by Bo Drury
It wasn't what he expected. It was the body of a man lying on the bottom, arms outstretched.
Letting out a yell, he dove in and pulled the lifeless form of Jeb Stockton to the surface.
Orlando, hearing him call out, was kneeling on the deck when he surfaced. Leaning down to help lift his old friend to the deck, he cried out, “Jeb, my compadre,” and started working to revive him.
Harry, squatting beside him, said, “It's too late, Orlando. He's been in there too long.” They sat there, looking at the wet heap of the man before them.
“Who else?” Harry whispered.
Covering the body with a discarded beach towel, they went back inside. Harry, dripping water as he went, headed for the bar. Finding the bourbon, he poured a glassful and drank half of it, then turned to Orlando and offered him one. Orlando took the bottle and put it to his lips, taking a long drink.
Harry studied him. “Who's left, Orlando? I thought Jeb was the guilty party, but now he is gone. Who do we look at now?”
Orlando looked up and then away, shaking his head, then took another swig from the bottle.
“Guess we better call Josh on out here. They will want to check the body and look for evidence around it.”
“It's a quarter till three now. We could wait.”
“No... Call him. I'm going to get out of these wet clothes.”
He needed to look at Doris's chart again... This changed everything—Jeb dying. All the evidence had pointed to him. Doris had been right; it had been a set-up making him look like the guilty one, while the killer ran loose killing at random. Had he killed Doris because she had it figured out and he knew it? Who had she talked to while he was gone?
He must not think of her as dead. He had to find her.
Stripping off his wet clothes, he quickly dressed in dry jeans and shirt and padded down the hall to her room to go over the graph again before Josh showed up.
His socked feet made no sound as he approached her door. It was open. Stepping to it, he was surprised to see Orlando standing there by her bed. He turned and jumped, seeing Harry there.
“What are you doing?”
Taken aback by the tone of Harry's question, Orlando stammered guiltily, “Looking to see if I could find any evidence of what happened to her.”
“Don't touch anything until Josh gets here.” Harry, sorry for his abruptness, tried to soothe it over by suggesting they go back to the lounge and have another drink while they waited for Josh.
On their way to the lounge, Harry stopped by his room and grabbed his loafers.
Settling down in the big leather chairs, Harry tried to break the silence by starting a conversation. “How well did you know Rebecca?” Remembering what Jeb had told him, he wondered what Orlando would say.
Walking to her photograph, Orlando studied it before he answered, “Very well”
Harry watched him, wondering what was going on in his mind.
“She was very beautiful and wild. Like one of my horses...hard to tame, impossible to hold.” He mixed a drink at the bar, seemingly familiar in the surroundings. He moved to the books lining the wall and ran his hand over their leather-bound backs, then looked up at the imposing portrait of the elderly woman and lifted his glass in a mock toast. “The old woman tried to hold her with a stern hand; it was the same as holding water in your fist—impossible. She drove her away with her rules she made.” Orlando turned back to Rebecca's picture. “Rebecca was a free spirit; the only way to keep her was to let her go. The old woman and Jeb could not understand this.”
“You loved her?”
Orlando turned as if trying to figure out his answer. “Everyone loved her.” Walking to the window, he looked out on the body of his old friend.
The doorbell rang.
“Does it never end?” Harry heard Josh's booming voice as Orlando let him in.
“It doesn't appear too.”
“Where is he?”
“Out by the pool. Harry pulled him out of the water but it was too late.”
“You think he fell in drunk or someone drowned him?”
“He would have to be unconscious to drown; he was a strong swimmer and I have never seen him that drunk. Either he had a heart attack or...”
Josh acknowledged Harry as he passed him on the way to the pool. Harry followed, anxious to hear his reaction.
“You guys stand away from the pool. Let these guys do their job.”
Harry stood aside as the forensic team got to work. Deciding he was going to learn nothing out there, he went back inside to wait.
He wanted to talk to Josh about Doris. It would be daylight soon and he wanted to start the search for her as soon as it was light. They could do nothing for Jeb but there was hope Doris was still alive. Just like he felt Melody was still out there someplace, waiting to be found.
Josh came back in.
Harry was ready for him and jumped right in, explaining what had taken place before Doris disappeared. “Doris was very upset during dinner, on the verge of hysteria. Something had really frightened her. I don't know what. We gave her a sedative, Jeb and I, and I put her to bed and waited until I was sure she was sound asleep. Then I went back to finish my dinner. I didn't notice anything unusual about the food, but when I started to get up I was tired, my legs were wooden. I thought I couldn't make it to my room. Once I did, I was out like a light.
“I woke up to Orlando shaking me. Doris was gone and so was Jeb. I thought the worst of Jeb; I thought he was the one who did something with her. I see now I was wrong about that.” He looked out at the still form lying on the cold deck.
“Let's look at her room.” Josh followed Harry and Orlando down the hall. Harry explained about the shoe in the door and how it led to him discovering Jeb.
Josh noticed the charts lying on the bed and stopped to look at them. “I guess I need to take these as evidence.”
