Lovejoy’s ranch was still in the running, but she wondered about the ranch coming on the market so quickly. She went out on the front porch, sat down to finish her coffee, and called the hospital to see about Glory. She asked for the doctor, but he was with a patient so she left a message for him to call her. She debated about going in to see Glory, but before she could decide, she noticed a trail of dust in the distance on the road. A visitor was coming. She recognized Tillie’s truck as it drew closer. Why would Tillie be coming this morning when she knew that Opal went for treatments in the morning? Fiona had the uneasy feeling that Tillie was coming to stir up more trouble. She doubted Tillie wanted to see her. She probably wanted to see Jake.
Fiona went inside for more coffee and started a fresh pot. She helped herself to one of the muffins on a plate by the stove. Queenie had come this morning to clean, and there was something simmering in the crock pot that smelled like chili. She wondered where Queenie was. Maybe in the laundry room because the dryer was running. It was a good thing that Fiona had locked Jake’s bedroom door last night so they hadn’t had the help looking in on their naked selves.
She peeked out the kitchen window to see if she could see Tillie, who hadn’t appeared at the front door. Fiona walked to the front room window to look but only her truck was parked in front. She walked to the west facing windows and saw Tillie’s truck going toward the road that led to the pivots. She must have seen Jake’s truck in the field. The woman was going to see Jake.
Her cell phone rang, and she pulled it from her jeans pocket to answer. It was the doctor. “Glory is better, but I’d like to keep him one more day for observation. We’ll release him in the morning.”
Fiona was relieved that Glory was still alive. “Did the Sheriff send anyone to guard him?” she asked the doctor.
“Not that I know. Why would he need to be guarded?”
“Whoever beat him up might be back, and we’re concerned for his well being,” said Fiona.
“We’re pretty secure here, but anyone can come in during visiting hours. I doubt someone would be so bold as to try something in our hospital, but I’ll make a note that no one is to be allowed in the room except you and Jake.”
“Thank you. I’ll be there in the morning to pick him up.”
Fiona closed the connection and tried to see what was happening out in the pasture. She was uneasy about Tillie and decided to get in her own truck to see what was up. At first she couldn’t find her purse and keys then remembered she had put her purse on the couch when they came in last night. She went to fetch them and saw her vest and Jake’s neatly folded on the coffee table. She felt the blush in her cheeks. What a night. She guessed everyone knew by now.
She drove her truck out the lane that ran along the south side of the two huge pivots to the west of the house. The day was warm and sunny. With the windows down a refreshing breeze kept her cool. On a whim she looked toward the knoll where the gray pile of ashes of her former homestead lay. Tillie’s truck was parked at the bottom of the knoll. She hadn’t gone to the pivot to see Jake. She was on some other mission. Why would she have parked there?
Fiona backtracked and steered the truck toward Tillie’s old, battered one and pulled in back of it when the path became too narrow to go any further. She got down and softly closed the door. What was Tillie doing? Fiona scanned the knoll and the area around the knoll. She saw no one.
She glanced at Tillie’s truck. She could see faint footprints in the dust by the door. They were headed up the hill. Fiona walked to the front of the truck and started following. Now there were two sets of faint prints. Someone was with her. Tillie had brought someone, thinking no one would be around this morning. She must have figured Fiona would take Opal to town and the others would be in the fields, working. What was she up to?
Fiona followed the prints as best she could since rocks covered part of the path. She kept looking around, trying to see where Tillie and friend might be. At the top of the knoll she had the commanding view that had made the site so appealing. She paused under what was left of the burned shade tree. She could see the rest of the ridge to the west. The same ridge that someone thought would make a great place for a wind farm. Looking east was the ranch house and outbuildings. To the north lay the pivots. She could see the baler standing in the field, and Jake’s truck parked beside it. Cattle were black dots on the horizon to the south. Where could Tillie have disappeared so fast? The endless high desert landscape was deceptive. A person could easily disappear behind tall brush and re-appear just as quickly a few feet away.
