Cardwell Christmas Crime Scene

by B. J Daniels

  “Apparently you haven’t dealt with as many criminals as I have.”

  DJ laughed and leaned over to give him a kiss. “I have a good feeling about this.”

  He wished he did.

  Chapter Eighteen

  DJ couldn’t believe that she was going to meet her half sister after only recently finding out that she even existed. “How long do you think she’s known about me?” she asked Beau as they walked to the porch steps.

  He glanced over at her. “I have no idea.”

  “Sorry, I just have so many questions.”

  “Ideally she will be able to answer them all for you. Including who hired someone to kill you.”

  She looked over at him as they reached the door. “I haven’t forgotten. But she’s here. That makes her look innocent, don’t you think?”

  “I’d go with less guilty. But you have no idea what this woman wants. Or why she’s shown up now. You have to admit, it’s suspicious.”

  “Which is exactly why I don’t think she’s involved.”

  She could tell he didn’t agree. “Well, you’ll be here to protect me,” she said as she reached for the doorknob.

  “Yes, I will.”

  But before she could grab the doorknob, the door swung open, and there was Dana, practically jumping up and down in her excitement.

  “Easy,” he said behind her. “Let’s not get carried away until we find out what is going on.”

  “I’m glad Beau’s with you,” Dana said as DJ entered the house. “Hud’s on his way,” she whispered to Beau loud enough that DJ heard it.

  “Really, the two of you...” She stepped into the living room and stopped dead. The woman who rose from the chair by the fire looked more like their mother than even DJ did. DJ stared at her half sister. They looked so much alike it was eerie.

  “Bianca?” she asked, although there was little doubt this was the half sister she’d been told about.

  “Dee Anna. Or is it DJ? Oh, I’m just so glad you’re all right,” Bianca said, rushing to her to give her a quick hug. “I have wanted a sister my whole life. I can’t believe we were kept apart.” She stepped back to take in DJ. “We look so much alike. We could be twins.” She let out a nervous laugh.

  Out of the corner of her eye, DJ had seen Beau start to move. But he stopped short when Bianca merely threw her arms around DJ.

  “I am so glad to see you,” Bianca said as she stared at DJ. “I was so worried.”

  “Worried?” Beau asked only feet away.

  Her sister hesitated. An older woman, whom DJ had barely noticed, stood then and moved to her. There was kindness in the woman’s eyes. “I’m Ester.”

  “Ester,” DJ repeated as Bianca stepped back to let Ester take DJ’s hand.

  “I made your doll,” Ester said. “Your father kept me informed on how you were doing over the years. I wish I could have done more.”

  Tears welled in DJ’s eyes. “Thank you. I named her—”

  “Trixie. That’s why I sent you Bianca’s, so you would know there were two of them. Two of you. I couldn’t let you go on believing you had no family or that no one cared other than your father.”

  DJ looked to her sister. “And my grandmother?”

  Both women hesitated. Bianca looked guilty, which sent a sliver of worry burrowing under her skin.

  “Grandmama is not well,” Bianca said.

  Ester let out a snort.

  Just then, Marshal Hud Savage arrived. “What’s going on?” he asked after Dana introduced him as her husband.

  “That’s just what I was about to ask,” Beau said. “Where does a hit man fit into this happy reunion?”

  * * *

  ROGER DOUGLAS’S CELL PHONE vibrated in his pocket. It surprised him. All the way to the airport it had been buzzing constantly, but it had finally stopped until now. He’d thought, as he’d waited for his flight, that both Marietta and the accountant had given up.

  Now he pulled it out, curious which one had decided to give it one more try. He saw who was calling and hurried to a quieter area before answering.

  “You didn’t tell me about the private investigator who isn’t letting her out of his sight,” Andrei Ivankov said.

  Roger wasn’t sure what to say. He’d taken the call only because he’d thought the hit man had finished the job. “I take it you haven’t—”

  “You take it right.”

