by Dale Mayer
Maybe even to the extent that she would put up her family’s ranch for sale.
“You and your brother still own the ranch equally?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Because,” he said, “a result that could come out of this murder-suicide is clients lacking confidence in the company. You could end up with lawsuits and the loss of your business. Potentially, you might be in a position where you have to sell your half of the ranch too to pay off any judgments rendered.”
“That’s not happening,” she said quickly. “Our business was set up to protect each of the partners from personal loss. And my partnership equity was cash from my savings account, not my ranch as collateral. So my homestead is not tied to my business in any form or fashion. Even if I lost the company due to the deaths of my partners—even if I lost my reputation as a financial guru over this somehow—I could just retire. I would be fine living off the interest on my investments.”
“The ranch is paid for?”
She nodded. “Has been for decades.”
“I’m trying to figure out what motive the Longfellows might have for involving you in this.”
“Maybe I’m the fall guy for the murders, ending up in jail, thinking they’ll run the business in my absence. Failing that, maybe I’m the third partner to die, and the employees or whoever scramble to take over the place, not knowing I’ve tied up the succession of the business should I be killed too. Or you could consider it doesn’t involve me, but I’m just collateral damage.”
“It doesn’t feel like that. Not when you’re the last remaining partner in your finance company and also part owner of a ranch where the Longfellows are trying to take over your land.”
“True, but wouldn’t that then mean this takeover event should be also directed at Gordon?”
“Yes.” Carter motioned up ahead, remembering the earlier incident on the road. They were near the ranch. “What do you think those vehicles were doing, surrounding you in a pincer move?”
“Punks playing games.”
“You are—or were, as the case may be—their boss,” he said drily.
“Yeah, but I don’t have any proof, just my word that it was them.”
“I took pictures of their license plates,” he said. “So, let’s share this with Raleigh and see if your sheriff is really bound by his oath or if he is more swayed by money and influence.”
As Carter turned off the engine in the driveway, Hailey’s phone rang. It was the sheriff. “Sheriff, what’s up?”
“You just keep getting yourself into trouble, don’t you?” His voice was testy.
“What is it now?”
“Believe it or not, somebody said your buddy there kidnapped a dog off the street.”
“Carter’s here,” she said, putting her phone on Speaker.
“Harold had the K9 from the war department, confirmed by its own tattoo,” Carter said. “And it’s obviously been abused.”
“That does help your case.” Raleigh sighed. “I’ve also had complaints about Harold intimidating people with a dog and getting the dog to attack to make people pay up.”
“Exactly,” Carter said. “You should be thanking me for removing one problem in your life.”
“I’m not ready to thank you yet,” the sheriff said. “That guy’s dangerous. You watch yourself.”
“No problem. Let him come.” Carter paused before continuing, “You should know that I fought in several wars in the Middle East. Over there, we knew who the enemy was. But here? Here, it seems to come from the founding family, the Longfellows. I think your town sucks from that aspect, Sheriff.”
“I’m starting to think the same thing,” Raleigh answered in a tired voice. “I’ve managed to walk the fine line and keep the peace for a lot of years, but I knew this time would come.”
“The time where you get to choose a side,” Carter said with a half laugh, though he was deadly serious.
“No need to choose a side,” Raleigh said. “I took an oath, and I have never broken it. But the Longfellows are making my life more complicated now.”
Carter said, “Yeah, like Andy and Slim playing road games with Hailey earlier today.” Carter went on to explain and also sent the sheriff the photos of the license plates of the two vehicles involved. “Like all the attacks on Gordon’s cattle and land?”
“Yes,” the sheriff said with a huge sigh. “Make sure you keep him safe, will you?”
“Meaning?” Hailey asked.
“Meaning, I overheard a conversation today saying that you were already taken care of, Hailey. They were outside my office but by the time I got there to see who was speaking they were gone. Now they just had to make sure Gordon wasn’t any trouble. That’s the reason for my call. I’ve been ringing Gordon’s cell for the last ten minutes, but I’m not getting any answer.”
