by Kat Martin
“Have you?”
“Maybe. Heather’s murder had a number of similarities with Barbara’s, which the police pointed out. Kade and I’ve been working the theory that the two of them may have been killed by the same man.”
He paused a moment. “Go on.”
“Turns out Vail is the link between the two women. That and the fact both were known to cheat on their husbands. Are you a skier, Sheriff Carver?”
Carver nodded. “Loved it since I was a kid. Don’t get a chance to go that often anymore.” He frowned. “You don’t suspect me, do you?”
“Actually, for a while, your name topped my suspect list. You and I both know you and Heather had an affair. Word was she dumped you, and you weren’t happy about it. Revenge can be a prime motive for murder.”
The color leached out of Carver’s face. “Does Kade know about the affair?”
“I saw no reason to mention it unless the evidence pointed in your direction. At the moment, I’m not convinced it does. ”
“I didn’t kill Heather. I was in love with her. I thought it was mutual.”
“I gather that was the way she liked to play the game. Looks like you were just one of many.”
“Yeah, eventually I figured that out. It’s not a time in my life I’m proud of.”
“As I said, I have no intention of telling Kade if I don’t have to. His wife hurt him enough. He doesn’t need a reminder.”
He studied her closely, and one of his eyebrows edged up. “You’ll keep quiet—unless I go back to the top of your suspect list. Is that it?”
“Be better for everyone if you don’t.”
He managed the faintest of smiles. “Any idea who this guy you’re looking at might be?”
“No idea. But I have a feeling we’re close to finding out.”
Carver drained his mug and set it down on the table, his expression unreadable. “Any more trouble on the ranch?”
“Not since Keller died. With any luck, the guy who financed his dirty work got the payback he wanted.”
Carver rose from his chair. “For Kade’s sake, I hope so.”
Ellie walked him back outside.
“About Heather . . .” he said. “If you come up with anything, I hope you’ll let me know. Doesn’t matter what happened between us. She didn’t deserve to be murdered.”
“No, she didn’t.” Ellie watched Carver stride back to his vehicle. If the regret she had seen in his face was any indication, Glen Carver hadn’t killed Heather Logan. But, at this point, she couldn’t be sure.
Ellie was determined to find out.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
SUPPERTIME ARRIVED. ELLIE HELPED WITH THE EVENING MEAL, BUT starting tomorrow, one of Maria’s cousins from Eagle would be assisting her in the kitchen. Apparently, Dolores wanted to be a chef, and this was a good place for her to get some experience.
Maria refused to talk about Alejandro. She said it would only make her cry. Alejandro was clearly miserable, but Maria continued to ignore him. She was determined to put the episode behind her and Alejandro out of her life. Ellie felt sorry for both of them.
The succulent aroma of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and gravy filled the kitchen as the men filed in for supper, pausing at the door long enough to hang up their hats and jackets. Maria greeted them warmly, all except Alejandro, who received the same icy welcome he had been getting since his failed marriage proposal.
It cooled the atmosphere in the kitchen and made everyone uneasy. The hands looked forward to the evening meal as a time to relax at the end of a long, hard day. Kade wanted his men happy. Ellie wasn’t sure how much longer he was going to put up with the impasse.
She caught the look he flashed her way as he walked in with his men. Apparently, time was up.
Kade started to move toward the front of the group, but he had only taken a few steps before Alejandro stepped forward. Apparently the handsome Latino was as tired of the situation as Kade. He climbed up on the one of the benches at the dining table, his gaze sweeping the room for Maria, then his attention returned to the men.
“You all know me,” he said. “You know the kind of man I am. Does anyone here believe I’m a liar?”
The men shifted uneasily. “Hell, no,” Riley shouted, and the rest of the men chimed in.
“So if I say I’m in love with Maria Sanchez, do you believe me?”
There was laughter and someone cheered. “Yes!” The men were grinning, beginning to see where this was going, and their answer rang across the kitchen.