  “It’s just as well. The client wants to call off the—”

  “I’m sorry, I must have misunderstood you.”

  “She doesn’t want you to finish the job.” Roger knew the man was born in Russia or some such place, but his English was better than Roger’s own.

  “I have been out here freezing my ass off and now she wants me to forget it? I had my doubts about dealing with you. I get paid no matter what, plus extra for my inconvenience, and if I don’t get paid, I will track you down and make you wish you’d never—”

  “Don’t threaten me. There is nothing you can do to me. I really don’t give a damn if you kill her or not.” He’d raised his voice, and several people had turned to look in his direction. He disconnected the call, then tossed the phone to the floor and stomped it to death. Now a lot of people were staring at him.

  Roger felt heat rise up his neck. He’d always prided himself on never losing his temper. But he wasn’t that man anymore, he reminded himself. He wasn’t the meek lawyer who had to kiss Marietta Pisani’s feet.

  He’d picked up what he could of the cell phone, tossed it in the trash and started back to his seat when he heard his flight called. Clutching the bag full of Marietta’s money, he smiled as he got in line.

  It wasn’t until he was sitting down in first class, drinking a vodka tonic and dreaming of his new life, the bag shoved under the seat in front of him, that he relaxed. Just a few more minutes.

  Glancing out the window, he felt his heart drop like a stone. Two security guards were headed for the plane along with several police officers. He downed his drink, figuring it was the last one he’d get for a while.

  * * *

  “IT WAS A MISUNDERSTANDING,” Bianca assured the marshal. They had all gathered in the dining room around the large old oak table. She turned to her sister. She couldn’t believe how much they looked alike. They really could have been twins. “You have to forgive Grandmama. It was her attorney, Roger Douglas. When she found out what he’d done...she was beside herself and demanded he put a stop to it.”

  Hud and Beau exchanged a glance. “I called the power company. They didn’t have any men in our area.”

  “So the man who was seen on the power pole?” Beau asked.

  Hud nodded. “It must have been the shooter.”

  “Shooter?” Bianca asked.

  Dana filled them in on what had happened, first someone taking a shot at DJ, then a man found dead near one of the old barns. “He apparently had been hired to kill DJ.”

  Bianca’s eyes welled with tears. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea. My grandmother had no idea. I’m just so thankful that he missed and that he is no longer a problem.”

  Hud’s cell phone rang. He stepped away to take the call. The room went silent. Bianca prayed that it wouldn’t be bad news. She was worried about her grandmother and what would happen now.

  “That was the police in San Diego,” Hud said as he came back to the table. “They’ve arrested Roger Douglas. Apparently he made a deal and told them everything, including that he had hired a hit man through another man to kill Dee Anna Justice. He was carrying a large sum of money that he admitted had been stolen from your grandmother, Bianca.”

  Bianca let out a relieved breath. “I never liked Roger.”

  “Me, either,” Ester said. “He certainly pulled the wool over your grandmother’s
eyes for years.”

  “Where is your grandmother now?” Hud asked. “The police said they’d tried to reach her...”

  Ester saw her alarm and quickly waved it off. “I got a text from my sister a few moments ago. May was looking after Marietta. She said the fool woman packed a bag and took the first flight out, headed this way.”

  There were surprised looks around the table. Then Dana got to her feet and announced, “I’ve made brunch. I think we should all have something to eat while we wait for our new arrival.”

  Hud said, “I’ll have someone pick her up at the airport and bring her here. But the police in San Diego will still have a few questions for her.”

  * * *

  DJ FELT AS IF she was in shock. She kept wanting to pinch herself. She’d gone from having only her father to having this family that kept getting bigger and bigger.

  Dana told Bianca and Ester that they could stay in one of the cabins on the mountain as long as they wanted. “I know you and DJ have a lot to talk about. But first you have to share this brunch I’ve made.”

  “Are you sure there is enough?” Bianca asked. “We don’t want to intrude.”

