The Heiress of Covington Ranch (Samantha Wolf Mysteries Book 4)

by Tara Ellis

  The mix of personalities confuses Sam. Most of the time, Cassy comes off as shy and withdrawn. But when she feels she’s being judged, she lashes out.

  I guess this is how she’s learned to protect herself, Sam thinks. Realizing that she needs to tread softly, she chooses her words carefully. “It’s not a handout,” she says gently. “It’s a good program, and a lot of kids use it…including me.”

  Cassy’s expression changes immediately and she stares down at the sad apple in her hand. “Oh.”

  “I’ve been using it for the past two years, since my mom stopped working,” Sam tells her. “It’s really helped, too, because the regular lunch program gets to be expensive. Did you know they also have free breakfast in the morning?”

  Looking up at Sam now, Cassy seems interested. “Really? I didn’t know that. I never filled out the form. I don’t like people to think that…well, that I need help.” Her voice trails off at the end, so that Sam and Ally can barely hear her.

  “It’s not about being needy, Cassy,” Ally explains. “Probably over half the kids in here right now are getting it. You go through the same line, and when you give them your ID number, it just shows as paid. No one knows. The form was with your orientation packet. Do you still have it?”

  Nodding silently, Cassy twists the stem on the apple until it pulls off. “What do I do with it?” she asks, not looking at either girl.

  Encouraged, Ally smiles. “You just fill it out and then turn it into the main office. They’ll probably have you set up in a day or two. Can your mom or dad help you fill it out?”

  After a full minute of silence, Cassy finally puts the apple back down, and her features soften. “I live with my grandma, and she’s not very good at that kind of stuff. But-” Twisting around, Cassy digs in her backpack, then pulls out the form and sets it on the table. “Can you guys…maybe help me?” she asks timidly.

  “Sure!” Ally says happily. “I bet you can start getting breakfast and lunch before the end of the week!”

  When Cassy’s face breaks out in a grin, it completely changes her appearance. Sam is so intrigued by her that she’s suddenly overcome with a desire to really get to know her. She admires her spirit, and can tell that there is a lot more to her than meets the eye.

  “Cassy, would you like to come over this Friday after school, and hang out with Ally and me?” she asks compulsively, not expecting her to say yes.

  “Do you really mean it?” Cassy asks. She looks at Sam with so much hope that Sam’s compelled to expand the invitation.

  “Of course I do. Maybe you can stay the night, too. I’m sure my mom would be okay with it. But I have to warn you, I have two-year-old twin sisters, and a fourteen-year-old brother who will drive us crazy!”

  “It’s still warm enough out, why don’t we just pitch a tent in your backyard?” Ally suggests to Sam, obviously happy with the idea of a sleepover.

  “Um, I have to ask my grandma and stuff, but I guess I could stay over. I mean, yeah….I think that would be fun!” Cassy appears excited, but overwhelmed.

  The bell rings then, signaling the end of lunch, and the three girls hurry to clear the table. They make it to fourth period with a couple of minutes to spare, and Cassy smiles warmly at them as they part to take their seats.

  “I actually like her,” Ally whispers to Sam as they take out their assignments from the day before.

  Sam carefully presses the creases once more on the crumpled, taped questionnaire, and hopes that the note from her mom is enough to keep her out of trouble. “I do, too,” she says. “I think Cassy just needs some real friends.”

  The final bell rings. Sam holds a finger to her lips when Ally tries to keep talking. She feels like she’s on a roll today, and doesn’t want to mess it up with her teacher.

  The class goes by without incident. Encouraged, Sam decides to offer to help Miss Covington. She knows that her mom had student aides in her class, helping with gathering assignments, running messages, making photocopies, and stuff like that.

  Just about everyone else in the class is occupied with the latest handout, labeling the parts of the heart, but Sam has already finished hers. Picking it up, she quietly makes her way towards the front, where Miss Covington is staring intently at her computer screen.

  Not wanting to interrupt her reading, Sam walks up behind her and waits patiently. The teacher’s desk has two sides to it, and is turned at an angle in the front right corner of the classroom. The monitor is on the side that’s against the wall, so Miss Covington’s back is to Sam.