Both Carter and Hailey jumped from the truck and rushed into the house.
“Shit,” Carter said. “You better hope they haven’t already done something to Gordon because you know there will not be peace in this town for a long time to come.” He passed the phone back to Hailey with the sheriff still on the other end. Then pulled out his own. “Geir, get me backup ASAP at Gordon’s ranch.”
“I’ve got a neighboring county’s sheriff heading your way. Well, he was sent to speak to your sheriff, but I’ll have him detour to the ranch.”
“Just make it happen and fast. Gordon’s MIA.” And he ended the call and pocketed his phone.
“We’re looking for Gordon now,” Hailey told the sheriff.
“Let me know what you find, but I’m heading that way now.” At that, Raleigh hung up.
Carter and Hailey continued their search through the house and out to the barns.
Carter called at the top of his lungs, “Gordon! Where are you?”
“The old Ford truck’s missing,” Hailey called out behind Carter. “That’s the one Gordon drives most of the time to check the fence line. We need to take the horses.”
“Or the truck I’ve been driving,” he said, racing back to ranch truck parked to the side. He called Matzuka to his side. The dog eagerly jumped up into the box, eager to go with them.
She hopped in beside him. “But he may have gone off too far.”
“This truck is no sissy. If your old Ford can get somewhere on this ranch, then so can this one.” He turned on the engine and backed up.
“But that one’s already beat to crap,” she said in a dry tone.
“Absolutely no contest when it comes to choosing between losing this truck versus Gordon. Any idea where he went?”
“Probably to the disputed land.”
“Is there any real dispute?”
“No,” she said. “The markers are very clear.”
“Give me directions.” Carter headed the truck where she told him to go. “Any idea how much land the Longfellows have?”
“In town, they have a ton of it. But out here, they have less than we do.”
“Any chance that’s at the bottom of this? They might think they should have more than you because they are, after all, Longfellows?”
“Who the hell knows?” Hailey asked.
After that, they drove in silence for another five minutes.
“There’s the old Ford!” Hailey pointed.
Carter raced toward it and pulled up behind it. However, they saw no sign of Gordon. Carter hopped out and checked the truck. “Nothing’s here.”
He looked around at the vast amount of mostly empty land with some brush and a copse of trees and a cut fence about forty to fifty feet away but no sign of anyone.
No sign of Gordon.
Chapter 9
“And this is why we needed the horses,” Hailey said, hands on her waist. “Now we have to go on foot.” Hailey turned her gaze to the sky, and, sure enough, two birds circled.
“We don’t have time to waste. Let’s go,” Carter said, pointing the dog to the old truck, to get a whiff of Gordon’s scent.
With Matz
uka at his side, she watched while Carter gave the dog instructions to find Gordon. It took Matzuka a few confused moments to figure out what he was asking, but, soon enough, he picked up on something and took off. Toward the birds circling above.
Hailey understood. With a cry, she followed Matzuka, keeping him in her sights. Carter raced at her side. She could see the impact of the prosthetic on his gait, but he never said a word. If anything, he moved faster.
“They better not have hurt him,” she cried out, terrified of what she’d find ahead.
“Unfortunately three people are dead already,” Carter said. “I don’t think a fourth will matter much to them.”
“Do you really think it’s all related?” she asked, jogging beside him.
“I don’t see how it can’t be when this town is such a cesspool. Generally the shit all has to go down the same sewer.”
“You have a colorful turn of phrase. And I really don’t like it.”
“Maybe not, but it doesn’t change the fact that it might be the truth.” He looked around at the ground. “These rocks aren’t too big. We could have driven.”
“We may have to,” she said, “depending on how injured Gordon is.”
They came up over a slight rise to see a body lying ahead of them. Matzuka reached the body, barked twice, and sat down beside it.
