I’m relieved to see my charges leave the dance floor at last. Ah, yes, they are moving toward the stairs that lead upward toward me and the concrete level behind me where tables have been loaded with all manner of nourishment. The seating around me has a good share of onlookers holding paper plates loaded with food, plastic cups containing some libation placed at their feet. I’ve not been so rude as to peruse the contents of those paper plates, but I will not mind the chance to nibble at some delicacies this evening.
I stretch my tense muscles as Wolf and Kylah walk past and leap to follow them to sustenance. I note that the food is plentiful but hasn’t the élan of the spread that Cade Delaney arranged for the rodeo finalists during a recent case. Nothing to sneer at however. Nor do I find anyone resembling the Amazonian brunette with the warm gaze who provided me with the most delectable of morsels at the rodeo festivity. The servers here are not so attentive.
Well, I do see an attractive brunette, tall and slender, who has snared the attentions of Wolf’s fishing pal, Logan. I recognize Mrs. Edmunds from the meeting at the college. Interesting. Of equal interest, at least to me, is that she appears displeased with Logan’s conversation. If I’m not mistaken, they’re at the precipice of a disagreement if not a full-blown argument. I wonder if I should draw Wolf’s attention to this bit of drama. Should he not take note soon, I’ll move closer in the event I deem it best to intervene.
* * *
Wolf followed the cat’s intense gaze across half the length of the building. Damn. He touched Kylah’s arm. “I’ll be right back. Will you be okay for a moment?”
She glanced at him, a small crease of concern forming on her forehead at the change in his tone. “Of course.”
He felt a flash that was equal parts irritation and amusement. Kylah was a woman more accustomed to taking care of herself and others than to having someone take care of her. The protectiveness he felt took him by surprise. Something to think about later, but – for now – he needed to head off a potential explosion. From the far end of the structure, Grant was bearing down on Logan and Audra who looked less than happy with their discussion. And Grant’s expression sure didn’t give the appearance of a peacemaker as he strode their way.
Wolf reached them first, grateful for the small group of young people who momentarily blocked the aisle ahead of Audra’s husband.
“Hey, Logan, you got a minute?”
Audra looked relieved. Logan flashed Wolf a look of pure frustration but the glare soon shifted to include self-disgust and regret as he realized he’d been making a spectacle of himself. And Audra. He muttered an apology to her as he stepped back with Wolf.
Audra gave Wolf a quick glance, then moved away from them, blending with the crowd.
“Man, what the hell are you doing?”
“This whole thing needs to be shut down.” Logan’s voice was low and controlled but not calm. More than frustrated, Wolf realized, Logan was angry, burning up inside angry.
“The reenactment.” It wasn’t a question.
Logan nodded. “A woman is dead. I hear Ms. West was shot at. Looks like any woman in costume is fair game. Grant could care less that Audra could get caught up in this.”
“That’s their business, man, not yours.” One thing was for sure. The flame that had started in high school had never been extinguished. Not for Logan. Wolf had suspected but this was beyond that suspicion and he felt a stab of sympathy.
Logan met his gaze. He gave a curse and brushed past Wolf toward the row of doors. Wolf knew his sympathy wasn’t appreciated and he stared after Logan knowing there wasn’t a damned thing he could say to help.
“Your friend needs to keep his distance.” It wasn’t a friendly warning.
Wolf stifled a sigh and turned to face Grant. The man had made an effort to fit in with the crowd but it didn’t work for him. It never had. His khakis were too stiffly pressed as was his button-down shirt but at least he’d forgone the tailored suits he preferred.
“He’s concerned about the murder and the shots fired this morning.”
“I can take care of my wife,” Grant said.
“They’re old friends. We all are. And we’re all concerned about the reenactors.” Wolf forced an easy tone he wasn’t feeling. Logan’s protectiveness for Audra was far more than that. That was more than clear to Wolf.
And apparently clear to her husband as well. “If he continues to harass us, I’ll file charges.”
