Her Balancing Act: Quinlan O'Connor Book 3

by Alyssa Bailey

  “Mr. Spencer, I’m so sorry to hear that. Was he inexperienced?”

  “No, had years of experience. Sure seems unbelievable how it could’ve happened because, according to those around, there was no stampede. The number wasn’t huge, and they were in a small, enclosed area. It just seemed odd to the ranchers who had been at the cattle sale. The sheriff’s department will do more investigating, but since Chuck didn’t have any identified relatives, they called me. All that being said, regardless of how it happened, it’s happened.”

  “Again, I’m very sorry, but I need to get back to finding Cheyenne.”

  “Of course, but I think you need to hear this. Cheyenne thought that Chuck had something to do with the skimming of funds from my accounts. This thing with Chuck now leaves a bad taste in my mouth.” Quinn could hear a slight unsteadiness in Martin’s voice again. “I mean that and now you can’t find Cheyenne.” He left the sentence hanging heavy in the evening air.

  “Martin…”

  “I’ll gather up everyone that I can spare,” said Martin, his tone had turned brisk and steady with purpose, “and I’ll meet you at the sheriff’s office. Could take us about a half an hour, but in that time we will also scour the road between here and town and possibly we’ll find her with a flat tire or something.”

  “Appreciate it. See you in about half an hour.”

  He hung up and called his sister. She had better start talking.

  Kelli answered the phone fretfully.

  “What the hell was going on with those accounts that I don’t know about?”

  There was a deafening pause. “Umm, why would you ask?”

  “Because I just got off the phone with Martin Spencer and his manager was just found dead under suspicious circumstances, and my wife is still missing. You are in on whatever she was doing. Because, sister of mine, you sound pretty suspicious and a little anxious for someone who doesn’t know anything. Besides, I grew up with you remember?” His voice was pleading. “Kelli, I need you to tell me if there is something else going on and I need to know now. If you think Cheyenne is in trouble, you need to talk to me, anois.” There was silence on the other side of the line, a sure sign of something else needing to be told.

  “Kelli. Tell. Me. Now. I swear by all that is holy, if you know something and don’t tell me, I’ll make sure that sitting will be next experienced at your child’s graduation. Cheyenne’s life could be at stake.” There was no misunderstanding the tone with which Quinn delivered that punctuated statement.

  “I don’t have a chi… oh. Gotcha.”

  “Kelli, if you’re trying to discern whether I mean what I’m saying here, you need to know that I was voted the most likely to take out a small nation by thirty. You could be that country.”

  A softer voice came over the line. “Listen, honey, I know you’re trying to protect Cheyenne, but she could be in trouble even now and even more if you don’t tell me what you know.” He added more sternly, “you won’t be happy if I have to find out on my own and Cheyenne is in trouble. She needs you to do the right thing.”

  “Quinn, I don’t know where Cheyenne is, but I am worried. She should have been home by now.”

  Taking a shaky breath, Kelli proceeded to fill Quinn in on all of the events starting from prior to the first car crash, the worry about the Spencer office to Cheyenne’s brakes being cut. She continued through the new accounts to her own accident, including the vandalism to Quinlan’s house, ending with earlier today. To his credit, Quinn was silent and listened without interrupting one time. He knew that if Kelli knew more, she would tell it. He didn’t interrupt her because he wasn’t sure she could finish if he had. Kelli took a deep breath and blew it out, signaling to Quinlan that she was through with her explanation.

  “Diabhal é. What is it that demands you and Cheyenne have to rebel against everything? I think we’re always clear or usually clear about our expectations. We make sure you understand what’s safe and what isn’t. Kelli, I don’t know what Parker is going to do, but if it isn’t adequate, you can believe I’m going to come up behind and finish the job. Right after I take care of Cheyenne.”

  “Quinn, stop treating me like a child. Parker and I don’t have that type of relationship. He doesn’t punish just because the outcome isn’t what he wants. I don’t know why Cheyenne allows that, but she does. You aren’t going to bully me into agreeing with you.”