Hailey gasped and ran flat-out, arriving at her brother’s side before Carter. He dropped down to her side, but she was already checking for a pulse.
“He’s alive, but he’s been shot.” She stepped back to let Carter closer, her hand instinctively going to Matzuka, praising him for his work.
Carter checked his friend over. “I see one bullet wound in his hip, and he’s been grazed by a bullet on the side of his head. That’s the one that likely took him down, but the one at his hip is keeping him down.”
Blood continued to sluggishly pump from Gordon’s body. While Hailey checked Gordon’s head wound, Carter ripped off his overshirt, popping every button loose, then took off his T-shirt and used it as a bandage. He tucked the cotton shirt into Gordon’s jeans, right under the waistband, hoping to stop the bleeding. Realizing what he was doing, Hailey tugged her T-shirt over her head, leaving on her camisole, then folded the cotton shirt and placed the square of material into Gordon’s pocket, right where the bullet wound gushed blood. Hopefully those two makeshift bandages would remain in place just by the support of Gordon’s jeans.
Her brother was in desperate need of medical attention. She glanced back at the truck. “Should have driven.”
“No time to waste now,” he said, slipping on his overshirt that no longer buttoned up but could be used for further bandages as needed. He bent his prosthetic leg, knowing he shouldn’t lift Gordon by himself. To hell with that nonsense, he thought.
Hailey watched, worry clearly in her mind as it showed up in her facial expression. She doubted his body was ready for Gordon’s weight, but Carter slowly straightened up, Gordon in his arms. Her brother was no lightweight. He was easily two-hundred-plus pounds. And all muscle. It went with the ranching lifestyle.
Beside her, Carter called to the dog. “Matzuka, let’s go. Back to the truck.”
“I’ll drive it closer,” Hailey said as she raced ahead, the dog at her heels.
Carter didn’t say a word. Then he probably couldn’t. He kept his gaze locked on the uneven ground in front of him as he carried her brother toward the truck. She hopped inside and turned on the engine, wishing she could get closer faster and save him the extra steps. She could see the strain in his facial expression and in the wrinkles around his pinched lips.
“Open the tailgate,” he called out. “I’ll sit in the back with him. Matzuka up.” Without more urging, the dog jumped up to the back and paced, whining as he approached carrying Gordon.
“That’s hardly safe.”
“No way to get him and me and the dog inside the truck. This isn’t a four-door.”
She followed his instructions and dropped the tailgate. As she got back inside the cab, she caught sight of an old plaid shirt behind the seat. She slung that on, knowing she’d be driving straight into town, and she was just in her camisole and jeans. It covered her slightly but was in rough shape, covered in dried stains.
So, that was what they did. Awkwardly Carter sat against the side of the bed, the tailgate closed and shifted backward, trying not to bump his buddy but held him gently. Hailey opened the window between the cab and the bed as soon as she got in, then drove as fast as she could.
“Don’t worry about us. I’ll keep Gordon from bouncing around the best I can. Drive like hell straight to the hospital,” Carter said.
“I am. I’m also calling it in.”
Carter listened as Hailey called the hospital first, letting them know Gordon was coming in with a bullet wound to his hip and a head injury. Her tone was calm, cool. Just like she’d been when they’d found Gordon. That she’d stripped off her shirt without a thought to help her brother said a lot. Her honey-glazed skin had glowed in the afternoon sun. It had been impossible to ignore the beautiful body before him, her breasts lovingly cupped in a soft white lace-tipped camisole. At the same time, it was her direct no-nonsense approach that had impressed him much more.
Meanwhile, Carter called Geir to update him.
“Puts Hailey in the crosshairs next. I’ve got two more uniforms coming your way.”
Carter didn’t bother getting details. “Send one to the hospital. The other to the ranch to relieve the nearby county sheriff.” He was just happy to have armed backup who weren’t related to the Longfellows. Then Carter heard Hailey on the phone again. Talking to the sheriff this time.
