by D'Ann Lindun
He touched the brim of his Stetson. “Good luck finding your brother. I know Martin, and I don’t think he killed them fellows.”
Unexpected tears welled in her eyes and she blinked them back. “Thanks. That means a lot.”
He bared his stained teeth. “Well, sure, missy.”
Deputy Perez joined them. “We’re ready to leave. We’ve got to get a move on to make it back to the ranch by dark. We’ll be pressed to make it this late.”
The two S&R men mounted their horses and held the packhorse with his sad load.
“We’re all set. Take care, ladies.” Ron moved to his horse.
“We’re not going with you,” Castaña told Deputy Perez. “Patty and I are going to continue to look for Martin.”
Perez frowned. “Do you think that’s wise?”
“I have to.”
“Where are you headed?”
She gestured northeast. “To the ranger cabin. Ron told us he saw a herd of wild horses there last fall. Martin’s likely to be where the mustangs are.”
“The ranger station is a good day’s ride from here,” Perez said. “Are you going to go there tonight?
Castaña weighed her options. On one hand, she was partway to the ranger station. But the cabin in the canyon was a good three or four hours in the opposite direction. She’d ridden in the dark last night and didn’t look forward to repeating the adventure. She glanced at Patty. “What if we rode to the old Hampstead place? It’s a little out of the way, but we can use the bunkhouse tonight and go the rest of the way tomorrow.”
“Sounds good to me,” Patty said.
“That’s the plan then,” Castaña told Perez.
“Will you check in with me when you get back?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yeah, okay.”
“I don’t have to remind you there’s a killer out there,” he said.
“I know, but no one should have any reason to shoot at us.” She hoped she sounded braver than she felt.
“You’re poking around in something bad,” he argued. “I’m not trying to scare you, but I want you to take this seriously. Be on guard.”
Patty glared at him. “If you’re not trying to frighten us you’re doing a bad job.”
“Just be careful.”
“We will.” Castaña tried to shake off the uneasy feeling his words invoked. “Please wait until we leave so Cloud will come with me and not you.” She swung up on Gato and took Rojo’s lead rope. Patty moved beside her. “Bye.”
Castaña and Patty were at the tree line before the group of men rode the opposite direction.
“I don’t know about you,” Patty said, “but Deputy Perez was making me nervous.”
“Yeah, he kind of freaked me out. But not as bad as that other guy.” Castaña tugged on Rojo’s lead. “I never did get that tall guy’s name. Who is he? Do you know him?”
“No, I don’t recognize either of them. I was told the tall jerk’s name is Lyle Cavett. The shorter one is Bob Alvarado. They showed up this morning and said they’d been given today’s assignment. I know most of the team, but I’ve never seen them before. I have a new position at my job, though, and haven’t been able to attend a lot of meetings lately. They probably just recently joined Search and Rescue.”
“They both seemed kind of rough around the edges,” Castaña said. “Not typical of S&R.”
“It takes all kinds, I guess.”
“I suppose.”
~*~
A woman named Eagle lived at the old Hampstead place. No last name. She’d been old as long as anyone could remember, but no one seemed to know her true age. Maybe seventy or maybe ninety. Occasionally, she allowed visitors to use her bunkhouse, and Castaña felt confident she would put them up for the night. She might also know something about Martin.
A red and white horse ran up to the corral fence to meet them when they rode into the barnyard. They dismounted, tied the horses to the hitch post and walked toward a small log structure.
The door opened and Eagle stepped out on the porch. Still standing tall and proud, her long gray hair was twisted in twin braids that fell past her waist. She wore a flannel work shirt, brand new jeans and beaded moccasins. “Hello.”
The girls stepped up on the porch. “Hello, Eagle. I’m Castaña Castillo, Martin’s sister. Do you remember me? We used to ride up here and spend the night when we were kids.”
“Course I remember, girl. My mind’s still sharp as a tack. What brings you back to the Apache-Sitgreave? Last I heard you were making a big name for yourself in Texas.”
