by Dale Mayer
Debbie nodded and continued, “Also Fred and Phil would have known the company was in good hands. Look at you. You’re the star of the place.”
“I’m certainly the junior partner, with all their years of experience, but I don’t know about being a star.”
“You are, whether you want to be or not. Both men knew it. You were the New Age analyst. You were the digital version of them. You were the younger generation. Plus, neither of them had families anymore.”
“Phil had Betty. Fred had an extended family,” Hailey said with a sigh. “That’s hardly fair.”
“But not a family he particularly cared about leaving his company to,” Debbie said gently. “That’s why, when you were brought in, they made the decision to have the company go to you. I know Phil was good with that choice. I spoke to Betty many times. She thought you were the best thing for Phil because he was finally looking at retiring, knowing he could because the company he spent so many years at would be okay.”
Hailey couldn’t stop the warm glow swelling in her heart. “That’s really nice to know. Too bad they didn’t tell me that when they were still alive.”
Debbie laughed. “I don’t think people ever do. They give compliments in roundabout ways instead of saying it outright and explaining how they feel.”
“So true,” Hailey said, “and I guess we’re the same. I never told Carter how I felt. I just sat on the sidelines and watched while he married somebody totally wrong for him. I didn’t know how he would have taken my interference back then.”
“Maybe you could have changed the course of his life.”
“I doubt it,” Hailey said. And then she smiled. “I wouldn’t have the company if I had.”
“Another good point. Are you keeping all the staff?”
Hailey shook her head “I haven’t a clue. But, with the undercurrents at work, I do need to make some staffing changes. Two of the guys are trouble. That’s Slim and Andy, but I’ve already had to fire Slim.”
She explained what they had done on the road, and Debbie stared at her in horror. “But you’re their boss!”
“Exactly. I was also a female and driving alone on a country road. Whether they knew it was me doesn’t matter. It was a real shit move. That’s not the people I want working for me,” Hailey said. And then she sighed and buried her face in her hands. “But I also know people are looking at me sideways because of my partners’ deaths. Some are speculating I killed them.”
“Hopefully a suicide note or something was left to help clarify things.”
Hailey didn’t mention the fact the gun was in the wrong hand for Fred to have committed suicide. In Phil’s and his wife’s cases, Hailey hoped it was a clear-cut case of murder-suicide so no further doubts remained as to what happened to the couple. She kept her face buried.
“You know something? I’ve always wondered about that,” Debbie said. “If I would do something like that, I would leave a clear explanation of why I committed suicide. And also what I was thinking before doing it.”
“I think that would be true for most people,” Hailey said. “I’m not sure about Phil. Or Fred. Both were very private, now that I think about it.”
Debbie frowned. “Betty, on the other hand, no way she wouldn’t have told the world.”
“Would she have put something like a delayed time for a post on Facebook or an email to be sent?” Hailey asked.
“I doubt it, but I could look into it.”
“If you could, that would help a lot,” Hailey said as she slumped in her seat. “I’m sitting here wondering if Gordon’s shooting is related to the deaths in the company.”
“Oh my,” Debbie said. “I didn’t even consider that because I thought they were initially deemed as suicides.”
“Exactly,” Hailey said with a wry twitch of her lips. “So, if we knew for sure one was a suicide, we wouldn’t have to connect it to the other cases.”
“Let me call someone who’s a close friend of hers. See if she saw anything on social media,” Debbie said. “I’ll move down the hall. You’ll let me know if there’s any news on Gordon?”
Hailey nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll get you immediately.”
And she watched Debbie walk away. When she came back, she shook her head. “There was no suicide post.”
Carter was in town, collecting his parcel at the post office, updating Geir and getting updates from Geir, stopping for food for him and Hailey. If she didn’t want it, Matzuka seemed interested in the smells coming from the to-go bag. It was now fairly late, and he hoped Gordon had gone in for surgery. He imagined Hailey sitting there, fussing.
