Murder at the Dude Ranch

by Vickie Carroll

  Danny slowed his horse and turned to tell everyone they were stopping. Abby motioned for him to come to her and Danny guided his horse to her side. “What’s up Abby?”

  “Have you seen Cami?”

  “Cami? No, was she supposed to ride out with us?”

  “She’s missing, Danny, and we were hoping she had gone out for a ride and met up with the group. Are you missing anyone in your group?”

  “Well, the leader of this pack, Mr. Henson, never met up with us. He rode out early as planned and was supposed to meet up with us at the five-mile marker, but he was a no-show. We waited 15 minutes. His wife called him, but he never answered or called back. She didn’t seem upset though. Apparently, he goes off on his own all the time.”

  “Great, now we have two people missing.”

  Leon rode up to see what the holdup was, and Abby filled him in briefly and asked them both to keep an eye out for the two missing persons, and to call her with any word.

  Abby and Bobby watched the group go on their way back to the ranch for lunch. Bobby turned to her now and she knew what he wanted to ask. “I have to try to find her, Bobby.”

  “Look Abby, I get it, but what if the two of them met up and they are on some kind of make-up, lover’s thing and we call out the troops for nothing? That would be embarrassing for your guest who is paying for all this, and for Cami.”

  “Yes, I know you are right. Now that I know he is missing too I’m not as worried. They are likely together hashing things out.”

  “Why don’t you give them a little time, Abby? If they are not back in another hour or so, either or both of them, we can get Leon and Danny to go down the logging road and check there, the gully, and all around that area.”

  “Okay, and if they can’t find them, then you call for support, right?”

  “Absolutely, Abby.”

  They had just turned their horses for home when they heard it, the sound of horse’s hoofs coming down the hill heading toward them. They heard the rider talking to the horse to slow her down. It was Cami on the back of Della, and they came to a skidding stop as they saw Bobby and Abby straight ahead. Della huffed out a whinny, and pawed at the ground, not appreciating the pulling of the reins from Cami who now sat back in the saddle looking at them in surprise. “Hey, what are you two doing out here?”

  It took all of Abby’s control not to yell at her. “We were looking for you, Cami. No note, nothing. You took one of my horses and took off, and for hours.”

  “I know, and I apologize, Abby. I needed to think, and I lost track of time. I was sure I’d be back before you were up. Della and I went off trail and I ended up sitting in the meadow over by the stream for a long time.”

  “It seems your—friend Mr. Hanson is missing in case you want to know.”

  Abby saw Cami’s eyes narrow. “What do you mean, missing?”

  “He rode out early this morning, alone, supposedly, before the group and he didn’t show up where he was supposed to meet them nearly two hours ago now.”

  Cami adjusted herself in the saddle. “Oh, I’m sure he’ll turn up when he is ready. He may be a city guy now, but he knows horses, and he knows hill country well enough.”

  Bobby, who had remained quiet until now, turned his horse to head home. “Well, Abby, I’ll leave it to you to decide when you want to gather a search party, but I’d not leave it too long. We don’t want to risk him being hurt out here or lost. And we surely don’t want to be searching in those hills after dark.”

  Abby nodded and turned her horse to follow Bobby’s. She heard Cami coming on down the trail behind her, but she didn’t look back. Abby was wondering how well she really knew her old friend, and how much she might have changed over all the years in-between their teen years and now. It was not a comforting thought.

  They rode into the ranch to find Leon and Danny ushering everyone inside to get refreshments, while their part time help took care of the horses. Abby waved to Danny to come over as he walked by with the guests toward the guest house. “Danny, if Henson doesn’t show up soon, would you and Leon ride over to the old logging trail and look for him? We thought we saw something down in the gully, but our view wasn’t clear. Could have been an animal because Bobby thought he heard a sound too.”

  “Sure, want us to head out after lunch?”

  “That would be great. Maybe he’ll be back by then, but isn’t it a bit odd that his family doesn’t seem concerned about his absence?”