Fiona decided to follow the ridge since she hadn’t seen Tillie come back and her truck was still there. It wasn’t going anywhere. Fiona had her parked in. Something told Fiona this was all about the ridge. Her curiosity got the better of her and blocked out all her common sense which should have told her not to follow Tillie alone.
Fiona skirted the sage brush, rabbit brush and a tall stand of greasewood. Stickers pulled at the legs of her jeans and the uneven ground made difficult footing. She spied a deer trail that seemed to follow the top of the ridge and took it. Bless those deer.
After walking a few minutes she stopped and surveyed her surroundings again. She could see 360 degrees but some of the brush was tall enough that it blocked a clear view. She had never walked this far from the ranch. She shielded her eyes, looking toward the sun. This was strange. Tillie had just disappeared.
Was there an underground opening somewhere that they had disappeared into? Fiona still thought the area had some kind of an underground mine. What if it were gold? But Paul had said that there was no commercial gold in the valley. She checked her watch. It was close to lunch time, and the men would be coming in for lunch. She opened her phone and called Jake’s number.
“Hello, darlin’,” he said. “How are you doing?”
“Jake, dear,” she smiled when she said it, “I’m up on the ridge where the bunk house used to be. I followed Tillie up here. Someone is with her, and they have disappeared.”
“Run this by me again,” said Jake.
Fiona gave him the longer version about how Tillie had showed up.
“Don’t go any farther. I’ve got to finish up with this repair.” He paused. “No, I changed my mind. Come back down and wait for me at your rig, okay? I’ll be there as fast as I can. Then we’ll see what Tillie is up to.”
“Did you know she was coming?” asked Fiona.
“No, and Opal didn’t take me into her confidence about what is going on with Tillie.”
“I think it has something to do with a wind farm on this ridge.”
“You may be right. I’ll get there soon as I can.”
Fiona wedged the cell phone back into her jeans pocket. She made another 360 degree sweep, looking for Tillie. Jake had said to go back and wait at the truck. She tapped her toe. She didn’t really want to do that. She wanted to walk find them, catch them in the act, because if it involved Tillie, it probably wasn’t legal.
The sun beat hot on her head, and she loosened another button on her shirt. She shook her blouse to create a breeze and held her hair up off her neck. Her boots were hurting her feet again. If she walked on, there’d be blisters for sure. She needed to buy a pair of those half boots called Romeos she’d seen ranchers wear. They were supposed to be the ultimate in comfort. Maybe then she could hike these hills without getting blisters. She needed to learn how to saddle a horse. Then maybe she could ride these hills for hours. Listen to her. She was beginning to sound like a real buckaroo who was in love with a real buckaroo. The thought brought a smile to her face. Maybe she’d walk just a little farther on. She couldn’t stand the inaction of waiting. Jake sounded like he might be a while. What could it hurt?
She dodged another large stand of greasewood and rabbit brush that displayed bright green new growth. She walked from one side of the ridge to another in a weaving pattern, trying to cover all ground. To the west the ridge started dropping away to a deep canyon. She could see w
hy this might be a good place for those giant windmills. It was windy on this ridge.
How could Tillie have disappeared so quickly?
Fiona stopped at the edge of the drop off and peered down into the canyon. Basalt rim rock dropped straight down to the valley floor below. Tumbled rock and narrow ledges would make it impossible to climb into the canyon. She continued along the edge where the rock surface gave decent footing. Finally, she stopped hands on hips. She was stumped. There was no use going on. She had probably missed Tillie, who by now might be back at her truck wondering how she was going to get out.
Fiona turned around. Behind her not one hundred feet away stood Tillie and a man in a hard hat, holding some kind of gear. They were watching her. They had given her a bit of a start, but she recovered quickly. She waved and took a step toward them.
Tillie was stone-faced. The man beside her, who was regular height and on the heavy side, gave a slight nod of the head and what might pass as a smile.
“It looks like we decided to take the same walk today,” said Fiona, hoping to lighten the atmosphere that had started to build up energy like a storm brewing.
