It's Just A Ranch

by Misty Malone

  Satisfied that she had a plan in place, she listened carefully to see if she could tell what was going on. She could hear some clanging and banging, and she assumed it was the guy tearing down their operation. That should provide plenty of noise to hide any she might make by moving around a little and checking her ankle. She was hunched down, sitting on her lower legs and the ankle that wasn’t sore, but it was behind her, as well. She carefully pulled her legs and ankles out in front of her so she could get a good look at the injured ankle. There was blood in one area, but not enough to be a big concern to her. She wiped it away and saw the cut from hitting the stone. It was deep enough for a few stitches, but nothing too bad. She held the cut together so the blood would clot and stop bleeding. While holding that with one hand, she used the other to palpate her ankle. There were a couple spots that were pretty sore when she touched it, but she didn’t feel anything that felt like a broken bone. That was a relief.

  She concentrated on holding the cut closed so the blood would clot. There was nothing else left for her to do now but wait. She tried to not allow herself to think of all the things that could go wrong, but keep positive thoughts. She leaned back against the wall of the cave and tried to get comfortable.

  * * *

  Garrett and Wyatt finished their work for the day and headed for the house. They hadn’t made it there yet, when Maria came out to meet them. “Mindy’s not back from her ride yet and she’s not answering her phone. What is up with that little lady?”

  “I don’t know,” Garrett said, “but she seems to invent trouble.”

  “I’ll get all the men,” Wyatt quickly said. “She’d be back or answering her phone if she could. It’s too close to your wedding.”

  “Thanks, Wyatt. I agree totally. Something’s got to be wrong.” Garrett ran his hand through his hair. While Wyatt headed for the barn on the run, Garrett turned to Maria. “We’ll go out looking for her again. I swear when I found her I’m going to lock her in a padded room until our wedding. She’s going to give me a heart attack worrying about her. If she shows up or calls, call me right away.”

  “You know I will, Garrett. Please find her. She’s a special lady, and I’m worried about her.”

  “I know. Me, too,” Garrett admitted before turning to the group gathering at the barn. He quickly took charge and assigned areas for the men to cover, working in pairs. They were to call him immediately if they saw anything at all that didn’t look quite right. They all set out in pairs. He and Wyatt were together. It was almost an hour of searching before Garrett heard from any of them. Trace finally called and said they found her four wheeler and the phone was not far from it.

  Wyatt called the men and had them all meet at the spot they found the four wheeler, but Garrett wasn’t convinced they’d find her. “I don’t like it, Wyatt.”

  “Why not?”

  “That’s way outside of the area she’s to stay in. I know I told her she can go further now if she takes her gun, and she has, but not often, and not too far beyond. Since her accident she’s been very safety conscious, not taking risks or arguing with me when I told her something for safety’s sake. She even admitted to me she feels safer inside this area.”

  “You have a good point there, Garrett. She hasn’t been pushing you at all, that I’ve heard, anyway.”

  “She hasn’t. Something’s not right here. We’ll go help them look, but if she were over there, I don’t think she went there on her own accord.”

  “Are you saying you think someone forced her over there?”

  “I don’t know,” Garrett said, “but this close to our wedding, I can’t believe she went over there of her own free will without saying a word to any of us. Not only that, but I’ve taken her over there on Duke, and she didn’t particularly care for that area, and I can see why. There’s nothing over there. She likes pretty, peaceful places, and likes watching wildlife at a creek. There’s no creek over there, or anyplace that’s a pretty, peaceful spot.”

  “What do you think we should do?”

  “We’ll go over there and help them look for her, but if we find her and she’s been hurt, I think we need to call the sheriff before we move anything.” Wyatt nodded his agreement.

  They hurried to the location, where most of the men were already walking around, calling Mindy’s name. He organized everyone, and they walked the area, two to three feet apart, looking side to side as they walked, looking for any sign of her, no matter how small. Garrett called every couple minutes, followed by silence, while everyone listened for a response.

  Garrett and Wyatt kept their concerns to themselves, not wanting to get people worried, unless and until they had some proof of what they were saying, but they were both deep in thought while searching for her. When they didn’t find her, Garrett suggested they spread out in pairs again and look in the area further. Meanwhile, he and Wyatt went off to the side to talk. They quickly agreed, and Garrett called the sheriff.

  He explained the situation to Sheriff Matt Drolan, who was hesitant to start an investigation yet, but agreed to come out and talk to Garrett. Without any evidence of a kidnapping or any other criminal action, all they really had was a missing person, and they don’t file reports or start investigations on them until they’ve been missing twenty-four hours.

  Once he got to the ranch and talked to Garrett, however, he was beginning to change his opinion. Garrett explained about her recent accident and her change in how she viewed safety since then. He also said they were due to be married Saturday. What interested Sheriff Drolan the most, though, was that Garrett had pinpointed a fairly large area that he suggested she stay in for her safety’s sake, and how far out of that area her four wheeler was found.

