by Stephy Smith
Chapter Six
Nothing in the world could touch the heart like being on the back of a horse, riding across the golden prairie. Soap weeds in bloom, sage mixed with sweet clover and a slight breeze bathing the skin. Carson followed Will to the butchered calf.
The smell of death festering in the hot sun filled the area with an indescribable stench. It was one thing to come upon a dead carcass due to nature, opposed to finding one caused by a demented human out for revenge. Carson recalled River’s version of the incidents, now he needed a point of view from Will.
“Who do you think is behind all of this?” He hoped Will would give him more than River did.
“I think Harvey Jamison instigated it all. He’s hounded everyone in the community except Moon for years. I heard he recruited some men from down south, his cousins I think, to help run River and her grandpa out.” The lanky body of Will moved with his horse. His hands relaxed on the saddle horn.
“What in tarnation do they want with Grandpa Alvin and River’s ranches? Or the others for that matter?”
“Word has it, and on good authority I might add, Harvey’s in the rustling business. He takes the cattle from down south and brings them up here to sell. By the time they get here, the shrinkage takes away most of the profit. He has to pay shipping and the medicine from his own pocket. He needs a place to fatten them up before he sells.” Will glanced around. “He’s got the love bug for River. I think he’d do anything to make her marry him.”
“Makes sense, but why the rustling? The cattle from down south and a place to put them is understandable. How far will he take his shenanigans?” Carson already knew the answer. He needed to have his suspicions confirmed.
“As far as he has to. I thought about the rustling too. If he isn’t selling them here, where are those cattle going? I hear the brand inspector has been on his trail for a number of years. They’re getting close to catching him. For several years now, the inspector played dumb to the situation. We have a new one now and he don’t play Harvey’s game. He is good at his job.”
“Who is the brand inspector?” Carson took a small pad and pen from his shirt pocket.
“Logan Sweet. He’s been here a few years. The last one didn’t seem to pay attention to the fresh brands when Harvey brought the cattle in. Logan, he’s by the book.”
Carson wrote the name on the paper. “Do you know where Logan lives?”
“Down the street from Olivia and me. His wife works with Olivia. They’re good people.”
“You and Olivia? Olivia Hallstead?” Carson didn’t miss the smile forming on Will’s face.
“Yeah, she’s the queen of my world. Never thought she would give me a second glance. I was braced for a big slap across the face the first time I asked her out. She said sure and after that things have been great between us.” He stepped from his horse and eyed the footprints left in the sand.
Carson followed suit. “They didn’t mind leaving tell-tale signs, did they? I would say they’re sending a message and don’t care who reads it.” He paused for a few seconds. “Would you happen to know Logan’s phone number? I’d like to get him out here to take a look at these.”
“Sure. You want him out here now?” Will squinted into the sun.
“Yep, the sooner the better.” He handed his cell phone to Will.
Kneeling, he lifted the hide. Carson inspected the brand and found no change to the burned scar. He scratched his chin and swatted at a buzzing bee. Smooth edges on the hide left evidence the culprits used a sharp knife. Chunks of meat cut out also had the same markings along with the rips from animal teeth that feasted after the kill.
Will handed the phone back to Carson. “He’s on his way. I took the liberty to tell him about this when it first started. River doesn’t know, but Grandpa Alvin does.”
“Good thinking. River would have castrated Harvey with a dull knife by now.” Carson glanced at Will and chuckled.
“River has changed a lot since… well, you know. You should give her a chance. I don’t mean to pry into y’all’s affairs, but from what I seen awhile ago, you both still carry strong feelings for one another, and it ain’t hate.”
“You’re right. You need to stay out of our business.” If Will could see through his disguise, so could River. She had an uncanny way of reading people. His heart lurched a bit until he managed to pull himself back to business at hand.
She always used it to gain the upper hand when dealing with the other girls in school. How could I have let one vital memory slip my mind?
The men raised their heads to see the pickup creep to a stop. A tall, broad man stepped from the door and reached out his hand. “Logan Sweet. You must be Carson Long. I’ve heard a few tales about you.”
“Nice to meet you, Logan,” Carson took his hand. “Do I want to hear these tales, or do I already know them? Did I have fun in the stories you were told? Oh by the way, I heard they handed walking papers to the old inspector.”
“I think you would be surprised. You have a high recommendation from several folks in these parts.”
“You must mean from Mr. Moon, Gabe and Will. I hope you don’t let their visions cloud your mind.” His imagination wouldn’t allow River to be a part of the high recommendation crowd. He would welcome a praise or two from her, but it was more than he could expect.
“Not just from them, there are others too. Most of the old timers are pleased with the way you handle cattle, your tracking abilities and investigating techniques. They tell me you never took schooling for your talents. I’m fascinated by your achievements myself. At any rate, I look forward to working with you on this case. What do you have so far?” Logan’s confessions were sincere.
“I hope I can live up to your expectations. I don’t have much except hearsay, and you know hearsay won’t hold up in court. What we have here are footprints. Only one of our hungry men wore boots, the other two are sneaker tracks, different sizes and different styles.” Carson pointed to the ground. Logan walked back to his pickup and pulled a pail of sealed pre-mixed plaster from the backseat. He shook the container and then poured the thick substance into the prints.