“I’m not out for a walk,” said Tillie. “I’m showing this man the ridge. He’s going to do an evaluation for a wind farm.”
“I see,” said Fiona. The subject was on the table. She didn’t know how much she should press for information. There was an awkward silence. So Fiona said, “What does this man say?”
Tillie spoke for the man, who didn’t seem in any hurry to join the conversation. “This is the first time he’s been up here. It’s too early to say. He’s just fact collecting today.” Tillie looked away then looked back again at Fiona. “Why did you follow us up here?”
Fiona decided to play it straight. “I wondered what you were doing up on my knoll.”
“It isn’t your knoll.”
“It is. Opal deeded the place to me. It involves about five acres on the end of this beautiful ridge. So I guess I have some say on the wind farm since the right away is across my land.”
Tillie scowled. “Opal never told me that. You’re lying.”
Fiona narrowed her eyes. “I guess you aren’t privy to everything that happens in Opal’s life or on this land. I am not lying, and I don’t like being called a liar.”
The man held up his hand. “If you ladies will excuse me, I need to get back to work, and I’ll need a ride out of here to do that. I don’t want to get involved in a family squabble.”
“This isn’t a family squabble,” said Tillie. “This person doesn’t even belong in the family. She’s just visiting.”
The man said, “At any rate, I’ve seen enough. I can get the rest of the information I need on the internet.” He turned and walk in the direction of the bunkhouse ruins.
Tillie didn’t. She advanced toward Fiona, came to within five feet of her and said in a low, hissing voice, “You better butt out of this. I think it is time for you to pack and leave. You’ve caused enough trouble.”
Fiona bristled. There was something about Tillie that could make even a saint angry. “I haven’t caused any trouble. But you are.”
Tillie’s hands clenched at her sides. She looked like she was going to take a swing at Fiona. “I’ll thank you to butt out of family business. If you don’t, something worse than that crummy old bunkhouse burning down might happen.”
“Are you threatening me?” asked Fiona, not wavering an inch.
“Take it any way you like it. But I’m warning you to get the hell out and take that half-breed with you.” With that she spun around and hurried to catch up with the engineer or whatever he was.
Fiona crossed her arms and watched Tillie leave. A rock bounced down the slope behind her, and she looked back. She wasn’t but five or six feet from the edge. She was glad Tillie had restrained herself and not swung. They both might have ended up coyote food at the bottom of that canyon.
* * * * *
Jake pulled in behind Fiona’s truck. Tillie was standing by hers, looking around like she was trying to decide how to leave. Until he and Fiona moved their rigs there wasn’t anywhere for Tillie to go since she was hemmed in by rocks and thick brush on both sides of the narrow lane.
He wasn’t looking for a confrontation, but Tillie looked like she was ready for one. He opened the door and eased out, knowing he couldn’t postpone the inevitable bad scene. All his scenes were bad with Tillie. It was a given.
He didn’t bother saying hello. “What’s up, Tillie?” he asked instead. “Are you here to see Opal? She’s gone to town for a treatment.” He knew darn well she wasn’t there to see Opal, that she knew where Opal was.
“I need to leave,” Tillie said. “Get these rigs out so I can leave.”
Jake checked Fiona’s truck. She had left the keys under the floor mat. He could back hers out as easily as he could his. But he wasn’t going to unblock Tillie’s retreat until he had more information.
“Where’s Fiona?” Jake said.
Tillie motioned with her head. “She’s still up on the ridge. We saw her up there.”
Jake looked up. Fiona was standing near the lone tree. She saw him and waved. Jake breathed a silent sigh of relief that nothing had happened to her. Tillie was such a loose cannon, you never knew.
“Did you lose something, or are you out for a day of sightseeing?” said Jake.
A man came around the back of Tillie’s truck and introduced himself. He and Jake shook hands. “I work for a wind power company. Tillie gave me a call about this site. We’re interested so I came out to take a look. I’m confused about the ownership of this property.”
Jake looked at Tillie.
She squirmed at little and said, “I told him that I needed a proposal to present to my aunt who might be interested. That’s all.”
