"We still have to interview Josh Brady," Jack interjected. "This is our case. He's our number one suspect."
"Ah, I see," Tom murmured. "Here I thought we were all working together. My mistake."
"We are," Steve said hastily, "and I'm sure you're busy so we'll take off, but before we go—I get the feeling you're not crazy about Brady as a suspect."
"Let me put it like this. I'd be more interested in him if the scarf hadn't shown up. Anything else?"
"No. Thanks for your time," Steve said as he and Jack rose to their feet. "We'll head out to The Horseshoe."
"Where are you boys staying?" Tom asked, standing up and shaking their hands.
"The Blue Motel."
"Ah. You might want to pick up some insect repellant."
"Mosquitos?"
"Bed bugs."
At Tom's last comment, and the expressions on the faces of the two detectives, Wanda had to drop her eyes to keep from breaking into hysterics. As they left and the door closed behind them, she could no longer contain herself.
"Seventeen and two Rottweilers? Bed bugs?" she exclaimed, laughing out loud. "You are so bad!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Tom said, poker-faced but with a wink. "Go light a fire under whoever's getting that title report. I want the information yesterday."
"Yes, sir," she said, still giggling as she placed the pad and pen on his desk.
"Wanda, one more thing. Get in touch with Josh Brady and make sure he stays out of sight. I need a little more time, and Steve and Jack have to be kept busy. Trying to find him will take care of that."
* * * * * * * * * *
Over lunch at Dream Horse Ranch, Heath discovered Theresa's new boyfriend did not match the ugly gossip. There had been no sign of the ego he'd heard about. Heath trusted his instincts, and they said Josh was a decent, trustworthy guy. But Josh had cleverly avoided any conversation about The Horseshoe Tavern and the events of the fateful night he'd hustled Theresa out of there. As lunch drew to a close and Theresa began clearing the table, Heath invited Josh to join him in the den for a few minutes.
"I'd like to show you a video of a horse I'm thinkin' about buyin'. He's back East. I don't make a habit of buyin' horses off a video, and I'm not about to start now. I'd negotiate a trial, or maybe fly out and see him, but I'd like your take."
"Sure. Be happy to give you my opinion."
"We'll be back in a minute," Heath said as they pushed back their chairs.
"Okay. I'll be here," Carly replied, knowing there was no horse video and Heath just wanted a private chat.
"Sure is a nice place you've got here," Josh remarked as they walked down the wide hallway to the den. "The layout is terrific, and that barn. Damn, it's the Taj Mahal for horses. It's so open and airy."
"Thanks, Josh. Gettin' this place to this point didn't happen overnight."
"Heath, I'm a straight-shooter, and I get the feelin' I'm walkin' in your den 'cos you wanna chat. If this is about Theresa you don't have to worry. I'll do right by her."
"I know that, and I'm not her keeper. I care about her, but what she does with her personal life is up to her."
"So, what's on your mind?"
"I was sittin' at that lunch thinkin' that you're nothin' like the guy I've heard about."
"Let me guess. I'm a buzzin' bee flyin' from flower to flower, and I leave a path of broken petals."
"Along those lines, yeah, but Theresa's a sharp gal, and when she told me how you're helpin' the police I tried to recall who'd told me the bullshit. I don't mean to overstep, but I'm real curious. Did you and Duke Palmer have some kinda fallin' out?"
"Duke Palmer? I don't even know the man," Josh replied, taken aback by the question. "Why do you ask?"
"He's the guy who told me you were trouble, especially when it came to women."
"Why the hell would Duke Palmer tell you, or anyone, anything about me?"
"That's why I asked. I wondered if the two of you had a run in."
"Nope. You should ask him how he got me so wrong. Isn't he a friend of yours?"
"Not exactly. I've been to the tavern a few times and he brings his horse here when he goes off on one of his beer hunts, but we don't socialize. Before she met you I thought he and Theresa might hit it off. In fact, when he dropped his horse off a few days ago he made it a point to ask about her."
