Maybe, With Conditions

by Mariella Starr

  "Can I help you?" Dalton shouted over the roar of the blades when suddenly the helicopter moved out of range and it wasn't necessary to yell.

  "Phillip O'Cleary," the man said extending his hand, but he did not get a chance to shake Dalton's. Nicole jumped into his arms and Matty tried to climb up his legs. Phillip hugged Nicole kissing her on the cheek. He lifted Matty into his arms and turned to face a frowning Dalton Calloway. "Phillip O'Cleary," he said, again offering his hand.

  This time, Dalton shook his hand, but he did not look particularly happy. Nicole and his son were hanging off this tall, handsome stranger who looked like he had just stepped out of a Gentleman's Quarterly magazine cover.

  Chapter Twenty

  "Phillip, what are you doing here?" Nicole demanded.

  "What? I can't visit my best girl?" Phillip asked in mock dismay.

  "Why don't we take this into the house?" Dalton asked, motioning for Matty to transfer to his arms.

  "Good idea," Phillip answered, relinquishing the boy and retrieving his briefcase.

  Once inside, Kay and Melanie excused themselves to go to her room leaving the remaining adults in the kitchen. Nicole microwaved their sandwiches offering Phillip one, but he declined.

  "Is Dee Dee coming?" Matty asked, sitting in Phillip's lap.

  "No, not today," Phillip said, shaking his head. "Dee Dee is enjoying herself in Ireland, but she is coming home next month. My secretary has already booked her flights. You can draw a big red circle around October fourth on your calendar."

  "Yeah!" Matty cheered.

  "Is she coming here or returning to Washington?" Nicole asked.

  "She will land in Reagan International on the first, take a couple days to get over the jet-lag, and then she will fly to Reno on the fourth. She isn't telling you, but she misses you two so much she cries every time we talk on the phone."

  "Oh no," Nicole exclaimed. "She keeps telling me how much she's enjoying herself running around with all her long lost relatives."

  "She is," Phillip verified. "Nevertheless, you are a daughter to her, and she misses you and Matty something fierce. When her plane lands, she'll probably kiss the tarmac. Mom is proud of her Irish roots, but she has been thoroughly Americanized. You look happy, deirfiúr."

  "She is," Dalton said. "Nicole has agreed to marry me."

  "Does that mean we get to stay here forever and ever?" Matty demanded.

  "Yes, it does," Dalton assured his son, his eyes taking in the handsome man holding his future wife's hand, and calling her pet names. He did not like it one damn bit.

  "Matty, we need grown-up talking time," Phillip suggested to the boy. "Guess what? I need some new pictures for my office walls. Why don't you draw me some new ones? I can take them back with me."

  "You won't leave until I finish, will you?" Matty asked.

  "I wouldn't leave without giving my boy a hug and kiss," Phillip promised. He knew fully well Dalton Calloway was growing increasingly jealous.

  "Where are you staying?" Nicole asked. "You didn't bring a suitcase."

  "Reno," Phillip answered clearing a space on the table and setting his briefcase on it. "My pilot will return in a couple hours. It should be enough time to square away everything."

  "To square away what?" Dalton demanded. Then he looked outside when he heard a vehicle approaching. "What's Sheriff Shifflett doing here?"

  "He's right on time," Phillip said, opening his briefcase.

  Dalton opened the door for the sheriff and let him inside. "Dave, what the hell is going on?"

  "Well, yesterday, I would've asked you the same thing," Sheriff Shifflett said, removing his hat and nodding to Nicole and Phillip. "Yesterday, this here city fellow walks into my office and tells me he's got a good idea who's behind most of the trouble you've been having out here at the Double C."

  Dalton shifted his eyes to the man sitting at his kitchen table. "Why am I only hearing about it, now?"

  Phillip laid several photographs on the table. "Because I don't give out partial results, Mr. Calloway. I am a private investigator. I don't go into the field very often anymore. I hung my private detective license on the wall proudly and started my company as a one-man operation about ten years ago. Since then, my business has grown into a nationwide investigative service, OIS. I am not personally licensed in all the states, but I have affiliated companies or agents working under our umbrella in most major cities of the U.S.

