Saddled With Trouble

by A. K. Alexander

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, how about Brad? How did he know?”

  “He know because he used to get the mail sometimes for the ranch and give it to Lou. Envelope came back from his attorney and Lou asked me who got the mail, ’cause it looked like someone had opened it and tried to reseal it. I knew it was Brad.” He shrugged. “I got no proof. But my gut say so. The man already been cheatin’ on you, and I had the pictures. Brad realize he lose out on big cash if something ever happen to your uncle.”

  Michaela thought back to the conversation at the bar with Brad— his pitiful apology and excuses— and his appearance at her house. Was that because he knew she was about to inherit her uncle’s ranch? Had that also been a part of his plan? Kill Lou, and get back into her good graces? But why the breeding scam? Suddenly, it hit her. The scam was to set Dwayne up and get him out of the way. That bastard! But was Dwayne telling the truth? Again, she had to wonder. And the money? How did Brad gain access to the bank accounts? Did he have the breeders sending checks to another address— one he had set up just for this purpose? Could he have forged the checks? Shit, Brad could hardly write his name legibly, and Uncle Lou had fairly neat handwriting. Damn if she wasn’t terribly confused.

  “I know he’s the one who do this to me, Michaela. I told the police. But I don’t think that detective believed me. I tell you Brad hated me. Hated Lou, and Brad a bad man. He did this. I can prove I didn’t kill anyone. For one thing, I was in Vegas. That I can prove. I can also prove that I . . .” He blushed. “I spent that night before and morning with a woman I met in the bar at the hotel. I still have her number. I gave it to the police. I didn’t steal anything and I didn’t kill no one. You have to believe me. You have to.”

  Michaela closed her eyes and uttered, “I believe you.”

  THIRTY-FOUR

  MICHAELA DID BELIEVE DWAYNE, BUT IT WAS hard to swallow that Brad had put this thing together. Still, the man had lied to her more than once, cheated on her, manipulated her . . . and yes, she was starting to believe he was capable of stealing, and even murder, especially if he thought he might get some real money out of it. He must have figured that the owners of the mares would eventually be asked about their contact for the AI breedings. Brad had made sure he slipped both Lou’s and Dwayne’s names in, figuring that they’d both be caught. But why murder her uncle? Revenge? Or had Uncle Lou discovered the truth? Is that what he’d wanted to talk to her about the morning he was killed? Had he been about to blow the whistle on Brad? Her ex probably hadn’t thought far enough ahead to take into account that, eventually, Lou would be able to put two and two together. The timing worked as far as Brad being one of the breeding handlers at the time the mares in the lawsuits were being bred. Brad never did think things through all the way, and this was case in point, assuming he was behind all of these events. Unless killing Lou was part of his evil plot.

  Before she left Dwayne, he’d told her that the police were not allowing him to leave the state. Therefore he couldn’t compete in the calf roping events at the NFR. “I can’t believe it. First year in five I haven’t competed. Me and Hobbit was gonna win, too. Just feel it in my blood, you know. Just know it.” He wiped tears from his face. “Sam’s driving there tomorrow to get the horses for me. But I worry about him with the seizures. Something happen to him on that drive, well . . .”

  Michaela immediately volunteered to go with him. “I was heading there anyway. Ethan’s getting married and wants me to come.”

  “What? Oh no. Not to that dipshit Summer?” She nodded. “Girl be trouble. I promise. That man have nuthin’ but trouble for years to come with that one.”

  “I know. What can I do?”

  “Tell him no piece of ass that good. None.”

  She couldn’t help but laugh, and Dwayne smiled, too. She was going to help Dwayne out of this mess. She’d been partly responsible for getting him in trouble. Now, she’d do what she could to make sure Brad didn’t get away with this. “So, I’ll drive to Vegas with Sam. He can go to the wedding with me, and then we’ll bring the horses home. We’ll stay the night. Camden’s flying over, later in the afternoon. She’s getting us rooms at the Bellagio.”

  “Your crazy friend. I like her. She fun.” He laughed. “But don’t let Sam be staying there. He spend too much dough in a place like that. He need a cheap Motel Six. That work better for him. Not so good with money, my cousin.”

