Murder at Granite Falls

by Roxanne Rustand

  She looked up into his eyes, still feeling almost dizzy with disbelief. “But how—how did you know?”

  “When I wanted you to talk to the mother of the boy who drew the pictures, you evaded the answer twice. I figured it must be Noah, because you sidestepped the fact that his mother is gone…and he is the child who has gone through so much tragedy. When I heard the ambulances coming up this way, I got here as fast as I could. It all started to make sense. The EMTs were just loading Linda into the ambulance when I got there, and she told me the rest. Apparently she’s known for some time about what Noah saw, but was afraid that the cops wouldn’t believe her…and that Munson would try to silence both of them.”

  Carrie dropped her forehead against his chest. “I probably set it all in motion when I worried about the pictures, though I meant well. I truly did.”

  “How can you say that?”

  “Ed Grover is a friend of the sheriff, and they’re both on the town council. I can just see him chatting about his troublesome new teacher and her ‘foolish’ concerns. Maybe Ed even took that folder of drawings from my desk and showed them around.”

  “Then if Munson happened to see any of them, he would’ve known that there was a witness to Sheryl’s murder.”

  “Right. And it was my fault.” She drew in a sharp breath. “And I made it even worse by making that call to the sheriff’s department before I went up to Noah’s home. I didn’t send help—I warned a killer, and sent him right to Noah’s door.”

  “If so, you only helped uncover the truth. I’m sure a lot of questions will be answered once they start interrogating Munson.”

  She shivered, suddenly feeling cold in the night air. “Poor Noah. Will Linda be all right?”

  “The EMTs said that she’s one tough cookie. She lost a lot of blood, but her heart rate and oxygenation were still stable. If you hadn’t found her, she’d be dead. She’s one very lucky woman.”

  “Luck had nothing to do with it. I think she was in God’s hands, every step of the way.”

  He gently lifted Carrie’s chin with his hand, and looked into her eyes, then dropped a gentle kiss on her lips. “I think all of us were. Realizing the boy had to be Noah and then hearing the sirens at that moment, I suddenly knew I couldn’t delay a single minute. If I had…maybe you wouldn’t be here. I don’t think I’ve ever prayed so hard in my life.”

  He pulled her more snugly into his embrace and held her tight. “Let’s go and get you into a warm car. You must be exhausted.”

  “Not exhausted, just relieved. And anxious, because I still hope to hear a lot of answers before all of this is over.”

  When Sheriff Tyler and Deputy Rick Peterson arrived at Wolf River Rafting Company at noon the next day, Logan looked up at the cruiser and felt an automatic sinking sensation in his gut.

  Vance Munson was a smooth talker. Convincing. A longtime member of the Lawler County Sheriff’s Department. And he certainly had a lot to lose. During the night, Logan had mulled over a hundred ways that Munson might have twisted the facts somehow, to slither out of the murder and attempted murder charges he deserved.

  The presence of local law enforcement hadn’t meant justice over the past few years, and Logan expected nothing better now.

  He braced himself as the two men climbed out of the patrol car and walked up to the raft Logan was working on.

  The sheriff glanced around. “Where’s your sister?”

  “Float trip.” Logan looked at his watch. “She started upriver, and ought to be landing here in an hour.”

  “And the Randall woman?”

  That didn’t sound good. “She just got back from some errands. I believe she’s up in her apartment, packing.”

  “We don’t want her to leave town.”

  I don’t, either. Since she’d announced her plans, he’d felt as if a cold, heavy boulder had landed on his heart.

  “Is this related to some sort of trumped-up charges against her? Because if it is, you have no idea how wrong you are. She—”

  “It’s not anything of the sort. We thought you deserved an update, in person. You’ve been through a lot of trouble lately, and the department owes you both gratitude for all you did, as well as an apology.”

  Logan caught a flash of movement at the corner of his eye and turned to find Carrie walking toward him, smiling.

  She drew close, slipped her hand into Logan’s and gave it a quick squeeze before letting go. “Linda had surgery last night, and is doing well. Noah and his dad are visiting her right now.”

