by Dale Mayer
Carter sat outside on the front porch and sipped his morning coffee. Gordon was off doing chores but wouldn’t let Carter come with him. So, here he was, watching the breeze go by and trying to figure out what he would do about the missing dog, while waiting on his buddy to join him. And then things got interesting. A plume of dust came toward him, and he frowned as Hailey flew in. The look on her face said she had had some news.
“What happened?” he asked in a voice harsher than he meant.
The story left her in a rush, and the words tumbled against each other. Then, when she was done, she took several gasping breaths. “And you’re not to tell anyone.”
“I barely knew the man, but that’s sad, very sad.” Carter hesitated before he spoke again. “Are you sure it wasn’t suicide?”
“No, I’m not, but the gun was in his wrong hand. He was a lefty.”
“Right,” Carter said and winced. “You’d think somebody intent on murdering someone and getting away with it would check that.”
“But they might not have been thinking clearly at the time,” she said. “Right now, the rest of the company is sequestered while the sheriff interviews everyone. They’re on a publicity ban too. One of my employees was already trying to post the news on Facebook.”
He frowned at her.
She nodded. “He was already in trouble over other infractions,” she continued, “so I fired him on the spot.”
“Ouch.” Carter couldn’t help but smile. “You really know how to cause trouble, don’t you?”
“Not only that but he’s the dead man’s family.”
His smile fell. “Do you think he did it?”
“It would make me happy to think so, but I’m not sure he’s that kind of dangerous. Though I’ve been wrong before, so I really don’t know.”
“Right,” Carter said. “Sorry, it sounds like a really crappy morning.”
“I have to meet the sheriff at his office as soon as he’s done the interviews.”
“You’re not a suspect, are you?”
“If I’m not, I should be. With one of the partners out of the picture, the other two of us split his shares.”
“Wow. Is that normal?”
“We were brought in by Fred, the founding partner, and Fred got our money for our shares. So, in a way, yes, but it also gives us a motive for murder.”
“You’re the last one who would ever kill anyone to move up in the corporate world. You’re too damn stubborn.”
At that, she stiffened and slowly turned to look at him. “You’re right,” she said calmly. “I am. I make my own way, or I don’t. It’s just that easy.” Hailey then turned and headed inside.
Carter swore under his breath. Something about her was so damn prickly all the time. He never could quite understand it, but the two of them seemed to always argue and to say the wrong thing. He stepped inside, found her in the kitchen at the coffeepot, getting a cup, and apologized. “That was a very insensitive thing to say. I didn’t mean to insult you. You’ve already had a shitty morning.”
“Apology accepted but whatever. You and I have been at each other’s throats since we first met.”
“Why is that?” Carter was genuinely interested in her answer.
However, she only gave a half snort. “You really don’t know, do you?”
His frown deepened as he studied her features. “No, I don’t. Why?”
She shook her head and dumped the coffee into the kitchen sink, leaving her cup on the ledge, and left the house, probably walking in the direction of the horse barn. All the while, she had pointedly ignored him.
He wondered about her statement, but nothing came to mind. He knew her brother had often said the two of them shot sparks off each other, so Carter figured something about him rubbed her the wrong way. She wasn’t attracted to him. She had never revealed herself to be. At least, not since she was much younger, too young to know better. So, he had no clue what was going on between them. He tried being nice, but, more often than not, he ended up just being snappy, like her.
As he continued to consider his relationship with Hailey, a text from Geir came through.
You land okay?
Carter realized he hadn’t had any contact with the guys at Titanium Corp since his arrival. He updated Geir with his gathered tidbit of news regarding the missing K9.
Don’t like the sound of that info on the dog’s adoptive family. came back the response.
Neither do I. I’ll check them out today.
Do it quietly. I’d hate to think the dog’s been put down.
Chances are, it ran—if it could. Nothing stupid about these dogs. They also have great instincts.
I’ll talk to Commander Cross about the adoption process too, Geir texted back. Sounds like they were having some issues with this family.
I don’t think the issues were found during the application process. Apparently this family has all the bells and whistles to make themselves look good. Inside, though, they’re pretty lawless.
Damn. Too many of those are out there as it is. I’d hate to see one of our dogs end up in that type of hellhole.
We can only do what we can do. I’ll update you later today. After that, Carter grabbed his keys and his wallet. Just as he was about to head out, however, Hailey stepped into the doorway and glared at him. “Did you eat?”
He shook his head. “I’ll stop at a restaurant in town.”
She leaned against the door. “Why? Our food not good enough for you?”
He could feel his temper rise. “I don’t know what the hell’s your problem, and I’m sorry if my being here is once again an irritant, but, if you want me to leave, just say so.”
“You know my brother would be incredibly upset.”
“He’s a big boy and can deal with it, can’t he? I’ll stay in town and see him whenever he’s got some time. We don’t have to sit here and snipe at each other. I know you hate my guts, for God only knows what reason.”
At that, she stiffened. In a small voice, she said, “I don’t hate your guts. I don’t have any energy to hate anyone.” And just like that, she left him again.
