Stalking Season

by Sandra Robbins

  “Nothing concrete. Just a feeling. I noticed the night of Cheyenne’s accident he had a cut on his hand. He said it was from cutting the bindings on a hay bale, but it seemed coincidental. How long has he worked for you?”

  Father and son glanced each other, and Bill gave a small shrug. “I’d say about six months. He was a drifter coming through town and needed a job. I needed somebody at the time to fill in because one of our employees who mucks out the stalls was on sick leave. He begged for a chance, and I let him do it. He proved to be good with horses. So I kept him on when my other worker came back.” He turned to Trace. “Did you do that background check on him like I asked you to?”

  Trace bit down on his lip, and he nodded. “I did.”

  Bill rose from his chair, leaned his fists on the desk and glared at Trace. “I don’t like the way you said that. Did you find out something I need to know.”

  Trace glanced from Luke to his father and licked his lips. “Dad, the guy was down and out. He needed a helping hand, and he begged me to give him a chance.”

  “Another chance because of what?” Bill roared as his eyebrows shot to his hairline.

  Trace’s face had grown paler at his father’s loud voice, and he dropped his head and stared at the floor. “He’d been arrested several times for theft. Never anything much, just petty stuff, but he was found guilty. He had to make restitution and serve community service hours.”

  “A thief?” Bill thundered. “You let me hire a known thief? Son, your good intentions are going to get you in trouble one of these days. And this may be one of those times.”

  Trace shook his head. “I don’t think so. He’s done a good job for us.”

  “But we don’t know what he’s doing when he’s not here,” Bill said and then turned back to Luke. “What do you want to do now?”

  Luke shook his head. “Nothing. I’ll keep an eye on him. If he’s up to something, I’ll catch him.”

  Bill directed another glare at his son and then turned back to Luke. “We’ll be watching, too. Won’t we, Trace?”

  Trace nodded. “I’m sorry, Dad. I won’t do anything like that again.”

  Bill leaned toward him. “You’d better not if you know what’s good for you.”

  Luke swallowed back the shock he felt. He had never heard Bill talk like that to Trace before, and he wondered if it was normal. From the look on Trace’s face it was something he’d experienced quite often. Luke narrowed his eyes and studied Bill’s angry face. The relationship between father and son was really none of his business.

  He cleared his throat, and they both turned to face him. “I’ll go and let you two get back to work, but I’ll be here with Cheyenne tonight. In the meantime, if you think of anything that might help us catch this guy, give me a call.” He turned and hurried out of the office. When he closed the door behind him, he heard a raised voice inside. He couldn’t tell what was being said, but he knew it was Bill Johnson doing all the talking. His voice seemed to grow louder with each word.

  It was time for him to get out of here. The Johnsons could work out their own problems. He had the murder attempts on his and Cheyenne’s lives to worry about, and that was all he needed to think about now.

  ELEVEN

  Cheyenne walked down the alleyway in the backstage area of the Wild West show as she led Kerry Hilliard’s mare, Sparkles, toward a stall at the back. At the moment Kerry was in the arena performing as one of the passengers in a stagecoach that was being chased by outlaws. She could hear the crowd cheering as the fake gunshots echoed through the building, and she smiled.

  She was glad to be back at the show. In the week since Patches’s injury she had missed riding and being around people who shared her interests. When the doctor had told her earlier today that she wasn’t going to have to stay in the hospital, she’d been thrilled that she and Luke had the chance to put his plan into action. She’d hoped that whoever was behind the threats would be discovered right away, but that hadn’t been the case.

  So far nothing had happened. Truthfully, though, she’d been so busy she hardly had time to think about it. From the moment she’d arrived, she’d been busy with the riders’ horses, just like she was now. That suited her fine. The performers wanted their horses to be groomed to perfection when they entered the ring, and she was happy to oblige them tonight.