Wolf frowned at him. “Continues? He’s harassed you?”
“If he’s your friend, you need to warn him away. It’s ridiculous that he’s still carrying a high school crush. It makes Audra uncomfortable.”
Grant turned on his heel without giving Wolf a chance to respond.
It was just as well. There wasn’t any way he could argue with that. He was going to have to talk with Logan and his friend would be far from appreciative.
He made his way back to Kylah and his heart lifted at the sight of her chatting with a group of women. He knew one of them, the others he didn’t, but he had eyes only for Kylah. He wouldn’t have minded seeing her in another dress, had even pictured how she might look, but the off-the-shoulders blouse with skinny jeans gave her a look that was pretty damn hot and had his pulse racing.
When she caught sight of him standing to one side, she extricated herself from the group and joined him. “Is everything alright?”
“With Logan? No, probably not. With me?” He held out his hand and, when she took it, he expelled a breath, releasing some of the tension from the clash between Logan and Grant. “Yeah. It is. Dance?”
They reached the dance floor and he pulled her in close. He knew he could wind up sorry, sorrier than when he’d stood in front of a preacher and said I do to a girl he didn’t love after her big brother, angry and unsmiling, had walked her down the aisle. Kylah lived on one side of the continent, he on the other. They had nothing in common, not background or lifestyle, not friends or family. But with her hand in his and her cheek nestled against his shoulder, he couldn’t find it in him to be cautious.
* * *
Wolf spent the next morning at the sheriff’s office with Les combing through the autopsy report as well as the evidence the forensic team had gathered. Wolf had done enough research prior to their meeting to be certain they weren’t dealing with some on-going murder spree. There were no unsolved cases of death by antique firearm. At least not in this century.
Afterward, he gathered up all the notes he’d made and headed to the fairgrounds to share them with Kylah and Jake. If Kylah had become a deliberate target, rather than a random victim because she was in uniform, she had a right to know as much as he could tell her without jeopardizing the investigation. Les had agreed, although with some reservations and reminders of what was at stake. Wolf hadn’t needed any reminders.
Jake grilled burgers while Wolf propped against the side of the trailer and talked. The facts were simple. Maisy McGuire had been killed with one shot to the heart from a distance of twelve to fifteen feet. The Burnside rifle had been wiped clean of prints and left at the scene. The time of death was between six and eight that morning.
“I’d place it closer to seven or eight than six,” Wolf speculated. “Better light then if you’re planning to shoot someone.” And would fit with Latimer’s timeline of crossing those hills right before daylight, gave him time to complete the transaction before heading back to Fagan with the money from the sale.
Jake agreed, adding, “Not hard to be accurate at that range. But why in the hell did she stand there and watch while he lifted and aimed that rifle? No way he swung the barrel into position and made that shot cold. He’d have hit her easy, but dead center of the heart?” He shook his head. “Why didn’t she drop and roll? Any damn thing to try to live.”
“She had to have known him,” Kylah said. “Had to have trusted him.”
“Or her,” Jake reminded. “The killer could as easily have been a woman as a man.”
“Both
are true. Which is why Les suspected her partner,” Wolf said. But Ella Necaise had a rock-solid alibi. Cameras don’t lie.
“But if the person who shot Maisy McGuire was someone she knew and trusted, why shoot at me?” Kylah leaned back in one of the canvas chairs they’d unfolded. Trouble curled upon the one beside her.
“That’s where everything gets murky about this case,” Wolf admitted. “It’s possible that killing Maisy for personal reasons triggered something with the killer, sending them on a rampage targeting people who remind him of Maisy. Killing in cold blood isn’t exactly the sign of a sound mind.”
“There’s no connection between me and Maisy.”
“Other than the fact that that you’re both women. Both strong-willed. Both reenacting a Civil War battle,” Jake retorted and flipped the burgers with expert care. The meat sizzled tantalizingly and Wolf smiled at Trouble’s immediate shift in attention from Kylah to the grill.
