by Susan Harper
“We’ll be down shortly,” Jesse said.
“Do you need help getting down the stairs?” Kendell asked.
“No, I think I’m good. I’m able to put some weight on my leg this morning,” Jesse said, offering Kendell a grateful smile.
Kendell nodded and left the bedroom, Dot following on her heels. “I’ll let her out!” Kendell called over her shoulder, and Pauline shouted back a thank you.
Kendell headed down the stairs, Dot yapping the entire way. As she suspected, Mrs. Carson and Mrs. Johnson were already busy in the kitchen. “Good morning,” Kendell said.
“Look at you, dressed and ready to go for a day of work,” Mrs. Carson said with a smirk. “I’m telling you, these New York girls aren’t so bad. I always thought Yankees were afraid of a little hard work.”
“Not this Yankee,” Kendell said with a laugh. “Hold on a second. I’m going to let Dot out.”
“Watch her close,” Mrs. Johnson said. “I saw a stupid fox snooping around this morning. Probably hoping to snag him a chicken.”
Kendell nodded and headed outside, where she spied Brenton sitting out on the porch in one of the rocking chairs while Bo sniffed around. He was cleaning a shotgun he had pulled apart and set out on a little table in front of him, and he was wearing the same black gloves she had seen him wearing since she had met him.
“Morning,” he said.
“Good morning,” Kendell said, watching Dot hurry out into the yard to chase circles around Bo. “Dot, leave Bo alone!”
“Dot’s kind of an unusual name for a perfectly white dog,” Brenton said.
“The way I understand it, one of Pauline’s great-grandchildren named her,” Kendell said, and Brenton nodded and smirked.
“Kids are funny,” he said.
“I notice you always wear those gloves,” Kendell said. “Even when we’re not working.”
“Yeah, I’m just used to having them on, I guess,” he said.
“Makes sense,” she said. “So, I know it’s a lot to ask, but I was wondering if you could tell me about the night Monica died. If you remember anything.”
He frowned. “Yeah, I guess,” he said, looking very sad. “I don’t really remember much, to be honest. It was dark, so I just leaned against a wall and tried to sleep. I wasn’t anywhere near Monica. I kind of scooted back on my own to try to get some rest because I knew there would be a lot of work to do the next day. I still haven’t totally caught up on sleep after all that. Next morning, I didn’t even notice Monica wasn’t with us as we left the cellar…not at first. If anything, I thought she had just fallen asleep and hadn’t come out because she was maybe comfortable or something.”
“You don’t remember anything being said to Monica or about Monica?” Kendell asked.
“Honestly, I was just more worried about the twister outside,” he said.
“I suppose that is understandable,” Kendell said, sighing as Dot made her way back up the porch and began running around Kendell’s feet, eager to get back inside where the bacon smell was coming from.
Kendell went inside with Dot, and she ran over by the fire, jumping up into Junior’s lap, who was seated in one of the lounge chairs. “Well, hello, there,” he said.
Kendell offered to help in the kitchen, but both older women waved her off, assuring her they just about had breakfast ready and telling her to go sit down because they would be putting her to work as soon as they all ate. Kendell went and sat on the couch near Junior. “How are you doing?” Kendell asked.
“Pretty good. I slept good last night,” Junior said.
“I mean about Monica,” Kendell said.
Junior’s face fell.
“I’m just trying not to think about it,” Junior said, his voice cracking a bit. “I’m honestly not sure how else to cope with the fact that one of my best friend’s bodies is locked up in our cellar until we clear the roads. It’s not exactly a normal situation.”
“No, it really isn’t,” Kendell said. “I’ve come to understand that you and Brenton had a bit of a falling out a while back. Did you and Monica drift apart like that too?”
“Oh, no, not at all,” Junior said, smiling. “Monica was good at not getting in the middle of mine and Brenton’s families’ crap. She stayed close with us both and even helped us sort of mend things. I’m guessing everyone told you all about mine and Brenton’s spats, huh?”
“Well, I was told that your father’s dispute sort of caused you two to clash,” Kendell said.
