Ladies Love Lawmen: When It's A Matter of The Heart or Death...

by D'Ann Lindun

  “What roundup?”

  “Every year there’s a wild horse roundup outside of Payson where some of the horses are offered for sale. I stopped by to look at the horses and met Martin.” She turned around with a secret smile and rubbed her belly. “One thing led to another.”

  “Lucky you.” He meant it, but after the way Linda had tricked him, getting him shot in the process, he was more than a little gun shy about women. Castaña’s face came to mind and he quickly forced her out of his head. She might not be as deadly as Linda, but she was just as determined to keep her loved one out of jail.

  “Yeah.” She sighed. “I hope he comes home soon.”

  “You don’t think he’s hurt?”

  She shrugged. “Who knows with Martin.”

  He stood. He wasn’t getting anywhere by badgering her, and he might in fact make her clam up completely. “Do you care if I use your shower?”

  “Of course not. I’ll lay out some towels for you.” She waddled out of the kitchen.

  Jake walked out to the corral, leaned on the fence and dialed Kelso. He filled him in then asked, “Do you have anything for me about the Castillo women?”

  “There’s nothing on Castillo’s sister. She’s clean as a whistle. She’s never even had a traffic ticket.” Jake’s heartbeat sped up at Kelso’s clearing of Castaña. “I can’t find a thing on the other girl, but with no date of birth it’s a little tougher. I can’t find any record of Martin Castillo ever being married.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me. From what I’ve learned of Martin, he’s not one to follow anyone’s rules but his own. Briar Rose told me today her family’s from Sunspot. She also said she’s from a huge family.”

  “You talking about that little hole in the wall an hour outside of Phoenix? Wasn’t there some kind of cult based there?”

  Jake couldn’t wrap his memory around the exact details. “Sounds right.”

  “That’s something,” Kelso muttered. “Okay, I’ll see what I can dig up.”

  “Thanks. See if you can find out anything about the guy who got run over in the canyon, will you?”

  “Anything else?” Kelso grumbled.

  Jake grinned. Kelso loved digging up facts. “No. I’ll check back in soon. I’m going to ride back out into the forest and look for Martin again and my cell doesn’t work out there. I don’t know when I’ll be back. Probably tomorrow.”

  “Watch your back.” Kelso hung up.

  Jake stood for a minute in the morning sun, enjoying the warmth. Then he turned toward the house to take a much longed for shower.

  With his head bent under the steaming hot spray, Jake thoughts again centered on Castaña. She hadn’t been in trouble before, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t cross the line to protect Martin. Jake couldn’t afford to let his guard down for one minute.

  ~*~

  Castaña, Patty, and Eagle, who had insisted on coming along, sat on a hill overlooking the mustang herd. A shaggy brown and white stallion stood guard over his mares and foals. The herd patriarch had seen the riders as they topped the ridge and his ears were perked forward, his nostrils flared, his neck arched. He would signal his family to run if the riders continued to approach.

  “Aren’t they beautiful?” Eagle breathed.

  “Gorgeous,” Patty agreed.

  Castaña nodded. Compared to the highly-bred horses she was used to, she didn’t think the mustangs were especially pretty, but they were striking in their element. She watched the stallion prance back and forth in front of the mares and foals. He reared and squealed—an invitation to fight. In spite of herself, Castaña grinned. “I think he’s telling us off.”

  “Good thing you left Cloud back at the barn,” Eagle said. “Even though he’s a gelding, he might take up the challenge.”

  “It could get ugly,” Patty agreed.

  Castaña pointed toward a small building at the edge of the meadow. “I wonder if the ranger has seen Martin?”

  “Only one way to find out.” Eagle reined her pinto that direction.

  At the cabin, the women dismounted and tied their horses to a hitch rack meant for that purpose. Eagle gave each of the two fat bay mares in the corral a quick pat on the nose before heading for the cabin. A dusty Jeep was parked at an angle on the far side.

  “Looks like Skip’s here,” Patty said.

  “You know him?” Castaña glanced at Patty in surprise. She hadn’t mentioned knowing the ranger.

