“Are you the MacCloud that has the big cattle ranch in Triple Dare County?” the judge asked.
“Yes, sir. I and several of my friends have the biggest ranches in the area.”
“I’ve hunted close to there and eaten some of your beef. It’s top quality. Well, I know you can pay her bail. To be fair I’ve got to set it at two million. You’ll take personal responsibility for seeing she’s back here whenever required?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good.” The judge banged his gavel to indicate the hearing was ended. The prosecutor started to complain about her being released and allowed to go out of state, but the judge gave him a hard look, and he sat back down.
“I can go home?” Nat asked Gray.
“You sure can. You’ll fly with your family. I have work to do here, and Holt’s already gone to do more checking. I’ll see you this weekend.”
“Thank you.” The guard took her back. She waited while her father and Gray got her processed out. Flying home, the nightmare of the past twenty-four hours receded as they got closer to Triple Dare County.
Newspaper reporters had been at the airport in the city yelling questions at her, and now she was bombarded again as they got off the plane and walked to their car. Her father and Boyd cleared the way to where Tim waited. May, Nat, and Boyd climbed into the back seat. Angus got in the front. Flashbulbs went off on all sides of the car as Tim slowly drove around the people and got free. The reporters jumped into cars and motorcycles to follow.
“We’ll take her to our home, then drive her by the back way to the cabin,” Angus said.
“But she might not be safe alone,” May protested.
“She will. I’ve talked to Gray’s fathers,” Tim said. “They’re setting up guards around the perimeter of their ranch, and one close to the cabin. In fact, all the ranches are doing the same. No one will be allowed on any ranch unless he or she is a resident of Triple Dare.”
“Good work. I have a feeling our girl”—Angus looked back at Nat—“wants to be on her own for a bit.”
Nat nodded her head and blew him a kiss. She ached to be private with her thoughts and her feelings. She wanted to sort through all that had happened. Her life had radically changed with no warning. She was tired and scared.
When they parked at the cabin, Nat jumped out. “Thank you all for your support,” Nat told her fathers, May, and Boyd. “I’ll call if I have any trouble.” She waved and walked toward the entrance. She stood in the doorway and waved until they were out of sight. Nat closed the door, locked it, and slid to the floor.
All the pent-up fear and shock hit her at once. She lay on the shiny wood and curled into a ball. She cried and cried until drained, then dragged herself to her bed and collapsed. It was late night before she woke.
The first thing she wanted was a warm bath and clean clothes. She ripped off the outfit she’d worn to court and threw it aside. In the bathroom, she filled the tub with rose scent and very warm water. She went to the kitchen and poured a glass of white wine from a bottle they’d opened the other night.
When she returned to the bathroom her tub was ready. Her muscles relaxed as she lay her head back and let the warmth seep into her cold body. The cool, crisp wine slid down her throat. Outside she heard the train whistle in the darkness, and a lone dog howl in response. At this moment she didn’t ever want to leave here again.
She pushed away the thought of ending in jail, in a cold cell, and having to stay there for many years. She was innocent. She had to trust Holt and Gray to save her.
* * * *
Holt contacted the woman he’d seen at the nightclub, the quiet one. He’d found out her name was Sondra Hook, and he’d obtained her phone number.
“Hello, Miss Hook. I’m not sure you’ll remember me. I was at the Friday night get-together,” Holt said.
“The tall, dark man who didn’t work for our company.”
“Yes. I wondered if I might take you to dinner?”
“I don’t know you.”
“You’re scared. I saw it the other night. I want to ask who scared you and why. I’m an investigator for Natalie Newlyn.”
“She’s been arrested for Tom’s murder,” the woman said.
“Do you believe she did it?” The line went quiet. “Miss Hook?”
“I can’t talk on the phone or in a restaurant.”
“May I come to your home?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” He hung up. He’d already checked where she lived and how to get there. He went down the elevator from his condominium and got in his car. Sondra Hook was scared for her life. Through her he planned to find the evidence to get their killer.
