The Great Jackalope Stampede

by Ann Charles

  “There’s always that chance with any relationship.” Claire understood Kate’s reasoning. It was part of the reason a long-term commitment scared the shit out of her, even with Mac.

  “Besides,” Kate continued, “this new business of his will probably involve more traveling than ever. I doubt he’ll want a wife and baby tagging along everywhere.”

  “He has a nice house, though,” Claire said. She and Kate had snooped around it a couple of months ago and spent the night in jail because of it. Damn Sheriff Harrison and his stinky cell.

  “Trust me,” Ronnie said. “A fancy house and cars won’t make her happy if he doesn’t love her.”

  Kate sighed. She sounded weary and much too old for her age. “I’ll figure something out.”

  Claire put her arm around Kate, hugging her close. “We’ll figure something out, spaz.”

  Henry looked over his shoulder and growled at Claire. She glared down at the rotten mutt. “Keep it up, and I’ll dress you like a girl dog for Halloween.”

  “I have something that might help us,” Ronnie said and dug in her pocket.

  “What?”

  “Hold out your hand.”

  Kate did.

  “What is it?” Claire asked, seeing something sparkle despite the shadows.

  “A diamond.”

  “What?!” Kate said.

  “Where did you get it?” Claire had a bad feeling about this clear to her toes.

  “The eyeball we took. I broke it open. This was inside of it.”

  Oh, crap. “I thought the Sheriff hauled those away with the camper.”

  “Nope. The box is in the Skunkmobile under the bathroom sink.”

  “We have a problem,” Claire said, thinking of the phone call Ruby had received from the Sheriff this evening.

  “Nobody saw me take it.”

  “You taking the box is not the problem. Sheriff Harrison called today for Ruby. The other woman in the mine had mentioned something to him before clamming up and demanding an attorney. Something that made the Sheriff pretty sure she knew Joe.”

  “You mean Ruby’s dead husband?” Ronnie asked.

  “Yeah, that Joe.” Claire rubbed the goosebumps that had popped up on her arms, which had nothing to do with the desert breeze rippling past them. “Sheriff Harrison asked Ruby if she remembered meeting either woman back when Joe was alive.”

  “Did Ruby?”

  “No.”

  “What’s the problem then?” Ronnie asked.

  “Dr. García’s daughter has a theory that those two women were mules, hauling stolen treasures across the border for someone else. If they knew Joe, I’m wondering if he was their boss.”

  “They were his mules,” Ronnie said. “Interesting. Did you tell Grady about this?”

  “Grady?” Claire said. “We’re on a first name basis with the Sheriff of Cholla County now?”

  Kate giggled.

  “Shut it, Katie,” Ronnie said.

  “What?” Claire poked Kate in the ribs. “Spill.”

  “Ronnie had sex with the Sheriff in Butch’s supply room this morning.”

  Claire blinked. She must not have heard that right. “You did what?”

  Kate was outright laughing now. “They were handcuffed together when Butch caught them.”

  Claire grinned. “Shit sticks, Ronnie. Is this about the watch? I told you to take care of the Sheriff problem, not get all naked and kinky on his ass.”

  “We weren’t naked.”

  Kate shook with laughter between them. Henry tried to lick her nose.

  Claire chuckled in spite of this new mess. Poor Butch. He could share the therapist’s couch with her. “Did you tell the Sheriff about the eyeballs?”

  “No. But while we’re airing my dirty laundry, I have some bad news to share.”

  Claire sobered at the tension in Ronnie’s voice. “What? Something worse than having the Sheriff sniffing around you even more now?”

  “Yeah.” Ronnie blew out a breath. “The Feds are here watching me.”

  “Feds?” Kate asked, her laughter petering out.

  “Lyle got into some bad shit. He stole from the wrong guys, and now the Feds think these not-so-nice men will be coming for me because I know something about where Lyle hid the money.”

  “Do you?”

  “There is no money. Lyle blew it all on cocaine, high priced whores, and who knows what else.”

  “Holy crap,” Claire said.

