Tracie Peterson - [Desert Roses 01]

by Shadows of the Canyon

  She dozed off and on, refusing to get out of bed. The shadows of the day shifted, changing as the hours passed. Nightmares robbed her of any peaceful sleep. She couldn’t close her eyes without seeing Joel Harper staring back at her.

  Hearing someone at the door to her room, Valerie held her breath and stifled her sobs. The door opened and the image of her nightmare took shape. Had he come to hurt her again?

  “What are you doing just lying there? Have you been there ever since I left?” Joel questioned, turning on a light. “You’re hosting a party in less than an hour’s time. Get up and make yourself presentable.”

  “I’m not going,” she answered flatly. There was nothing else he could do to her. She wasn’t about to cower in fear.

  “Oh yes, you are,” he said, coming to the bed. Reaching out, he grabbed her arm and pulled her from the bed. She collapsed on the floor at his feet, clutching at the tattered remains of her dress. “Get up!” he commanded. “Get up and stop acting like a child.”

  Valerie could hardly think, much less make sense of his purpose. “Why are you here? Haven’t you caused enough damage?”

  “I haven’t begun to cause damage,” Joel said with a laugh. He crossed the room to her wardrobe and pulled open the doors with great flourish. “Oh, here, wear the scarlet gown. That suits you perfectly.”

  “I’m not going.” “Yes, you are. You aren’t going to give me any more trouble,” Joel stated, walking to where she sat on the floor. “You think I’ve done the worst thing to you—worse than anything else I could do—but let me assure you, my dear, that’s hardly the case.”

  She looked up at him and met his hateful gaze. “I despise you.”

  “And I despise you. You’re a willful, spoiled child who’s had everything handed to you on a silver platter. You may have Daddy wrapped around your little finger, but you don’t have me in such a position.”

  Valerie felt anger surface where numbness had been only moments before. Surprising them both, she leaped to her feet and raised her hands to Joel’s face. She would have scratched his eyes out, but he took hold of her wrists.

  “Good to see you back among the living.” “I wish it had been you who’d died instead of Mr. Keegan,” she said, trying to pull away from his hold.

  “No doubt that is true. It certainly would make your life less complicated, eh?” He narrowed his eyes, his brows pulling together. “Now get ready for the party. You have exactly half an hour and then I drag you out, dressed or not.”

  “I need a bath.” “Then take one, but be quick about it,” he said, releasing her and pushing her away from him. “Oh, and one other thing, Val darling,” he said sarcastically, “I know I mentioned it earlier, but I’m concerned that you might not have been paying attention. Say nothing about what happened here today.”

  Valerie lifted her chin defiantly. “Why? Are you afraid Daddy might send you packing if I tell him the truth?”

  “I’m afraid something might well happen to you. You see, we mustn’t let anything upset this campaign. We must keep your father in the forefront as the most positive and beneficial candidate for the job of the presidency. Having a lunatic daughter won’t help his cause. Although having a dead daughter just might.”

  Valerie tried to keep the fear from her voice as she replied, “I suppose having a raped daughter would only cause problems for the rapist. Perhaps Daddy could receive public sympathy over the fact that his aide not only raped his campaign treasury, but his daughter as well.”

  “And who would believe such fabrications? After all, most everyone here, as well as elsewhere, knows full well that the daughter in question has lived life in a most provocative manner. You’re already known to do as you please, with whatever man you please to do it with.”

  “I was a virgin. You stole that from me,” she managed to say.

  “And who would believe that?” he questioned. “You dress in such a manner to suggest yourself quite free and easy with your favors. You hang on the arm of every man who shows you attention—you let them handle you in ways that make decent people turn in disgust. Who would ever believe such a nonsensical declaration?”

  She shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. “You know it’s true.”

