“Bite me,” Lando snarled.
“Didn’t improve your mood, I see,” Luke grunted. “That would take another miracle drug, I suppose. A shame our forefathers couldn’t find a cure for your bad temperament.”
Leia stepped between her siblings to calm things down. “Guys, could we just, for one day, not do this. Gemma and I want to enjoy this. And so does Lianne. Don’t ruin this trip for us.”
Duly scolded, Lando cleared his throat. “Sorry. You’re right. I’m still a little edgy.”
“Well, knock it off because I wanted to show you guys the horse Zeb bought for me,” Leia announced. “Zeb found her living on a ranch in Modoc County. Her owner died, and all the ranch stock was auctioned off last month, including all the horses. That’s her over there by the water trough. Her name’s Buttercup. She’s feisty and spirited and I absolutely adore her. Isn’t she the most gorgeous animal you’ve ever seen?”
Gemma followed Leia’s gaze and started walking toward the paddock where a beautiful buckskin quarter horse had turned to graze. Buttercup had a yellowish-golden body, a tan mane, and a black tail. “You’re right, that’s the most stunning horse I’ve ever seen.”
“Isn’t she though? She’s my engagement present instead of a ring and I couldn’t be happier. Zeb and I are taking the big leap. Do you think we’re crazy?”
Gemma grabbed her friend in a hug. “I think you’re following your heart. Not a thing wrong with that. I’m so happy for you.”
Lianne appeared from the barn, holding the reins of a docile Rudy, a beautiful strawberry roan that had belonged to her sister Collette. “Glad you guys could finally join us. What’s going on?”
Luke wrapped his arms around his sister. “Leia and Zeb are getting married. I’d say it’s about time they stopped hiding from everyone and made it official.”
Lianne bounced on her toes. “That’s huge. When’s the big day?”
“We haven’t set a date yet,” Zeb explained. “We were thinking sometime in the fall.”
Lando clapped Zeb on the back before getting his chance to put Leia in a bear hug. “I don’t think you could do any better than this guy.”
Leia rested her head on Lando’s shoulder. “I’m so glad you feel that way. I was…afraid of what you’d say.”
“Why wouldn’t I be happy for you? I’ve gotten to know Zeb a lot better over these past few months. He’s a good guy, comes through in a backup situation, too. What more could I ask for in a brother-in-law? Then again, I like the other side benefit, having another cop in the family.”
“Someone who knows what they’re doing,” Zeb added, rubbing his hands together. “Time’s a-wasting, people. Pick your horse and let’s saddle up.”
Gemma went with a gentle mare, a black beauty named Gypsy with white leggings all around while Lando picked out a black and white paint they called Bandit, who usually saw little exercise during the week, if any. Bandit didn’t have an owner paying his room and board. He’d been abandoned and left wandering in the desert. No one knew how long Bandit had gone without food or water. By the time the Longhorns took him in, Bandit had been starved down to skin and bones.
Zeb’s younger sister, Willow, had nursed him back to health starting him on small meals. She’d gradually increased his feed over time and in eight months with plenty of tender loving care had brought him back to full strength. She was on hand to give Lando some advice. “Don’t be surprised if he’s skittish through the part of the trail that’s the scrub. The area might bring back bad memories of the desert for him, so reassure him with a few pats on the neck that you don’t intend to abandon him again. Remind him that not all people are abusers. And don’t over-pace him.”
Lando rolled his eyes at the young Willow, a year out of college and on the bossy side. “I know how to take care of a horse.”
Willow ignored his comment while rechecking the bridle and girth. She ran a hand down each of Bandit’s legs before she was satisfied the horse was ready to ride. A bit reluctant, she handed the reins over to Lando. “While that’s probably true, every horse is different. Every horse has a different story. You would remember that about them if you rode more often. Bandit has been damaged beyond belief. All I’m saying is go easy on him. Don’t expect too much of a bond right away.”
Lando atared at the horse-lover, noting that Willow put everything she had into her job. Her raven mane might’ve been secured down her back in what had started out as a tight braid but was now a rather messy loose bundle that flopped around as she readied the horse for riding.