  “Yeah. Grady knows about this. He also knows about the Fed who has been following me around since Claire blew the cover on the last two guys.”

  “You mean those two assholes at the bar? They were Feds?” Claire shook her head. “They need to learn a lesson about how to go undercover.”

  “What are you going to do?” Kate asked Ronnie.

  “I don’t know. I was originally going to leave, but then Jessica asked me to stay and I sort of made a deal with her that I would stay if she did.”

  “She isn’t going to live with her dad?” Claire asked. That must be why Ruby was smiling and laughing so easily this afternoon, adding extra chocolate chips to the cookies, even complimenting Deborah on her shoes.

  “Yeah. She figured out he lied to her the other night and ditched her for sex with Min … with some woman.”

  “Poor Jess,” Kate said.

  “But if I stay,” Ronnie continued, “that brings the potential for the goons paying a visit to Jackrabbit Junction.”

  “You’re staying,” Claire said.

  “I don’t want to put my family at risk. I need to talk to Gramps and Ruby about this.”

  “Gramps and Ruby will agree with me—you’re not going anywhere. Jackrabbit Junction is as safe as anywhere else.”

  “Plus, there seem to be a lot of guns around this place,” Kate added, scratching Henry between the ears.

  He wagged his tail, smacking it against Claire’s arm.

  Claire scooted away from the damned dog and grinned up at Ronnie. “Smart move, by the way, using your body to hook a man who carries a gun for a living.”

  “It’s not like that with Grady.”

  “What’s it like then?” Kate asked.

  “It’s … I don’t know. It’s more complicated.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Claire said, nudging Kate. “She likes him.”

  “I do not.”

  “Sex in a supply room?” Kate snorted. “Liar.”

  “Well, maybe I like him a little.”

  “You don’t have sex on a whim, Ronnie,” Kate said. “That’s more Claire’s style.”

  “Hey!”

  Ronnie groaned. “Fine. You’re right. I like him a lot, even if he is a cop. He’s just so big and gorgeous with that deep, deep voice of his.”

  “I know that voice too well.” Kate said, dryly. “It’s read me my rights before. You don’t forget something like that.”

  “Yeah. I’ve come to associate the sound of the Sheriff’s voice with the smell of a urine-laced jail cell,” Claire added, which brought her back to the eyeballs. “Do you think all of those eyeballs are full of diamonds?”

  “Maybe,” Ronnie said.

  “You think they were from another one of Joe’s fence jobs?” Kate asked.

  “Maybe. They could’ve been from a job involving his mules that he was sitting on to let cool for a bit and then he died. They also could’ve been another skimmed treasure.” Claire stared out into the dark desert. “The problem is that they aren’t only our secret. That other beige bitch is going to prison, but she knows the eyeballs are out here somewhere, and maybe other stolen pieces, too, like the watch. And she’s most likely not the only one.”

  “You’ve been preaching this for the last month, Claire.” Kate said. “We got it.”

  “I know, but everyone thought I was paranoid before.”

  “You are paranoid.” Kate dodged Claire’s elbow.

  “But now I have a legitimate reason for it.”

  “I h
ave one more confession,” Ronnie said. “I gave Grady the watch.”

  “Ronnie!” Claire cursed. “Now he’s going to open an investigation and bring even more attention our way.”

  “No, he’s not. He sent the watch back to its rightful owner in an anonymous package.”

  “No shit.” Claire chuckled. “Did you use some magic love potion on the man to wrap him around your finger?”

  “Trust me, he’s not the kind to fall for any potions or finger wrapping schemes. All I did was tell him the truth. He was kind enough to help us out instead of making everything worse.”

  “You need to sleep with him some more,” Kate said. “Get him to stop calling me ‘Crash.’”

  “There is only so much I can do with my body, Katie.” Ronnie said, tongue-in-cheek. Then she sighed. “I’m worried about you.”

  “Why?”

  “You’re pregnant. What if something happens to you and the baby because of all this crap with Lyle?” Ronnie asked. “Because I stayed here and made things worse?”

