Peril by Ponytail (A Bad Hair Day Mystery)

by Nancy J. Cohen

  Confused, she scrubbed a hand over her face. Clearly the attacks on Raymond’s project were escalating from mischievous incidents to lethal levels. She’d like to meet Hugh Donovan in person to assess his involvement. Raymond was quick to blame the guy for reasons yet unknown.

  Rescue workers lifted an injured man in a sling out of the pit. Raymond wandered off to confer with his foreman.

  “You look upset,” Dalton said. “We should return to the ranch.”

  “I could use a drink at the Jail House. Let’s eat in the dining room tonight. It’ll give us a chance to talk in private.” And out of earshot of your relatives.

  “That wrangler, Jesse, knows something about Garrett Long’s death. While you’re getting refreshed, I’ll see if he’s around to answer some questions,” Dalton said on the drive back to the ranch. “Let’s meet at the bar around five and hang out there until dinner.”

  Feeling she should touch base with Carol, Marla washed and changed and then headed over to the reception building. Janice, on duty at the front desk, waved her on back.

  Marla knocked on Carol’s half-open office door before proceeding inside. The blonde’s face split into a grin at Marla’s appearance.

  “Hi, I don’t want to bother you, but I thought I should let you know that we’ll be eating dinner at the ranch again tonight. There’s a venom talk we might attend afterward,” she said for an excuse.

  “Sure, Marla. You’re always welcome at our house. I fix dinner for an army since you never know who’ll drop by. Wayne’s dad gets lonely sometimes, and Annie likes a home cooked meal. So I prepare for company. Please, have a seat.”

  Carol appeared unruffled considering how her father-in-law might have been blown up that afternoon. Maybe she didn’t know? Best to ease into the topic then.

  “We went into town today. I met Annie for lunch and saw her clinic. She’s doing a great job there from what I can tell. Her services seem to fill a need in the community.”

  Carol smiled with pride. “She loves her work. It’s too bad Raymond doesn’t respect her choice. He won’t quit nagging her to take an interest in the family business.”

  “It doesn’t bother you that she’s alone?”

  “Single and unattached, yes. A successful nutritional counselor? I’m happy she’s found her calling. I just worry about her being without a partner for the rest of her life.”

  “She’s young yet. Is she interested in finding someone?”

  “I think so, but there aren’t many eligible prospects in a town this size.”

  “At least she’s a safe distance from Raymond’s properties, considering what happened today at the ghost town.”

  Carol’s brow scrunched. “What do you mean?”

  “A piece of construction machinery hit a cache of dynamite from back in the mining era. The explosives went off and collapsed a wall.”

  “No! Was anyone hurt?”

  Marla laid her purse in her lap. Maybe she and Dalton should have stayed on site and offered to help? Nah, they’d have only gotten in the way.

  “A couple of workers were killed and others injured. Wayne’s dad is okay, although shaken.”

  “Thank goodness. I’ll bet he’s more upset about this roadblock in his master plan than anything else.”

  How well you know your father-in-law. “Raymond doesn’t believe it was an accident.”

  “Don’t tell me. He blames Hugh Donovan.” Carol stood and paced. “Hugh is a handy scapegoat for Wayne’s dad and vice versa. Whenever something goes wrong, the other one is at fault. I wish they’d clear the air already.”

  “What happened to make them hate each other so much?”

  “Raymond won’t talk about it. I’m not sure how far it dates back, either. I’d rather not pry, but the past can lead to tension when things are left unresolved.”

  Amen to that. Marla had experienced her own share of past haunts. She could only move on once she’d shed the guilt.

  “I’m glad you and Wayne came to our wedding. It meant a lot to Dalton.”

  “And we’re glad you guys reached out to us. Wayne always felt bad he’d never had the chance to know his aunt. Since Raymond doesn’t talk about her, the only way he learned anything was from Doc Harrigan.”