  “She wouldn’t have survived if you hadn’t called 911 and helped her before the EMTs got there. She said she was afraid to call 911 before you arrived and could go after Noah, in case her call alerted Vance to go back to finish her off.” The sheriff studied Carrie for a long moment, then he smiled. “You’re one brave woman, ma’am, going out in the dark like that. Not many full-grown men would try to take on Vance Munson.”

  Carrie wrapped her arms around her middle. “I wouldn’t, either. But I had no choice.”

  “Fast thinking,” Rick added, his voice laced with admiration. “That bear spray just about stopped him in his tracks.”

  She shivered. “Not quite.”

  The sheriff nodded. “Adrenaline and fear can overcome just about anything, and I’m sure Munson was seeing his life fall apart in front of his eyes. I think he would’ve killed you and the boy without a second thought. Luckily your friend here led us up there in time.”

  “I know.” Carrie angled a grateful smile up at Logan. “Vance was just getting his second wind, and I don’t know if Noah and I could’ve outrun him.”

  It all sounded too good to be true, the congratulations and the acknowledgments. There had to be a catch. Logan cleared his throat. “So what happens now?”

  “We called in the BCI again, last night. Interrogating a suspect can be difficult. But a cop who’s done it himself for a few decades…well, it ain’t easy. But we do have a confession and he’s still back there, admitting to certain details. We’ll be filing charges of murder, attempted murder, kidnapping…the list is a long one. But after we build this case, I have no doubt that he’ll never see the light of day as a free man again. With Linda Bates and Noah on the stand, he doesn’t have a chance.”

  Carrie frowned. “You think that poor boy will have to testify? How could he—he barely speaks as it is. And the emotional trauma of reliving his mother’s death would be too cruel.”

  “His relatives say he’ll be receiving all the counseling he needs, for as long as he needs it.” Rick looked at a sheaf of papers on a clipboard cradled in his arm. “The courts won’t request his testimony except as a last resort, and then only if he’s emotionally able. Specially trained youth officers will obtain a statement from him now.”

  The sheriff glanced between Logan and Carrie. “We need statements from both of you, as well. We’d like you to come down to the office so we can do it right and proper, with a stenographer and video. We don’t want to take any chances with this case.” His mouth curled in distaste. “I support my officers one hundred percent. But when one goes bad, I want to take him down.”

  Carrie bit her lower lip. “What about Billy?”

  “What we’ve got so far is that Vance Munson was stalking the Bradleys—wanting to cause enough trouble to drive them away.”

  “But why?”

  “Vance had an affair with Sheryl, and killed her when she started threatening to tell his wife. I guess she wanted to run off with him, but he refused. Vance has been in a perfect position to doctor or eliminate evidence, and planned for Logan to take the rap for her death, but the jury let him go. Vance was afraid that people would start wondering who really did do it, and ask too many questions that might lead straight to him. He wanted Logan either jailed or dead—just to put all of that to rest for good.”

  “So he encouraged all the rumors against Logan?”

  “And he was escalating into sabotaging the rafting business when Billy tu
rned up and caught him lurking around the Bradley place more than once. Apparently Billy got pretty aggressive—demanding money for silence, and Vance had to get him out of the way.”

  Her eyes widened. “Billy did come here after money in the first place. And once he got here, he tried telling me he had information that he would share for a price. So you’re probably right.”

  “Munson had the perfect setup just fall in his lap. He got rid of a dangerous witness. Killed Billy close to where you live, which then clouded the case and made it look like you and Logan were responsible. Logan’s legal history and proximity added an even better cover. Munson was probably elated at finding such a perfect way to pin the murder on someone else and get away with it.”

  “So Munson did take my shotgun,” Carrie said faintly. “He broke into my apartment and took it. If I’d been there, sleeping…”

  “The BCI is dragging the Wolf River for it right now, a half mile upstream.” The sheriff’s voice lowered to a respectful tone. “And by the way, ma’am, the county morgue has released your ex-husband’s remains. Unless you feel differently, his relatives in West Texas requested that he be cremated, and that the remains be sent back to them.”

