The Ties That Bind

by Andi Marquette

  "It says I'm scared but I need you and I'll do everything I can to stay present and to not run away." I covered her hand with mine.

  "I'm scared, too," she said, barely above a whisper. "And I need you more than you know." She looked at me, intent, and a strange, hot current seemed to flow between our hands, from hers to mine and back again, looping. I might have dismissed it as something I was imagining, but it had happened the week before, after the porch incident, and it had surprised me then. Now, as the sensation passed as quickly as it had begun, I felt comfort. I leaned in and kissed Sage, knowing that words were inadequate, and sometimes, letting things unfold was the best response.

  The room phone rang and Sage groaned against my lips.

  "Dammit. Our wake-up call." I sighed and pulled away, but Sage stopped me and kissed me again, long and gentle. The phone continued to ring. She nipped my lower lip as the kiss ended and the phone stopped ringing.

  "I love you," she said. "Don't forget that." She stared at me for a while, until the phone rang again and she reached for it.

  "I won't."

  "Good." She flashed me a little impish Sage grin. "Good morning, Kara. K.C.'s about to get into the shower. We'll meet you at your room in a half-hour." She playfully nudged me with her foot to get out of bed. I planted one more kiss on her bare shoulder and threw the covers back.

  "Tell her I expect a big, hot, cup of awesome coffee," I said as I headed for the bathroom. And a day that goes by without any freaky shit happening. I turned on the hot water and let it course over my skin.

  "WELL, THAT WAS a fucking bust," I said as we left Ridge Star headquarters. I slid into the driver's seat while Kara got in on the passenger's side. We sat in silence for a bit, me both frustrated and relieved.

  "Maybe not," Kara announced. "That's Clint Monroe."

  I looked past her toward the entrance of Ridge Star headquarters, a bland cream-colored storefront on the eastern edge of town. A man wearing jeans and a light blue button-down shirt had exited the building and was getting into a big black pickup truck that was parked in front.

  "You sure?"

  "Yep. I found a promo photo of him on the web when I was looking for the Ridge Star phone number. And there's another picture of him on the wall in there."

  "Guess he thought the coast was clear," I said as I put my sunglasses on.

  "Must have," Kara agreed, but with an innocent tone that meant she was up to no good.

  He backed the truck up and turned left onto the main road, headed east.

  "Hmm. Now isn't that just a tad suspicious, how the receptionist told us he wasn't able to come in today after all." I started the engine.

  "Just a tad." She shot me an expression that reminded me of when we were kids and Kara was about to propose something completely nuts that I'd nevertheless completely buy into. "Let's follow him."

  I pulled into traffic, knowing that on any other day, I'd think this was insane. But given everything that had happened in the past week, it was perfectly natural to be tailing a guy with ties to an oil and gas company that just might be responsible for the murder of my girlfriend's dad.

  "Hold up. He's turning again."

  I slowed down, hanging back a bit as he turned onto northbound Highway 550, which would take him along the Animas River for a few miles through landscape that was a mixture of green river valley constrained within high desert buttes and hills littered with piñon trees, sage, and cactus. I turned as well, letting him get ahead of me a few hundred feet. "So what's your plan?" I asked after another thirty seconds passed and Monroe hadn't turned.

  "I just want to see where he goes. Something's funky, since everybody back at Ridge Star said he wasn't going to come into the office today."

  "Maybe it's the enviro-geek vibe you give off. They thought you might chain yourself to a rig out there on one of the mesas."

  "Well, duh. Where else would I chain myself out here? A rock?"

  "Save the rocks! Only three million years before they're worn to pebbles!" I said in a fake announcer voice. Kara smacked me on the thigh. "Ow. Damn. I'm trading you in on a new model."

  "Good luck. I'm the prototype."

  I laughed and directed my attention out the windshield, watching the tailgate of Monroe's truck. We weren't close enough for me to read the license plate, so I accelerated a little. "There's a little notebook and a pen in the glove compartment," I said as I closed the distance between my car and Monroe's. "Can you see his plate number?" I glanced over at Kara as she leaned forward and dug the items out.

  "Not quite. Try to get a little closer."