  She loved working with horses and caring for them. In fact it was all she’d ever known. Living on a horse-breeding ranch had taught her a lot about working with these magnificent animals, and she enjoyed every minute she spent with one. She just hoped it wouldn’t be too long before Patches was back to normal, and they could start training again. As it stood now, however, her return to performing looked like it was months away.

  She sighed in resignation as she reached the stall where she’d been grooming other horses tonight and led Sparkles inside. The horse stopped and eyed the stall with doubt and gave a whinny as she shifted her feet. “Come on, girl,” Cheyenne murmured as she gave a tug on the lead.

  Sparkles tossed her head and followed Cheyenne into the stall. Still talking quietly to the horse, Cheyenne tied the lead in a highwayman’s hitch quick-release knot to a rail on the side of the stall. You never could tell when a horse might spook and pull on the rope. She’d heard of horses’ necks being broken because of such an incident, and she didn’t want to experience anything like that.

  Once she had Sparkles settled, she ran her hand down the horse’s leg and gently squeezed the tendon. Sparkles cooperated by picking up her foot. Using a hoof pick, Cheyenne began to remove the debris that had gathered underneath.

  She was concentrating on her task so much that she didn’t hear Luke stop at the opening of the stall. “Need any help?” he asked in a soft voice.

  Cheyenne looked up at him and smiled. “No, thanks. I’ve got this. Where have you been?”

  “Just trying to help out back here and blend in as well as I can. I hope you didn’t think I’d deserted you. I was keeping an eye on you all the time and knew what you were doing.”

  She laughed and shook her head. “I’m fine. I’ll be sure to yell if anything happens, though.”

  “You do that. In the meantime, I’m enjoying seeing the show from the other side of the curtain, so to speak. Someone who hasn’t gotten to witness what goes on behind the scenes wouldn’t believe the amount of work and the precision it takes to pull off a perfect performance.”

  She nodded and went back to her task. “I know. It has to be like a well-oiled machine back here.” He didn’t say anything for a moment, and she looked up. His eyes were fixed on her, and a small smile curled his lips. “What?” she asked.

  He just shook his head. “Nothing. I was just thinking how natural you look grooming that horse.”

  “I should,” she answered. “My father taught me well. He expected our animals to be well-cared for, and he demanded I take my job seriously.”

  “I think I would have liked your dad,” Luke said, his voice soft.

  Tears filled her eyes, and she raised her head to stare at him. “I think you would have, too. And I know he would have liked you.”

  She saw the muscles in Luke’s throat ripple as he swallowed, and then he glanced over his shoulder. “I hear the music getting louder. That means the performers will be riding out of the arena any minute. I’d better go see if I can help.” He started to turn away. “Are you okay with me leaving you alone?”

  “Sure, go on.”

  “I won’t be gone long.”

  She nodded and didn’t look up as she heard him walk away. Thirty minutes later she was just finishing up when she heard footsteps again and glanced up to see Trace Johnson entering the stall. He stopped and let his gaze drift over Sparkles. “She looks good, Cheyenne. Thanks for helping out tonight. Kerry is so busy, I know she appreciates you taking care of he
r horse for her.”

  Cheyenne glanced up and sucked in her breath at the sad look on Trace’s face. She’d seen that look before when he’d been on her dad’s rodeo team, and she knew what it meant. He and his father had argued again. Or should she say, Bill had argued. Trace never had learned to stand up to his dad.

  “Are you okay, Trace?” she asked.

  He bit down on his lip and gave a slight nod. “Yeah. It’s just been one of those days. You know how Dad gets when he’s worried about something. It’s easy for him to vent on me. I should be used to it by now, but every time it happens, I feel worse than I did the last time.”

  She checked Sparkles to make sure she was tied securely, then walked over to Trace. She put her hand on his arm and looked into his eyes. “Trace, he loves you. He just reacts sometimes before he thinks.”