  “When I get Cheyenne out of this mess, there are going to be some very strict boundaries until you two figure out who wears the pants in this family.”

  “All right, Quinlan, quit being so macho, I get it. Just go find Cheyenne. I don’t care about anything else. I just care about her.” Her voice cracked, and she whispered, “We have to find her.”

  “We’ll find her, honey, I promise.” His voice had gone tender with an unsteady quality about it.

  There was a pause over the line as he tried to pull himself together because he just wanted to rail against whomever or whatever had taken her, even for a moment, from his arms. He took a cleansing breath and began speaking in his peace officer voice.

  “Okay, listen up, Kelli. I need you to call Parker and then Liam to give them the status. Tell Parker to notify the authorities. By the time you’ve done all of that, I’ll have initiated a search.”

  “Right.” Kelli and Quinlan hung up at the same time, intent on doing their part in finding Cheyenne.

  Quinn could feel his heart start to gallop, and he tried to swallow down the panic that was beginning to rise in his throat and tighten his chest. He knew Kelli hadn’t filled him in on everything, but he didn’t need to know any more right now. It was enough to know that Cheyenne was very likely in some kind of trouble, and he needed to get to his wife. He picked up the phone again with hands not quite steady.

  ***

  Kelli quickly called Parker giving him the Reader’s Digest version of her Reader’s Digest version. She made sure that he understood enough to know that Cheyenne could be in a lot of trouble. She also let him know what Quinn was doing. She then followed through with the same call to Liam. For the second time that night, she heard one of her brothers’ frustration and anger come out in some rather colorful Irish language renditions.

  She didn’t blame them, couldn’t blame them. She knew a frustrated O’Connor could be very dangerous when he or she felt they didn’t have the power to protect those they loved, those who belonged to them. Right now, her brothers couldn’t protect Cheyenne. They didn’t know where she was. They didn’t know what was going on. However, they were smart enough to know that she probably wasn’t just staying late finishing up at the Spencer place but oh, how Kelli hoped she was doing just that.

  The next phone call that came through to Kelli was not Quinn as she had hoped, but Parker. His tone was grim and with an underlying current of anger. She wondered if she detected a hint of recrimination. Nonetheless, he kept his voice calm, if not a bit cool as he asked questions of Kelli.

  “Kelli, I don’t have time for anything but the straight answers. When was the last time you talked to Cheyenne?” Parker continued until all of his questions were answered. He then hung up without any of the reassuring words that Kelli was desperate to hear. Yep, her man, was pissed off at her, and she couldn’t fault him because she hated herself right then. She thought about calling Shane, but he would be upset with her as well, so she decided not to add to the complaint tally.

  ***

  Quinn called his brother, filled him in on the Spencer call, and had him gather everyone that they could spare to go into the sheriff’s department and meet the rest of those gathering. From there, Quinn called Parker and in the meantime began to change his thinking process. This was his wife who he was looking for, and he needed to get the emotion out so that he could think clearly and logically because no other way was acceptable.

  He remembered being called in to look for Katie. He recalled how hard it had been to keep Ciarán sane while they searched for her. He called his f
ather to fill him in and have him stand by if they needed the rest of the men.

  Calling Kelli back, Quinn asked her if she remembered the bookkeeper’s name who worked in the office with Cheyenne at Spencer’s place. He’d forgotten to ask when he called the ranch earlier. He also wanted to check to see if his sister had any updates. They needed a command post to get more efficient. Hearing no news and looking at the clock approaching 1930 hours, Quinn went about looking up who Shelby was and how he could get hold of her.

  It was a long shot, but it was possible that Cheyenne had gone with her coworker to do something since they were not going to work together anymore. Quinn knew Shelby didn’t really fit into his wife’s work ethic requirements, but he also knew she wouldn’t want to leave on a sour note. They might have gone out to get something to eat. Well, not if she told Martin she was going home to cook. Maybe a drink then. He cringed but decided they needed to check the few places in town that served liquor if nothing came up soon.