Sondra opened the door with the chain on. She was a short brunette, with big scared eyes. Holt showed her his ID, and she let him in.
“I’ve made coffee.”
“A cup of coffee sounds good. It’s cool today.”
She stood for a second wringing her hands. “Did anyone follow you?”
“No. I’m good at covering my tracks.” Her shoulders relaxed, and she went into her kitchen. When she returned she had two coffee cups and a plate of homemade brownies.
“Please have some. I cook when I’m nervous.”
“Don’t mind if I do. These look and smell delicious.”
Holt took his time, drank some coffee, and ate a brownie. He asked casual questions like where she was from originally and how she came to the city. He took the last sip of his coffee and put his cup down.
“Sondra, I think I know who frightens you. It’s your boss, right?”
“What makes you think that?”
“You kept your head down most of the time Friday night, but when he was talking I saw the fear on your face.”
“I hope no one else noticed.”
“They wouldn’t. The others were drinking and having a good time. Most people aren’t as observant as I am.”
“How did you know he was my boss?”
“I asked the woman sitting by me questions about all of you. She said he was head of finance and you were his assistant.”
“Thelma talks too much.”
“I’m glad she did. Tell me, what it is you fear?” She glanced around the room as though the walls had ears.
“Do you want me to check for hidden microphones?”
“Please.”
Holt took out a device he’d recently acquired. He moved slowly around her apartment going into each room.
“I’ve checked the whole place. I didn’t find anything. Do you mind if I tape our conversation from this point on?”
Her hand grasped her throat. Fear etched on her face. Finally, she took a deep breath and nodded yes to the recorder.
“Tell me what happened at work.” Holt used his most reassuring voice.
“As I said, I’ve been with the company five years. Mr. Ubel came along four years ago. I never liked him. He was too friendly and too slick. But I tried to hide my feelings. I did my job and ignored him as much as possible. About eighteen months ago I started to see some slight irregularities in the company finances.” She shivered.
“Take your time. Can I get you some water?”
“No. I need to get this off my chest. I went to Mr. Ubel and showed him what I’d found. He told me not to worry. He’d check into it.” She clenched her hands in her lap. “Could I go to jail for not bringing this to someone’s attention sooner?”
“I don’t think so. You are going to be the hero for helping us get the real killer. Tell me what happened after that talk.”
“Each month I’d check, and the irregularities continued, but it was done so subtly it was hard to find who or how anyone was messing with the numbers. I waited three months. This time I went to Mr. Newlyn. He was Mr. Ubel’s supervisor. I was nervous because Mr. Newlyn had got the job for Mr. Ubel. They were classmates in college.”
“Strange Ubel didn’t seem upset about losing a good friend. In fact, he was in an excellen
t mood Friday night.”
“Yes. I knew then he’d probably killed Mr. Newlyn to keep him quiet, and I was afraid I was next on his list.”
“Then Newlyn confronted him?”
“He did. A few days after I’d talked to Mr. Newlyn. I heard loud arguing in Mr. Ubel’s office. Mr. Newlyn stormed out. Mr. Ubel came to his door and stared long and hard at me. I tried to pretend I knew nothing about what was going on.”
“How long ago did they argue?”
“The first time was over a year ago. Apparently Mr. Newlyn let it go for a while. He was caught up in his divorce.” She looked at Holt. “He didn’t want it. I think in his own way he loved Mrs. Newlyn, but he was one of those men who couldn’t remain faithful. There’d been rumors about his dad for years. I suppose he followed in his footsteps. Anyway, his wife didn’t overlook his escapades. She wouldn’t forgive or forget. I can’t blame her.”
“When did Newlyn and Ubel meet for the last time?”
“To my knowledge, two weeks before Mr. Newlyn’s death. He came to see Mr. Ubel. I couldn’t hear what was said. The office door was shut. But my guess is he put his foot down and gave Mr. Ubel a date to have the problem fixed. Mr. Ubel was furious after Mr. Newlyn left. He said he had some business to do, and stormed out of the office.”