  “Not a problem. He can drop me and head to the other side of town.”

  “He good with food, though, so you watch him. Tell him to take his medicine.”

  “I will.”

  “Thanks for doing this. You a good friend. You didn’t have to believe me, but you see people in the heart and that is good. You have a good faith. I like you for that and am grateful you trust me. If I can get that cop to believe me, then we all be good again.”

  They arranged for Sam to swing by her place in the morning. She asked Dwayne to take care of Cocoa and her horses while she was gone, and he said that he would.

  She wanted to give Davis a call and meet with him. She needed to tell him that she believed what Dwayne was telling her about Brad, but first she needed to talk to Cynthia. She also couldn’t help wondering if Kirsten was behind bars yet. She put Booger in one of the open stalls and asked Dwayne to feed him just a little, because she’d still have to ride him home.

  “He can stay the night. It’s getting dark and I can drive you home.”

  “No. A night ride won’t be too bad and God knows he could use the exercise. Thanks anyway.”

  The house smelled like spaghetti and garlic bread. She walked into the kitchen and saw Cynthia standing over the stove. Cynthia turned, looking startled to see Michaela. “Hi. I didn’t know you were coming by. I’m glad you did.”

  Something about her demeanor had changed. She didn’t appear angry any longer with Michaela. Almost the opposite— happy to see her. “I came by to talk to Dwayne.”

  “He’s had a bad couple of days. He told me everything.”

  “Do you believe him?”

  Cynthia nodded. “The man wouldn’t hurt Lou. Not in a million years.”

  “Then what do you think happened?”

  “I think that Brad was involved.”

  ‘That’s what Dwayne thinks,” Michaela replied.

  “And you? What do you think?”

  “I don’t think that Dwayne had anything to do with the scam. I have my doubts about Brad.” She paused. “But I didn’t come here to talk about that.”

  Cynthia turned back to stirring the spaghetti. “Finished. Will you join me? I couldn’t eat all of it.”

  “I don’t have a lot of time. I rode over here and I’m losing daylight.”

  “You sure?”

  Michaela nodded. “Cynthia, I know you were upset with me the other day, at the funeral. Why?”

  Cynthia sighed. “Sit down.” Michaela joined her at the table. “You’ve spoken with the attorney? The wills and trusts guy?”

  “Today.”

  “Well, I spoke with him the day before the funeral and he told me how Lou had adjusted his will.”

  She hadn’t been angry over her telling Davis about the pregnancy.

  “I had no idea that he’d changed it, and at first I was angry. Very angry.”

  “Understandable.”

  “I was angry at you. Him. If it had been up to me and I’d inherited this place, I would have probably sold it off in the future. It’s a lot of a ranch for me, and that Kevin Tanner has already tried to call me to discuss the possibility of buying the ranch.”

  Bastard! “You wouldn’t sell this place.”

  “I’ve got to think about me now, but you’re right, I won’t be selling the ranch, because it’s all yours. I’ve had time to think about that. Lou did the right thing. He left me plenty of money. No, not the ranch, but I know and he knew that I can’t handle this place and would likely sell. I don’t love horses the way you do.”

  “You’re re
ally okay with all of this?” She couldn’t help but feel a bit angry at the thought that Cynthia would even consider selling this ranch that her uncle had loved and devoted his life to.

  She shrugged. “I have to be. I don’t have a choice, and what good would it do me to be mad at you, or at Lou? He was only doing what he felt was right. Granted, I wish we could have discussed it, but maybe this place was never mine.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Your parents and Lou raised you to take on a ranch. I need to go home. My parents are in Seattle and I need to start over. I’m having a baby.”

  Michaela couldn’t act surprised. “I know.”

  “You know?” Her eyes widened.

  “I saw the pregnancy test in your trash the other day. I threw a tissue away and missed and . . . well, anyway, I saw it.”

  “And, you assumed the worst, didn’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “That cop. Davis. You’re the one who told him I was pregnant?”

  There was no sense in denying it. “Yes.”

