“Time got away from me.” Kara snatched up a butter knife.
Jessica pulled the hairnet from her head and her long dark hair flowed freely over her shoulders. “Don’t worry about it. The reprieve was nice. I never thought I could be tired of music, but even I need a break sometimes.”
Kara slowed her breathing, trying to relax. “Thanks, Jessica. What can I do to help?”
“How about you take over for me and butter the bread?”
Kara washed her hands and got busy. “How’s the camp going?”
Jessica unwound the apron from her tiny waist and loaded the napkin dispenser. “Better than I expected. This is the first time I’ve organized a music camp, and it amazes me how supportive the community has been to an outsider like me.”
Kara paused with her knife midair. “What do you mean an outsider?”
“I moved here from Seattle last fall to teach music at the elementary school, but I grew up in the Portland area.”
Kara nodded. “The people here have been very kind to me too, especially the Waters family.”
“That’s Lauren’s family, right?”
“Yes. Do you know them well?” Maybe Jessica would have observed something she’d missed.
“Not especially. They attend my church though. I’m really enjoying listening to their daughter play the violin here at camp. That girl has talent.”
The cafeteria doors opened, and a small group of teens entered. Jessica excused herself and went over to the students. Kara chewed her bottom lip. It seemed the Waters hadn’t made much of an impression in Jessica’s mind. The family must keep to themselves in spite of being involved in the community. Why? Were they simply private people, or did they have something to hide like CODE believed?
Chapter 12
Jeff felt in his pocket for the pin-sized cameras the DEA had approved. He climbed into the barn loft and hid one, placing it in a crack between the floorboards directly over Jake’s office. Then he headed back down and tucked the other mini-cam inside a small hole in one of the stall posts. This position would capture anyone entering the front door of the barn.
Satisfied with the camera placements, he grabbed a pitchfork and made his way into a stall. Jeff swiped at a fly then pitched the soiled straw into a wheelbarrow. The smell and the heat were annoying, but tolerable. His thoughts drifted to Kara as they had many times since their “date” last night. Worry nibbled at his brain when he considered the feelings beginning to form toward his partner. He had to shut off that kind of thinking before he did or said something he’d regret. The razzing he’d take from the other agents and the unprofessionalism of falling for his partner were enough to get his mind refocused.
Eric stepped into view. “Jeff, when you’re finished, would you throw some fresh straw and grain into a clean stall. A new horse is coming in later.”
“Sure thing.” Jeff wanted to ask about the horse, but Eric disappeared as fast as he’d arrived. There were several clean stalls already. He’d pour grain into the closest one and bed it with straw. On the other hand, if the animal was skittish, maybe Eric would want it a little farther away from the other horses. He’d have to ask Eric. Pitchfork laid aside, he went in search of his stepbrother.
Eric stood hands on his hips near the fence facing Jake, his wrangler. What he’d give to be privy to that conversation.
Jake nodded toward Jeff as he approached but then walked away.
Eric looked over his shoulder and frowned. “What’s up?”
“Sorry to bother you.”
“No bother. What do you need?”
“Which stall do you want bedded?”
“I don’t care.”
Jeff turned and hesitated.
“What?” Eric asked.
“Nothing.” He made his way toward the barn. Now wasn’t the time to grill him about Jake. The crunch of gravel drew his attention to the driveway where a Honda Civic drove toward him—Kara.
She parked near the barn and moseyed toward him holding an impressive looking camera. He whistled softly. Except for the backpack she wore, Kara nailed the cowgirl look with jeans and a red tank top. Cowboy boots peeked out from under the hem of her jeans, and a brown cowboy hat sat atop her head.
“Hi there!” Kara waved.
“You’ve been shopping.” Jeff noticed Jake standing near the house gawking at Kara but ignored him as he strode past Jake and greeted her with a quick peck on the cheek. He lowered his voice. “What’s in the backpack?
“Telephoto lens and it’s heavy. It’s in a hard case stuffed inside my pack. Since last night, I decided to never leave home without it.”
