by Vikki Walton
She nodded. “I can do that. Here, let me show you where the bathroom is.”
They walked up the stairs in silence and after Carson went toward the end of the hall, Anne returned to her room. She picked up a pillow that had fallen on the floor and stuffed it into a crisp, clean pillowcase. She had just finished the other one and turned back to the sheets when Carson appeared in the doorway.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Here, let me help you with that.”
“You better watch out. Those are the best words women want to hear from a man.”
He laughed. “Yes, my wife always said she lucked out with me over all those ‘other’ bum husbands.”
Anne swept her hand under the mattress, tucking in the sheet. “I’m really sorry about your wife.”
“Thanks. When you say, ‘til death do us part,’ you don’t ever think that it will happen so soon.”
“And you never remarried?”
“No. I didn’t think I could handle any more heartache if anything happened again.”
“Yes.” Anne knew exactly how heartache could stop you loving or trusting again.
Carson grabbed the coverlet for the bed, and with one swift motion, he covered the bed. He smoothed it up over the pillow and then along the side.
“It looks like you’ve done this a time or two.”
“You forget, I’ve been on my own a while. And I have my own house.”
She nodded, and they headed out from the bedroom to the hallway. A meow greeted them.
Carson reached down and picked up the cat. “Why, Mouser, how big you’ve grown and what a handsome man you are.” He stroked the cat’s fur, and Mouser began purring loudly.
He set Mouser down, who then wrapped around Carson’s bare legs a couple of turns and bounded off down the stairs.
“Does that mean what I think it means?” He smiled down at her.
“Yes, yes it does. He wants food.”
They broke down laughing and walked in companionable silence down the stairs.
“Where would you like to go this evening?”
“Oh.” Anne had forgotten. “How about you choose? Where do you think would be the best place to start the rumor mill?”
“Good point. How about the Hall? It’s casual and all you have to do is get those old codgers to talk to their wives, and bam, we’re in business.”
“Sounds good. Say seven?”
“How about five-thirty?”
“Five-thirty!”
“Remember, these guys eat early, or they have to get home for dinner. That may even be late.”
Anne sighed. “Oh, okay.”
“One more thing before I go.”
“Yes?”
He came and stood in front of her, close but not touching. She stared up into dark brown eyes.
“I’ll be putting on a lot of PDA, but not in a sleazy way.”
“Okay, sure.” She had a hard time concentrating.
“May I?”
She nodded.
He kissed her.
Then she kissed him.
Then he kissed her.
“Oh, stop it. It’s not a competition.” They laughed and kissed one more time.
“Thank you.”
She wanted to scream out ‘no—thank you’ but she simply nodded her head. After they pulled apart from their embrace, she put her hand to her mouth. Years. Years since a man had kissed her like that.
“I don’t know what I would have done if you would have said no on helping me out.”
Her mouth dropped open. Was this just a ruse they were playing?
As if he had read her mind, he reached over and clasped her chin. “You know I’m not playing with you.”
Tears sprung to her eyes.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you would take it like that.” He pulled her into a hug.
“I’m o…kay,” she stuttered, but before she could help it, the tears were flowing. He held her while she wept. When he released her, she looked up at him. “I——don’t know why you’re crying. I may have been without a woman in my life for a while, but it doesn’t mean I don’t know women.” He softly kissed the top of her head. “Until tonight.”
“More like this afternoon.” She led him to the front door. After he left, she thought long and hard. Either she believed Carson, or she didn’t. Could she think he was guilty of doing anything like starting a fire in Hope’s shop or worse, being a killer vigilante? She concluded that she had to trust her gut. In her heart, he was a good man. Love may be blind, but she had to trust that she could still see and think clearly.
The evening turned out to be lots of fun. They enjoyed chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, and a house salad. Afterward, they chose to skip dessert and walk around Main Street. They took their time, walking hand in hand, stopping and looking in shop windows. From that vantage view, they enjoyed the spectacle mirrored in the windows of the people behind them staring, pointing and whispering behind their backs.
“We don’t need to worry. I think we accomplished what we set out to do.”
“Agreed. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it as the headline on the Carolan Springs paper.”
He turned to her. “I could get used to this type of detecting work.”
“See, I told you that you needed me.”
“And you were right.” He stopped, and Anne realized that he may not have meant to say those words aloud. But there they were.
She couldn’t help it. “I’m always right.”
“Always?”
“Okay, ninety-eight percent of the time.” She laughed and crooked her arm through his. They decided to stop at the new Italian restaurant for dessert. Anne ordered tiramisu and a coffee, while Carson went for the panna cotta with an espresso. The Hall had cleared out from the early birds and was now filling up with the younger crowd who came for local bands and dancing.
“Dance?” He motioned toward the Hall.
“Not tonight. Thanks.”
“Okay, well as much as I hate to, I need to take you home.”
They reached his car and Anne gasped. The tires had been slashed and his car keyed. His windows had also been smashed. As Carson surveyed the damage, they saw Officer Dale’s cruiser pull up.