Josh ran his fingers through his hair. Heath's comment prickled the hair on the back of his neck.
"Is there something you wanna tell me about him, Josh?"
"I wish I could, but—"
"Why do I get the feelin' you think he's the one who spiked Theresa's drink?"
"Because I do," Josh said gravely. "I kept my eye on her that night. No other guys approached her, not even me. She gave off this vibe, like she was there by herself and wanted to stay that way. She sat at the bar the whole time, and he stood behind it."
"Wait a second. If you think he spiked Theresa's drink, that means he could've spiked the drink of the girl who went missin'. Damn, Josh, you think he's the dirtbag who—?"
"Dammit, that's my phone," Josh declared, interrupting him as he pulled it from his pocket. "Excuse me. I need to take this."
"Do you need privacy?"
"No, I'll make it quick. Hey, Wanda."
"Josh, don't go home."
"Don't go home?" he repeated. "Why not?"
"The detectives on the case were here. They went by Tall Tree Farms to find you, and I'm pretty sure they'll stake out your house tonight waiting for you to show up."
"Why don't I just talk to them? I have nothin' to hide."
"Not a good idea, and the captain would prefer it if you kept a low profile."
"Dang it. I guess I can check into a motel for a few days, but I'll need to go home to get some clothes."
"Do that now. They're over at the tavern and they'll probably be there a while. I shouldn't say this, but they're not the brightest bulbs in the chandelier. One especially. I don't think he even lights up."
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
"Could be either, but I'm optimistic this will be over soon."
"That's good to hear. Okay, I'll zip home, then let you know where I've landed. Bye, and thanks."
"Bye."
"Hey, Josh," Heath said as Josh pushed his phone back in his pocket, "if you need a place to stay you're welcome to hang out here."
"That's real nice, but I wouldn't—"
"You know what? With Carly laid up we could use your help. We have someone startin' tomorrow, but she can only give us a couple of hours a day. Besides, you saved Theresa's neck. Let me return the favor. Do you really wanna stay in some crappy motel?"
"Not especially."
"Great. That's settled, but can I ask why you need to keep your head down? I don't care, I'm just curious, is all."
"Sure. Someone's tryin' to stitch me up for Claudia Harris's abduction, and there are a couple of ambitious detectives who have decided it would be real nice to close this case. Need I say more?"
"Hell no. Get to your house while the gettin's good. The gate code is one-one-one-two."
"That's easy."
"Maybe too easy," Heath said with a chuckle as they left the room and strode quickly down the hall. "I'll let Theresa know. I'll bet she'll be tickled you're stayin. Just so you know, we have plenty of room here in the house if it comes to that."
"I talk to Theresa. I'll let her make that decision, and thanks for the option. Man, this is one for the books. When I left medical school to throw my hat in the trainin' ring, I never thought I'd end up in a situation like this," Josh said, shaking this head as they walked out the front door. "Hey, Heath, Theresa said Duke has his horse here. Do you know when he's pickin' him up?"
"I haven't heard from him, but don't worry, when he—now it's my turn," Heath declared as his phone rang. "Speak of the devil."
"Duke?"
"Yep. You might get your answer. Hey, Duke."
"Hey, Heath. I'm h
eading' back early. Some asshole broke into the tavern. Can I swing by in a couple of hours?"
"Sure. I'll see you when you get here," he replied, ending the call. "That's it, Josh. Duke Palmer will be here around three o'clock."
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Heath was working in his office when the landline rang. Glancing at his watch and seeing the time he guessed Duke Palmer had pulled up to the gate.
"Heath Boyd speakin'."
"Hey, Heath. It's Duke. I'm at the gate."
"Come on in. I'm in the middle of somethin'. Do you need me?"
"Nope. I'll just load up my boy and be on my way. I'll pop a check in the mail like always."
"Sounds good. I'll buzz you in."
Pushing the number nine to open the gates, he replaced the receiver, then grabbed his cell phone off his desk and texted Josh.
