“He has to be here,” Marla said, hoping she hadn’t been mistaken to trust Juanita’s instincts about the wrangler. He could have been working with Kevin Franks. But then why would Jesse investigate Otto’s operation and send Dalton the tunnel map?
“I am scared. Why has no one heard from Jesse since yesterday?” Juanita’s lower lip trembled as she and Marla stood outside on the gravel.
A stiff breeze blew hair about her face. Grit clogging her nostrils, she shivered in the chilly mountaintop air.
“Let’s go inside and take a look,” Marla suggested. “At least we’ll be out of the wind.”
Her eyes narrowed as she glanced over her shoulder, a prickle of unease shaking her. Was that a cloud of dust on the road behind them? She sidestepped around a wheelbarrow and headed for the front door.
“Jesse?” The housekeeper’s voice echoed in the emptiness that faced them inside. The knob had turned easily, as though recently greased. “Are you in here? It’s me, Juanita. I’m worried about you. Señora Vail is with me.”
No answer. Various sacks lay about the interior, along with some rusty tools and old bits of rails. A blanket covered a mound in one corner. Marla glanced underneath, wrinkling her nose at the pile of rocks.
“I have an idea,” she whispered. “Call Jesse’s cell phone.” She eyed the two closed doors at the far end.
Juanita complied, and an answering ring came from somewhere beyond.
“It’s this door.” Marla strode over and turned the knob, her heart pulsing in her throat.
Jesse sat slumped against the wall, tied like a chicken prepared for the oven and with tape across his mouth. He gave a muffled cry at their entrance, his gaze filled with hope and concern.
Marla needed a tool to cut his cords. Wait, didn’t she have a pair of shears in her purse? She hadn’t packed them in her luggage yet after cutting Annie’s hair.
Juanita ripped off Jesse’s gag while Marla attempted to cut the cord binding him. Damn, her scissors weren’t sharp enough. She stuffed them in her bag, put it down, and searched for a sharper tool.
Jesse spoke, his voice raspy. “Get out of here and call for help.”
“We will not leave you.” Juanita fluttered over him like a mother hen.
Jesse’s face looked puffy and discolored, as though he’d been beaten. Who had done this to him? All the suspects who came to mind were dead.
“You don’t understand.” Jesse’s voice turned pleading. “He’s been waiting for you to show yourselves.”
“What do you mean?” Marla asked, her ears alert for any unusual noises outside.
“I got caught because he keeps cameras along the road. When he realized I had found his stash of ore, he came after me. I knew I’d be dead meat unless I gave him a reason to keep me alive. I said I’d told others about his plans. Despite his attempt to get me to talk, I wouldn’t tell him anything.”
“So he figured he’d bide his time until someone came looking for you, and then he’d catch us?” Marla said, unsuccessful in her search for a sharp implement. Maybe she’d have better luck in the other room.
“If no one arrived, he threatened to torture the information out of me. His first session didn’t get anywhere. Lucky for me, he was interrupted by a phone call and had to leave.”
Marla reentered the main room and examined the discarded relics on the floor. “Who is it, Jesse?” she called, anxious to free him and get out of there.
“That would be me.”
Marla spun around. Matthew Brigham stood in the door frame, his bearded face a twisted mask of malice. In his hand, he held a firearm.
Oh no, not again.
Her foot rested near a discarded rail on the floor, one of its ends curved up with a broken edge. Without a moment’s hesitation, she stomped on the raised portion, caught the tool as it flew into the air and hooked it at the engineer.
She dropped to the ground and rolled sideways as he fired. The shot went wild.
As the tool hit its mark, he howled with pain. His weapon fell from his fingers and hit the deck, another shot going off into the wall.
Disarmed, he leapt at her, hands outstretched.
A single gunshot roared in the air.
Brigham went down, motionless on the dusty hardwood floor.
Marla glanced up. Juanita stood in the inner doorway, a snub-nosed weapon in her steady grip.
