Needled to Death

by Sefton, Maggie

  “And I do?” Kelly exclaimed. “I don’t even know enough to call them by their right names. Cows. Cattle. Whatever.”

  “Don’t even worry about it, Kelly,” Steve said. “You told me Lawrence Chambers already has an accounting firm doing the financial work now. You can keep using them until you’ve decided what you want to do with the ranch. Keep it, sell it, donate it, or a combination of all three.”

  That got her interest. “I could do all three?”

  “Sure you can. But don’t even start thinking about that yet, because everything could change if there’s oil and gas on the property.”

  Kelly had momentarily forgotten about that scenario. She’d been focusing on what she could see on top of the land—the sheep and cattle—totally ignoring what might lie beneath.

  “Whoa, oil and gas,” Jayleen said, then whistled. “You’re right. That would change everything.”

  “You mean I couldn’t donate it?”

  “Sure you could,” Steve said. “You only lease the mineral rights below the ground. You still own the land. You could still designate land as a protected area if you want. Who knows? You might even want to keep some of those sheep and cattle. Jayleen said you’ve got some real good breeds. Curt’s eyes lit up when she mentioned a couple.” He laughed.

  “He can have any sheep he wants,” Kelly declared.

  “He probably doesn’t want to buy any, Kelly,” Jayleen spoke up. “Most likely he wants to use your rams’ services.”

  Kelly still hadn’t integrated the concept of earning money when certain animals mated. Not only would she have to keep track of their food and shelter, but she’d also have to monitor what they did in their spare time.

  “I notice you didn’t mention selling off the alpacas,” Steve said with a smile. “Thinking about keeping them?”

  She nodded. “I’m thinking about it. Those fleeces are beautiful.”

  “I told you,” Jayleen teased. “It’s contagious.”

  Kelly watched Chet holding the long metal gate open for them to exit the pasture and head back to the barnyard. Tour was over. She glanced at her watch. After three o’clock. If they left for Fort Connor now, she and Megan could still make ball practice tonight. Dinner would have to be a drive-through on the road. Unfortunately, she didn’t remember seeing much in the way of food along the road.

  Steve pulled his truck to a stop and opened his door. “Okay, quick stop before we head back to town. I’ve got practice tonight. How about you, Kelly?”

  “Yep. Megan and I have to be at the ball field by six,” she said, sliding out of the truck and into a gust of wind. She grabbed her Kitty Hawk cap before it blew into the nearby corral. The corral was now filled with cattle. Where there were cows, there were cowpies.

  “You two are gonna play ball tonight?” Jayleen asked, stretching. “Boy, you make me feel my age. I’ve gotta go home and take care of my animals and Vickie’s, then do my accounts. I plan to fall on the sofa after that.”

  Remembering an earlier comment, Kelly asked, “Is Raja acting okay? You said he was acting funny for a while.”

  Jayleen stared toward the back pasture where Curt’s truck could be seen in the distance. “You know, he is, and he isn’t. He’s acting fine for a couple days, then I swear, he starts acting skittish again. I can’t figure it out. And truth be told, I just haven’t had the time to spend with the animals like I used to. Not right now. I’ve gotten a new bookkeeping client, and I’m staying up till two a.m. to set up his accounts.”

  “That sounds familiar,” Kelley commiserated.

  “Did you like what you saw, ma’am?” Chet asked as he joined them. “I’ve been trying real hard to take good care of it. It sure is a nice spread.”

  “I want to thank you again for the fine job you’ve done, Chet,” she reassured, giving him her brightest smile. “I also appreciate your explaining things to me so I didn’t feel stupid.”

  “Thank you kindly, ma’am,” Chet said with a blush. “Do you, uh, have you decided yet what you’re going to do? Are you going to sell it, you think?”

  Kelly shook her head. “No, I haven’t, and I probably won’t decide for a while, Chet, so I hope you can continue on here as manager.”

  Chet beamed. “It would be a pleasure, ma’am.”

  Curt pulled his truck alongside them and jumped to the ground. Kelly noticed Chet was right at the door to assist Jennifer and Megan.

  “The bull looks pretty good,” Curt gestured to the corral as he approached. “Good bloodlines from what Jayleen told me.”