“Heads up, Sheriff,” she said, her voice hard and gritty. “The war’s just hit town. They shot Gordon.”
Even in the back of the cab, Carter heard Raleigh swear. However, the last thing the sheriff told Hailey was to not do anything stupid.
Hailey laughed at that. “Doing nothing is stupid. Defending ourselves is not stupid. We’ve got a lot of dead people and one more they intended to leave for dead. They’ll pay for each and every one.”
Then she shut off the phone, leaving both Carter and probably the sheriff to wonder at her tone.
But then again, she was dealing with, first, the loss of her business partners and now her remaining family member being attacked.
“Geir has three law enforcement types headed our way. One is a sheriff in a nearby county, to talk some sense into Raleigh.”
“Won’t be soon enough,” Hailey grumbled, followed by a growl.
“I had him redirect one to the hospital and one to the disputed land area, leaving the out-of-town sheriff to deal with Raleigh.”
She nodded, yet focused on driving faster and faster.
Carter would help out at the ranch to maintain things while Gordon was out. Temporarily out. Just temporarily. Carter wouldn’t even contemplate the possibility of him dying. Gordon was too vibrant a man. He grabbed his phone from his pocket and redialed Geir. As soon as he answered, Carter added, “I have the dog too.”
The dog was in the bed with him, lying right beside Gordon. Its head was on his shoulder.
“Wow,” Geir said. “Shit really hit the fan, didn’t it?”
“Yeah. I’m not armed, but I’ll be supplying myself from Gordon’s rifle collection at the ranch.”
“Do what you gotta do.”
As soon as Geir hung up, Carter phoned Debbie. “Debbie, Gordon’s been shot.”
She screamed at the other end of the phone, not even finding the words to say anything.
“Meet us at the hospital,” he said. “One bullet hit his hip, and he has a head wound. I don’t know if he has other injuries. I hope not because we’re in the back of a pickup right now.”
Then, as if a plug suddenly stopped her emotions, she spoke calmly and businesslike. “What’s your ETA?”
“About ten minutes. We’ve put them on alert, but—”
“I’ll m
eet you there,” she said before she hung up.
Carter sank and looked at his friend’s waxy pale skin. “Damn it, Gordon, you better make it through this.”
No answer came from his buddy. Not even a whimper or a jolt in his facial expression. Gordon was out cold, his body struggling to survive. Carter wondered how long Gordon had been lying there on his land, unnoticed. The sooner his injuries got medical care, the better. Once the body started shutting down, nobody could do much of anything.
Carter closed his eyes, waiting for the trip to end. But it was interminable. He’d been on the receiving end himself, in a similar truck ride, when his team had hauled his ass back to the camp medic during that nightmare mission in Iraq. Half conscious, half unconscious, wishing he were dead. It was torture every time they lost their balance, swayed, and knocked his injured body.
Finally Hailey pulled up into the emergency area, and a medical team ran toward them. They opened the tailgate, and Carter handed off Gordon onto the gurney as gently as he could. Within seconds, the team raced away with Gordon, and Hailey glanced at Carter.
“I’d go in, but I’m barely presentable or germ-free,” she said with a half smile. “We need to go home and grab some stuff for both of us and clothes for Gordon. Then we can return with my wheels to stay with Gordon.”
Carter looked at his blood-stained clothing, then nodded.
Two marked vehicles pulled up, sirens blaring and lights flashing, and the drivers of each approached them, identifying themselves. Carter sent one inside the hospital and asked the other one to follow them to the ranch. With a nod, he got back into his vehicle.
“And I’ve got to feed Matzuka here,” he said to Hailey. He reached out to pet the shepherd who now whimpered at his side, lying down half on the tailgate and half on the truck bed. “This has been rough on him too.”
“I’d say so,” Hailey said in a dry tone. “Let’s get you two into the cab and get home. Then we can split up and do what we need to do.”
