by Bo Drury
“Mother was always partial to Rebecca. They fought, but she loved her. When she left, it broke her heart. She always thought she would come back one day. I think she must have reminded her of Dad. Rebecca was just like him, headstrong and wild, determined to have her way. She was as beautiful as he was handsome. When Mother threw her out, Rebecca was too proud to come back. I told Mother that, but she wouldn't listen to me.” He sat quiet for a moment. “I was too much like Mother. The ranch came first with me. I worked while Rebecca played. She thought I was dull.
“Mother and I both knew she was pregnant when she left here. They had a terrible quarrel over the boy she was seeing. He was in the service and about to be shipped out. She was going with him. Mother told her if she left she could never come back. She left anyway. We never knew about the baby—what it was, if she even had it.”
Jeb got up and went to the bar, pouring another drink. Settling down on a stool, he continued talking, seeming to want to get it all out. “When she showed up here that night, it was a shock after all those years. She had heard about Mother. She was sad and upset. She cried. She said she was sorry for not coming sooner. She told me about the baby girl. She asked about Scott. I was angry with her. I told her she needed to leave and let the boy be. He thought she was dead; she needed to stay that way. She wanted to see him. I convinced her she needed to give me time to tell him first. She agreed and went back to town to get a room. I was to contact her when Scott was ready to see her. I couldn't bring myself to tell him. Then I saw the picture in the paper. I decided to just leave it alone. I never expected him to find out about her.” He looked up, tears running down his face. “I was wrong.”
“Did the sheriff know who she was?”
“No. He never knew Rebecca.”
Harry pressed. “But Marie guessed who she was.”
“I didn't know that.”
Harry didn't know whether to believe him or not. Why else would anyone kill Marie except to shut her up about what she knew?
“Scott will never forgive me.” He shook his head in remorse.
“That brings us back to where is Scott?”
Surprised out of his grieving, Jeb jumped up. “We must find him.”
Filing out to the jeep, they looked in all directions. Orlando stooped down by the jeep and studied the visible prints in the dirt. They were hard to read as so many more had been over them.
“Where is Hub? Maybe he has seen something. He was out here earlier.” Jeb looked around, searching the grounds.
Starting around toward the pool, they met him coming to the front of the house.
“Have you seen Scott?” Jeb asked.
“No,” he replied, glancing at each of them before proceeding to turn off the water and moving the hose to a different location. Turning around, he saw them all watching him.
“Is something wrong?” he asked, mopping the sweat from his face with a red bandana he took from his pocket.
“No. If you see Scott, tell him we are looking for him,” Orlando quickly said then turned back to Harry. “He has to be here someplace. Let's split up and look around for him. We will meet back here in thirty minutes.”
Harry and Doris went one way, searching the garden area; Jeb and Orlando went another, searching the corral and barn. Finding no sign of Scott, they started back. Harry was watching the ground when he noticed peanut hulls scattered on the ground. He stopped and waited for Jeb and Orlando to come up the incline to the house.
“I found some peanut shells here. Do you know where they would come from?”
Both Jeb and Orlando looked at him in surprise. “Peanut shells...that's not surprising. There's a big sack of peanuts in the barn. Everyone that works here eats them. What did you think?”
“I found peanut hulls by the door to Melody's room after she disappeared. Then there were peanut shells in the pasture where Marie was found. There were hulls in the cavern too; they were clinging to my clothes when I got out of there. I thought it might have some bearing on the murders.”
“Has Melody been murdered?”
“No, no, I'm sorry—I didn't mean that. As far as I know, she is still missing.”
“And now Scott,” Doris said, looking around, reaching out for Harry's arm. “Too many people seem to vanish from this place and end up...” Catching Harry's stern look before she finished her sentence, she stopped and looked sympathetically at Jeb.
Orlando faced Jeb. “I'll get the boys and saddle up. We will comb the area, the whole damn ranch if necessary, till we find him.” Reaching out, Orlando put his hand on Jeb's shoulder. “I'll find our boy, Jeb.”
Orlando's concern was genuine. It was obvious he thought a lot of young Scott.
“Why don't you take the jeep and see if you can find any sign of him?” Jeb suggested and then looked at Harry, nodding toward him. “They can ride with you.”
“I'll drive. We'll see if we can find another entrance to the cavern I was in. Whoever got him will probably take him there.” Harry walked quickly to the jeep, Doris and Jeb following. “We don't want to waste any time. His life depends on it.”
Astonished, Jeb asked, “You think someone took him?”
“How else do you think he vanished so quickly?” Harry replied as they piled into the jeep and took off in a swirl of powdery dust.
As they bounced along the rocky road toward the fishing hole, all eyes scanned the rough terrain, looking for any sign of movement or unusual activity. Reaching a high point, Harry stopped to get a view of the land around them.
“There's no way anyone could have gotten this far with him so soon. We need to backtrack,” Jeb argued. “He has to be around the house someplace.”
Harry knew he was right. “Let's go back and search again around the house and barn. Maybe we missed something.”
Turning back and going down the hill, they met Hub in his old station wagon. “Where are you going?” Jeb called out when they reached his side.