“Last night?”
“You’ll see. Ready to ride?”
He took a step back and led her into the barn. “Almost. Take a seat. I have to finish this stall before we can go riding.”
“No problem. Can I help?”
He smirked. “See that pitchfork over there? It’s used to scoop out leftovers.”
Kara backed away, hands raised, palms out. “I don’t think so. Mind if I wander around a bit? It’s been awhile since I’ve been on a ranch.”
“Knock yourself out. If anyone asks, tell them you’re with me.”
Kara grinned. This had worked out perfectly. While Jeff finished, she could snoop. She still needed to check for footprints from last night’s surveillance. She hadn’t stopped on the way in because she didn’t want to draw attention to her car parked on the side of the road, but maybe a quick walk would be a good idea. Hopefully, no one would think twice about someone exploring the ranch on foot.
Kara paused and watched a young girl, her long blond pigtails flying from beneath her helmet, bounce past on her horse in the exercise yard. She couldn’t help remembering herself at that age doing the same thing. She had only ridden a handful of times with a friend, but she’d loved every minute in the saddle.
“Hi there. Can I help you?” a man called out behind her.
Kara turned. Looked like the footprints would have to wait. A guy wearing a black cowboy hat and chaps raised his hand as he approached from the direction of the main house—must be Jake. She waved back. Walnut-colored hair peeked out from under his Stetson. She’d seen his picture in her intel, but he was much more attractive in person.
“I’m waiting for Jeff.”
Jake sauntered toward the exercise yard as Kara turned to watch the young girl ride past. “The kid comes out every day to exercise her horse. The mare’s a beauty, don’t you think?”
“Yes, but I don’t know much about horses.”
Jake gave her a sideways glance. “I imagine a pretty thing like you is a quick learner.”
Kara smiled, but inwardly cringed at his suggestive tone.
He sidled up close. “I’d be happy to teach you a thing or two about horses.”
She rolled her eyes and moved a step away. “No, thanks.” She raised her camera to her eye and shot a few pictures of the rider.
He cleared his throat and had the grace to look embarrassed. “Nice camera.”
“Thanks. It’s a hobby.” She pointed to the fenced-off land. “What do you call that area?”
“That’s the outdoor arena. Behind the barn we have the round pen for training the young horses. Wanna check it out?”
She glanced at her watch. Jeff would be looking for her soon. “I’d love a tour, but it has to be quick.” Jake directed her toward the barn then guided her around the side toward the back.
Jeff watched from the barn door as Kara smiled at Jake. He knew that look—tolerant disgust. He’d witnessed it more than once this past year when she’d been undercover investigating Luis Alvarado. He stifled a grin and moved away from the door. The sooner he finished the quicker he and Kara could go riding and see the lay of the land.
He covered the stall with fresh straw and had two horses saddled in record time. With everything done, Jeff went in search of Kara and found her alone on the porch swing holding a sweating glass of lemonade. “You ready to ri
de?”
Kara patted the space next to her. “Come join me. There’s some for you too.” She pointed to a glass on the small table near the swing. “Your sister-in-law spotted me in the yard with Jake. I told her you’d be looking for me soon, so she invited me to wait here.”
Jeff sat, wiped his forehead with a bandana, then leaned back and drank deeply. “Ahh. That’s delicious. Where’d Veronica go?”
“She took off when you came out of the barn, something about needing to call a friend.”
Jeff chuckled. This charade might be easier to pull off than he’d thought if Veronica already believed they were a couple or at least on their way to becoming one. “The horses are saddled. You ready?”
Kara set the glass on the table. “Absolutely.” She stood and slipped on the backpack then wrapped the camera around her neck. “I haven’t ridden in awhile, so I hope you chose a calm horse for me.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll like Blaze. We’re taking a trail that’s supposed to be level and smooth.”
Jeff walked toward the barn with Kara beside him and pointed at her horse. “What do you think?”