“What?” the housekeeper said upon noting Marla’s incredulous glance. “A woman should be ready to defend herself, señora. I never said I came unprepared.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
* * *
“Can you please pass the potatoes?” Marla said to Annie, who sat at the dinner table on Friday night at Carol’s house along with the rest of Dalton’s family.
It had taken a while to figure things out after events at the depot. The sheriff had arrived and taken Brigham, merely wounded, into custody. His confession, along with Jesse’s, had made many items clear. Marla and Dalton shared the news with Wayne and the others at Carol’s house where they’d gathered for one more home-cooked meal before their trip home on Sunday.
Raymond harrumphed and glared at her. “So do you mean this housekeeper’s boyfriend knew all along what was going on?”
Dalton, his mouth full of food, nodded for her to respond. He chewed and swallowed, while Marla sat proudly by his side. She’d never been more glad to see him than when he had loomed in the doorway at the train depot after getting her text messages. He admitted sheepishly that he had been sharing some newer investigative techniques with the deputies in town.
“Jesse isn’t any stranger to the area,” Marla said. “I hope you won’t fire him, Uncle Ray.”
It felt strange calling him that, but Marla felt an integral part of this family now. How different it was from her first dinner here.
“What do you mean? Spit it out, girl.”
“Jesse is really Jake Donovan.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Raymond threw his napkin on the table and stood.
“Sit down, Dad.” Wayne’s commanding tone resounded throughout the dining room. Even the children, playing in the family room after eating separately, hushed into silence.
To Marla’s surprise, Raymond complied. His face registered a range of emotions, including resignation. And did she note a flicker of hope there?
“How did Jake end up on our ranch? Did Donovan plant him there to cause trouble?”
“Hugh didn’t even know his son had taken a job at the Last Trail.” Wayne took up the tale. “Jake took care to grow a beard and dye his hair, but he kept in touch with his elder brother, Ben, after leaving home. Ben is the one who gave him a recommendation when he applied for the wrangler position. I hadn’t seen Jake in years, and so I didn’t recognize the man as Donovan’s younger son. We had a nice, long talk this morning after the sheriff finished interviewing him.”
“So why did he leave home?” Annie asked. She gave Marla a secret smile from across the table.
Marla had been pleased to learn Annie had gone out on a date with the doctor they’d met the other day at Tate Reardon’s house. She’d had a feeling the two of them would hit it off.
“Hugh is a Luddite, wanting to keep things the old way, while Jake embraces technology and change,” Wayne continued, his broad shoulders hunched forward. He looked every inch the rancher with his granite jaw and tanned face. “Jake’s pa refused to acknowledge his son’s interest in computers and wouldn’t pay for the boy’s college education. He said it would be a waste of money, when Jake was needed on the ranch. It never entered his head that one of his sons might not want that life.”
“So Jake left to forge his own path,” Dalton concluded, chasing down his food with a sip of water.
Carol had made a turkey for the occasion, and it was a true feast with all the dishes on the table. Marla would miss these family gatherings. But more so, she’d miss everyone here and yes, even the tranquility of the desert.
Tomorrow, for the
ir final meal, she and Dalton were treating everyone to the best restaurant in town. It would be a bittersweet end to their vacation.
“What happened that made Jake apply for a job at the dude ranch?” she asked, saddened that the young man hadn’t been able to follow his dream.
“He got through one year of college on a scholarship, but then he ran out of money. Deciding to take online courses instead, he returned to what he knew best—horses and ranching. Ben Donovan gave him a recommendation under his fake name. I took him on, glad to have a seasoned ranch hand.” Wayne stabbed a piece of asparagus and stuffed it in his mouth. “I suppose we should do better background checks from now on.”
“How does Juanita figure into the game?” Carol rose to refill their water glasses.
“He ran across her one day at work and couldn’t get her out of his mind since then. They wound up together, and she learned his identity. But he wouldn’t share his secrets with her and grew afraid she’d get hurt. So he pretended to lose interest in her.”
“Did those secrets pertain to Garrett Long?” Marla guessed.