  Dana laughed. “I’m used to cooking for ranch hands. I always make too much. Anyway, you’re family. There is always room at my table for family.” She motioned DJ into the kitchen. “Are you all right?”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever been this all right,” DJ said, smiling. She felt exhausted from everything that had happened. The Cardwells. Beau. Her near death. And finally meeting her sister and the woman who’d made her Trixie and had watched out for her from a distance. It felt as if it was all too much. And yet she’d never felt happier.

  She hugged her cousin. “Thank you so much.”

  “It’s just a little brunch,” Dana said with a laugh.

  “That and you, this ranch, everything you’ve done. Somehow I feel as if it all had to come together here where it began.”

  “Have you heard how your father is doing?” Dana asked.

  “He’s going to make it. His sentence is about up. He’s getting out of prison soon.” DJ wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She could understand now why he’d been afraid of her mother’s family finding out about her. The fact that he hadn’t taken their money made her almost proud of him. Maybe there was more to her father than she’d originally thought. Maybe when he got out they could spend some time together, really get to know each other.

  From the window, DJ could see Beau outside talking to Hud. Both looked worried. “They aren’t going to arrest my grandmother, are they?” DJ asked as Dana followed her gaze to the two.

  “No, I’m sure it is just as your sister said, a mistake, since that man has confessed to everything.”

  DJ hoped so. The marshal and Beau turned back toward the house. DJ stuck her head out the kitchen door to see Beau and Hud enter the house. Beau caught her eye and smiled reassuringly.

  She felt a shaft of heat fall over her like the warm rays of the sun and almost blushed at the memory of their lovemaking. Beau was so tender and yet so strong and virile. Her heart beat a little faster just at the sight of him.

  * * *

  MARIETTA HAD ASSUMED she was being arrested when she landed at the airport and saw the two deputies waiting for her. She was pleasantly surprised to hear that she was being taken to the Cardwell Ranch, where her granddaughters were waiting for her.

  On the drive up the canyon, she stared out at the snowy landscape, rough rocky cliffs and glazed-over green river. She’d never seen mountains like these, let alone this much snow, in her life. It kept her mind off what might be waiting for her once she reached the ranch.

  Whatever was waiting, she deserved it, she told herself. She’d been a fool. The police had left a message that Roger Douglas had been arrested at the airport carrying a large amount of money on him. Her money. She shook her head. Who knew how much he had squandered? She would deal with that when she got home. If she got home.

  Her chest ached. It was as if she could feel her old heart giving out. Just stay with me a little longer. Let me try to fix this before I die.

  She was relieved when the deputy driving finally turned off the highway, crossed a bridge spanning the iced-over river and pulled down into a ranch yard. She stared at the large two-story house and took a breath. One of the deputies offered to help her out, but she waved him off.

  This was something she had to do herself. It very well might be the last thing she ever did.

  Chapter Nineteen

  They had just sat down to eat Dana’s brunch when they heard a patrol car drive up.

  Everyone looked toward the front door expectantly. DJ wasn’t sure she was ready to meet her grandmother. This was all happening too fast, and yet she couldn’t help being curious. This was the woman who thankfully hadn’t put a hit out on her. But she was the woman who’d apparently planned to buy her off.

  Standing up, DJ prepared to meet her grandmother. Everyone else rose as well and moved into the living room. Hud went to open the door for the elderly woman who’d just climbed the steps and pounded forcibly on the door. She remembered Bianca saying the woman wasn’t well, a bad heart. Now she wondered if that was true or if that was just what her grandmother wanted her to believe.

  Like Beau, she hated always being suspicious. Wasn’t there a chance that they could change? That love could make them more trusting?

  Love? Where had that come from? She glanced over at Beau and felt her heart do that little jump it did when she saw him. She did love him.

  The realization surprised her. She’d cared about some of the men she’d dated, but she’d never felt as if she was in love. Until this moment.