“Yeah, pretty much,” Junior said. “Although we had our own crap we were going through. He approached me around that time, wanting to buy some land. I told him my dad wouldn’t go for it. He told me he was talking about once we both took over our fathers’ ranches. I wasn’t really thinking that far ahead, but when I turned him down, he got all mad and that’s when our own little feud started. It got pretty serious.”
“Another land dispute, huh?” Kendell asked with a smirk.
“Land disputes are a common tension-causer amongst ranchers,” Junior said, shaking his head.
“What piece of land did he even want?” Kendell questioned.
“A little half an acre near those caverns we keep the cattle in,” Junior explained. “I told him it was my land, and he couldn’t have it. He got mad.”
“Isn’t that land pretty rocky?” Kendell asked.
“Yeah,” Junior said.
“So, just out of curiosity, that would make the land fairly useless for a rancher, right?” Kendell asked, and Junior nodded. “So, if Brenton wanted some land that you couldn’t even use, why not sell it to him and make a little extra money?”
“I have some vision,” he said. “The land is pretty useless for cattle, but I can find other uses for it. Plus, the way Brenton came at me about it was a little offensive. Like he just expected me to hand it over for next to nothing. I know the land was fairly useless, but he didn’t have to give me a joke offer. Then he upped the offer like he was all desperate for it, and that’s when he started getting kind of aggressive. I finally just ended it, told him we were done talking about it.”
“What about Bo?” Kendell asked. “Is Brenton mad at all about losing the dog he helped you buy?”
“I don’t think so,” Junior said, laughing. “I mean, maybe a little annoyed, but it’s not like I can help it that the dog likes me better. He should have fed him. That somehow became my job.”
Kendell snickered a bit, and soon everyone had come down for breakfast, all ready to get started on the day. The hope was that they would be able to clear the roads by that afternoon. Mr. Carson had managed to make another call to police to get an update on their progress, and it sounded like between the ranchers working one way and the local authorities the other that freedom was a mere day’s work away.
“Thank goodness,” Kendell said under her breath, looking around the breakfast table at all of the strangers. Jesse was sitting by Junior, the two of them chatting like they had been dating for ages. Brenton was quietly nibbling on his breakfast, still wearing his work gloves as a signal he was ready to get outside and get going quickly. Mr. Carson and Mr. Johnson sat near one another, chatting in a much friendlier manner than the night before. Laurie sat glaring at Jesse. Pauline quietly hummed as she ate, occasionally complimenting Mrs. Carson and Mrs. Johnson on their cooking. Someone at that table had killed Monica, and Kendell was getting increasingly eager to figure out who.
13
Pauline had a tendency of getting herself in trouble, but she was hopeful that today would be an exception. Shortly after breakfast, she faked a stomachache and blamed it on her medication. As she expected, these lovely rancher folks were more than understanding that the pleasant old woman staying in their guest room wouldn’t be darting out the door to help with the workload. They were all quickly assigned duties as Pauline scooted off to the bathroom to hideout.
Kendell, as Pauline suspected, came knocking on the door while everyone else was headed outside, to check
on her. But, of course, Kendell wasn’t really coming in to check on her. Kendell knew Pauline well enough by now that she didn’t get sick from her medication, and she also knew enough by now to pick up on when Pauline was being mischievous.
Kendell peered into the bathroom, and Pauline smiled at her. Dot was running around her legs happy as ever. “May I help you?” Pauline asked.
“Thought I’d ask how you were feeling?” Kendell asked, raising a brow and smirking slightly to let Pauline know that she knew.
“I’m feeling just fine, dear,” Pauline said with a smile. “Don’t worry about me. Go on outside, and I’ll join you all shortly on the road. Mrs. Carson left me the truck keys so that I can meet everyone in just a bit.”
“You need the truck keys for whatever you’re planning, don’t you?” Kendell whispered. “All right, what are you up to?”
Pauline smirked. “Well, I thought that I would go investigate that piece of property that got Brenton and Junior all worked up. Something about that conversation was sending up red flags. Why argue over a seemingly useless piece of property? And, I asked Mr. Carson about it and he said he never even uses it. So, why not sell it?”
