Slay Bells

by Hildie McQueen

  The picture of him naked the day before gave her pause. “No thanks. I’m about to head back, my jacket isn’t warm enough.”

  Henry nodded. “What is it made of? Plastic?”

  It was a puffy jacket made of something shiny. “I’m not sure what this fabric is.” Gabriela cringed at recalling how much she’d paid for the useless thing. “I have to go buy something warmer.”

  “Chester’s in town has good ones,” Henry offered, and then turned and went into the barn.

  Teeth chattering, Gabriela hurried back toward her cabin. It was early yet so she figured there was enough time to purchase some groceries and a jacket and be back in time for lunch.

  Just then, a man on horseback got her attention. It was Jeremy. She stopped and stared for a long moment, taking the scene in of a handsome cowboy atop a beautiful chestnut colored horse with the snowy backdrop. In a thick jacket, gloves and skullcap, she could still tell it was him. It was like something out of a movie or on a Christmas card. She lifted her camera and took more pictures than she needed. Jeremy had stopped and bent over patting the horse’s neck, seeming to talk to it. All the while, Gabriela zoomed in and took another series of shots.

  Finally, her trembling made it difficult to keep the camera steady, so she hurried to find warmth in her cabin.

  “I have a hair appointment. I hope you don’t mind,” Natalie announced over a delicious lunch of grilled cheese on thickly sliced bread and tomato bisque soup. “Jeremy kindly volunteered to give you a tour of the ranch.” She smiled widely at her son.

  When Jeremy looked at her, Gabriela shook her head. “Um, it’s not necessary. I took enough of your time last night going back and forth. I can wait until your Mom has time.”

  “Not a problem. I don’t mind,” he said. It seemed to be his favorite reply.

  His parents stared at her waiting to see what she’d say next. It was awkward. It’s not like she minded the handsome man’s company, but if she were to be honest, he made her a bit nervous. He was too good-looking, which translated to him being a distraction. What she needed to be was focused on getting every detail to complete the project.

  Gabriela shrugged. “I appreciate it then, thank you. Just a couple hours of your time and I’ll do some exploring on my own.”

  “Did you get a better jacket?” Henry asked in between bites of his sandwich. A piece of bread plopped into his soup. “She had a plastic jacket on this morning,” he explained to the group.

  “Plastic?” Rick asked.

  “I’m sure it wasn’t plastic,” Natalie added not looking very sure.

  “It’s a shiny fabric. The style was flattering, and the description assured me it would keep me warm.”

  “The denim one with thick lining you bought may not be as fashionable, but it will keep you warm.” This time it was Jeremy who spoke, his hazel eyes twinkled, and the corner of his lips lifted just enough to tell that he found her situation funny.

  “The plastic one didn’t seem warm, but it was very shiny,” he finished.

  “Yes, well, we don’t get much snow in San Diego,” Gabriela replied and bit her sandwich.

  “What is that?” Gabriela asked. She and Jeremy stood in front of the house.

  “Snowmobile.” Jeremy went to the thing and waited for her to come closer. “It’s like a motorcycle, but for the snow. It doesn’t fall sideways though.”

  She neared and studied the seats. There was a back seat, but she’d still be almost against his back. “I need room to take pictures.”

  “You’ll have plenty of space. Come on, I’ll help you get on.”

  Thankfully, climbing on turned out to be easier than she expected. She settled into the seat, pulled down her knitted cap, tightened her scarf and waited for Jeremy to start it up. “Please don’t go too fast.”

  “I’ll go really slow so I can tell you about the place.”

  They set off and after a few initial moments of uncertainty, Gabriela relaxed, enjoying the sound of Jeremy’s deep voice.

  “Over there was where the first family homestead was located. My great-grandfather built it in the eighteen-eighties. It burnt to the ground in the nineties. Electrical fire. That’s when my parents built the one they live in now.”

  “So you got to live in the original house?”

  “Yep, for a few years as a kid.”

