Rugged Defender

by B. J Daniels

  Sheriff’s Deputy Kelly Locke moved to the driver’s side as she put down her window, making sure that her phone video recorded whatever was about to go down. She would have proof when she went to the sheriff. That was the only thing that kept her calm as he leaned down to look into her car at her.

  “What did I do wrong, officer?” she asked.

  “What have you done right?” He sounded angry.

  She looked straight head at the lights of Whitehorse and realized even recording this she was taking a risk. She’d pulled over in an isolated area. Worse, there was no traffic tonight. There was no one to help her. Her pulse kicked up with apprehension.

  “I wasn’t speeding,” she said. “So what is the problem?”

  Kelly looked away for a moment as if checking for traffic. Chloe checked her rearview mirror and saw headlights behind her in the distance.

  When the deputy glanced at her again, she saw his jaw tighten. “I think you’d better get out of the car after this vehicle goes past.”

  Her heart rate leaped with alarm. No way was she getting out let alone going anywhere with this man. She reached for her phone and hit Send before she began video recording again.

  “What are you doing?” he demanded.

  “I just emailed a video recording of this to my sister.” The vehicle that had been behind them whizzed past. “You don’t mind if I record this conversation, do you, Deputy Locke? I want it on the record why you pulled me over. And why you’re asking me to get out of my car.”

  His face was a mask of fury. “You were speeding.”

  “Do you have that documented, Deputy Locke? Because when you pulled me over I looked down at my speedometer right away and I wasn’t going near the speed limit.”

  He looked like he might explode. “I’m going to just give you a warning this time. You were going too fast for the conditions tonight. Just be careful.” She could see him grinding his teeth. “Be very careful.” With that he turned and started to walk away. She put her phone down with trembling fingers as she watched him in her side mirror.

  Kelly was almost past the rear of the car when she saw him pull out his baton and turn to look at her as if he was thinking about coming back. Her mind screamed “No!” Not taking her eyes off him, she fumbled for the button for her side window. Her pulse pounded but before she could get her window up—

  She jumped at the sound of glass shattering. Kelly was standing at the rear of the car looking right at her.

  “You’d better have someone fix that broken taillight. I’d hate to have to pull you over again. Next time, you won’t get off so easily,” he said.

  Trembling with fear and relief, she got her side window up and made sure her doors were locked as he climbed behind the wheel of the patrol SUV. She waited until he pulled out and drove slowly past her toward town before she felt she could breathe normally again.

  He’d broken the taillight on Annabelle’s car! Unfortunately, she hadn’t gotten that on the recording she’d made.

  Chapter Fifteen

  It didn’t take Justin long to see the pattern. But what threw him was when it had started. He suspected with his father not paying attention, Thane was helping himself to some of the ranch profits. That much at least was clear.

  But his father had been in charge of the ranch and aware of things before Drew’s death. The losses began two years before then.

  Justin stared at the paperwork until his head hurt. He finally had to put it away for the night. Two things were clear. Someone had been taking money out of the ranch fund two years before Drew died—and continued after his death.

  It made no sense. His father would have noticed—at least before Drew’s death. Bert Calhoun was a businessman first and a rancher second. Justin knew firsthand how careful he’d been about money. His father could have told you how much the ranch made in a year right down to the cents.

  So what had happened? He suspected it had been Drew. He knew his father had been grooming him to take over the ranch. All he could think was during those two years, his father had given Drew more authority—and his brother had taken advantage of it. That would explain why their father had cut Drew off before his death.

  He couldn’t believe it. But it appeared Drew had been stealing from the ranch company. He was sure Drew hadn’t seen it that way. He probably thought it was his money, his birthright, so why not spend some of it while he was young.

  But it hadn’t been extra spending money. Justin realized it was thousands of dollars. What had his brother done with that money? Gambled it all away? Or had he hung on to it? In that case, where was it?

  He made a mental note to check at the bank tomorrow and headed for bed. But he knew he wasn’t going to be able to sleep. His mind was racing. Money had continued to disappear after Drew’s death. Not as much, but there was only one person who could have been taking it.

  Thane Zimmerman. It was the only explanation unless his father had taken it from the ranch profits for some reason.

  He realized he was going to have to talk to his father about this. It was a conversation he wasn’t looking forward to, fearing it might bring on another health crisis that could be lethal.

  * * *

  “YOU NEED TO take this recording to the sheriff,” TJ said the next morning at breakfast. The three of them were sitting about the table. Annabelle had made blueberry coffee cake. Chloe had awakened to the scent of it and told herself she couldn’t keep eating like this as she got dressed and rushed down for a piece while it was still warm.

  She’d told her sisters about what happened when she’d gotten home. They’d been horrified and had wanted her to call the sheriff right then. “If I do, it could only make it worse. What if she fires him? Or suspends him? He’ll still be out there and he’d be even more vindictive.”

  “But he won’t be wearing a gun or carrying a badge,” TJ pointed out. “And he won’t be pulling you over for no reason.”

  “You should get a restraining order,” Annabelle said and took a sip of her coffee.

