Surprisingly, it held his interest all the way through, and he was sorry to see it end. The four of them discussed it for a few minutes then he rose to his feet, reluctant to have the evening end.
“Morning comes early. I best be getting some shut eye. Thanks for making me welcome.”
“No problem, Cal. See you in the morning,” Luke said.
“Good night, Cal,” mumbled Zakia around a yawn.
He chuckled. “Good night.”
Leah rose and saw him to the door.
“Don’t forget to lock up behind me,” he said as he donned his coat and boots.
“I’m not about to forget after the scare I had earlier.”
He paused to take her face in his hands, leaning forward to kiss the tip of her nose. “Makes me wonder where he picked up the uniform. You be careful. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She reached up, her arms going around his neck to draw his head closer, and kissed him fully on the lips. “Good night, Cal. Sweet dreams.”
“Of you…always. Stand back so you don’t catch a chill.”
He turned on the outside light and peered through the window before opening the door, waiting on the porch until he heard the lock click into place. It sure seemed like a long, lonely walk to the bunkhouse after cuddling with Leah all evening. Maybe the cold air would serve to kill his ardor so he’d be able to sleep.
Sweet dreams, she’d said. Ha! He’d be lucky if he slept at all with the memory of that last, sweet kiss occupying his mind.
* * * *
Leah locked the door and rested her back against it, listening to Cal’s footsteps recede as he walked into the night. She’d enjoyed his company tonight…really enjoyed it. Maybe a little too much.
She honestly thought he’d be better off making a life for himself with someone else, but he appeared to think along different lines. He knew she was pregnant, yet still desired her. Of course, he wasn’t aware of the way she’d spent most of her time away either. She’d been on birth control pills the entire time, but apparently, that wasn’t a failsafe method.
Roddy hadn’t loved her at all if he could abuse her the way he did. To him, she was just another of his possessions…a pretty bauble to show off the success he’d achieved. No more. That life was behind her, and she’d do whatever it took to see him behind bars.
The phone rang shrilly in the late night quiet of the kitchen, and she about jumped out of her skin as she removed the container of milk from the fridge. It only rang once, so Luke must have picked up in the other room. She grabbed a glass out of the cupboard, poured it full of milk, latched onto the cookie jar, and sat at the table. These bedtime binges were going to add extra pounds real quick if she didn’t get a handle on them. Food—life’s reliable panacea. She giggled and rubbed her belly. “Are you craving cookies and milk, sweetheart? Or is it just my knowing that your auntie is such a great cook?”
“They say talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity,” Luke said as he entered the room smiling.
“Huh! What do they know? And besides, I was talking to the baby.”
“Okay. That’s all right then.” He poured himself a glass of milk and joined her at the table, filching the cookie jar in the process.
“Hey! Give that back. The baby’s still hungry.”
Luke snorted a laugh as he took a few cookies and pushed the container back toward her. “Baby my ass! You always did have a sweet tooth.”
“Yeah, but now I have a good reason to indulge.” She smiled and took a bite. “And these are delicious. Just what the doctor ordered.”
“I doubt that, but enjoy.”
“Don’t worry. I will. Who called?”
“Michael.”
“And?”
His expression turned serious, thoughtful. He finished his cookie and took a long swallow of milk before answering. “He ran the ‘Sheriff’s’ fingerprints.”
“Does he have a record?”
“Yes, a long one. Most recently, he’s been suspected of being a hitman for hire.”
“What? If that’s the case, why isn’t he locked up?”
“Well, for one, he died on the way to the hospital. Besides that, he covered his tracks well. No evidence left behind at any of the crime scenes, except for the sheriff whose uniform he stole along with the man’s ID.”
“Oh! I can’t say I’m sorry he’s dead, but I wouldn’t have wished that on him.” She frowned. “Did he kill the sheriff, too?”