  "This would've been so much easier in the parking lot," I muttered as I pushed the gas pedal again.

  "But then we wouldn't be able to play Nancy Drew. This is more interesting." She paused. "A little closer..." Kara opened the notebook and turned pages until she got to a blank one.

  I sped up a bit.

  "Yeah. Got it."

  I slowed down, letting Monroe pull ahead again, still driving north on Highway 550. "I'm having a thought."

  "Careful. Don't want you to hurt yourself."

  "Jesus, little sisters are annoying. I'll bet Nancy Drew didn't have to deal with this shit."

  "No, she just had to put up with Ned what's-his-name following her around making moony eyes at her."

  The road narrowed to two-lane and the landscape closed in around the river to the east, on Kara's side, and my thought started shifting into a Very Bad Feeling. "I think he's going to Purcell's." My stomach clenched a little. If that's where Monroe was headed, I doubted it was for a social call.

  Kara didn't respond. "Okay, let's go over the reasons he would do that," she said, concern lacing her tone.

  I gripped the wheel a little tighter. "He knows something about Bill's death and he thinks Purcell does, too. Or, Monroe is responsible for Bill's death and thinks Purcell put us on his tail. Which isn't incorrect." We were about three miles from the turnoff that would take us to Purcell's driveway.

  "But Purcell left Ridge Star before Bill died. He doesn't know much about Bill's death beyond what he told us."

  "If that's true, why would he lie about seeing Nestor?"

  "He's scared."

  "Of what?" I was pushing her, which I knew was shitty, but on the other hand, she needed to come clean if Shoshana had told her something that had any bearing on Bill's death.

  "Ridge Star. They forced him out and with the list of injuries and deaths on rigs, he decided to keep his mouth shut."

  "So why, then, is he suddenly getting threats after we show up? What exactly does he know?" I steered around a curve and sure enough, Monroe had slowed at the turnoff that would take him to Purcell's driveway. He turned right and in my peripheral vision, I saw Kara pull her cell phone out of her pocket and push a couple of buttons. I drove past the turnoff so as not to tip Monroe off. Kara left a message for who I guessed was Shoshana. I turned into a dirt pullout about a quarter-mile past the turn that would take us to Purcell's driveway and stopped the car, though I left the engine running. "Do you have Purcell's number?"

  "No. Dammit."

  "Text Shoshana. Tell her what Monroe's doing and that she needs to call her uncle. Then call you." Hopefully, Shoshana was one of those people who carried her phone on her person all the time.

  Kara did as I suggested, her thumbs flying over her keypad as I put the car in gear again and steered back toward Farmington. I slowed as we neared the turnoff Monroe had taken and before I could talk myself out of it, I took it, as well. Kara didn't try to talk me out of it, either. What the hell was I going to do if Monroe appeared, headed back to the highway? If he had been in Ridge Star headquarters when Kara and I had shown up that morning, he'd recognize us. And maybe he wasn't going to Purcell's. Maybe he himself lived out here. What an irony that would be, though it would make it easier to spy on Purcell. Or maybe he really was on his way to chat with Purcell. Offer him a nicer severance package. Yeah, that's it. Ridge Star's suddenly getting all
interested in community service. And I sprout wings and a tail every full moon.

  I decreased the car's speed as we approached Purcell's driveway. Shit. I couldn't see the front of the house from this angle because the driveway crooked to the left, between trees. The road we were on forked--left to Purcell's, a slight right to what I presumed were other houses. Lesser of two evils. I went right, taking a chance on my assumption that Monroe had gone left.

  This road was in better shape than Purcell's driveway, indicating that it received more use and might even be owned by the county and graded regularly. Tall weeds and grasses lined either side, offering a bit of cover if someone left Purcell's house, stayed on the driveway, and then went right back to the highway. A break in the line of weeds on my left caught my attention and I slowed down even more. A green metal livestock gate beyond which vehicles-- probably the farmer who owned this piece of land--had etched twin tire tracks into the field. I pulled my car up to the gate, getting off the road.

  "What are you doing?" Kara asked as I unbuckled my seat belt.