  "Nicole called me a few weeks ago when your house was burglarized. I immediately put my recovery specialists to work. When it was time, I called the police. I assure you nearly everything listed as stolen has been recovered from pawn shops or private auction houses. Your property will be returned to you as soon as the police complete their investigations.

  "Nicole also called me when she spotted the vehicle she thought might have run her off the road. She was able to give me enough of a license plate number to lock down the owner. With a few contacts, I was able to trace the driver of the vehicle.

  "I flew here several days ago and with my military connections was able to communicate with the Officer in Charge of the Hawthorne Depot. Colonel Travis was extremely helpful and we pulled the human resource files of a Jason Warner. He is the owner of a particular Dodge Stealth, although he only has a peripheral bearing on this case. What we couldn't find was any connection between the owner of the vehicle, you, or Nicole. Mr. Warner was on the duty roster at the depot at the time of Nicole's accident. Since the facility uses sophisticated Intel badges, cameras, and entry codes, it was verified that Mr. Warner was at work when Nicole was run off the road. It is an excellent system.

  "He claimed he had no idea who wrecked his car. Under extensive questioning, he finally admitted the lock on his locker had been sticking and he had not gotten around to replacing it. He was understandably upset about someone using his vehicle while he was working. He doesn't have insurance. Basically, he's a young man still living with his parents. He puts nearly all his income into his pride and joy, his car.

  "This led me to believe whoever borrowed Mr. Warner's car was also an employee at the depot. They had to be familiar enough with Mr. Warner to know his schedule and to borrow his vehicle while he was on duty and would not miss it. You may not know it, but the employees at the depot have to remove all personal items from their clothing at the beginning of their shifts and deposit those belongings into lockers. Whoever used Mr. Warner's car had to have known the young man wasn't properly securing his locker."

  "My line of inquiry popped a name already in my database from investigating your ex-wife."

  "Barbara is responsible for running Nicole off the road?" Dalton exclaimed angrily. He turned on the sheriff. "I told you she was behind this mess!"

  "Yeah, you did, but I didn't have any way of connecting her to the accident or anything else. She's had solid alibis every time," Sheriff Shifflett explained.

  "Ultimately, I believe she is behind most of your recent difficulties," Phillip said, bringing the discussion back to the matter at hand. "The name in our database was Ned Orson. Ms. Ruiz's father married four times. Ned Orson was the son of his second wife. Ned works at the depot and lives twenty miles outside of Hawthorne."

  "Have you arrested them, yet?" Dalton demanded of the sheriff.

  "I arrested Ned Orson yesterday," Sheriff Shifflett answered. "He was singing like a bird hoping to make a deal with the DA. He's been in trouble before and he doesn't want to go back to prison. We can let him dream without making him any promises or deals. Orson is responsible for the break-ins, the robberies, and the fires. He claims he doesn't know anything about the cattle rustling. He also claims he did everything under orders from his step sister."

  "Is he also claiming he doesn't have a mind of his own?" Nicole asked. "If he was committing all these crimes for her, he was fully aware of his actions. She must've been paying him well."

  "Yeah, well… about that." Sheriff Shifflett looked decidedly uncomfortable. "He also says she has been
living with him for the past six months and they're in a relationship."

  "Ewww!" Nicole exclaimed. "Barbara is sleeping with her brother?"

  "Technically, they aren't related," replied Sheriff Shifflett. "They were only step-siblings for about three years."

  "Still…" Nicole said, making a face.

  "Are you charging him with attempted murder and assault?" Dalton asked. "He or another friend of hers attacked Sam Rutherford and nearly killed Nicole! They are also responsible for the deaths of the people who died from the Thiopental-laced drugs."