  The sheriff suggested he go out to where the four wheeler was found and look at the scene, and go from there. Garrett took him out to the area, where all of his men, including Wyatt, were still looking for her. The sheriff went to the four wheeler and looked at its location. He didn’t touch it, and advised Garrett not to have others touch it, either, in case they needed to check it for fingerprints. He studied it, walking around it a couple times, then walked a little ways in front and behind it.

  He pulled Garrett off to the side. “Mr. Stevenson, I think maybe I’m ready to start an investigation. Don’t let anyone touch this or her phone any more than they already have. I’ll send a crew out to get this and take it in to be processed.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Garrett was concerned, but not real surprised by the sheriff’s words, as it hadn’t felt right to him from the time they found the four wheeler. “Why are you ready to start an investigation now? What do you think happened?”

  “I’m not convinced the four wheeler was driven here. Let me show you something, and check my theory.” He took Garrett over and showed him an area about a quarter of a mile ahead of where the four wheeler was headed. It was an area that was wetter than the rest of the surrounding area, and he pointed to tire tracks. “Have you or your men been in here in the last twenty-four hours with a pickup?”

  “No. This is all pasture land in here, so we’d have no reason to be back here with a truck.”

  “Someone has been, and I think they brought the four wheeler in and planted it here for you to find. If you look behind the four wheeler, I didn’t see any tracks. If Mindy drove it there you would see the grass flattened. It may not be real obvious if it’s been setting there for a little while, but you would still be able to see signs of it. I saw nothing.”

  “So if this was planted here, it was to draw us away from somewhere else. My question is why? What do you think has happened to her, and where were they trying to pull us away from?”

  “Those are exactly the questions we’re going to be trying to find answers to,” the sheriff said. “Let me get some men out here. Are all your men out here?”

  “They are, except the bunkhouse cook, who has supper ready, and one man who stayed behind with a mare having trouble foaling. I can call them out.�
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  “I would call them out, and I’m going to get some deputies out here. I’d sure like to find her before it gets dark, and cold.”

  “I couldn’t agree with you more,” Garrett said, taking his phone out. He called Charlie and told him to bring Coy with him, while the sheriff called his office.

  Garrett called Wyatt over and the three men talked about strategy while waiting for the additional men to arrive. Garrett started the conversation. “It seems to me if they put the four wheeler here to draw us off, we should be on the other end of the ranch. I still don’t think she would have left the area I suggested she stay in; not this close to our wedding. She’s been even more careful now since her accident.”

  “Then I think that’s where we need to focus our search. If we put all our manpower there and don’t find her, then we’ll branch out further. I have to assume whoever put her four wheeler and phone over here are involved in her being missing. I hate to mention this, Garrett, but I have to be honest with you. If someone is involved, they could have taken her anywhere, including off the ranch.”

  “I know, I’ve thought of that,” Garrett said quietly, “but she’s a scrapper. She’s also very smart. I’m not willing to count her out yet. I don’t know why anyone would try to hurt her or kidnap her, but if they did, I’m sure she didn’t go easy. Mindy may be little, but she would have put up a fight.”

  “Then we’ll watch for any signs of a struggle,” the sheriff said. “If she put up a fight and got away, we’ll find her. Even if she didn’t get away, if we find signs of a struggle it may give us a clue or two.”

  They called the men all in and told them of the new plan and why. The sheriff emphasized the importance of calling him if they found anything, no matter how small it might seem. Garrett paired the men up and assigned them areas to search again, and they all set out. When four deputies got there, they called some of the ranch hands in and paired them with a deputy, so one of them was familiar with the area, and the deputy knew what kinds of things to look for. Wyatt went with a deputy, and Garrett and the sheriff went together, so they could talk as they looked.

  * * *

  Mindy stayed hidden in the cave, listening carefully. She heard the men return and load things into the truck, and leave again. She waited, wondering what to do. She wanted to yell out for help, but what if they left one of the men there to gather the rest of the stuff? She felt sure Garrett and Wyatt would be out looking for her now, and considered firing a shot to draw Garrett to her. But again, what if the guys who were shooting at her heard the shot and came back to look for her?

  She considered as many possibilities as she could think of, and finally came to the conclusion that when they came looking for her they would no doubt be yelling out her name. Her safest plan would probably be to wait until she heard a voice she recognized. Then she would yell out to get their attention.

  It was hard to sit there and do nothing, especially with her ankle hurting like it did. Waiting was always hard for her, as Garrett had found out, but this was extremely difficult. Her ankle hurt, and she was scared. Plain and simple, she was terrified. But she kept giving herself a pep talk, telling herself over and over to stay calm and think. She remembered Garrett’s lectures on the importance of being safe, and was able to lean back and wait a little longer. She pictured how proud he would be of her coming up with a plan and being as safe as she knew how to be.

  Her ankle was still sore, but the bleeding had stopped. She tried not to move it much, so the bleeding wouldn’t start again. She didn’t think it was broken, but it was always better to keep it still until you knew for sure.

  After what seemed like forever she heard something. She listened carefully, hoping to hear a familiar voice. She heard people talking, but she couldn’t hear them well enough to hear what they were saying, or even to be able to tell if it was someone she knew. She never heard anyone call her name, so she stayed still and quiet.

