Montana Refuge

by Alice Sharpe

  “All he drank was coffee,” Julie said. “And that was out of his thermos.”

  “Could he have spiked it?”

  “No, I would have smelled any alcohol in it.”

  They looked back at each other again, and then away and Tyler had the distinct feeling they’d both come to the same conclusion: Someone had drugged Andy’s coffee.

  “Where’s the thermos now?” he asked, looking around.

  “I don’t know. I grabbed it when I was falling.”

  “Did it go over the side with you?”

  “It must have. I just don’t remember.”

  He pushed back his hat. “Well, it’s gone now.” And so was any potential evidence.

  Chapter Ten

  Dr. Marquis listened to the old guy’s heart, thumbed up his eyelids and shined a light, felt his pulse. “Can’t be certain,” he said, trying to get comfortable in the cramped space, “but I see no indication of a heart attack or stroke. He just seems to be flat dead asleep.”

  “That’s what we thought,” Tyler said.

  “Did he take a barbiturate or something?”

  “I know he didn’t take anything intentionally,” Tyler said. “He knew his job was to get Julie safely across the river and he would never have jeopardized her welfare on purpose.”

  “Yet, people sometimes self-medicate without advertising it,” Dr. Marquis mused. “You know, like with allergy medicine.”

  “Not Andy,” Tyler insisted, “And never in a situation like this.”

  “He didn’t know what was happening to him,” Julie said, recalling his mumbled comments. She’d twisted her damp hair into a knot at the back of her neck and dressed in her warmest clothes, but she still had Tyler’s sheepskin-lined jacket wrapped around her torso and belted to keep it tight.

  “The amount of coffee that man drinks, you wouldn’t think he had this kind of sleeping in him,” the doctor said.

  Tyler’s brow furrowed. “You know about his habit?”

  The doctor laughed, his hollow cheeks filling out a little. “The whole camp knows about his habit. Him and that thermos are inseparable. Maybe we should take a look at the contents—”

  “It’s gone,” Julie said. “I’m afraid it went into the water when I did.”

  “I guess if there was something wrong with the coffee in general we’d all be sleeping or sick. Well, young lady, how about you?”

  Julie shrugged. “I’m okay.”

  “Tyler told me what happened. That must have been terrifying. And it looks like that wound on your forehead needs cleaning and a good old bandage. If we were in the hospital, I might be tempted to take a stitch or two.” He said all this while applying disinfectant to the gash on Julie’s head. Next came a bandage. “Any other problems? Cuts? Contusions?”

  “Nothing,” she assured him.

  “Hold out your hands,” he said, and she did. He turned the palms upward. They were scratched and torn, and for a second she relived the frightening time in the water where she’d grabbed at anything she could reach in a desperate attempt to stop the relentless trip toward the rapids. She decided not to mention the huge bruises on her hip and shoulder where she’d hit against the rock that ended up being her salvation. There wasn’t anything anyone could do about those.

  “Really, I’m okay,” she said.

  “I could check you over...”

  “No, no, please. I’m good. I need to get the wagon back on the trail. And Tyler, I know the way to the ravine, it’s not far and it’s mostly flat, so don’t worry about me. Really, boys, I’m good.”

  She was aware that Tyler was staring at her as the doctor repacked his equipment and told her to let him know if she changed her mind.

  That left Tyler and her standing next to the seat, high enough to look out over the herd which was slowly moving past them. It was easy to pick out the different guests as their shapes and postures were all unique. Meg Peterson, for instance, sat ramrod straight on her white horse, as alert as a squirrel. The secretaries were together, as usual, as were the fishermen brothers. John Smyth, while some distance away, sat in a saddle much as Tyler did, relaxed and yet watchful, seemingly at home—and once again familiar. Only this time she thought she finally figured out why.

  Were one of these people drugging coffee, shooting arrows, planting spiders? It was hard to believe and yet the evidence seemed to be mounting. Tyler’s hands landed on her arms. “Why are you frowning when you stare at John Smyth?” he asked.

  She looked up at Tyler. “I didn’t know I was.”

  He looked up. “Smyth must have felt your gaze. He’s coming this way. Before he gets here, I want to make sure that you and I have a good talk this evening. I want you to go over everything that happened in Portland with me once again. The racketeering thing, Trill, your old boss, the bus, everything. We’re running out of time. If someone drugged Andy’s coffee we have to assume it was to put you in jeopardy, just like all the other incidents.”

  “I agree,” she said, cold to the very core of her being.

  “But there’s something else, too. Your would-be killer has branched out to include a third party, namely Andy.”

  “I know. He could just have easily have fallen into the river as I did.”

  “Exactly. And drugged as he was, he would have drowned in a few seconds.”

  “Which means my continued presence on this trip could jeopardize the safety of more innocent people. I should leave at once.” She looked at the trail on the other side of the river and thought about the long ride home....

  “I wouldn’t send you alone,” he said.

  “Tyler, how are you going to feed these people without my help?”

  He shook his head.

  “Let me get the wagon to the ravine. Even if you leave it there and somehow manage to take food with you for the remainder of the trip into the mountains, it would be better than leaving it here. I’ll go back tomorrow. Maybe by then Andy will be himself again and he can come with me.”