“That’s a good point. Maybe I should come with you?” Kendell suggested.
“Sweetheart, let’s not draw any more attention to ourselves than we already have,” Pauline said with a wink. “You go on with everyone else, and I’ll meet up with you in just a bit.”
Kendell nodded and closed the bathroom door behind her. Pauline took a few minutes to freshen up, waiting patiently until she was certain she was alone in the house before she and Dot headed out. Dot walked alongside her, panting a bit as she pranced toward the front door. Pauline snagged the truck keys from the kitchen counter on her way out.
The homestead was incredibly quiet. Everyone had worked together to get any of the necessary morning duties done quickly before heading out to work on clearing the roads. Clearing the main road, the only one into the ranch that wasn’t currently flooded but merely covered in fallen trees and debris, was the top priority for the day. Even Jesse, who was still injured, was being put to work as the driver of the truck that wasn’t a stick shift.
Pauline opened the passenger’s side door of the rusty old truck and Dot jumped up into the seat. “Good girl,” Pauline said proudly of her pooch, then she walked over to the driver’s side. The old woman struggled a bit climbing up into the truck, but she felt at home behind the wheel. It had been a long time since she had driven a stick shift, aside from the cow roundup the other night, but that was what she had grown up using.
Instead of heading toward the roads, she headed through the pasture toward the underground caves the Carsons used to keep the cattle safe during large storms. Eventually, it reached a point where the land was no longer drivable and Pauline had to park. She rolled down the windows and told Dot to stay put before stepping out. The old woman tread carefully. The last thing she wanted to do was trip and be stuck out there on the terribly rocky grounds.
She spied the entrance of the caves and decided to peek inside, using a flashlight she had pulled from the truck’s glovebox to look around. “Whoa,” she said, impressed at how massive the cavern was. It seemed to go back forever. It was no wonder two different ranches were able to fit their entire herds in there. The walls of the cave were incredibly sturdy, much sturdier than a barn would be. It was probably the safest place for the animals, and since the Carsons had built a gate at the entrance of the cave, they were able to ensure they wouldn’t lose a single frightened cow during a storm. “Very impressive,” she said to herself.
She had learned from Mary that the bit of land Brenton wanted was very close to the caves, so she began walking. Pauline was extremely cautious with each and every step. The ground was simply terrible here. The rocks were plentiful, as was the mud. She got her boot stuck twice, in fact, during her walk. “Ridiculous,” she kept muttering. There was no grass for grazing—just rocks and mud everywhere she looked. Why would Brenton want to buy this?
“Um…hello!” a familiar voice called through the dead and slightly rotted cluster of trees. Pauline jumped, ducking down. She saw Laurie.
What is she doing out here, Pauline wondered, extremely suspicious at first. She watched carefully as the woman walked across the rocks, and after a moment, she paused and turned. “Yeah, I can hear you,” she said, and Pauline realized the woman was just on the phone. It seemed that she had just been looking for service. “Yeah, okay, so you can hear me fine? Thank goodness! I think this is the best it’s going to be,” Laurie said. “Yes, Mr. Carson asked me to call you… Sheriff Woods, right? We’re still working on moving a large oak that’s fallen on the road. We’ve about got it moved now, but after that, we’re pretty sure the road is clear for about half a mile. We looked through some binoculars, and there’s some more trash and branches blocking the road a good ways down next to the abandoned church…. Uh huh… Yeah… Okay, good. So, we should be able to clear the roads today, you think? Thank God!”
Pauline breathed a sigh of relief. At first, she had thought Laurie had been up to something and she had put herself in danger being out here by herself. But it seemed like the woman had just been sent on an errand by Mr. Carson to talk to the cleanup crew working their way toward them. Pauline remained hidden, waiting to catch the end of whatever conversation Laurie was having. “No, no one has come clean about Monica,” Laurie said. “I don’t know. It was dark. I didn’t see or hear anything with the twister outside.”
