by Kim McMahill
“Sorry. I will, and I’ll hold off on any details to corporate management as long as possible, but it won’t be easy. I’m supposed to brief the VP of Product Development daily, and I’ve already missed one meeting. I’ve never been a proficient liar, so I chickened out and left early. Hopefully I can figure out how to be vague without being completely dishonest. I’m sure Ms. Green’s focus will be on the project’s progress, so maybe I can give her enough details to keep her from prying too far. Is there anything else can I do?”
“First, we need to know how much everyone involved knows so we can decide who besides you and Grace might be targets.”
The word “target” made Grace’s knees go weak. She turned her back on Logan so he couldn’t see her expression, and pulled a chair close to the phone to support her shaky legs.
“The Vice President of Product Development, Janice Green, and the CEO, Hugh Miller, know the overall principles of what we had hoped to achieve, and what we actually found, but they’re business people, not scientists.
“I doubt anyone would think either of them could in anyway reproduce the experiments or have any more than a cursory understanding of the formula or process, but I suppose even their knowledge of the enzymes existence and potential might put them at risk. Anyone could obtain a copy of the grant application through the Freedom of Information Act, but it’s not very detailed and only discusses what we had originally hoped to accomplish, and it notes that the desired results were not obtained.
“Jonah and Kathleen believe we are just tying up the loose ends of an unsuccessful project, but both could replicate the experiments and the supplement formula. Other than me and Grace, no one else should have any knowledge of the specific details of the inadvertent results, or that the clinical trials are still on-going and being conducted at the ranch, though apparently someone else has found out.”
“Okay, and one last thing. I assume you have backups of the data. I’m thinking it might be a good idea to make an additional copy and place it somewhere secure, like a safety deposit box.”
“Good idea. I’ll see if I can get it done this evening after the rest of the researchers leave for the night.”
“Thanks. Call if you think of anything, and we’ll keep you posted,” Logan said as he looked to Grace to see if she had anything to add.
By the time they hung up, Grace felt flushed and helpless. How can we possibly figure out who was behind the fire and Butch’s death? The number of companies that would want to acquire the supplement formula or prevent it from ever making it into production was staggering. Aside from the obvious diet drug companies and those producing diet foods, even companies selling exercise DVDs, yoga mats, books, gym memberships, and slimming undergarments would take a financial hit if the world were thin.
“What now?” Grace asked with weary resignation.
“The sheriff’s office is working on a number of angles, and until I get that information, I think we need to prepare.”
“Prepare for what?”
“I’m assuming with the animals here there is no way I can convince you to leave and stay somewhere more secure?”
Grace nodded agreement and waited for Logan to continue.
“Didn’t figure you would, so I think we should make an enclosure for the pigs and move them into one corner of the garage in order to keep a closer eye on them in case anyone comes looking.
“With no windows in the garage it’s dark for them, but at least the animals can’t be seen from the outside either. I’d like to replace the broken bulb in the yard light, and put my truck in the garage.
“I don’t like the thought of you being anywhere near a murderer, but probably the only way we’ll find out who’s behind this mess is if they show up again, and a law enforcement vehicle might scare them off.”
“Do you really think someone will come back for Charlotte?”
“Hard to say, but if our theory on the motive is correct, and if I were a gambling man, I’d put my money on a repeat visit. I saw a lot of people die over illegal drug deals worth a heck of a lot less.”
Grace shuddered. In her mind, there was no doubt her research was the motive behind the fire and Butch’s death. Following Logan’s logic, nothing had really been gained by those crimes, so some very dangerous individuals would most likely be gunning for her, Charlotte, and possibly anyone else with knowledge of the project.
She couldn’t shoulder all the blame for the tragedy and any pending disaster. If it was up to her, the project would have truly been scrapped months ago, but she was responsible for bringing death and destruction to her uncle’s door.
Chapter Eighteen
Effects from the last big storm, which had almost prevented Grace from reaching the ranch, had eased. Temperatures had yet to climb above freezing. The past few days of blue sky and sun had brought a desperately needed reprieve. The snow in the road had settled and packed down to a hard surface. In the spots in the driveway exposed to the midday sun, patches of dirt wore through, giving the illusion life was getting back to normal.
As Grace donned her coat and stepped out the door, she knew the brief respite from Mother Nature’s fury was over. Dark clouds loomed on the horizon, moving ominously toward the ranch. The temperatures hovered in the lower teens. The wind swirled loose snow around just above the ground, and the gusts sliced through her blue jeans like daggers.
Despite the gloom, having a plan helped Grace keep her mind off her fear as they tackled the small list of projects Logan had outlined earlier that morning. They constructed a freestanding pen encircled with hog wire in the corner of the garage for the three pigs after dragging metal corral panels and hog wire to the house. They spread straw several inches deep over the concrete, and Grace mixed up a soupy batch of warm slop to help make the transition for the swine easier.
“Now for the hard part, moving the pigs,” Grace said, following Logan to the shed.
“I thought you had those pigs tamed and trained like puppies,” Logan stated.
Grace chuckled as she knelt down and coaxed Charlotte to come to her. More accustomed to being handled than the other two, Charlotte allowed Logan to pick her up. At only forty-two pounds, she was an easy relocation to the garage.