“I love her,” Alejandro continued. “I’ve loved her for years. She told me she loves me too, so I’m asking you, my friends, to help me convince this woman I love to marry me and end the misery I’ve been suffering since I lost her.”
“He loves you, Maria!” Turtle shouted. “You have to marry him so the rest of us don’t have to put up with him moping around anymore.”
“Take pity on him, Maria!” Riley chimed in.
Ellie’s gaze went to the young woman, who stood at the kitchen counter, tears trailing down her cheeks. Alejandro strode toward her, went down on one knee in front of her.
“I love you, querida. Please say you will do me the great honor of becoming my wife.”
“Oh, Alejandro.” Maria threw her arms around his neck. “I love you so much.”
He whispered something in Spanish meant just for her. “Will you marry me?”
A watery smile broke over her beautiful face. “Sí, mi amor, I’ll marry you.”
A cheer went up from the men, and Ellie’s throat closed up.
“About damn time,” Kade grumbled. Striding out of the kitchen, he went to the wine cellar in the dining room and returned with bottles of champagne. Glasses were retrieved. Turtle helped him pour, and toasts were made to the happy couple.
It was a good night in the ranch house. Even the rain battering the windows couldn’t dampen the mood.
* * *
The sun was up, breakfast over, the men off to work the next morning. Kade had spent a satisfying night in bed with the prettiest lady around. He’d slept better the last few weeks than he had in years.
Ellie was still on his mind as he dumped a can of grain into the trough for the little palomino Billy had been tending. The kid had a real talent with horses, animals in general. During school hours, when Billy couldn’t be there, one of the hands took turns mucking out stalls and feeding the livestock in the barn. Roy Cobb was handling the chores this week.
Leaving Cobb to his work, Kade pulled out his cell and phoned Webb Fischer. Though there hadn’t been any more incidents on the ranch—no more dead steers, poisoned waterholes, or back-shot cowhands—it bothered him that the man who had murdered Frank Keller and poor ol’ Earl Dunstan was still on the loose.
The line picked up on the second ring. “Sheriff Fischer.” “Kade Logan, Sheriff. Figured I’d call, see if you’ve got any news on the murders in Phippsburg?”
“I was planning to give you a call. We were able to get a set of tire tracks from a vehicle parked behind Flatt’s the night Earl Dunstan was killed.”
“It was raining. I didn’t figure you’d get much of anything in the way of tracks.”
“Vehicle was parked beneath a tin roof covering a stack of hay bales. Once the guy drove out from under the shed, the tracks turned to mud and disappeared. We didn’t find the ones under the shed right away, didn’t connect the dots till later.”
“So what kind of car was the shooter driving?”
“That’s the interesting part. Looks like a big-ass Hummer. Not something you usually see country folk cruising around in. It’s impractical on the narrow roads, and any kind of rancher would rather spend his money on something more versatile. A pickup’s something you can haul stuff around in. Hummer’s more a city-boy pretending to be a tough guy kind of rig.”
That was pretty much true, though a flashy Mercedes wasn’t much of a rancher’s car, either. Kade kept the thought to himself. “You got a way to run it
down?”
“No plate number, nothing like that. The tires were an upgrade on a 2019 H2 model.”
“That narrows it down.”
“We’ll be searching DMV records, but there’s bound to be a lot of those cars in Colorado. Deputies have been asking questions, trying to find a witness who saw a rig like that in the area. Car like that is memorable. Might get something that’ll help us refine the search.”
“It’s a good lead, Sheriff. You try asking around in Coffee Springs?”
“Not my jurisdiction. I can ask Carver to send a couple deputies out to canvas the shops in town.”
“Could be worth it.” And Kade was thinking he might do a little asking around himself. “Thanks, Webb.”
“Keep your hat pulled low, Kade. We still haven’t caught this guy.”
“I will.” The line went dead. Kade returned to the house to find Ellie seated behind the laptop in her bedroom. Since the door was open, he walked right in.
She looked up and smiled, and he felt the familiar warm stirring. “What’s up?” she asked.