Sondra got up and paced around the room. “If only I’d known enough to do something. But everything was quiet up until the morning Mr. Newlyn was found dead.”
She went into the kitchen. “I’m going to get a glass of water. Do you want one, or more coffee?”
“Water will be fine.”
“Here.” She returned and handed him a glass. She sat and took a long swallow before continuing. “The rumor quickly spread through the office. Mr. Ubel wasn’t in yet.” She clasped her glass tightly in two hands. “When he did arrive, he strolled across the room and stood in front of my desk.
“He said, ‘I’ve heard about poor Tom. But occasionally bad things happen to good people. It’d be a shame if anything ever happened to a sweet person like you.’ Then he grinned an evil smile and went into his office like it was a normal day.” Sondra leaned back in her chair. Her face had paled, and her body was obviously drained. “He’s going to kill me. No one can stop him.”
“No, he won’t. I’ll stop him for you and Natalie.” Holt snapped off the recorder.
She studied his expression. “The way you say her name gives you away. Be careful.”
“What do you mean?”
“You care for her a lot. If others realize that they won’t believe what you say.”
Shocked, he sat back. “It’s that obvious?”
She smiled for the first time. “It is to a lonely spinster. I envy her having you to depend on.”
“I’m going to let my boss, Graydon Callahan, listen to the recorder. With this information I think he’ll be able talk the police into getting a warrant to search Ubel’s home and office. Hopefully we’ll find more incriminating evidence.
“I’m sending you to a safe place until this is over. Do you trust me to see you’re protected?”
“I better. I told you enough to get me killed. I’ll pack a suitcase.”
Holt flipped his cell open while she went to pack. He called the MacCloud number. Boyd answered. “Can you come to town today and pick up a lady? I could send her on a flight by herself and have you pick her up at the airport, but she’s frightened. I want her to know I meant it when I said I’d keep her safe. That’s why she needs to stay at the ranch until this is over.”
“No problem. I’ll catch the next flight out. Where do I find you?”
“Call me when you get here.”
“Good enough.”
Holt closed his cell. He couldn’t wait to see Ubel’s expression when they came to his door with a warrant. It’d be almost as good as punching him, but not quite.
Chapter Eight
Gray shut off the recorder. “You did it again, Holt. He had to have killed Newlyn. He’s been clever managing to make it look like Nat did it. He must have keys to her and possibly Newlyn’s place. That’s one of the first items we’ll look for.”
“I agree. How soon can you convince the police to ask for the warrants?”
“Soon, I hope. I’ll get right to work on it. I’ll start making some calls. Leave your recorder in case I need it to convince Castor and Anderson. If I can get the detectives to work with us it will go faster. It will give them a chance to save face if they’re in on the arrest.”
“I’ll leave you to work your magic. Sondra Hook is waiting at my condo. I’m taking her to the airport. As soon as Boyd gets in I have reservations for them on a flight back out. I promised to keep her safe. I intend to keep my word.”
Holt drove to his condo and got Sondra. He headed to the airport. “Did you call your office?” he asked Sondra.
“Yes. I reported in sick. I told human resources I was going to take a week of my accumulated time off. I needed to rest. They weren’t happy with the short notice but agreed.”
Holt kept his eyes on the alert while driving and especially when they were walking in the crowded airport. He noted Boyd’s plane had landed.
Boyd came striding across the terminal. He’d dressed in a suit. Holt had to look twice to recognize him.
He grinned and shook Holt’s hand. “I thought I’d come incognito and not announce with my clothes that I was taking this lovely lady to a ranch.” He smiled at Sondra.
“Boyd MacCloud, this is Sondra Hook. She’s been a tremendous help and put her life in danger in the process.” Sondra blushed red at his words and probably at the intent look from Boyd.
“I’ll keep a close eye on her, Holt. Don’t you worry,” he told Sondra. “You’ll be safe where I’m taking you.”
