by Leigh Hearon
“Six,” Annie morosely replied.
“Right. And during those six days, you’ve been accused of murder, threatened with violence by local hooligans and told to leave town, ordered not to leave town by a crooked sheriff, had your trailer vandalized, hired an attorney to protect you, and had to change motels because of threats against your life. Is that it?”
“Pretty much.”
Marcus’s succinct recap made everything that had happened sound a bit incredible even to her—and she’d been there.
“Pretty much. Oh, yes—Maria. Why don’t you trust Maria? I don’t think that was in your original narrative.”
She had to know what he was feeling. She turned and saw a face suffused with deep solicitude. She sighed and gently leaned against his shoulder. Annie was very much aware that she was resting on a long, jagged scar that ran down the left side of his neck, a permanent reminder of his near brush with death six months ago. It looked completely healed, but Annie still hoped she wasn’t hurting him. Draping his arm around her, Marcus gave her a comforting squeeze, as if to reassure her that he was perfectly fine.
“Why is Maria under suspicion?”
“Well, she lied. She told me she worked at a local public school, and that was the reason she couldn’t be at the feedlot to help load on Tuesday. It was actually the sheriff who pointed it out. He told me it was a shame Maria was no longer employed by the school. When I confronted her today, she admitted the lie but wouldn’t tell me why.”
“So she wasn’t truthful about her place of employment. What’s so bad about that? It doesn’t make her entirely untrustworthy, does it?”
“No, it sounds silly when I say it now. But the problem is that Maria did come to the feedlot Tuesday morning, about two seconds after the sheriff’s office arrived. And she told me she’d come from school, after she heard the news on the school’s police scanner.”
“Do schools have police scanners now? I suppose they do, just in case an escaped convict is in the vicinity.”
“Whatever. All I know is that she made a huge point of telling me where she’d just been, and it was a lie. I’m getting so paranoid I’m beginning to wonder if Maria killed George, then hung back until the cops showed up as a kind of alibi.”
“Well, if she truly wasn’t at school, it isn’t much of one. But I see your point. She went to a lot of trouble to make you think she was somewhere else during the murder.”
“Yes, and there’s more.” Annie snuggled more deeply into Marcus’s chest. It felt heavenly. “I found out the pilot was working for the tribe, as a scout for wild herds. He’d find their grazing areas on the rez, then the natives would swoop in to capture them and take them to the feedlot. Maria claims she knew nothing about this. Yet the desk clerk here said Maria and Trevor knew each other pretty well.”
“Why would the desk clerk know that?”
Ah. She’d have to reveal Tony’s hidden love life. Or what she thought was his hidden love life.
“Well, according to Maria, she and Tony were more than just friends. She’s the person who told him about the feedlot horses and suggested he take a look at them for Travis’s ranch. She told me she spent the night with him the day he came up here, and that much I think is true. The desk clerk noticed Maria coming down with Tony the morning he checked out. Trevor was waiting at the motel, ready to fly Tony back home. The clerk said Maria and Trevor were obviously old friends.”
“Hmm. Maria does seem to be holding something back. And you’ve met her, and I haven’t, although I assume at some point I will. But it’s still a stretch to think she’s a killer.”
“Yes, but—”
“You may recall that there was a lot of circumstantial evidence pointing at me in Hilda’s death. Back then, you believed in me when no one else did, except my mother, of course. What you’ve described to me now sounds pretty similar to my case. Why don’t you give Maria the benefit of the doubt until you know more?”
Annie sat up and stared off into the now near darkness surrounding them.
“You’re right. I’ll try to suspend judgment. It is hard to think of Maria as a cold-blooded killer. Besides, if the plane crash is connected to George’s death, I can’t imagine Maria’s being willing to sacrifice Tony along with Trevor. Unless they had a horrible fight the night before or something.”
“Stop thinking. It’s bad for you.”
“Got anything else in mind?”
Marcus did.