“He’s big.”
Jeff chuckled. “They usually are, but as horses go, he’s not large. Blaze is gentle, and I think you’ll like him. Just do what I do, and you’ll be okay.” He handed her the horse’s lead and watched as she mounted the black Morgan with ease. Impressed with her agility, he smiled and mounted Lauren’s white quarter horse, Lulu.
“Can we head to the road?”
Jeff waited for Kara to come alongside him. “Why?”
A little ways from the barn, Kara explained in a hushed tone what she’d been up to the night before.
“Okay. We can swing out that way.” His tone sounded strained to his own ears. “You know, since we’re partners, you should’ve told me what you were doing last night.”
“Sorry. I’m used to working alone.” She led him down the driveway and across the main road to the spot in question and peered at the dusty earth. He dismounted and crouched next to some footprints. “Looks like a cowboy boot, size ten or eleven maybe.”
Kara nodded, dismounted, and snapped several pictures. “I agree, and it’s not mine. I wear an eight.” She led her horse a little closer to the trees. “This is where I hid.”
Her prints were clear along with some fresh deer tracks. Jeff grabbed a broken juniper branch and swept the ground, eliminating Kara’s tracks. Thankfully, traffic was nil, and this area couldn’t be seen from the house. “That ought to do it.”
Kara nodded. “Who do you suppose was out here?”
“Not sure, but he’s about average size and wears cowboy boots.” He mounted. “Let’s ride.” His stomach knotted as they traveled further into the woods. Eric always wore cowboy boots, and if he remembered right, he was about a size eleven.
A rock chuck scampered across the path, but his horse ignored it. Jeff tried to relax and motioned for Kara to come alongside him. “Did you happen to hear him speak?”
“Yes, but I didn’t recognize his voice. Of course, he was talking in a stage whisper. So it’s hard to say for sure.” Kara glanced over at him. “What are you thinking?”
“Do you think it might’ve been Eric?”
“I would’ve told you first thing.”
Relief embraced him. He nodded.
“Any other new developments with the case?” Kara asked.
“There’s a new horse coming in today. I placed two surveillance cameras in the barn. Hopefully, it will be the Gonzaleses. It’ll be interesting to see what goes down when they arrive. I want to wrap up this assignment ASAP.”
“I agree, but it’s nice working with a friendly face instead of the bad guys.”
“Can’t imagine why. Alvarado and his crew were so friendly,” Jeff teased.
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah. It was so much fun working for Miami’s most notorious drug lord. Every girl should be so lucky to have a boss that tries to kill her.” Sarcasm dripped from her voice.
As they came out of a heavily treed area, Jeff spotted a couple of riders off in the distance on the other side of the river just before they disappeared behind some brush. He reined in his horse. “Did you see that?” His pulse quickened. This could be the break they were waiting for. “Let’s check it out.” He pushed his horse into a faster gait.
Kara came alongside him. “Hold on. I don’t want to get caught in an ambush.”
“We’re an innocent couple out for a ride. Why would they attack?”
Kara sighed and felt for her side arm. “For the record, I don’t like this.”
“Noted. Stay close.” Their horses’ hooves crunched dried grass and weeds on the hard earth, sounding loud in the quiet afternoon. Would the riders hear them coming and bolt? Maybe they should slow down.
Kara moved in as ordered. “You do realize we could be riding into a trap?”
Jeff pulled his horse to a stop and tried to keep his voice neutral. “What do you suggest?” He stomped down his frustration. Kara seemed to have forgotten he was the senior agent in this partnership. But she had good instincts, so he’d hear her out.
“I say we continue as if we never spotted them.” She pointed off to the right. “That side trail over there seems to head up. We can find a lookout and check out the situation from there.”