  “Listen,” Claire said. “We could stay here all night and come up with all kinds of ‘What ifs’ for every one of our problems. But we can’t spend our lives waiting to see which of the scenarios might pan out.”

  “Easy for you to say,” Ronnie said. “You’re not on someone’s hit list.”

  “Or pregnant.”

  Henry barked at Claire.

  She frowned at each of them, especially the dog.

  “Come on you guys. If we all stay here, we can deal with whatever comes our way together.”

  “Like we used to when we were kids,” Kate said.

  “Okay,” Ronnie pushed Kate toward Claire, joining them on the porch step. “So what do we do in the meantime? Enjoy desert life under the stars?”

  “Yes.” Claire watched a satellite racing across the night sky. “And keep an eye out for strangers.”

  The screen door creaked.

  “Uh-oh,” Mac said, coming up behind Claire. “The three of you together out here in the dark? That can lead to nothing but trouble for all mankind.”

  “No, only for you, Mac,” Kate said. “We’re focusing all of our evil powers on torturing you at the moment.”

  Ronnie chuckled. “You’ll rue the day you stole Claire from us.”

  Claire smiled up at him. “And you thought spending time with my mother was tough.”

  “I still do. She’s in there flirting with Manny. I had to escape before things got too graphic.” Mac held out his hand for her. “You ready to see some stars, Slugger?”

  Did he mean the ones in the sky or the ones he lit up inside of her? “Yes.” She grabbed onto him and let him pull her up and lead her down the steps.

  “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Ronnie called after them.

  “Without handcuffs, that shouldn’t be a problem,” Claire called back.

  “Zip it, brat.”

  Kate giggled. “Don’t forget a condom. Ronnie has plenty to spare.”

  Ronnie’s curse was followed by Kate screeching in fake pain.

  “Is it always going to be like this?” Mac asked, sliding his arm around her, dropping a kiss on her head.

  “No.” She stuffed her hand in his back pocket. “It’ll probably get worse.”

  “Excellent. I’m a lucky man.”

  Claire chuckled, low and husky. “Not yet, but you will be as soon as I get you naked.”

  She wasn’t kidding, either.

  The End … for now

  * To read a bonus scene from The Great Jackalope Stampede, download the PDF from the hidden page on my website using the password: Claire

  http://www.anncharles.com/?page_id=991

  About the Author

  Ann Charles is an award-winning author who writes romantic mysteries that are splashed with humor and whatever else she feels like throwing into the mix. When she is not dabbling in fiction, arm-wrestling with her children, attempting to seduce her husband, or arguing with her sassy cat, she is daydreaming of lounging poolside at a fancy resort with a blended margarita in one hand and a great book in the other.

  Connect with Me Online

  Facebook (Personal Page): www.facebook.com/ann.charles.author

  Facebook (Official Author Page): www.facebook.com/Ann-Charles

  Twitter (as Ann W. Charles): twitter.com/AnnWCharles

  My Main Ann Charles Website: www.anncharles.com

  My Jackrabbit Junction Website: www.anncharles.com/jackrabbit

  Acknowledgments

  This third book in the Jackrabbit Junction Mystery series had plenty of help to bring it together. In addition to my critique partners, first-draft readers, and editor, I had an amazing crew of beta readers who volunteered their time and knowledge over the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day to add another layer of polish to this book and make it sparkle like a disco ball under the desert sunshine.

  In addition to all of these generous readers I want to mention:

  My husband, who not only brainstorms with me at a moment’s notice, but who is forced to drop whatever he is doing and listen as I read him part of a scene or a few lines of dialogue. He helps me find just the right words when I’m stuck, edits my rough draft chapter by chapter along the way, and hugs me time and again while saying, “You can do this.” I’m a lucky girl.

  My funny kids and mouthy cat who keep me smiling every day with kisses, snuggles, and purrs.

  Mimi “The Grammar Chick” (my editor), who gently and kindly teaches me how to improve my writing with every book.