“Thought I'd catch a mess of fish for supper. The crappies are biting right now. What are you doing up here?”
“Looking to see if Scott might have come up here.”
“I'll keep an eye out for him,” he said, waving as he drove on.
“This is a new hobby Hub has taken up, according to Scott.” Harry, suspicious of what Hub was doing, watched him as he drove on and stopped by the little lake, then proceeded to get out his fishing gear. As they drove on Harry remarked, “I'll be interested to see if he brings home some fish,” remembering the time he and Scott ran into him up there.
Arriving back at the house, they split up once more and scoured the area. Still they found nothing that would give them a clue as to what happened to Scott.
Just as they were heading for the door, Hub drove in. As he removed a string of fish from an old ice chest he had in the back of his car, it seemed to Harry he made a big show of taking them out. Guess I have a suspicious mind, he decided. After all, the guy did go fishing.
“I don't know what to do,” Jeb said, obviously discouraged by their failure to uncover anything.
“Scott called someone he knew to fly us over the ranch tomorrow morning. A crop duster. Do you know who it was? Maybe he could come out now and make a run over the ranch.”
“I'll get hold of him now,” Jeb said as he hurried inside to make the call.
As Hub filled a tub with water and dropped the fish in it, Harry decided he would check out Hub's car; but as he walked toward the Station wagon, Hub called out, asking for help in placing the tub in the shade. “It may be a while till I get around to cleaning them,” he explained. Then getting in his wagon, he drove it toward the barn and the small travel trailer he called home.
Harry watched him thoughtfully. He needed to find out some background on Hub. Who was he and where did he fit in this picture?
Harry turned his attention back to Jeb, who was saying, “He can't come until tomorrow. He's working on the plane. We will be able to see a lot from the air. Maybe the entrance
to the cavern will show up as well.”
“Maybe.” Harry worried about waiting until the next day. Could Scott hang on until then?
Seeming to have a change of heart, Jeb invited them to stay the night, but Doris voted to go back to the motel. Jeb stood out front, watching as they drove away.
“I feel sorry for him,” she said as she looked back at the lonely figure.
“Don't. He's not off the suspect list yet. It looks like someone is framing him, but it could be he is arranging it to appear that way. He is a ‘wily ol’ coyote,’ I think.”
Once back in the room, Doris got out her paper work and poured over it, creating a graph with all the people involved and ‘what ifs’ by each one. Harry watched, very much aware of her presence, the softness of her skin, the way the light caught on the curve of her throat, and the silkiness of her dark hair. She looked up and caught him studying her intently. Before he could look away he read the surprise on her face and caught a slight blush. Suddenly self conscious, he turned away, worried she might have seen the desire smoldering in his eyes.
“What?” she asked hesitantly.
“We have an early morning date with a plane. Guess we'd better turn in. You can take Scott's room.” He walked to the door and stepped out into the crisp air of the evening. He heard Doris behind him gathering up her paperwork. “I really wanted to go over these with you.” She sounded disappointed.
Was she completely unaware of the attraction she held for him? She needed to go back to San Angelo. He would send her packing in the morning.
She stopped and looked up at him as she walked to the door of the adjoining room. He caught the musky scent of her exotic perfume as she stood close; funny he had never noticed it before. He looked down at her uplifted face, her blue eyes questioning, her lips slightly parted...damn woman... He was tempted to wrap his arms around her... How would she react?
“Goodnight, Harry,” she said quickly and was gone, closing the door firmly behind her.
Whew...that was close. One more second and he would probably have lost a good Gal Friday. Closing the outer door and flopping across the bed, he turned on the TV, flipped through the channels, and tried not to think of her being so close next door.
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Chapter 11
Six o'clock came early. Showered, shaved, and dressed for the day, Harry stepped out into the brisk morning air. There was little traffic. He wanted to get an early start. Sleep had been hard to come by. Wild dreams had filled what sleep he had managed to get. Dreams of caverns, and Scott, with Doris and Melody in danger and crying for his help, and his aching body unable to move to save them. He was glad to wake up and see the light of day outside his window.
Walking to the office to take advantage of the continental breakfast offered, he admired the distant landscape surrounding this little town set among low hills along Devil's River. How aptly named; it fit the moment, as there was surely a devil at work on the Stockton place.
Getting two coffees and sweet rolls for him and Doris, he went to her door and knocked softly. To his surprise she was up and dressed and met him with a cheerful smile.
It always made him feel good to see her.
Taking their coffee and food with them, they headed for the airport. Forgotten was the idea of sending her packing in the morning. Wrapping a scarf around her hair, Doris had little to say as they drove the short distance to the plane in Harry's open convertible. The wind was getting up and the pilot was checking the weather forecast before they took off.
“We might have a bumpy ride this morning. Have to watch for wind shears,” he told them matter-of-factly. He didn't seem worried, but Harry was.
Harry hated little planes, but this was the only way to cover the area in a short time. It would take forever on ground in the jeep. He kept thinking of his dream. Scott was out there someplace, waiting for someone to find him. He looked over at Doris. Was he putting her in danger?