Wayne gave her a wry smile. “Jake and Garrett shared an interest in technology. Garrett acted as a mentor to him, recognizing his talent and funding his online classes. In return, Jake did Internet searches for Garrett.”
“No wonder Jake had so many computers in his house.” Marla asked Dalton to pass the cranberry sauce. She needed a dollop to go with the rest of her turkey.
He complied with a sexy grin. Now that the mysteries were solved, they could enjoy their remaining day on the ranch. Eager to be alone with him, she returned her attention to the conversation before her desire shone in her eyes.
“Garrett had shared his suspicions regarding Lovelace’s water bottling facility. Upon investigating further, Jake realized someone must have reopened the old copper mine. When Garrett was killed, he remained silent, unsure who to trust.”
“Did he know Matthew Brigham must be involved?”
“He suspected Brigham and Tate Reardon, the plant’s manager. Jake figured someone at the Last Trail was working for them, but he couldn’t pinpoint the mole. So he worked in silence, hoping to uncover enough evidence to tell the sheriff his findings.”
“How did Brigham get onto him?”
“He didn’t.” Dalton answered, having spent a lengthy session with the sheriff. “Brigham confessed to stealing ore and hoarding it at the train depot. He plotted to take over Otto’s operation. We played into his hands by getting rid of Lovelace. With the boss, Reardon and Franks out of the way, his path was clear except for Jake. But once Jake discovered the engineer had a passion for trains, he realized the depot was the key.”
“So he went up there alone, hoping to collect evidence,” Marla said. “Brigham saw him via the video cameras he’d placed along the road.”
“When Jesse realized he might not get out of there alive, he sent me a photo he’d taken of the tunnel system. He had come across a schematic of the mine shafts during his research,” Dalton added. “Jesse started to type in the word ‘help’ when Brigham caught him. Beating Jesse didn’t gain him any information, so Brigham figured he’d wait and see who came to rescue the guy.”
“There’s something I don’t get.” Carol had been occupied with serving the meal and clearing their empty dishes. Now she spoke quietly from her seat, an intense expression on her face. As the ranch’s financial manager, she had to be glad things were finally cleared up. “How does the eco-terrorist group fit into this? Was Otto afraid of them or working with them?”
Dalton replied as he understood their connections the best. “Lovelace’s armed guards were meant to keep people with prying eyes away from his immigrant labor camp and his illegal mining operation. The E.F.A. was actually buying his refined products. They sold these to the Chinese and used their profits to obtain weapons. The Chinese, in turn, wanted the rare earth elements so as not to lose their global monopoly.”
“Kevin Franks, an E.F.A. member and Otto’s liaison to the foreign buyers, was the arsonist who set fire to our hacienda and who put the snake in Dalton’s luggage. He sabotaged Carol’s saddle and put the trip wire across her trail.” Marla’s tense muscles eased. She hadn’t realized her neck had been so rigid. The memory of those incidents still disturbed her.
“How did Sherry Long take the news of her brother’s involvement? Was she aware of his activities?” Carol asked with a wide-eyed glance at Marla, as though she had all the answers.
“She’d feared her brother, always a volatile sort, had taken revenge on Garrett for her sake. They both knew about Garrett’s affair. But Sherry didn’t dare confide her views to anyone, afraid Franks might turn on her next. She’d been unaware of his E.F.A. activities.”
“What of Mrs. Reardon?” Carol addressed Annie. “How is she doing?”
A pained expression crossed Annie’s face. “Eleanor had no idea her husband was involved in these schemes beyond his work at the bottling plant. She had truly believed the man was overworked. The woman feels guilty about her relationship with Garrett, but at least she realizes their affair had nothing to do with either murder.”
“And their daughter?”
Annie shook her head. “Poor Christine. Her parents’ problems likely contributed to her eating disorder. Hopefully, with therapy, she’ll improve over time. I’ve started a group for teens, and we’ll see how she does.”
“That’s great, Annie.” Raymond, who’d remained silent through their explanations, cleared his throat. “I owe people some apologies. First to you, doll, for doubting your choices. You make a great nutritionist. I’m proud of you for opening your own clinic and managing the business so well.”
