B.J. Daniels the Cardwell Ranch Collection

by B. J Daniels

  He’d been wrong. He also realized that until that moment, he hadn’t really thought Dee had tried to kill Hilde. The scare at the falls had been just that. The incident under the raft? He thought Dee had probably pulled the same thing. Held Hilde under the raft then tried to save her, only this time Hilde had fought her off.

  Now he was angry with himself for not truly believing what Hilde had known in her heart. Dee was capable of horrendous things. Even murder. Maybe she’d drugged Rick. What had she done to get Hilde arrested? Tried to kill her only to have Hilde fight back?

  His heart was pounding as he switched on his lights and siren and raced toward Big Sky.

  * * *

  HILDE KNEW SHE was lucky that Hud hadn’t brought her into jail in handcuffs. She figured that might be Dana’s doing. Dana would go to bat for her even if she believed that her once best friend had attacked her cousin.

  It still amazed her that anyone would believe Dee. But look at the extremes the woman would go to. She was insane. How else could Hilde explain it? Insane and desperate. This was a ploy to keep Hilde from getting her fingerprints run. Which had to mean that Dee really wasn’t Dee Anna Justice—just as the now deceased Rick had insinuated.

  But none of that helped Hilde right now, she thought, as she looked across the marshal’s big desk. He was on the phone and had been for several minutes. From his tone of voice, she suspected it had been Dana who’d called, but Hilde now thought that Dana had put Dee on the line.

  “I do understand,” Hud was saying. “But I’d prefer that you came down here and we discussed this before you made any—” He listened for a moment, his gaze going to Hilde, before he said, “If you’re sure. I would strongly advise you against this.” More listening, then he said, “Fine,” and hung up.

  Hilde hadn’t realized that she’d been holding her breath toward the end of his conversation until she let it out as he hung up.

  Hud sat for a moment before he turned to her. “Dee is dropping the charges. I can still hold you, if I want to, and I’m certainly considering it.”

  She could tell that Dana had fought for her. Why else would Dee have dropped the charges? She felt tears sting her eyes. She knew better than to argue that she hadn’t done anything to Dee. She’d already tried the truth and that had gotten her arrested, so she waited.

  “Dee is filing a temporary restraining order that is good for twenty days. I assume you know what that is,” he said.

  A restraining order? It was all she could do not to scream. “It means I can’t go near her.” Which meant she couldn’t go near the ranch or Dana. Her tears now were of frustration. Dee kept maneuvering her into impossible situations where Hilde always came out looking like the villain.

  “That’s going to be hard to do in Big Sky. Hilde,” he said with a sigh. “Think about taking a vacation. Go see your mother in Chicago. Or go lay on a beach for a couple of weeks. Get out of here.”

  “For twenty days?” Wouldn’t Dee love that. “Or maybe she’ll make it a permanent restraining order, since she doesn’t seem to be leaving, does she?”

  “Hilde, I’m trying to help. I’d think you’d want to get out of here for a while.”

  “You don’t know how tempting that is, Hud.” She felt as beat-up as Dee was. She’d lost control of her life. She’d certainly lost her friends, her shop had been vandalized and she was losing faith that she would ever be able to fix any of this before things got worse.

  “Dana is worried about you,” he said, and she heard some of that old caring in his voice.

  “And I’m worried about her. I wish I could leave, but I can’t, Hud. I can’t leave Dana knowing what’s living in your house right now. I’m sorry,” she said when she saw his expression harden. “So can I go now?”

  He nodded. “Hilde? Stay away from Dee.”

  “Believe me, I’m doing my best. For the record, do you want to actually hear the truth?” She didn’t wait for him to answer. “I came out of the shop after locking up to find I had a flat tire. I should have suspected something then, but I’ve never been a suspicious person. I started to walk home, no big deal, that’s when I saw Dee. She called to me, said she had some news. When she got close, she told me she was leaving. She said she was sorry for what she’d done to me.”

  Hilde stopped for a moment, smiled and said, “You know I actually believed her. She is that good. And then she grabbed my hand, raked my fingernails down her face. I was so shocked I couldn’t move. I jerked my hand back. That’s when she picked up a chunk of broken sidewalk from the side of the street and hit herself in the face. I know,” she said, seeing his disbelieving expression. “I had the same reaction. Right after that was when she began to rip her clothing. She said no one would believe me. So far, she’s been dead-on, hasn’t she?”

  With that she turned and walked out, leaving Hud frowning after her.

  * * *

  ONLY A FEW miles out of Big Sky, Colt got the call that Dee was refusing to press charges, deciding to take out a temporary restraining order instead. He swore, anxious to get to Hilde and find out what had happened.

  He found her at her house. She hadn’t been home long when she opened the door. He saw that she had a stunned look on her face. Stunned and devastated. It was heartbreaking.

  Without a word, he took her in his arms. She was trembling. He took her over to the couch, then went to her liquor cabinet and found some bourbon. He poured her a couple fingers’ worth.

  “Drink this,” he said.

  “Aren’t you afraid what I might do liquored up?” she asked sarcastically.

