Home on the Ranch: Wyoming Sheriff

by Rebecca Winters

  Her head lifted. “What?”

  “Someone either wanted to cause damage, or wanted him or Jessica hurt. It might have been a person from his past, male or female. I’m hoping you can add information that might be helpful. That’s why I asked if you had any yearbooks from your high school years. You might see a picture that jogs your memory.”

  “I brought my senior yearbook. It was all I could find.”

  “That’s fine. Why don’t you go through it with me? If anything rings a bell, tell me. Do you remember any girls Trent dated before he met Jessica?”

  “If he had a girlfriend before Jessica, I don’t remember.” Donna put the yearbook on top of his desk and opened it. “All I know is that they met in our English class and started dating.” She leafed through the black-and-white pictures. “This is when Trent and Jessica were named king and queen of the Christmas dance.”

  Holden studied it for a moment. The two of them looked so young. Jessica was a beauty even back then. Chase had inherited some of his father’s traits. “Was it a competition?”

  “No. A popularity contest. Everyone just voted for whoever they wanted.”

  “So anyone could be chosen?”

  “Yes. They got the most votes.”

  That didn’t help Holden except to understand that they were both well liked. Anyone less secure might have resented Trent and been envious of his girlfriend. Or, it could have been a girl who was jealous of Trent’s interest in Jessica.

  “Here’s the section for all the clubs. Our school had a lot of them. Jess and I were in the riding club, and this is a picture of the guys in the rodeo club. Trent’s there front and center after he won his bull-riding event in the spring. I went to a few of them with Jessica.”

  “Do you recognize any of the other guys in this photograph?”

  “Only the seniors.” After a moment, she started pointing. “That’s Larry, Tucker, Jed, Seth and Gary.”

  Seth?

  “Will you find their class pictures so I can see their last names?”

  She showed him each photo. Seth Lunt, with his long hair down to his shoulders, stood out because his was a name on the list Jessica had made for him. When Holden had asked her if all the dealership employees were from Whitebark, she’d said most of them had moved here. He wondered why she hadn’t mentioned that Seth had gone to her high school.

  Holden closed the book and smiled at Donna. “You’ve been more helpful than you know. Thank you for coming in. Please don’t tell anyone about this visit—for your protection as well as Jessica’s.”

  “I understand.”

  He walked her to the door. When she’d disappeared down the hall, he left for Angelino’s to meet with some of the guys for dinner. But in truth, he would rather have been driving over to Jessica’s.

  After spending last Wednesday with her, the rule he’d imposed on himself not to mix pleasure with his work had gone right out the window. Being with Jessica Fleming wasn’t a crime, but it was interfering with the rhythm of his life.

  Last night when he’d finally gone to bed, he kept pounding his pillow trying to get comfortable, but sleep had eluded him because she was on his mind. When it got to be 1:30 a.m., he recognized the investigation was only part of the reason for his insomnia. Something was happening to him...

  Unfortunately, his feelings were still so new, he didn’t want to talk about her with his friends. He’d left the dealership after meeting with Wes Bowen, anxious to complete the investigation and identify the person who’d deprived the Fleming family of their husband and father.

  Later that night, he’d headed back to the ranch, more than pleased with some of the information he’d uncovered. He could hardly wait to discuss it with Jessica.

  Donna’s was his last appointment for the day. After organizing his desk for the next morning, he headed to the city park. He was out of breath by the time he pulled into the parking area near Jessica’s truck. June had come in warm and there were a lot of kids and adults out enjoying the sunshine.

  Even so, Jessica commanded all of his attention in jeans and a leaf-green pullover. She sat on a picnic bench watching her son go down the slide. She’d placed a shopping bag on the table.

  He got down from the cab and walked toward her, but Chase saw him from the top of the ladder and started waving. “Hey, Holden—watch me!” He went down on his stomach at slick speed. Chase had been wearing Holden’s hat, but it fell off into the sand.

  With a chuckle, Holden walked over and picked it up. “That was some trick. I think you lost something.” He put the cap back on the boy’s head, touched that he was still wearing it.

  “I was afraid you couldn’t come.”

  He liked the sound of that. “Let’s hope I don’t have to go out on an emergency.”

  “I don’t want you to leave. We made a big lunch.”

  Chase was growing on him like mad. “What kind of sandwiches?”

  “Mom fixed roast beef. I made peanut butter and jelly.”

  “Since you helped, can I have one of each?”

  Jessica’s son smiled up at him with those chocolate-brown eyes. “I told her you’d like peanut butter.”

  “You’re right.”

  He eyed him intently. “Where did you get your first name? I never heard of it before.”

  Holden chuckled. The boy was an original. “When I was young I didn’t know anyone else who had it, either. My mom liked the sound of it for some reason.”

  “My mom liked the name Chase, too. I don’t have any friends with a name like mine, either.”

  “That makes us kind of special.”

  “Yeah.”

  Jessica had stayed put as she watched the two of them talking. After a minute, Chase came running over to her with a smile.

  “Holden’s here!”

  Whatever the two of them had been talking about, Jessica could tell her son was delighted. She couldn’t take her eyes off the striking, uniformed male striding toward her.