  Patty shrugged. “A little. We’ve worked with him a couple of times on S&R stuff.”

  A young blonde man opened the door. He wore a wide smile. “Hi. I spotted you ladies when Tomahawk did.”

  “Tomahawk?” Patty arched her brows at him.

  The ranger tipped his head toward the pinto stallion. “My name for him because of the mark on his shoulder.” He stepped asked. “Come in. I wasn’t expecting company so the place is a little messy.”

  They entered a one room cabin. Not a lot different that Eagle’s, although this one had a loft with a bed in it. Only a few dishes were stacked in the sink and a pair of boots had been kicked off in the middle of the floor. Skip motioned toward two chairs at a table and the saggy couch. “Please sit. I haven’t had any visitors for days. It’s good to see someone.”

  Skip poured them each a cup of coffee. Then he looked at Patty with a slight frown. “Is this a Search and Rescue mission?” He frowned. “I haven’t heard anything.”

  “No,” Patty said. “I assume you know Eagle?”

  The old lady shook her head. “Haven’t had the pleasure.”

  Skip leaned forward and shook her hand. “The pleasure’s all mine.”

  Eagle flushed and withdrew her hand.

  “And this is Castaña Castillo. Martin’s sister.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Skip’s handshake was firm, but he didn’t look as friendly as he had toward Eagle.

  Castaña didn’t beat around the bush. “Do you know my brother?”

  “Yes.” He didn’t elaborate.

  “He’s missing,” Castaña said in the heavy silence. “No one’s seen him for more than a week and I’m worried about him.”

  Skip sipped his coffee, waiting.

  “Do you know anything about those two BLM men who were murdered by Angel Falls?” Castaña took a deep breath. “The police think Martin had something to do with it and he’s on the run. Do you agree?”

  “Martin wouldn’t kill anyone,” Eagle said loyally.

  Skip hesitated. “I don’t know.”

  Castaña didn’t take her eyes off the ranger, and said, “Explain, please.”

  He shifted in his seat and crossed his legs at the ankle. “About a week ago I got a call from the main office. My boss told me the BLM guys were making plans for their annual roundup, and they wanted to come by and see the condition of the herd and to inspect them. That same day, I caught Martin Castillo running the horses toward the mountains. I chased him in the Jeep and caught up to him just as the horses went out of sight.”

  Patty sat forward, mirroring Castaña’s body language. “What happened?”

  “We argued,” Skip said. “I told him he was interfering in government business and he laughed at me. Said it wasn’t the first time and it wouldn’t be the last.” Skip looked at Castaña with sad eyes. “The thing is, I agree with him. I can’t stand seeing these horses possibly go off to slaughter, but I have to abide by the law.”

  “What did he do?” Castaña knew all well how stubborn Martin could be when it came to his beloved horses.

  “He jumped on his appaloosa and galloped after the mustangs. That was the last time I saw him.”

  Eagle spoke up. “What happened then?”

  He looked at her. “Nothing.”

  “You didn’t report Martin for trying to hide the herd?” Castaña couldn’t hide her surprise. In her past experience, the law wasn’t too eager to look the other way when Martin and Ramon had tried to protect the mustangs.

  “No.” Skip look
ed her in the eye. “I didn’t.”

  “What happened when the BLM guys showed up?” Patty asked. “What did you tell them?”

  “I didn’t say anything about Martin. I said the herd had been here and that something spooked them and I didn’t know where they had gone.” He took a deep breath. “That much was true. When it gets too hot here the horses usually move deeper into the forest to—”

  “Angel Falls.” Castaña’s voice was flat. The BLM men had been murdered near Angel Falls.

  “Yes.” Skip sounded equally as despondent. “The herd often summer there. Although they came back here a few days after Martin ran them off. They’ve stuck pretty close ever since.”

  “How did the BLM guys know to go there if you didn’t tell them?” Castaña didn’t mean to sound accusing, but it lay in her voice.

  “I just told you. They weren’t newcomers to the horses. I recognized them from other years that they had headed up the roundups. I guess they saw the horses weren’t here and went to the next place they knew, which could’ve been Angel Falls.”