  What a moment to realize it, she thought as an elderly woman with salt-and-pepper hair and intense brown eyes stepped into the room.

  DJ felt Bianca take her hand. Beau was watching the older woman as if waiting for her to do something that would force him to take her down.

  She almost laughed. He was so protective. He shot her a look that said, You can do this. She smiled. He had no idea how strange all this was for her. She’d dreamed of family, and now she had all the complications that came with one.

  * * *

  WHEN THE DOOR OPENED, Marietta almost fell in with it. “I want to see my granddaughter before you arrest me!” she said to the man in the marshal’s uniform. It was just like them to have someone here to arrest her the moment she arrived at the house. But she wasn’t leaving without a fight, she thought as the man stepped back and she barged in, more determined than ever.

  What she saw made her stagger to a stop. Bianca standing next to a young woman who could have been her twin. Their resemblance to each other gave her a shock that almost stopped her old heart dead. This was the child Carlotta had given birth to? This beautiful thing?

  “What are you doing here?” Ester demanded. The accusation in her housekeeper’s tone shocked her. Clearly their relationship had changed.

  “You’re starting to remind me of your sister,” she snapped. “I came to see my granddaughter.”

  “Which granddaughter?” Bianca asked. She was holding DJ’s hand, the two of them looking so formidable, so strong, so defiant. Her heart lodged in her throat as she looked at the two of them. She couldn’t have been more proud or filled with shame. If she hadn’t been the way she was, these two would have gotten to grow up together.

  She could see her daughter in both of the women, but especially in DJ. The woman was more beautiful than even she knew. Marietta thought of that Bible verse about not hiding your light under a bushel basket. DJ was just coming into her own. Marietta wondered what had turned on that light inside her, then noticed the cowboy standing near her, looking just as fierce. Of course it had been a man.

  “I came to see both granddaughters,” she said and had
to clear her voice. “But especially you, Dee Anna. I can’t tell you how sorry I am that this is the first time we have ever met.”

  Carlotta was right. All she’d thought about was the family fortune and some ingrate of Walter Justice’s trying to steal it. Staring at these two beautiful women, she felt a mountain of regret. She hadn’t thought of Dee Anna as anything more than a mistake. She’d simply acted as she’d done all those years ago when she’d had Carlotta’s marriage to Walter annulled. Both times she’d listened to Roger.

  “DJ,” Bianca said. “She goes by DJ.”

  Marietta smiled at her other granddaughter. She could see that the two women had already bonded. “DJ,” she amended, her voice breaking as she held out her wrinkled hands to her granddaughter. “Can you ever forgive me?”

  * * *

  THERE WERE TEARS in her grandmother’s eyes as DJ stepped to her and took both her hands in hers. Marietta pulled her into a hug. The older woman felt frail in her arms, and she was truly sorry that she hadn’t known her before now.

  “We should all sit down and have something to eat,” Dana said. “Food and family go together.”

  “I need to ask Mrs. Pisani some questions,” her marshal husband said.

  “Not now. We are going to eat this brunch I made,” Dana said in a no-nonsense tone as they gathered around the table again. “DJ, sit here by Beau and your grandmother. Ester and Bianca, would you mind sitting across from them? Hud—”

  “Yep, I’m sitting down right where you tell me,” he said.

  A smattering of laughter moved through the room.

  “I married a smart man,” Dana said and introduced her husband and herself.

  DJ didn’t think she could eat a bite but was pleasantly surprised to find she could. “This is all so delicious,” she told her cousin.

  Everyone seemed to relax, commenting on how good the food was. Ester asked for one of the recipes. They talked about Montana, life on the ranch, Christmas and finally how they had come to know about each other. Marietta said little, picking at her food, her gaze on DJ.

  Ester informed Marietta that Roger Douglas had been arrested. “He confessed not only to stealing your money but also to being behind hiring a hit man, so it looks like you’re off the hook.”