  Trace sighed. “Yeah, and it’s getting worse as time goes by.” He stared at her, and the sad look in his eyes pierced her heart. “I don’t know what to do, Cheyenne. I want to leave, but he needs me to help with the business. So I’m stuck. I can’t decide what to do.”

  “You need to do whatever makes you happy, Trace.”

  He exhaled and raked his hand through his hair. “You’re right, and the only one who can make that decision is me.”

  “That’s right, and I know you’ll make the right one.”

  He nodded and looked past her to the horse. “Well, I’m not going to decide tonight. So in the meanwhile, have you finished here so we can get Kerry’s horse back to her regular stall?”

  Cheyenne looked back at the horse. “I’m almost through. I need some of that supershine hoof polish for her. I looked in the cabinet where it’s kept before I came in here, but I didn’t see any.”

  Trace closed his eyes for a moment and groaned. “Oh, no. I was supposed to pick up some this afternoon, but I forgot. I hope no one has said anything to Dad about our being out. He’ll have my head for not getting it.”

  Cheyenne could see the tenseness in Trace’s body, and she put her hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. You can get some tomorrow.”

  He shook his head. “No, I’d better do it tonight. Dad keeps some petty cash in his desk for small purchases. I’ll get some of it and run over to Wrangler Supply before he notices. I’ll check with you when I get back.”

  He turned, rushed out of the stall and collided with Luke, who was about to enter. “Sorry, Luke,” he mumbled as he hurried away.

  Luke stepped inside and looked back at Trace running down the alleyway. “What’s he in such a hurry for?”

  “He forgot to buy hoof polish, and he’s trying to get some before his dad finds out.”

  Luke arched his eyebrows. “I can understand why. I was a witness at his father’s tirade today. I felt sorry for Trace.”

  She nodded. “Yeah. It’s been that way ever since I’ve known them. When Trace was on my dad’s rodeo team, Bill used to come to every rodeo Trace was in. It seemed like he could never please his father. He would yell at him in front of the other guys and tell him how disappointed he was in him. Even when he had a great ride, it wasn’t good enough. He always had to do better.”

  Luke glanced back once more in the direction that Trace had gone. “I’ve known them for several years now, and I never suspected something like that. It just goes to show you that you never know what’s going on in someone else’s life.”

  “That’s right. I just wish...”

  She never got to finish her statement because Kerry walked in at that moment. A smile flashed across her face as she caught sight of her horse. “Oh, Cheyenne,” she murmured as she stepped closer. “She looks so good. Thank you for doing this for me. This is really a busy night, and now we have to ride in the relay race.”

  “I was glad to do it, Kerry. I hope your team wins.”

  She chuckled as she patted Sparkles and then released the slip knot. “We’re going to try our best, aren’t we, girl?” she said as she led the horse toward the opening in the stall. “I’ll see you later.”

  “Later,” Cheyenne answered.

  Luke stepped closer and began to help her pack up her grooming kit. When the last brush and comb were inside, he glanced at her. “You ready to go back up to the front. There’s a spot there with a view of the arena. We can watch the riders perform?”

  She nodded. “I’d like that.”

  Before they could take a step to leave, Trace suddenly reappeared in the door, his eyes wild. “Luke, I’m glad you’re still here. I need you to come with me.”

  “What’s wrong?” Luke asked.

  “Somebody’s been in our office,” he said as he turned and ran down the alleyway with Luke right behind him.

  Cheyenne closed her grooming kit and set it against the side of the stall before she took out after the two men. By the time she reached the office, they were both behind Bill’s desk.

  “I came to get some money out of the petty cash to go make a purchase, and this is what I found. The drawer looks like it’s been rifled through, and the money is gone.”

  “Somebody took the money?” Cheyenne asked as she inched forward.

  Luke frowned and shook his head. “We don’t know that for sure. Maybe Bill put the money somewhere else.”

  “I put what money somewhere else?” a voice asked.

  They all looked around to see Bill Johnson standing at the door. Trace stepped from the back of the desk. “I came in to get some money out of the petty cash, and there wasn’t any in the box.”