  “Who’s that?” Marla’s glance rose to study a colorful figurine of Kokopelli, the fertility deity revered by Native Americans. She’d seen similar ones in the gift shops in town. Kokopelli was depicted hunched over and playing a flute. Rather a bizarre figure in her opinion, he had feathers or protrusions coming from his head. Besides enhancing fertility, he was associated with changing winter into spring and bringing rain to the land. She should pick up a statue to bring home as a memento of their trip.

  “Doctor Harrigan is our vet. Or rather, he’s semi-retired, and his son has taken over the practice. Doc senior knows Raymond longer than anybody.”

  “Have you ever asked him what went down so many years ago?”

  “I didn’t want to stir a hornets’ nest. Wayne should be the one to ask, but I think he’s afraid to unravel his father’s dark secrets. He’d get Doc senior to talk about Kate, though. Said there was a sad light in the vet’s eyes whenever he mentioned her.”

  “Does he have an office in town?” Marla put this visit on her priority list.

  “Yes, but you can catch him in the morning at the ranch. He comes by with his son twice a week to check our horses and deal with any non-emergency problems. He’ll be over by the corrals around eight tomorrow. If you’re up earlier and are comfortable on a horse, maybe you’d like to join me on my morning ride. I saddle up every morning at seven.”

  “I’ll wait until I take a few more lessons, thanks. Would you mind if I spoke to the vet? Dalton and I would like to understand these tangled family relationships.”

  “It’s fine with me. Maybe I should have prompted Wayne to dig deeper, but I didn’t want to upset him. You might have better luck.”

  Marla’s curiosity intensified about what skeletons hid in Raymond’s proverbial closet. So she made it her business to meet the veterinarian the next morning after breakfast. Dalton accompanied her, hoping to interview Jesse Parker. The wrangler hadn’t been available when Dalton sought him out the evening before.

  As they approached the main corral, Marla scanned the fenced enclosure. The horses available for riding that day stood around while wranglers scurried back and forth tending to their chores. Jesse’s tall figure wasn’t among them. Birds twittered while she wondered where to find the animal doctor. An occasional horse snorted, and the wranglers bantered with each other as they went about their daily routine. She sniffed in the cool morning air, wrinkling her nose at the smells of hay and manure.

  “Can I help you?” said a gruff voice from the rear.

  Marla spun to view an older guy wearing a brown cowboy hat, a tweed sport coat over a tan dress shirt, jeans, and ankle-high boots. He had a goatee that matched his silver hair. Her gaze dropped to the black leather satchel in his hand.

  “We’re looking for the vet,” she said, forgetting her husband’s goal for the moment. “Would that be you, by any chance?”

  “You guessed right, young lady. I’m Doc Harrigan, as they call me around here.”

  “We’re Marla and Dalton Vail from Florida. Dalton is Wayne’s cousin. We’re on our honeymoon and are staying at the ranch, thanks to Wayne’s invitation.”

  “I recall hearing mention of relatives from the east coast.”

  Marla glanced over his shoulder. No one was on the path behind him. “Don’t you normally work with your son?”

  “He’s busy with a mare about to birth on another ranch.”

  “Do you have a minute to talk to us? I understand you’ve known the family for a long time, and we’re interested in the history.”

  He frowned at them. “I suppose I could spare a few minutes before they call me inside. Shall we get more comfortable?” Without waiting for an answer, he twisted the door knob leading into the Riders
Entrance and entered. Fortunately, no one else was present.

  After she and Dalton took seats on the leather sofa, Marla spoke. Dalton appeared to be comfortable letting her lead the conversation. Maybe he didn’t care to be seen as spying on his uncle.

  “Did you know Raymond and Kate when they grew up here?”

  A distant look came into the vet’s eyes. “Oh, yes. They were an active pair of kids. Feisty as ever, they kept their mom busy. A ranch is a good place to raise children. They learn to be closer to the earth and to appreciate nature. There’s none of them fancy trappings you get in cities.”

  “I imagine they learned to ride very early.” Marla’s gaze flitted to the artifacts decorating the room. She liked the feathery dream catcher on the wall.

