by Tara Sue Me
Hearing that only made Kelly work harder and as a result, everyone around her did the same. It was now well after midnight and the three of them had taken over the administrative building. Orson was in an empty office interviewing employees. He said someone had to have seen or heard something and he’d shake it out of people if he had to. Kelly had agreed for him to conduct the interviews even though Evan knew she still regarded the ranch owner as a suspect.
Not that he could fault her. Not the way everything pointed to someone inside the ranch being involved. Plus, Orson had been the only person he’d told about not returning after the demo. The problem with Orson as a suspect was the man had no reason to kidnap Kiara.
Not that he could imagine anyone at the ranch wanting to harm the other Bowman twin. By all accounts, Kiara was the bubbly and personable one. It was his own siren most saw as detached and standoffish.
At the moment, Kelly was elbow deep with a man she’d nicknamed Cowboy One and security videos. She’d said one of the operational cameras might have caught a snippet of something important. It was worse than a long shot. It was the proverbial needle in a haystack, but he knew her well enough to know she had to be doing something and currently, those videos were the only things keeping her from going off the deep end.
Evan glanced at her coffee cup and was getting ready to put down the employee files he’d looked over twice already to get her more, when the office door opened.
“Excuse me,” it was Kelly’s Cowboy Two, with a man Evan didn’t recognize and hadn’t seen around the ranch. “Officer K?”
Kelly stopped the video she’d been watching and Evan hoped whatever Cowboy and the unknown man had to say was important because based on her expression when she looked up, if it wasn’t whatever followed would not be pretty. “Yes?” she asked.
Cowboy Two jerked a thumb to the man at his side. “This is Jed. He owns the property that adjourns the ranch.”
Evan looked at Jed again. Unlike every other male who’d been in contact with Kelly tonight, he didn’t cower at the fiery redhead. He stood with a confidence and an air of power, but the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes spoke of a man who laughed often.
“Jedidiah Oakes, ma’am,” Jed said to Kelly and sent a nod Evan’s way.
“Listen, Jedidiah,” Kelly said. “We’re busy here. Unless you have -”
Jedidiah stopped her by lifting his hand. “This is not a social call.”
Kelly stood straighter. “I didn’t think it was considering the time.”
“I apologize for the lateness of the hour. I’d just returned from town when my housekeeper told me about the trouble you had here this afternoon.”
Kelly clearly was biting her tongue. She had a lot more patience than Evan did. If Jed had been talking to him, he’d tell him to spit it out or leave. Instead, he stood and moved to stand next to Kelly.
“I think the disappearance of Ms. Bowman’s sister ranks higher than trouble,” Evan said. “And the fact that you’ve been in town this long leads me to believe you were at a bar. Do you have some information to pass along or are you only looking for gossip?”
Jed regarded him cooly, neither confirming nor denying the bar statement. “I worked this afternoon on my pasture that runs along the side of your east field.”
“That’s the field where they found her watch,” Cowboy Two added.
“Around five I noticed a truck going down the edge of your property,” Jed said. “I thought nothing of it, I’d seen the vehicle before and recognized it as belonging to one of your employees. I assumed whoever it was had maintenance work to take care of.”
Evan’s heart pounded harder. This could be a clue, but beside him, Kelly still looked skeptical.
“A likely assumption, Jedidiah,” Kelly said. “Interesting you thought it worth a trip over here to tell us you saw a ranch employee doing maintenance.”
“That’s not why I made the trip, ma’am.”
Kelly waited.
“It was because twenty minutes later, the same truck returned going back the way it came and a lot faster. In fact, it was going so fast, I decided to speak to Mr. Kent about it later.” Jed’s voice was still as calm as it’d been since the moment he walked in the door. However, Evan felt Kelly’s body tense as his words sank in.
“That time fits perfectly with when we think someone took Kiara,” she whispered.
Jed nodded. “As soon as I heard there was a woman missing, I remembered that truck, and I made it over here as quickly as possible. I only wish I’d heard of her disappearance sooner. Or that I’d come right away with my concerns about how fast that truck was going.”
“The important thing is you came, and you did it as soon as you could.” Kelly was trying to contain her excitement, but it was hard, Evan could tell.
“I also brought some footage my security camera caught,” Jed added, with a nod toward Cowboy Two, who held up a thumb drive. “I checked when I returned home to ensure it captured the truck. Thought it might be useful when I had my chat with Mr. Kent. Now I’m hopeful it’ll be more useful in another way.”
“Thank you, Jedidiah,” Kelly said.
“No thanks, necessary, ma’am.” Jed tipped his hat. “Let me know if you need my help.”
No one moved until the door closed behind him. As soon as it clicked, Kelly looked at Cowboy Two. “Give me that thumb drive and get Orson in here.”
“Do you recognize the truck?” Kelly asked Orson as they watched a white pickup race across the computer screen in the footage Jed’s camera caught. The thumb drive contained only a clip of the security footage; it didn’t show the first time the truck went along the property line, only the second. Since Jed had planned on using the footage to complain about the driver’s speed, the reason he clipped it made sense, but Kelly wished she had both. Not that it mattered in the short term. Jed had more than likely caught the first appearance on camera and could produce the footage if there was ever a need. God, she hoped there wasn’t a need.