  “I hadn’t even thought…” She swallowed hard. “Of course. It’s their right to choose what to do.”

  The sheriff looked at his watch. “We’ve got a meeting with the BCI investigators and need to get back. We just wanted to give you an update, but if you can come in this afternoon to give your statements, we’d appreciate it.”

  Logan nodded.

  The sheriff cleared his throat. “And by the way, we regret the charges last year. We were operating on the basis of evidence, but now it’s clear that our own deputy falsified that evidence. You’ll eventually see articles in the paper about all of this, and we certainly won’t sidestep the truth.”

  He and Rick strode to the cruiser. Rick climbed into the passenger seat, but Tyler lingered at his open door, then looked back at Carrie. “I hear you’re moving. I hope you’ll change your mind—we need good people in this town.”

  Carrie offered him a sad smile. “I don’t believe I still have a job. And even if I did, I’m not sure the principal and I see eye to eye.”

  “Hmph. I’m sure that’s Ed’s fault, not yours.” He winked at her. “But maybe you could just last him out. I know for a fact that the old goat plans to retire at the end of next year.”

  Her smile faltered. “I still think it’s time for me to go. But thanks for the thought. You’ve been more than kind.”

  TWENTY-TWO

  The last Saturday morning of August dawned bright, clear and cool, a perfect day for a wedding. The small group of friends and relatives were gathering up in a wildflower-strewn meadow at the ranch, with a row of saddle horses and horses with buggies tied up along the trees.

  A perfect day. A perfect couple. Trace and Kris were clearly so in love, so excited about this day. They both radiated such joy that everyone around them seemed to glow as well.

  Carrie lingered by the gray mare she’d driven up from the ranch, listening to the laughter. Feeling such happiness for them both…and a touch of melancholy, too.

  The past two months back at Trace’s ranch had been idyllic. Fulfilling. She’d gotten back on the district substitute teacher list for the fall. She’d promised to teach second-grade Sunday school starting in two weeks. Helping Kris and Trace get ready for this day had been delightful.

  But despite how everything had ended back in Granite Falls, she still couldn’t get that last glimpse of Logan and Penny out of her thoughts.

  Penny had begged her to stay.

  Logan had wished her well, his jaw resolute and little emotion in his eyes. No wonder. After letting her know earlier that he wasn’t looking for a relationship, he’d probably been glad to see her go.

  Well, so be it…even if her heart had broken a little more with each day since she’d come back to Battle Creek.

  But this was a day for happiness, not regrets.

  She straightened the many layers of delicate ice-blue lace cascading from the waist of her old-fashioned gown, then picked up the hem and made her way down to the people gathered around Trace and Kris.

  “You look absolutely gorgeous, Kris,” she murmured.

  And it was true. The halter neckline of the dress caressed her trim figure; the thousands of sequins and beads on the bodice and train sparkled like diamonds in the sunlight.

  “I can’t believe this day is finally here, can you? And it isn’t even raining.” Kris’s eyes twinkled. “And your gift—it’s just unbelievable. Managing the animal shelter so we can leave for a week is the most wonderful thing you could’ve done for us.”

  Carrie laughed. “I just hope I can keep everything straight. If I get too confused, I’ll just adopt all of those animals and you can start over with new ones when you get back.”

  Kris leaned a little closer and lowered her voice. “I…have a little gift for you. I think. I hope you won’t mind.”

  “A dog. A cat. Wait—tell me it isn’t that macaw that just came into the shelter. He has a mouth like a sailor.”

  “I’m actually not teasing,” Kris said drily. “And now I’m really hoping you won’t be upset. It’s over there—by that buckskin mare.”

  Carrie turned slowly to scan the lineup of horses.

  The buckskin’s rider swung off and moved to the horse’s head, where he slipped off her bridle, haltered her and tied her to a tree.

