Winds of Wyoming (A Kate Neilson Novel)

by Lyles, Rebecca Carey

  Mike lowered the shovel back into the hole and wiggled the blade out from under the snake carcass. “Do me a favor, Tanner, and keep this to yourself.” He spread dirt over the top. “We don’t want to scare off the guests. The dead calf is bad enough.”

  Tanner nodded. “Gotcha. I’ll take the shovel back to the gazebo.”

  Mike tamped the soil before handing him the shovel. “What made you look in the dumpster?”

  “One of the girls dropped a bag of trash in when I walked by and started gagging. She wouldn’t look, but I got curious, held my nose and lifted the lid. The ferret was right on top of some garbage bags. Looked smashed, maybe road kill.”

  Oh, great. Somebody had run over an animal on the endangered species list and left it on their property. That would make for front page news, maybe a big fine or prison time.

  Tanner turned to go. “Let me know when the sheriff is done with the calf, so I can bury it. She’ll get to smelling ripe in no time, same as that weasel.”

  Mike watched Tanner walk away. He needed to call the sheriff about the calf and radio Clint to ask him to check the bison herd—and the cattle and the horses, in case the killer had visited the other pastures. What was it with dead animals lately? Was God punishing him for Matt’s death? But he’d told God a thousand times he was sorry. What more did he want?

  ***

  Bernard Caldwell, the deputy who answered Mike’s call about the downed bison cow, aimed a camera at the calf’s body. “You’ve had a run of bad luck with your buffalo lately.” Click.

  “I don’t know that luck has anything to do with it, Bernie. Looks intentional to me. A bullet to the heart and a knife to the throat are no accidents.”

  “Name’s Bernard, Deputy Bernard Caldwell. Do you think someone has it out for you?” Click.

  “I don’t know of any enemies, but something strange is going on around here.”

  The deputy stepped closer to the dead calf and got down on one knee. “How’s business since your dad died?” Click.

  Mike stared at the deputy. He’d played sports with Bernie in high school, back before he became Deputy Bernard Caldwell. But they’d never been close friends. Now he remembered why. Bernie had always carried a chip on his shoulder and had made it known around school how much he resented the fact that Mike got to play in the state basketball tournament their junior and senior years, but he didn’t.

  The camera clicked once more. Bernard pocketed the camera and stood. He returned Mike’s gaze. “Well?”

  “Are you suggesting I killed my own buffalo?”

  “I just asked how the ranch is doing without your dad.”

  “We’re doing fine. Operating in the black as always.”

  “I hear you’re set up for bison hunts this summer.”

  “We are, but that doesn’t mean I’m dumb enough to kill my own animals—at zero profit, plus go through the hassle of dealing with you guys and the insurance company, which is also trying hard to draw the wrong conclusions.”

  “Just doing my job.”

  “Do your taxpayer-paid job and find the person who’s killing my animals.”

  “These things take time.”

  “Doesn’t seem to take you much time to jump to conclusions.”

  Caldwell grunted and made a notation on the form in his clipboard.

  Mike’s radio crackled. “Mike, are you there?”

  He lifted the two-way from his belt and pushed a button. “This is Mike.”

  “Is the deputy still on the ranch?” The distraught voice was his mom’s.

  “Yes.”

  “Can you bring him to the office right away?”

  Chapter Nineteen

  KATE SWITCHED OFF THE television, rearranged her covers and turned on her side. Nearly asleep when the phone rang, she squirmed across the bed to grab the handset. After a breathy hello, she heard Mike’s voice and was instantly awake. He hadn’t come to see her, but at least he called.

  “Hey, Kate.”

  “Hey to you.”

  “You sound tired. Did I call too late?”

  “No. I’m awake, even though I’ve had a busy day watching clouds float by on the weather channel.”

  He chuckled. “How are you, really?”

  “Better. I wheeled around the ward ten times today.”

  “That’s great progress. I wish I could have seen you.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t. I’m lousy at corners.”