  My brother, Charles (C.S.) Kunkle (cover artist and illustrator) for his awesome drawings and constant support.

  Sharon Benton (cover graphic artist) for not only her talent, but also for her incredible patience with me.

  My sister-in-law, Stephanie Kunkle, for helping me pick which illustrations to include in this book.

  My publicists and sales help for all of their time and help promoting my books—my mom and brother (Margo Taylor and Dave Taylor), my aunt (Judy Routt), my sister (Laura Rensberger), and my sister-in-law (Wendy Gildersleeve).

  The kick-butt first and second draft crew: Beth Harris, Wendy Delaney, Marcia Britton, Mary Ida Kunkle, Paul Franklin, Renelle Wilson, Sue Stone-Douglas, Marguerite Phipps, Diane Garland, Margo Taylor, and Wendy Gildersleeve.

  Diane Garland for her amazingly detailed spreadsheets on all of my books in this series, including this newest book. Never has it been so easy to keep all of the series details straight. I’m so glad you like my books!

  Wayne Roberts for letting me bug him out of the blue with law enforcement questions.

  Jacquie Rogers, Wendy Delaney, Amber Scott, Gerri Russell, and Joleen James for being some of the best author friends I could have.

  My coworkers at my day job who continue to cheer me on even now that I have quit my job and write full time. I miss you guys (but not enough to come back to work there).

  My family for their never-ending love and support. I really appreciate that you actually read my books.

  My Facebook and Twitter friends who lift my spirits during the hard times, crack the whip when I get lazy, help me promote new books to all of their family and friends, and cheer with me at the top of their lungs when something wonderful happens with my career. I can’t thank you all enough for being there day after day (and late night after late night). You make me want to write more stories to share with you.

  Finally, my brother, Clint Taylor for never hesitating to explore a mine with me, especially the ones that would have made Mom pull out her hair if she had known we were playing around in them. We probably should have had a canary to take along during our spelunking fun. Hindsight is 20-20, right? Ha!

  Ann’s Five Fun Research Facts

  (Learned while writing The Great Jackalope Stampede)

  Sheriff’s Posse: Arizona is one of the few states that allows sheriffs’ offices to form semi-permanent posse units which can be operated as a reserve to the main deputized force u
nder a variety of circumstances, as opposed to solely for fugitive retrieval as is historically associated with the term. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_sheriff#Arizona)

  * * *

  Artificial Eyeballs: Sources vary on when and where artificial eye manufacturing originated, but there is evidence that the craft can be traced to the late Renaissance when Venetian glassmakers started creating glass eyes. The art flourished primarily in France and Germany where carefully guarded fabricating secrets were handed down from one generation to the next. In the nineteenth century German ocularists began to tour the United States, making glass artificial eyes on a national circuit, setting up for several days at a time in one city after another. Glass stock eyes were also fit by mail order and out of drawers. Eye manufacture in the United States began about 1850. Eyes continued to be made of glass until the onset of World War II. German glassblowers were no longer touring the United States. Most German goods were being boycotted which compelled the development of an American technology for fabricating artificial eyes. Since World War II, plastic has become the preferred material for the artificial eye because of its durability and longevity. The plastic used in eye making is a high optical quality acrylic (Methacrylate resin), similar to the material used to make dentures. Although it is a common misconception that artificial eyes are made from glass, most artificial eyes produced in the United States are fitted and fabricated by ocularists from Methyl Methacrylate plastic. (Source: http://www.artificialeye.net/history.htm)

  * * *

  Sonoran Desert Cacti: The Sonoran Desert’s eastern border is Arizona’s Route 191, which runs right through the middle of my fictional town, Jackrabbit Junction. This desert is one of the largest and hottest deserts in North America, with an area of 120,000 square miles. It is an incredibly beautiful place with the greatest diversity of vegetative growth of any desert in the world, including 60 mammal species, 350 bird species, 20 amphibian species, over 100 reptile species, 30 native fish species, and more than 2,000 native plant species. (Source: http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Sonoran_Desert)