Harry felt cramped as he folded his six-foot-four frame into the cab of the plane. His stomach quivered as the plane lifted off the ground. He had a thing about heights, always had, and avoided looking down from tall buildings and mountains. And here he was, going up in a vehicle as flimsy as a tin can, spending the morning looking down.
He hoped Scott appreciated what he was doing for him. He felt Doris's hand on his arm, and glancing at her, could see she was a little nervous too.
“This is my first plane ride,” she confided.
Great, I'm supposed to be the brave one and assure her we are perfectly safe. He smiled a reassuring smile and took her hand in his. The nose of the plane suddenly dipped down and they both squealed. As it leveled out they looked at one another and laughed. The pilot shook his head. “Tenderfeet!”
Once they got up off the ground, Doris was like a little kid admiring all she could see from this height. Harry was still tense and trying to relax. He made himself look down on the rolling landscape. It was pretty. They were over the ranch house in no time. It looked completely different from the air, not so big. The pilot flew low over the house and barn; the horses scattered. He laughed.
“Not funny, man.” Harry would have rather been up a little higher. It looked to him as if they were going to trim the tops off the trees. He spotted the fishing tank and could see the river and highway where he and Scott had crossed onto the ranch.
“Crisscross this area in here,” he suggested, scanning the ground, looking for any sign of an opening into the ground. They crossed over the Crystal Lake; there was no sign of an entrance and Harry knew it was there. It was well hidden by brush.
Trails made by goats led in all directions. The country was rocky and would conceal tire tracks. To move Scott up here someplace would take a vehicle and there was no sign of where one had been along here.
They covered the whole ranch and were headed back when Doris gasped. “Fly back over the fishing tank.”
The pilot banked the plane and turned back, buzzing the body of water.
“Look, there's something shiny on the bottom of the lake.” They made another run over it so Harry could get a better look.
“It's a car.”
As they flew back to the airport, each was lost in thought. It had to be Melody's car. Was she in it?
Once on the ground, the pilot told them to wait for him. He wanted to go with them out to the ranch.
“We need someone with diving equipment to go down and see what's in there,” Harry said quietly.
“I'll make some calls and follow ya'll out in a jiffy,” the pilot said, rushing into the hanger to make the call.
Afraid of what they were about to discover on the bottom of that lake, they were quiet as they rode out the highway and turned onto the dusty road. Pulling up to the house and stopping, they both just sat there.
Harry dreaded to think what they might find. Was Scott also in the watery grave?
Jeb, hearing the car, came out, a cup of coffee in his hand. Harry saw Orlando coming from the barn, carrying a rope. Hub walked around the corner from the back yard, tools in his hands.
At whose hands had these innocent people died? Who was the guilty party here? They were all suspect as far as Harry was concerned.
Reaching the car, they gathered round.
“I saw the plane. What did you see?” They all waited for an answer.
Harry glanced at Doris then looked at each face, trying to read their expressions. Was one of them anxious because of what they might have found?
“There's a car submerged in the fishing tank. The pilot is calling for a scuba diver to go down and see what is in there. They will be out directly.” He paused, watching the reaction of each one.
“A car?” Jeb seemed genuinely surprised, a shocked expression on his face.
“I'll be damned,” Orlando reacted.
Hub was quiet and thoughtful before he said, “The young girl's car?”
“That we don't know until we get up there.�
�
Orlando got in the mustang. Jeb hesitated, then climbed into the back seat. Hub waved them on, saying, “I'll follow in my car.”
Riding up the rocky road in the Mustang was different than riding in the jeep. Harry had to be careful not to drag high-center and tear his muffler off. They bounced along in an atmosphere of dread at what might lie on the murky bottom.
“Did you locate the entrance to the cavern or any sign of Scott?” Jeb asked.
“Nothing!” Harry answered shortly. He felt tense and angry.
They stopped as close to the tank as he could drive. They could see nothing from the edge of the water; evidently, the car could only be seen from the air.
“How deep do you think it is?” Harry asked, indicating the water.
“It's spring fed. No telling how deep it really is. At least twenty to twenty-five feet, I would guess—maybe deeper,” Orlando speculated.
Upon examination they could see the tire tracks that led to the water. Someone had been careful to brush them away as well as they could.
“I don't believe anyone could drive into it by accident. It had to be put in there on purpose.”
Hub drove up and got out of his car. Walking slowly to the water's edge, he peered into it. The blue of the sky and surrounding trees reflected on the still surface, making it impossible to see into its depths.
Harry asked him, “Did you never see the tire tracks that led into the water?”
“No. But I wasn't looking for anything. I usually fished from the other side,” he said, pointing to a rocky overhang jutting out over the lake's edge.
Hearing a motor, they turned to see a pickup bouncing up the road with several men in it, some riding in back. When it drew to a stop, they jumped out and unloaded their diving equipment.
The sheriff's car drove into view.
“Who called them?” Harry asked, thinking he should have.
Josh pulled up and got out.
“What have we got out here?”
The three divers donned their wet suits and walked to the water's edge. Hooking up their diving equipment, they slipped into the water, disappearing beneath the surface.