“That was simple enough,” Grace said as she watched Charlotte root through the new straw, arranging it to make a warm nest. “Charlotte’s littermates, unfortunately, aren’t nearly as docile, since I’ve had no reason to handle them much.”
“They must outweigh her by twenty pounds, and they are a bit skittish.”
“Sixteen to be exact. They’re not mean, but I doubt they’ll just let us walk up to them and pick them up. We had a cage on wheels that we would lure them into anytime we needed to move them, but it was destroyed in the fire.”
“Is there a rope around here or were those in the barn as well?”
“There should be one in the tack compartment of the horse trailer, but if you think you’re going to rope a pig, I’d highly recommend against that plan.”
“Do you have a better idea?”
“Not at the moment,” Grace replied as she headed for the trailer.
As they stooped into the pig shed, Grace had serious doubts about success. The shed’s ceiling was low, preventing Logan from unfolding his six foot two inch frame to an upright position, so swinging a rope posed a challenge, yet the enclosure was big enough for the animals to have plenty of room to maneuver.
Grace tried to herd the swine for Logan, but his first six loops landed well behind the sprinting pigs. The next three hit the mark, but the pig darted through the loop before Logan could pull the slack out of the rope. Grace tried to be helpful and stay clear of the flying rope while keeping her laughter to a minimum. She could tell he was no stranger to a lasso, but roping pigs was not an easy task, and the attempts looked comical and futile.
“Got one!” Logan shouted excitedly as the pig raced around Grace, the taut rope knocking her feet out from under her, landing her flat on her b
ack in the straw.
The pig then raced frantically in circles around Logan until he was tied up in his own rope.
“Let go before she takes you down,” Grace said between fits of laughter.
Logan released the rope, but not before he joined Grace on the ground. With Logan sprawled out on the straw and the rope wrapped around his legs, the pig was finally forced to stop running, unable to drag Logan’s bound and prone body.
For a moment they both looked up at the ceiling, gasping for breath. When the pig walked over and nudged Logan’s boot, as if asking why the game had stopped, they both burst out laughing. As the laughter finally ebbed, Grace eased herself up to her knees and gently approached the pig. Grabbing the rope to keep it tight, she caressed the animal and talked to it in soothing tones.
“Okay, now get up slowly and coil the rope as you approach.”
Logan followed her instructions, and soon they were able to carefully lead the pig out of the shed and into the garage. The last pig was a little more cooperative, tired from all the running around the pen and anxious to rejoin its sty-mates. Relief swept over Grace as she watched the three animals busily arranging the straw in the enclosure. They were adjusting quickly to their new home.
Grace tried not to get too attached to the animals she worked with, not wanting to lose her professional perspective, but it was impossible to remain impassive, especially with Charlotte. She had yet to harm an animal, much less lose one, but the thought was never far from her mind.
Grace took her responsibility for the animals’ health seriously. She always weighed whether the potential benefits trumped any possible risk and exercised every precaution to ensure an animal’s wellbeing. She had been skeptical when Logan suggested relocating the pigs to the garage, but having them close by and knowing the garage was warmer than the shed gave her a sense of relief.
Logan walked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her, and rested his chin on her head in a casual fashion, interrupting her thoughts. “I think we need to keep this episode between the two of us. If Moss finds out about this fiasco, he’ll think I’m not cowboy enough to be hanging around his niece, and if Sheriff Harris finds out, I’ll never live it down.”
Grace’s shoulders began to shake as she started laughing. “Agreed, our pig wrangling skills are a secret we’ll take to our graves. I don’t want Moss to think he failed me.”
“That’ll never happen. He talks about you a lot. He’s very proud of you.”
“He’s my world. He made me feel like I belonged, and that I was worth something to someone. He was the first and only person who has ever stood by me, no matter what. I owe him my life.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
He whispered the comment so softly Grace wasn’t sure if she heard him correctly while wrapped in his embrace with her back to him, and her stocking cap pulled tightly over her ears. If she did, was he just talking about until the case was closed and she was safe, or something more?
“Break’s over, and both we and the day aren’t getting any younger, so we’d better get back to work,” he said in his usual strong and confident tone as he pulled on his leather work gloves and headed for the door.
Graced jogged obediently behind him, trying to match his long, powerful stride and push the words she might not have heard or understood correctly out of her mind. Between what she wanted to believe about Logan, guilt over Butch, and fear for her uncle and colleagues, she had too many thoughts swirling around in her head to focus too much on anything in particular. Nor could she allow any hope for the future to cloud her judgment.
She had to take one day at a time and manage the stress to the best of her ability. Without thinking of the consequences, she forced all the scrambled thoughts into the recesses of her brain, knelt down, scooped up a glove full of snow, scrunched it into a ball, and let it fly.
She was as surprised as Logan when the snowball hit its target, striking the back of his head. He turned toward her, pulled off his hat, shook off the snow, and put the cap back on his head. He met Grace’s eyes with a smile that warmed her heart yet warned her of retaliation. She stood momentarily frozen with indecision before the look on his face made her realize it was time to run.