  Where Martin could have been waiting with rage in his heart.

  “I wonder how Martin knew the agents would be in the field.” Castaña voiced her thought out loud.

  Patty studied her coffee cup. “I’m not following.”

  “I think someone else may have had their own reasons for drawing those men out where they could be murdered. It would be easy to set Martin up. I just have to figure out who had motive to take down two BLM agents and frame Martin.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Jake could see how Angel Falls got its name.

  A large gray boulder resembled a head and light spray caught the sun’s rays, forming a halo of sorts. Lower, the water split into two wide channels that looked like frilly wings. He moved to the cottonwoods where he’d left his horse tied to a tree. Briar Rose had given her permission to ride any of the horses and he had chosen a sturdy looking mare. He retrieved his lunch from the saddlebags and settled under a tree. Arizona summer was back in full force and the temperature would likely hit the high nineties today. Near the stream was cooler, and he leaned back against the tree and enjoyed the respite from the sun. In spite of his assignment, Jake was enjoying himself. Here, among the cottonwood and pines, he was far away from the heat, noise and crime back in Phoenix.

  As he ate his lunch, he looked around for the place where the two BLM agents had been murdered. Angel Falls spilled into a large pool then poured into a shallow stream that meandered through a huge grassy meadow ringed by pines. He tried to guess where the shooter had hid while he took out the two BLM agents, but nothing stood out as a likely place. There was no yellow tape, no outlines of bodies in the sand.

  Jake finished his sandwich, stood and began to walk through the trees searching the ground. Although the local cops and the BLM guys had found nothing, there was the off chance they’d missed some small clue. A gun casing, maybe. Or a cigarette butt. He knelt by a tree and sifted a little dirt through his fingers. Too many people had traipsed through the area to find anything of interest. Jake wrapped his hand around the slender tree trunk until his knuckles turned white. He heaved a sigh. Which way to go? Behind him lay Dead Horse Canyon and the ranch. On the other three sides, nothing but forest. Martin could be in Mexico by now, drinking margaritas and laughing in the sun. Would he leave his beloved horses? Doubtful.

  If anyone could lead Jake to Martin, it was Castaña.

  All Jake had to do was find her. Now he had to locate two Castillos, not just one.

  ~*~

  The last person Castaña expected to find at Angel Falls was Jake. But he stood in the trees, next to a horse. Castaña’s heart picked up speed when she spotted him, and she told herself it was because Jake might have news about Martin. She nudged Gato with her heels urging him to hurry. Behind her she heard Eagle ask, “Who’s the handsome devil?”

  Patty answered, “We’re about to find out.”

  They dismounted and Castaña made quick introductions, and then filled him in on everything that had happened. He listened without comment as she said, “I think someone set up the whole thing. Because one thing stands out—how did Martin know the BLM was going to be out here? If he tried to hide the horses, he had to have known they were going to be in danger.”

  “He wouldn’t have had any way to know that unless someone tipped him off,” Jake agreed.

  “Right. But who?” Castaña chewed her bottom lip.

  Jake looked at the other two women. “Any ideas?”

  Eagle and Patty shook their heads.

  “No.”

  “Not a one.”

  Castaña changed the subject. “What happened to the man who was run over by the horses?”

  “He died a short while after you left.” Jake held his hands out in a sorry gesture. “He was hurt too badly.”

  “Where did you move his body?”

  The look he gave her was incredulous. “What?”

  “When I brought S&R and the cops back, there was no sign of the body. Somebody moved him miles from where we left him. Where were you?”

  Jake ran a hand over his shoulder. “That makes absolutely no sense. After he died, I went to look for the horses and found Rojo tied to a tree. I thought I could possibly catch Cloud, too. But I spent all night on a wild goose chase. Someone was riding that horse and every time I got near enough to catch a glimpse of him, he’d gallop away. I couldn’t get close enough for a good look. Then he jumped me, but got away before I could grab him.”