Annie flushed under his praise. “Apology accepted, Dad. I knew you’d come around eventually. You’re not as hardheaded as Hugh Donovan.”
“Speaking of the guy, I got an email from him. Hugh gave me his version of an apology, said he was sorry for making assumptions that weren’t true.”
“What prompted this great change of heart?” Wayne said, glancing at him askance.
“The sheriff notified him and the town council members about the goings-on. The smelting mill’s excessive water usage, polluted runoff, and dirty air emissions were the likely causes of the problems on Hugh’s ranch and elsewhere. The refinery will be closed along with the bottling plant, and the proper course of the mountain stream will be restored. These actions should solve their issues. Luke told Hugh in no uncertain terms that my renovation project was not at fault.”
“Well, that put him in his place,” Carol said with an indignant sniff.
The kids wandered into the room.
“When are we going to have dessert, Mom?” the girl asked, her hair in pigtails.
“If you’d like to help me clear the table, I can serve it afterward. Go ahead and take the dishes into the kitchen. I’ll be along shortly. I just want to finish hearing what your grandpa has to say.”
Raymond resumed after the children left the room. “Hugh’s note encouraged me to give him a call. I reckoned it was high time to clear the air, as long as all these other revelations were coming to light. Hugh admitted he’d made some gross errors. So did I.”
“You were generous to make the gesture, Uncle Ray.” Marla’s words of kindness elicited a misty smile from the older gent.
“Did you know your mother-in-law used to sing?” he asked her in a soft tone. “Kate had the loveliest voice that soared like the angels. But she stopped singing the day Harry died. And when Ma left and took Kate with her, part of my heart went with them, too. I could never lift my head in their sight again, after what I’d done. But that was a long time ago, and instead of forgiving myself for my sins, I cast blame on Hugh. He did the same. And I added fuel to the fire by comforting his wife after their son left home. We’re both stupid asses, what can I say?”
Wayne gripped his father’s arm. “So did he hear you out when you called?”
A tear leaked down Raymond’s fa
ce. “We both cried like babies. We’d been such good friends. I’m hoping we can mend the rift that’s kept us apart for so long.”
Marla blinked rapidly, her eyes filling. Oh gosh, in another instant, she’d start bawling.
“Hugh said he wanted his son to come home. He’d make things right and pay for Jake’s education if he would return.”
“That will make Jake happy. I’ll inform him tomorrow morning,” Wayne said. “I suppose now he’ll be able to court Juanita openly. You did good, Dad.” His warm approval brightened Raymond’s demeanor, and joy spread around the table.
“Nothing means more than family. I shouldn’t have forgotten that principle, but it’s going to rule my life from here on.” Raymond gripped the hands of those on either side of him, and his gesture moved the rest of them to join hands, too.
“Now let’s each offer a prayer of thanks that we’re all gathered together.” He let go after a few minutes of meaningful silence, except for the kids’ chatter in the next room.
“I should serve dessert,” Carol said, half-rising.
Raymond waved her back in place. “Hold your horses, I’m not finished. You and Dalton will have to come back next year,” the patriarch told Marla with a wink. “With things heating up between Jake and Juanita, I suspect there might be a wedding coming. Did I mention that I’d called your mother, Dalton? You’ve never heard anyone more shocked in your life than when she answered, and I said hello. I’ll do my best to talk her into singing at Jake’s reception.”
“I’m sure Mom would love to come see you, wedding or not,” Dalton replied with a broad grin. “Marla, can I persuade you to return?”
She patted his arm, glad for him that his family issues had been resolved. Her throat clogged with emotion at being part of his clan now.
“I think I could manage another trip out west,” she said in a light tone. “The desert has started to grow on me. Besides, I might want to go on one of those advanced trail rides at the dude ranch. I didn’t have enough lessons on this visit. After all, what member of this family doesn’t know how to ride? I have some catching up to do.”
Peril by Ponytail (A Bad Hair Day Mystery) Page 26