  They continued on, he kept his word and drove at a slow pace. They toured the stables. She found out the open barn-style building was actually the center of the holiday festival.

  When Jeremy explained all about the festival, it was as if he were reliving certain moments.

  “The festival is very special to your family isn’t it?” Gabriela tapped his shoulder.

  “It’s something my grandfather started. He did a couple and then deemed it too much damn work. Mom and Dad however got hooked. They love doing it.”

  “I can’t wait to experience it,” Gabriela said, meaning it.

  The sunshine showed off the burnished highlights on the tips of Jeremy’s hair. Her gaze roamed from the back of his neck to the wide shoulders. He was built perfectly. When he leaned forward on the snowmobile, it gave her a glimpse of his well-formed tush.

  “Gabriela?”

  “Ummm- sorry I didn’t hear you.”

  “I asked if there was anything else you wanted to see.”

  He’d shown her the stables, the corrals, the bunkhouse, several guest cabins, the lake and now they rode away from where the original family home had been.”

  “I can’t think of anything else. Can I ask you some questions for the article?”

  There was a beat of silence. “All right.” He turned the vehicle back toward his parent’s and her cabin.

  “What stands out the most for you when you think about growing up here?”

  “The freedom I had as a kid to roam. Time on the lake, running around in the woods, and riding my horse. Basically, the ability to come and go as I pleased on the land.”

  She looked around taking in how different her childhood in the city had been to his. “So why do you live in town now? You could have worked here for your father, right? Something different?”

  “Yep, Dad hoped I’d stay here and work. But I needed to experience a bit of independence.” His wide shoulder’s lifted and lowered. “I don’t mind living in Missoula, which by the way is not exactly a big city compared to San Diego.”

  “But you prefer it here on the family farm?”

  “Sometimes.”

  “What is your part in the annual festival?”

  He chuckled. “Jack of all trades. Set-up, help with day to day activities, and the breakdown and clean up.”

  “Sounds like a lot of work.” Gabriela turned to look back at the barn-structure.

  “You have no idea.”

  When they got close to the main house, there was an SUV pulled up in front. A brunette climbed out and waved.

  Jeremy cleared his throat, and he let out a long sigh. Gabriela studied the woman who narrowed her eyes as they approached.

  The snowmobile barely stopped and she rushed closer. “I saw your mom in town. She told me to stop by.” She didn’t even look toward Gabriela. “Besides, you seemed stressed the other night.” Her eyes slanted to Gabriela.

  Jeremy dismounted and held out a hand to Gabriela. “Cassandra, this is Gabriela. She’s here to write an article on the ranch.”

  Finally, Cassandra deemed her worthy of attention. “Oh, so you’re the reporter.” Her wide eyes conveyed forced innocence.

  “I’m actually a writer, not a reporter.”

  Cassandra ignored her and turned back to Jeremy. “So, can I get a ride next?” She winked at him. Jeremy coughed, and Gabriela could only stare agog at the woman after the innuendo.

  “Thanks for the tour, Jeremy. I’m going to head to my cabin and get started on writing. Nice to meet you Cassandra.” Gabriela couldn’t get away from them fast enough.

  Once inside her cabin, she peeked out throu
gh the blinds. Jeremy and Cassandra were still standing next to the snowmobile. He’d shoved both hands into his pockets while she talked, her arms motioning as she spoke.

  The woman seemed to be explaining something because every once in a while, he nodded. Although Cassandra had definitely sent out “back off vibes”, watching them now, it seemed as if they were either broken up or things between them were not exactly working out.

  Finally, he motioned to the door and they walked up the steps to the main house. He wasn’t taking her on a ride then, at least not on the snowmobile.

  After several hours of getting only a few words written, Gabriela needed fresh air. Interesting that in San Diego she could go an entire day without leaving her apartment, or if she worked at the office, she didn’t even leave for a lunch break. This place however was so different, the air so clean and the atmosphere begged for one to walk outside and take it in. Not just once or twice, but constantly.