  “Hello,” he said in a deep voice. Those silvery eyes played over her, giving her a fluttery sensation in her chest.

  Relieved that an emergency hadn’t arisen to prevent him from meeting her, she got up. “We’re glad you made it.”

  Though he’d come to discuss the case, she hoped that maybe he was glad to see her, too. He’d been on her mind continually since last Wednesday.

  “Can we eat now, Mom?”

  His question broke her concentration. “Sounds like a good idea since the sheriff is here on his lunch hour and doesn’t have a lot of time. Come and sit down, Holden.”

  Chase plopped down next to him while she emptied the bag and laid everything out, including the sodas and salt-and-vinegar potato chips. Within moments, everyone was indulging themselves with fruit salad and sandwiches.

  After Holden had devoured two sandwiches and half the bag of chips, he said, “This is the best lunch I’ve eaten in years.”

  “I told you he’d like peanut butter, Mom.”

  She laughed gently. “I think the whole world loves it.”

  They were just finishing up when Holden’s phone rang. “Excuse me.”

  He got up from the table and walked a ways off. She knew he had to answer it, while Chase looked like he was going to burst into tears.

  A few minutes later Holden came back and sat down.

  “You don’t have to go?”

  “Nope.” Holden smiled at her son. “I’m ready for dessert.”

  “Yay!” While they finished off some cookies, Chase’s friend Joey arrived and asked if he could play. “I can’t. We’re eating with the sheriff. I told you he gave me his hat.”

  “Joey?” Jessica said to the boy. “This is Sheriff Granger.”

  “Hi, Joey. I hear you and Chase are friends.”

  The boy nodded shyly. Holden smiled
at both of them. “Go ahead while we watch. I want to see you do some more tricks on the slide.”

  “Okay. Sometimes we go down double-decker. Don’t go away, Holden.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  When they ran off, Jessica looked at the gorgeous man seated across from her. “That timing was perfect. While they’re busy, how did it go with Wes Bowen?”

  “I learned a lot. Thanks again for arranging it for me. He went through the shipping orders and found the ones for April. Three cartons of Moog ball joints had been ordered and shipped to Mid-Valley. But here’s the telling point. A box of four was sold on May 14 to your husband.”

  She gasped. “That was the day before he was killed.”

  “That’s right. Mr. Bowen found the receipt with your husband’s signature on it. Apparently, the man you listed named John Agars remembered selling your husband four new ball joints. This morning I drove to Cora where Mr. Agars now works and he verified the sale. There’s your proof.”

  “Oh, Holden.” She shook her head. “I knew I wasn’t wrong.”

  “No, you weren’t. He also answered another vital question for me.”

  “What was it?”

  “I asked him when your husband told him he needed new ball joints. He scratched his head and said it was the morning Trent drove to work in your car. Apparently Agars was in the employee parking lot getting out of his truck when Trent pulled in and asked if he had any Moog ball joints in the inventory. He said they were the best and planned to replace all the ball joints on your car.”

  “That’s even more proof.”

  Holden nodded. “He told Trent he’d see what ball joints he had on hand. I asked Agars if anyone else had been around to hear them talking. He couldn’t remember, but when he went inside and discovered several Moog boxes on the shelves, he went out to the bay with a box of four.

  “Trent thanked him because he said he wanted to replace the old ones after work and take the car for a test-drive. Later, on his lunch hour, Trent went in the shop to pay for them.”

  Holden drew in a deep breath. “I asked if anyone else heard him talking with your husband after he took the box out to him. He said probably all the guys did because that morning everyone had arrived for work and they were all drinking coffee, getting ready for the day.

  “Agars remembered there was a discussion about ball joints. Someone told him Mevotech and Duralast were good brands and cheaper. But the others said to stick with Moog.”

  Jessica stared at him. “Then it probably was someone from the dealership who did that to Trent.”

  “It’s beginning to sound like it, but I’ve ruled out Agars. He’s not a mechanic. There’s something else I can tell you. Bowen gave me some evidence I have yet to go through. The surveillance tapes from that night were still there in a box. They will show anyone going in or out of the dealership. If the culprit was someone working there, they should be on the tapes.”

  Her face looked haunted. “It’s so horrible that anyone would do that.”

  “Mr. Bowen said much the same thing. I reminded him that anyone could have gotten into the lot outside and tampered with the car, but no one has been accused of anything yet.”

  “That poor man must be terrified. Uh-oh. Here comes Chase.”

  Holden waved to him. “I’ll text you this evening. Give me a call when he’s asleep. There’s more I need to discuss with you.”

  Chase came running over to them, cutting off any more discussion about the case. “Hi, honey. Did you have fun?”

  “Yeah, but Joey had to go home with his older brother.”

  “We have to go, too. Will you throw these cans in the recycling? Holden has to get back to work.”

  “I wish you didn’t have to go.”

  He hunkered down. “Tell you what. I’ll talk to your mom. One day soon I’ll have a whole day off and we can go on a hike. How would you like to do that?”

  “I’d love it!” In a spontaneous gesture, he threw his arms around Holden, who hugged him back. Jessica couldn’t believe it. Since Trent had died, she’d never seen her son show his affection like that to another man.