* * *
The next morning, Annie proudly showed Marcus her new breakfast nook, the small café down the street where she’d first met Maria.
“Welcome to the home of the never-ending cup of coffee,” she jokingly told him as a waitress approached their table.
Marcus held out his mug. “Fill ’er up.” He took a large sip, put down the mug, and closed his eyes. Annie tried to squelch the vague envy she felt whenever she saw anyone drink their coffee black. She required cream and copious amounts of sugar.
“Are you feeling okay?”
“Fine,” Marcus replied with his eyes still closed. “It’s merely jet lag. For some reason, I think it’s time to go back to sleep.”
“We could do that. . . .”
“Yes, but the problem is, I’d really sleep. It’s better if I force myself to stay up. I’ll probably fade this afternoon, but let’s enjoy the morning while I can still prop my eyes open.”
Annie was relieved to see Marcus somewhat revived after a large breakfast of ham and eggs. When her smartphone buzzed from inside her purse, she instinctively grabbed it and trained her eyes on the screen. She swiped, punched out a quick message, and slipped the phone back into her purse in a matter of seconds. The fluidity of her movements did not go unnoticed by her companion two feet away.
“Looks like you’ve become quite proficient on that phone,” Marcus said approvingly. “I take it you’re finding it useful.”
“Are you kidding? My life now revolves around that device. It tells me what time it is, when I should get up, what the weather’s going to be like—not that there’s much variation around here—how to get someplace, and the latest news. It’s become an indispensable part of my wardrobe. I’m afraid to leave home without it. I don’t know whether to thank or curse you for bringing it into my life.”
Annie’s eyes sparkled as she spoke. Marcus grinned back at her.
“And texting, even. My, my. You’re on a slippery slope. The next thing you know, you’ll be on Twitter and posting on Facebook.”
“Fat chance. One has to draw the line somewhere. But it really has been a great addition to my life. Thank you for introducing me to the brave new world of smartphone technology. As you know, I’d never have done it by myself.”
“The pleasure is all mine. Now I know I can reach you just about anytime I want. That was really my diabolical plan all along.”
Marcus held out his mug to the waitress, who was walking by. Annie was sure it was his fifth cup.
“Who was in need of your attention just now, if I might ask?” he asked.
“Oh, that was Lisa at the stables. She just wanted me to know that everything’s A-OK. She even sent me a photo of Trooper rolling in the pasture. It’s pretty adorable. Let me show you.”
Annie dug out her phone again. She pulled up the text from Lisa and tapped on the photo to make it full screen.
“What do you think of your boy?”
Marcus turned the screen toward him and smiled. The photo showed Trooper on his back, four legs wildly pummeling the air and twisting slightly to scratch his back.
“The noble horse at play.”
“Horses gotta roll.”
“So I can see. Have you had a chance to test-drive the camera app yourself ?”
“I have, indeed. Just a minute.”
Annie pulled up the camera app and stared blankly at it.
“Darn.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just can’t remember how to access photos. I took a
bunch of the damaged trailer, and Jessica painstakingly walked me through the process of sending them to her email. But now I can’t remember what she told me.”
“Don’t worry. It’ll be like second nature to you before you know it. Let me show you.”
Marcus leaned over and showed her an image on the bottom left.
“See this? Just select that and all your photos will come up in sequence. You can swipe to the one you want.”
Annie hastily grabbed it back from him. Marcus looked up, surprised.
“What’s the matter, Annie?” He sounded a bit hurt.
“Sorry. I just didn’t want you to see some of what was done to the trailer.”
“That doesn’t sound good. Why don’t you let me decide if I can stand it?”
She silently handed the phone back to him and watched as Marcus scrolled through the photos she’d taken. She saw his face turn from one expressing natural curiosity to one of stone, his lips tightly compressed.
“It’ll all be gone today,” she assured him. “Andy promised me.”
“That doesn’t negate the fact that it was done. I’m glad you took these photos, Annie. Not just for Jessica’s insurance purposes. I intend to find the men who did this to you and make sure they’re charged to the fullest extent of the law. This is despicable. It’s worse than despicable. It’s . . .”