  John Smyth arrived at that moment, bringing his horse to a stop by the wagon. His smiled greeting seemed forced. “Mele told me she needs you at the front of the line,” he said, directing his comment to Tyler. His gaze then darted to Julie. “I might as well be honest with you, it’s no secret something is going on. Is Andy all right?”

  Tyler’s voice was curt. “He will be.”

  For a minute, the three of them looked at each other in something resembling a stalemate. Tyler and Julie were both sitting now, and with John astride his horse, they were more or less eye to eye. Julie glanced from one man to the other; in some indefinable way, they were alike.

  John cleared his throat. “It occurs to me you folks might need help,” he said softly, his voice barely audible over the sound of the nearby cattle. “What can I do?”

  “Nothing,” John said. “Thanks for asking, though.”

  “Can you help me harness the team?” Julie asked.

  “Sure, I watched Andy a time or two.”

  “And then maybe you’d also consent to ride along with me?” Julie said, seeing a way to get Tyler back with the cows where he belonged.

  “I’m happy to do whatever I can to help,” John said, “but I have to warn you, I don’t know how to drive a wagon—”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll do the driving, you ride shotgun.” Julie sneaked a peek at Tyler who looked like he was about to choke on something.

  “I don’t know,” Tyler said.

  “This will be fun,” John interrupted. “I’ve always wanted to ride in a wagon.”

  Tyler leveled his gaze on John. “I’ll be watching, you know, in case you need help.”

  “I think I can handle sitting all by myself,” John said.

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  “Then what did you mean?” John said, a smile on his lips, but a challenge in his eyes.

  Julie had never heard Tyler talk to a guest in this manner. Pushing amazement aside, she gripped Tyler’s arm. “Mele ne
eds you, remember? The wagon will be right ahead of the herd, you can come check on us anytime you want. No worries.”

  “Then it’s settled,” John said, and rode off toward the trees where the horses were tethered.

  “I don’t know, Julie,” Tyler began. “Do you really want to be alone with that guy?”

  “I have a feeling about him,” she said.

  “So do I.”

  “I think my feeling might be a little more positive than yours. Don’t worry. Trust me,” she added as her fingers trailed lightly down Tyler’s sleeve to graze his hand. “And thank you for, well, saving me.”

  His answering gaze delved all the way to her heart. “Anytime.”

  * * *

  “IT’S BEEN QUITE A DAY so far, hasn’t it?” John Smyth commented. He’d taken Tyler’s directive very literally, his shotgun lying across his lap. Hopefully the safety was on.

  “Yes,” Julie said. Her hair was still wet but that didn’t account for the chills that closed around her insides like a fist made of ice. Credit the nearby dense forest and the river that snaked within.

  “I heard about what happened to you,” he said, and glancing into the back, added, “and Andy. Weird.”

  “Very,” she said. Hard not to wonder what the guests were thinking about this strange turn of events. It would have to be addressed that evening, like it or not. And then tomorrow, she would have to leave.

  “Care to explain?” he added.

  “It’s a little complicated.”

  “I figured that.”

  She felt him staring at her and darted him a glance. “What?” she said.

  “You and Tyler are in the middle of a divorce.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “It doesn’t matter how I know, I just do. I also know you left about a year ago. What I don’t know is why you’re back on the ranch.”

  “And why could that possibly matter to you?”

  He chuckled. “You’re a worthy adversary, Mrs. Hunt.”

  She didn’t respond to that. “I have a question for you,” she said.

  “And if I answer it, will you confide in me? Will you tell me what really happened today and why you and Tyler were up most of last night?”

  “You know about that?”

  “Not everything, no.”

  “Did you see anyone else up and about?”

  “Wandering around? No. Was there someone?”

  “I think so.”

  “Ask me your question,” he said.

  She kept her eyes straight ahead on the trail, gazing over the broad golden backs of the team, aching for the time when the trail veered away from the trees and she would be able to see the countryside—and whoever might be lurking there with murder on their mind. Beside her, John cleared his throat.

  She glanced at him and found his expression neutral. “The first day I was back on the ranch,” she began, “I rode out to the creek. Tyler was already there, so I decided not to...bother...him. Then I realized someone else was watching him, too.”

  “Who?” John asked.

  She shot him a quick look. “Do you really have to ask?”

  “Ah,” he said.

  “You were really concentrating on him.”

  “Did you tell Tyler about this?”

  “Not yet,” she admitted. “I just figured out it was you a little while ago when I saw you sitting in your saddle at about the same distance and posture.”

  And as soon as she’d realized Tyler was the object of John’s focus, she’d decided that because he didn’t seem to be interested in her in a lethal way, maybe he could be trusted. “Whether I tell him depends on what you were up to,” she added. “Or should I say, what you are up to.”

  “First just level with me. Why did you and Tyler split up?”

  “That’s none of your business.”

  “Was it because he has trouble sleeping or suffers from bad dreams or—”

  “Absolutely not,” she said. “Maybe you should explain why you think you know about us and why you lied about it.”