“I came back to look for Martin. He’s missing.” Tears welled in her eyes and Castaña blinked them away. She indicated Patty. “This is Patty McRae. We were hoping we could spend the night in your bunkhouse.”
“Sure you can stay,” Eagle said. “But not in the bunkhouse. You can stay right here with me. What do you mean Martin’s missing? Where’s he gone?”
Castaña’s shoulders sagged. “I wish I knew.”
Eagle wrapped Castaña in a quick, warm embrace. “Put your horses in the small pasture next to the barn. There’s a creek and plenty of feed. Then come and eat a bite with me.”
“Thank you.”
The girls walked back to the barn, unsaddled their horses and put them up where Eagle had suggested. Happy to be loose, the horses dropped in the tall grass and rolled scratching their backs.
Inside the cabin, a mouth-watering aroma of Navajo stew filled the small space and Castaña’s stomach growled. Lunch was a long time ago. “Smells good.”
Eagle carried the stew to the table and pointed with her shoulder. “The washroom’s that way.”
After she washed her face and hands, Castaña walked back into the living area. One room, a wood stove took up the east wall, a single bed the west one. A scarred oak table was set at an angle in the middle of the room. Eagle motioned them to sit, and after they settled themselves around the table, no one spoke. Castaña was reminded of her mother’s venison stew and a lump formed in her throat.
Eagle seemed to sense her mood. “What’s this talk about Martin missing?”
Castaña filled her in. “Have you seen him? Or heard anything about him?”
Eagle shook her head. “I haven’t seen Martin since, let’s see . . . oh, about a month ago. He stopped in to see if I needed anything. I had just run to Payson for supplies and was set up fine, so I said no. Martin said he’d be back sometime this month, but I haven’t seen him.”
“Did you see those BLM agents who were murdered?”
“Sure did. They wanted to use my corrals to gather up the mustangs. I said no way in hell was I going to allow them to capture the horses here.” Eagle’s small eyes squinted almost shut with remembered ire. “These government people are destroying, not protecting the animals.”
“Do you have any idea who might have shot those men?”
“The way they spoke to me I could’ve filled their rears with buckshot myself, but I didn’t.” Eagle glanced at her shotgun hanging over the front door.
“They were rude to you?” Patty’s voice matched Castaña’s astonishment. Eagle was the kindest woman imaginable. They must’ve really been awful for her to get mad enough to threaten using her shotgun.
Eagle snorted. “Rude is a nice word. One of them called me a nasty name I won’t repeat in polite company.”
“That’s terrible.” Castaña sipped hot coffee. “This puts a different spin on things, doesn’t it?”
“Do you think they made someone else mad enough to kill them?” Patty asked.
“Possibly.” Castaña turned her thoughts elsewhere for a minute. “Do you know where the mustangs are?”
“The last bunch runs mostly up on the flats by the ranger station.” The old woman’s face filled with sadness. “There are only around eighty now.”
“That’s it?” Castaña sat in stunned silence. Five years ago, there had been more than a thousand mustangs in the Apache-Sitgreave. Now only one herd ran free?
Was the government’s goal extinction? Martin must’ve been losing his mind with grief and anger.
Eagle’s eyes were sad. “Yes. Thanks to the government, there’s less than a hundred horses left here. And those BLM men wanted to take another bunch away. To what? Auctions no one goes to, or shipped to holding pens in Oklahoma? Worse yet, to slaughter? It makes my heart hurt.”
Castaña couldn’t disagree.
CHAPTER EIGHT
By the time Jake woke the sun had fallen.
Not light, not yet completely dark. He blinked a few times, clearing his vision. Lacey and Heather had built a fire and the flames invited him to come closer. He moved to stand and a groan slid out of him. He hurt like hell. Every muscle in his body felt like it had been stretched out, twisted and then snapped back in place. Forcing himself to his aching feet, he staggered toward the fire.