  Unsure whether to wait or not, Sam can’t help but glance past the teacher’s head and notice a news article on the computer screen: ‘The Eye of Orion Heist.’ There’s a subtitle, but Sam can’t see it. Intrigued, she takes another step forward without thinking, curious to read it.

  Sensing motion behind her, Miss Covington turns to see Sam reading over her shoulder. “Excuse me? Can I help you?” the young woman says evenly, slapping at her mouse and making the page disappear.

  Her face burning hot with embarrassment, Sam holds the handout limply in her hand. This isn’t going the way she planned. Why doesn’t Miss Covington want me to see the article? Sam shakes her head at the thought and tries to focus on her task.

  “My mom used to be a teacher, and…um, I mean, I just wanted to let you know that if you ever need any help with anything, that…um, that I would like to help. Not I think you need help,” Sam adds quickly when her teacher’s frown deepens. “I just know that my mom had students help her, and….well, that I could do the same. Help you, I mean. If you ever need it.”

  A moment of awkward silence passes. Sam’s taken a couple of steps back while fumbling with her words, and now stands with her hands clasped in front of her, rocking on her heels. A few of the nearest students have paused in their work to watch the exchange.

  “Thank you, Sam,” Miss Covington finally answers with a forced politeness “I’ll keep that in mind. You can return to your seat now.”

  Thankful to be excused, Sam turns eagerly to go. But as she does, she notices Miss Covington reach out to an old newspaper on her desk, and discreetly turn it over. Sam failed to notice it before, but she manages to catch a glimpse at a few of the words before they’re hidden.

  More than just intrigued now, Sam hurries back to her desk. She’s already been waiting eagerly to tell Ally about what she witnessed in the parking lot the day before, and now she has more to add to it. The word ‘Orion’ was on the newspaper, as well as on the teacher’s computer screen. But there was also a name, one that Sam is suddenly very interested in: Covington.

  5

  WHAT’S IN A NAME?

  The computer monitor casts a blue-tinged light on the girls’ faces as Sam and Ally lean in close to read the search results. They’re seated in the ornately decorated den at Ally’s house. The walls are lined with bookcases, and the floor is covered with an expensive oriental rug.

  “The Eye of Orion is a rare sixty carat Burma star ruby,” Sam reads. “It was originally discovered in Burma in the early 1900’s and purchased for $25,000 by a Samuel Covington in the 1930’s. Today, its estimated value is approximately three million dollars!” Sam whistles, turning to a wide-eyed Ally. “Wow, that’s a lot of money.”

  “Does it say anything about the heist?” Ally asks, scanning through the rest of the article. She was concerned when Sam told her about finding Miss Covington crying in her car the day before. The teacher really does seem like a nice lady, and Ally hopes she’s alright. But this odd twist adds a bit of mystery to the new teacher. How is she related to Samuel Covington? Was she crying because the gem was stolen? Ally knows that if anyone can figure out the answers, Sam can.

  “I don’t see anything about it here, do you?” Sam replies, still scrolling down the screen. When Ally shakes her head, Sam does a new search, using the word ‘heist’ in it. This pulls up several other results, and the fifth article down looks like a match.

  “This is it!�
�� Sam shouts triumphantly when she sees the newspaper site. “I recognize the banner at the top. Let’s see…it was stolen three years ago, out of the home of stock mogul, Peter Covington.” Pausing in her excitement, Sam looks at Ally with her eyebrows raised. “What in the world is a ‘mogul?’”

  “I think that means he’s like a big tycoon, or something. So he’s good at what he does, and makes a bunch of money.”

  “Huh.” Turning back to the computer, Sam continues reading. “The estate of Peter Covington has been very guarded with the release of information about the burglary. A public records request reveals that Mr. Covington knew the thief as John Brown, and that at least one family member was involved in the incident. In spite of this, no arrests have been made, nor have any warrants been issued. This leads us to conclude that the true identity of the thief is a mystery, and since the insurance company paid out a handsome sum after a six-month investigation, it’s considered a cold case, and may never be solved.”