“Yes. I know that truck,” Orson said, and from the expression worn by both men of his technical security team, Mitch and Conner, though she preferred Cowboy One and Two, they did as well. “It looks like Seth’s truck.”
“Who is Seth?” Kelly had met many people and she was usually good with names, but she didn’t remember a Seth.
“You probably haven’t had the chance to meet him,” Orson said. “He’s a stable hand. He works some weekends here, but typically he doesn’t come around the kink players.”
“Have you interviewed him yet?” she asked.
Orson shook his head. “No. I thought it would make sense to speak with those who interacted with her first.”
Which is what she would have done had she been the one in charge of interviews.
“I have his file right here.” Evan placed a file folder in her hands.
Kelly opened the folder and scanned the papers inside. Nothing popped out as strange. All she saw were normal details: address, phone number, interview notes. “This has his address listed as Miller Road. How far is that?”
“Boss,” Mitch said, before Orson could answer. “Seth’s been staying overnight at the stables. That bay mare is due to foal and doc said someone should be with her at all times in case she goes in to labor.”
Orson pinched the bridge of his nose. “Right, she’s the one we almost lost.”
Mitch nodded.
Kelly tried not to let her brain get ahead of things, but if Seth was the guy they were looking for and he had to stay close because of a horse…
She couldn’t think it. Wouldn’t let herself think there was a possibility Kiara could still be at the ranch.
But she did anyway.
All five of them started talking at once. As the only law officer present, she needed to ensure everything ran as smoothly as possible and no one did anything to mess them up. They were close; she knew it. Now was not the time to get overexcited and screw up. They needed to slow down and plan.
She closed her eyes to help in removing herself from the situation. This was just another case. Telling herself that was the only way she’d be able to get through it.
She opened her eyes.
“Quiet,” she said and the four men stopped talking. “Thank you. Now, the first thing we need to do is to make sure this information stays with us. As of right now, we have a jump on a suspect, but if he hears we’re onto him, this could go south fast.”
The prior excitement dissipated and the expressions around the room grew somber once more. They weren’t finished yet. They still had a long way to go.
“Is there anyone else staying here overnight who normally doesn’t or any other employee we could bring in at the same time we bring in Seth, so he doesn’t get suspicious?” Kelly asked.
“We could bring in Mac and his boy,” Mitch said. “Seth wouldn’t think anything was up if you brought those two.”
“The ranch foreman and his son, JD,” Orson added, with a knowing nod in Kelly’s direction. “I agree. I’ve seen JD and Seth together several times.”
She got the hint. If she was looking for a second party, JD could be a potential suspect.
“Will anyone think it’s odd for Orson to bring the three of them in with it being after midnight?” Evan asked.
Kelly shook her head. “I don’t think so. If Seth’s supposed to be looking after a mare, he should be awake anyway. And I’m sure the foreman’s used to getting called for whatever reason at all times of the night. More than likely, his son’s used to it as well.”
“Makes sense to me,” Evan said.
“Mitch,” Kelly said. “Go by the stables and pick up Seth. Then the two of you go to get Mac and JD. Don’t ask him questions pertaining to Kiara, but if he asks them, answer as best you can. Conner, as soon as they leave the barn, I want you and Evan to look through it for anything, and I mean anything, that looks relevant to Kiara.”
“Should we be subtle and use flashlights, or go all out and turn on every light in the place?” Evan asked.
“How about somewhere between the two?” she replied, with a weak smile. “I’d hate to cause a mamma horse stress.”
Evan only winked.
As everyone headed out of the room to move forward with the agreed-upon plan, Evan stayed behind. He said nothing, but took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. She did the same to his. He placed a kiss on her forehead and then slipped into the night with Conner.
Chapter Seventeen
The stables were a complete bust and Evan hurried ahead of Conner feeling guilty because he had to return to Kelly empty-handed and anxious because he wanted to see if anything came of the interviews. He hoped to hell Kelly or Orson had uncovered some kind of information because if not, he feared Kiara’s outlook was turning more and more bleak with each moment that went by.
He’d been so certain something would turn up at the stables he wasn’t sure what to do about the sense of failure that came over him. He was so wrapped up in self-deprecation, he almost missed hearing the heated whispers coming from two men just ahead, but he didn’t recognize either voice.
Evan held out his hand to stop Conner and made a shush movement with his finger. Conner nodded, apparently also hearing the whispers. They stepped off the path to hide as much as possible. Looking around, Evan tried to place where he was at the ranch, and suddenly realized that the whispers were coming from the drive leading to the foreman’s house.
There was no way that was a coincidence.
“I’m telling you, man, they have no fucking clue. If they thought for a second you were involved, they would have dropped everything, said, ‘Screw protocol, we’re taking this mother down now.’ They let you go, bro. Chill.”
“Yeah, easy for you to say, she wasn’t in your vehicle. They could run fingerprints and do that DNA shit and know this crap involved me.”
“Calm the fuck down. That would only prove your truck was involved, not you, and yes your prints would be on it, it’s your truck. All you have to say is you loaned it to a friend, or it got stolen.”