Lacey and Heather came out of the tent and Heather said, “It’s late. If you’re going to make it back to the canyon before it gets too dark to see, we need to leave right away.”
Friendly girls. Castaña didn’t know him either and she had taken him in and both housed and fed him. “Yeah, okay.”
Heather tossed him another granola bar and a bottle of water. “Here.”
He ate, and then slid his boots on swollen feet. With a barely suppressed moan he said, “Ready.”
Heather moved in front of him, Lacey behind. Both girls carried lanterns, but he couldn’t help feeling like a prisoner being marched to the gallows.
“Wait.” He stepped around Heather so he was facing both girls. Their faces shone a pale milky color in the yellow lantern light. “Have you seen another man out here anywhere? I got separated from my buddy. He’s about six feet, long black hair usually tied back with a leather thong. A running horse tattoo on his neck.”
“No,” Heather muttered.
Lacey shot a quick look at Heather, then shook her head. “We haven’t seen anyone. Just you.”
He wasn’t convinced she was telling the truth, but there wasn’t any point in arguing. He fell back in line behind Heather and Lacey trailed him. They walked out of the camp at a clip that made his sore feet wish for Cloud or Rojo. “What about mustangs? Seen any?”
Heather didn’t slow her pace. “No.”
He glanced over his shoulder and Lacey shrugged. “Uh-huh. Why?”
“Just curious. I’ve always wanted to see them.”
Dark fell as they walked and it took all of Jake’s concentration to keep from falling on the unfamiliar trail. Heather marched along as if she had been over it a million times. Lacey didn’t seem to be having any trouble negotiating the path either, but without his own source of light he was having more trouble than the girls. Towering pines folded in around them and the half moon was barely visible between the boughs. Jake was fairly certain he hadn’t seen this place last night, but he couldn’t swear to it.
Without warning, Heather stopped and he slammed into her. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she muttered.
Was she this surly with everyone, or was it just him? “Why’d we stop?”
“You’re not much of a hiker, are you? We need to stay hydrated.” She reached into her fanny pack, withdrew two bottles of water and handed him one.
Gratefully, Jake took the drink. He’d hiked plenty, but he hadn’t been sun-stroked and left for dead before or ridden bareback all night either. But Heather wasn’t the only one who didn’t want her business out in the open so he kept his mouth shut. “I’m more of a city boy. You two seem right at home out here though.”
“We were raised in the city—” Lacey’s voice cut off as Heather shot her a glare. Did she have something to hide, or was she just ultra-private?
“I grew up in Phoenix.” He hoped Lacey might share a little more, but she didn’t say anything else. Heather obviously had some kind of hold over her.
Heather reached for his bottle and stowed it along with hers in her fanny pack. “Ready?”
“Yeah. How much farther?”
“About another mile to the canyon rim,” Heather said shortly.
“That’s it?” Had they traveled that far already?
She turned away. “Yes.”
Jake fell in behind her. Where was Castaña? What had she thought when she returned and found him missing? Had she brought Staton with her? Jake hated the other agent’s involvement. It was bad enough Staton knew what had happened last time. He didn’t need the man’s cynicism now. Jake couldn’t afford another screw up if he wanted to stay with the FBI.
He had to bring Martin in. He had to solve this murder.
There was no room for his feelings for Castaña.
There wasn’t any other choice if he wanted to salvage his career.
At the rim of the canyon, Heather and Lacey pointed Jake in the right direction and vanished before he could properly thank them. He found his way down the trail and back to the canyon without any trouble. The cabin was dark and empty. Where was Castaña? The horses were gone, but the food and sleeping bags looked exactly the same. Was she on the trail of Martin? Or had she fallen into some other trouble?
Jake didn’t know what else to do but wait for morning. Even if he knew which way she’d gone, he didn’t think he’d make it back to the edge of the canyon without collapsing. He made a fire, opened a can of soup and boiled water for coffee. Digging around in the supplies, he found a bottle of Tylenol and swallowed three in a single, dry gulp.