  He grinned in wicked delight. “Yes, of course, but I’m the only one who does know it for sure. And if pressed, I’ll certainly say nothing of the fact—rather, I’ll take the public’s admiration and even sympathy for agreeing to marry such a promiscuous woman. I can manage to produce a dozen witnesses who will all swear to having been your lovers.

  “No one will ever believe you, Val. If you declare me to be a rapist, I’ll merely speak to the issues of your sanity and bring in my friends to declare you quite the liar. Were sexual freedoms not already a somewhat socially acceptable thing in certain circles, you might already be facing four walls in a sanitarium—or perhaps some quiet little convent in Europe. Just remember that. Remember, too, I can produce enough information on you to prove whatever I need to prove. Even to give reason, after your father’s successful election to the office, for why his darling only child should end up miserably taking her own life.”

  Valerie shuddered. “You’re mad. You’ve caused the death of people and you have no remorse whatsoever.”

  Joel shrugged. “It’s rather like being hired to remove vermin. I do the job and eliminate unpleasant and nonproductive people from the world. Generally people don’t want to know the details of what I do, and neither do they care. They simply want the job done. I’m needed, my dear, for there will always be vermin.”

  “Too bad you can’t eliminate yourself,” she muttered in reply.

  “Now, Val, you don’t mean that.” He smiled at her as though he thought himself to have some special power over her.

  “I hate you,” she blurted. “The feeling is mutual. I’ve never loved you and probably never will,” Joel said matter-of-factly. “You’ve been nothing more than a stepping-stone to what I want. If I could kill you and still have what I want, nothing would give me greater pleasure.”

  Val felt as though he’d struck her. She’d never believed him to really care, but she’d never anticipated such hate. “You’ll be sorry.”

  “Not nearly like you will be if you dare to interfere with me again.” Joel took a step toward her, and Val, still clutching her torn dress, backed up against the wardrobe. “After all, you forget I know all of your little secrets. All of them. Do we understand each other?”

  Valerie trembled from head to toe. “I understand. Better than you can imagine.”

  Joel smiled. “Good. Then we should get along famously.” Val took up her toiletry items and headed into the private bath, defeated. It was more than the rape. It was the knowledge that she would have to face every day of her life with this monster as her master.

  Closing the door between them, Valerie began to cry anew. There was no hope. Everything was gone. Everything had suddenly become very ugly. Death would be so much easier.

  Alex looked at her mother in exasperation. “Why can’t you tell me what happened?”

  Her mother looked back toward the window. Her petite form seemed swallowed up in the nearly floor-length gray dress she wore. “I don’t want to talk about any of it.”

  Alex had pleaded with her mother for answers all day long, and always, it was the same answer. Alex tried to stress the urgency of the situation once again. “But, Mother, they could put you in jail for murdering Father. If you continue to refuse to tell them what they need to know, they’ll send you away from me.”

  Katherine Keegan looked back to her daughter. “I can’t talk about it. Please don’t ask me to.”

  Alex went to her mother and hugged her close. “I’m sorry, Mother. It’s just that there is so much that needs to be explained. No one understands what happened. I know you didn’t push Father over the edge. I know that within my heart. But if you won’t talk to them and tell them the truth of who did murder Father, they’ll presume you guilty. You cou
ld even face death yourself.” She pulled back and looked into her mother’s face.

  “There are worse things than death,” her mother replied. She moved away from Alex and turned back again to the window.

  “I love you, Mother. It hurts so much to see you suffer. Just like it hurt all those years watching Father—”

  “Don’t speak ill of the dead, child. He can’t hurt anyone any more.”

  Her words were cold, almost emotionless. Alex felt a shiver run up her spine. “Mother, how can I help?”

  “There’s nothing anyone can do now. I’m a prisoner here, I’m sure.”

  “But if you weren’t?” “Then I’d rather be away from all this fuss.” “I’ll arrange it then,” Alex said, suddenly getting an idea. “We’ll hide you away while the entire matter is investigated. I know of a cabin—it’s been closed for repairs so none of the staff is living there. It doesn’t have electricity, but there is a small bathroom. We’d have to put up thick blankets at the windows so that you could light a candle or lamp, and I could bring you food.”

