Rugged Defender

by B. J Daniels

  He smiled over at her. “You bake?”

  “I used to,” she said, turning to smile at him.

  “All that seems so far away from what we have been doing, doesn’t it?”

  She nodded. “Once we figure this out...”

  “Sure.” He put the pickup into gear and pulled out of the ranch. She was quiet all the way back into town. When he reached her grandmother’s house, he saw that there was an SUV parked in the drive and lights on inside. “Looks like your sisters are back.”

  “I don’t want you going out to talk to Blaine alone,” she said as she reached for the door handle.

  “Chloe—”

  “No. I’m going with you. I want to talk to Patsy. She might tell me what she wouldn’t you.”

  He thought she was right about that. “Okay. Nine in the morning. I’ll pick you up.”

  “We will get to the bottom of this,” she said.

  Justin tried to smile. She reached over and touched his cheek. “I know how hard this is on you. It will get better.”

  “I hope you’re right about that. But Chloe, we’re looking for a killer. By now, that person knows. Next time, that truck that tried to run you down may not miss.”

  “So it’s a good thing we’re doing this together. What are the chances he’ll hit both of us?” She climbed out of the pickup saying, “See you in the morning.”

  He watched her until she disappeared inside the house, not liking the odds. They didn’t have any idea who they were looking for while the killer probably already had them in his sights.

  Chapter Twelve

  He was dead. Then the room came into focus. He blinked at the nurse by his bed.

  “Mr. Calhoun,” she said, seeing that he was trying to speak. “You’ve had a heart attack but you are fine now.” She held up a cup of water, touching the end of the straw to his lips. He drank, wanting more, but she pulled it back, saying he could have more later.

  “Drew?”

  “You try to rest. The doctor will be by to see you soon. He can answer any questions you might have.”

  He watched her leave, his eyelids heavy, his mind sluggish. Where was Mary? He’d had a heart attack and his wife wasn’t here? He closed his eyes. Justin.

  A memory tried to surface but remained out of his reach. Something had happened. That much he knew and it was more than his having a heart attack. Where was his family?

  The next time he opened his eyes, Justin was asleep in the chair next to his bed. He stared at his youngest son. When had he grown into a man? It felt as if he’d been in this bed for years, years he’d now lost with no memory. That thought had him aching with regret.

  Justin stirred. Bert closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep as he heard his son rise. A moment later Justin touched his hand. He could feel him standing there as if unsure what to say.

  “I’m sorry, Dad. So sorry.”

  He was wondering what Justin had to be sorry about as he heard him leave. Whatever it was, it might explain why he hadn’t wanted to face his son just then. Sleep took him again, this time into a dark place that he feared was the end.

  Bert heard people rushing around him. He felt something cold on his chest and a terrible jolt before nothing at all.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Justin woke with a headache the next morning. The day was cold and clear but he’d heard last night on the radio that a storm was coming. He’d almost reached the Rogers Ranch last night after stopping by the hospital when he got the call about his father’s second heart attack. He’d thought about turning around and going back to the hospital, but worried that he’d been the one to bring it on. Maybe the best thing he could do was stay away.

  The nurse had assured him that his father was stable again and that he could see him in the morning. He’d driven out to the ranch where he and Dawson had dinner, then sat around and talked over a beer until late.

  When he’d picked up Chloe this morning in town, she’d looked like she’d had a long night, as well. “You up late too?”

  She’d nodded. “I couldn’t sleep. How was your father?”

  “He had another heart attack, but he’s stable again.” He couldn’t fight the feeling that he was racing against a clock now. Though would finding out who’d killed Drew help his father or kill him? He had to believe that Bert Calhoun needed this. Justin just had to find the answers and soon. Another heart attack might be his father’s last.

  Blaine and Patsy Simpson lived ten miles out of town on a ranch not far from the Canadian border. The ranch had been in the family for several generations much like the Calhoun Cattle Company.