He added coffee grounds to the water and lifted the soup and coffee off the flames. He found crackers and cheese then settled at the table to eat. Reminding himself to go slow because a couple of granola bars were all he’d had since last night, he savored his simple meal.
With a full belly and the Tylenol starting to take effect, he was beginning to feel human again. A long soak in a hot tub and a massage would really do the trick, but since neither of those things was available he’d have to settle for what he could get. A leggy brunette came to mind. Castaña. Somehow, Jake didn’t think she’d be offering him a massage any time soon. He wouldn’t turn her down if she did, though. No point giving himself an ache for something that was never going to happen.
He decided to check the body.
Limping down the canyon, he circled the flashlight’s beam over the spot where he left the body. He wasn’t surprised to find it gone. Castaña had obviously brought back help. Although several people had milled around and destroyed whatever evidence might have been there, Jake knelt and examined the ground. As expected, he didn’t find anything on the churned-up earth. Why had the dead guy stood in front of a herd of galloping horses and tried to turn them? Or had he just been in the wrong place at the wrong time?
Frustrated by the lack of answers, Jake stood and headed back toward the cabin.
~*~
By mid-morning, Jake was walking across Castaña’s barnyard.
His body couldn’t take much more abuse. Nothing moved as he crossed the sandy stretch between the barn and the house. He stepped up on the porch and knocked on the front door. He hesitated when no one answered. Walking into someone’s house uninvited wasn’t his usual style.
As he waited, he replayed the last two days.
Beat up, rescued by Castaña, walked half the night through the forest, met up with two blondes—
Of course. He’d been so exhausted when he’d been with Heather and Lacey otherwise he would’ve seen it immediately. The resemblance between the two women in the forest and Briar Rose was striking. The three girls looked as if they could be related.
If they were kin to Briar Rose, they would have to know Martin as the father of her baby. But he had asked them if they knew Martin, even described him, and they had declared they didn’t know the man. Why would they lie? He’d have to go back and question them again.
Briar Rose appeared from the side of the house carrying a basket of strawberries. When she saw him, she stumbled to a stop. “Oh, hi.”
“Good morning.”
She darted a glance by him. “Did you find Martin?”
“Not yet.”
“Come in,” she invited. As she passed by, he caught a whiff of the sweet fruit and his belly grumbled.
They entered the kitchen where she placed the berries on the counter. Without asking, she poured him a cup of coffee and placed it in front of him. She poured the strawberries into a colander, ran them under the faucet and then began slicing them. No questions.
Jake, too, waited until she split the strawberries between two bowls, retrieved a small pitcher from the fridge and sat across from him. He poured thick cream over the fruit and tasted it. “Good,” he sighed.
She smiled. “Yes.”
“Have you heard from Castaña?” He took another bite.
“Not since she came to tell the cops about the guy who got run over. Did something happen to her?”
Why would she think that? “I don’t think so, but we got separated and I haven’t seen her since.”
Motioning toward his empty bowl she asked, “Would you like more?”
“No, thanks.” He studied her over the rim of his cup. “Where are you from, Briar Rose?”
“Nowhere special.” She rose and began clearing dishes.
“Do you have any family?”
She turned on the water faucet. Was it his imagination, or did her hand shake? “Why?”
“I’m just curious.” He hoped a low-key approach would get her to open up a little.
For a long minute, she didn’t answer, concentrating on washing their dishes. “I have a huge family.” Washing and rinsing a spoon seemed to take her a full five minutes. “We’re from a small town outside of Phoenix called Sunspot.” She dried the spoon with great care. “I prefer not to talk about them.”
He waited a moment then asked, “Do you have sisters named Heather and Lacey?”
“No.” She suddenly got busy putting away the berries. Didn’t anyone around here tell the simple, straight truth?
“How did you meet Martin?”
With her back to him, placing the dishes in the cupboard she said, “At the roundup last year.”