  Probably too much of a long shot but he needed to try every one. If Cheyenne’s cell phone were dead, she wouldn’t have been able to call him and would not have thought about it once the visit started. He had Jocelyn call the restaurants and cafés in town. There weren’t many, and it didn’t take long to get the negative response he didn’t want to hear but was not surprised at getting.

  Calling the police station and having them coordinate with the sheriff’s department he got an enthusiastic agreement to help. This is why he loved small communities, somebody knew you, and if you asked enough people, you could find anything on anyone. He ignored that the same reason made small towns a pain in the ass sometimes. A deputy quickly got Quinn’s information on Shelby. Shelby Rockland. Rockland? Where had he heard that name before?

  He got on the phone and called his sister-in-law Jocelyn. She seemed to know everybody in the community. In fact, she appeared to know everyone in the county. How that woman did it, he had no idea, but for today, he’d be thankful for the fact.

  “Hey, Jos, the bookkeeper out at Spencer’s Spread, Shelby Rockland, where’ve I heard that name before?”

  “Rockland? Hmm, hey, I know, isn’t that the First State Bank’s assistant manager’s last name?”

  “That’s it. It’s the same name. I wonder if they’re related.”

  “Really, Quinn? This is a small area of the world with a few people so if someone has the same last name it is almost guaranteed that they’re related. Wait, I think she’s on a committee or does the books for one of the committees that I’m a member. Let me check and call you back.”

  In less than five minutes Quinn got a call back with verification that not only was Shelby Rockland the bookkeeper for a co-op committee that Jocelyn was on, she also had verified that she wasn’t only related to the assistant manager, she was married to the assistant manager at the bank. Quinn thanked Jocelyn and asked her to call her husband and tell him what she knew. He didn’t know the significance, but he knew it was significant. He was sure his wife didn’t know that Shelby was married to the assistant manager at the bank.

  It was getting later with no sign of Cheyenne, and so law enforcement was collaborating on coming up with a plan as to how they would approach this. Quinn brought his additional information that he had learned from Jocelyn, and the police department along with two sheriff’s deputies took a trip. They went to the assistant manager’s home in hopes of getting some information from Shelby.

  When they approached the house, it seemed quiet, too quiet for the evening. It would have been expected to have some lights on. Maybe a porch light if they were not home. Nothing was on, and no sounds came from the house. They put a call into the station again to see if the Rockland’s were out to dinner locally. If they went further, like Missoula or Bozeman, it would take too much manpower to call all the likely places.

  The office also worked on getting the number of the branch manager off their alarm list.

  “Now don’t get too riled up, Quinn,” instructed his chief. “Women do the craziest things. Things they might have never done before. I’ll get the bank manager on the phone and talk to him.” He reached over and pounded Quinlan’s back. “We have the manager’s numbers on our alarm notification list. He has two alarms. There’s an alarm at the bank and one at his home. They ring to the station when activated. We might even have the assistant manager’s numbers.”

  No one answered the pounding on the door. After a few minutes wait, he sent officers around back. The deputies were branching out to the surrounding property. Several neighbors were looking out the windows and even in this small community, where their neighbor’s business was coffee time chatter, no one came out to ask or offer information. Quinn and his fellow peace officers knew someone had information. They also knew they would not volunteer it as readily as they would gossip about it. Not usually.

  “Hey!”

  Chapter Eleven

  Quinn ignored the neighborhood voices as he leaned his elbows on the hood of his truck in front of the Rockland house. He held his head in his hands as they waited for the call back with the numbers they needed to follow their plan of action. An older man from a few doors away hailed Quinlan again as he straightened up.

  “Hey, you over there.” The voice alerted the chief, and both walked over to meet the neighbor.

  “Are you looking for the Rocklands?” The man asked. The neighbor continued when he received a, “yes, sir” in response. “The name’s Coleman. Grant Coleman. My wife and I were watching out the window about dinnertime tonight and saw Rockland’s young wife. Soon after she got home, another lady came in her own car.”

  Quinn jumped in. He grabbed the man’s arm. “Tell me what she looked like.”