“Just talked to Webb Fischer. Guy who killed Dunstan was driving a Hummer. Not many of those around these parts. Fischer’s got his deputies asking questions. Coffee Springs is out of his jurisdiction, so I thought we might go into town, pitch in, and give him a hand.”
“Since I’m getting nowhere on the internet, and I haven’t heard from Zoe, that sounds good to me. Yesterday, I called Heather’s friend, Anna, and left a message, but she hasn’t called me back. We need to know if Bullwinkle’s was a place Heather used to go by herself. If she did, it’ll give us an even more solid link between the two women.”
Kade remembered the only time he and Heather had gone to the pub together. It was the noisy, crowded kind of place she loved. He didn’t want to think of the men she might have met there.
Ellie must have read his dark thoughts. She walked toward him, slid her hands up his chest, and pressed a soft kiss on his lips.
Kade felt the rush, along with a different sort of need he hadn’t expected. Pulling her against him, he kissed her the way he’d wanted to since he’d walked into her room, deeply and thoroughly, a fist full of her thick dark copper hair anchoring her in place.
“Wow,” she whispered breathlessly when the hot kiss ended. “I was just saying hello. I didn’t expect quite so much . . . enthusiasm.”
His jeans felt too tight. “Keep looking at me like that, and my enthusiasm is going to end up with both of us back in bed.”
Ellie laughed, a richly feminine sound that cut right through him, stirring him up all over again. Wisely, she changed the subject.
“So we’re going into Coffee Springs. When do you want to leave?”
“How about right now? I’ll buy you lunch in town.”
She nodded, grabbed her purse and puffy down jacket, and they headed for the door. It had rained last night, leaving the ground wet and muddy, but the storm had drifted on. A few low clouds hung over the mountains, and a damp chill frosted the air, but the sun broke through here and there.
Kade’s big Ford dually navigated the sloppy road without a problem. He parked in a space in front of the post office, and they got out of the truck.
“We can cover more territory if we split up,” Ellie suggested.
Kade nodded. “I’ll take the far side of the street and meet you at the café when you’re done.”
She glanced at her watch. “That should work out just about right.”
Ellie headed off in one direction, while Kade crossed the street and went into Fred’s Gun Shop and Dentistry. Fred sat behind the counter, cleaning a long gun. He was short and stout, with a fringe of gray hair around a bald head, a friendly guy, usually good-natured. Probably a good thing when you were in the gun trade.
Fred stood up and smiled. “Good to see you, Kade. Been a while.” He lifted the long gun, and Kade recognized the antique weapon. “Just got my hands on this little beauty. Sharps Model 1874, .44 caliber, 30-inch octagon barrel with double-set triggers. Come outta Texas. Got it here on consignment.” He lovingly rubbed the oiled rag over the barrel. “Just like the one Matthew Quigley carried in Quigley Down Under. Give ya a good price on it.”
It was a beautiful rifle. They were rare, and they didn’t come cheap. This one was in great condition, a real prize. “What are you asking?”
“The price I’m asking is seventeen grand, but I can let you have it for a thousand less.”
“It’s tempting, I have to admit. Actually, I just came in to ask if you’d seen anyone driving around in one of those big Hummers. Would have been in the area sometime last week, maybe ten days ago.” When Keller was killed or, later, Earl.
Fred shook his head. “Can’t say as I have. Vehicle like that . . . I’d probably recall if I had.”
Kade nodded. “Well, thanks anyway.”
“Think about the gun. Look real good over that big rock fireplace of yours.”
Kade smiled. “I’ll keep it in mind. Thanks, Fred.” But with trouble stalking the ranch and murder still in the air, indulging himself didn’t feel right, even if the antique weapon was a good investment.
He made a quick stop at the dentist’s office next door, talked to Dr. Purcell’s assistant and the doctor himself. Had no luck and moved on.
Kade hoped Ellie was having more success than he was.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
ELLIE CAME OUT OF THE POST OFFICE AND WALKED NEXT DOOR TO the ornate, slate-blue Victorian house down the street, the Coffee Springs Bed and Breakfast. Ellie had never met the owner, but her name was Nola Myers, an energetic woman in her fifties who was cheerful and didn’t mind answering questions.