  “If I’d made it to Rawlins today like I wanted, I would have taken you outside and wheeled your chair all over town. You wouldn’t have had to worry about corners.”

  She grinned. That would have been nice, really nice. “I’d like that. Maybe another time?”

  “Soon, I hope. I miss you and your sweet smile.”

  Her heart skipped a beat. “I miss you, too, Mike.”

  After a moment of silence, she asked about his dog. Though she dreaded his answer, she had to ask.

  “He’s still at the clinic but hanging in there. Dr. Hall sounded more hopeful today.”

  “But you don’t sound hopeful.”

  “I’m encouraged about Tramp. It’s just everything else going on around here. That’s why I didn’t get down to see you today. The moment we put out one fire, another starts.”

  “You had fires on the ranch?” She pictured Ramsey creeping between the cabins, torching them one by one, and celebrating the hysterics from behind a tree.

  “Not literal fires. And come to think about it, we didn’t actually squelch any flames.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “It’s not good news.” After a moment’s silence, he continued. “I had to call the sheriff again.”

  She wanted to plug her ears and tell him she didn’t want to hear it. But she had to know. She was the source of the Duncan’s troubles. “What happened?”

  She heard him take a breath and release it. “I’m really sorry to tell you this, but you’ll hear it sooner or later. Someone killed Trudy.”

  “What?” She nearly yelled the word. “Not your little calf.”

  “Your little calf.” His voice was so low she could barely hear him. “We found her with a slit throat this morning.”

  Kate sat up. “Poor baby.” She squeezed her eyelids together to hold back tears. “I hope she didn’t suffer.”

  “Her death was instant. No sign of a struggle. I considered telling you we put the calf back with the herd, but I couldn’t lie to you. Plus, you’d have learned the truth when you returned, if not before.”

  “I can’t go back to the ranch.” She pulled a tissue from the box on the nightstand.

  “Why not?”

  “I’d just be in the way.” She dabbed her eyes with the tissue. “The WP office doesn’t have room for two wheelchairs, especially with my leg sticking straight out, and I couldn’t help anywhere else around the ranch.”

  “That’s not how we see it. Mom wants you to stay in our guest room.”

  A sob escaped Kate’s mouth.

  “You don’t have to stay with us, if you don’t want to.” He sounded chagrined.

  “You and Laura are too good to me.” She took a ragged breath. “I was thinking about Trudy. Another helpless innocent animal slaughtered for no reason.”

  The instant the words left her lips, jumbled snapshots from the abortion clinic flashed through her head. Gray waiting room. White sheets. Silver handcuffs. The beige uniform of the impassive officer at her side. The pale green scrubs of the doctor, a doctor whose attempt at compassion was as empty as a pimp’s promise.

  She swallowed. Who was she to grieve the death of an animal? She’d slaughtered a helpless, innocent child, her child, without shedding a single tear. And for no reason other than to satisfy prison officials and distance herself from Ramsey.

  He released a long sigh. “The sheriff’s department is on it. Maybe they can figure this mess out—when they get past blaming us.”

  “I wish you didn’t have to go through thi
s.” She could save the sheriff some time, but she wasn’t ready to connect the dots between herself and Ramsey. “So what else happened at the ranch?”

  “More bad news. We don’t know if there’s any relationship between the two situations, but cash was stolen from Mom’s desk.”

  Her heart began to pound. Her fingerprints were all over that desk. She collapsed onto her pillow. “That’s terrible. Did they get much money?”

  “Several thousand. Mom hadn’t had time to make a deposit.”

  “So you called the sheriff about that problem, too?”

  “The deputy was still on the property. He plans to interview the entire staff. I don’t think he’ll bother you in the hospital, but just in case, I wanted to warn you. Mom and I believe the thief was an outsider. We have total confidence in all our employees, even though Manuel is a prime suspect in both crimes.”

  She stared at the ceiling. The department would forget about Manuel when they researched her background. How long, Lord? How long before she ended up behind bars again?

  “Kate, are you there?”