Anne called out, “Officer Dale! Over here!”
He got out of his car and came over to the pair. “Whoa, someone did a number on your vehicle.”
“How do you know it’s his vehicle?”
“I put in the license number when I pulled up.”
“Oh, okay.” That made sense.
“I got a call that someone heard a disturbance, so I came over.”
“Did anyone see anything?”
Carson finally spoke. “Whoever did this knew the time to pick. Once the music starts up, there are so many people coming and going that people don’t pay attention. A short amount of time when there’s no one around and you can smash windows quickly.”
Anne had gone around to the driver’s side. She gasped. “Look at this.”
The men came over and looked at letters scratched in the door. ‘El Toro.’
“The bull.” Anne’s eyes grew wide.
“What do you make of that, Carson?” Officer Dale asked. He’d wiped the back of his neck as they talked, and his hand came back sweaty.
“No idea. Kids maybe?”
“We have been having lots of vandalism. You don’t suppose—wait, another thought just came to me. Did you do this?” He faced Carson squarely.
Anne could see Carson getting angry, but he said nothing. She reached over and wrapped her hands around his tightened fist. His grip relaxed, and he held her hand. “No. I did not do this.”
“I had to ask. You know, you could have been trying to divert suspicion away from yourself by having a vandal attack your car.”
“While that could be a consideration to review,” Carson said, reverting to his formal sheriff mode, “I wouldn’t destroy my car to do so.”
“Al
l right. Let me get the particulars and I’ll go ask if anyone saw or heard anything.”
“Can I call a tow truck?”
Officer Dale nodded. If we need pictures, we can get them from you. I know you know the protocol.”
He strode off to the Hall.
“I’m so sorry. Who could have done this? And why?”
“I don’t know but I do know something he said was important.”
“Yes? What?”
“About having someone do it. I need to talk to Spencer.”
After the tow truck arrived, Kandi had arrived with Stewart to pick up the pair.
“Whoa, like, what happened?” Kandi ran over and hugged Anne.
“We’re okay, sweetie. Someone with nothing better to do than destroy someone else’s property.”
Stewart came over and shook Carson’s hand. The men watched as the vehicle was loaded onto the tow truck bed. “Any witnesses?”
“No. At least that are talking now.”
“And no cameras here. The good thing about living in a small town… and the bad.” Stewart nodded over to the women. “We’ll take Anne home and then we can swing by your place. Do you need a vehicle? I can probably see about borrowing one for you.”
“I’m good. I’ll ride my bike into the shop tomorrow and find out how long it will take for the car to be fixed so I’ll know how long to rent one. I’ve got my Jeep four-runner so I can use it for now.”
“Too bad you can’t use the cruiser.”
“Yes, but I’m off duty until further notice.”
Stewart reached up and stroked his facial hair. “I know they’ll get everything cleared up.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. Right now, I’m more concerned with that peach fuzz on your face.”
“I’m thinking of growing a beard.”
Carson slapped Stewart on the back. “Well, if you want me to show you how it’s done, let me know.”
Anne and Kandi joined them, and they headed over to Carson’s house. He exited the truck and then turned back to Anne. He kissed her hand and said, “I’ll see you at five.”
“Five? For another early dinner tomorrow?”
“No, tomorrow morning. We’re going hiking.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Anne dragged herself out of bed and climbed into a tank top, overshirt and hiking pants. Last night she packed a small backpack with her water, snacks, a hat, and windbreaker for the occasional mountain shower. She was lacing up her hiking boots when she heard a knock on the back door.
“Have you been waiting out here long? You could have rung the front doorbell.”
“I didn’t want to give people the wrong impression by seeing me on your front porch at five in the morning.”
“Thanks for protecting my honor.”
“‘To serve and protect.’ That’s my motto.”
“How about a motto of not getting up at the crack of dawn to go hiking? You know I love you but—”
“You love me?”
“It’s a turn of phrase.” She batted at him. “Which you know. Now, I can’t handle all this early morning banter. Please tell me why you feel this need to go out where no one can see us. How does this help our progress on learning anything?”
“You’ll see soon enough, ND.” He watched as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail and stuck it through a baseball cap.
She saw him staring. “What?”
“Nothing. I tell you what. How about afterward we head over to Denver and eat breakfast at Snooze?
“Okay, you’ve redeemed yourself.”
Patches of light mixed with the dark as they made their way along the first part of the trail. They spoke little, just enjoyed the birdsong or the occasional chipmunk that crossed their path. Anne noticed that Carson wasn’t rushing, but he wasn’t taking his time either.
“We’re going somewhere. You have a purpose for this.”
“I knew you were a smart woman the minute I met you.” He smiled back at her and reached for her hand. As he did, he turned off the trail and headed up an embankment.
“We should really stay on the trail. What if we get lost?”
“Don’t worry. I’ve lived in these mountains for many years. I have my GPS and I was a scout and have my compass. Plus, we’re not going far. You’ll see. Just listen to me and do exactly as I say it when I say it.”