  “I thought the same, Abby, but his wife was not the least bit concerned that he didn’t show up on the trail to connect with us. She shrugged and seemed a bit annoyed but not worried. His two sisters were a bit more concerned.”

  “Why don’t you go talk to them again Danny and let them know you will go out to find him after lunch if he is still missing. But I don’t want any of them going with you, if by chance anyone volunteers, okay?”

  “Right, Abby. I’ll check in with you after lunch, or if he shows up, of course.”

  Bobby had gone into the kitchen and Sandy was dishing up lunch for him when Abby went inside. She pulled off her boots and joined Bobby at the table. She had a hundred thoughts flashing through her mind now and was picturing all kinds of horrible scenarios about her missing guest.

  Sandy put a grilled chicken salad down in front of Abby. “So, Bobby tells me Cami showed up at least.”

  “Yes, she did, and she knows I’m mad or she would be in here now instead of hanging out in the stables.”

  “She’s got to come in sometime, her suitcase is in the guest room.”

  “Yes, I guess she’ll make an appearance eventually. I just don’t know what to think about Sam Henson. Is he lost, hurt, staying out on purpose to avoid his family? I’ve asked Danny to get Leon to ride with him over to the logging trail after lunch. We can’t just ignore the fact our guest is missing even if he is known for his eccentric behavior,” Abby said.

  Bobby put down his phone. “I’ve texted the station to alert them that I might need one of them to meet me here for a search if Henson is not back by two. Kenny is going to come and bring his brother, a firefighter, search and rescue guy who is here visiting, if I give the word.”

  “Thanks, Bobby.’ Abby looked at the trusty kitchen clock. It was past noon.”

  Abby couldn’t sit still, and after Bobby left to make a meeting with the mayor, she went out to find Cami, but she had pulled another vanishing act. Abby stomped off and went on to the guest house to make sure they were all okay and to assure them they would find Mr. Henson. She felt a bit guilty that she had not spent more time with them. She met Danny and Leon coming out and it was easy to see from their expressions that the missing guest was still missing.

  “Hey Abby, just coming to talk to you. Mr. Henson’s wife is just now beginning to be a bit worried. I told her we were about to do our own search and we had already called in the sheriff for backup. She seemed okay with that for now. She did tell me that this was not entirely unlike him. He pretty much does these kinds of things on a regular basis,” Danny said.

  “Thanks guys, and listen, Bobby is ready to come when we call, and he has one of his deputies and a firefighter guy who was visiting coming too. Take your first aid kit, Danny, just in case.”

  “I’ll check in from the trail, Abby.” Danny and Leon gave her a wave and headed for the stables.

  Abby watched them ride off on the two large new stallions. She knew Danny wanted the other horses to rest in case they were needed later for a bigger rescue party. The stallions needed the exercise too and would get a good workout on the ride. It was almost two now and Abby’s head began to hurt as she thought of what this could mean for her guest and for her future.

  She went on to the guest house and spent the next half hour with her guests talking to them about their experience and trying to get a reading on what they were thinking about Henson’s disappearance. The mood was still relaxed, and no one seemed overly concerned. That gave Cami some hope this was just a guy being
a jerk. Abby assured them again that if he had not returned soon, the sheriff would be involved. She had high hopes Danny and Leon would find him simply lost on a back trail—at least that is what she told the group.

  Abby noticed that Mrs. Henson seemed to defer to her husband’s business partner, and brother-in-law, Brian Foster, before answering many questions. Brian seemed the one least concerned by Sam Henson’s disappearance. Both of Sam Henson’s sisters, Diane Foster and Cathy Henson asked more questions than his wife, Jill, did and that made Abby wonder about their marriage.

  When she got back to the house, she saw that Cami’s car was still there and she found her sitting at the kitchen table picking over leftovers and drinking coffee. Abby sat across from her and held out her hand. “Cami, I know this is terrible for you in many ways, but you need to pull yourself together. I can’t worry about you and Sam both right now.”

  “I know, Abby. I’ll leave in the morning, but I just want to stay around to find out what has happened to Sam. I’ll stay out of sight, I promise.”