  As they drove up, Justin spotted Blaine out by the barn. He parked the pickup and looked over at Chloe. “I’ll go talk to Blaine. You want to wait here or—”

  “I’ll go see if Patsy is home,” she said. “Be careful.”

  “You too.” They’d both been quiet on the ride out to the ranch. Chloe had been ready and came right out to the truck when he drove up to her house. She looked relieved, as if afraid he was going to renege on picking her up. He wouldn’t do that. In the first place, it wouldn’t stop her from investigating. He hoped it was safer doing this together. Or maybe it was just giving the killer more prey to go after.

  Blaine had looked up when he saw the pickup pull in. Now he stood next to the barn waiting as Justin approached as if he’d been expecting this visit. That was the problem with communities like this. News traveled faster than gale force winds across the prairie. Once Chloe started asking questions, people were going to talk.

  “Blaine,” he said in greeting. The larger man merely nodded. “I hope you won’t take offense, but I need to know if you saw my brother on the day he died.”

  The man frowned. “Why?”

  “Let me rephrase that,” Justin said, realizing there was no reason to tiptoe around this. “I need to know if you’re the one who beat him up.”

  * * *

  PATSY SIMPSON OPENED the door to Chloe’s knock and smiled. “I didn’t realize we had visitors,” she said looking past Chloe to where Justin was talking with Blaine. “Come on in.”

  Chloe introduced herself. Patsy was four years older and had grown up on a ranch while Chloe had lived in town, so they hadn’t known each other. “Justin needed to talk to Blaine, so I drove along.”

  “Well, come into the kitchen. I was just putting on a pot roast for lunch.” She followed the woman into the large farmhouse kitchen. The smell of beef and onions was in the air. “Pull up a stool. I’m almost finished here. Once I pop it into the oven, I’ll join you. Coffee?”

  She accepted a cup and looked around the homey kitchen as she took a seat at the table. Patsy seemed comfortable and at ease. If she’d heard that anyone had been asking around about Drew Calhoun’s death, she didn’t show it.

  “I thought you might have heard,” Chloe said as she watched Patsy put a large cast-iron pot filled with a huge beef roast into the oven and close the door. “Justin and I are trying to find out what was going on with Drew before his death.”

  The ranch woman seemed to freeze for a moment. When she turned, she smiled. That was, she smiled until Chloe held up the bracelet. All the color drained from her pretty face.

  “Justin and I believe that Drew didn’t kill himself. I thought you might know who might have wanted him dead.”

  Patsy stared at the bracelet as it caught the light coming in through the kitchen window. For a moment, she seemed hypnotized. Then she wiped her hands on a dishtowel and with trembling hands poured herself a cup of coffee before joining Chloe at the table.

  “When did Drew give you this?”

  Patsy hesitated a moment. “In high school when we were dating.”

  “You kept it all these years?”

  The woman shook her head. “I gave it back to him when we broke up.”
/>   Chloe studied her for a moment and then took a stab in the dark. “But he gave it back to you.”

  Patsy nodded. “He was trying to ruin my marriage,” she said after taking a sip of the hot coffee. She stared straight ahead as if reliving it for a moment before she turned to face Chloe. “I told him I didn’t want the bracelet, that I never wanted to see it again. I thought he took it when he left the ranch that day.”

  “Your husband found the bracelet?”

  The woman looked away for a moment. “I hadn’t told him what was going on, that Drew had been out to the ranch when he knew Blaine was in town.”

  “I would imagine he was angry.”

  Patsy looked uncomfortable. “Where did you find the bracelet?”

  “In his cabin where he died.”

  Her eyes filled with tears.

  “When was the last time you saw the bracelet?” Chloe asked.

  The woman straightened as if getting something heavy off her shoulders. “Blaine had it and was going to find Drew.” Finally, the truth, Chloe thought. “But I know my husband. He couldn’t kill anyone.”

