by B. J Daniels
“My father wouldn’t? Or you wouldn’t?” Justin sighed. He’d felt bullied by this man when he was younger, but not anymore. He took a step toward him. Thane dropped his arms to his sides suddenly looking wary.
“If I’m a killer like you think I am, then you might want to tread more carefully around me. I will see the books and if I find what I expect to...” He left the rest hanging. From the man’s expression, he’d made his point. Thane looked worried. He should be.
“You should leave before I call the sheriff,” the ranch manager said with more bluster than was behind the words.
“I’ve already contacted my father’s attorney. I will find out what’s been going on at this ranch and when I do... I’ll be back.”
* * *
CHLOE LOOKED AT one wedding dress after another as her sisters appeared from the extra downstairs bedroom, which had become Wedding Central. Her sisters had had an assortment of wedding dresses overnighted to them.
“How is the investigation going?” TJ asked after changing out of her last wedding dress and joining Chloe on the couch in the living room.
“We’re making a little progress.”
“And how is Justin?”
She had to smile. “He’s fine.”
“Fine?”
“Fine. We’ve been busy,” she groaned. “Get this. Deputy Kelly Locke pulled us over on the way into town this morning. He said Justin was speeding but he wasn’t even close to going over the speed limit.”
“He’s harassing you?” TJ said, instantly getting up in arms.
“And when Justin dropped me off earlier? There was a patrol SUV parked down the street. When I pulled out my phone to call the sheriff, it took off. I can’t be sure it was Kelly...”
“I don’t like this,” TJ said. “If he does anything else, promise me you will notify the sheriff.”
Chloe nodded, but getting Kelly in trouble with his boss could make things far worse. Maybe if she just ignored him...
Annabelle came out in another wedding dress.
“That’s the one,” Chloe exclaimed. TJ agreed and the two of them watched their sister dance around in the dress. “I’m so excited for the two of you,” she said, reaching over to take TJ’s hand. “I’m so glad we decided to spend the holidays together.”
“Me too,” TJ said. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have met Silas.”
“And you and Justin T. Calhoun wouldn’t be playing detectives together,” Annabelle said.
“Yes,” TJ agreed. “Chloe, please, be careful. I know how much you love investigating, but this morning I woke up with a bad feeling.”
* * *
AFTER RETURNING TO TOWN, Justin found his father’s attorney’s office closed for the lunch hour. He realized he was hungry as he swung into Joe’s In-n-Out and ordered a burger, fries and a chocolate milkshake. He saw Nici pull up. He parked out of the way and waited. A few minutes later she climbed into his truck with her lunch.
She pulled her hamburger from the bag. “You’re making enemies,” Nici said, as if he didn’t already have enough as it was.
He’d waited for her. He opened his lunch bag and drew out his fries. “Anyone in particular?” he asked as he offered her a fry.
Nici shook her head. “I was at the bar last night. Word is out about you being back in town. Drew’s friend was there along with a few of his poker buddies. Your ears must have been burning. Thane Zimmerman was there. He’d been drinking and had a lot to say about you.”
“Such as?”
She hesitated. “He and Drew’s friend said since everyone knows you killed Drew that maybe they would have to take the law into their own hands if they hoped to get Drew justice.”
Justin had lost some of his appetite, but he took a bite of his burger as he watched Nici devour hers. “So have you thought any more about what we talked about?”
She swallowed a bite before she said, “Me going to college? Don’t you think I’m a little old for that?”
“No. I think you’ll actually enjoy it. If you can’t afford it—”
“I have some money. I checked and I think there are some grants and scholarships I might be able to get.”
He smiled, feeling better, and ate more of his lunch. “Any idea what you’d like to major in?”
“I’m giving it some thought.” She shook her head. “Are you just trying to get rid of me?”
“You know better than that. You’re my best friend.”
She actually seemed to blush as she reached for one of his fries. “Seriously, I’d watch out for Zimmerman.”
Justin chuckled. “As a matter of fact, we just had a talk before lunch. There is nothing to worry about.”
Nici scoffed at that. “Any closer to finding out who might have shot Drew?”
“Not really. But Chloe and I are definitely making a lot of people nervous.” Including his best friend, he thought as Nici looked away.
* * *
“CAN I BORROW your car again?” Chloe asked her sister Annabelle that afternoon. Both sisters were waiting for the men in their lives to pick them up for their dates.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come along?” TJ said. “I’m sure Silas wouldn’t mind. We have the rest of our lives to be together.”
She shook her head adamantly. “Absolutely not. You two have a wonderful time. I’ll be fine.” Chloe could see that TJ was worried about where she planned to go in the car. “I’m driving out to Sleeping Buffalo. I haven’t been there in years and the thought of just soaking in the hot pool out there sounds like just what I need for a cold winter afternoon.”
Both sisters seemed to relax. She wasn’t about to mention that she had an ulterior motive. Annabelle had mentioned earlier during the wedding dress fashion show that Chloe should look into going to work for the local newspaper, the Milk River Courier.
“I know it’s small and a weekly, but...”