“Stop worrying, mother hen,” he commented. “Bandit and I will get along fine. I’ve never mistreated a horse in my life and can’t stand people who do it.”
Willow’s head snapped up, her dark eyes flaring. “I never met the man or woman who mistreated Bandit, but we see a lot of abuse in this business. You never get used to it. Some horses we can help. Others have to be put down. Still more are out there at the mercy of their cruel owners. The good news is we’re able to shelter those we rescue who’ve had it rough until they can find a forever home of their own. But some never do. I go off the edge when I see humans mistreat an animal.”
Gemma leaned into Bandit’s nose to rest her head there. “So Bandit is available if someone wanted to buy him?” For emphasis, she poked a finger in Lando’s ribs. “Hear that?”
Willow’s face broke into a wide grin at the implication. “Are you in the market, Gemma, or trying to persuade Lando?”
“A little of both. What’s the story on Gypsy?”
“Her owner died. Gypsy came to us through an auction. She’s such a gentle lady, we always put her in the group the school children ride. We have a lot of school districts that come out here for field trips three or four times a year. This being summer, Gypsy hasn’t seen much action lately.”
“I’ll take good care of her,” Gemma promised. “And look after Bandit as well.”
Zeb noticed Luke studying a bay sorrel. “This big guy loves a day trip, but rarely sees one. His name’s Jocko. His owner rarely comes to see him. It’d be a treat if you’d get him out of the corral before he forgets how to be a horse.”
“Sounds like a good fit for me. What are you riding these days?”
Zeb went over to a champagne-colored colt with a sprinkle of freckles and big amber eyes already saddled and raring to go. “Didn’t you know? I fell in love with Zander about a year ago. He’d been abused for who knows how long. He still has the scars from being whipped. But Zander’s the smartest horse I’ve ever owned. Aren’t you, boy?”
The horse responded by nuzzling his owner’s chin.
Zander took the lead, followed by Buttercup, Rudy, Jocko, Gypsy, and Bandit. They started off through the flat Genesee Valley, through the rolling hills known as Gawonii Creek, and up the incline that would ultimately lead to Shadow Canyon.
Summer wildflowers thrived among the stalwart sagebrush, scattering the trail in blasts of color. Orange poppies grew alongside fiery paintbrush, while blue snapdragons stood at attention like regimental soldiers.
With walls a thousand feet in height, the canyon trails followed the meandering zig-zag of the Corona River until its forceful current met up with a tributary stream, a place where striped bass and trout were plentiful.
Gemma remembered that as teenagers they’d camped out overnight along its banks to catch their suppers---six pounders were the norm, enough to feed four people.
“How is it we completely stopped coming out here?” Leia asked as she looked around at the cathedral-like stone walls. “I’d forgotten how peaceful it is out here.”
“These rocks are still considered sacred to our people,” Zeb noted. “And if you’re camping out here for any length of time, you can still poke around in the dirt and find shards of Indian pottery where villages once stood.”
Gemma was too much in awe of the place to ruin it with a bunch of chitchat. She rode in silent reverence, enjoying the pinyon pine and black cottonwood that popp
ed up along the trail. When it squeezed off, narrowing into a slit, they rode single file through the rocky pass, heading further along the rutted pathway.
Gemma could feel the past all around her. She could see it in her head. The struggles of the tribes for survival. One or two images popped up, a single man and woman trying to get away, to run as fast as they could before the enemy caught up with them. And then, out of nowhere, a horde appeared, coming straight for her—ghosts growing in numbers—men, women, and children carrying bows and arrows, knives, and anything else they could use for a weapon.
But bows and arrows were no match against Winchesters. Behind her, she caught the sounds of hoofbeats. Soldiers carrying rifles approached an encampment along the riverbed, mostly made up of women, children, and the elderly who’d remained behind while their warriors went to hunt for food. The slaughter that ensued was difficult to watch.
Unable to make the vision stop, Gemma was forced to witness the destruction firsthand until nothing remained except the smell of smoke and the odor of burning flesh. She couldn’t believe the carnage. Nothing left of the village remained except a wailing infant, frightened and sick, crying somewhere in the distance. The images made her sick to her stomach. She had to hold tight to the saddle horn to keep from falling off.