  Sitting in stunned silence, Sam feels the hairs rise on the back of her neck…a sensation she often experiences when on the verge of making a revelation. I’m missing something, she thinks. Tapping her finger on the edge of the large, wooden desk, she continues to stare at the name: Covington. “Covington,” she says aloud, knowing there’s a reason her subconscious is fixated on it. “Covington!” she says again, but with more confidence. She goes back to the original search results, and begins skimming through each of them.

  “What are you looking for?” Ally asks, knowing that her friend is onto something.

  “This!” Sam exclaims. “Peter Covington lives in a town only a couple of hours from here, still in Washington State. What do you think the odds are?”

  “What, that Miss Covington is related? I think the odds are high.”

  “No! I mean, obviously she’s related to him. I’m talking about Covington Ranch!” Sam is on the edge of her seat now, and she reaches out to grasp Ally’s arms. “You know the old abandoned horse ranch at the top of the hill? There hasn’t been anyone living there since before I was born, but I’ve often thought about what it must have looked like back then.”

  “Well, of course I know the place. We used to go exploring around there all the time,” Ally says. “I guess I never paid any attention to the name hanging over the entrance.”

  Sam can clearly picture the wrought iron, arched entry. She’s always admired the fancy letters, and thought the design was clever. Her father explained once that it was the brand used to mark the ranch’s very expensive breeding horses. It was a capital C shaped like a horseshoe, with the capital letter R hanging from it at an angle. Many of Sam’s daydreams up in the barn loft involved the abandoned ranch, but while she remembers the brand, the Covington name isn’t something she’s heard for years.

  “Do you really think they’re the same family?” Ally asks, not at all convinced. “It’s been an awfully long time. Wasn’t there some sort of horrible accident or something that led to the ranch being closed down?”

  Shrugging, Sam turns back to the computer. “I don’t know if my parents ever told me why the place was abandoned,” Sam admits.

  After several more searches without any additional results, Sam gets frustrated. Throwing her hands up in the air, she stands and stretches her back. “I think it’s been too long. If we want to search for local stories, we’ll have to go to the library and look at the old microfiche.” The only reason Sam even knows about the old filing system is because she used it last year to research a paper she wrote about the origin of their town, Oceanside.

  “Why don’t you ask your mom?” Ally suggests. “I bet she knows, especially since she helped hire Miss Covington.”

  “I can’t,” Sam answers, heading for the front door. “My mom already warned me to stay out of her business. If I start asking questions about her past, and about that old property, she’ll probably get mad. If she finds out there’s a jewel theft tied up in it all, she’ll freak out. I can even see her transferring me out of the class, and then we won’t have any classes together!”

  “You could be right,” Ally admits, following Sam outside. “We’ve gotten into trouble more than a couple of times this past summer for snooping into other people’s problems. So what else can we do?”

  “Go get your bike, and meet me at the end of my driveway,” Sam directs, running towards her house.

  Less than five minutes later, the two girls are pedaling towards the hill known to the locals as ‘Little Mountain.’ It encompasses about fifty acres of woods, but only three houses. One sits at the bottom on each side, with the old horse ranch at the top. Most of the woods belong to the ranch, and the fence marking the property line is littered with ‘no trespassing’ signs that someone put up a couple of years ago. The girls, like all the other kids, used to ignore them, until their parents found out and put a stop to it.

  The road, appropriately called ‘Little Mountain Road,’ is a favorite for sledding, on the rare occasions that it snows. It’s also great for a challenging bike ride.

  It’s been months since they made the trek, and Sam is huffing and puffing hard by the time they reach the top. “Finally!” she gasps, coming to a stop at the base of the arch. The place looks the same, except that weeds along the edge of the long, paved driveway were recently pulled. It’s a promising sign.

  Ally hesitates at the entrance. “Are you sure about this?” she asks Sam, looking around at the thick woods to either side. It isn’t unusual for them to go on bike rides together. Even though they haven’t come this way in forever, they can get away with riding up to the ranch without having to come up with an excuse. However, once they cross onto the property, it’s a different story. They’re doing something they know they’ll be reprimanded for.