  “Those kids knew how to fit a saddle before they could read. They were taught the dangers of the desert as well. Raymond, being the eldest, should have known better.”

  Marla nudged Dalton so he would remain silent. She played along, pretending she knew what Doc Harrigan meant.

  “You’re absolutely right. Were you around when it happened, then?”

  “Yep. My daddy ran the practice then. We’re a generational family. Always loved horses along with farm animals. They’ve been helping mankind long before we white folks settled these hills.”

  “Can you tell us your version of what went down? Raymond isn’t very forthcoming, and we’d like to know the truth. Carol is the one who suggested we see you for more information.”

  “Is she?” His fingers tapped the handle of the satchel in his lap. He sat in an armchair opposite them. “I imagine that son of hers is getting near their age.”

  “Brian is nine years old. Both of her kids are adorable.”

  “It wasn’t so with Hannah and Sean’s brood. Raymond had a touch of the devil in him. Or maybe it was Hugh’s influence like they said. Either way, Raymond had it in for his younger sibling. It didn’t help that the kid was smart as all get out and topped his grades in school.”

  “So Kate had been a top student?”

  He stared at her. “I’m not talking about Kate. Harold, or Harry as they called him, never took to the ranch like they did. He was into books and math. It was almost freakish how he could do calculations in his head.”

  “So you’re saying that my mother and Uncle Ray had a younger brother?” Dalton enunciated each word as though he couldn’t believe what he’d heard.

  The vet grinned at him. “I gather you have a bit of him inside yourself. Must have passed down from Hannah’s side of the family. You like calculating who committed a crime, don’t you, detective? Oh yes, I’ve heard a few things here and there.”

  “So Harry was a math whiz,” Marla gathered. “What of it?”

  “His siblings teased him unmercifully. Raymond couldn’t understand why Harry didn’t love ranching as much as him, and Kate was every bit the cowgirl in those early days. She hopped on a horse like she was a natural. I’ll bet you wouldn’t know it now. How is your mother doing, son? We miss her around here.”

  “She’s great. My parents are looking for a condo to move to Florida so they can be closer to us. Dad has retired, so there’s nothing keeping them in Maine. Most of their friends have moved away.”

  “Did Kate ever mention her childhood here?”

  “Mom said she’d been raised on a ranch, but she and her mother had moved east to Boston to be near my great-grandmother. I assumed my grandfather must have died, and she never indicated otherwise. It wasn’t until Marla and I were planning our wedding that I asked about that side of the family. I hadn’t even known Mom had a brother.”

  “So Kate lived her life as though Raymond didn’t exist?”

  “Yep. We were astonished to learn about him. He had married and had grandkids. An entire branch of our family lived out west. We sent wedding invitations to all of them and were happy when Wayne and Carol accepted. Raymond didn’t bother to send back a reply.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me. Raymond can’t face the ghosts of his past, and seeing his sister again would remind him of events he’d rather forget. He pushes his workers hard, like he’s punishing them instead of himself. For everyone’s sake, he needs to shed his guilt and move on.”

  “We’re not clear on the details. Can you tell us more?” Marla asked, hoping to finally get some answers. “It would help us understand Raymond better.”

  The vet scratched his head. “I reckon you have a right to know. Here’s what happened.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  * * *

  Doc Harrigan stared into the distance as he related the story. “Raymond, Kate, and Harry often played together along with their friend and neighbor, Hugh Donovan. Harry was the butt of their pranks, being bookish and not an outdoorsman like the rest of the gang. Plus, they were all jealous of his being smarter.”

  “So they teased him,” Marla said. Or worse, they’d bullied him, but she didn’t express her theory aloud in case it was wrong.

  “One day the foursome was playing cowboys and Indians up on the hill, and they came across an open mine shaft.”

  Marla’s gut clenched. She could guess what happened next.

  “The sheriff warned us about the area,” Dalton inserted. “Craggy Peak used to be an active copper mining camp.”

  “The shafts should have been sealed,” Doc Harrigan continued in a somber tone. “Most of them are covered over with brush now, so you can’t even tell they were there. But the spot which the boys and Kate discovered must have eroded because the opening was exposed.”