Chloe’s ears had perked up when Annabelle had mentioned the woman who had recently bought the paper.
“Quinn Peterson, do you remember her?” Her sister had asked. “She was working for The New York Times before she met her husband and moved back. I think she still freelances for them.”
Peterson. “I do remember her. They used to live out by Nelson Reservoir.”
“They still do. Built a place next to her folks,” Annabelle said.
Chloe had smiled to herself. That meant they lived just down the road from the Sleeping Buffalo. She was so glad that she’d brought her swimming suit. Quinn Peterson was older and had been an inspiration for Chloe. Quinn had worked on the school paper before going into journalism. Also she was a born reporter with a nose for news. She might be exactly the person Chloe needed to talk to.
She thought about her promise to Justin. But she wasn’t really investigating and not by herself. Just two newspaper people visiting in the hot pool.
After her sisters left, she called Quinn. They talked for a while before Chloe asked her if she’d like to meet her at the pool.
* * *
JUSTIN HAD FOUND the Gone to Lunch sign down on the attorney’s office when he returned from his lunch with Nici. But another sign had been up. This one said the lawyer was in court until four. With time to kill, Justin had driven up into the Little Rockies. Some of his happiest memories had been camping up there the few times he’d been able to get away from the ranch.
His best friend back then had been Billy Curtis. Billy had lived in town. His father had worked for the city maintenance department. But Billy was gone now. He’d enlisted after high school and had been killed in Iraq.
Justin had some ranch friends, but none he’d kept in touch with. Not that he was in the mood for company. He parked at the campground outside of Zortman and got out. Just the smell of the pines brought back those good memories. He needed them right now.
&n
bsp; He drove up to a spot and got out to walk along the snowmobile tracks that led up into the rocky outcroppings until he had a view of the entire valley below him. He’d missed Montana. He’d especially missed this area. But could he stay? Not if he didn’t find out the truth about Drew’s death.
Justin checked his watch. He needed to get back to town. Climbing back down the mountain, he saw a few deer below him. They watched him warily before trotting off.
He thought of Chloe and wished she’d been there to see them. She would have liked that. He tried her number. It went straight to voice mail. He just hoped she wasn’t taking any chances, but she’d promised not to do anything without him. Still, he worried because he’d gotten to know her better.
If she got a lead and couldn’t wait for him, she would follow it, sure as hell. Even if it led her straight into trouble.
* * *
BACK IN TOWN, Justin drove to the lawyer’s office. It was almost four thirty and as he pushed open the main door, he saw that Harry Johnston was in his back office packing up his briefcase to go home. When he looked up, Harry’s immediate expression was a frown as he said, “I was just closing up.” Then he seemed to recognize Justin and broke into a wide smile.
Leaving what he was doing, the attorney reached out his hand to shake Justin’s. The man had a firm grip and an easygoing manner, but Justin knew the reason his father had hired him was because Harry Johnston was tough as nails.
“I saw that you’d called,” the older man said, waving him into his office and closing the door. “I heard about your father. I’m so sorry. How is he doing?”
“Last time I spoke with the doctor, he was stable.”
Harry waved him into a chair and took his behind the desk. “Bert’s strong. He can beat this.”
Justin wished he believed that. “Drew’s death hit him hard.” The attorney nodded. “This cloud over my head hasn’t helped. I’m trying to sort that out.”
“No, the questions around your brother’s death haven’t helped,” Harry agreed. “So what can I do to help?”
“It’s about the ranch. I was shocked to realize that my father has lost his interest in it apparently,” Justin said. “I’m worried and quite frankly, I don’t trust Thane Zimmerman, never have.”
The attorney nodded. “Your father saw something in him few others have.”
“I want to see the ranch books. Zimmerman is determined to keep them from me. I know legally I might not be able to—”
“There’s no reason you can’t see the books. Ray Underwood is your father’s accountant. I’ll give him a call and tell him to give you whatever you need.”
“Wait,” Justin said. “I thought—”
“Son, your name is on that ranch—just like your brother’s was. Your father never changed that.”
He sat for a moment in shock. He’d been expecting a fight. Relief washed over him. He’d never known that his father planned to leave both sons the ranch. All his life his father had talked about Drew getting the ranch. Or at least running it.
“Thank you.”
Harry rose and shook his hand again. “I’m glad you’re home and it’s good that you’re sorting things out. You let me know if I can help you further. I’ll give Ray a call right away.”
* * *
CHLOE LOVED SLEEPING BUFFALO. The pools had been redone over the last few years making the natural hot springs beautiful. Chloe was lounging in the hottest pool when Quinn arrived. She was just as Chloe remembered her, wild curly red hair and violet eyes. But it was her smile that lit up rooms and no doubt, helped her as a journalist.
As Quinn slipped into the pool across from her, she said, “Okay, what is this really about?”
Chloe laughed. “I suspect you already know.”
“Drew Calhoun’s death. You investigating it for that paper you’re working for in California?”
She shook her head. “I got caught up in the layoffs. I’m doing it because I’m disturbed by what I’ve found out about his death. I believe he was murdered.”