  “You got me a horse?”

  “Not a horse. A cowboy.” Kris fluttered her fingertips and hurried away to join Trace and the photographer.

  Carrie watched her go, then looked back and felt her heart give an extra little hitch as the cowboy turned around and surveyed the crowd.

  As if by radar, he zeroed in on her in a heartbeat, then strode across the meadow, his white, open-collared shirt accenting his broad shoulders and slim hips, his black Stetson set low over his eyes.

  Murmurs rose in the crowd behind her as he headed for her, looking like a tall, dark stranger straight out of some Western movie.

  He pulled to a stop just a couple feet away and touched the brim of his hat. “It’s been a long time.”

  “Two months.” And six days, four hours…

  “Too long.”

  She nodded in acquiescence, unable to find her voice.

  “You didn’t return my call.”

  And she hadn’t written or emailed, either, since leaving Granite Falls. She’d tried to cut the ties that would only make forgetting more difficult. But now, with him standing in front of her, she felt a rush of emotion that nearly took her breath away.

  “We miss you back in Granite Falls.”

  “We?”

  A deep slash of a dimple deepened in his cheek. “Me.”

  “You made it pretty clear that you weren’t interested in any sort of a relationship.”

  “I was wrong.” His smile reached his eyes. “I finally realized that I had to let go of the past…or I’d lose out on something—someone—who is an incredible gift in my life. You.”

  At the other side of the meadow, the sweet, pure notes of a violin began to play, joined a moment later by the haunting ethereal sound of a harp.

  “Um—I need to go,” Carrie whispered. “It’s time for the wedding.”

  She started to turn away, but he caught her arm gently. “I’ll be here, waiting in the crowd. But I need to ask one thing…because I don’t know if I can wait that long to find out.”

  Time stood still as she gazed up into his blue eyes, mesmerized, as she waited, her heart in her throat.

  “I tried to go back to the rodeo, but my heart wasn’t in it. I came back to Granite Falls, and it was the loneliest place on earth. I found out that the school principal wants you back. Penny wants you back. Your new sister-in-law-to-be called me, and she thinks it’s a good idea, because she wants you to be happy.” The corners of his eyes crinkled. “But more than anything else, I�
�d like a chance to have you back in my life. And this time, I’ll try to do it right.”

  She didn’t have to think about it.

  She threw her arms around him and drew him close. And when he lowered his mouth to hers for a kiss, she kissed him back, drawing him closer yet, savoring the moment she’d never thought to have again.

  When the kiss ended a lifetime later, she looked around, sensing a sudden silence…and found everyone was smiling and looking their way. A smattering of applause arose, then grew louder.

  “Oh, my,” she breathed.

  Across the meadow, Kris gave her a thumbs-up, then raised two fingers to her lips and emitted a piercing whistle. Trace waved his Stetson in the air.

  “Showtime,” Kris called out. “But promise me I’ll get to hear about this later!”

  “I’ve got to go,” Carrie murmured, “but I’ll be back right after I help those two get married. Will you still be here?”

  He looked down at her, his beautiful blue eyes deep with emotion. “Believe me, there’s no place I’d rather be.”

  Dear Reader,

  I hope you enjoyed your trip into Big Sky Country with Carrie and Logan. I love the Rocky Mountains—the wild beauty of that part of the United States just takes my breath away. I have such happy memories of our many family trips out west. Being there once again, at least in spirit, to tell the story of this couple on their journey toward love and deeper faith, despite the dangers along the way, was such fun!

  This is the fourth book in the Big Sky Secrets series. Though each book easily stands alone, you can revisit Montana in the previous titles: FINAL EXPOSURE, FATAL BURN and END GAME. There will also be one more book, as yet untitled, out in December, 2011.

  I also have books coming out for the Love Inspired line, as well! WINTER REUNION was out November 2010, and SECOND CHANCE DAD will be out this June.

  I love to hear from readers. You can find me at www.roxannerustand.com, www.shoutlife.com/roxannerustand and http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com.