by B. J Daniels
Lizzy smiled. “I just got a mental image. Tall, skinny, gray-haired, and always brushing cat hair and chalk off her clothing?”
“Ariel got her fired.”
“True, but since she wasn’t cut out to deal with students like us, she probably was relieved. Also, Shade, she was hospitalized the night of the party and died a week later. I already checked.”
“People sneak out of hospitals all the time. Have you forgotten what neighbors always say when they find out they’ve been living next door to a killer? ‘She was such a sweet old woman. Kind, loved cats, gave full-size chocolate bars to the kids on Halloween.’”
To his delight, Lizzy actually laughed. “I really doubt Miss Cline got up out of her deathbed to kill Ariel.”
“Just sayin’, a killer is oftentimes the person you least expect. Even the most docile can commit murder. It’s like someone pushes a hidden killer button in a person, and poof.”
“Poof, and Miss Cline suddenly sits up in her bed, says, ‘I can’t die until I take care of Ariel,’ and she becomes a killer.”
“Exactly,” he said, enjoying this. He loved her smile and the way she would brush back a lock of her long dark hair from her forehead to reveal those deep, clear sable eyes of hers. “The only other teacher-suspect would be Coach.”
“Yep, I checked on that, as well. Sorry, but he left the state right after graduation to catch a plane to Hawaii. I remember seeing him on television after his plane had to make that emergency landing. He was standing in Waikiki with palm trees and blue water behind him. Not a bad alibi. Thanks for your suggestions, but I’ve got this,” she said as she put away her notebook and got to her feet.
“I know, Sheriff,” he said as he walked her to the door, feeling a little bit better. But there was no doubt. He was still suspect number one.
CHAPTER SIX
LIZZY COULDN’T HELP smiling as she drove away. Shade was incorrigible, she thought, and noticed the time. The day had gotten away from her. She thought about working late since there was a pile of paperwork as well as more suspects to be interviewed. She could feel time running out before the reunion.
But she’d promised her aunt Gertie that she wouldn’t miss dinner on her first day on the job. What she hadn’t planned was to be thrown into a murder case right off the bat.
If she knew her aunt, she had cooked something special for Lizzy’s first day as sheriff. She wasn’t about to disappoint her aunt if she could help it. Aunt Gertrude was eighty-two, but she didn’t know it, look it or act it. A tiny gray-haired woman with sparkling blue eyes, she loved to stay busy and had more irons in the fire than someone half her age.
“That smells good,” Lizzy said as she walked into the kitchen to find Gertie wearing her gingham apron and singing along with the radio.
“Shepherd’s pie and salad,” her aunt said. “Being your first day as sheriff, I thought you could use some comfort food.”
Lizzy smiled and kissed her on the cheek. Fortunately, Gertie thought anything could be cured with a good hearty meal. Lizzy had lived with her aunt since she was a baby. As an adult, she hadn’t moved out. She wanted to be there for Gertie. They looked out for each other, she thought as she set the table, pouring them both a glass of milk. Gertie swore by her glass of milk at meals.
Lizzy’s phone rang. She considered not answering it, but her aunt motioned to her that she should. “Could be important.”
She stepped out of the room to take the call from Deputy Turner. “There’s been a break-in up at the Sterlings’ guest ranch,” Ace said without preamble. “A hiker saw someone moving around in the lodge.”
Lizzy figured it was probably teenagers. Cabin break-ins were often a problem in the area. Usually the teens just drank any alcohol they could find and made a mess. “Have you informed the Sterlings?”
“Not yet. Wanted to check with you and see how you wanted me to handle it.”
She glanced toward the kitchen where her aunt was waiting expectantly. Breathing in the wonderful smell of Gertie’s shepherd’s pie, she told herself that Ace probably couldn’t mess this up. It sounded pretty cut-and-dried. “You handle it. Call Shade Sterling and have him meet you up there.”
Hanging up, she told herself that delegating authority was also a big part of her job. She had to trust those under her, even Ace.
* * *
WHEN THE PHONE RANG, Shade was hoping it would be Lizzy. It was the sheriff’s department all right.
“This is Deputy Ace Turner. I’m calling to tell you that there has been a break-in up here at your guest ranch. It was called in by a hiker in the area. He saw someone moving around inside your lodge but didn’t see a vehicle. Decided he should take a look.”
“A break-in?” Shade was trying to get his head around this. The guest ranch was remote enough that they’d seldom had trouble. A hunter or two had broken into the lodge years ago in a bad storm needing to get to a phone, food and warmth. After that, his father had left the lodge’s front door unlocked for just that purpose until some vandals had made a mess and then ever since, began locking it again.
“The hiker apparently scared off the thief, but he said the person got away after making a mess,” the deputy was saying.
Shade sighed. “I’ll drive right up. We’re having our ten-year high school reunion up there.” He was thinking about the items he’d already hauled up for the event. “Did the hiker get a look at the intruder?”
“Said he just got a glimpse, couldn’t even be sure if it was a man or a woman. Wearing dark clothes, going through some things when the hiker surprised the culprit, who took off out the back door. Didn’t see a vehicle anywhere. Must have parked down the road.”