  "We're still working out the details and the specific charges," the sheriff said. "Like I said, he was singing like a bird. He must have wised up over night because he asked for a lawyer this morning. I know the assault charges are solid, but attempted murder might be a stretch. He claims he was only trying to scare Ms. Bennett by running her off the road, not kill her. He says he gave the drugs to his sister, uh, Ms. Ruiz. He claims he doesn't know what she did with them, same as the stuff he stole. He broke in with a list of what to look for and snatched whatever he could as fast as he could. She was supposed to split the profits with him. She didn't, and he's pissed she pulled a double-deal on him."

  "Several people died because they overdosed on those drugs," Dalton raged. "Sam Rutherford still suffers from the after-effects of his attack."

  "I'm an investigator, Mr. Calloway, not the law," Phillip said, looking to the Sheriff. "We have proof Ms. Ruiz passed off the pieces from your collections. She used a known fence. We have him on video along with statements from the business owners where he listed items for auction with faked paperwork. His name is Danny Willis. He has a long record of petty crimes and doing time behind bars. Your ex-wife is not a very good criminal. The men she chose to cover her tracks are not willing to take the heat for her.

  "The relationship between her and Ned Orson aside, it's a murky quagmire of petty crimes, grand larceny, assault, and maybe attempted murder. The lawyers and district attorneys will be battling about whose client is responsible for what for some time. We may find more people involved. I do agree the rustling is probably a separate issue. Sheriff Shifflett will need to continue his investigations."

  "Barbara will pay for her crimes this time, won't she?" Dalton demanded.

  "Yes, she will," answered the sheriff firmly, but he grimaced. "As soon as we locate her, we'll arrest her. I've already blanketed the state with APBs and issued warrants."

  Dalton closed his eyes before looking directly at Nicole. "Please go tell Kay to keep an eye on Matty. I don't want either one of you alone for one second while she's still on the loose."

  "Now, Dalton," Sheriff Shifflett exclaimed. "Ms. Ruiz won't get far; I have a pretty tight net tossed out there. You have my word, we'll catch her."

  "If what you're saying is true, my ex-wife has managed to get away with attempted murder, assault, theft, arson and God knows what else. It's their word against hers. Barbara has a history of talking lawyers and judges into believing she is the victim. You got nowhere until an outsider presented you with the facts. I'm sorry, Dave, but your word isn't good enough to safeguard my family. Go, Nic, I don't want Matty left alone!"

  Nicole jumped to her feet and left the room.

  The sheriff's shoulder-mounted police radio squawked and he moved outside to answer it.

  In the kitchen, anger was radiating from Dalton. How much of it was aimed at him, the sheriff, or the general situation, he didn't know. Phillip thought he had better try to neutralize it.

  "I've got a call," Sheriff Shifflett said. "Give us time, Dalton. We'll get this mess straightened out, but I have to go."

  At the slam of the screen door, Dalton's attention returned to the man sitting at his table.

  "You need to chill," Phillip said, tossing a folder on the table. "I've known Nicole since she was ten years old. She is a dierfúr, to me, a sister. I know she didn't tell you she called me. I read it in your face the second I told you why I was here. Don't be too angry with her. She's always been a wild card going off on tangents." He smiled wistfully. "I had to pull in markers several times when she was a teenager to keep her out of serious trouble. Those years aren't very far behind her.

  "Mom usually keeps her on a tight rein, but I imagine you've had your hands full since she got here. My mother must trust you a lot to let Nicole come out here and then stay out of the way until you two could work out your problems. Don't believe for a minute she did it lightly. I had a full dossier on you within days of your appearance in Washington."

  "Nicole called me because she knows if I can't find something or someone, I will locate someone who can. She didn't want you to lose your parents' and grandparents' collections. When she told me about the accident and the other problems, I went to work immediately. The first suspect was your ex-wife. In about seventy-five percent of our cases, the first suspect is the guilty party. She was pretty much the only suspect we could find besides a few disgruntled ranch employees and a civil suit against your practice when you couldn't save someone's dog. You are very clean on paper, I must say. All the complaints were dismissed as unfounded. Your ex-wife is something else. She kept reappearing with lawsuits, even though they were dismissed except the first one."