Gypsy must’ve sensed Gemma’s sorrow, because the mare reared up in a skittish display as if a snake had slithered across the dirt.
Gemma held the reins tighter, leaning down to whisper reassurances in the horse’s ear. She stroked the mare’s neck. “It’s okay, girl. Settle down. It’s okay. I’m sorry I upset you. From now on, I’ll try to block out those terrible scenes from the past.”
“You okay?” Lando asked.
“I’m fine. Out of practice is all.”
Once they reached the river, the horses waded through the shallow water to the banks on the other side. The landscape here was dotted with big-leaf maple, red alder, and knobcone pine, and a forest filled with lots of hidden secrets.
“It’s a shame we didn’t do this yesterday, so we could set up camp and stay longer,” Lando said.
“Maybe if you didn’t always have to play rock star every Saturday night,” Luke began, “we could’ve taken the opportunity to do just that.”
“I like music,” Lando stated in his defense. “Sue me for enjoying that side of my life on what’s practically the only amount of time I have off.”
Losing her patience with them, Gemma snapped, “Do you guys have to pick on each other when we’re spending the afternoon in such a beautiful setting? Look around you. Imagine our forefathers hunting for game, taking care of their families, or trying to maintain a sense of normalcy while waiting for soldiers to attack at any moment. There, over by that cave, a mother and her three children, babies really, lost their lives trying to hide from a massacre. I might be late to the party, not having known about my native roots until recently, but at least I know when to appreciate the moment. And this is it. If all you guys want to do is argue, then go off by yourselves. Because your bickering is ruining it for the rest of us.”
Lianne kicked Rudy into a faster pace, coming up alongside Luke. “She’s right. Either stop squabbling or head back. Fight there. Your choice.”
It was Luke’s turn to make amends. “Sorry. I apologize for the rock star comment.”
“That’s okay,” Lando grunted. “I suppose a part of it is true.”
Zeb and Leia led them up a steeper trailhead, and then down into the gorge that ran along the stream. The riders could hear the babbling brook long before it came into view.
“If you two promise to be good, we could at least camp here for the afternoon,” Leia suggested. “It’d be a great place to eat the roast chicken I brought in my pack. And Zeb is carrying the rest of the food in his saddlebags.”
Lando set the paint into a faster trot. Bandit responded by scampering up the hill where he could look down into the valley below. “I could eat and the horses could take a water break. But here’s an idea. There’s our old campsite up ahead near the fork in the river. How about we stop there? It offers more grassland before the woods take over.”
After some discussion and then agreement, they moved on to set up their camp in a better mood than when they’d left. They gathered wood and kindling for the fire pit, already established by other hikers and overnight campers.
A stirring in the trees forced Gemma to remember what had happened in the nearby canyon, the massacre of an entire village. “There’s lots of history here and not all of it good,” she said as she studied a colony of finches setting up house in a patch of thistle.
Picking up on a vibe, she headed off in the direction of the cave entrance she’d spotted on the side of a small overhang.
Lando grabbed her arm. “Where are you going?”
“Exploring. I thought I’d check out that opening and see what’s in there. Wouldn’t it be great to scout out the area like we did when we were kids?”
“After we eat I’ll go with you.”
“Sure. I guess it can wait.”
Surrounded by woods, they settled back for their meal and watched a family of rabbits scurry out of a field of clover, taking cover in an adjacent meadow where a patch of cabbage had taken over the sage.
In the shade of the canyon walls, Zeb helped Leia set out their buffet of food on a rock and took out a six-pack of beer. He tossed Lando a can of soda. “No alcohol for you, buddy.”
Lando caught the Orange Crush right before it hit his face. “Fine by me. I’m off all that stuff anyway, at least for a while. My head still feels fuzzy.”
Lianne popped the top on her beer. “I find it hard to believe Suzanne and Buddy didn’t get arrested for giving the chief of police speed. If that had happened in Portland…”
“And in the middle of a murder investigation no less,” Luke stated. “If I didn’t know those two so well, I’d say the whole thing worked to Louise’s advantage.”