  “Terrified,” he said and stood over her until she’d downed every drop. “You want to talk about it?” he asked, taking the empty glass from her and joining her on the couch.

  She let out a laugh. “I hardly believe what happened. Why would I expect anyone else to?”

  “I believe you. I believe everything you’ve told me.”

  Tears welled in her brown eyes. He drew her to him and kissed her, holding her tightly. “I’m sorry you had to go through this alone.”

  She nodded and wiped hastily at the tears as she drew back to look at him. “You’re my only hope right now. We have to find out whatever we can about this woman.” And then she told him everything, from finding the shop vandalized to what led up to her being nearly arrested.

  When she finished, he said, “We shouldn’t be surprised.”

  “Surprised? I’m still in shock. To do something like that to yourself...”

  “You knew Dee was sick.”

  Hilde nodded. “What will she do next? That’s what worries me.”

  Colt didn’t want to say it, but that worried him, too. “Maybe Hud has the right idea. Isn’t there somewhere—”

  “I’m not leaving. Dee told me that I’ve never had to fight for anything. Well, I’m fighting now. I’m bringing her down. One way or another.”

  “Hilde—”

  “She has to be stopped.”

  “I agree. But we have to be careful. She’s dangerous.” He felt his phone vibrate, checked it and saw that his boss had sent him a text. “Hud wants to see me ASAP.” Not good. “I don’t want to leave you here alone.”

  “I’ll be fine. Dee won this round. She won’t do anything for a while, and I’m not going to give her another chance to use me like she did today.”

  He heard the courage as well as the determination in her voice. Hilde was strong and, no matter what Dee had told her, she was a fighter.

  “Would you mind if I came by later?”

  Her kiss answered that question quite nicely.

  * * *

  HUD WAS WAITING when Colt arrived. He motioned him into his office. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he said the moment Colt closed the door and sat down.

  “I be
g your pardon?” He had a pretty good idea what the problem was, but he wasn’t about to hand him the rope to hang him.

  “Tell me about the unauthorized request to run fingerprints you sent to the crime lab,” the marshal said.

  That’s what Colt figured. Someone had caught his friend. He hated that he’d gotten the man into trouble. Sticking out his own neck was one thing. Sticking out someone else’s was a whole other story.

  “They’re the woman’s now staying at your house, the one you call Dee Anna Justice,” he said.

  Hud swore and slammed a hand down on his desk as he sat forward. “What the hell were you thinking sending an unauthorized request to the crime lab?”

  “I was trying to protect you and your family.”

  “That isn’t going to wash and you know it. Well, let me give you the news. There are no prints on file.” Hud let that sink in. “That’s right. Dee has no record. Satisfied?”

  So she’d never been arrested. That didn’t surprise him given what he’d seen of her maneuvers so far.

  “This is about Hilde, isn’t it?” Hud demanded. “You did this for her. This is so you can get closer to her.”

  Colt got to his feet. “If that’s what you think—”

  “You’re suspended.”

  This, too, didn’t come as a surprise. He met Hud’s gaze. “If you really think I would use law enforcement resources to try to get a woman in bed, then I think you should fire me.”

  “Damn it, Colt, you’re a fine deputy marshal and I don’t want to lose you. Two weeks without pay. Get out of here.”

  He left Hud’s office, knowing there was nothing he could say. He’d taken a risk. It had cost him. Worse, it had only made Dee look more innocent.

  “Colt,” Annie whispered, as he started for the door out of the station. He could tell that she’d probably heard everything. The department was small, the walls thin. She motioned him over and secretly slipped him a folded sheet of paper. “I think you’ll want to see this.”

  They both heard Hud come out of his office. Colt mouthed Thank you and quickly left. It wasn’t until he reached home that he finally unfolded the sheet and saw what was written on it.

  He went straight to his computer. It didn’t take long before he found what he was looking for—and then some.

  Chapter Twelve

  Hilde knew things hadn’t gone well at the marshal’s office the moment she opened the door and saw Colt’s face.

  “What happened?” she asked, as she let him in.

  “Nothing to worry about.”

  “He found out that you sent Dee’s fingerprints to the crime lab.”

  “I knew there was a chance that might happen.”

  “Tell me he didn’t fire you,” she cried.

  “He didn’t. Suspended for two weeks. As it turns out, the suspension couldn’t come at a better time. I’ve got some news.”

  They moved into the kitchen, where Hilde got him a beer and poured a glass of wine for herself. She had a feeling she was going to need it. “I hate getting you into trouble.”

  “You didn’t. I’m in this just as deep as you are,” he said, and kissed her as he took the cold bottle of beer she offered him. He took a sip. She watched him, desire making her legs weak as water.

  She dropped into a chair in front of the fireplace, curling her legs under her and taking a drink of her wine. She’d built a small fire since he’d said he would be back. She’d tried not to count the minutes.

  Colt didn’t sit but stood in front of the fire. She could tell he was worked up, too antsy to sit.

  “You have news?” she asked, afraid what he was about to tell her.