“I usually don’t do this sort of thing. My specialty is brands. This case calls for more than what I know. For the time being, I’m an amateur at best. That’s not saying a lot on my account.” Logan’s quick glance at Will brought a laugh to the three.
“Don’t get to feeling lonely in that department. I’m not qualified for this type stuff either— remember.” Carson peered over Logan’s shoulder. He realized Gabe was the one who educated the town folks on his escapades in New Mexico when he spent the summer with relatives and learned how to track some rustlers there. A slight chuckle formed, but he held it in. If they only knew, the catch of those men was nothing but pure luck, they might not think so highly of his so-called skills.
“Heaven forbid, if ya’ll aren’t qualified, how are we going to catch these varmints?” Will’s eyes sparkled with amusement.
Carson and Logan exchanged glances. In unison, their shoulders raised. Carson felt at ease around the two men. A mutual sense of respect floated in the wide-open country air.
“What we have in the way of the hide, the suspects used a sharp knife to cut the hide and take a few steaks. It appears to be the work of someone who has worked in a butcher shop or slaughter house.” He knelt beside the hide and pointed to a few areas on the carcass, “If you look close here, you’ll see where the teeth of the coyote lay on top of the smooth cut. This indicates the calf was killed by human hands; no signs of sickness or any wounds prior to its untimely death.” Carson leaned back on his heels and stretched his back.
“I see what you mean.” Logan shook his head. “I thought you didn’t go to school to learn this stuff. Judging by the size, it was a healthy calf.”
“My aunt and uncle in New Mexico own a lodge for kids interested in becoming investigators against poachers. I spent a summer with them as a counselor. They taught me all I know about t
his type of stuff.” Carson stood again.
“So where do we go from here?” Will raised his brow.
“Last time you saw Harvey and the two he runs with; did you notice what kind of shoes they were wearing?” Logan turned to Will.
“Harvey wears sneakers. One of the others had on spurs. I assume he had boots on. The other I didn’t see. They were getting in a red pickup pulling a stock trailer with one horse in it. The horse was a nice lookin’ gray mare with a 4S brand. I’d venture to say she was around ten years old and came off the Smith ranch. The third man was already inside, so I didn’t get a good glimpse of him. It was yesterday when I saw them.” Will puffed out his chest.
“You wouldn’t happen to have memorized the license tag?” Carson paused, then laughed.
“No, but the city police pulled them over right after they left the parking lot.” Carson tossed Logan a glance from the corner of his eye. Logan’s brows rose.
“Do you know who the officer was?” Logan asked.
“Nope. I don’t know many members of the police force. I kind of like it that way. It was around two o’clock. They were at the feed store when I got there. River sent me in to fetch a few extra bags of horse feed for Carson’s horses.”
Carson never went anywhere for long without his horses in tow. He may not have much, but, by shuckies, he kept his horses nearby no matter where he landed. His theory was if you can’t drive out, ride out — and he wasn’t much into walking for help. Why waste good saddle time on a pair of boots? The way things were looking, he was thankful he brought them along. It would be right up Harvey’s alley to destroy his horses if he knew he was helping River and her grandpa.
“I’ll make some inquiries when I get to town.” Logan tested the dried plaster. With steady hands, he moved it to the back seat of his four-door pickup.
“What will the charges be? Murder? You know since Harvey hasn’t rustled around here, we have to come up with a charge.”
The frown on Logan’s face disappeared after an instant. “Cruelty to animals for starters.”
“Let me know what you find out.” Carson shook Logan’s hand again. Logan slid in the vehicle and ambled off across the rough terrain.
Will climbed on his horse and waited for Carson. “This thing is eatin’ River’s insides, Carson. She’s all fired up over Harvey and his men harmin’ Grandma Dessie and Grandpa Alvin. A time or two she mentioned Harvey threatenin’ to wallop on the old people. You know how River is with her kin.”
“Yeah, I know how she is. Harvey better think twice before he acts on that idea. Now I’m on the case, and he’ll have me to reckon with. When it comes to beatin’ on the elderly, I take no mercy or prisoners.” His insides shook with the fierce anger he tried to hold in check.
By the time they reached the house, Carson had worked his way into a fighting mode. He couldn’t get the thoughts out of his mind. After brushing down his horse, he left him in the hands of Will. He caught a glimpse of River sitting on the porch. His heart lurched as he pulled his truck into gear and drove into town to visit Moon.
****
“When you gonna take me out of here, Carson? I been waiting around long enough.” Moon eyed his young friend.
“How long before the doctors let you go home?”
“They got me walking with some kind of contraption with four legs.” He pointed to the walker.
“As long as it helps you make progress, I suppose it won’t be long before they kick you out of here.”
“I keep telling them to get me a rocking horse, and I’ll get there faster. How’s my little girl doing?”
“I don’t know how to handle River. I want to get close to her, but every time I get up enough nerve I back out.” Carson’s brow creased, and he ducked his head.