  Nodding, Sam drops her bike near the road. Walking purposefully up the private driveway until the C/R emblem is dangling over her head, she looks up at it and places her hands on her hips. “We just have to peek and see if Miss Covington’s car is here. It’s the only way to know for sure, short of asking her ourselves,” she replies.

  “Ask Miss Covington what?” a deep voice suddenly shouts from behind them, causing both girls to freeze in fear.

  6

  ANSWERS ONLY LEAD TO MORE QUESTIONS

  Hunter is literally rolling on the ground, laughing. Sam barely restrains herself from kicking her older brother.

  “That wasn’t funny!” Ally yells at him, but her initial reaction is already fading, and a smile is tugging at her mouth.

  “You…should see…your faces!” Hunter gasps. He’s managed to get back on his feet, but is bent over at the waist, holding his sides.

  Sam rolls her eyes at her brother’s shenanigans. She’s used to it, but it’s still annoying. Now that she knows it’s only Hunter, the relief she feels is greater than the irritation. His laughter has always been contagious, and she fights to keep from grinning. The fact that Ally is now chortling, too, isn’t helping.

  “Why aren’t you at football practice?” Sam asks, trying to distract him from his original question. “Get kicked off the team already?”

  Straightening, Hunter shifts his hands from his sides to his hips, and settles a steely gaze on his younger sister. While their features are similar, he inherited his mother’s short stature. So even though he’s two years older than Sam is, she’s nearly as tall. Based on his current expression, she may have gone a bit too far with her remark. She almost feels guilty.

  “No. I wasn’t kicked off the team, Sis. Sorry to disappoint. We, meaning the lowliest players on the JV third-string team, got cut loose early so the coaches could focus on the elite. So, answer my question.”

  “Don’t worry, Hunter.” Ally walks over next to Sam, and gives her a ‘what do we do?’ look, before turning back to her brother’s friend. “John didn’t play any varsity games until later in the season last year. Your freshman year is destined to be spent on the sidelines on Friday nights.”

  “Nice try, gir
ls,” he says mockingly. “But it isn’t going to work. What is it you don’t want to ask this Covington gal, and who is she? Oh,” he adds, “you need to work on your observation skills. I followed you the whole way here and you didn’t have a clue.”

  Ignoring her brother, Sam turns away and starts walking up the driveway. Ally hesitates briefly, but then hurries to catch up, hooking her arm through Sam’s.

  “Alright,” Hunter calls after them. “I guess I’ll just go ask Mom.”

  Stopping, Sam closes her eyes and huffs loudly. “If you’re really so desperate to know,” she says evenly, turning back to her brother. “Miss Covington is the new PE teacher at the middle school. I got to thinking about the name, and I’m curious if she’s related to the Covingtons that owned this ranch,” she continues, pointing back at the emblem over the entrance. “I didn’t get off to a great start with her, though, and Mom asked me not to bug her. So…” She pauses a little too long here, and can see the suspicion return to her brother’s face. “So, we thought we’d just look and see if her car was here.”

  The three kids stare at each other for several heartbeats, and then Hunter smiles again, crossing his arms over his chest. “Sure. Whatever. Then you won’t care if I go, too.”

  It wasn’t a question, and he’s already walking quickly towards them. Sam furrows her brow in frustration, but knows she can’t stop him. Resigned to the fact that her brother is now somehow a part of this, she turns on her heel and marches alongside him.

  “The whole point of this is that I don’t want her to see us,” Sam explains. “So all we’re going to do is walk quietly to the end of this driveway, peek at the house, and go back. Got it?”

  “I got it,” Hunter answers.

  Unconvinced that her brother won’t cause trouble, Sam guides Ally to the edge of the pavement and under the overhanging trees. Looking back to make sure Hunter is following, they slow down as the driveway widens into a parking area. Once a nice, blacktop circular drive, it’s now cracked by intruding tree roots, and overgrown with weeds. The center ‘island’ used to be a fancy pond and waterfall created with large river rock. It began crumbling years ago, and several small trees have taken root in its remains.