Carter groaned in frustration. Once again, he’d let Hailey goad him into an argument.
Gordon stepped through the door, joining his buddy on the porch. “You just don’t get it, do you?”
“What is it that I don’t get?” The last thing he needed was his best friend on his case too.
“She’s into you in a big way,” Gordon answered. “I can’t believe you haven’t figured that out yet.”
“No way. All she does is snipe and argue with me.”
“Well, you broke her heart not once but twice. What would you expect?”
Carter froze. “What are you talking about?”
“You remember that incident when she was a teen?”
“Of course I do. It was the sweetest offer I’ve ever had, but how the hell would I ever take her up on that? She was too young, and she was your sister.”
“Rejection number one for a young woman just coming into herself. Rejection number two? You married that bitch.” Gordon walked back inside to the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee.
Carter cautiously followed, hoping to avoid Hailey until she calmed down again.
“No way in hell are you going into town to grab a meal. Give me ten minutes, and I’ll have bacon and eggs on the table.”
“I didn’t want to be a bother,” Carter said.
Gordon shot him a hard look. “You need to get off your high horse. You’ve never been a bother. Christ, we’ve known each other since you first came here for the summer during high school. Both your parents were still alive then. That was the first of many summers, and I always knew you’d settle somewhere close by. This has always been your home, exactly the same as it was every time you had some leave coming and came here. I kept hoping you’d come a couple years ago and stay. We wouldn’t have all this awkwardness now. I don’t consider you any less than you were before. In fact, I consider you a
hell of a lot more. I don’t think I could have been as brave or could have recovered as fast or as well as you did. Hell, I’m trying to deal with Debbie walking out on me, and I’m going to pieces.”
“Yeah, that’s because you still love her,” Carter said. “I stopped loving my wife once I realized who and what she was. I’m just mad at myself for not having seen it earlier.”
“Lust is one of those things that needs time to burn up and then to burn out, so you don’t make stupid permanent decisions.”
“Isn’t that the truth?” Carter grimaced. “When I found out she was leaving me, a nurse overheard and came to me with a joke. She asked me, ‘Do you know why men always name their penises?’ At that time, I thought she was off her rocker. I told her no and asked her why. Then she smirked as she gave me the answer. ‘So the major decisions in life aren’t made by a stranger.’ Then she walked off, laughing. I couldn’t forget her words after that.”
Gordon stared at him, then howled. “Oh, my God, that’s great. And too damn true.”
“Right, and it explains your lack of judgment, but don’t make any life decisions based on it. You and Debbie have love. My wife and I were never anywhere near as close as you and Debbie were.”
“Then I blew it,” Gordon said calmly. “And I’ve got nobody to blame but myself. That doesn’t make me feel any better.”
“Maybe, but what are you doing to win her back?”
“I was thinking to give her time,” Gordon admitted.
“You may want to rethink that,” Carter said. “A dozen men could be sniffing around her heels. She’s extremely well respected, beautiful, capable, and the homemaker everybody dreams about having. She’s one of the hardest working women I know. And if she wasn’t somebody I considered my sister, I’d be going after her myself.”
Gordon slammed down the frying pan hard and glared at him.
Carter didn’t back down. “I’m serious. She’s perfect. I also know she’s perfect for you. And, if you’re going to be an ass and sit here and give her time, chances are you’ll give her too much, and she’ll find somebody who’ll look after her the way she thinks you should have.”
“It’s not that I wasn’t looking after her,” he protested.
“No, but you needed to acknowledge the one thing she desired in her life. She wanted children. Now. Whether you two decide down the road to not have any children isn’t the issue. Not now. Whether you choose to adopt if you can’t have kids is the issue now. Especially if she decides that journey is not what she wants. But you have to at least bring that elephant in the room, shake it out, discuss the pros and cons, plus what you’ll do about it. You can’t just ignore it.”
“I was busy,” Gordon muttered.
“No, you were turning a blind eye.” Carter was harsh, but his friend needed to know. He watched as Gordon tortured the bacon in the pan. So Carter walked to the fridge, pulled out the eggs, and cracked them into a bowl.
“Did I say I wanted scrambled eggs?” Gordon asked.
“You always eat scrambled eggs,” Carter said. “You always eat steak and a baked potato. You always eat white bread too.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying you’re predictable. I’m saying Debbie would know exactly what you were thinking at any time because you’re a man of habits.”
“So then why is she upset with me?”
“Because you flirting with another woman is out of the ordinary,” Carter said quietly. “And that means that woman’s special. Even if you didn’t take that step, it’s not like you’ve ever done this before, have you?”
Gordon shook his head.
“So, for Debbie, that set off all the alarms.”
Gordon put the cooked bacon on a paper towel to drain off some of the grease and dumped in the eggs. As he stirred, he looked at Carter and said, “I don’t understand why I was attracted to this other woman.”
“I don’t think it’s so much that you were attracted to her as you were dealing with problems with Debbie. Your wife wanted something you didn’t have to give. Something you’re afraid you can’t give her.”