“You know Kylah so you’d know if she was strong-willed,” and Wolf wasn’t about to dispute that fact, “but what about Maisy? What makes you believe she was strong-willed?” He recalled Les saying the same thing.
Jake gave him a level look. “How many women you know would have stayed alone in that tent in the hills all night?”
Okay, he’d give Jake that, Wolf thought, but he’d add brave to that strong-willed.
“What kind of reasons are those to kill a person?” Kylah asked. “And who would know that both of us were strong women? Or even know for sure that I was a woman when those shots were fired at me. Those costumes were designed for men and they aren’t figure-enhancing.”
Wolf could tell she was disturbed at the suggestion that the shots fired at her might have been intentionally aimed at her rather than at a figure in a Civil War costume, even a female figure in costume. He wasn’t happy with the idea himself. He didn’t bother to tell her there was no way a person who looked close enough wouldn’t realize she was a female in men’s clothing. The problem was, he didn’t know how carefully the shooter had looked before picking a target. “We can’t rule out that the target was the uniform.”
A low growl from Trouble drew his gaze. The cat was staring at him and he sighed. “Trouble doesn’t buy that theory.”
Jake snorted his disbelief that the cat was communicating any such thought and Trouble flattened his ears and glared.
* * *
Jake has bought himself some grace with his grilled ground beef, lean, just as I like it! Granted, I would much prefer steak to hamburger and fish to beef, but it suffices for a nice noontime meal.
I must be honest that I find myself as perplexed by this case as the law seems to be. Like Wolf, my greatest concern is Kylah’s safety but, the fact of the matter is, the next victim could be anyone. We don’t have enough evidence to point in any direction. I do admire the way Wolf kept on track with the information he shared with Kylah and Jake. He didn’t give specifics of Latimer’s comments but he did give the two civilians what he could to help keep Kylah safe. The exchange also provided a chance for him to garner what insight she and Jake might have because they are enmeshed in the fabric of the re-enactment. As a deputized sheriff, he can only reveal so much and nothing that might jeopardize an on-going investigation.
* * *
Jake made himself scarce after lunch. He told Kylah he’d be at the barn and gave Wolf a considering look. Wolf watched him walk away then turned back to find Kylah watching him.
“I don’t like leaving you alone,” he admitted. He knew that was what Jake had seen, what had the other man speculating.
“I’ve been alone a long time,” Kylah reminded him.
Wolf knew he could take that any number of ways but all he said was, “Not with someone shooting at you.”
She smiled. “There is that.”
He watched as her smile faded.
“I can’t run away and hide. I won’t do that.”
“I know.” They were standing close enough he could have reached out and pulled her against him. He didn’t. Instead, he opened his arms to her. When she stepped closer, close enough that all he had to do was fold his arms around her, he closed his eyes and rested his chin against the crown of her head. She felt more right to him than anything had in a long time. “Just be watchful. Pay attention to what’s going on around you.”
“As much as I can.” She drew back a little so that she could see his face. “My horses deserve and get every bit of my attention when I’m on them.”
“Then I guess I’ll have to trust Jake to watch your back.”
“He’ll do that. He always has.”
And one day, he’d ask her about the man who’d had her back more than either of her parents or the man she’d married. And he’d thank that man for being there for her. Jake wasn’t just an employee, he was part of her life, and Wolf was grateful for that.
For now, he had work to do.
* * *
Logan wasn’t happy to see him. He didn’t say it, but then he didn’t need to. His expression spoke volumes. He even included Trouble in his unsmiling regard before returning his attention to the gun he had dismantled on the worktable in his shop. It was a small building with clapboard siding on the exterior and wide rough-cut boards for paneling inside. For all its innocuous appearance, Wolf happened to know it was pretty unassailable. The windows were high, long, and too narrow for a normal man to squeeze through. The pocket door behind the worktable led to a small room full of built-in safes to keep his clients’ guns from the hands of thieves or the devastation of fire.