  “That explains it. He’s a thorough detective. He’s even gotten a court order that the baby have a DNA test when he or she is born to compare it with the donor we used. But I assure you, as I did him, that I don’t have a problem with it. I never cheated on your uncle, and he wanted this baby as much as I did. We didn’t tell anyone I was trying to conceive because we didn’t know if I’d even get pregnant, and besides, we didn’t want the criticism we thought we might receive. With Lou being sixty-one, it was a risky thing for us, but I knew he’d make a great father, and I knew that he would live to be a hundred. At least, I believe he would have.”

  “Cyn, I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be,” she said. “It’s better this way. Makes it easier to leave. You loved your uncle and he loved you. Why wouldn’t you assume the worst of me?” Michaela tried to apologize again, but Cynthia shrugged her off. “I’ll be fine. We’ll be fine. I’m leaving next week.”

  Michaela nodded and left her uncle’s home—her home, feeling like a real jerk and knowing she’d lost a friend.

  THIRTY-FIVE

  SAM SHOWED UP AT MICHAELA’S PLACE RIGHT AT seven A.M. She’d had enough time to feed and pack after getting up early. She hadn’t slept well; the confrontation with Cynthia still weighed on her. She was just finishing out at the barn when Sam got out of his truck and asked to use her restroom. “I figure long ride, better go.”

  “No problem. It’s the first left down the hall. Use the kitchen door. It’s unlocked. In fact, do you mind grabbing my stuff? It’s right there next to the door, and then lock the bottom lock? Camden might be up, but I doubt it, and I don’t want to leave it unlocked.”

  She thought about Brad, and about Camden punching him. If he was the scumbag Michaela thought he was, then locking the door for her friend was prudent. After riding Booger home last night, she’d called Davis to tell him about her talk with Dwayne and what she thought Brad had done. She had to leave a message. Then, when she checked her messages on the house phone, he’d left her one saying that his daughter had broken her ankle at ballet class and that he was in the emergency room with her. She tried his cell, but it went to voicemail. She’d call again during the drive to Vegas and tell him about Brad, as well as check up on his daughter. Poor kid. What a bummer.

  While Sam used the bathroom, Michaela locked up her office and then walked around the back of the trailer to make sure all the latches were securely locked down. She was sure Sam had already done so, but it was a habit. When she’d been a kid, her dad had forgotten to lock the latch on the trailer and it flew open while they were on the highway, nearly causing an accident. Thank God there weren’t any horses on board. They were on their way to pick up a few, just as she and Sam were today. It turned out to be a good thing that she checked the latch, because she could see that one of them wasn’t down all the way. She retrieved a hammer from her office and locked up again. Then she pounded the latch down. Once done, she climbed into the truck as Sam appeared. She put the hammer in the side pocket of the truck, figuring it would be good to have once they loaded the horses. The damn latch was tough to get down even with the hammer.

  Sam handed her the overnight bag. “Thanks,” she said.

  “No problem. This is good of you to come out with me like this. I feel so bad for Dwayne, you know. Guy is heart-broken. Tol’ me to go watch some of the events tonight. Gave me rodeo tickets. He’s a good man. Don’t deserve this. He did not do anything wrong.”

  “I’m glad and I can go with you and help out.”

  * * *

  MICHAELA KNEW SAM WAS A TALKER. BUT GOODNESS, who knew he could carry on for hours! He talked about the rodeo, horses, Hawaii, girls he’d loved, and of course good food. He was still talking over halfway into their six-hour ride.

  “Man, tough week, huh? Losing Lou and then Bean. It’s hard to lose loved ones.”

  “It sure is. Dwayne mentioned that you lost your mother a couple years ago. The other night at the Chinese restaurant when you mentioned your folks, I guess I thought they were both still living.”

  “Nah. My mom died, but you know, I still sometimes think she’s around. Too bad. She a good woman. She didn’t have much love for me though.”

  His words caught her by surprise. “Why?”

  “Oh you know, I be a big disappointment to my folks. Say I got no motivation. I got to follow my cousin and not be my own man.”

  “Ouch.”

  “Yeah. But I’m good. It’s not true. I got plenty motivation. Like I say, I want to start my own luau now. I could have done it already, if my mom left me some money.”