  Her mother turned around to face her. “Do you really think that’s possible?” It was the first real interest she’d shown all day. “I’m weary of the reporters.”

  “I’ll arrange everything,” Alex replied, hoping she wouldn’t regret her words and get her mother in more trouble for her exploits. Perhaps Alex could even speak with those in charge of the investigation. “I’ll go now and see what I can manage.” She kissed her mother on the cheek and hurried to find the ranger who’d questioned her the night before.

  “I can pretty well guess who gave you the idea that I might have something to do with Keegan’s death,” Luke said, barely keeping his temper under control. “Joel Harper feels that I’ve overstepped my bounds by telling him to stay away from Alex Keegan. He imposed himself upon her, and I put him in his place.”

  “It doesn’t matter who brought the accusation to our attention,” the stiff-backed ranger said. “The fact is you’ve always been a suspect because you were there when the others arrived. With Mrs. Keegan refusing to cooperate, you are next in line.”

  “I didn’t kill Keegan,” Luke said flatly. He stretched his jean-clad legs out in front of him and tried to relax. He had nothing to hide. He needed only to rest in the Lord and wait for the truth to be revealed. “If anything, I think you should seriously consider Joel Harper.”

  “Why?” “Because he seems the type to eliminate obstacles. Keegan might very well have been giving him trouble.”

  “If that’s the case, why would Mrs. Keegan remain silent on the matter?”

  Luke shrugged. “I have no idea. I would imagine the woman is pretty lost in her grief and shock. This wouldn’t be the kind of thing a person would get over easily.”

  “Was Rufus Keegan alive when you came to the canyon rim last night?”

  “I don’t know. He wasn’t there, if that’s what you’re asking. I heard the screams and came to see what the trouble was. When I got to the rim, I found Mrs. Keegan alone. She’d collapsed to the ground and was crying. I helped her up and she told me, ‘Rufus has gone over the edge.’ Then she said nothing more—she just cried.”

  “How is it that you know her so well? Well enough that she’d allow you to comfort her?”

  Luke leaned forward again at this. “She was in shock. She’d just seen her husband fall off the edge into the Grand Canyon. I doubt seriously she would have cared who held her while she cried. Nevertheless, she knew me through her daughter Alex. We’re good friends and have worked together for the last four years.”

  “Did you have any reason to want Rufus Keegan dead?” The man narrowed his eyes as if to ascertain the truth in what Luke was about to say.

  “No. I hardly knew the man.” “I understand you’d had an encounter with him some time back. An encounter that revealed him in a compromising situation with one of El Tovar’s Harvey Girls.”

  “I did.” Luke refused to offer any more information. If the man was going somewhere with this line of questioning, then Luke would let him do the leading.

  “Did he threaten you then?” “I don’t recall that Mr. Keegan has ever threatened me.” “What did he say to you?”

  Luke shook his head. “I don’t recall word for word. He made some suggestive comments about his daughter and me.”

  The ranger seemed to perk up at this. “Comments that made you mad?”

  “They certainly didn’t make me happy.” “Were you mad enough to kill him?” “No.” Luke had reached the end of his patience. “You know, I’ve willingly answered all your questions. I’m not of the habit of lying and, while I realize you know very little about me, there are plenty of people here who can vouch for my character—many of them wear ranger uniforms.” He got to his feet. “I wouldn’t see killing a man as the solution to anything. Human life is valuable in the eyes of God—no matter who that human life belongs to. Therefore, I value it as well. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work.”

  “As long as you’re a suspect in this investigation, I’ll need to advise you that you cannot leave the area.”

  Luke turned and frowned. “What did I do to deserve that mandate?”