  She bundled up, grabbed her camera and set off in the direction of the cabins. Making a mental note every so often, she stopped and looked around. First, for any animals wanting to attack, and secondly to ensure she knew how to go back.

  One thing she’d forgotten to ask Jeremy was if there were any bears around, or attack moose. In her research, she’d found out moose were often times as aggressive as bears.

  When she arrived at the guest cabins, she lifted her camera and took several pictures of the empty dwellings. Movement out of the corner of her eye made her freeze and she studied the tree line. Other than shadows, nothing seemed amiss. Perhaps it was a bird flying by. A huge bird that flew low to the ground.

  After a few moments, she stopped staring into the woods. Nothing was coming to attack, so she returned her attention back to the cabins. Noting the indentation of tire marks, she lowered and caught a great angle of the markings leading to one of the cabins. With the structure serving as an out of focus backdrop, the tread marks in the pristine snow were clear. It would be a beautiful picture.

  She lifted her head from the camera and looked to the cabin. The front door was slightly open. There were no vehicles, so obviously whoever had driven there earlier had either dropped someone off or forgotten to lock the door. Either way, it would be cool to see the interior.

  It was so quiet. The only sounds were the crunching of the snow under her feet. Something about the current scene made goose bumps rise on her arms and Gabriela shook it off.

  She looked around and up to the trees, unsure if she would ever be able to settle in a place like this. The surroundings without question were breathtaking, the quietness of the moment made her feel enriched. However, in that moment something was off. A sensation of impending danger made her look around once again.

  Unsure of what to do, Gabriela shoved her camera into her jacket to keep her hands free. Of course, the cabin was empty, whoever had been there had mistakenly left the door open. She giggled at her overactive imagination.

  “Hello.” Gabriela knocked on the cabin’s door. “Hello?”

  No one was about. The interior was cool, but not as much as outside which meant someone had recently been there or potentially was still there. She noted a closed door in the hall and wondered if perhaps someone was taking a nap…or maybe hooking up.

  If it was the latter, the couple could have left the door ajar in their haste to get to the bedroom. Best to back up as quickly and quietly as possible. This was definitely none of her business.

  When Gabriela turned around to leave, she caught sight of a foot. Someone was on the floor in front of the couch. Did they actually hide like that?

  Once again, none of her business. Except, what if the person was passed out, or it could be Henry, taking a nap.

  Giving in to curiosity, Gabriela called out again, “Hello?”

  She took a couple steps toward the couch and then another few until she was able to look at the person who lay on the floor.

  The man had salt and pepper hair. He was middle-aged with a round stomach. And he was most definitely dead.

  Chapter Six

  Henry burst through the door after a couple of rapid-fire knocks. He was breathless leaning forward at the waist. “That lady, the writer, she’s…. she’s…” He stopped talking and began to cough.

  “What’s going on?” Jeremy’s mother called from the kitchen.

  Jeremy raced past the still breathless Henry to the snowmobile. “Where is she?” From the direction of the cabins, Gabriela hurried toward the house, her arms and legs fighting to cut through the ankle-deep snow. In her hurry, she stumbled several times.

  On the snowmobile, Jeremy made quick time reaching her. When he jumped from the vehicle, Gabriela rushed to him and fell against him sobbing. He hugged her clumsily patting her back as she dug her face into his jacket, her entire body trembling.

  “What happened?” he asked into her ear. “Calm down and tell me what just happened.”

  She lifted her reddened face and looked past him toward the cabins. “There’s a dead man in cabin number six.”

  “Are you sure?” Jeremy looked in the direction of the cabin. “What exactly did you see?”

  Gabriela sniffed loudly, as he guided her to get on the passenger seat. “The door was open… I went in and saw him. There’s a man on the floor by the couch, eyes open, looking straight up. There’s a lot of blood.”

  Turning the vehicle around, he went to the house where his mother and Henry waited on the porch. Jeremy pulled up and motioned for Henry. “Help her inside. Mom would you please call the police and have them send someone out. Gabriela thinks she saw a dead body in cabin six.”