Wolf sat on one of the barstools and hooked the heel of his boots on the bottom rung. He watched as Logan worked in a silence that was anything but companionable.
At last, Logan spoke without looking up from his work. “I don’t need a lecture.”
“That’s good, then, ‘cause I’m fresh out.”
When Logan finished cleaning the pieces and began reassembling the gun, he asked, “You want a beer?”
Wolf grunted. “Yep, but I’m on duty, so no.”
That comment got Logan’s full attention. His hands stilled. “You’re here officially?”
“Nope, but still on duty.” He hesitated. “You still of a mind that no one on the Boundary is behind what’s going on?”
Logan gave him a piercing stare. “Why? Do you think different? You got something new?”
“We’ve got nothing at all, new or otherwise. That’s the problem. We keep circling the mountain and coming up empty.”
“Which means this is some crackpot who’s not going to leave you a trail of logic to follow.”
“So why are you so worried about Audra in particular?”
Logan put both hands on the table and leaned forward. “Because this is some crackpot who’s not going to leave you a trail of logic to follow and because you and Les have zip to go on.”
Wolf met him look for look. “But that doesn’t answer the question ‘why Audra’.”
“She’s a friend. An old friend and a good one. I care what happens to her. If this investigation doesn’t come up with something soon, she’ll be a target like every other female reenactor.”
“That’s assuming the target is always female.”
“So far they have been,” Logan reminded.
“True.” Wolf got to his feet and said the one thing he’d come there to say. “Be on your guard with Grant, okay? He’s not a front and center guy. He doesn’t have the guts for it. You rile him about his wife and he won’t come swinging at you. He’ll use his position and the law and a charge of harassment to get you arrested.”
“And I’ll post bail and then … nothing. I’ve spent a weekend in jail before for worse. So have you.”
“We were kids with nothing to lose.”
Logan looked around at the small gun shop that paid his bills. “Not much more now,” was all he said.
Wolf sighed and let it go. Whatever was going on – if anything – was Logan’s business.
But
he disagreed with his friend on one point. There was a lot more Logan could lose if Grant decided to make trouble. His license to deal in firearms, for one. There was always a fine thread between the residents of the Boundary and those of the college town. One that could easily snap. Both men knew it, Logan had just decided to ignore the fact.
* * *
Kylah finished rubbing leather cleaner into the saddle and walked to the end of the barn where the hallway opened onto the road between the barn and arena. She leaned against the framework enjoying the moment’s relaxation. In the past few days, spring had settled in with sunny skies and warmer weather and the woods beyond the fairgrounds seemed greener by the hour.
It was that quiet time of day, moments before sunset. At some point, Trouble had returned without Wolf, strolling into the barn as if he owned it. Jake had headed into town for supplies about an hour earlier. Kylah had told him not to hurry. She’d take care of feeding and had plenty to read in the living quarters until he got back. She hoped he’d find a steak and a beer to enjoy.
As she watched, a young man – maybe a teen – strolled through the wide opening of the darkened arena then re-emerged moments later. If he was looking for someone, he didn’t find them. He glanced toward the barn but didn’t seem to see her at its entrance. She tracked his loose-limbed walk toward the main road that led back into town. That was a long hike but he was young. She could remember being that young, that filled with inexhaustible energy.
Vehicle traffic had slowed to a stop around the fairgrounds so she was a little surprised when a truck rolled past the youth, then pulled close to her own, and stopped with the motor idling. Taking her cue from Trouble who uncurled from his relaxed position beside her boots, she pushed her shoulder away from the barn post and waited. Her surprise deepened as Grant Edmunds stepped down from the truck and glanced around him then walked her way. While she didn’t share the irritation she could feel in waves from the cat, she didn’t welcome a visit from the dean either. The fact that he had no idea how pompous he presented himself didn’t make it any less unpleasant.
The Trouble with Horses Page 53