“Of what?” Harry was reluctant to let the charts go. “These have nothing to do with her disappearance.” Josh hesitated, then walked out, leaving the papers strewn about the bed. Harry breathed a sigh of relief.
“I'll get the boys on her room next. In the meantime let's get organized and form a search party. I want this place turned inside out. It's time we got to the bottom of this.”
How right you are, Harry thought as he followed him back to the lounge to see if they had come up with any ideas yet as to what happened to Jeb.
As the sky lightened in the east, the bunkhouse crew formed out front with deputies from the sheriff's department. They all seemed subdued and shocked at the news that their boss was dead and it was questionable about what caused it. They were whispering among themselves about what the future held.
Hub drove up in his old station wagon and asked what was going on. One of the ranch hands was explaining everything to him when Harry walked out. He was obviously upset to hear about Jeb's death. He fell back in the seat of his car and the color drained from his face.
Where had he been? Something Doris had said about Hub nagged at Harry. What was it?
He didn't have time to figure it out now; they were ready to go. Josh lined the men up and told them to start with the yard, barn, and nearby grounds around the house. Anything out of ordinary was to be reported. Then they would fan out and move through the pasture inch by inch, leaving no stone unturned. She had to be here someplace.
They spread out and began the search.
Someone was going to have to tell Scott about his uncle. How was he going to take it on top of his grandmother's and mother's deaths so recent? What a terrible blow to the boy. To lose every living relative in a matter of months—that was tough. At least he had Orlando to help him with the ranch. Harry stole a look at Orlando as he thought how he made himself at home earlier.
Then he remembered the fact that Scott had a sister some place. Was she here? Was it Melody? Who would know that besides Jeb? And now he is gone, no one would know, would they? All these thoughts ran through his head as he tried to de
cipher the facts and solve the puzzle of who would benefit from what had happened.
“Here's a shoe,” someone called out. Harry hurried to take a look. It belonged to Doris; it matched the one he found in the doorway.
He looked around; he was halfway between the house and the barn. He took off at a run toward the corral and out buildings, several people following him.
“Harry,” someone called. The tone brought him up sharp. He turned. Josh was walking toward him. “Stay here,” he commanded and walked on through the barn doors.
Harry felt frozen to the spot.
Josh stepped back out, looking at Harry. “There is nothing in here.”
Harry's knees went weak with relief.
“Check around in back,” he ordered the searchers and walked to Harry's side, placing a big consoling hand on his shoulder. “We'll find her, Harry, I swear we will.”
Harry sat down on a wooden bench near the barn door. The aftereffects of the strong drug wouldn't seem to leave him. He was weary. It occurred to him that he needed to go back to Doris's room. There was something on the chart that puzzled him.
Getting up, he dragged himself back to the house and walked down the long hall to her room. He thought of the day before, when he had planned to go in and talk to Jeb. They must have drugged him too. Why did he keep thinking in the plural—they-them? Were there two of them? Was it two people doing this? Is that why it is so hard to pinpoint anything?
As he sat there trying to read the fine print, it all blurred together. He closed his eyes and rubbed them. It didn't help. He would keep them closed for a while. He laid his head on her pillow.
She was trying to tell him something. It was hard to hear her voice; it echoed in the large chamber. There were many rooms. She kept moving. It was really quite lovely down there—beautiful colors and crystals hanging from the ceiling. Where had he seen this room before? She was laughing at him, pointing to the chart on the wall. Why couldn't he understand her? Look at the name, Harry, look at the name... She ran away among the many chambers of the crystal cavern.
“Harry, are you okay?”
Opening his eyes, he looked at Josh. “It's here on this chart, Josh. She told me it was.”
“I think you've been dreaming, Harry.”
He looked around—it had been so real. Sitting up, he rubbed his hand across his face. “Yes, I guess I was. Whatever I was given knocked me for a loop. Did you find her?” he asked, though he'd already guessed the answer.
“We haven't stopped looking. I am going in to see Scott. Would you like to go with me?”
“Sure. I feel sorry for the boy. He is going to have a big load to handle on his own.”
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Chapter 16
When they entered the hospital room Scott's face lit up. “Boy, am I glad to see you guys. This is one boring place. I'm ready to get out of here.” Noticing how quiet they were, he stopped. “What's going on?”
“Scott, we have some bad news.” Josh stopped and looked at Harry. “We found Jeb in the pool this morning. He drowned.”
This was news to Harry as well. Drowned. How could that happen?
Scott looked from one to the other. He laughed a short laugh. “You're kidding, right?”
“It's no joke, Scott. I'm sorry to have to tell you.”
Scott fell back on his pillow and closed his eyes. “How could that happen? Uncle Jeb was a champion swimmer. He was a Navy Seal, he couldn't just drown.” He looked to be in disbelieving shock. He covered his face with his hands.
“I gotta get out of here,” he said, throwing back the covers. “Get me out of here,” he said in a strangled voice.
“Calm down, Scott, I'll get the nurse. I'm sure the doctor will write you a release due to the circumstances.”
Going out in the hall, Harry thought Scott was taking it better than he expected. He knew there had been some differences between them, but Jeb was his only living relative.