  "This field runs close to Purcell's house. You can't see it from the house itself because of the trees, but I saw it when we drove in to talk to him." I opened my door. "I'm going to find out if Monroe's there."

  Kara stared at me with the kind of expression people get when they realize their friends might be possessed by an alien life form. "And that's a good idea because...?"

  "Because if he's there causing problems for Purcell, we're witnesses who can place Monroe there at this time on this day." I held my cell phone up. "And if he's there, I might be able to get a couple of photos of his truck." I put my phone back in the pocket of my shorts. "Evidence," I said as I got out of the car. I closed the door and leaned in through the open window. "The key's in the ignition. If I'm not back in twenty minutes--mark the time--call Sage and tell her to call Simmons and get her out here. If Monroe shows up on this road before twenty minutes are up, text me that and meet me at the top of Purcell's driveway."

  "This is nuts," she said, grim, but I knew from her tone that she wasn't going to argue much.

  "We haven't heard from Shoshana yet and if Monroe is at Purcell's, he might be messing with him. Purcell needs witnesses to that."

  "Twenty minutes," she said.

  I nodded and turned away.

  "Kase--"

  I looked back at her, waiting.

  "Put your phone on vibrate."

  "Oh, yeah. Thanks." I did so, checked the time on it, then slid it back into my pocket, and in ten steps stood at the gate. The chain that held it closed was padlocked. "Shit," I said under my breath as I climbed over it. I had been hoping that I wouldn't have to deal with a lock. Or Monroe. What if he was positioned somewhere with a high-powered rifle and a scope? That thought freaked me out. I'd been shot at before, and it wasn't something I wanted to go through again. So that's why I'm climbing over a fence to sneak up on some guy's house and find out if the man who murdered Sage's dad is there. Way to avoid trouble, Kase.

  Once on the other side of the gate, I started jogging down one of the tracks, which seemed to be headed straight for Purcell's. How convenient. I had worn my hikers today--lucky for me--because running in Birkenstocks is a bit like running in flip-flops and that might've proven a bit difficult to negotiate through the field. My toes still hurt from yesterday's kicking incident, but not enough to prevent me from jogging or, if necessary, sprinting for my life. Hell, if Monroe didn't get me, the person who owned this field might. I hoped it didn't come to either of those scenarios. Maybe Monroe wasn't even at Purcell's. Maybe he had gone down that other road to a drill site or something and Kara and I would laugh about this later. "Remember the time you climbed over that fence then took off across that field to go spy on Clint Monroe?" Yep. A good laugh. I hoped.

  The track I was on led to an irrigation ditch that ran parallel to most of Purcell's driveway. The left-hand crook the driveway made was to my right, on the other side of the ditch. I crossed it, walking on the concrete mini-dam that helped control the flow of water into the field. The farmer could regulate what went through the grate in the dam with a flow control device. I held onto it--a metal steering wheel on a pipe sunk into the concrete-- as I crossed. Though it was probably near eighty degrees already, it would still suck to fall into cold irrigation water.

  Once on the opposite side of the ditch, I went right, walking through weeds and tall grasses that tickled my bare skin. On my left ran the fence that separated Purcell's drive from this field and on my right ran the ditch. I had about ten feet between fence and ditch. The ditch itself was about four feet across. If I had to jump it on the way back instead of use the mini-dam, I hoped ten feet was enough room for a good running start. I could just see that. I'd come barreling toward the fence from Purcell's house, Monroe breathing up my ass, and I'd have to fling myself over a four-foot fence then run full speed at a ditch. Jesus. What the fuck am I doing? If Sage knew about this, she would throw me into the ditch then pull me out and throw me in again. Then she'd tell Chris, who would do the same thing. This is so nuts. Kara's so right. Regardless, I was out here now, so I might as well complete my mission.

  I stopped at the point where Purcell's driveway jagged away from the ditch and toward the house. Though cottonwoods and willows obscured my view, I could see Purcell's house and a black pickup parked in front. I texted four words to Kara: "Monroe's there. Going closer." Only six minutes had elapsed since I'd left the car. It felt like sixty.