  “I feel like I brought bad luck to your ranch.”

  “If you think that, then we brought you bad luck, too. That guy in your cabin, your broken leg, the snake …” He paused.

  “Manuel told you about the snake?”

  “No. Tanner saw you and Manuel bury something but didn’t know what it was. After we found the dead calf, he thought there might be a connection, so we dug it up.”

  “Oh.” She couldn’t think of anything else to say.

  “Why didn’t you tell me about it?”

  She swallowed. “I found that snake coiled in the bathroom sink and wanted it out of there fast. I didn’t mention it to anyone else because I thought it might worry your mom or scare your guests.”

  “It was just a bullsnake.”

  “That’s what Manuel said. But in my mind, a snake is a snake. It was huge.”

  “Did Manuel kill it?”

  “No, it was already dead.”

  “How did a dead snake end up in your bathroom sink?”

  “The window was open.”

  For several seconds, all she heard was his breathing. “So a sick snake had just enough strength to crawl up the wall, through the window, across the top of the toilet and into the sink to die.”

  She rolled onto her back. “I assume someone found a dead snake and decided to play a prank. Maybe my bathroom window was the only open one.” Too bad she couldn’t convince herself that’s what happened.

  “I’ll have to think about that—and about who might have dropped a dead black-footed ferret in the dumpster.”

  So that’s what it was.

  He went on. “The black-footed ferret is on the endangered species list. The ranch could get a huge fine or worse for killing it.”

  Uh-oh. She should have had Manuel bury the ferret with the snake. “I’ve heard of ferrets but not black-footed ones.” How would Ramsey know about an endangered species? Was he trying to set her up for federal charges? “What did you do with the ferret?”

  “The sanitation crew hauled it away. To be honest, I’m hoping the weasel is buried way down deep in the landfill, and that’s the end of that subject.”

  Should she tell him how the ferret ended up in the dumpster? Even if she did, it wouldn’t answer the crucial question of how it arrived on Whispering Pines property. “Does your mom know all this?”

  “She knows about the money, of course, and the calf. But I haven’t mentioned the snake or the ferret.”

  “How’s she doing?” Kate ached for the Duncans and the trauma they had to endure because of her. How much more trouble could she bring into their lives?

  Her doctor walked into the room, a nurse at his side.

  “The doctor is here. I’d better go.”

  “I hope he gives you a good report, so you can come home. I miss you, a bunch.”

  “I miss you, too, Mike. Bye.”

  Home. It would be so wonderful to call the Whispering Pines home. To call Laura Mom. To call Mike … But that was a pipe dream.

  ***

  Tara dropped into the booth and reached across the table to grasp Ramsey’s hand with both of hers. “The stars have aligned, Jer. The cards fell into place, the pot at the end of the rainbow is filled with gold, and every ounce belongs to us!” She practically danced on the seat.

  He scowled and jerked his hand back. “What are you blabbering about?” He didn’t know why he’d agreed to meet her. She hadn’t bothered to show up for their last meeting.

  She giggled. “I had the most wonderful day, and you can’t ruin it, Mr. Sourpuss.”

  The sparkle in her eyes and the glow in her cheeks galled him. She’d evidently hit pay dirt. But he hated how she manipulated everything so she appeared to be in charge, while he paced his motel room floor with nothing to do but wait for her harebrained phone calls and hassle the management about the dime-store air-conditioner.

  He glared at her, unblinking. By now he knew his silence scared her more than his words. He was confident she couldn’t contain her news for long.

  She pulled a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from her purse. “Don’t act so smug. You’re dying to hear what I have to say.”

  He tapped ashes from his cigarette into the ashtray.

  “Your jailbird friend is in the hospital.”

  His mouth fell open. “Hospital?”

  “Yesterday. Broken leg.” She lit the cigarette.

  “How?”

  “She was chasing after my fiancé on a horse. It threw her.” She sneered. “The tramp deserved it.”

  His gaze dropped to Tara’s left hand and the small pearl on her ring finger. “You never told me you’re engaged.”