  TJ was shaking her head. “They’re worthless if the person thinks he is above the law and Kelly Locke is a perfect example of that. You have to take this to the sheriff and tell her what happened, Chloe. This man needs to be stopped.”

  Last night, she’d lain in bed debating what to do. There was no doubt that he was dangerous.

  “I don’t understand why he is doing any of this now,” TJ said.

  “Because I broke up with him in high school. You wouldn’t believe the terrible things he did back then to get back at me. Believe me that was plenty of retribution.”

  “I know he put you through hell,” TJ said. “You didn’t have to say anything,” she added seeing Chloe’s surprise. “I heard about it at school. I didn’t know how to help you back then. I was afraid of standing up to him for fear he would make it harder on you. Also that he’d start on me. But I’m not fifteen anymore.”

  Chloe knew her sister was right. “Okay, I’ll stop by and see the sheriff. I just hope I don’t run into him, although if he thought I had everything on the recording including him breaking the taillight on the car, he might back off.”

  Her sisters were shaking their heads.

  She feared they were right. “Talk about carrying a grudge.”

  “It’s pretty classic,” TJ said, who studied character traits in criminals. “He had it all in high school—popular, a star athlete, he was somebody. I’m sure he felt he was doing any girl he dated a favor. Then you break up with him and send him into a tailspin. Not only that, word got around school. He’s had to live with that rejection for years. Just the sight of you or even his knowing you’re in town, probably brings back that humiliation as if it was yesterday.”

  Chloe finished her coffee, considered another piece of the blueberry coffee cake, and talked herself out of it. “I’m going to get this ove
r with.”

  “Do you want us to come with you?” Annabelle asked.

  “No, you two have weddings to plan. It’s only days until the big event,” Chloe said. “I’ll be fine. I’ve run up against angry people who wanted to blame my reporting of what they did, instead of accepting responsibility for their misdeed. But I’ve never had anyone hate me like this. I have to admit, he scares me. Last night on that deserted highway with him...” She shuddered.

  “This might not stop him,” TJ said. “But whatever the sheriff does about it, he’ll know he’s being watched.”

  “So he’ll be more careful next time,” Chloe said.

  TJ nodded. “Just don’t let him get you alone.”

  * * *

  BERT CALHOUN WAS sitting up in bed when his son tapped at the hospital room door. He saw that Justin was surprised to see him looking so much better. He knew he’d come close to dying a couple of times. But they’d brought him back and now more than ever he was determined to live.

  He motioned his son into the room and pointed to the chair next to his bed where Justin had been sitting the other day. Bert felt bad that he hadn’t acknowledged his presence that day. When he’d come close to death, he’d sworn he’d seen Mary. She’d given him a good tongue-lashing. Dream or not, it had made him feel small and ashamed.

  Justin sat down on the chair next to his bed, Stetson dangling from his fingers. “How are you feeling?”

  His voice came out on a hoarse whisper. “Better.”

  “I can see that. They said you had another heart attack.”

  Bert nodded. “I thought I saw your mother. She’s worried about you.” He saw that Justin looked worried that his father had lost his marbles. “I’m fine so you can quit looking at me like that.”

  “I see they’ve moved you out of ICU,” Justin said. “That’s good.”

  “You don’t have to treat me like I’m made of glass,” he snapped and quickly regretted it. “I’m sorry about the other day.”

  Justin nodded. “So am I.”

  He noticed that his son had brought in a stack of papers. “What’s that?”

  “Tax information on the ranch for the past seven years, but I won’t ask you about it if it’s going to upset you,” his son said, adding the last part quickly.

  Bert took a few breaths. He could feel himself starting to get worked up. He wanted to demand what Justin thought he was doing butting into ranch business. But he remembered that Justin’s name was on the ranch and Harry would have helped him with anything his son asked.

  “So you know,” he finally said and reached for the cup of water next to his bed. He managed to knock it over.

  Justin was on his feet, catching the cup before very much spilled. “You need a drink?”

  He chuckled. He could use a strong one right now, but he merely nodded. Justin held it up so he could take a sip from the straw. “I hate being this helpless.”

  “I know.” Justin sat back down. “If you don’t want to tell me...”

  Bert didn’t want to tell anyone. Just the thought made him angry. But he took a few more deep breaths as the doctor had told him he needed to start doing. It went against his nature, but if he didn’t want to end up in a box six feet under, he had little choice but to make some changes.

  “It was Drew, but I suspect you’ve already figured that out,” he said, hating to admit that his oldest son had stolen from him, from the legacy that Bert had always thought would someday be his. Of course, Drew had at first denied what he’d done and then argued that it was his money so what was the big deal.

  “What did he use the money for?” Justin asked.

  “Who knows? Gambling, women or some get-rich scheme. I let it go too long, I’m ashamed to say.” He closed his eyes. He’d let a lot of things go too long.

  “I think he might have owed someone a lot of money and when he couldn’t pay, they came after him for it,” Justin said.