Getting the nurse's attention was a chore. After hearing what had happened, she hurried in to check on her favorite patient. Calling the doctor, she made arrangements for Scott to leave the hospital. She hovered over him like an old mother hen.
Once they received the release, they started for the ranch. Then Scott discovered Jeb had been moved to the morgue for an autopsy.
“There's no need for that, is there, if he drowned?” The remark caught both Josh and Harry by surprise.
“Well no, but we might find out if he had a heart attack or why he drowned if he was such a good swimmer.”
“I don't want them mutilating his body,” he said with a grim face.
“As his only living family, you have the right to stop the autopsy. You sure that's what you want?”
“Yes.”
Josh looked at Harry and shrugged his shoulders. He called the morgue from his car phone and stopped the procedure. They drove in silence to the ranch.
Orlando was there waiting when they drove up. “I'm sorry, muchacho,” he said softly. He helped him from the car and handed him his crutches, then took his bag to his room. Scott went to the lounge and stopped at the bar.
“I wouldn't think you need any alcohol on top of the meds you've had,” Harry warned.
Scott gave him a cold look and poured a jigger of his uncle's scotch and downed it.
Everyone handles their grief differently, Harry decided.
Orlando came back into the room. Seeing Scott behind the bar, he shook his head. Scott put the bottle down and went over to a chair by the fire place. Orlando built a fire to knock the chill off the big room and handed Scott a throw to put over his legs.
Josh had gone out to see how the search was coming along. Several of the men had come in, giving up for the day. Harry could see they were all discouraged.
He was curious about Scott and Orlando. It was obvious Scott had great respect for him. He had never noticed before that Scott was so dark-complexioned. The blue of his eyes drew the attention away from the olive skin. The golden streaks in his hair could be put there from a bottle. The roots of his hair were very dark. How friendly had Orlando been with Rebecca?
Scott looked up, suddenly aware of Harry's long gaze. “Do they have any news of Doris yet, Harry?” He was back to being the Scott Harry thought he knew.
“Not yet.” He looked into the fire and thought of the dream he had earlier. “I think I'll go to my room for a while.” As he got up, he thought he noticed a puzzled look pass between the two men. It must be my imagination, he decided. Now everyone is suspect. It must be paranoia as an aftereffect of the drug I was given.
He went directly to Doris's room rather than his own. Nothing had been moved that he could tell. He sat down on the bed and studied the notes she had written on the graph. There was a question mark by Hub's last name—Long. Why? He scanned the page until the name Longley caught his eye. Doris had circled it and put a question mark by it and had an arrow pointing to the initial H...Delbert H. Longley...Hub Long...H. Long?? Did it mean anything? In his dream she kept telling him to look at the name... How weird was that?
He continued to search the page. There was Orlando. Doris didn't know about him being in love with the wild Rebecca. What would she have made of that? he wondered. Orlando came as a boy to work on the ranch, growing up with Jeb and Rebecca. The old lady didn't like him being friends with her children, wanted him to remember his place. That wouldn't stop them from falling in love. Who was named on the birth certificate as the father when Scott was born? That would be something to look into. There was that word again...name... Look at the name, she said.
He continued to study the chart. Glancing up at a slight movement, he found Scott watching him from the doorway.
“Are you hungry? The cook has a meal ready for us. It smells good.”
Harry wondered how long he had been standing there. The crutches made no sound on the thick carpet of the hallway. He had the feeling he had been there for a while by the ex
pression on his face. Harry was beginning to think there was a side to Scott he had never seen before.
“I'll be right in as soon as I put these things away.” He wasn't about to leave this out any longer. Someone else might have seen this and knew Doris was on to something. That would be reason enough to do away with her.
The thought was like a knife to his heart. Doris... He couldn't let those negative thoughts take over... He had to find her.
Taking the papers to his room, he put them in his suitcase and zipped it, attaching the lock. Making sure it was fastened, he slid it under the bed, secured the patio door, locked it from the inside, and pulled the door shut behind him.
Scott was slowly making his way down the hall, the heavy cast a hindrance to his walking. Harry caught up to him and together they moved toward the dining room. “I asked Orlando and Josh to eat with us,” he explained before they got there.
Harry was leery of eating the food. He watched as Scott and Orlando filled their plates and took their first mouthful. Only then did he take a bite. He was taking no chances, even if he had to drive into town and eat at the diner. It was probably his imagination, but the conversation seemed strained. Only Josh seemed to enjoy the meal.
“Josh, I would like to talk to Rosa. I think she may be able to answer some questions I have.”
“I'm sure I can tell you anything that Rosa would know,” Orlando was quick to say. “I have been here as long as she has.”
“You came at the same time?” he asked thoughtfully.
“Si.” He gazed long into Harry's face before he answered, “She is my madre.”
“Your mother?” Harry and Josh asked simultaneously.
Josh laid down his fork. “Why haven't you said anything before now?”
“It doesn't matter now, but Jeb didn't want anyone to know.”
“What difference did it make? Were they that biased?”
“When Mrs. Stockton took us in and sent me to school, she never again acknowledged the relationship between us. My mother lived in the main house in the servant's quarters and I was sent to the bunk house with the ranch hands.”