  “We’ll drive out of town and hike to the Elkhart Park Trailhead. My friend Cole spends a lot of time up in that area while he tracks elk.”

  “I’ve never been there,” Jessica commented.

  He glanced at her and smiled. “You’ll love it,” he said, then continued talking to Chase. “From there we’ll follow the Pole Creek Trail alongside Faler Creek. You’ll see almost every creature who lives there. When the forest starts to thin out, we’ll have fabulous views of the Wind River Range to the north. If you’re not too tired, Chase, we’ll pass by Miller Lake for lunch, then walk back. There are lots of wildflowers in the meadows.”

  “Um, that sounds wonderful,” Jessica said. “I haven’t done any hiking in a long time. I’ll take my camera. If I get the right shot, I’ll have it printed and framed.” It would always remind her of her day with Holden.

  “What a great idea! I remember your impressive photo collection. I don’t get up in the mountains nearly as often as I want to. We’ll take it easy so it’s enjoyable.”

  “Do you think we’ll see a wolverine?” Chase asked.

  Holden laughed. “Like Logan from the X-Men?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I think wolverines live in Canada and Alaska. But I’m sure we’ll see some fascinating animals. Have you ever watched a yellow-bellied marmot come out of his burrow?”

  “Yellow belly?” Chase giggled.

  “That’s right. Maybe we’ll come across one. They live where we’re going and whistle so loudly you won’t believe it. I saw a big fat one the last time I was up there.”

  “What do they look like?”

  “They’re kind of a cross between a squirrel and a gopher.”

  “That’s funny. I wish we didn’t have to wait so long to go.”

  Holden smiled at Jessica before getting to his feet. “I’ll call you. Thanks for the delicious lunch. Next time I’ll bring it.” He patted Chase’s shoulder and took off for his truck.

  After Holden disappeared, Jessica and Chase headed home. “How long do you think we have to wait until Holden can go?”

  Jessica didn’t want to think about it. “I’ve told you how busy he is. We’ll just have to wait.”

  “Aw, darn.”

  “Darn” was right. Everything Holden said or did set him apart from the other men she knew. Later that night after she’d put Chase to bed, she phoned Holden. “You asked me to call, but is it too late?”

  “Not at all. I’m back at work and have been discussing a schedule with Walt. How does next Friday sound for the hike?”

  It sounded fine, but Chase would have a hard time waiting. “If you’re sure you can take the time off, we’d love to go.”

  “Good. It’s a date. Now before I let you go, I wanted you to know I’ve spoken with your friend Donna Sills. Was there a reason you didn’t mention that Seth Lunt attended your high school?”

  After her latest experience at the dealership, just the mention of the man’s name made her shudder. “He did go to Whitebark, but that was so long ago that I forgot about it when I was putting down the information for you. We were never friends. I didn’t know him back then. I’m sorry I failed to include it on the sheet.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Holden murmured. “When I interviewed Donna at the office, she showed me some yearbook pictures.”

  “You’re kidding! Most of those pictures are awful.” Maybe it was silly of her, but she wasn’t that thrilled with the way she looked at that age.

  Chapter 6

  Holden chuckled. “I’m just glad you can’t see my yearbook. You looked lovely in the photo of you and Trent being voted king and queen of the Christmas dance.”

  “I was afraid you
saw that.”

  “Donna also showed me a photograph of the riding club with you on your palomino.”

  “I had to put her down a while back.”

  “That’s not an easy thing to do. I also saw the rodeo club photo and asked her to identify the guys she knew. Seth was there, along with your husband, of course.”

  “In the three years we dated, my husband never talked about Seth. It wasn’t until Trent had been working at the dealership for at least five years that he told me Seth Lunt, a guy from our high school, had just been hired as the new service writer.

  “That was the first time I heard that Seth had tried to compete as a bull rider at some local rodeos during our senior year, but he just couldn’t stay on and received bad scores. My husband said he felt sorry for him.”

  “You never saw Seth compete?”

  “If I did, it didn’t register.”

  He stirred in his swivel chair. “After Donna left my office, I contacted the Whitebark Rodeo Association president. He told me Seth Lunt didn’t have the skills to go on the pro rodeo circuit. He stopped competing in local rodeos after receiving a series of disappointing scores.”

  “Hmm. I remember that Trent told me how surprised he was that Seth of all people had come to work at the dealership. He thought he would have gone to college in order to join his father’s law firm one day. We both decided that some people just aren’t interested in getting a higher education. Apparently working with his hands appealed to Seth.”

  Holden sat forward. “Except that he’s not a true mechanic. What you’ve told me goes along with the research I’ve done on him, including Bowen’s comments. Seth’s grades weren’t good in high school. He had to go to summer school to graduate. I also learned that before Seth was hired at Mid-Valley as a service writer, he’d worked at three different dealerships washing cars and as a parts person.”

  “I had no idea.”

  “There’s something else important. Seth was divorced six years ago.”

  “That is news. I didn’t know he’d been married.”

  “It only lasted a year. His wife asked for the divorce because he was in and out of work and took drugs.”