Slipping and sliding on the hard-packed snow in the driveway, Grace struggled to reach the tractor. Only twenty feet separated her from the piece of equipment when Logan caught her around the waist, tossed her over his shoulder, carried her struggling to the nearest pile of snow, and dumped her unceremoniously into the powder.
Logan knelt down next to her and gathered a fist full of snow in one hand and the front of her jacket in the other. Pulling her up to a sitting position, he paused and gazed into her eyes. Dropping his handful of snow, he gathered her close and gently touched his lips to hers.
Grace was getting lightheaded from lack of air by the time Logan stopped and pulled her to her feet.
“I hope that’s your idea of retaliation,” she gasped.
“I decided at the last moment that putting snow down your shirt was not only extremely childish, but probably not a good idea in this weather when we have a lot more work to do, not that you didn’t deserve it. Besides, I don’t want you to get sick, and I like the idea of rewarding myself more than punishing you.”
“Hmm, I’m feeling a rash of bad behavior coming on.”
“I certainly hope so,” he replied as he headed for the tractor.
After the snowball incident, the rest of the day progressed much as the morning pig wrangling had, with one bizarre yet essential task after another, each chore made more time-consuming and difficult than necessary since most of the tools and equipment had been destroyed in the fire.
Every project was a test in innovation and, more often than not, a comedy of errors. Despite the equipment handicap, they worked well together, and Grace reveled in the luxury of sharing the burden with someone else for a change.
Snow sifted down from the darkened sky just as they finished the last of the chores. Blue and Aussie happily chased and nipped at the flakes as Grace and Logan made their way to the house. She was exhausted, but all the work had kept her mind off of Butch and Moss for the most part. She had enjoyed working with Logan, even though every project had been a bit of a disaster.
Collaborations at her job were so rigid and methodical, and egos always kept any joking at bay. Logan was clearly secure enough to laugh at himself and make the most of a ridiculous situation. She knew it was dangerous to take pleasure in his company and depend on him so much. When the investigation was over, there were no guarantees he wouldn’t walk out of her life.
Chapter Nineteen
Frank was thankful that the scientist, Jonah Hausner, had followed instructions better this time than he had for his previous task. As ordered, Jonah made arrangements with Kathleen Parker to meet him for a late evening piece of pie at a quaint little coffee shop to discuss what they could do to help their colleague and friend, Grace Talbot, through her family crisis. Though neither had many details on exactly what the situation entailed, they were concerned. Being a kind and caring young woman, Kathleen eagerly took the bait.
“You in place?” Frank asked over his cell.
“Yep, boss, I see her coming out of the joint now,” Victor replied.
“We’ll rendezvous in two hours.”
“Copy that.”
Hoping he’d given Victor the easier of the two assignments, Frank slunk down low in the seat of his vehicle, the darkly tinted windows concealing most of the interior, avoiding detection by anyone leaving the pie shop. Even though Victor had performed exceptionally for him in the past, nothing had gone smoothly during this operation, so Frank’s expectations were low. Unfortunately, he couldn’t be two places at once, so he’d have to trust Victor with another piece of the job.
Frank glanced up into the review mirror and watched Kathleen’s car leave the parking lot. A few minutes later he saw the old, dented truck Victor had stolen less than half an hour ago depart
in the same direction. Ms. Parker was out of his hands for the time being, so he focused on his own undertaking.
After several more minutes, Jonah emerged from the shop. He looked around nervously and then quickly made his way to his car. He peeked into the back seat before clicking the fob clenched in his hand. Once inside the vehicle, the young man locked the doors, started up the car, and quickly drove away.
Frank chuckled as he slid back up in his seat and turned the key in the white Suburban’s ignition. Easing out of the parking lot and maintaining a distance of several car lengths behind, he followed as Jonah took an unusual route toward his apartment. The young scientist clearly knew he was in danger. Frank had to hand it to him for trying, despite lacking the skills to do much about his current precarious situation, especially against someone who’d been in the business as long as Frank.
After several turns, which were blatant attempts to throw off a tail, Frank became bored with the silly exercise and was confident his target wasn’t going anywhere else except home. Frank drove the most direct route back to Jonah’s apartment and conducted a quick recon of the area for the second time that day.
By the time the scientist reached the parking lot, Frank was concealed in the shadows of the portico, which offered a clear view of anyone approaching or leaving the building. He waited, watching patiently as Jonah scanned the parking lot, visibly flinching at every street noise, and jogged toward the building. Just as Jonah reached the entrance, Frank stepped out of the shadows, enjoying the terrified look on the young man’s face.
“Evening, Jonah. Have a nice visit with Kathleen?”
“Yes, I did everything exactly how you told me. We just had a piece of pie and decided to send Grace a card and flowers first thing in the morning, and we discussed maybe taking a day or two off work to go visit her when the weather clears. Kathleen left the shop all excited about doing something nice for Grace. Kathleen is just that kind of person, always thinking about others and not a threat to anyone. I don’t see the purpose in the get-together. Kathleen doesn’t know anything about anything, but that’s what you told me to do, and I did it,” Jonah replied in a rapid torrent of words.