“I know,” Annie said quietly.
“Every one of them is going down whether they wear a police badge or not. Especially the ones wearing badges.”
Annie almost pitied Deputy Goddard. Almost, but not quite.
CHAPTER 22
SUNDAY MORNING, AUGUST 14
Marcus continued to fume throughout breakfast. All the equilibrium he’d evinced the night before as Annie recited her litany of troubles had been dispelled.
“I’m calling James Fenton right now,” he informed Annie, and reached for his own cell. Annie was sure James would drop everything if Marcus were in need of legal help; he’d done it before. She wasn’t so sure he would react as promptly if he knew she was the damsel in distress.
Annie put her arm on Marcus’s.
“Wait,” she pleaded. “Let’s concentrate on getting out of town first. There’s not much point in stirring things up the way they are now.”
He reluctantly returned the cell to his jacket. But he continued to fume.
Annie desperately wanted to restore the good humor they’d enjoyed just a few minutes before. She glanced out the window just in time to see a battered, sea-foam-green truck rattle by, going far faster than the local speed limit allowed. And it was heading north. It was precisely the diversion Annie needed.
“Come on, Marcus. Let’s go. I just saw Maria heading out of town like a bat out of hell. I want to follow her.”
She grabbed her purse and watched a startled Marcus abruptly stand up and throw a twenty on the table.
“Let’s go,” was all he said.
Annie and Marcus raced out of the coffee shop and back to the motel parking lot in record time. As soon as she yanked open the door of her truck, Wolf greeted her with a sharp bark of hello. Annie had no idea how he’d gotten here—she could have sworn he was in the motel room when they’d left for breakfast. Perhaps the maid had inadvertently let him out and Wolf had discovered her truck’s rolled-down windows. In any case, it was too late to do anything about it now. But Wolf intuitively picked up on the immediate nature of his mistress’s departure. Without a sound, he jumped into the back and obediently sat down. Yet even her blue heeler couldn’t resist the thrill of the chase. By the end of the first city block, he had edged his way toward the console, panting heavily, delighted at being part of this unknown adventure.
Annie was driving. She still hadn’t caught a glimpse of the Toyota truck and was beginning to think Maria had too much of a head start for them ever to catch up. If so, it surely wasn’t for lack of trying. They’d left so quickly, the poor waitress probably thought they were trying to abscond without paying their bill. She hoped the twenty Marcus had flung down was still on the table in the flurry of their hasty departure.
She glanced over at Marcus, who was completely absorbed in the landscape flying by them.
“Do you have any idea where she’s headed?” he asked without taking his eyes off the road ahead.
“She’s headed toward the rez. I think. There’s a crossroads about ten miles ahead of us. One way goes to the tribal lands, the other up to an animal sanctuary owned by a friend. If we don’t catch her by then, we never will.”
It occurred to Annie that Maria might very well be on an errand of mercy for Olivia. Perhaps an animal was sick or injured. If that was the case, Annie was going to be more than a little embarrassed by her fool’s errand. But if not—if Maria was headed to the reservation, and it had anything to do with Danny Trevor or the roundup of wild horses, she wanted to know what part she played in it. She stepped on the gas and officially exceeded the speed limit by fifteen miles an hour. She prayed that at ten o’clock on a Sunday morning, every local police vehicle was either parked in front of a church or the home of the deputy who drove it. The last thing she needed was to be pulled over for speeding. Somehow, she knew Alvin Gilman would not condone her decision to violate the basic rule of speed.
She was fast approaching the fork in the road and still the road ahead loomed ominously empty. The good news was there were no slow cars to get around. The bad news was that Maria’s pickup had seemingly disappeared into thin air.