Chewing her lip, Lianne looked confused. “But Suzanne said she couldn’t stand Mallory. So why would she help Louise embarrass Lando?”
“She wouldn’t,” Gemma supplied. “Suzanne is one of the few on my side. And she adores Lando, always has.”
Lando took a gulp of his soda pop. “Doesn’t matter. As soon as my head clears, I’m thinking about arresting both of them for possession. Dale already impounded ample evidence to do it, a ready-made excuse to throw them in jail.”
“But you won’t do that,” Gemma pointed out. “It wouldn’t hurt to steer Buddy into a rehab program. That’s the difference between Coyote Wells and the big city---we take care of our own. Luke, you should go see Suzanne and suggest rehab for Buddy, make sure he gets there and stays there until he’s on the road to a real recovery.”
Luke gave her a broad smile. “Good idea. But Lando should come with me and put a little fear into Buddy to make sure he follows through. Suzanne will go along with whatever Lando recommends.”
“Don’t be so sure of that,” Lando stated. “Do you have any idea how many times I advised her to get a restraining order on Buddy. Every time he hit her, I’d use the same speech. In each instance, she always forgave him. Which is why getting Buddy into rehab isn’t a bad plan. I’ll do my part.”
“What’s the word on Gafford?” Zeb wanted to know. “Is he the one who killed Mallory?”
Lando shook his head. “I spent the better part of a day checking out his alibi, talking to every co-worker that I could. It seems he’s been in Crescent City for two months now working on a construction project that’s just getting started, building a new apartment complex. He comes back occasionally to check on his cabin, but mostly stays close to the work site. The last time he came to town was Thursday when he hooked up with Mallory. His supervisor says he was back at work first thing Friday morning.”
Leia raised a brow in challenge. “But Crescent City isn’t that far from here. He could’ve come back to town during the festival on Saturday and Sunday and gone unnoticed.
Gafford had the weekend to bum around his cabin.”
“Not according to his supervisor. The guy says Gafford was in Crescent City exactly where he was supposed to be. Sunday night Gafford played poker until almost midnight in one of the motel rooms belonging to a co-worker. After that, he headed off to his own room. Gafford has at least five witnesses who say he was with them all evening. At the time of the murder Billy Gafford was losing at cards.”
Gemma finished off her chicken, sealing up her trash in a plastic bag. “It wasn’t Gafford who killed her. I told Lando that when I saw her arguing with another man that night, that didn’t fit his description.”
“You did? Where?” Luke said in wonder. “That’s amazing. What did he look like?”
Gemma chewed her bottom lip. “It was nighttime. Mallory was standing on the beach with a man who looked familiar, like someone I’ve seen around town. But it was dark, and I didn’t get a good enough look at him.” She eyed Lando before adding, “It was foggy Sunday night so I couldn’t have gotten a clear view of him anyway. Maybe next time, I’ll do better.”
“Next time,” Lando grunted.
Leia elbowed her brother in the ribs. “She did play a huge role in solving the murders last month so if I were you I wouldn’t give her any guff about ‘seeing’ anything.”
“I’m not giving her guff,” Lando protested. “I’m impatient. I want to get this thing resolved and get Louise out of my hair for good.”
“I can’t believe you threatened to fire her,” Zeb said. “That’s long overdue.”
Gemma stared at Lando. “You didn’t mention that. She’ll go ballistic. She’ll likely sue you…for something.”
“She won’t sue anyone. I have a list of complaints filed against Louise that go back years. She tries a lawsuit, she’ll lose.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Gemma uttered. “It’s been my experience that most people don’t win against Louise Rawlins.”
Fascinated with the topic, Lianne stoked the worry. “Why is that?”
Leia swallowed her last bite and started cleanup. “Because she’s fearless when it comes to taking anyone on, and she seems to have deep pockets to pay for lawyers. Which begs the question, where does she get her money?”
Shadow Canyon (A Coyote Wells Mystery Book 2) Page 11