Quinn raised a brow, but she didn’t look all that surprised. “I chased the story for a little while, but being the local paper...”
Chloe understood too well. “You were closer to Drew’s age than me. What can you tell me?”
Quinn laughed and lay back in the water for a moment. Steam rose from the pool. They had it to themselves this evening since everyone else was probably just getting home from work and thinking about dinner.
“Drew. A lot of people didn’t like him.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” Chloe said with a laugh. “Who would want him dead enough to pull the trigger?”
Quinn sighed. “I did hear something, but I wasn’t able to verify it. The mine at Zortman? There was a rumor it might open again.”
Chloe felt her heart drop. That rumor had been going around as long as she could remember. “Even if it’s true, what could that have to do with Drew’s death?”
“Supposedly there was a group of secret investors who were putting the deal together. Drew Calhoun was rumored to be one of them.” Quinn shrugged. “I asked him about it before he died. He denied it, but he got more upset than I thought he should have. He wanted to know who’d told me. It seemed a little strange. But I couldn’t find anyone else who knew anything about it.”
Chloe thought about that for a long moment but came up with no reason why someone would kill over it. Even if he was one of the secret investors. A lot of people would have loved to see the mine open again because of jobs. The mine had provided some of the best-paying jobs around. When it pulled out, a lot of people thought the town of Whitehorse would die.
“I heard the gold had run out up there,” she said to Quinn.
“There’s not just gold and apparently there are new methods of getting the ore out. But it’s expensive.”
“Hmm, doesn’t sound like anything that would get Drew killed.”
“There was a little more to it, as it turned out. The group was racing against the clock to make a deal before a pending EPA study. They wouldn’t have had to do a lot of reclamation if they beat the deadline. So if one of the investors dropped out at the last minute, they would have lost their chance. I did some research on the mine. Those secret investors could have made a lot of money. But once the EPA stepped in, it became too expensive with the reclamation. I dropped my inquiries when I found out that Drew didn’t have the money to invest in the deal.”
“But his father would have,” Chloe said.
“If Drew had been able to get his hands on the ranch, you mean.”
“Maybe he thought he could and when he couldn’t...” Quinn shrugged.
“The other investors would have been furious. Maybe enough to kill him.”
* * *
HARRY WAS GOOD to his word. Justin got the call on his way out to the Rogers Ranch. He swung around and went back into Whitehorse. Ray Underwood lived on the east end of town near the new hospital. This was the area that had seen what little growth there had been in Whitehorse.
The house was a nice newer split-level with a two-car garage. Ray answered the bell and motioned Justin down the stairs to his home office. The man was slightly built and only a little younger than Justin’s father, so in his late fifties.
“I hope I’m not interrupting your dinner,” Justin told him. When he’d come in, he’d caught the scent of meat loaf if he had to guess.
“Not a problem. Harry said you needed these right away so I pulled them out for you and made copies.” He handed Justin a thick stack of papers. “These are the taxes from the past five years along with the most recent quarterlies. I also included the five years before that.”
He couldn’t help but smile. The man was so efficient. “Thank you so much.”
“My pleasure. I’ve enjoyed working with your father for years.”
<
br /> A thought struck him. “Is that who you’ve been working with recently, my father? Or Thane Zimmerman?” He saw at once that he’d been right.
“Your father hasn’t been...well.”
“I’m going to take a wild guess. The ranch isn’t doing as well as it used to.”
Ray hesitated but only a moment. “It’s all in those papers, but...no.” The accountant looked away. “But you will see that the trouble began before that.”
Justin didn’t need to ask. Nor did he want to put the man on the spot. Something wasn’t right and Ray knew it.
* * *
AFTER ENJOYING THE POOLS, Chloe left Sleeping Buffalo feeling more relaxed than she’d been for a while. The hot spring water had been so refreshing. She told herself she should take more advantage of the pools. Until she left after the New Year to look for a new job, she reminded herself.
She hadn’t gone far when snow began to fall. The storm that had been forecast blew in with a fury. She slowed down. It wasn’t like she was in a hurry. She wondered what Justin was up to tonight. Earlier, he’d sent her a text saying he hoped she had a good night. She had and only felt a little guilty for her “swim.” Yes, she had kind of been investigating, but it had been perfectly safe.
Chloe was on the edge of town when she saw flashing lights come on behind her. She hadn’t seen any other traffic for some time. She hurriedly looked down to see how fast she was going. The speed limit. Her gaze shot to the rearview mirror as she debated what to do. She couldn’t tell if it was a sheriff’s deputy patrol SUV or a Montana Highway Patrol.
Chloe was thinking about earlier when Kelly had pulled Justin over to harass him. He wouldn’t do that again, would he? The patrol SUV was right behind her, the lights blinding her. She braked and pulled over next to the plowed snowbank on the edge of the highway.
Once stopped, she reached over to open the glove compartment to look for the car registration. But she also pulled out her phone. In the side mirror, she saw the officer get out of his patrol SUV. She froze and swore, then grabbed her phone and hit Record.