  "My ex-wife is a gold digger," Dalton growled.

  "I agree. You have handled her well under the circumstances. She has accumulated a record of minor offenses and has been in court-ordered rehabilitation facilities twice since your marriage to her was invalidated. She has substance and alcohol abuse problems, and owes massive debts to several casinos in Reno and Las Vegas."

  "I knew about the debts," Dalton said. "She tried to claim part ownership of the Double C, so they contacted me. I set them straight real fast. I didn't know about the substance abuses."

  "It's my business to find out," Phillip said bluntly. "We've turned over enough information to your local police to deal with Ned Orson and your ex-wife. I assume they will locate her. She will surface at some point. Her addictions won't let her stay hidden for long. I want you to keep Nicole and Matty out of sight until her arrest."

  "What if the law can’t find her?"

  "If they don’t, I’ll put my manpower back on the case," Phillip asserted. He looked at his watch. "My helicopter will be here in less than an hour and I have a flight to New York in two. I have feelers out on the rustling problem, but your sheriff was a little closed-mouthed about sharing details. Law enforcement resents it when private investigators solve their crimes for them. I will keep my men following the leads.

  "I'd like to spend time with Nicole and Matty before I leave. I'm not a threat to you, Dalton. Nicole thinks of me as a big brother. You may not be able to see it, but she did you a big favor. Cops, in general, are not in the property recovery business. They want to find the guilty party and put them away, not recover what was stolen."

  "Thank you," Dalton said, extending his hand as both an apology and a gesture of friendship. "What do I owe you for all the time you spent on this investigation?"

  "I did it for Nicole. Promise me you won't be too angry with my little sister for going around you. If she's going to be your wife, it is her business. Keep her safe."

  "You have my word. I'm not letting her out of my sight," Dalton promised.

  Phillip spent nearly an hour with Matty sitting on his lap while he talked to Nicole and her new family members. Kay and Melanie joined them, and the discussions shifted to more family oriented subjects.

  When they heard the loud sound of the returning helicopter, Phillip hugged Matty promising Nicole and Dalton he would return as soon as they picked the date for the wedding.

  Kay was delighted at the news of their impending nuptials, but they couldn't give her any details, as they hadn't had time to discuss it themselves. She promised not to leak the news to her parents before Dalton had time to call Helen and Roy Mac.

  As everyone settled for the night, Nicole put Matty to bed and returned downstairs to Dalton's office carrying the ba
by monitor she still used to connect her with her child. Although Matty had not had a severe asthma attack since they arrived in Nevada, old habits were hard to break.

  She found Dalton staring out over the view of his ranch buildings. The new security lights cast shadows where they hadn't needed light before.

  "Do I dare come in? How mad are you?"

  "Am I angry Phillip presented enough proof to Sheriff Shifflett to make arrests? No. I would like to wring Barbara's neck, but rather than being charged with assault, I will let the law take care of her. She is a mistake I will never be able to reconcile. I’ll be keeping very close tabs on you and Matty until she is arrested. Don’t argue with me about it, because it’s not negotiable. I am sorry you got caught in up her schemes."

  "Are we keeping Matty home from school until she is arrested?"

  "He's in kindergarten; a few missed days won't hurt him," Dalton said.

  "Phillip's a good looking man," Dalton announced abruptly.

  "Yes, he is."

  "Did you ever date him?"

  "No," Nicole said shaking her head. "He thinks of me as his mother's pet project. He has always been very big brotherish toward me. He's had a long-term relationship with his boyfriend, Thomas, for about ten years."

  Dalton looked at her in surprise.

  She smiled and shrugged. "He keeps his private life private. He has been a good friend over the years. I guess I'm a one-man woman."

  "My woman," Dalton said, his voice low and proprietary. He pulled her into his arms and drew her to him. "If you weren't still sore from the spanking you got this morning, I might be inclined to give you another one. You should have told me about seeing the black car, again. You definitely should not have followed it."

  "If I hadn't, Phillip wouldn't have been able to trace it. I was never in any danger."