  Kelly stared toward the corral, peering at the cattle, trying to figure out which one was . . . whoa. That had to be him. Her gaze settled on a huge black steer with horns jutting out as thick as a man’s arm. Almost as if he knew she was observing him, the bull turned toward Kelly and stared. Scowled would be more like it. He certainly didn’t look friendly. The bull snorted and swiped his paw on the ground once, as if announcing who was the one in charge.

  “Cujo, is that his name?” Kelly asked. “Surely he’s got another name. Those alpacas and sheep have fancy names, and they’re not even half his size.”

  “He’s got a name almost as long as he is,” Jayleen said. “Can’t remember what it is, but I saw it on the certificate.”

  “That reminds me. I want to take a quick look at those registry records again,” Curt said, settling his hat tighter on his head. “Is that okay with you folks? I know you and Megan have to get back into town for ball practice.”

  “Go ahead, Curt. Check all the papers you need. We’ll wait for you here,” Kelly said.

  “Jayleen, I’m going to need your help. You still got that list?”

  Jayleen slipped the notepad from her pocket. “Sure do.”

  Glancing over his shoulder at the threesome near the truck, Curt called out, “C’mon, son. I need to take another look at those sheep after I check the records.” He headed toward the house with Jayleen right behind him, while Chet gave Megan a big smile before he followed after.

  “Looks like I have time to make a few calls,” Steve said, flipping a cell phone from his pocket. “Provided I find a signal.” He walked toward the barn.

  “Let me know if you find one,” Jennifer called as she and Megan joined Kelly at the corral fence. “I’ve got to check in with my office. My cell’s coming up blank.”

  Kelly wasn’t sure, but she thought Megan looked a little flushed under her floppy sun hat. “Don’t worry, Megan. We can make it back in time for practice,” she said, hoping to distract an attack of Megan’s super shyness. A gust of wind pulled at her hat, and she gave it another tug.

  “Curt’s really impressed with the ranch, Kelly,” Megan said. “I mean, he was telling us all about different breeds of cattle and sheep. He knows all about them. Boy, he’s a walking dictionary. It was fascinating, right, Jennifer?”

  “He lost me after he explained how you cross one sheep with another.”

  “Actually, it was—” Megan cut her sentence short when another wind gust lifted her floppy sun hat and sent it sailing right into the corral. It landed right beside a large squishy cowpie.

  “Oooops,” Jennifer said, laughter escaping.

  “Whoa! I just bought that yesterday!” Megan protested, clearly irate that her hat was about to become a cow doormat.

  Kelly was about to say something reassuring when Megan spun about and climbed up and over the fence in seconds. Horrified, Kelly called out, “Megan, don’t!”

  It was too late. Megan had already jumped to the ground and raced across the corral to fetch her hat. Unfortunately, Cujo had also noticed the sun hat and the girl racing to get it. The huge bull snorted, pawing the ground.

  Kelly didn’t think twice. She scaled the fence and called out, “Megan, stop. Don’t move,” she ordered as she swung her leg over and dropped to the ground. Cujo lowered his big head and fixed Kelly with an angry glare.

  Megan stood, seemingly immobilized at the sight of the bull across the
corral, her face as white as the hat dangling from her hand.

  Kelly slowly inched toward her, hoping to catch her attention as well as distract Cujo’s. “Megan, back away and head for the fence,” she warned. “Back away, now. . . .”

  Suddenly another shape appeared at the corner of her eye. Steve dropped to the ground and let out a loud whoop, waving his hat in the air. Cujo spotted the moving Stetson and snorted in Steve’s direction.

  Megan snapped out of her trance just as Kelly grabbed her arm, and they both took off for the fence. Megan scrambled over and threw herself onto the ground. Kelly grabbed the top of the fence just as Cujo let out a ferocious bellow. She swiveled around to check on Steve and nearly lost her grip. Steve let out one last whoop and tossed his hat right in front of the angry bull, then took off for the fence. Cujo charged the hat with a vengeance.

  Kelly swung her leg over and climbed down. Steve was already helping a shaken Megan to her feet. The slam of a screen door brought Curt, Jayleen, and Chet running from the house.