“I guess I never really thought about it in that way. I expected children to come along naturally. And they haven’t.”
“It didn’t bother you?”
“At the moment, while I’m young? No.” He looked around at the ranch hands outside his window. “Down the road, maybe twenty to thirty years, I could be regretting not having children though. I don’t know what that would look like. Except lonely.”
“Exactly. Particularly if you’re all alone,” Carter pointed out.
Within minutes, the two of them were sitting at the table.
As they ate, Carter looked at Gordon and asked, “You didn’t offer Hailey any?”
“No. I figured she didn’t want anything to do with you right now.”
“Which is also why I was planning on staying in town. I have to go in anyway, and it just seems more convenient and less troublesome to have a meal in town.”
“Not happening. And you have to watch out for those Longfellows.”
“As in, I need to carry a weapon?”
“Oh, no. They’re not rednecks or preppers or anything like that. They’re definitely slimy and not the kind of people we hang out with, but, when I say slime, I mean businesslike slime. They’re political slime, and they’ll come at you in a three-piece suit with a smile on their faces, then stab you in the back when you aren’t looking.”
The realization hit Carter. “Which is how they got the K9 adoption application through.”
“Exactly. Highly regarded by anybody who doesn’t know them, and those who do won’t deal with them. But they have money, and they have power, so not everyone has a choice in the matter.”
“Are they connected to Hailey’s company?”
“Yes, but they are connected to everyone and almost every business in town, so that’s nothing unique.”
Just then Hailey walked in and went straight to the table to glare at Carter. “Why would you ask that?”
Carter’s eyebrows shot up. He studied the woman he had always liked but never managed to get past the prickly stage with. “Because, when there’s trouble in town, it rarely comes from multiple sources at once. If you have a trouble spot, and there’s something political behind this murder, then you have to look at those most likely to be involved.”
“I don’t know if anybody from that family is involved.” She stared off in the distance, then frowned. “It’s been an ugly day.” And then filled them in on the recent events.
Carter watched her face, seeing something she wasn’t sharing. “And you think you know who’s involved”
“Maybe,” she said cautiously, “but I can’t be sure. I don’t want to say anything and be wrong.”
“Who are you thinking?” Gordon asked.
“Slim. I fired him this morning.”
“Well, that was long overdue.”
“It was, indeed,” she said, “but you know it won’t be that easy.” Hailey sat down, her fingers tapping out a pattern on the table as she thought.
Carter watched her process and marveled at the brain behind those eyes. His buddy Gordon was simple, a man of the land. He liked good food, good people, good friends, and had absolutely no interest in business matters. Business was Hailey’s forte. She ran the business part of the ranch and was also a partner in her own finance company. A move that had seemed strategic at the time, if a little expensive, but now appeared to be even more profitable.
“And, of course, you’ll become one of the prime suspects,” Carter pointed out. “If anybody had something against you …”
She glanced at Gordon.
He frowned and nodded.
“What are you not telling me?” Carter asked. When he got no answer from either of them, he asked another question. “And who is Manfred? I thought I heard his name mentioned somewhere.”
“Donnie’s boy. Donnie is David’s bother. David Longf
ellow. David and his wife had three daughters,” Hailey said quietly. “Almost everyone in town is related to the Longfellows.”
Gordon shrugged. “Donnie owns land beside us. He lived here for years, then moved to town once he lost his wife. Since then, Manfred moved in, and we’re having some issues with them on land boundaries.”
“And water rights, land, animals, you name it,” Hailey answered. “They own one hundred acres bordering ours. We’ve got twice that amount. We’re forever dealing with cut fences, their animals mixing with ours, and all kinds of stuff. We had peace and quiet for a long time. Then it just seems like nothing but shit—left, right, and center.”
“Is the sheriff doing anything about it?”
“Says he can’t do a lot, unless we catch them in the act of vandalizing or stealing our cattle. This is some of the oldest kinds of fights between ranchers ever,” Gordon said. “It’s one of the reasons I patrol that fence on a regular basis.”
“One of the reasons I suggested we put a second fence back a bit and leave that disputed land alone,” Hailey said, then pointed to Gordon. “But he thinks they’ll just come forward and start cutting the new fence too.”
“Why wouldn’t they?” Carter said. “If it worked once, it’ll work twice. Bullies 101.”
“Exactly,” Gordon said. He put down his fork, pushed back his empty plate, and grabbed two thick pieces of toasted bread. “You be careful,” he told Hailey. “You know what that family is like.”
Chapter 3
Hailey nodded. “I know. I had this innocence about working at the company, working with Fred.” She turned to Carter. “Fred was such a good man that it made me blind to some of the undercurrents going on around us here at the ranch and also in town. It hadn’t occurred to me that this Longfellow clan would be impacting me personally.”
“It also takes a strong motive to kill someone so well-loved in a town like this, as you said Fred was,” Carter stated. “And then to throw the blame on somebody else. Why would they have chosen Fred over Phil?”
“Good question,” she said. “Fred was the founding partner in the business. He was older and had more money, more power, and was a lot better liked than Phil.”