He touched base with her while Carter put Matzuka through his paces as they walked. Carter had the rope but hadn’t put it on him yet. There didn’t seem to be a need. He hadn’t seen any signs of aggression, and the dog followed his hand commands beautifully. He wished he knew a little more of his history.
“Thanks, but I can’t eat,” Hailey said, then ended their call, not knowing anything yet on Gordon.
Carter sent Geir a text so he could figure out what Matzuka liked and didn’t like, to make his transition easier. He obviously liked hamburgers, as he gobbled up Hailey’s portion.
Carter had absolutely no intention of giving up this dog. Particularly because he was the one who had pinpointed Gordon out in the field. Other dogs were at the ranch, but they were herding dogs. Matzuka was well trained in other aspects. Carter just didn’t know what specific aspects those were. Obviously, search-and-rescue was one of his skills. Carter knew a lot of the military K9s did that to help flush out insurgents in abandoned towns.
As he walked along, somebody called out, “Hey, what kind of dog is that?”
He turned and smiled at the older woman, who frowned at Matzuka. “A retired War Dog,” he said. “He gave five years of his life to sniff out bombs and to help our soldiers fight in Iraq.”
The woman’s face lit up in joy. “Really? I’ve never met one.”
“Yeah, not too many of them managed to get back stateside. He’s retired and looking forward to a few calm years.”
“Oh my, yes.” She stepped forward hesitantly. “May I say hi?”
“Sure,” he told the old woman. Then he gave Matzuka the command to sit and told him that she was a friend. Matzuka sat. The woman reached out and nudged Matzuka with her fingers. The dog leaned in for more, looking for a bit of a rub.
The older lady, who had to be close to eighty, laughed. “He’s beautiful.” She spent a few more moments admiring Matzuka before looking up at Carter. “You’re Gordon’s friend, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” he said. “And you’re Donna Mari, aren’t you?”
She laughed in delight. “We have met a couple times but not for some years.” She motioned to his hand. “Obviously the past few years were rough on you.”
“Yeah, but now I’m back visiting with Gordon and Hailey.”
“Lovely people,” she said. “Absolutely lovely people. It’s too bad about the Longfellows.”
“Which ones?” he said in a dry tone.
She nodded. “Exactly. You’ve got to hit them at the heart to stop them because, when you cut one head off, another one grows.”
“Oh,” he said. “I remember. You’re the notary in town, aren’t you?”
“I used to be. I’m retired now,” Donna Mari said. “But I heard from Debbie about how she and Gordon and Hailey were having some land disputes out there.”
“Yes, and it’s gotten much worse since Debbie left,” Carter said. “I’m still trying to figure out how to handle it.”
“The Longfellows are not all bad news, but the ones who are, are terrible. Whatever you do, make sure you take them out permanently.”
“Like how they just tried with Gordon?” he asked softly.
Her sharp hawk eyes zeroed in on his. “They shot Gordon?”
“I found him out by the disputed lands with a bullet in his hip and a head wound.”
She frowned. �
�My son and my nephew are law enforcement in the county one over if you ever need a hand.”
“We need a hand,” he blurted out. “The sheriff is between a hot spot and a hard place.”
“He’s a good man,” the woman said, “but his deputies are a little too close to the Longfellows for my liking.”
“Would your family help the sheriff?”
“Yes. He should call on them. He knows them himself.”
“He might not know if he can count on his deputies,” Carter said. “Maybe a gentle nudge would help him realize he has options.”
She looked up and smiled. “I’ll get right on that.” She turned and walked away, but then remembered something. “Did you take that dog off the drug dealer, as rumor has it?”
“A possible drug dealer, yes, I did. Dogs like this can’t be used for intimidation. They can be killers. Plus Matzuka deserves to retire, not to prey on the homeless or the kids who have gone down a rough path. Not to mention the fact Harold had beaten Matzuka with a belt or something.”