  “Not even Drew Calhoun, the man who was trying to destroy your marriage?”

  * * *

  BLAINE CHEWED AT his cheek for a moment before looking away. “What are you thinking of doing about it if I was the one who beat up your brother?”

  Justin laughed. “I didn’t come out here to do a damned thing about it. I’m just trying to figure out a few things.”

  The rancher nodded as he pushed back his hat to look at him. “Like why he killed himself?” Blaine’s gaze softened. “I’ve struggled with that myself. I was angry with him and had had enough, but if I was why he—”

  “You weren’t,” he quickly assured him. “I don’t believe Drew killed himself. I think he was murdered.”

  The big rancher blinked in surprise. “Murdered?”

  “That’s why I wanted to talk to you. I have a pretty good idea why the two of you argued. But I suspect there was more going on with my brother. I thought you might know what.”

  Blaine pulled off his weathered Stetson and raked a hand through his hair. “You aren’t even going to ask me if I killed him?”

  “Would you tell me if you had?”

  The rancher chuckled at that before shaking his head. “I told him to leave Patsy alone and he didn’t. I kicked his sorry ass and he knew I would do it again. Your brother was his own worst enemy. He was asking for trouble. If you’re right, I guess he got it. Truthfully? I felt sorry for him. He’d lost Patsy.” He nodded. “She’s the best thing that has happened to me so I understand.”

  * * *

  ON THE RIDE back to town, Chloe saw the change in Justin. He seemed glad that they’d come out to the Simpson ranch. They shared what they’d learned.

  “I don’t believe Blaine killed Drew,” he said. “He seems like a genuinely nice guy who’d just had enough of Drew. He admitted to kicking his butt though.”

  “Over the bracelet. Patsy told me that her husband found it and realized Drew had been out to the house. She admitted that he was furious and took the bracelet when he left to go find Drew.”

  He shook his head. “What was my brother thinking? Or did he care? Blaine actually felt bad, thinking he might have been responsible for why Drew shot himself.”

  “But you told him that we don’t believe that’s what happened.”

  Justin nodded. “Blaine said that something was wrong with my brother. He was always asking for trouble.”

  “That’s interesting because Emily Ferris said Drew didn’t feel he deserved being treated so well by your father. He didn’t like that he was the favorite son. It made him feel guilty.”

  Justin shot her a look and then laughed. “He was only trying to get Emily into bed. I don’t believe Drew ever felt guilty about anything. But Blaine was right about trouble finding my brother. I can’t forget the fear in his eyes that night. Whoever had shot him, Drew looked as if he thought they would be back to finish the job. As it was, another shot wasn’t necessary.”

  Chloe was just about to say that maybe they should take what they knew to the sheriff when she saw the flashing lights behind them in her side mirror. “Were you speeding?” she asked Justin.

  “No.” He sounded worried as he looked for a place to pull over. They were almost to town. He kept going until they reached the convenience store. Pulling into the back, he parked and waited for whoever was in the patrol SUV to get out.

  Chloe groaned when she saw Sheriff’s Deputy Kelly Locke climbed out of his patrol SUV and saunter toward them.

  “You know him?” Justin said under his breath as he dug out his driver’s license and pickup registration.

  “Old boyfriend. Bad breakup.” She didn’t get a chance to say more as Kelly tapped on the window. His gaze was on her as Justin whirred down the driver’s side window.

  “Out for a little drive?” Kelly said, looking from her to Justin and back.

  “There a problem, Deputy?” Justin asked as he handed Kelly his license and registration.

  Kelly studied both for a long while before he said, “You might want to slow down.”

  “Slow down? According to my speedometer I was going under the speed limit.” Justin was studying the man. It was clear that he’d noticed that the deputy was more interested in Chloe than him.

  “That right?” Kelly asked, the muscle in his jaw worked.