“We’re trying to locate the owner of a vehicle,” Ellie said. “A big Hummer SUV. Any chance you happened to see a car like that passing through?”
“Nope, sure haven’t. And none of my guests have registered that kind of car.”
“If you see one, would you call my cell or the Diamond Bar Ranch?”
“Sure, be happy to.”
Ellie gave Nola her cell number. “Thanks, Nola.” She started for the door.
“You’re Kade Logan’s new girlfriend, right? Word gets around, and I saw you get out of his truck. That is some man you got there.”
Kade’s girlfriend. Ellie wasn’t sure how she felt about that. But Kade was definitely all man. “We’re umm . . . dating.” Not exactly, but the best she could come up with. “The two of us are just getting to know each other.”
Nola sighed. “If I were twenty years younger, I’d try to lasso that man myself. Be a hard man to tame, though.”
Ellie nodded. “You have no idea.”
She made her way along the street. Jonas Murray had stepped out of the store on an errand, but the sign on the door said he’d be back in fifteen minutes.
Ellie walked on down the sidewalk to Rocky Mountain Supply and spoke to Frances Tilman. Fran hadn’t seen a Hummer anywhere in the area, nor had any of the other people who worked in the building.
The day had warmed into the sixties. Ellie took off her jacket as she walked back to Murray’s. She found the door unlocked and Jonas behind the counter. She hadn’t seen him since their failed lunch date, but the look in his vivid blue eyes said his interest hadn’t waned.
“Hey, Ellie. I wasn’t sure you were still around. Maria comes in now. I guess she’s taken over kitchen duties.”
“That’s right. Mabel decided to stay with her family in Arizona.”
He took off his dark green grocer’s apron and came out from behind the checkout counter. His gaze slid over her, took in her stretch jeans and the sweater that curved over her full breasts.
“You’re looking great,” Jonas said. “Better than great. I really hoped you’d let me cook you supper, the way we talked about. The offer’s still open, if you’re interested. Give us a chance to catch up.”
“I’ve been busy. I still am. I just came in to ask if you or anyone in the store had seen one of th
ose big Hummers in town or passing through on the road. It’s part of a sheriff’s investigation.”
One dark eyebrow went up. “That so?” It wasn’t a secret, and she figured she might get more cooperation if she mentioned law enforcement.
“I wish I could help,” Jonas said. “But I’m afraid I haven’t seen anything. I’ll ask my son, Sean, see if he’s noticed a car like that. Give me your number, and I’ll call and let you know.” He was a very good-looking man, confident and self-assured. Given no choice, Ellie told him her cell number, and he punched it into his phone.
She should have been paying attention, should have noticed he had moved closer.
“Maria is cooking these days,” he said, “so you’re doing . . . what? Aside from being Kade Logan’s bedmate.”
She bristled. “What I’m doing is none of your business, Jonas.”
“Maybe not, but the day we met, I thought we made some kind of connection. I thought you felt it too.”
A noise in the backroom distracted her, and the next thing she knew, his hand was beneath her hair at the nape of her neck, and his mouth came down over hers.
Stunned, Ellie jerked away just as the door swung open. The hard set of Kade’s jaw said he had seen them through the window.
“It’s not what you think,” she said as he strode toward her.
Kade ignored her. One hand shot out and grabbed the front of Jonas’s pristine white shirt while the other drew back and Kade threw a punch that sent the store owner flying backward onto the checkout counter, sliding across the top, and landing on the floor.
“You fucked one of my women,” Kade said. “You touch this one, and you won’t live through it.”
Ellie gasped as Kade propelled her out the door and slammed it solidly behind him. He didn’t slow down and didn’t let go until they had reached the truck. He opened the passenger door and shoved her in, rounded the front, and climbed in behind the wheel.
“Dammit, Kade, he just surprised me. I had no idea he was going to kiss me, and I didn’t kiss him back. I’m not interested in Jonas Murray. I told you that before.”