“Thank you.”
Boyd leaned down to hear her whispered words.
Holt watched in surprise. Boyd had never shown immediate interest in a woman unless he was out on the prowl. He handed Boyd their tickets. “You’re turning right around and heading back. Your plane leaves from the departure gate right across from here in twenty minutes. I’m staying to see you off.”
Boyd nodded and studied the crowd.
* * * *
Things were coming to a head. Gray had a good sense for when the ball was rolling his way. He’d contacted the detectives. Castor and Anderson had agreed to meet with him in an hour. If he convinced them and they got the warrant, then he’d ask them to let him go with them on the search. Gray suspected they didn’t want Nat’s lawyer to show them up and tell the press how his investigator found the real murderer.
Hopefully in a few days Nat’s problems would be gone and Mr. Ubel would be charged with the crime he had committed. Then Gray and Holt could go to Triple Dare County and tell Nat the good news. Thinking about her raised his temperature and other parts of his body. He wanted to make love to her. After the case was settled, in the next few days, he planned to fly to her and convince her to marry him and Holt. He’d enjoy doing the convincing.
He glanced at his wristwatch. Time to go see the detectives. He put Holt’s recorder in his briefcase, but he’d only play it if necessary. The ball was rolling. He called Holt on his way out and left a message.
“If you want in on this meeting, be at the police station in thirty minutes.” Holt would be there. He wanted Ubel as much as Gray did. They’d both like to take him behind the barn for what he tried to do to Nat. But they had to be civilized and let the law do the punishing.
Holt met him at the station. “She’s on her way,” he told Gray.
Castor and Anderson had read the notes Gray sent over. Their cocky attitude had deflated somewhat.
“We’d have found the evidence,” Castor said.
“Except you’d stopped looking,” Holt reminded them and smiled.
They both frowned at him, and Castor stepped forward. Holt raised an eyebrow. Castor hesitated.
“We need to get along. A woman’s life has been torn apart with
false accusations. Let’s get this guy. Then you two can act like Neanderthals and beat on each other,” Gray snapped at the men.
Holt flushed and gave Gray an angry glance, but he moved back. Castor did the same. Anderson stood with his arms folded and a faint smile on his face.
“Now, let’s sit and decide what to do first as soon as we get the warrant,” Gray said.
Chairs scraped on the concrete floor as they all sat around the oblong, gray metal table. Gray spread out the papers and told them what he wanted to do.
* * * *
The alone time had done wonders for Nat. She’d tried her best to not worry about what Gray and Holt were doing to clear her. She had to trust them. She’d spent her time riding, hiking, resting, and reading. The quiet and peace of the land made her more determined to find a job near her father’s home. Her mind had cleared, and her thoughts became more focused.
When her father called and invited her to dinner, she was ready for company. She arrived early to offer May help in the kitchen.
“You can get the salad ingredients out of the refrigerator and mix it,” May directed. “It’s good to see you not looking so lost and scared.”
Nat opened the fridge door and got out the lettuce, tomatoes, radishes, and other items to make the salad. She straightened and turned to face May.
“I’ve tried to not worry.” She smiled. “At least not more than ten times a day. I do trust Gray and Holt to do everything they can to clear my name.”
May nodded. “They’re good men. I think they’re in love with you.”
“What makes you think that?”
“They look at you like Angus and Tim look at me. Oh, not when they think you’ll be looking, but I’ve seen the expression on their faces and the hungry look in their eyes. Are you interested in having two husbands? I know that’s one of the reasons your mother and father split.”
“I’ve considered it from time to time. I’ve watched you and my dads. You have a good, loving relationship. You all three seem happy. The few times you’ve disagreed, my dads have fallen over themselves to make you happy again.” She grinned. “None of Mom’s husbands or male friends have treated her as well. But she’d hate for me to marry and live here.”
Possessive Protectors [Triple Dare County, South Dakota 1] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Polyromance) Page 7