  Now I had to figure out how to climb over this fence and get closer to the house without anybody seeing me. I went a bit farther downstream along the ditch, about twenty yards from where the driveway jagged toward the house, and inspected the fence. I'd climbed lots of fences in my day. This part was made up of four strands of barbed wire. I tested one of the strands for tension and smiled at my luck. It was loose and I could squeeze between two of the strands by pushing down on the lower and stepping through. I did so, careful not to catch my T-shirt on the upper strand.

  I'm crazy, I reminded myself as I worked my way closer to Purcell's house through the underbrush, using the trees as cover. Every few steps I'd stop and listen. For what? Yelling? Gunshots? Dogs barking in a frenzy? I wasn't sure, but I did it anyway. I needed to get close enough to get a clear picture of Monroe's truck and his license plate and I had to do it without drawing any attention to myself. Fortunately, the rear of the truck faced me. New Mexico plates had to be on the rear of a vehicle, but they were not required on the front. That made my spying mission easier.

  Thirty yards from the house, I stopped again, listening. This time, I heard voices. Purcell must've left a window open or the front door was open and I was hearing through the screen. I couldn't tell from this distance what was being said, but I recognized Purcell's voice and he did not sound happy. The other voice I figured was

  Monroe's. I edged closer and stopped behind a tree. From here, I could get a good shot of the front of the house and the truck. I took my phone out and snapped a couple of pictures, but I needed to get closer to see the license plate. My stomach wrapped itself around my spine and my heart hammered in my ears. Holy crap, I cannot believe I'm doing this. I fought an urge to run screaming back to the car and instead crouched a little lower and moved to another tree, trying not to think about how badly I needed to pee.

  I made it to the edge of the clearing that served as the parking area for the house. From my vantage point, the house stood to my right. Monroe's truck was parked about twenty feet away, right in front of me. I saw the Nova, but the Kia was gone. So was the blue pickup. But where were the dogs? No sign of either Brutus or Sam. I hadn't heard anything that sounded like a canine yelping in pain, but that didn't mean Monroe hadn't done anything to them. I hoped he hadn't, and that Purcell had them inside with him.

  Hunkered next to the tree I was using as cover, I shot a picture of the truck, license plate visible, along with a bit of Purcell's house in the frame. I took another one for good mea
sure. From inside I heard Purcell's voice, raised. Then another voice, lower. Damn. Still couldn't tell what they were saying. I checked the time on my phone. Fourteen minutes had passed since I left the car, so I texted Kara letting her know I'd gotten the photos and I was about to get the hell out. Until the front screen door opened and Monroe exited the house.

  Fuck. I sank into the undergrowth, trying to melt into the tree bark. I'm one with the tree, I chanted in my head, watching through the tall grass as Monroe stalked around the front of his truck and opened the door. He climbed in, slammed the door, and started the engine. From the way he spun out, he was pissed. Dirt and rocks shot up from his rear tires as he gunned the engine and half-skidded to the driveway. I exhaled in relief and when I texted Kara this new information along with a request to call me, my hands were shaking. A few seconds later my phone buzzed.

  "Are you all right?" were Kara's first words. She sounded worried.

  "Yeah," I said, keeping my voice low. "Monroe's pissed. Purcell's in the house, but I don't see the dogs anywhere. Did Shoshana call?"

  "Both me and Jamison. She called him a few minutes before Monroe got there. Maybe Jamison put the dogs in the house. Is he all right?"

  I looked at the house, searching for signs of movement inside. "I assume so. Don't know for sure. Monroe stormed out of here, but I didn't hear anything like him opening a can of whup-ass or anything like that." I studied the house again, half my attention there, the other half on Kara. I needed to find out what Monroe had wanted, which meant I had to talk to Purcell. "Call Shoshana back," I blurted, interrupting whatever Kara was saying, "And tell her you and I are going to check on Purcell. Tell her to call him and let him know we'll be here in about ten minutes."

  "Have you lost your mind?"

  "Just drive over. I'm right next to the house. It'll look like I was with you the whole time. Besides, he knows we're in the neighborhood since we already tipped Shoshana off."

  "Shoshana can check on him," Kara countered. "She'll call him and we don't have to deal with it."