“Start cleaning up the town now. And let me call our sheriff to remind him of the officers in my family.”
Her phone call was short and to the point. She wasn’t nearly as nice to the sheriff as she had been to Carter. He kind of felt sorry for the guy.
“Now you made a good start with the dog. That’s a rescue which needed to happen.”
“Glad you think so,” he said, smiling at the determined woman.
“I’m glad to hear you’re making this place your home.”
He wasn’t sure what she was talking about, but somehow he suspected the gossip mill had been working overtime.
As she started to walk away once again, she added one more thing. “Now, would you finally marry that Hailey girl and put her out of her misery?”
Then, she was gone, leaving him staring after her with an open mouth.
Chapter 11
Hailey sat by Gordon’s side at the hospital. He had come through the surgery and was now in recovery, but he hadn’t woken up yet. She really needed him to wake up and to let her know he was okay. Just the thought of losing him was too much right now. Just then, Gordon shifted in the bed. She reached across gently and stroked his fingers. “Hey, Gordon. It’s me. Take it easy.”
One of the nurses walked in to check on him. She checked his vitals and smiled. “He starting to come out of it.”
“Good,” Hailey said. “It’s been a pretty rough ride.”
“Yes, but he’s doing fine.”
Hailey looked up to see Debbie walk in just then.
“How is he?” she asked the nurse abruptly.
“Just starting to regain consciousness,” the nurse said.
Debbie sat down and gripped Gordon’s other hand tightly. “Stupid idiot,” she muttered.
“I don’t think he asked for this,” Hailey said.
“No, he didn’t. But, at the same time, he did. Have you talked to the sheriff at all about that land problem?”
Hailey nodded. “And he’s gone and talked to the Longfellows about it, but they said they had nothing to do with it.”
“So, they hired somebody to do it. Or they just plain lied,” Debbie said. “You know that’s what’s going on.”
“It’s possible. I don’t know. I’ve never had a problem with Donnie before.”
“How long has he had that land next to yours?”
“I think close to seventeen years, which is why I don’t know why, all of a sudden, he would start causing trouble. Except it might not be him. His son Manfred moved in, maybe with his boys too, but I don’t know that for sure. It makes sense though, as Donnie has gotten on in years. He might be eighty-something now.”
“Who knows?” Fatigue was in Debbie’s voice. She glared at Gordon, but her voice cracked as she spoke. “You better wake up. You are not leaving me because of this.”
Hailey could see her sister-in-law was at the breaking point. Hailey sank back in her chair and checked her phone for messages. She sent Carter one too, asking where he was. He quickly answered that he was at the sheriff’s office, looking for answers and for backup. And, no, there wasn’t anything more to learn yet.
Sighing, she dropped the phone on her lap. “Come on, Gordon. Wake up,” she snapped.
At that, his eyes flew open. And he stared around, puzzled. He rolled his head toward her. “Sis?”
She nodded and motioned to the other side. He rolled his head to the other side. She heard the breath leave his lungs.
“Debbie?” he croaked. “What happened?”
“You were shot,” Hailey said calmly. She watched as he gripped Debbie’s fingers hard, but his gaze zoomed back to her. “What?”
“We couldn’t reach you, and the sheriff was worried that maybe somebody was coming after you, so we drove to where we thought you might be. We found the old truck, and then Matzuka, the dog, found you.”
“Matzuka? Dog? Shot?”
Obviously he wasn’t comprehending any of this. Hailey smiled, leaned over, and kissed him on the cheek. “Now that you’re awake, I’ll go get some fresh air.”
Gordon and Debbie needed time alone. Whether this would help to heal the rift between them, Hailey didn’t know, but having a third party at their first contact in months wasn’t a good idea. Hailey walked down the hall and looked out the window and stared at the craziness of the land. She had spent her life here, loving it. She really didn’t understand why they had these sudden problems on the ranch. She phoned Raleigh. “How old is Donnie now?”