Pauline tried to gauge whether or not the woman was telling the truth, but she couldn’t tell. Frankly, Laurie was still at the top of her suspect list. When Laurie hung up, Pauline attempted to remain hidden. She didn’t want anyone knowing she had snuck off, but it was to no avail. The leafless trees didn’t do much to hide her.
“What are you doing out here?” Laurie asked, walking toward Pauline in a way that made her nervous.
“Um…” Pauline realized she didn’t have an excuse, and that made her anxious. She took a step back, and she tripped over a rock. “Ah!” Pauline yelped, landing on her rear.
Laurie darted over. “Oh my gosh! Are you okay?” She sounded legitimately concerned, and the tone of her voice calmed Pauline. The woman was obviously not going to hurt her, but being trapped on the ranch with an unidentified killer had shaken Pauline’s nerves a bit.
“I’m okay,” Pauline said. A fall at her age was certainly something to worry about, but thankfully, she had landed in a thick pile of mud rather than on a pile of rocks.
Laurie knelt beside her. “You’re not hurt, are you?” Laurie asked.
“No, I don’t think so,” Pauline said. “What did I even trip over?” she muttered, and then she saw something that caught her attention. Right there next to her ankle was a giant gold rock. “No…” she said under her breath, reaching out for it.
“Whoa,” Laurie said as Pauline held up the rock the size of her fist. “Is that what I think it is?”
“It sure is,” Pauline said, using both hands to cup the large hunk of gold in her hands. “This is gold!”
Laurie’s eyes glistened. “I don’t suppose you’ll let me sneak that into my bag, will you?” Laurie asked, and Pauline wasn’t sure if she was serious or joking.
Pauline’s jaw dropped. “Look,” she said, pointing to where her feet had fallen. There were several more, smaller nuggets by her feet.
“Holy cow!” Laurie exclaimed, and she couldn’t resist. Laurie tucked a golden nugget into her pocket.
“Pretty sure that belongs to the Carsons,” Pauline said, but she wasn’t going to press. Even she had to admit the giant hunk of gold she held was difficult to pass up. “I wonder who all knows about this?”
“I don’t think Mr. Carson knows,” Laurie said, helping Pauline stand. The two of them replaced the large golden brick Pauline had tripped on, having a hard time validating taking such a large piece. “If he did, he would have dug all this up by now.”
“Do you think Junior knows?” Pauline asked.
“I have no idea,” Laurie said. “He never mentioned anything.”
Pauline nodded. “Let’s keep this between us. I think it’s best we not tell everyone until we let Mr. Carson know. He probably won’t want people digging around on his land.”
“Good point,” Laurie said. “I’ll keep my mouth shut if you don’t say anything about the little piece I just tucked in my pocket.”
Pauline laughed. There was plenty to go around, so she wasn’t going to give Laurie a hard time for taking the smallest of the small bits they had found. “Mum’s the word,” Pauline said as the two of them walked back to the truck. Pauline of course offered to give Laurie a ride back to the road where everyone else was currently working, but then Pauline paused. A thought occurred to her. “Laurie, you know the story about how Monica, Junior, and Brenton found the caves?”
“Yeah, I know all about that,” Laurie said.
“Do you know where they fell in at?” Pauline asked.
Laurie turned around. “Just up there.”
“Take me to it,” Pauline said. They walked past the little pile of gold.
Laurie pointed to a hole in the ground that was now boarded up with wood to prevent anyone else from falling in. It was a short distance from the caves. Pauline handed Laurie her flashlight. “See if there’s any gold down there.”
Laurie obeyed; the two of them pulled back the boards, and Laurie laid on her stomach and leaned into it, shining her flashlight around. “Oh… my… God!” she cried, causing her voice to echo. “It’s everywhere!”
Laurie stood back up, and they boarded back up the hole. “This is incredible!” Laurie exclaimed. “The Carsons are rich and they don’t even know it!”
“I think one of them does,” Pauline said.
“What do you mean?” Laurie asked as they began walking back toward the truck.
“Brenton wanted this land, and obviously Junior said no. They both knew about the gold if that’s where they fell in. Monica probably knew about it too. But why not tell his parents he found a lot of gold on the land?” Pauline asked.