  “Rick Cameron’s real name was Richard Northland. Cameron was apparently one of a number of aliases he has used. He was a small-time con artist, been arrested a couple of times, but nothing that got him more than a little jail time. The person he cheated tended to drop the charges.”

  Hilde felt her eyes widen. “So he and Dee had a lot in common.”

  “I’m sure Dee was shocked by the news when Hud told her.”

  Hilde let out a humorless laugh. “I’m sure she was.”

  “There’s more. Her fingerprints weren’t on file. But when I did some digging online, I found a story about Richard and his sister, Camilla Northland.”

  “His sister?”

  Colt nodded. “The two of them were the only survivors of a fire at their home in Tuttle, Oklahoma. Both parents were killed. Apparently there was some suspicion that one or both might have purposely started the fire. Richard was fourteen at the time, Camilla sixteen.”

  “Are you saying what I think you are?” Hilde asked.

  “I’m trying hard not to jump to any conclusions. All we know for sure is that the man lying in the morgue is Richard Northland from Tuttle, Oklahoma. I’ll know more once I get there.”

  “Get there?”

  “I’m flying to Oklahoma tomorrow on the first flight out.”

  Hilde got up from her chair and moved to the fire as a sudden chill skittered across her skin like spider legs. “You think there’s a possibility that Dee is his sister?”

  “A possibility based on nothing more than a feeling that the two of them knew each other longer than Dee said.”

  She recalled how Rick had turned around when the naked Dee had gotten out of the lake. “Dana thought Rick was Dee’s boyfriend.”

  “Probably because that’s what she told her. I haven’t been able to find out much of anything about Camilla because she dropped off radar right after the fire. According to a newspaper account, the two were going to live with an aunt since their parents were the only family they had.”

  “She dropped off the radar because she’s not using her real name?”

  “That would be my guess. While I’m gone I want you to stay clear of Dee.”

  “If she finds out where you’ve gone...”

  “She won’t. I’ll tell someone at the station that I’m going to Denver to see my brother. I’m sure by now they all know I’ve been suspended.”

  “Colt,” she said, touching his strong shoulder. “I don’t want to see you lose your job.”

  “I won’t. I think whatever I find out in Oklahoma will change things drastically.”

  Hilde couldn’t help being nervous. “Be careful. I’m just afraid what Dee might do if she thinks you’re onto her. So far it’s just me she’s after.”

  “Yeah, that’s what worries me. Look what happened to Rick,” Colt said.

  Hilde shivered and he took her in his arms. “I just don’t want her moving up her plan, whatever it is.”

  “I’m more worried about you. I wish you were going with me.”

  “If we both went, it would look even more suspicious. Anyway, she’s accomplished what she set out to do. Dana and I are hardly speaking.”

  “I hate seeing you like this,” he said, and kissed her. “It’s going to be all right. I know you’re worried about Dana. But we’re going to get this resolved.”

  She nodded. “Hopefully before something horrible happens.”

  “Hilde, I don’t think Dee is through with you, so be careful.”

  “I will.”

  “Promise?”

  She smiled and leaned up to kiss him. “I’ll be careful.”

  “I’ll call you from Oklahoma as soon as I know something. I won’t be gone any longer than I have to. I’m going home to pack, but first...” He swung her up in his arms. “I don’t want you to forget about me while I’m gone.”

  “Like that could happen,” she said with a laugh, as he carried her into the bedroom.

  * * *

  COLT TRIED TO get on standby, but the earliest flight he could get on was that afternoon. He hated leaving Hilde. Last n
ight he’d managed to talk her into letting Ronnie open the shop and man it until he got back. It had taken some talking, though. Hilde was one determined woman.

  He tried not to speculate on what Dee might do. When he’d called Annie at the office, he’d told her he was flying to Denver to visit his brother. Of course, she knew he’d been suspended.

  “Mrs. Savage was in earlier,” Annie told him in a hushed whisper. “She and the boss had a row over your suspension. Seems her cousin has booked a flight to New York City for Saturday.”

  That had been news. Saturday was only two days away. If Dee was telling the truth. “I suppose there is no way to find out if she really did book that flight,” he said to Annie.

  She chuckled. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  After he hung up, he wondered if this meant Dee was giving up. Maybe she’d realized that Hilde had her fingerprints and DNA, so it wouldn’t be long before they knew who she really was. Best to leave town before that happened, huh, Dee?

  His plane landed in Salt Lake City with a short layover before he flew into Oklahoma City, where he rented a car. It was too late to drive to Tuttle, so he got a motel. When he called Hilde, she sounded fine, anxious, but staying in the house. He breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Try to get some sleep,” he told her. “I won’t know anything until tomorrow at the soonest.” He didn’t sleep well at all and early the next morning set off for Tuttle.

  The town had once been a tiny suburb. Now the buildings along the former main street were boarded up. It was one of many small, dying towns across the country.

  Colt stopped at the combination grocery and gas station and wandered inside. A fan whirred in the window near the counter behind an elderly woman who sat thumbing through a movie magazine.

  “Can you believe all the divorces they have out in Hollywood?” She looked up at him over her glasses as if actually expecting an answer.

  “No, I can’t.”