“Maybe in his early eighties.”
“And who gets the ranch if he goes? Manfred?”
“No clue,” he said in surprise. “Why?”
“Because that might help me understand why, after seventeen years of peace, we’re having the problems we are.”
Raleigh sucked in a breath, understanding her comment. “Good point. I’ll look into that.”
“You should, considering that’s where Gordon was when he was shot.” Then she hung up on him.
She sat in a nearby chair and propped her elbows on the windowsill and thought about everything going wrong. It seemed connected to the Longfellows, but in what way did that connect her land to her business? Plus the missing K9. The fact that the dog was found with Harold Longfellow, even as an outcast in that family, was a coincidence she wasn’t ready to accept. But then, when she thought about the percentage of the population here related in some way to the Longfellows and who did business with everyone in one way or another, it really wasn’t surprising to find a tie-in. She didn’t know how long she sat leaning against the window and staring out into nothing, but, when a voice jarred her from her pensive thoughts, and an arm slipped around her shoulder, she jerked up and stepped away.
Carter raised his hands. “Whoa. I did call out.”
She frowned up at him and reached to rub her temples. “Sorry,” she said with a shake of her head. “I was trying to figure this all out.”
“Well, you have an incredibly impressive brain. I’m so sorry I disturbed you.”
“No, it’s not that. I just feel like it’s all connected.”
“It is, in the sense that one name keeps coming up. Longfellow.”
“Right,” she said. “But were they related to Phil’s and Fred’s issues? Because that stumps me.”
“And yet you seem to think they’re all related?”
“I want to go back to the office,” she said suddenly. “Have you checked on the program you set up to run in my office?”
He shook his head. “No, but we can go back now if you want. I want to say hi to Gordon first though.”
“Oh,” she said, no longer as worried about her brother, given the fact he was now awake. “Please, let’s go in. Debbie’s here too, by the way.”
A beaming smile crossed his face. “That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.” He pushed open the door and stepped in without warning. Right behind him, Hailey saw the couple separate quickly from their kiss.
With a fat smile at her sister-in-law, she said, “Carter wanted to say hi.”
“Yeah,” Carter said. “And then we’re heading back to Hailey’s office.”
“What will you find there?” Gordon challenged. “You’re such a bookworm.”
“And you’re such a roughneck,” Carter said back.
Gordon chuckled. “So not me. You know it doesn’t fit.”
“Neither does bookworm fit me, but we are who we are.” Carter reached over and squeezed his friend’s hand. “That was too damn close.”
“I know.”
“Did you see anybody before it happened?” Carter asked in a rush. “Any warning? Did you argue with someone? Anything?”
Hailey realized she hadn’t even asked her brother that simple question. He’d been in such a daze when he woke up that he didn’t even realize he’d been shot. All she’d been concerned about by then was him healing things with Debbie.
She turned her gaze back to her brother now and nodded. “Any information would be helpful.”
“Honestly I don’t feel like I had any warning. Nobody was there. I didn’t see anything. I was just walking along the fence where another section had been cut, wondering what I should do about it and getting downright pissed. I had my hat off, and I lifted it up and put it on my head. Then it’s like a fire lit across my head. I reached up my hand, and another one came, at my hip. After that, I don’t remember anything.”
“That was the two shots we found,” Carter said. “From what direction?”
Gordon stopped for a minute and closed his eyes. “Off in the ridge. Not too far away but in that copse of trees there. It could easily hide somebody.”
“I stopped to see your doctor, asking if I could take a look at the bullets, but he didn’t want to let me. I told him that I knew guns and that I was trying to figure out what kind of weapon was used. He said it was on its way to forensics for testing.”
“But that didn’t stop you, did it?” Gordon asked with a smirk.
Carter gave him a smile. “After the doctor left, I went to the nurse and pretended to be somebody I wasn’t. I can tell you the bullet’s from a 30-30 lever action rifle, so somebody was very fast loading and firing.”