  “She didn’t leave you anything?”

  “Nah. All go to Dwayne. But I get it. He a good guy and helps me out. He could have helped me out to get my restaurant back on Maui, but you know he believe my folks saying I no good with the green stuff. That’s fine. I find a way. I think we gonna have to get some gas.”

  Sam pulled off at the next exit and filled the truck. “You need to go to the bathroom?”

  “No. I’m good.”

  “Want a Coke or something?”

  “Water. Thanks.”

  “Yep. You mind getting my meds out of the glove compartment? I gotta take some now.”

  “Sure.”

  She watched as Sam entered the convenience store. That must have been tough growing up in Dwayne’s shadow. But Sam seemed to have a good attitude about it. Still, she could sense there was some pain. Maybe he’d stuffed it all down— literally. She was aware that eating the way Sam did could sometimes be due to painful emotions. Maybe she could get him to talk some more. It might make him feel better.

  She opened the glove box and took out the pill container. “Topomax?” She’d never heard of the medication but then, she didn’t have diabetes and didn’t know anyone else who did. She read the label, which contained an alcohol warning, and she noticed that the prescription was from a Dr. Verconti. Wait. That was the same doctor who’d prescribed the Ativan for Uncle Lou. The pill pusher. Sam must have recommended him. She’d definitely be asking him what he knew about her uncle’s anxiety issues again. Sam had told her that Lou needed a vacation, but it looked to her like he knew more, especially if he’d told Uncle Lou to call this doc.

  Sam was walking back to the truck when her cell rang. Joey said, “I got some info for you. And you ain’t gonna like it.”

  Sam climbed into the truck and she handed him the pills. He swallowed one and pulled back onto the highway. She smiled at him and pointed to the phone. He nodded. “What do you mean, I’m not going to like it?” she asked.

  “Get this. The checks were all being transferred from a Washington Mutual account in your uncle’s name into an account with The Los Angeles Grand Cayman Trust company. And, let me tell you, that place is hush-hush. All transfers were made online. But I got a cousin who has a friend who’s married to the sister of one of the bigwigs at that trust company. That’s how I got this info.” Than
k God for Joey and the million cousins. “The account at WAMU was set up online, like I suspected, but you can’t do that with the trust company. They do banking in large sums. They have the L.A. branch, but all deposits wind up in the Caymans and it’s under Cayman law once the money is out of the United States, which means no taxes and very difficult to trace.”

  “You say you can’t open an account online with them?”

  “Nope. You got to go in and do it. Your friend Dwayne may not be the one who put this thing together. Everything I’ve been able to find says his hands are clean on this. But his cousin, Sam, he’s one bad dude. He’s the one who opened the account. And get this: The guy did time a while back on the islands for forging bad checks and for identity theft. He knows what he’s doing.”

  Michaela gasped. “Are you sure about this?” Sam glanced at her. She mustered a smile. Oh no, what if he could hear their conversation? She tried to adjust the volume on the phone.

  “Positive. That guy has stolen over half a million dollars from your uncle. You better call the police and tell them, ’cause I’m betting he’s planning to get the hell out of Dodge soon. Looks like he made another transfer yesterday, and he bought a ticket from Vegas to the Caymans. Know what else? That dude caught a flight from Vegas at 11:30 the night before your uncle was murdered. Got him into John Wayne Airport a little after midnight. Then he caught a flight back to Vegas the next morning. Early. At seven. He was back in Vegas before eight that morning.”

  “Oh my God.”

  “Yep. You better find that guy.”

  “Already have, Mom. Thanks for telling me. I’ll take care of it when I get back. I’m actually on my way to Vegas to pick up some horses. You know Sam Yamiguchi, right?”

  “Mick? Did you here what I just said. What the hell is wrong with you?” Joey asked.

  “Yeah, that Sam. Anyway, I’m with him and I’ll be back in town tomorrow, so maybe I can stop by and see you and Dad then.”

  “Oh, shit. You’re with Sam right now?”

  “I am. Yep. Like I said, be back tomorrow and I’ll stop by. Maybe you can make some of those cookies I like. You know, the ones you gave to Detective Davis the other day.”