“You can crawl on the back of a thousand or more pound beast and yet one little hundred and twenty-five pound woman scares you? Okay, so that was a bad example, I’d be afraid too.” Moon chuckled. “What a mess you got us in Carson. I’m never gonna have grandchildren.”
Carson’s cell phone rang. “Where do you wanna meet, Gabe?… Yeah, I’m just around the corner. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” He pushed the end call button.
“I have to meet Gabe. He says he has some information on Harvey.” Carson patted Moon on the shoulder, then turned to leave.
“See ya later son.” Moon remained on the porch, eyeing his young friend as he left.
Chapter Seven
River rocked in the chair on the front porch and waited for Carson and Will to return. Hours seemed to pass before the two made it back. Dust in the pasture drew her attention. There was no mistaking the two riders. Anxiety grew to an insurmountable desire to know what they had learned. As the men approached, she could tell by the scowl on Carson’s face to hold her tongue. When he was ready, he would fill her in on the details.
She stood and strolled toward the men. “What did you find out?” she reasoned she had kept quiet long enough. After all, it was her ranch, and the fight was hers; they were just her army. She had every right to know as soon as things happened.
Carson walked past her to his pickup, “I’ll be back in a little while. I got some things I need to check on in town.” He called over his shoulder.
Her fisted hands perched on her hips as she watched him drive down the dusty road. Wondering where he was off to in such an all fired hurry, she walked back to the house to wait for his return.
Will appeared at her side. “He has a few questions he needs answers to.”
“You don’t need to defend his actions, Will.” She pivoted and walked to the house.
“We’re riding back out when he gets back.” Will called out to her.
Pretending not hear what he said, she picked up her pace. The screen door slammed behind her. She took the first turn into her office and shut the door behind her. To her, it seemed like she sat staring out the window for hours awaiting his return.
A short time later, when he did show up it was like Will said. They rode off on horseback without a word to her as to where they were going or what they were up to. Fury from their actions settled deep in her soul.
She didn’t like playing the hurry up and wait game, nor did she like being in the outer loop when it came to her business, but, to keep Carson on she would have to abide by his rules.
A horse nickered and she stepped to the window. Carson and Will stood beside each other talking. This was her chance to find out what was going on. Casually, she strode through the door and stopped beside the two cowboys.
“What did you find out?” Her heart picked up a pace. She sucked in a breath and waited for one of them to respond.
“There’s three people involved. Logan is checking out some other information we acquired.” Carson’s cool demeanor sent chills down her spine. Now wasn’t the time to play the strong silent type. This was her life at stake. She needed answers.
She glared at Carson as he unsaddled and brushed down the horse. “Hope you don’t mind me getting feed and having Will tend to your horses. I have plenty of stables if you trust me with your animals.”
“That’s fine by me. How close to the house are the culprits getting?”
“They’re not coming here. They always hit the pastures. At times, they corner me in town. They’ve only been to the house once.” He didn’t give her another glance while she spoke.
“Seen Gabe in town, he’s going south to talk to authorities down there about Harvey and his extra-curricular activities there. He won’t be back for several days, a couple of weeks at the most.” Carson’s long drawn out accent sent shivers down her spine.
Dazed and confused, she eyed the cowboy. Most men weren’t preoccupied when she talked to them. If it had been anyone other than Carson, she could shrug it off as if there was nothing wrong. He never said another word, just kept right on grooming the animal as if she weren’t any where around.
Tendrils of hurt crept through her body. Hope of his warming up to her fad
ed faster than a mountain in a blizzard. Tolerance, have patience, River. She stalked back to the house. If he wasn’t willing to talk to her about her business, she had nothing to say to him. The sense of something seriously wrong shivered her bones. Her mind raced over the little she knew.
It didn’t take long after she regained her chair on the porch for Carson’s pickup to rev up. There he goes, off to town to his woman. She made her way to the office and stood behind the desk. What a quandary she had made of her life. What would his girlfriend think of him pretending to be in love with her? She hated the last thought, not wanting it to be true.
River’s vision blurred; tears spilled down her cheeks. Confusion set like a ton of waste on her shoulders. Why did he have to be so cold? Mistakes made when we were young and dumb should have been forgiven by now. Why should I care anyway, he sure doesn’t. The thoughts rolled around in her mind. Too much had happened lately for her to worry over one little thing. She had many problems to think about besides Carson.
Her chest tightened and she slumped down in the chair behind her desk. Grabbing up the pen, she pulled the accounting ledger to her. She glared at the numbers and lines on the pages An unexpected tremor shook her hand to set the ink in squiggly lines on the books. A toss of the pen sent it across the room. She walked to the window and watched the dusty trail settle. River fought the urge to scream.
Will showed his face at the office door. “River, do you have a moment?”
“Sure, Will. Come on in.” She straightened her shoulders. “What’s on your mind?”
“He still loves you.” Will ducked his head.
“What? You’re mistaken. Besides, he’s married, I think, or on the verge of it.” She ducked her head.
“No, he’s not. You need to open your eyes. He still has it bad for you. But, that’s not what I came to talk to you about.”