  “Well, I am—to Michael Duncan, owner of the Whispering Pines Guest Ranch.” She fingered the ring. “This is just a promise ring. My real ring is coming soon. It was a custom order, very expensive. Thousands of dollars.”

  He picked up a barbequed chicken wing, took a bite and spoke around the meat. “Duncan a tall guy?”

  ”Uh-huh. You know him?”

  “I’ve seen him.”

  He could feel his blood pressure rising. The slut. He knew that was who Neilson was with the other night. She was always whoring around. He’d waited an hour and a half at the bar for the redhead before returning to the cabin. But when people started scurrying around, packing horses for some kind of midnight trail ride, he’d given up and gone back to the motel.

  He forced himself to focus. “So that’s why you want to get rid of Neilson. She’s after your man.”

  “Well, wouldn’t you feel the same way?”

  “Of course. In fact, if I see your fiancé around mine again, they’ll both pay.”

  She grabbed the table edge. “This is not about Michael, Jerry. It’s about your bimbo who happens to be flat on her back in a Rawlins hospital. All we have to do is borrow some scrubs, snitch a gurney and sneak into her room. You can shoot her up with that psycho dope you brag about, and we’ll get her out. Then the two of you can head back where you came from.”

  She leaned forward again, butterflies bulging, her voice a whisper. “Even though she’s as helpless as a dead rat, she still has her big mouth. We’ll need a washcloth or something to stuff in it, and some duct tape. And then …”

  Ignoring Tara’s prattle, Ramsey lit another cigarette and gazed at an elk head. Maybe he should visit Neilson. Find out how long she’d be in the hospital, check the layout, calculate the timing. This was way too easy. He had to be careful. Things were happening fast. If the two women got into a catfight, as he’d seen so often in the prison yard, he’d have a huge mess. He planned to dump the redhead, but first he needed her to help him get Neilson out of the hospital.

  He checked her butterflies again. “Good job, Sandra. I’ll buy you another drink.”

  She started to speak, but he cut her off. “You’re a real detective, a private eye like in the movies, on TV …” Not k
nowing what else to say, he stopped. He hadn’t had much sweet-talking practice.

  ***

  Pleased with her twenty-five laps through three hallways and around the nurses’ station, Kate crawled into bed without assistance. She fell onto the pillow with a guilty sigh. Daytime naps had never been permitted in prison. She faced away from the door and slid the covers above her shoulders.

  Floating in pre-sleep limbo, she smelled the aftershave before she heard the voice.

  “You can’t fool me, Neilson. I know you’re awake.”

  Her breath caught in her throat, and she prayed the words emanated from a nightmare.

  Ramsey caressed her shoulder. “Just think of it as bed-check, sweetheart. I bet hospital hanky-panky is even better than prison hanky-panky.”

  She flipped around. “Get out!” She reached for the call box.

  He ripped the box off the bed sheet.

  She grabbed for it but missed.

  Holding the box high, he chastised her. “When will you ever learn I’m always at least one step ahead of you, baby?” He leaned closer.

  The smell of Brut fused with bad breath and booze made her choke.

  “You owe me, Neilson.” Nose to nose, he railed at her. “You killed my baby and got me fired. I’m taking you back to Pennsylvania to make more Ramseys.”

  To make more Ramseys? She glared at him. “You’re a deranged imbecile.”

  He straightened. “I told you not to fancy talk me.”

  She would not let him have the upper hand. They were no longer at Patterson.

  “Imbecile means fool—that’s a little four-letter word. It also means idiot, which is a big five-letter word. Do you get the picture, imbecile?” She spat the word at him.

  He backhanded her. “Shut your stupid mouth.”

  She jabbed her fingernails into his wrist with one hand and tried to pry the call box with the other. He jerked away, but she held on, ignoring the throb in her leg.

  “My, my, my …” The voice was masculine. “What do we have here?”

  Ramsey cursed and ripped his wrist from her grasp.

  Kate dropped onto her pillow, call box in hand.