  After another hour she heard something again. She listened, hoping someone would yell out her name, but they never did. She heard what sounded like things being clanged together, and she guessed it was the guys coming back to get the rest of their stuff. She was disappointed, but sat back again, ready to wait longer.

  A couple minutes later she heard voices she did recognize, but it wasn’t Garrett or his men. It was the three men making the meth. They were at the top of the cliff, looking down. She listened as they talked about where she may be, and if they should go down looking for her. Her nerves jumped to life again. She certainly did not want them venturing down there looking for her. Even if they didn’t see her hiding in the cave, once they realized she wasn’t down there they would no doubt start looking for her.

  Luckily, as she listened, they decided if by some miracle she survived the fall down there, it would probably take them days to find her, since they led them on a wild goose chase with her four wheeler. The chances of her still being alive by then would be even less. Furthermore, they reasoned, if they found footsteps down there they would know someone was involved with her demise. This way they might think she simply had an accident, lost her footing and fell.

  She heaved a sigh of relief when they decided it was more important for them to get out of the area before anyone saw them. Soon after that she heard their pickup driving off.

  She sat back again and waited. She was starting to get worried, as the sun was setting. The idea of being stuck in the cave all night terrified her. She wasn’t sure what kind of wild animals might be lurking in this area at night, and she didn’t want to find out this way. It was also starting to cool off, as the sun was setting. She didn’t have a jacket, and was sure it would get pretty chilly.

  She started to wonder if she should try to make it out of the cave and make her way sideways across the hillside, the way Garrett took her to the cave the week before. But as quickly as the idea hit her, she pushed it out of her mind. Her ankle was swelling quite a bit and she knew she needed to stay off of it. Besides that, what was she going to do, even if she made it to the top of the hill? She still had no phone.

  An idea came to her then. Now that the men decided to leave the area before they got caught, she should be able to fire a shot to get Garrett or his men’s attention. She pulled her gun out and checked it. It was still loaded. She was extremely glad she’d had the safety on while she was rolling earlier.

  She looked around her, thinking. If she shot straight ahead the bullet would hit the hill on the other side, and she wasn’t sure how far the sound would travel, being in the ravine. So she scooted over closer to the edge of the cave so she could fire straight up into the sky. The sound would travel better that way, and hopefully Garrett or Wyatt would hear it and come looking.

  Moving her ankle caused it to start throbbing more, and she had to take some deep breaths to get control of the pain. The cut opened up again and started bleeding, as well. She sighed, but moved further out toward the ledge. When she was far enough, she pointed her gun toward the sky, and shot. She moved back into the cave so she could rest against the wall again, and put pressure on the cut, trying to get the blood to clot once more.

  She listened carefully, hoping to hear familiar voices, and not the voices of the three young men again.

  * * *

  Since the men were all searching in the smaller area now, they all heard the shot. The sheriff and Garrett called all the men, giving them instructions. Garrett’s men were to get behind a tree or large rock, but watch carefully. If anyone saw anyone or anything suspicious, call Garrett or the sheriff. The sheriff and his deputies, and Garrett, who refused to stay anywhere else, were going to the part of the ranch they thought the shot came from, and look around.

  They all got to the general area, and got off their four wheelers. They would look on foot so they could hear a response when Garrett called for her, which he continued to do every couple minutes as they walked. At one point one of the deputies held up his hand to listen. They didn’t hear anything, but Garre
tt called again. The deputy again thought he heard something, so they all moved closer to him and continued in that direction.

  Garrett called again, and two deputies heard something. They both said it sounded weak, but they definitely heard a response. They again formed a line, standing a couple feet apart and kept going in the same direction, watching closely for any kind of clue or movement.

  Finally, one of the deputies called the sheriff over. He’d found a shell casing. It certainly wasn’t what any of them hoped to find, but they couldn’t deny it. “Has anyone been out here hunting in the last day or two? This looks pretty fresh,” the sheriff asked.

  “No. A few of the men hunt occasionally, but we’ve all been too busy this year.”

  “Then whoever was out here more than likely is responsible for this. Let’s keep looking, but men, be alert.” Before long they found two more, and then a fourth shell casing. Then, much to Garrett’s dismay, they found a few drops of blood on the ground. They found more, and were able to follow the trail, but it ended at the cliff.

  Garrett warned the men as they followed the trail. “Be careful. That’s a cliff that goes pretty much straight down.” When they got to the edge they looked over, and Garrett heard several gasps. He knew the cliff was there, and he also knew it wasn’t a good thing that the blood trail ended there. “We have to go down there and look,” he said.

  “I agree,” the sheriff said, “but let us go look, Garrett.”

  “It’s my land and she’s my girl,” Garrett insisted. “Remember, the deputies said it was weak, but they heard a response. She’s still alive, I know it, and I want to be there when we find her. She’s going to be scared.”

  “We’ll need some rope to get down there,” the sheriff said. “Do you have some at the barn?”

  “I do. Let me send one of the men back for it.” He called Wyatt, then turned back to the cliff. They had moved along the edge of the cliff, looking for more signs, and were now a little ways up from the ledge. Garrett called out for Mindy again, and they all listened, trying to determine what area she was in.