  Chloe tensed. She knew better than anyone what this man was like when crossed. How he’d been allowed to become a sheriff’s deputy, she had no idea. But wearing a gun and carrying a badge was definitely something she could see Kelly was enjoying.

  Justin shot Chloe a glance, then said, “But I’m sure your radar gun is more accurate.”

  The deputy huffed. “You got that right.” He handed back Justin’s license and registration. “The two of you have a nice day.”

  “What the hell was that?” Justin asked as the deputy drove off.

  Chloe let out the breath she’d been holding. “A long story. Maybe I’ll tell you about it some time. I’m sure he only pulled you over because I was with you.”

  “If he harasses you—”

  “I’ll call the sheriff on him.”

  He shook his head looking worried as the patrol SUV turned into town and disappeared from view into the trees that lined the Milk River.

  Her cell phone buzzed. “It’s my sister Annabelle. Would you mind dropping me off? Apparently there is a clothing emergency at my house. The upcoming weddings have them both a little frantic. I’ll see you later?”

  Justin nodded. “There’s something I need to take care of, as well. But promise me, no investigating without me. Deal?”

  “Deal.” He dropped her off at the house, and as she started up the walk she noticed a patrol SUV parked at the end of the street. She couldn’t tell who was behind the wheel at this distance, but she had no doubt. She started to pull out her phone, planning to call the sheriff, when the driver pulled away.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Justin watched his speed—and his rearview mirror—as he left town. The run-in with the law had him worried. Apparently Deputy Locke had some unfinished business with Chloe given the way the man had been looking at her after he’d pulled them over. Justin definitely wanted to hear about what had happened between them. If Chloe was right about the deputy pulling them over just because she was in the pickup, then that was definitely harassment.

  As he drove out to the ranch, he called the hospital to check on his father. Stable and resting. Disconnecting, he could feel the clock ticking. Now they knew who had beaten Drew up the day he died. But they still weren’t any closer to finding his...killer. Nor did they know why.

  With Drew, trouble usually involved a woman. But he was also in financial trouble apparently. Enough that someone wo
uld kill him?

  He thought of Nici and hoped to hell he was right about her. He had no doubt where the scratches on Drew had come from. Nici had been on the ranch that night. He’d seen her car leaving the back way. Still he refused to believe that she’d killed Drew. There had been someone else at his cabin that night because of the second vehicle Justin had heard leaving.

  Ahead, the ranch house came into view. He drove in, not seeing anyone around. He told himself that he would do this as quickly as possible. But it was something that had been nagging at him since he’d seen the shape the ranch was in.

  He still had a key to the front door, but it wasn’t necessary. In this part of Montana hardly anyone locked the doors—especially out in the country. He walked in and headed straight for his father’s office.

  What he wanted to see were the books. Something was wrong. He could feel it. His father had let things slip, which wasn’t like him. But Justin also suspected that in his father’s emotional state, there was a good chance that he’d been taken advantage of—maybe for years.

  He was digging in his father’s desk when he heard a sound behind him.

  “What are you doing here?” boomed a male voice behind him.

  He recognized it at once and turned to find the big cowboy standing behind him in the doorway. His father’s ranch manager, Thane Zimmerman, had a scowl on his face, which wasn’t unusual.

  “Your father know you’re back here?” Thane demanded. Justin had never liked Thane and the feeling was mutual. But then Justin doubted Thane liked anyone. He remembered the resentment he’d seen in Thane’s expression when he was around Drew. Even Thane had seen that Drew had no interest in running the ranch.

  “My father knows I’m back.”

  “Back, huh? I doubt he knows you’re going through his desk,” Thane said.

  “I want to see the ranch books.”

  The ranch manager laughed and crossed his arms. “That’s not happening.”

  “Why is that?”

  “You leave and don’t come back after all this time? Not to mention how your father feels about you. Hell, we all know that you belong in prison for what you did.” The man shook his head. “No, I don’t think your father would want you even in this house let alone involved in ranch business.”