  “Don’t you think you might have been alarmed if I’d revealed knowing your personal history?”

  She assumed he wasn’t after her, so he couldn’t know how close to the mark his words hit. “I suppose I would have,” she said.

  “I just get the distinct impression Tyler is crazy about you.”

  She leveled a look at him. “Leave it alone, John.”

  He laughed softly. “All right, as you wish.”

  “So?”

  “I didn’t just come here for the cattle drive,” he said after a long pause.

  “I figured that part out.”

  He paused again, and Julie let him be. Who knew better than she that sometimes it took time to say things the right way? He finally sighed. “I’m going to have to ask you to keep this to yourself, at least for a while.”

  “I’m not making any promises,” she said.

  “I see. Well, just understand it’s important for Tyler’s well-being that he hears nothing about this until I’m sure I’m not making a mistake.”

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake, John,” she said, flicking him an impatient glance. “I wouldn’t do anything to hurt Tyler.”

  “You left him, didn’t you?”

  “Okay, now you’re skating on really thin ice.”

  He held up one hand. “This is me backing off. The fact is I think Tyler may be my half brother.”

  “What?” Julie looked at him again, this time for much longer, but the wagon bouncing through a series of ruts soon demanded her attention. The trail was finally leading away from the river and all those trees and they would soon start a slow climb toward Dead Man’s Ravine. Right now, she would have preferred a less ominous-sounding destination.

  “That’s impossible,” she said.

  John had leaned back to check on Andy. “No, I don’t think it is,” he said, straightening up.

  “Tyler is an only child.” She glanced at him again and added, “Are you insinuating his mother or father had another child by a different relationship they never told him about?”

  “No,” John said. “I’m implying that Tyler may be adopted.”

  “But Rose—”

  “Is a little on the defensive side, don’t you think?” he interrupted.

  “Not usually, but I have to admit she hasn’t been herself since I got back.”

  “Which just so happens to be the same day I arrived and started asking her questions.”

  “Did you tell her what you just told me?”

  “I didn’t tell her anything.” He took off his hat and ran a tanned hand through his hair. The sun was beating down hard and at these elevations, sunburn was always a worry, so Julie hoped he’d put it back on. But sitting there bareheaded, she fancied she saw a certain resemblance between John and Tyler. No, that was impossible.

  He tugged his hat back on. “Listen,” he said, “I don’t want to hurt anyone. I don’t want to disrupt lives if it isn’t necessary. If this adoption had been on the up-and-up, I’d find a different away to approach things, but it wasn’t. And, no, I’m not going to explain that right now. I may be totally wrong—”

  “How long have you suspected this?”

  “Not long.”

  “Do you have any kind of proof that Tyler is your half brother?”

  “None that would stand up in court. I have hearsay and a tune.”

  “What do you mean a tune?”

  “That melody Tyler whistles all the time. I’d forgotten it until I heard him, but as soon as I did, I recognized it from my own childhood. It’s an old song from half a world away and the fact Tyler knows it is pretty suggestive.”

  “I think you’re crazy,” she said as the wagon once again swayed over uneven ground.

  “Maybe I am, but there are no pictures of Tyler before the age of four in his mother’s albums.”

  “There was a fire—”

  “So she says. But where? There’s no sign of anyt
hing ever burning down. In fact there’s another house on the ranch, but it’s really old.”

  “I know,” she said. “Tyler and I used to live there.”

  “Well, neither that house nor the main lodge appears to have been involved in a fire.”

  “Rose told me a barn burned down decades before, destroying some mementos and pictures, things like that. Any trace of such a thing would be long gone by now.”

  He cocked an eyebrow. “I heard the same thing, but really, who stores pictures of their small child in a barn, especially in Montana?”

  “I don’t know, John. This just sounds outlandish. Rose isn’t a secretive person. I think if she and Tyler’s father adopted a child, she would have been up-front about it.”

  “Maybe not if Tyler’s biological father and mother were savagely murdered,” he said.

  “You’d better explain what you mean,” she said.

  “Not right now,” he said quietly, his voice soft but hard as steel and it finally dawned on her that he was talking about his parents, whether or not they were Tyler’s as well. “Do I have your word you won’t say anything to him?” he added.

  “Absolutely. And I beg you not to either.” The road evened out enough where she felt secure letting Ned and Gertie find their way. Turning her full attention on John, she stared directly into his eyes. “Even if you find out it’s the truth,” she said, “think about what you’re doing. Tyler is a Hunt, right down to the soles of his feet and those feet are firmly planted on the family ranch. I may be the kind who has to search for who I really am, inside I mean, but Tyler isn’t. He knows who he is and where he belongs. So promise me you’ll err on the side of caution when it comes to being truthful.”

  “I do give you my word,” he said, “but you have to understand there’s more at stake than you know.”

  She nodded and stared ahead again, sick in the pit of her stomach thinking about what this would do to Rose and Tyler if it was true. It would mean Tyler’s childhood was built on lies.

  “So, now it’s your turn,” he said, nodding toward the back of the wagon. “What happened to Rip van Winkle?”

  “We think someone drugged his coffee.”

  “And you ended up in the river because...”