“Yes, and there’s more.” His gaze rose to meet hers, sympathy and concern in the sapphire depths. “Michael was relieved that you couldn’t identify his ex-partner and called to fill him in on his concerns about the real sheriff. He also brought him up-to-date on what Roddy’s been up to. That’s when he found out about your friend, the one that helped you get away.”
“Delores Ramey? What about her?”
“She was found dead in her apartment.”
“What? When?”
“Today. Apparently, her sister hadn’t heard from her for a few days and dropped in to check on her. She’d been stabbed to death. I’m sorry, Leah.”
“Oh. My. God! It’s because of me, isn’t it? Roddy found out she helped me and killed her.”
“We don’t know that for sure.”
“Yes, I do. That slimy bastard! Did they find her cell phone?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t ask.”
“Well, that would explain how he found me so fast. I bet he saw the long distance number and had someone check it out.”
“Could be, but you called Dad’s place, not here.”
“It wouldn’t take much to find the Manning ranch once he knew what area.”
“True enough. I’ll let Michael know about her phone.”
“Damn! Delores didn’t deserve to die. She might’ve been a stripper, but she was a decent person. She had heart. You know?”
“Yes, I know. I’m thankful she helped you get away, or it might’ve been your body found today.”
A shudder, violent and painful, wracked her body with fear, and she shook uncontrollably. Leah felt powerless to prevent the loud sobs as she cried for her friend and for the situation she was in.
Luke was at her side in an instant. He pulled her to her feet and gave her a gentle shake. “Leah! Snap out of it! There’s nothing you can do for her. You’re safe here.”
“Am I, Luke? Are you? Are the children? I hate that I’ve put everyone in danger.”
“Nonsense! We’re safe here. They’ll get him and nail his hide to the wall. Just you wait and see.”
“When, Luke? How long will we have to wait and see?”
“I don’t have an answer for that, honey, but I sure wish I did.”
Chapter Eight
Leah heard a vehicle pull up next to the house. Its lights flashed off and on twice, and Luke went to the door.
“What was that all about?”
“Michael felt we should have some kind of signal after dark before coming to the door.”
“Makes sense, but what if we weren’t sitting in the kitchen? We’d never have noticed.”
“Good point. We’ll work something else out.”
Luke waited for the light knock before unlocking the door and opening it to admit Michael.
“Sorry I’m so late.”
“No problem. We were just having a snack. Care to join us?”
“Sure. Where’s Mom?”
“She and Dad went up to bed already. So did Zakia. Did you need to see her about something?”
“Nope, it’s just habit to see her in the kitchen. Seems strange that she’s not here.” He smiled and turned to Leah. “How are you holding up?”
“As well as can be expected, I guess. Did you find out anything else?”
“Yeah, the day Roddy and his friends showed up here, he reported his car stolen. It was found in an underground parking garage.”
“That figures. I knew he must’ve had something planned to cover his tracks. What else?”
<
br /> “Vancouver PD’s Internal Affairs is checking out that list of names you provided. No news yet on that front, though. They’re trying to be as discreet as possible so as to not set off any alarms.”
“I understand. Poor Delores. I feel sorry for her, and for her sister finding her like that.”
“I’m sorry about your friend.”
“She wasn’t really a friend, not in the true sense, although she did help me escape. We worked together but didn’t socialize away from the club.”
“The good news is, she had sexual intercourse before she died, tore her up pretty bad. I’m waiting on the DNA report.”
“That sounds like something he’d do. Is Roddy’s DNA on file?”
“No, but it’s all part of building a case. Once IA finishes their investigation, my buddy will obtain a search warrant for Kendall’s house and grounds. Dogs have a habit of burying bones. If there’s anything left of Alex, the crime scene specialists will find it. Then we’ll have Kendall.”
Leah shuddered. “On that happy note, I think I’ll grab a book and head up to bed. Can I borrow your key, Luke?”
“Sure. I’ll come unlock it for you.”
“Okay. Good night, Michael.”