  “What in Sam Hill happened? I heard that bull roar,” Curt demanded as he strode up, looking all the world like an irate father about to break up a rowdy teenage slumber party.

  The three participants stood silent while Jennifer spoke up. “The wind blew off Megan’s hat into the corral, and she climbed over the fence to get it—”

  Chet’s eyes nearly popped out. “Megan, you climbed in with that bull!”

  “I didn’t see him,” she squeaked, clearly too scared to be embarrassed.

  “And then Kelly climbed in to rescue Megan. Then Steve climbed in to rescue both of them. He distracted the bull long enough for Kelly and Megan to escape. But he sacrificed his new hat to do it.”

  Curt peered at both Kelly and Megan for a few seconds, and Kelly could tell he was dying to deliver a scolding lecture on using common sense. Instead, Curt took a deep breath and stared at the corral and Cujo and the flattened Stetson that lay at the bull’s feet. Stomped flat. “That’s a shame, son. It was a fine hat.”

  “Yes sir, it was,” Steve agreed, staring into the corral.

  Kelly saw Jayleen turn her head to keep from laughing. Chet, however, still looked appalled at what they’d done. “I’ll get your hat, sir. Just let me move these steers along.” He hurried over to the corral and started that same waving motion Steve had used.

  Megan grabbed Steve’s arm, the reality of what happened clearly settling in. “Oh, Steve, thank you, thank you, thank you! We would have been killed if you hadn’t jumped in and caught that bull’s attention.”

  “Thanks doesn’t do it, Steve,” Kelly said when she caught his eye. “Cujo would have stomped us instead of the hat. One of us for sure.”

  Megan shuddered. “Oh, my gosh. I can’t believe I did something that stupid. We could have all been hurt!”

  “Well, I, for one, think both of you owe Mistah Steve a new hat, don’t you folks?” Jennifer said with a wicked smile. “Mercy, Mistah Steve, you managed to save two damsels in one fell swoop.”

  Steve laughed. “Actually, Kelly distracted Cujo long enough for Megan to escape. I jumped in to make sure Kelly didn’t try to argue with him instead of running like hell.”

  This time, everyone laughed out loud, and Kelly didn’t mind a bit being the subject. She felt the accumulated tension from the entire day release. “I was about to thank you again until you said that,” she teased.

  “I sure am sorry, sir,” Chet said as he walked up, a crushed Stetson in his outstretched hand. “He stomped it pretty good.”

  Steve took the remains of his hat and popped the brim out. Casualty of the range. A bent and broken reflection of its former self. He exhaled a dramatic sigh. “It sure has been a bad month for hats.”

  Fourteen

  Kelly stood in the middle of the asphalt parking lot and stared up at the pink stucco building’s bright neon sign. “You sure this place has carryout? It looks like a casino.” She reached her arms high overhead in a long stretch. It felt like she’d spent the whole day in a truck.

  “It is a casino, but it also has a restaurant and hotel,” Jayleen said. “I stopped here one night with a bunch of local breeders when a storm blew in. You know how this road gets in the winter.”

  “Well, at least it’s more interesting than fast food,” Kelly said, watching Curt and the others walk up. “Is it like Blackhawk and Central City?”

  Jayleen shook her head. “No, not even close. It has slots and poker games, but that’s all. Nothing fancy like those places.”

  “Casino, huh?” Jennifer said, as they approached. “Too bad I’m strapped for cash right now.”

  “You’re always strapped for cash,” Megan joked. “And you work two jobs. How do you manage that?”

  “It takes concentration and consistent, steady spending,” Jennifer replied.

  “Hate to disappoint any of you who’re gamblers, but we don’t have time to play. We’re gonna have to grab the food and go,” Curt said, running a hand through his pewter gray hair.

  “Accountants make lousy gamblers anyway,” Kelly confessed as they headed for the casino entrance.

  “I’ve gambled enough on my business,” Jayleen said, grinning.

  Steve slipped his cell phone back into his pocket as he stepped forward and opened the door for everyone. “Same here, Jayleen.”

  The sight of the phone jiggled Kelly’s memory. She needed to call Debbie and check if those faxes had come in from the investment account. Debbie had called yesterday, so they should be there. With luck, she might be able to finish Vickie’s accounts by this weekend. This double workload was beginning to pinch, and Kelly was feeling the pressure build. The sooner she could finish the work for Debbie, the better.