  Abby heard her phone pinging as she got up to make fresh coffee. The caller ID told her it was Danny and she felt her stomach do a flip-flop as she answered. “Abby here.”

  “Abby, we found him, injured, but nothing too bad. He said someone shot at him, the horse threw him, and he fell, hit his head and hurt his leg and ankle.”

  “Good grief. Where was he?”

  “You were right, he was over on the back trail, near the gully trying to make his way back, but his ankle is pretty bad, could be a break. Leon has his horse who had wandered off, but not too far, and we have him in the saddle. We’ll be back as soon as we can, but he needs a doctor.”

  “Okay, Danny. Let’s get him here and we can drive him into town. I’ll call the clinic and let them know we are bringing him in.”

  When Abby looked around, Cami was staring at her waiting. “He’s been injured, Cami, but nothing fatal, they’re bringing him back for the car and then Danny will get him into the clinic to see about his injuries, likely a broken ankle from the sounds of it.”

  “Okay.”

  Abby waited for more questions from Cami, but she went back to her food without saying anything more.

  “Cami, I’m going to let his family know now, will you call Bobby and let him know?”

  “Sure, Abby.”

  After Abby broke the news to the family, she had time to think about what Danny had said. Sam believed someone shot at him. She knew Bobby would want to know so called to fill him in, and he agreed to meet up with Mr. Henson at the clinic to get more information and talk to Danny and Leon about what they saw at the location.

  By the time Danny and Leon rode in with Sam, the group had gathered in Abby’s front yard. She watched as they crowded around him as Danny and Leon lowered him from the horse. Brian had already called into town to have their driver bring the limo to the ranch and it sat there now, doors open and waiting, the driver standing by. It was decided that Jill and Brian would go in with Danny to the clinic and Abby watched as they drove off. The rest of the group, seemingly not very upset with it all, went back to the guest house for drinks. Abby breathed a sigh of relieve before she realized the likelihood of being sued. She called Teresa Moore for advice. If there was ever a time for PR help, this was it.

  Teresa didn’t answer Abby’s call, which was annoying, but she left her a detailed message, and hoped Teresa could work her PR magic and somehow this could be handled without bad publicity for her business. In the meantime, she’d wait to hear what Bobby had to say about the idea of someone actually taking a shot at Sam. This didn’t seem likely to Abby, but it was Texas and people had guns.

  Sandy had left her a note that her dinner was in the oven. It was burger night at the guest house and Sandy had made sure that Abby had the same meal. She thanked her lucky stars again for her thoughtful and kind staff. Cami had gone to her room and was staying out of the way as she had promised. Abby felt she was not being a good friend to Cami, but she was exhausted with the topic of Sam and Cami, especially now, under the current circumstances. She had other things to worry about now. Cami was, after all, a grown woman, a worldly soul, and needed to deal with her own mess.

  Close to eight, Abby heard the big limo drive up and she went out to talk to Sam Henson. He slid out of the limo with a sling holding up one arm, and a soft cast on his right foot and ankle. He was leaning hard on his driver.

  Abby was about to launch into apologies, but Sam held up his hands. “Abby, this was not your fault. You have no control over what others do around here. It was my idea to go off trail. I don’t hold you responsible, so just relax.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Henson, but I am so sorry you had to go through this. I hope you will stay on for the rest of the week. We can help accommodate you as needed.”

  “Of course, I’m staying. It takes more than getting thrown off a horse and shot at to keep me down, Abby. The ankle is just a bad sprain, not broken, so is my elbow, I was lucky.”

  “That’s good news. I’ll let you get back to your rooms now, you must be exhausted. Sandy saved dinner for all of you if you’re hungry. It’s in the warmer in the guest house.”

  Jill Henson walked up to her husband as if to speak but turned to Abby instead. “Thanks for finding him, Abby.”

  “Mrs. Henson, please let us know if you need help with anything.”

  She looked up at Abby and smiled, though her eyes were hard. “Yes, I will, thanks.”