“I’m on my way now,” Shade said after thanking the deputy. He wondered why Lizzy hadn’t made the call. Maybe she hadn’t heard. Or maybe she didn’t want to talk to him again.
He sighed, hoping she was too busy solving Ariel’s murder.
* * *
“IS EVERYTHING ALL RIGHT?” Gertie asked when Lizzy came back into the kitchen.
“Nothing that one of my deputies can’t handle,” she said, hoping it was true.
“So how was your first day on the job?” her aunt asked after they were seated at the table and she’d said the blessing.
“You remember Ariel Matheson?”
Her aunt made a distasteful face before catching herself. Aunt Gertie always said not to say anything if you couldn’t say anything nice—and did her best to live by it.
“She was found in the pond just down the road from Sterling Ranch. She’d been murdered.”
Gertie’s eyes widened. “Murdered? My goodness. I would imagine you have a few suspects.” That was putting it mildly. “Solving the crime should be a cinch.”
Lizzy smiled at her aunt’s confidence in her abilities. “Not quite.”
“On the TV crime dramas, the killer is always the one you suspect the least,” Gertie opined. “That should narrow it down.”
Unfortunately, Lizzy wasn’t sure who that might be since she suspected everyone at this point. She took a bite of the shepherd’s pie. “This is delicious.”
“As I’ve said before, a person’s behavior will always give them away.” Gertie tapped the side of her nose. “You just have to keep your eyes open. Human nature will sink the culprit every time.”
Lizzy had heard it all before. She smiled and nodded. At her age, her aunt had seen all types and could spot trouble a mile away, as she was fond of saying.
“It’s all in the eyes,” Gertie said.
She thought of Shade’s blue eyes, warm and alluring as a tropical sea. She’d been tempted to dive in many times, but never more than she had been today.
Lizzy still couldn’t believe he’d said he wanted to help her solve the crime so he could ask her out. She shook her head but smiled at the memory. The man had sand, she’d
give him that.
“What’s his name?” her aunt said, startling her.
She blinked. “Pardon?”
“I know that smile,” Gertie said.
Lizzy chuckled and put thoughts of Shade away to concentrate on enjoying this meal with her aunt. “As a person who has studied the human condition for more than eighty years?”
Her aunt laughed with her. “As a person who’s been in love.”
“Love?” Lizzy shook her head. “I wouldn’t call it love. We haven’t even been out on a real date yet.”
“What would you call it, then?”
Lizzy gave it a moment’s thought. “A small temptation.”
“Small, is he?” her aunt asked. “I was imagining tall with broad shoulders.”
She chuckled. “Oh, were you now?”
“So did he ask you out?”
Lizzy felt her face flush. “Not yet. But he did mention it.”
Her aunt leaned forward with interest. “And what did you say?”
“I told him he’s my number one suspect in my murder case.”
Gertie’s eyes widened. “You can’t think for a minute that Shade Sterling killed that girl.”
“Wait, how did you know I was talking about Shade?”
“Really, dear. I don’t live in a cave.”
Lizzy sighed. “Shade was seen going after the murder victim at the graduation party.”
Her aunt huffed. “You’re just muddying the waters because you’re scared to admit that you’re interested in this man.”
The waters were plenty muddy enough, she thought. “It wouldn’t be proper, dating a suspect.”
“Just keep telling yourself that. I thought once that girl turned up, the two of you would finally see your way clear to do what comes naturally.”
“Is that what you thought?” Sometimes her aunt amazed her. She realized that she must have mentioned Shade over the past ten years. They had crossed paths but one or both of them had been seeing someone else at the time. How odd that Ariel’s death had now thrown them together when they were both unencumbered. “It isn’t that simple.”
“Love never is. Sounds to me like you need to get this case solved as quickly as possible.”
Lizzy shook her head, smiling at her aunt. “Shade offered to help me, which is totally inappropriate. I’m the sheriff.”
“Yes, you are,” Gertie agreed at once. “You’ll get it solved in no time and then there will be nothing standing in your way. More shepherd’s pie, dear?”
* * *
SHADE DROVE UP to the isolated guest ranch high in the mountains overlooking the Flathead Valley for the second time that day. He loved it up here. Since their father died, he and his brothers had divided up the work, with Will running the guest ranch in the summer and Shade and Garrett ranching down in the valley.
He’d been looking forward to having the small reunion at the guest ranch before winter set in. One of the main reasons was that he’d been hoping Lizzy would attend. Now with the murder, there was no doubt that she’d be there.
All of her suspects would be gathered in one place. Unless she solved the murder before this weekend, he thought as he parked in front of the lodge next to the deputy’s cruiser and climbed out into the crisp mountain air.
Shade saw that the cruiser was empty. The deputy must be inside waiting for him.
The last of the afternoon’s sunlight did little to warm this October day as he took in the place. He’d always been awed by the feeling of peace he felt here.
Sterling’s Montana Guest Ranch stood against the mountainside surrounded by towering pines, rocky cliffs and snowcapped peaks. The ranch itself was a large log-and-stone lodge with nine small cabins tucked in the pines off to one side. There was a large new barn after the old one had burned and corrals and a bunkhouse for summer help.