  Bill frowned and walked over to the desk. “What do you mean there isn’t any money it the box? I checked this afternoon, and there was three hundred dollars inside.”

  “Well, there’s none in it now,” Luke said.

  Bill’s mouth dropped open, and he looked from Luke to Trace. “What could have happened to it?”

  “Maybe somebody took it, Dad,” Trace said.

  Bill stared back down at the desk for a moment, and then he nodded. “Well, it was no secret that I kept a small amount of cash, but I trusted everybody who works here.” He paused a moment and glared at Trace. “That is until this morning when I found out I had a thief on my payroll.”

  Cheyenne sucked in her breath at the angry look on Bill’s face and glanced at Luke. He shook his head. “Now, Bill, we can’t make any accusations until we have some evidence.”

  Bill nodded. “You’re right. Maybe I have something that will spread some light on the matter.”

  “What’s that?”

  Bill smiled. “I had an irate customer come in a few months ago demanding his money back. It seemed he didn’t like the show. When I wouldn’t give him a refund, he became very angry. One of the wranglers heard it and came in. Then the man threatened him. For a few minutes there I thought I was going to have to call Ben, but the angry customer left after he was through ranting. I installed surveillance cameras all over the place after that. You never know what somebody like that will do.” He pointed toward a bookshelf across the room. “There’s one over there.”

  They all turned to look in the direction Bill was pointing. “Where?” Luke asked.

  “The black box sitting beside the books on the shelf.”

  Cheyenne squinted and looked closer at the rectangular box that blended in with its surroundings. She glanced at Luke, and he had his gaze fixed on it, too. “Can we review the footage?”

  Bill nodded. “Sure. It’s hooked to my computer. Let’s check it out.”

  Bill sat down and turned on his computer. Trace and Luke stood behind him. Cheyenne waited a moment, but when no one suggested she join them, she took a deep breath and edged around beside Luke until she had a good view of the computer screen.

  Bill quickly forwarded through the footage for a few minutes until he suddenly stopped and allowed the recording to play
. No one moved or said a word as a figure approached the desk. His head was bent as he moved behind the desk and carefully pulled the drawer open. Then he rifled inside and pulled out a wad of bills that he stuffed in his pocket before he closed the drawer. He stepped back from the desk, and for the first time raised his head so that his full face was in view.

  Cheyenne’s mouth gaped open, and she covered it with her hand as she recognized the man in the recording. “Virgil Adkins,” she gasped.

  She glanced around at Luke. The muscle in his jaw was twitching, and he had an angry look on his face. His eyes narrowed as they fastened on her. “Yes, Virgil Adkins,” he muttered. “The man who had a cut on his hand the night your tack was sabotaged.” He turned his attention to Bill. “We need to find Virgil right now. He has some explaining to do.”

  * * *

  Virgil Adkins sat in a chair in Bill Johnson’s office and glared at Luke and Ben Whitman. “Why did you bring me in here? Just because you fired me tonight don’t mean I done something wrong.”

  “Really?” Luke asked. “Maybe you’re forgetting what happened earlier when you came into this room.”

  Virgil shook his head. “I didn’t come in here tonight. I’ve been helping get the horses ready all night.”

  Luke shook his head. “I talked with some of your coworkers before you came in. They said you’d worked with them most of the night, but you had taken a break for about fifteen minutes. They had no idea where you’d gone.”

  “I went outside to take a smoke. We can’t smoke in the barn area because it’s a fire hazard.”

  Ben, who’d been silent, stood up and stared down at Virgil. “Did you happen to take a detour on your way back and stop by Bill’s office?”

  “I told you I ain’t been in here tonight,” Virgil muttered. “And you can’t prove I did.”

  “Oh, we think we can. You may have known there was petty cash in Bill’s drawer, but you didn’t know there was a surveillance camera in the room. We have the footage of you taking the money, so you might as well own up to it.”