  “Surely they’d been told to steer clear?”

  “No doubt. Those old abandoned mines have hazards aplenty—spiders, bats, scorpions, even mountain lions if they can get inside. Lower levels might be flooded from groundwater seeping in, and rotten timbers could collapse at any time. They’re dangerous to explore.”

  “Plus explosives might have been left behind.” Dalton related the latest accident at the ghost town.

  Doc Harrigan’s face paled. “How did Raymond take it?”

  “I’m sure he felt bad for the workmen who’d been injured and for the families of the guys who died, but he appeared more concerned with the construction delay.”

  “The accident must have hit him harder than he let on. The man didn’t tell you?”

  “Tell us what?”

  “That’s how his brother died. Raymond taunted Harry that he was a coward. He could prove his mettle by going inside the mine and bringing out a tool. It was common knowledge that when the mines closed, the miners walked off and left their equipment behind. With copper prices hitting an all-time low, most of them didn’t have other jobs waiting for them.”

  Marla wished she could shut out the rest, but she had to hear it. “So Harry took the bait?”

  “Poor kid always wanted his brother’s approval. From what they said later, Kate protested, but the boys ignored her.”

  “And Hugh Donovan was a party to this? What did Harry care about his opinion?”

  “You know how children want to fit in. Raymond and Hugh were tight as a rider to a horse. Harry was always the third man out when the three kids were together. Raymond paid more attention to Hugh than to his own brother, but that was natural since their ages were closer. Still, Harry must have felt he had to earn their respect. So he entered the mine.”

  “And Kate stood by, knowing something bad could happen?”

  “Heck, no. She’d remembered the warnings and was afraid the mine might cave in and trap Harry inside. Pretty little Kate ran for help. But by the time her dad got there, it was too late. Harry had found his tool all right, but he didn’t realize what he held in his hand.”

  “And that was?” Marla prompted, dreading the response.

  “A pack of dynamite. As he neared the exit, waving the item gleefully in the air, it exploded. Likely, he was killed instantly, and then the roof of the mine collapsed on top of him. It was nasty when they dug out his remains.”

  Marla cla
pped a hand to her mouth. “How horrible.”

  Doc Harrigan’s eyes glazed over. “It was an awful time. Hannah and Sean ended up separating. She took Kate with her and moved back east to be near her mother. Hannah blamed Sean for pushing the boys to follow in his footsteps and for not valuing Harry’s quieter talents. Kate blamed Raymond and pretended thereafter as though he didn’t exist. And Raymond blamed Hugh for egging him on. Everyone had regrets that haunt them to this day.”

  Marla swallowed in commiseration. She’d experienced a tragedy in her past, and it had taken years to forgive herself. Its influence still held sway in her decision not to have children of her own. As a nineteen-year-old babysitter, she’d answered a phone call the parents had told her to expect, but in that instant, the unthinkable had happened. The child under her care drowned in the backyard pool.

  Losing a child could easily cause discord between the parents. Little Tammy’s mother and father had argued, but they’d cast blame on Marla. She’d had to hire an attorney to fend off a lawsuit. How she’d paid the law firm had led to another blot on her past, but she hadn’t wanted to burden her family.

  Her throat tightened at the memories. Her mistakes didn’t end there. She’d made another bad choice and married the attorney in charge of her case. At the time, Stan had seemed like a lifesaver. She didn’t realize until later how much he enjoyed controlling people.

  She hung her head in shame. No matter what Raymond did, it wasn’t her place to judge him, not with the sins hanging over her own head. At least she’d turned her misdeeds into good, working for the Child Drowning Prevention Coalition. And Dalton had helped her find forgiveness and acceptance of her own worth. It sounded as though Raymond needed the same. He wasn’t only tormenting himself. His behavior affected the people around him.

  Was history repeating itself in how Raymond belittled Annie’s decision to become a dietitian? She’d taken the intellectual route just like Harry and had no desire to get involved in ranch operations.