  The man looked a bit askance at Quinn but answered. “Blonde, taller than Mrs. Rockland by a few inches, I’d say. She had a bracelet because it glinted off the sun.” Quinn slid his hand off the man’s arm. “She’s my wife, the blonde woman. I gave her that bracelet.”

  “Oh,” the man said.

  Switching his agonizing thoughts with great effort, Quinlan shut out the anxious husband thoughts and honed in on his policeman’s voice.

  “Then what happened?” asked the chief.

  The man turned to Quinn and said, “Well, your wife knocked on the door. She looked irritated and pulled out her phone to look at it. The door opened, and I’m sure it was Mrs. Rockland at the door. She was talking to your wife. They weren’t fighting exactly, but your wife was impatient for some reason. Your wife looked around outside then stepped inside. I don’t think they were real close friends.”

  “Why do you say that, Mr. Coleman?”

  “Well, the blonde shook her head, like she was saying ‘no’ and then stepped inside.”

  “They weren’t,” came the flat answer. “Did they come back outside?”

  “Oh, yeah, they did. They went inside and then Mr. and Mrs. Rockland came outside, but your wife wasn’t with them. He got in his car and drove around back. Mrs. Rockland got into your wife’s car and drove down the back road in that direction.”

  “And then what happened?” asked Quinn who felt like he was drawing out every tidbit of information while dying an excruciatingly slow death inside at the possible scenario.

  “Nothing.” The man shrugged. “Mr. Rockland’s car came out from the back of the house, and he drove off. A couple of minutes later, they both came back, and she got into her car. They drove off. Haven’t been back.”

  “They who? What about my wife?” Quinn grabbed the man’s arm again, forgetting about his attempts to channel his inner cop.

  “Don’t know. Didn’t see her again.” Quinn let the man go again and began to pace.

  Chief Ainsworth handed the man his card. “If you think of anything else, please call us. Thank you for your help.”

  “Do you mind if I send an officer or a deputy over with you to interview your wife and yourself again?”

  “Suit yourself. I’ll go home and tell my wife to expec
t company.” Instead of correcting him, they let him go.

  “I’ll get a search warrant but in the meantime, we have probable cause so let’s get gloves and get in.” The chief looked hard at Quinlan. “You don’t touch a thing. Got me? Not a thing. I know you are desperate, but I’ll get you a partner, and you have to let him do it all. You got me?”

  “Yes,” Quinn agreed through clenched teeth. “Let’s go.”

  Just as they were about to break in the door, a deputy called one of his associates in the group.

  ***

  Cheyenne was scared. She didn’t think she had ever been so scared in her life, and she could kick herself for not making the connection between Shelby and the assistant manager at the bank. She had felt bad earlier in the day that she had never felt connected to Shelby enough to confide in her and now she was glad she hadn’t. Ciarán would have called it her horse sense, but whatever it was, she was pleased that it kicked in, in reference to Shelby.

  If she paid more attention to the last names, although she felt like Shelby had given her a different last name. Maybe it was her maiden name. Regardless, the connection was clear now Rockland and Rockland. Why she never knew that Shelby was married, she could only guess, but the fact remained that she didn’t know. Shelby probably didn’t want her to know because the less Cheyenne knew about her, the more she could get away with. Besides, Shelby didn’t know Cheyenne was married until recently. That was when things started happening. Her husband would have seen these connections. What a stupid woman not to tell her husband everything.

  ***

  “Hey, Chief Ainsworth, they found her car about three miles down the road in the townhouse parking lot. You know, the one Deputy Jamison lives at.”

  “Check it out and then get it to the garage,” ordered the chief. “And someone call Jamison and the girlfriend. Check their apartment too. She might have been hiding there.”

  If Cheyenne is there, for whatever reason, I’ll take Kelli apart. But deep in his heart, he knew she wasn’t there. There wasn’t any reason for her to be there. Kelli wouldn’t have told so much and then hide Cheyenne out. No, he knew something had happened, and it was deliberate. They had to find her quickly. His gut was aching with the loss.