Fiona arrived to join the conversation.
The wind power man motioned to Fiona. “This lady said she owns the right away to the ridge.”
Jake smiled in spite of himself. Leave it to Fiona to figure out the sticking points in any dilemma. And my, she did look good. When did she ever not look good?
Fiona said, “I pointed out that the only easy way to get to the rest of the ridge is through my five acres.”
“I’ll ask Opal about that,” said Tillie. “I can’t believe she’d give away a valuable piece of property to a stranger.”
Fiona’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “I earned that piece of property fair and square.”
“I don’t believe a word you say.”
“It’s the truth,” said Jake. “I was there.”
The wind power man said, “I hate to disturb this family dispute, interesting though it may be, but I’m late for another appointment. My rig is at the highway, so can someone take me out there? You can continue your argument without me.”
“I’ll take you,” said Tillie.
“No problem,” said Jake. “We’ll back out the rigs.”
The man started to walk around Tillie’s truck to the passenger side, then stopped and looked at Tillie. “Of course, included in the proposal will be the stipulation that whoever contracts with us will have clear title to the land and a right-of-way.”
“No problem,” said Tillie.
When cows fly, thought Jake. He liked that Fiona had the right-of-way. He hadn’t thought about it much because he was never interested in having those big windmills on the ranch. Of course, he might not have any say in the matter, but Fiona would. Jake backed out, then Fiona, so that Tillie could leave. Tillie gunned it going down the road, sending up a plume of dust.
Jake drove back to the ranch house, pulled around to the back and parked near the kitchen door. Fiona followed him, and they stopped by the rigs to talk.
“She’s trying to get away with something,” said Fiona. “The little weasel.”
“We know who wants the ranch and why,” said Jake. “We don’t know who is paying to run us off. I’ll have a talk with Opal to see if she’ll confront Tillie. That ma
y stop the little weasel but there are more people than Tillie involved in wanting this ranch if we are to believe Glory.”
Fiona nodded. “We have to find out who that is. That reminds me.” She told him about the conversation with the doctor about Glory.
“That’s good news,” said Jake. “If you can go for him tomorrow, that would be great. We’re baling, and I need to be here.” He could see how much he was coming to depend upon Fiona as his partner.
His phone rang as they talked and he looked at the ID. “This is Jake,” he said into the phone. “Yep, yep. Good, that’s great. Yes, ma’am. Yes, ma’am. I’ll be in as soon as I can get away. Thanks very much. That’s good news.”
He closed the phone. “The bank has approved my loan for the purchase of Opal Crawford’s ranch. Of course, I don’t know if I’ll be able to buy it, but that’s a load off my mind, and a big step for me.”
“Fantastic,” said Fiona and threw her arms around his neck in a big hug. “Congratulations, my dear Jake. I know how much this means to you. If they will loan you on this big ranch, maybe they’ll loan you money for a smaller one.”
He twirled her around on the walk. “They just might.”
* * * * *
When Opal got home that afternoon she already knew another storm was brewing. Tillie had called Samantha while Opal was in treatment to enlist Sammie’s aid in convincing Opal to consider a wind farm. Sammie, today’s chauffer and dutiful niece, had relayed the news to Opal. She expected Tillie to show up pretty soon, and her niece did not disappoint her.
Today’s treatment had been longer, and Opal wasn’t feeling too good. She couldn’t pinpoint the exact nature of her discomfort. Only that she had a general feeling of malaise, like an ache all over. The doctor and nurse had explained what to expect. Some days she would feel okay, and other days she wouldn’t. Opal already noticed that her appetite, which had never been good, was failing. She wondered if she would get that thin, gaunt skeleton look that she had seen with other terminal cancer patients. God grant she would go before that happened. Her face had always been too thin and no makeup on God’s green earth was going to make her look like she belonged to the living. Maybe she could stuff cotton balls in her cheeks.
High Desert Detective, A Fiona Marlowe Mystery (Fiona Marlowe Mysteries) Page 27