranch, and they spent most of the way back to Fredonia talking about that possibility.

As they passed the Kaibab Paiute Reservation marker, Laurie looked at her watch. “Do you know where the petroglyphs were that Karam was going to look at?”

“He said they were north of Fredonia, but I got the idea it was on a dirt road.” Spider hit the heel of his hand on the steering wheel. “Oh, shoot!”

“What?”

“I forgot to tell Karam about the gas gauge, how it’s empty at a quarter tank.”

“How much gas was there in the car? Do you remember?”

“A little more than a quarter tank. See if you can get him on the phone.”

Laurie dialed, but there was no answer. As they came into Fredonia, they kept a sharp eye out for an orange car pulled off the road. “Should we stop at the museum?” she asked as they drove past.

“Let’s go on to the hotel and see if he’s there. He may be working and have his phone turned off.”

Coming over the hill just after the Utah line, they passed a boarded up restaurant on the left, its flower beds clogged with tumbleweeds. Spider was scanning the area on both sides of the road, and something orange registered in his peripheral vision, just a flash, and it was gone.

Spider braked hard and turned into the vacant parking lot, slinging Laurie against the restraint of her seat belt. She grabbed the panic handle with one hand and pointed with the other. “There’s the Yugo behind the building. What’s it doing there?”

They bumped over the weed-infested cracks in the parking lot, heading to the rear of the restaurant where the back end of the Yugo stuck out about a foot. The driver’s side front door stood open, and Spider had a bad feeling in his gut.

SPIDER STOPPED THE
pickup and opened his door. “Stay here a minute.”

“Would he have pulled clear around here if he ran out of gas?”

Spider bailed out of the pickup, not pausing to answer. He approached the car cautiously, scanning the area but seeing no one. When he came in full view of the driver’s side, a pair of legs was visible beneath the open door. The crease in the khaki trousers was sharp; the shoes were shined. “Oh, no.” Spider muttered. “Karam.”

He was around the door in two quick steps, drawing in a sharp breath when he saw his friend lying senseless, sprawled across the bucket seat under the steering wheel.

“What’s wrong?” Laurie jumped out of the truck.

“It’s Karam. Can you come help me?”

She was there in a moment, covering her mouth with her hands when she saw their young friend so pale and still. “Is he all right?”

“He’s got a pulse, but I can’t get him to wake up. Help me move him to the backseat.”

“That will be too hard in this little bitty car,” Laurie said. “I’ll move the pickup into the shade. We can lay him in the bed.”

“That’ll work.”

Spider watched as Laurie climbed in the pickup and deftly maneuvered it into the shadow of the building. He let down the tailgate, and she emerged from the cab with the travel pillow and a fleece blanket she had unearthed from behind the seat. “Good girl,” he said, walking back to where Karam lay. “Spread it across the back.”

“Want me to help carry him?”

“I think it will be easier if I do it myself.” Spider crouched and slid his arms under Karam’s thighs and shoulders.

“Lift with your knees,” Laurie cautioned.

Spider grunted as he stood, taking care not to knock the unconscious man’s head against the steering wheel. He took two steps back and said through gritted teeth, “Close the door.”

Laurie gave the door a push and followed Spider to the pickup where he laid Karam’s inert form on the fleece with his head on the pillow.

Laurie got the water bottle and handkerchief that she had used to wipe Dorrie’s brow earlier. “This isn’t very hygienic, but it’s better than nothing.” She wet the cloth and began bathing Karam’s face. “Oh! His eyes are open.”

“Hello, Karam,” Spider said, looking into the young man’s blank eyes.

Karam blinked, his gaze resting first on Spider then on Laurie. “Where am I?” he whispered.

“Right now, we’re halfway to Fredonia,” she said. “We found you in the Yugo, parked behind an abandoned restaurant.”

Karam stared at Laurie, obviously trying to make sense of her words.

“Don’t worry about it now,” she said, patting his hand.

Karam closed his eyes again, and Spider turned and looked at the car. There was nothing there to give a clue as to what had happened.

“Somebody tried to put me down,” Karam croaked.

Spider turned back. “Say that again.”

“Somebody tried to put me down.”

Spider and Laurie exchanged quizzical glances. “Because you’re a Palestinian?” Laurie asked. “They were calling you names?”

“No. Like your horse. Someone tried to put me down.”

Spider worked it out first. “Someone tried to kill him.”

Laurie’s eyes widened. “Who?”

Karam closed his eyes. “I do not know. I have a headache.”

Laurie hovered over him. “Where does it hurt?”

Karam raised his arm and began to touch the base of his skull. “Ouch. I think I have a bump there. What do you call it? A duck egg?”

“A goose egg. Let me see.” She slid her hand under his head. “My goodness! No wonder you have a headache. Can you remember what happened?”

Karam spoke with his eyes closed. “I was coming back from seeing the petroglyphs, and the car malfunctioned. It felt like it ran out of gas, but I still had a quarter tank.”

“Sorry about that,” Spider said.

“I pulled off in an empty parking lot, and someone pulled in behind me. I thought that was just like a friendly westerner.” He paused for a moment and then added, “He did not smile when he got out.”

“Can you describe him?” Spider asked.

Karam shook his head slightly. “I only saw him for just a moment. He was very large. He spun me around. Got me in a chokehold. Squeezed until I passed out.”

Laurie touched the ruby in a ring Karam wore. “If he was trying to rob you, he missed this.”

“We’ll have him go through his pockets when he feels better,” Spider said.

“He said…” Karam’s voice was raspy.

Spider leaned down, so he could hear better. “What did he say?”

“I am trying to remember. He said something about the Red Pueblo. Lie down. Lie on. It did not make any sense.”

“Did he say
lay off the Red Pueblo
?” Laurie asked.

Karam’s eyes were closed. “I do not know. He may have. My ears were ringing, and I was trying to get his arm off my neck.” He explored the base of his skull with his fingers. “Why does it hurt here?”

“He must have hit you on the head before he dumped you in the car,” Laurie said. “Spider, you’ve got to call the police.”

Karam’s eyes opened wide, and he struggled to rise. “No. No police.” His face contorted, and he put his hand to the back of his head.

Spider helped him sit up. He had never seen Karam look so grim. “Why not?”

“My interactions with police have not filled me with confidence.”