Evan was tempted to get his phone out to record the conversation or to send Kelly a text, but he feared the light of his cell would catch the attention of one of the guys arguing.
“Fine, but I still think we should move her.”
“Seriously, what the fuck is your problem? We’re leaving her right where she is. Stick to the plan. Tomorrow, we’ll be able to get in contact with the man who wants her back so bad and we’ll take him to her. If we move her again, we risk having her get away, like she almost did last time. And no, we will not go to her now, because you’ll end up fucking her and then I’ll have to kill you. Got it?”
“Got it.” Though Evan didn’t think Seth liked it very much.
“Good. Now I’m going to bed, before the old man comes looking for me, and I suggest you do the same. We leave that bitch right where she is. If I find out you saw her without me, it won’t be good.”
“Fuck off. I’m not going anywhere tonight except the stable.”
Evan waited until the sound of footsteps from both men faded away and then an extra minute before daring to talk to Conner. “I don’t believe for a minute Seth’s going back to the stable.”
“I don’t either,” Conner agreed.
“You know this land and the surrounding area better than I do. Can you do your best to follow him while I get the others together?”
They agreed to split up. Conner would tail Seth and text Evan if he moved. Evan returned to the path and ran as fast as he could to alert Kelly and get everyone in position to head out. He wanted them ready to move the second he heard from Conner. In his gut, he knew he didn’t have much time.
Which meant Kiara might have even less.
Evan found Kelly and Orson arguing, of course.
“I want to find her as well, but unfortunately it doesn’t matter what you think the man’s son might have done,” Orson said to her, crossing his arms. “We can’t go storming into his house without a warrant.”
Kelly didn’t reply since she’d seen Evan at that point. She ignored Orson and turned to him. “What did you find?”
“The stable is clean, but we overheard Seth and JD. They definitely have her somewhere and somewhere close. We think JD will stay put for the night, Conner’s following Seth. We need to get ready to head out if he sends word Seth’s on the move.”
Kelly gathered her things while still talking with Orson and Mitch. “If you had to keep someone hidden near here but not on the ranch where would it be?”
Mitch spoke first. “Those caves up near where Old Man Tucker used to live.”
“Where are they?” she asked.
“About four miles.”
“On Jed Oakes’s land,” Orson added.
Kelly froze. “Jedidiah Oakes? The man who gave us the thumb drive?” She paused but only for a second. “Do you think he knows something or could they get to the caves without his knowledge? And why would he tip us off if he knew where she was?”
“Lots of people used to go explore the caves,” Mitch said. “But that was when Jed’s dad was alive. I don’t know about now.”
“Orson?” Evan asked, because the man had his lips pressed together like he was struggling not to say something.
“I didn’t say anything earlier because I thought it’d sound petty and I didn’t want to be like that after he dropped the video off.” Orson ran a hand through his hair. “But not everyone around here was thrilled when I bought the ranch and announced my plans. Jed Oakes was one of those opposed.”
“What are you saying?” Evan asked.
“He’s saying if Jedidiah wanted to run Orson out of business, something like this would be a good start.” Kelly turned to Orson. “And yes, it sounds petty.” Before Orson could reply, she added, “But I’ve seen people do worse for less. So it can’t be discounted.”
Evan’s phone buzzed with an incoming text. “Seth’s on the move.”
Kelly
seamlessly took control. “Evan and Orson, you guys come with me. Mitch, you stay here.” She grabbed a duffle bag. “Let’s go get my sister.”
Kelly drove her car with Evan relaying Conner’s directions in the passenger seat while Orson rode in the back. She’d have liked it better if they could have left Orson behind at the ranch, but since he was both Seth’s employer and Jed’s neighbor, it was better that he came along.
According to Orson, they had entered Jed’s land by the entranceway farthest away from the ranch. Conner was quick to point out it was the entrance closest to the caves. Kelly couldn’t help but wonder if he’d been in contact with Mitch, since his teammate had been quick to suggest the caves as well.
Conner suggested she turn off her headlights so as not to announce their arrival. It was a good suggestion, unfortunately, it made driving horrendously slow. She could walk faster. It helped she felt Evan’s impatience growing beside her.
After what seemed like forever, but in reality hadn’t been over thirty minutes, they reached the spot Conner had parked. They all got out of the car to get an update.
“The caves are about half a mile further up this path,” Conner said. “That’s where Seth went in his truck. I got out of my car and walked up to where I could see him but remain hidden. Based on the way Seth’s been cursing and fumbling around trying not to use a light, I get the impression Ms. Bowman isn’t where he left her.”
“What?” Kelly asked. “What do you mean?”
“He’s been huffing and puffing and mumbling under his breath about this is why he told that asshole JD they had to come back tonight,” Conner said. “I have to give him some credit, he’s not a total idiot. I watched as he looked for any vehicle track marks. Far as I can tell, he didn’t find any.”
“He thinks she somehow got away herself?” Evan asked.
“It seems to make the most sense if there’s no evidence of another vehicle.” Conner thought for a second. “The other possibility would be someone coming by on a horse and the only person who could do that is Jed.”