Then Marcus pointed in front of him. “Up there! I think I see a truck.” Annie squinted against the glare of the windshield. As usual, she had forgotten to put on sunglasses. But yes, Marcus was right—she could see Maria’s distinctively colored vehicle about a half mile up the road. And fortune was shining down on her. Maria was approaching the place where she’d have to make a decision to turn either right or left, and it was now within Annie’s line of sight. She’d soon know if Maria were headed toward Olivia’s menagerie or some other destination. She considered easing up on the gas pedal but decided to demur. Unless Maria was specifically looking for her in her rearview mirror, she’d never know Annie’s truck was on her tail. And it had taken such an effort to find her. Annie wasn’t going to lose her now.
Maria made a large right turn, ignoring her turn signal. Annie was aware that the Toyota had barely slowed down to make the corner. Whatever lay ahead, her friend intended to get there as quickly as possible.
Annie was at the same crossroads a minute later, but Maria’s truck was already out of sight. She glanced at Marcus. He smiled and gave her a thumbs-up. Annie returned the smile. At least the chase had eradicated the anger he’d felt at the café.
They passed the road sign marking the distance to the tribal council, and Annie knew that, like it or not, she soon was going to have to adhere to the speed limit. But suddenly Marcus shouted, “Stop! Slow down!” Puzzled, she immediately applied the brakes.
“It’s a green truck, right?”
Annie nodded.
“I saw it tucked into a side road about a quarter mile back. She’s either parked there because she knows she’s being followed, or she’s parked there because that’s where she’s supposed to be.”
Annie was impressed.
“Do a lot of surveillance in your spare time?” she asked casually, as she backed onto the shoulder of the road to begin an ungainly U-turn.
“No. I watch too much television. Ask me about DNA analysis sometime. I’m an expert.”
Turning around on a narrow two-lane road with two-foot drop-offs on each side wasn’t easy, but Annie accomplished this as adroitly as she could. She slowly drove in the opposite direction, looking on both sides of the road for signs of the truck. A few seconds later, Marcus pointed to the right.
“Up there. It should be just beyond that clump of pine trees.”
It was. As she coasted by Maria’s truck at five miles per hour, the truth suddenly struck her. Annie knew precisely where Maria was going, an
d why. She found a better turnaround place, made another U-turn, and turned into the rural lane. Parking her truck next to Maria’s, she turned toward Marcus. He looked at her inquisitively but said nothing.
“Now I understand everything,” she said simply. “Follow me.”
The climb up the hill seemed less steep than it had on Friday, despite the medical kits both she and Marcus were hauling. Perhaps it was because the sun was not as high in the sky as it had been the day Colin had taken her here. Or perhaps it was because of the adrenaline that was now flowing through her body and knowing what was happening in the quiet grove ahead.
Annie strode ahead of Marcus, but she could hear his footsteps close behind her. Her dog had opted to crash through the sparse copse of black cottonwood on the right, periodically running across the road to find Annie, only to take off again. She wished she had the energy of the blue heeler. It was taking all she had to get to the grove as quickly as possible in a straight line.
When she reached the dried-up stream, she halted to catch her breath. She wasn’t wearing boots, just sandals, and hoped none of the indigenous snakes had awakened as a result of their hasty trek through their territory. Perspiration dripped off her face, and she impatiently wiped it away with her one free arm.
Behind her, Marcus quietly said, “What are we looking for?”
“A small herd of horses. One of them may be in labor.”
“Ah.” He stood quietly, obviously awaiting her next instructions. He really was a remarkable man, Annie thought fleetingly. She’d dragged him away from the café with little explanation and he had unhesitatingly followed her every move. She wondered if she’d have been as amenable had the situation been reversed. Possibly not.
She turned and held out her hand for the kit he was carrying.
“Wait here just a bit. Let me locate them first, then I’ll come back for you, if I can. Try to keep Wolf with you. The mare in foal doesn’t need any outside distraction right now.”
Marcus nodded and softly whistled for Wolf, who was happy to join him. He took hold of Wolf’s collar, and said, “We’ll be here. Don’t be long. And watch out for rattlesnakes.”