  Bert realized what he was getting at. “You still think someone...” He swallowed and breathed for a moment. He didn’t even want to say the words killed Drew. “He wanted me to step down and let him take over the ranch. He wasn’t ready, no matter what he said. Truth is, I knew I couldn’t trust him.”

  “Did he seem desperate for money?”

  Bert let out a huff. “He was always desperate for money. He had some big deal he was involved in. He actually wanted me to give him five hundred thousand dollars so he could invest it in some fly-by-night operation with some of his buddies.”

  “Did he tell you what it was?” Justin asked.

  He shook his head. “I didn’t care. I told him I couldn’t come up with that much money. He demanded that I cosign a loan, using the ranch as collateral. You can imagine how well that went over. I’d had it with him. We argued.” He hated to think about it since it was the last time he saw his oldest son alive. “He was so angry, so hateful.” He closed his eyes, the pain too much for him. He’d been so disappointed in Drew because by then, he’d known that his son had been stealing from the ranch. They hadn’t spoken after that. He opened his eyes. “Wait, did you say the past seven years money was taken out?”

  “You’ve had a lot on your mind,” Justin said.

  “Don’t you be making excuses for me. If money has still been going out...” Bert tried to sit up.

  “I didn’t come here to upset you, but yes. Not as much as those two years previous to Drew’s death, but someone is still helping himself.”

  “Zimmerman,” he said and leaned back and closed his eyes as he swore under his breath. He hadn’t been paying attention because of Drew’s death and he was getting old. That made him all the more angry that his ranch manager would take advantage of him like that.

  “I’ll take care of it,” Justin said, getting to his feet. “That is, if it’s all right with you.”

  Bert opened his eyes. He smiled and nodded. “I’d like to fire the son of a B myself but the doctor said I need to start working on my temper.”

  “You get some rest and don’t worry about anything,” Justin said as he rose to leave.

  “Son? I’m sorry.” He started to say more, but his son stopped him.

  “We’re both sorry, but I’m home now. I’ll help any way I can. You’ll be on your feet soon.”

  Bert nodded, tears in his eyes. “I’m glad you’re home.”

  * * *

  JUSTIN DROVE OUT to the ranch. He suspected that what he had to say to Thane Zimmerman would not come as a surprise. The moment the ranch manager had caught him in Bert’s desk, he would have known he was in trouble. Once Justin told him he would be talking to the family lawyer, Thane wasn’t stupid enough to think he was going to get away with what he’d been doing.

  As he pulled up in front of the large cabin where Thane lived on the ranch, he saw that the back of the man’s pickup was already loaded. He got out and walked toward the cabin. He knew what he wanted to do and had he been younger, he just might have done it.

  But since returning home, Justin knew he had to be what his father needed right now. And that wasn’t his son getting into a fistfight with their former ranch manager just because he was angry and would have loved nothing bettter. Not to mention the fact that he knew Thane well enough to know that he would have him thrown in jail for assault and probably bring a lawsuit against him.

  He knocked at the door. A harried Thane answered. Surprise registered on his face but only for a moment. He’d probably thought he could get away before Justin even had copies of the ranch accounts. He’d been wrong and it showed in his expression.

  “I guess I don’t have to tell you that you’re fired,” Justin said, glancing past him to where Thane had been filling more boxes.

  “You can’t fire me. I quit,” the man said belligerently.

  “Just don’t take anything that isn’t yours,” he said. “Once
my father is out of the hospital, he’ll decide if he wants to sue you for the money you stole from the ranch. I wouldn’t count on an employment recommendation.”

  “You think you’re so damned smart, don’t you?” Thane blustered. “It wouldn’t take much to knock you down to size. If I were you—”

  “You’re not me. You never will be. And keep trying to stir up trouble down at the bar in town and I will see that you’re locked behind bars until the accountant can come up with the exact amount you stole from this ranch,” Justin said.

  With that he turned and walked away, half expecting Thane to come after him, half hoping he would. The man made him forget about being a responsible adult right then.

  But maybe Thane wasn’t as stupid as he looked, Justin thought. Because all the man did was mumble obscenities under his breath and slam the door.

  * * *

  CHLOE COULDN’T HELP being nervous as she entered the sheriff’s department building. The last person she wanted to run into was Deputy Kelly Locke.

  She was sent straight back to Sheriff McCall Crawford’s office. She stepped in and closed the door behind her, making the sheriff lift an eyebrow in question.

  “Is this about your private investigation?” McCall asked.

  Chloe shook her head. “This is about another matter. I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but I dated one of your deputies in high school. It ended badly. I broke it off and he became vindictive, doing his best to ruin my senior year. But I survived it and put it behind me. Unfortunately, it seems he didn’t.”

  She pulled out her phone and handed it across the desk to the sheriff. “This wasn’t the first time he’s been threatening, but last night he pulled me over. I was scared so I recorded it.” She let the sheriff watch it before she said. “Unfortunately, I turned off the recording after that. Deputy Kelly Locke took out his baton as he walked back toward his patrol SUV and broke the taillight on my sister’s car, then said, ‘You’d better have someone fix that broken taillight. I’d hate to have to pull you over again. Next time, you won’t get off so easily.’”