She nodded.
They hiked higher and higher until they came to a ridge. They went down into a smaller gulley and began another ascent.
“When I tell you, I need you to drop down. Got it?”
She nodded.
They were a few yards from the top of the ridge when he motioned for her to get down. She dropped to her belly and began scooting forward like a crab.
He laughed. “I didn’t mean you had to turn into a commando. Just stay down low and close to trees.”
He crouched down and began inching his way up the steep hill. As they both reached the top, Anne noticed from their vantage point they could see down onto the Bennett’s old place. RV doors were opening and shutting, and the sound of men’s voices was heard on the air.
Carson pulled out a set of binoculars from his pants pocket. He trained them down on the compound, now coming alive with workers.
“Tell me what you see.” He handed the binoculars to Anne.
“Obviously, lots of men in all stages of dress. Ohhhhh—”
“Give me those back.” He reached toward her.
She ignored him and moved the glasses away from the RVs and toward where a large building was going up. The building had metal studs and some of the metal trusses were already in place.
“Looks like a big warehouse to me.”
“Yes, but it also looks like they’re putting in a huge array of solar panels.”
“Why’s that a problem?”
“I’m just curious why they need that much electricity for an event center.”
“Maybe they’re trying to recoup some of their costs by selling electricity back to the utility company? I mean it’s a huge space, plus you have the Bennett’s old house, looks to be a few more going up…” She looked through the field glasses again. “And it looks like they’ve removed some trees in their backfield and mowed it down. It’s covered in clover.”
“Let me see.” Carson scanned the property with the glasses. Finally, he sighed.
“Disappointed? What did you expect to find?”
“I don’t know. I just think this has to have something to do with everything else going on.”
“Are you ready to leave?”
“Yep. Come on.” Crouching, they moved away from the top of the ridge until they felt confident no one could see them if there was anyone on watch.
He held her hand tightly as they slid and side-walked down the steep side and back to the trail. They had gone a short distance when they saw Mary jogging toward them.
She looked surprised to see them. “Well, hello. You’re out early. She glanced toward the area they’d just come. What are you doing?”
“Birdwatching.” Carson pulled the binoculars from his pocket. As if on cue, a bird flitted over to a branch on a tree.
“What’s that one called?” Mary pointed.
Anne stumbled for words. Carson replied, “That’s a common yellowthroat. Looks to be the male with that bright yellow on him.”
“Yes, that’s what I was going to say.” Anne smiled at Mary. “Oh, I forgot my manners. Mary, this is Sheriff Carson. Ummm, I mean, Carson.” Stumbling over her words, she said, “This is Mary Smith. She’s staying at the Brandywine Inn now.”
The woman reached over and shook Carson’s hand with a firm grip. “Hello. Hope nothing’s wrong out here?” she joked.
“No. Nothing.” Anne took Carson’s hand and slipped her other hand around his arm. “We’re dating.”
“Dating?” She surveyed them both.
“Yes, we’ve discovered we have a lot in common—like birdwatching.”
“I see that black and w
hite bird around a lot.” She faced Anne.
Anne knew this one. “Ahh, the magpie. Some people often mistake it for our state bird.”
“Which is what?”
“Lark Bunting.” Carson responded.
Anne pointed to Carson. “He beat me to it. What I was going to say.”
Mary said nothing but continued to survey the pair. Finally, she shook her legs and said, “I better get back to my run. Good seeing you. Have fun with your watching.”
Anne and Carson watched as the woman jogged off in the distance.
“Did you feel like a kid who got caught with their hand in the cookie jar?” Anne wiped her brow.
“I felt something but more like I was being interrogated.”
“I know what you mean. She has that vibe, right?” Anne took out a bottle and took a swig of water. “And her hanging out with Ruiz. Makes you wonder.”
“It certainly does.” He took her arm. “Pancakes or eggs?”
“Both!”
After they’d ordered pineapple pancakes, omelets, and hash browns, they sipped their drinks. He’d picked a coffee while Anne had selected a mimosa. They chatted about each other’s life when they were younger and swapped stories as they enjoyed their meal.
“I want to make a pit stop before we head back to Carolan Springs. Okay with you?”
She nodded affirmation.
After Carson paid the check, they got in his rented vehicle and he drove toward the Botanical Gardens. As they passed it, he said, “Would you like to go there sometime? We could do the gardens and then dinner.”
“Sounds nice.” Anne watched as he turned onto Lincoln. “Where are we going?”
“Just a minute more.”
They made a couple more turns and Anne realized where they were.
“The Sheriff’s Department? You sure know how to show a girl a good time.”
“I know someone in here and I need to check something out. Would you like to come in or wait out here?”
“If it’s okay with you, I might stay out here.” She reclined the seat back a bit and yawned.
“Okay, I shouldn’t be too long. If it seems it will be longer than I think, I’ll call you.”
“Mm hm.” She closed her eyes as the warm sun enveloped her.