  “You were in the right place at the wrong time,” the ranger said matter-of-factly. “And right now things aren’t looking all that favorable for you—after all, as you pointed out, Mrs. Keegan is a small woman hardly capable of manhandling her husband. You, on the other hand—”

  “I have a broken wrist,” Luke interrupted, holding it up as if to offer evidence.

  “It wouldn’t keep you all that encumbered, Mr. Toland. Besides, Mrs. Keegan could have helped you as well.”

  “This is outrageous,” Luke said. “You may have a job to do, but I’m innocent and expect you to treat me as such. The real killer is out there. That’s where your focus needs to be.”

  “Just the same, you need to keep me apprised of your whereabouts. You aren’t to leave the South Rim.”

  “I don’t like the idea of moving her,” the ranger told Alex. “I can’t see why it should matter.”

  “It matters because she’s withdrawing from everyone. She feels as though everyone is watching her every movement. The reporters are hounding her in spite of your men’s efforts to keep them at bay. Why, this afternoon one of the men from Los Angeles threw rocks at her window until we were sure he’d break the pane.”

  The older man looked sternly at Alex. “Where would you move her?”

  Alex quickly told him of the cabin. “You could post a guard in a discreet location. Somewhere in the trees where no one would see him watching the cabin. He could even be posted inside the cabin for that matter. Don’t you understand? She’s not about to leave without permission. She’s a delicate old woman in a fragile state of health.”

  “I realize that. It’s the only reason she hasn’t been sent to the jail in Williams. By her own admission, she was alone with your father at the time of his death.”

  Alex felt her stomach tense at this reference. “Look, I don’t care what the situation looks like, I know my mother didn’t kill my father.”

  “She’s not telling us who did,” the man replied. “I know,” Alex said, feeling defeat wash over her. Perhaps it was a bad idea to suggest moving her mother. Maybe she would have been better off if they had taken her to Williams. At least in jail the reporters wouldn’t have as much of a chance to pester her.

  “I just want to protect her. Not from having to provide the truth, but from accusation and unnecessary grief. She’s mourning my father’s death and the reporters will not let her be. She’s become a tourist attraction. If you need to move her to Williams, then do so. Either way, I just want to give her some peace.”

  The man studied her for a moment. “She’d have to have a guard. The sheriff is on his way and until we conclude our investigation or additional proof is given to refute what currently appears to be true, she’s our prime suspect.”

  “I understand, but she
’s not guilty. I promise you that much. Please . . . please, just help her.”

  He sat in silence for several minutes. His gaze never left Alex’s face. Finally he cleared his throat. “Look, I’m going to let you do this,” the ranger announced, “but only because the reporters are making my life just as miserable. How do you propose to move her without the press knowing her whereabouts?”

  Alex could hardly believe her ears. “I’ve got an idea.” After explaining her plan to the ranger, Alex went in search of Michaela. Within the hour Alex, Michaela, and Bernice had managed to arrange everything. Taking Bernice with her while Michaela kept watch on the back stairs, Alex put her plan into action.

  “What is this?” her mother asked as Bernice came into the room carrying a Harvey uniform.

  “We’re going to sneak you out of here,” Alex said. “I’ve even managed to get the ranger’s permission.”

  “You what?” Katherine questioned, a look of hope filling her expression.

  “I told them how difficult it’s been for you here. They’ve agreed to let you move to a secluded cabin. A guard will be posted in the cabin with you, but otherwise they will endeavor to leave you alone until they decide what’s to be done.”

  Katherine looked to Bernice and then back to Alex before sitting on the edge of her bed. Just as quickly as the hope had come, it seemed to flee. “What do you suppose is to be done?”

  Alex went to her mother and knelt on the floor in front of her. “Mother, you have the public’s sympathy. People are even protective of you. The mayor of Williams is here and stated publicly that you could not possibly have caused your husband harm—that you’re a pillar of the community. The entire staff of El Tovar believes in your innocence, and I’ve heard it rumored that the Winthrops are even hiring a private investigator.”