Her plan seemed reasonable, but they could lose sight of the men. He’d taken that route just the other day. It was a bit of a steep climb, but from what he’d seen of Kara’s riding, she could handle it. “Fine. We’ll do it your way this time, but I hope they don’t disappear. There’s a decent-sized boulder near the river. We should be high enough from there to see quite a distance.” Jeff turned his mount and stayed on a deer trail. Kara’s horse snorted as she followed close behind him on the narrow path flanked by junipers and low-lying shrubbery.
When they came out of the brush near the bank of the river, Jeff turned and watched Kara pause, seemingly mesmerized by the view. The slow-moving river flowed as a red-winged black bird sang out from atop the boulder just ahead. Too bad they didn’t have time to enjoy the sight. “No time for sightseeing. Come on.”
Kara pursed her lips and nodded. “I know what’s at stake, but if we’re being watched, we need to look like we’re out here to enjoy the scenery.”
She had a point, however he was anxious to get up on that rock before the men disappeared, if they hadn’t already.
After dismounting and tethering their horses to a large juniper, Jeff led her to a flat-topped boulder. He found a toe hold and climbed up. “Hand me your camera. We might be able to take a few surveillance shots.”
Kara secured her foot in the same spot Jeff had and stretched her arms up pulling herself to the top.
“I’m impressed by how fast your body has healed.”
“Ha. Not fast enough for me.” She sat on the smooth rock and rolled her shoulders then stretched her arms. “You see them?”
Sitting tall, he held binoculars to his eyes. “Sure do. Check it out. Across the river.”
Kara reached out her hand and put the lenses to her eyes. “Three of them. Here you go.” She gave the binoculars back to Jeff. She slipped the pack off her back, pulled out the case, and removed a telephoto lens. “Maybe I can get a decent picture to circulate to the team.” After connecting the lens to the camera, she rolled over onto her stomach and took shot after shot.
“Great idea.” He studied the terrain and spotted a small arsenal propped against some rocks but didn’t see any additional riders. “We’re far enough away I don’t think they noticed us. We could find a safe place to cross and get a closer look.”
“Didn’t you see those machine guns?” Kara pointed.
“Yes. But,” he turned to Kara and lowered his voice, “we have to find where they’re stashing the drugs. No one carries that kind of fire power unless there’s a reason.”
“If we move in close and get caught, we blow the entire operation. We’d do better to stay and w
atch from here.”
“Agreed.” Jeff didn’t like it, but Kara was right. He watched the men closely while Kara snapped several more pictures. “I’m glad you thought to bring that camera along.”
“Me too. I’d requested some equipment when I first stopped in upon our arrival, and I picked it up the other day from the DEA in Bend when I was getting my medical clearance.”
The men grabbed the weapons and rode off in the opposite direction from them. “Show’s over.” Jeff followed their progress until they disappeared among the tall pine trees.
Kara put the camera away. “Want to go check the area now?”
“Not yet. Let’s monitor it for a while, see if they come back, especially after the Gonzaleses show up.”
She shifted and stared off into the horizon. “I’ve been so busy. This is the first time I’ve really noticed the mountains since I’ve been back. I can’t get over how close they look. Then again, I guess they really are close. It’s been too long since I’ve been in Central Oregon.”
“Maybe if we ever get a free day, we could go up to Mount Bachelor or hike one of the Three Sisters.” He kept his focus on the land in case anyone else showed up.
“I’d like that. I’m surprised they have snow this time of year.”
“I believe the Sisters always have snow along the peaks.” Jeff stretched out his legs and leaned back on his palms, keeping his gaze on the landscape. The gritty rock dug into his hands. “I noticed you met Jake.”
Kara looked over at him, eyebrows raised. “I’m surprised you were paying attention.”
“He seemed a bit too interested in you.”
“Watch out, Jeff. You sound jealous.” She grinned. “You’re right, though. He did seem interested. I set him straight and told him I’m with you.”
“Very funny. What’d he say?” He’d have no problem putting Jake in his place where Kara was concerned. She may be a DEA agent and able to take care of herself, but she was also his partner and fast becoming a good friend, and no one messed with his friends.
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