  “What?” It was Castaña’s turn to gape at him. She gave her head a little shake. “Who tied up Rojo? And who could catch Cloud? It’s one thing to corner him in a field, but out in the open? Impossible. Martin’s the only one who’s ever been able to get close to him without a fight.” Could it be Martin? “And who would jump you? That makes no sense.”

  “Crazy,” Jake said. “I know.”

  “Chindi.” Eagle shuddered and looked around with big eyes as if one of the evil Navajo spirits might appear. According to Navajo legend, the dark spirits roamed caves and the underworld.

  “There’s more.” Jake told the women of his meeting with Lacey and Heather. “Do any of you have any idea who they are?”

  The three women shook their heads. “No.”

  “I think they’re related to Briar Rose. They look like her.”

  “Who’s Briar Rose?” Patty asked.

  “Martin’s girlfriend.” Castaña sighed. “She’s pregnant.”

  Eagle looked at her sharply. “Since when?”

  Castaña shrugged, a little surprised at Eagle’s abrupt tone. “I don’t know exactly, but she’s out to here.” She held her hands out in front of her own flat stomach. “Not only that, she’s Caucasian.” No need to explain to Eagle why that was strange. And, like Ramon, Martin had been so consumed with wild horses that a family had never seemed to be in the cards for him.

  “He didn’t have her a month ago, when he stopped by,” Eagle declared. “I asked him if he was still dating Nascha Nizhoni, and he said they had been to the movies just the weekend before. I believe they have an exclusive relationship. She is traditional in many ways and understands Martin’s love of horses. Unless he cheated on Nascha, this other girl isn’t carrying Martin’s baby.”

  “Come to think of it, I saw Martin and a Navajo girl together, too.” Patty looked into the distance and furrowed her brow. “It had to be a month or so ago, at the Mayday celebration, I think, but I’m sure Martin was with a dark-haired girl.”

  “Then who is Briar Rose? And what is she doing in my brother’s house claiming she’s pregnant with his baby?” Castaña looked among the others, but no one had a ready answer. “I don’t have time to figure it out right now. I have to worry about Briar Rose later.”

  “Any idea where to search?” Jake looked at her as if she would have a clue where to lead them. If only she could.

  Castaña shrugged. “I don’t know. I hoped there’d be some sign of
him here.”

  Jake shook his head. “I looked around, but didn’t see anything.”

  “What about the men who were killed? Is there a clue about what happened to them?” Castaña held her breath, letting it out in a rush when he said, “I didn’t find anything.”

  She looked at the sun. “Only about three o’clock. We have a few hours until dark. Let’s split up and see if we can find anything. We’ll meet back at the cabin and compare notes there.”

  “I’m sticking with you,” Jake declared to Castaña. “No way am I wandering around in the forest by myself again.”

  For a minute, she thought about refusing. If Martin spotted her with a strange man, he might not approach them. But she had to admit the chances of that were slim, and if Martin was hurt, having Jake along might be a good thing. “Fine. Patty, which way are you going? Maybe you and Eagle should go as a pair, too. Just in case whoever shot those BLM men is still around.”

  Patty looked to Eagle for a suggestion.

  “Let’s circle around Angel Falls and come through Dead Horse Canyon the top way.”

  “If we’re going to ride that far we’d better move.” Patty mounted her roan and Eagle reached for her pinto’s reins. “What about you two? Which way?”

  Castaña hesitated then pointed toward the trees. “There’s a trail through there that leads to an old cave Martin and Ramon used to use. I want to check it out.”

  ~*~

  Water trickled down the back wall of the cave dripping into a tiny puddle on the ground. Someone had recently built a fire. There were ashes in a fire ring along with a half-burned log. A canteen and tightly rolled sleeping bag were placed against the side wall. Castaña knelt to examine the canteen, but she wasn’t certain it was Martin’s. Nondescript, dark green, it had probably been purchased at an army surplus store. The sleeping bag was plain navy blue. No blanket inside. No name or initials on either item.

  Jake peered over her shoulder. “Recognize the stuff?”

  “No.” Martin’s equipment would most likely be traditional—a wool blanket and a canteen made from goat’s hair.