“Nite, Princess!” he said with a grin.
She let out a shaky laugh as she followed Luke, grabbed a book, and went upstairs. When her eyes threatened to close, she got ready for bed and crawled between the sheets, her thoughts straying to Cal and the pleasant evening they’d shared. She wished he was beside her, holding her close and keeping the fear at bay. Remembering their heated embrace didn’t help sleep come any faster. She lay there, tossing and turning, aching for completion. If she wasn’t so damned scared, she’d go to the bunkhouse and wake him up. Then she giggled. Wouldn’t the wranglers get a kick out of that?
* * * *
Awakened by the frantic barking of Luke’s dog, Rounder, Cal dressed quickly and slipped out into the quiet of predawn. His gun at the ready, he moved steadily in the direction of the noise. As he crept along the side of the barn, Rounder’s bark became louder. He pushed onward, moving with silent stealth toward the far end. At first, he couldn’t see Rounder let alone what she was barking at, but as the moon cleared the dense clouds, he was able to zero in on her.
Rounder was about twenty feet ahead, along the trail leading to the creek—a trail they kept clear for the horses. It looked as though she had chased some kind of animal up a tree. She stood on her back legs, her front paws scratching frantically at the tree trunk. Whatever was up there, that old dog sure wanted a piece of it.
He was about to call the dog off when he heard a man’s voice, low yet firm.
“Go, get away! Leave me alone.”
Cal must’ve made a noise of some kind for all of a sudden, Rounder headed his way then ran back to the tree, keeping the man cornered until Cal got there.
“Well now, what do we have here?” he asked, pulling a mini flashlight out of his pocket and shining it full on the man’s craggy-looking face. “Identify yourself, mister, and you’d better have a good reason for trespassing.”
“I was just out snowshoeing when I was attacked by this dog.”
“Try again. I ain’t buying.”
“Look down there, you’ll see my snowshoes. Had to drop them in order to climb the tree. It wasn’t easy with your dog pulling at me.”
“Rounder, guard,” Cal said before walking forward and shining the light on the ground beneath the tree. Sure enough, there was a pair of snowshoes. “Okay, so you were snowshoeing. That still doesn’t tell me who you are and what you’re doing here in the middle of the night.”
The man paused and gave him a hard stare. “The name’s Erickson, Trent Erickson. Can you call off your dog?”
“Rounder, sit. Good girl.” The dog sat quietly but never left her position near the tree base. Cal saw the kitchen light come on in the house. “You can climb down now.”
“Thanks.”
Rounder growled a warning as the man reached the ground. The stranger turned his back to the tree, keeping a wary eye on Rounder.
Cal motioned with his gun for him to start walking. “This way. No fast moves.”
“Can I grab my snowshoes?”
“Later. Start walking.” Cal wasn’t about to let him hold onto anything that could serve as a weapon.
As they approached the house, he saw Michael through the kitchen window. Cal flicked his flashlight off and on to get his attention, and Michael met them at the door.
“Hey, Cal. Who have you got with you?”
“Luke’s dog was kind enough to round up a trespasser. He says his name is Trent Erickson. He was out snowshoeing and happened to end up here, but that’s all I could get out of him.”
“Mr. Erickson, what brings you to the Thunder Creek Ranch?”
“What’s the big deal? I was snowshoeing…good exercise.”
“Uh, huh. It sure is, especially at five o’clock in the morning. Let me see some ID.”
“What for?”
“Because I requested it, and if you don’t produce I’ll haul your ass down to the station and book you for trespassing.”
“Who the hell do you think you are?”
“Constable Michael Grayson, R.C.M.P., at your service.”
The man’s stature visibly shrank. “Damn!” He fished in his hind pocket, took out his wallet, and removed a card, which he passed to Michael.
He studied the card for a moment then looked at Trent. “A Private Investigator? Who are you working for, and what are you investigating?”
“I can’t tell you that! It’s confidential.”