  “Oh my God,” his mother exclaimed.

  Jeremy raced to his truck, which was parked on the side of the house next to his parent’s garage. It was best to drive a vehicle he’d not be a moving target on. Besides, his service piece along with his rifle were in it.

  He drove with caution, ensuring to avoid the center of the road and instead drove on the left side. He parked a short distance away to keep from erasing whatever tracks were already there.

  Williams, his partner, called, and he instructed him to tell the others to park their vehicles where he did.

  Moments later, Jeremy entered the cabin. The smell of blood was thick, and he knew it would not be pretty before walking just past the couch to find the body, on the floor, just as Gabriela had described it.

  It would take at least thirty minutes for the forensics team and investigators to arrive from Missoula, so he looked around ensuring not to touch anything. In his rush to get there he’d not asked Gabriela if she’d seen or heard anything or anyone. He’d have to go back and ask her more questions.

  The man was not a complete stranger. He was a local politician of sorts. The dead man had served on the town council and was a long-time resident of the area.

  By the indentation on the back of the man’s head and blood pool around it, he’d guess it was a blow to the head that had killed him. What was definitely apparent was that the murderer wanted him dead.

  He went back outside and stood on the porch studying footprints. There were his, and there were smaller ones, which he figured had to be Gabriela’s. A third set was clearly marked in the snow, the footprints making a path from the porch to the side of the cabin. From there, tire tracks formed in the formation of a vehicle pulling backward and then forward to the right and away from the building.

  The tracks went away from the main ranch as well, probably down the side of the corrals and on to the nearby road that went east and west. If whoever it was had turned to the right, they’d head to Missoula, if they went left, they headed west to who knew where.

  Just then he spotted three patrol cars heading in his direction. Jeremy jumped over the side railing to fresh snow. He motioned for them to pull over across from the cabin to keep from driving over the tread marks.

  His partner was the first to get out of a vehicle. “Family all right?” Williams asked, his flat gaze raking over him befor
e moving to the doorway and lastly the ground leading away from the cabin.

  “Yeah, but Kevin Maloney isn’t. He’s the victim.” Jeremy motioned inside with his thumb. The forensics team donned shoe covers near the bottom of the stairs with gear bags hanging from their shoulders.

  As the forensics team carefully picked their way up the stairs. The three stopped at the porch and looked to him.

  “He’s inside straight ahead, to the right on the floor in front of the couch.”

  Head of forensics was a woman by the name of Glenda Struthers. Glenda was not a nice person. Jeremy and Glenda rarely agreed on anything except for the fact they did not like each other. “Who’s the DB?”

  “Kevin Maloney.”

  “The council guy?”

  “Yep.”

  Glenda shrugged and looked to Williams. “You going in or waiting on the snow to melt?”

  His partner walked inside, ignoring Glenda. Jeremy followed, mostly to avoid anything else the woman would throw at him.

  “Holy shit. He is most definitely dead. Who would want to kill this guy? He’s as white bread as they come.” Williams shook his head.

  “Not really,” Jeremy mumbled as he and Williams began what would turn into hours of work.

  Gabriela’s hand trembled as she pushed back an errant curl from her wet face. She’d splashed water on it and now stared at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were red and slightly puffy, the tip of her nose the same. She’d never seen a dead person before, and especially not like that. She’d only been to one funeral. It was for one of her uncles who had died in a car accident, so the casket had been closed.

  When she walked back into the front room, only Natalie remained. “Rick and Henry are outside. They’re armed and keeping an eye on things just to be sure no one’s around trying something.” Natalie went to the window and looked out. “I think they should stay in here, not run around out there trying to be heroes.”

  Gabriela agreed. “Maybe you should call them back inside.” She didn’t dare go to the window to peer out. The picture of the dead man’s face kept flashing in her mind and she let out a long breath. “Are you all right Natalie?”