As planned, the reunion would be a three-day event. Everyone would arrive Friday night for a cocktail party and slideshow. He’d brought the boxes of photographs up earlier but had only dropped them off at the lodge and left. He still had to pick up the flat screen for the digital slideshow. He’d forgotten to ask Ashley about the screen she was getting from her folks.
He wondered how much the reunion would change in light of Ariel’s murder. The plans had included a Saturday horseback ride, weather permitting, lunch, and then more reminiscing and partying. Sunday was for families to come up in the morning. But since so few of them had spouses and children, they hadn’t expected many.
By Sunday afternoon, he would have the cabins and lodge cleaned and everything put away for the upcoming winter months when the guest ranch would be closed.
Now he couldn’t see them going on a horseback ride, suspecting that one of their classmates was a killer. Hell, maybe no one would show up for the reunion because of that. No one but him and Lizzy. That would be okay, too, he thought with a smile. He knew Lizzy was hoping to have answers long before the festivities began up here.
He couldn’t help thinking of her, worrying about her. But like she said, she was the sheriff. He smiled to himself. She did look damned good in a uniform. He’d been busy living his life over the past ten years and Lizzy had done the same. But he’d think of her occasionally. Or see her in passing. He’d never forgotten her or their kiss graduation night. The timing had just never seemed right. Until now.
As he walked up the steps to the main lodge with its wall of glass and logs and stone, he couldn’t stop thinking of her. He’d always compared other women to her. None of them had made him want to settle down. If it hadn’t been for Ariel’s disappearance hanging over him... But he assured himself that once Ariel’s murder was solved, there wouldn’t be anything keeping the two of them apart.
On the porch, he could see where a small glass window next to the front door had been broken. Maybe they needed to increase security up here.
Pushing open the door, he stepped in, not sure what he was going to find.
“Hello,” he called out, wondering where the deputy had gone. Maybe for a walk around the ranch.
To his surprise, not much seemed to have been disturbed that he could see in the main lounge. He wandered through the dining room and kitchen, checked the refrigerators and freezers. Nothing seemed to be missing from the food supply he’d had brought up for the reunion. Their former guest ranch cook, Buckshot Brewster, would be coming up to do the cooking, so it was going to be very basic.
Shade wandered back into the lodge living room. It was large with worn, comfortable leather furniture gathered before a huge rock fireplace. As he headed back toward the hall where dances were held, he saw that the door to the hall was ajar. He distinctly remembered closing it before he’d left last time because all of the reunion memorabilia was in there on a couple of large tables.
Pushing the door open, he stopped cold. “Deputy?”
The tall, lean officer started and turned. Deputy Ace Turner put down the photograph he’d been studying. Shade was shocked to see that whoever had broken in had apparently gone through the boxes of printed photographs he’d brought up and left here. Photographs were scattered across the table and onto the floor.
Shade stepped in, stopping a few feet into the room to pick up part of a photo that had been torn in half. He stared down at it.
The snapshot had been of him and Ariel at some kegger down by the river. He could see other classmates in the background. Whoever had torn it had ripped it right through Ariel’s face.
CHAPTER SEVEN
AS LIZZY WAS helping her aunt with the dishes, she saw that this time the incoming call was from Shade.
“Go take care of your business,” Gertie said, waving her away. “You have a murder to solve.”
Lizzy hesitated before she picked up the call on her way to the living room.
“I think you’d better get up here,” the cowboy said without p
reamble. “I’m at the guest ranch. Someone broke into the lodge.”
“I heard. One of my deputies notified me. Was there much damage?”
“A broken window that can be fixed easy enough. That’s not the problem. It appears whoever broke in went through the memorabilia for the class reunion that I brought up here and destroyed some of the printed photos. They also took the thumb drives, which is no big deal because we can get those photos from everyone again. But I thought you might be able to get a fingerprint off one of the destroyed photos in case our killer might have paid the ranch a visit.”
Our killer? She glanced at her watch and sighed. “Where is the deputy?”
“Still here.” He lowered his voice. “He was going through the photos when I got here.”
“Wearing disposable gloves?”
“Afraid not.”
She swore. “Tell him to get his butt back to town. I’m on my way.”
* * *
THE DRIVE UP to the guest ranch this time of year would have been beautiful with the different types of trees and the variety of colors had it been during daylight. Now in the early darkness, her headlights picked up the deep green of the pines with an occasional flash of color from a stand of aspens.
She hadn’t been up here in years and had forgotten how picturesque it was. As she came over a rise, she spotted the rustic lodge and the cabins set against the deep green of the pines in her headlights. She put down her window to breathe in the sweet scent. It was getting late in the season so the air was almost cold.
It had been a long day. Shade’s pickup was parked in front of the lodge. As she drove up and parked, he came out on the wide lodge deck. She opened her door, hesitating for a moment as she studied him standing there. His sun-tipped hair was tousled as if he’d been running his hands through it, making the cowboy even more handsome. She had the sudden thought that this was what he would look like when he woke up in the morning.