Not sure where you are, but Palmer is rollin' in. Stay outta sight. He probably won't take long.
In the tack room fervently kissing Theresa, Josh broke away to check the incoming message.
"Anything important?" Theresa asked, her arms still wrapped around his waist.
"Duke Palmer just arrived to pick up his horse."
"Talk about bad timing."
"Hold on," he said, freeing her so he could use both hands. "I need to text him back."
Thanks. I'm in the barn with Theresa. I'll stay put.
"I thought he wasn't coming until three."
"That was a guesstimate," Josh replied, moving away to look through the window. "There he is, and he's stoppin' real close to where I parked my two-horse."
"I wish Andy and Salvo were here."
"Hopefully he'll just load up and leave. Dammit. I've lost sight of him. He must've walked around the back to open the doors."
"I don't like him wandering around like that," Theresa remarked. "What if he recognizes your truck? If he is behind this crazy plan to set you up, he'll call the police the minute he leaves. Maybe even before."
"I think you're bein' paranoid."
"Being paranoid isn't necessarily a bad thing," she said, heading towards the door. "I'll keep watch by the entrance to the barn. I can let you know if he's coming this way."
"Theresa, make sure you stay away from him."
"I have no desire to speak to the man. I'll just keep an eye on him."
"I don't want him to see you."
"He won't! Lock the door behind me!"
"Damn, you're stubborn," he muttered as she disappeared into the barn aisle, then abruptly decided she was right. If Duke had planted the scarf in the trailer, he could well recognize the truck that had been hooked up to it. "I hate this shit," he muttered, turning the deadbolt. "I hope Wanda's right. I hope this is over soon."
Theresa had reached the end of the barn, and peering around the corner the cold hand of fear clutched her chest. Duke had passed the trailers and was marching towards Josh's white truck in the parking area.
A flash of movement caught the corner of her eye.
Darting her head, she sucked in the air, then broke into a sprint towards Queenie's paddock.
The big mare was galloping towards the fence.
Theresa knew exactly what she was about to do.
"Don't, Queenie," she wailed, waving her arms. "Stop. Stop."
But the horse didn't hear her, or chose to ignore the frantic plea, and lifting off the ground she cleared the fence by a mile.
Theresa quickly realized there was only one thing she could do.
Spinning around, she raced towards the parking area.
The clattering of hooves echoed through the air as Queenie made a beeline for her prey. In the tack room Josh could hear the sounds, but from his vantage point he couldn't see anything. Then abruptly his mare appeared galloping around Heath's horse van, leaning into the turn like a motorbike on a speedway. Quickly scanning the parking lot, Josh finally saw Duke frantically looking around for the loose horse. Josh shot his eyes back to Queenie. She'd broken to a trot, and with nostrils flaring and head down, she was advancing towards her target. Suddenly seeing her, Duke's wide-eyed look of panic signaled his realization that Queenie was after him. In a panic he stumbled backwards, then letting out a cry he took off.
"No. Whoa. Whoa!" Theresa yelled, sprinting into view and placing herself between the mare and the man running for his life.
Snorting and tossing her head, Queenie slowed down, then stopped and pawed the ground.
"Hey, sweet girl. Not a good plan," Theresa exclaimed, walking slowly towards her. "You'll get taken away from us. You can't do things like this."
"What the fuck is wrong with that fuckin' horse?" Duke yelled, popping up from behind Andy's SUV parked nearby. "You should shoot the damn thing."
"Something scared her," Theresa called back. "She was spooked."
"Bullshit. She was comin' after me."
"She hasn't been here very long and I think there was a bobcat in the tree at the edge of her paddock."
"A bobcat?"
"One ran out when I put her there this morning. Come on, sweet girl," Theresa said calmly. "I'll take you back. Would you rather go to your stall and have some hay?"
Able to hear and see everything, Josh watched in relieved disbelief. Theresa had begun moving towards the paddocks, and though tossing her head, Queenie dutifully followed.