“Have it your way. Hand over your weapon and let’s go.” Michael hauled out a set of handcuffs.
Cal applauded Michael’s instincts in suspecting the PI was armed.
“Now wait a minute…,” said Trent.
“No, you wait a minute! This is private property. You come slinking in here under cover of darkness and don’t provide answers, I have to suspect you were up to no good. Now, take that gun out nice and slow and pass it here.”
Trent unzipped his parka and reached inside, pulling out his handgun. He handed it to Michael butt first. “There. Happy now?”
“Not yet, but we’re making progress. Have a seat.”
Cal sat with them at the table, keeping his gun trained on Trent.
Michael took out a notebook and pen. “Who are you working for?”
“Roderick Kendall.”
“I thought so. What are you investigating?”
“Not what, who? He asked me to verify that a woman lived here—a stripper named Leah Manning. Apparently she cut out before finishing her contract.”
Cal sat in stunned shock. Leah? A stripper? Dear God, what kind of life had she led out there? There must be some mistake. “You have a picture of this woman?”
“Yes.” He pulled a picture out of his wallet, showed it to him, and passed it to Michael.
It was Leah! Why hadn’t she leveled with him?
“What were you supposed to do if you found her?” asked Michael.
“Report back to him.”
“That’s it?”
“What else is there? I run a reputable business. Finding people is my area of expertise.”
“What else indeed? When did he hire you?”
“Three days ago.”
“And what if I tell you that Kendall was here two days ago? That he took a shot at our friend, Cal, here and sent a hit man to deal with Leah last night?”
“If that’s true, then why did he hire me?” The man looked confused.
“To reinforce an alibi, maybe. Has he rendered your services before?”
“Yes, on several occasions.”
“I need names and dates. Chances are those people are missing, maybe even dead now.”
“What? No way. Kendall is well-respected—an important businessman.”
“Kendall is a murdering, drug dealing creep,” Michael said through grit
ted teeth.
“If he is, I certainly don’t have any knowledge of it.”
A cell phone rang. The sound coming from Trent’s pocket.
“Aren’t you going to answer that?” asked Michael.
“It’s probably Roderick. He’s an impatient man.”
“While you’re doing surveillance, where is he?”
“How should I know?”
“Wrong answer,” said Michael, toying with the handcuffs.
“Look, he dropped me off down the road a ways. Okay? Said I should come up the trail from the creek.”
Michael pierced him with an intense glare. “How did he know about the trail?”
Trent snickered. “How does he know about anything? He makes it his business to know.”
“Which means—what exactly?”
“Ah, hell. He talked about a charter plane.”
“So he’s flown over the property?” Michael asked.
“From what I gathered, yes.”
“How many others in the car?”
“His driver and bodyguard.”
“Are they waiting for you?”
“Yes. Look, all I was supposed to do was search the outbuildings for her car, but when I opened the barn door, that damned dog jumped me and I ran.”
Michael chuckled. “Yeah, that’s one excellent round-up dog. Stay seated while I make a phone call to have your friends picked up.”
“Damn! I guess I’d better tell you. He has a scanner. Any radio activity and he’s out of here.”
Michael grinned. “Thanks for the info, Erickson.”
He called his dispatcher to set up a roadblock at the end of Route 519 before it joined Highway 2. Four other vehicles, two by two, were instructed to proceed down Route 519 until they located Kendall’s vehicle, a black Audi A7, plate number RK LCRS. No way would the bastard get through that. Cal heard him advise radio silence, no lights, and warned that the three occupants were considered armed and dangerous. He hung up and dialed again.
“Yeah, it’s Grayson. I have Trent Erickson here, a PI. He’s given permission for us to access one of his files…yep, you guessed it…give me your fax number and I’ll send it over shortly…okay, thanks.”
He returned to the table, ripped a page out of his notebook, wrote on it, and passed it to Trent. “Sign it.”
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