  “I’ll join you in a minute,” she said and flipped open her phone. No signal. “Steve, can I use your cell phone, please? Mine’s out of range.”

  “Sure thing,” he said, handing it over. “Want us to order you something?”

  “Thanks. Get me a cheeseburger, fries, and a diet soda, please. I’ll be right in.”

  Kelly headed back into the casino parking lot, which was crowded already. The late afternoon sun was as brutal as midday in July, so Kelly searched for a bit of shade in the wide open. The casino had been planted right on the prairie land, only a stone’s throw from the main highway into Fort Connor. Not a tree for miles. She found a sliver of shade beside Steve’s truck and leaned against it while she dialed Debbie’s number.

  The phone rang several times, then finally switched to voice mail. She left a brief message, asking about the faxes and reminding Debbie that she’d meet her at the ranch tomorrow.

  Kelly flipped the cell closed and was about to head back into the casino when she spotted Geri Norbert, exiting the casino from a side door. She started to call out a greeting until she spotted the expression on Geri’s face as she strode to her truck.

  Anger? Fear? A mixture of both? Whatever it was, it held Kelly in place. Instead of calling out, she stared as Geri slammed her truck door, gunned the engine, and roared out of the parking lot. Her truck turned south, Kelly noticed, back toward Fort Connor.

  What on earth was wrong? Kelly wondered. Geri seemed to ooze calm and control, a cool self-assurance. Whatever had happened to upset her so?

  Kelly entered the casino and glanced about for her friends. An expansive lobby opened in two directions—hotel, one way, casino and restaurant, the other. Kelly saw Jayleen hovering on the edge of the casino, while Megan and Jennifer strolled through the slot-filled aisles.

  The brightly lit, mirrored room was nearly filled. Every machine had a person seated in front. Continuous, artificial machine-music filled the air, tinkling and jingling, punctuated by other game noises, honks, bongs, and bells. As Kelly drew beside Jayleen, she also detected the distinct sound that was so dear to every gambler’s heart: Ka-ching, ka-ching.

  “The guys are in the café.” Jayleen gestured toward the casino room. “They always put the restaurant on
the other side so you have to walk through to eat.”

  “Not much of a gambler, huh?” Kelly asked, noticing her hovering on the edge of the room. “Neither am I. I take a certain amount, use it, then leave. I’m not much fun.”

  “It’s not the gambling that keeps me out,” Jayleen said. “It’s the liquor. The bar’s in there, and of course, they bring drinks right to the machines for you. I can’t be around that.”

  “Even after ten years?”

  Jayleen nodded. “You never stop being an alcoholic, Kelly. That’s why I still go to my meetings.”

  “You know, I just saw Geri Norbert outside when I was making my phone call,” Kelly said, changing the subject. “She didn’t see me, though. I was going to say hello, but she looked mad or something. She looked strange. Is she all right?”

  Jayleen stared at Kelly solemnly for a moment, then glanced at her boots. “You sure it was her?”

  “Positive. It was her truck, too.”

  “That is too damn bad, then,” Jayleen said, shaking her head.

  Something in the sound of Jayleen’s voice set Kelly’s instincts humming. “What’s the matter? Is she a closet gambler or something?”

  “Yeah, I guess you could call it that, although I don’t think any addiction can be kept in the closet. Sooner or later, it’s gonna come out and bite you in the butt.”

  “Brother, that’s a surprise,” Kelly said, sorting through all the images she had of Geri and trying to make these new pieces fit in the puzzle. “She always looked and acted so controlled and all.”

  Jayleen gave her a rueful smile. “The key word is ‘acted,’ Kelly. We learn to conceal what we’re doing and what it’s doing to us.” She wagged her head sadly. “I thought she’d stopped. Vickie told me that Geri had sworn to her she stopped. And that was two years ago.”

  “Did Vickie try to help her like she helped you?” Kelly probed.

  “She sure did. She loaned Geri money to make her mortgage payments when she was behind. Geri would have lost her house and land if Vickie hadn’t done that.”

  “Same loan arrangements you had, right,” Kelly continued, curious if Vickie showed favoritism between friends and family.