* * * * * * * * * *
Standing at the window of his office, Heath had been mesmerized. But torn. Though his first impulse had been to dash from his office to help, he'd wanted to witness the events. If anyone was injured, or vehicles damaged, he'd be able to give an honest, eye-witness account, then it had hit him. His word may not be enough. Grabbing his phone, he'd recorded the entire episode.
"Carly's not gonna believe this," he muttered, and walking hastily from his office, he hurried into their bedroom. On the bed with ice on her bruised side, she looked up at him expectantly.
"Did I just hear something?"
"You sure did. Check this out," he said, handing her the phone. "I've gotta go down to the barn. Stay put."
"This is so annoying."
"I know, but you won't get better any faster by ignorin' the doctor's orders, or mine."
Kissing her quickly, he strode from the room, and quickly made his way down the hall and out the front door. Jumping in his ATV he headed down the driveway, immediately spying Duke loading his gelding, but there was no sign of Theresa or Queenie. Assuming they were safely inside the barn, he drove straight across to talk with Duke.
"Hey, I heard some noise from the house. Is everything okay down here?"
"That's some wild mare Theresa has," Duke said, feigning a limp as he closed up the back of the trailer. "The horse jumped out of her paddock and came after me."
"Really?"
"I'm sorry, Heath, but we're gonna have to talk about this. I fell over and twisted my back, and my knee is all messed up."
"Where did this happen?"
"Over there by that white truck."
"Uh-huh."
"I'll need to talk to Theresa as well. That mare should be put down. She couldn't control it."
"I couldn't help but notice you have no shavin's in that trailer. Would you like me to grab you a bag?"
"We don't have far to go. It's no big deal. Thanks though. I'll call you about all this. Right now I just wanna get home and shower, then I'll go see a doctor."
"Good idea. If he wants to see how you fell have him get in touch with me. I have security cameras all over this place so the incident would have been recorded from several different angles. I'll check out the footage right now. What's the matter, Duke? You look like you just realized your zipper's down and that's why the girls are gigglin."
"I, uh, I just remembered something. I need to go. Thanks. I'll be in touch."
"Take care now. A bath in Epsom salts wouldn't hurt. I'm gonna check on Theresa and her horse."
"Yeah, okay. Bye, Heath."
Driving away, Heath glanced over his shoulder. Walking n
ormally, Duke had reached his truck and was climbing inside. Now fully aware of Duke's true nature, Heath stopped his ATV. Only when Duke Palmer had left the property and the gates had closed behind him did Heath continue into the barn.
* * * * * * * * * *
The moment Josh had seen Heath head down to speak with Duke, he'd hurriedly unbolted the tack room door, and stepped into the barn aisle. He'd found Theresa and Queenie locked in a hug.
"Talk about double trouble," he murmured walking toward them. "You both gave me a heart attack. Shame on you, Queenie, and as for you, young lady!"
"As for me, what?" she retorted, releasing the mare's neck and staring up at him with challenge in her eyes. "I had to stop her. I couldn't just let her mow that asshole down. He would've sued Heath, and you, and God only knows what would've happened to Queenie."
"But—"
"But nothing. You can scold me all you want, I'd do the same thing again."
"What about you, Queenie? You're the one who started all this. Jumping over that fence and goin' after that man."
Lifting her head high in the air, she pulled back her upper lip as though smelling something foul. As upset and worried as he was, Josh couldn't help but laugh.
"Yeah, okay, very funny. He's a piece of stinky cow dung, but please don't do that again."
"She was protecting you," Theresa exclaimed. "Duke was about to check out your truck."
"So let him. I've got nothin' to hide. So what if those dickhead detectives find me here. I'm not into sneakin' around. I'm done."
"No, don't say that."
"Why not?"
"Because then…uh…"
"Ah, gotcha. Then I'd be leavin' here."
"Please don't go. At least stay the night. Maybe there are reasons Wanda doesn't want you to surface that you don't know about."
"You might have a point, and I definitely wanna spend the night with you."
To Catch A Cowboy (Hunks and Horses Book 2) Page 16