  Sam turned to his brother-in-law now as he shifted his position. “Okay Brian, I need your shoulder and that one flimsy crutch they gave me.” He turned to his driver. “You can take the car back to San Antonio now and wait for us there until the end of the week as planned.” The driver nodded and got back into the car.

  Abby watched as Brian and Jill helped Sam maneuver the walk back to the guest house. Jill had not said a word about her husband’s claim that someone had shot at him. Abby wondered again about their relationship, and what his wife knew about his fling with Cami or others.

  Abby turned to go back to her house and looked up to see Cami’s face in the window.

  Chapter Five

  Abby was pulled from a deep sleep by her cell phone at just past seven the following morning. She reached for the phone to see it was Danny calling. Her heart began to pound immediately as she answered.

  “Abby, bad news, oh, really bad. Sam Henson is—well, he’s dead, really dead, Abby. Leon found him behind the stables this morning when he came back from his run. Leon always feeds the horses after his run, and there he was, dead.”

  “Danny, slow down, say again what I think you said.”

  “Sam Henson is dead, Abby. Someone used a garrote on him, he was strangled by a piece of rope. The kind we use in the training pens.”

  “Okay, okay, oh mercy, Danny, this is terrible. Are you sure he’s dead?”

  “Yes, there is no mistake. He’s been dead for some hours I’d guess. We didn’t touch him. I’ve called the sheriff and the coroner for you, Abby. There is nothing you can do just yet. Just come on out when you can.”

  “I’ll get dressed and see you shortly. Oh, Danny, who else knows?”

  “No one here yet but Leon. Bobby said to keep everyone away from the scene, and he stressed everyone.”

  “Well, we’ll wait on him. He’ll take charge when he gets here and then we will know the next steps. I’ll be right there, Danny.”

  With shaking hands, Abby pulled on her jeans and sweatshirt, ran a quick brush through her hair and put it up in a ponytail. She caught a glimpse of her pale face in the mirror. She knew she had to keep moving because if she stopped, she might breakdown now and she couldn’t do that.

  Abby held her breath as she walked around behind the stables. She immediately saw the body which lay up against the back of the barn. The early morning sun had not penetrated the area and the body lay in the shadows. Abby stood back with Danny and Leon and stared at the body of Sam Henson, fully dressed,
one sneaker on his uninjured foot, and a rope twisted around his neck. His face was turned toward the barn, and Abby was grateful for that. He wore sweat pants and a matching sweatshirt, solid gray. His right hand was up near his neck as if he had tried to remove the rope, but his left arm was bent at an odd angle. Sam Henson must have fought for his life in those last seconds.

  They were still standing in silence looking at the body when Bobby arrived, and who was followed immediately by Dr. Wood, the coroner. Bobby glanced their way, but his focus turned immediately to the body and the area around it. Both men took a round of photos of the area and the body from a few feet out, and then took another dozen close-up pictures once they had put on their gloves and shoe covers. Danny had brought two lanterns and a large flashlight to help them see better, and now the sun’s rays had gotten to the spot as well.

  The coroner’s verdict was no different from Danny’s—Sam Henson had been killed the old-fashioned way, by a garrote in the form of a rope. It was an effective murder weapon, quiet, quick, and depending on the material, it was a clean way to die with little to no blood left behind.

  The coroner’s crew loaded up the body to take it back to San Antonio for autopsy, and Bobby had the unpleasant task now of telling the family. Abby offered to go along, and he agreed.

  Abby could see him glancing at her now every few steps as they made their way back to the guest house. “I’m okay, Bobby. I’ll freak out after it’s all over but now I am okay. I hardly know what to say, what to ask you.”

  “Not much to say, Abby. Someone wanted him dead, and this sort of backs up his story of someone taking a shot at him yesterday. Now I need to question everyone, one at a time, and try to find out who that someone might be, and I’d like you to be my eyes if you will. People have “tells” when they are scared, lying, trying to hide things. Watch for anything like that, you know what I mean?”

  “I know. Will they need to stay around for a day or two?” Abby asked.