Gerard (12 page)

“I’ll have all I need soon. If my dumbassed brother ever gets in and out. Maybe he’ll get caught and I can just not have to tell him where his money went.” Closing his eyes against the pain, Garth decided that he might leave a tip on where to find his brother once he had the money. He liked that idea very much, and was smiling when he felt sleep take him under.

~~~

Susie moved around the office and tried to think what she was doing there. Emma had told her she was perfect for the job, but she had answered the phone wrong twice now, and she wasn’t sure it was a good idea if she was to try a third time. When the stupid thing decided to make a noise again, she actually thought about just ignoring it, but snatched it up anyway.

“Clarke and Banner Law Office.” Well, she got that part right. “How may I help you, please?”

“You sound so professional, my dear. Keep up the good work.” She smiled at Mr. Snow and asked him what she could do for him. “Is Ed around? I have some information on Vance for him, and I’d like for him to check it out.”

“Mr. Clarke is still talking with the men from Kentucky. He just asked me to order in some dinner for them. I’m thinking it’s not going well.” He asked her why. “Well, yesterday when they all left the house, I thought it was a done deal, but then today Mr. Jackson called to say he wanted to make some changes. I’m not sure what it is. And Mr. Banner is talking to the other man…Mr. Rose. I think he’s still working on if he wants any or not.”

“I’m sure it will be fine. And from what I’ve heard, you have some lovely horses out there. I was going to come out and have a look myself. Always trying to branch out. Oh, and before I forget to tell you, I have someone coming out that might want to help you out on the ranch. Her name is…let me see if I can find it in my mess here.” She made notes on things that she needed to pick up at the store on the way home. Gerard said he’d cook and she had to pick up something she wanted. Lately it had been just hamburger, but he said he wanted a steak and all the trimmings. She was going to get it for them too. “Oh yes. Her name is Crosby. Mercedes Crosby. She can work with the horses or any other animal that you might have around. A vet of the highest regard. But a little…well, she’s stressed out over some personal issues, and needs a place to mellow out. Can’t think of any other place for her to do so.”

“Mr. Snow, I don’t know if we can afford to have a vet around fulltime. That’s a lot to have going for us right now.” He told her not to worry about it. “But I have to. If she comes here to work, she’s going to expect to get paid, I’m pretty sure.”

“The RA is paying her wages, and I’m to understand that until she finds her a place to buy, she’s going to be staying at the local hotel. Nice woman—you and the other women are going to just love her.” Susie tried to calm her temper. The RA had, as far as she could see, an endless supply of money. “And they’re paying for her hotel too. Just until things are settled with your end of this.”

She told him that she’d talk to Gerard and see what he had to say. Whoever this Crosby woman was, she was going to be in for a rude awakening if she thought the DD had any funds from their end. At least coming from her and Gerard’s part of the ranch. Last night they’d spent over two hundred dollars on just a pair of boots. They were really good ones, but that was a lot of money for them. And then they’d gone to the grocery store.

After hanging up with Palmer—as he insisted on her calling him—she looked over the files that Mr. Banner had given her this morning when she’d gotten there. Most of it was things like insurance policies, as well as an employee benefit program. She just wanted a job, not all the stuff that went with it that would drain her check before she got it.

When his door opened, she turned to see the two men that had come in when she’d gotten there…Mr. Rose, who owned Rose Racings, and his attorney, Mr. Burks.

Both men shook hands with her and smiled a lot. And when Mr. Burks sat down on the corner of her desk, she felt her cat move along her skin like she wasn’t too happy with him. He only smiled at her.

“Did you know that Mr. Rose owns the finest lanes in the country? Not just the finest, but also to be considered the fastest, as well as having the most winners coming out of his farms. They call them farms in Louisiana.” She had no idea what he was talking about and said as much. “Well, my dear Mrs. Douglas, he wants you to find him a winner. And he’s willing to pay top dollar to have said winner. You are very wealthy.”

“I don’t understand.” He stood up when Mr. Clark’s door opened, and those men came out into her area as well. They had, apparently, decided to go out to dinner. She was glad now that she’d told the restaurant that she’d call them back with a time.

“You can get in touch with your husband, right?” Nodding, she asked Mr. Clark where he was needed. “Dinner. We’re all going to dinner to celebrate. I’m telling you, I’ve never had so much fun. Why don’t you tell the family to come on in? We might as well celebrate in style. And Palmer too. Tell him to get his butt in here too.” The man was nearly giddy, and she found herself smiling when she reached for Gerard.

Do you know what they came to on a price?
She said that she’d not been told, but they were celebrating.
Maybe we have enough to fix the barn roof. The thing just gave way today when we were trying to patch it up. I’m telling you, Susie, if the Mitchells were here now, I’d be hard pressed not to hit one of them. I know that he’s gone and all, but he should have taken better care of his home, if nothing else, for the animals he took in
.

I’m sorry. I wish I could do more to help out. But this job will help us out
. He said he was glad for it in the event that the horses turned out to be a bust.
I love you, but come on into town. The rest of your brothers as well. I’m to call Palmer in, as well as Aunt Georgie
.

After he told her that he’d contact the rest of the family, she picked up the phone to call Palmer. He said that he’d been talking to Ed and was on his way in. He also said that he needed to talk to her too.

“I’m hoping for good news. For you both.”

So was she. There were things that they wanted to do to the house that hadn’t been done by Emma and Holly. The furniture was nice, but she needed new underwear and shoes for the barn. Not necessarily in that order, but she needed them all the same. Thinking how much they might cost, she nearly missed what Palmer said.

“I’m sorry. Did you say that you have a ring for Aunt Georgie?” He laughed and said that he did. “You’re going to ask her to marry you? Tonight?”

“I will if you don’t think it will take away from your night. I’ve been wanting to do if for a while now, but she just keeps changing the subject. Tonight I’m going to get down on my knee and beg her.” She told him she thought that was a wonderful idea and he should go for it. “I think I will. Yes, sir, I really think I will.”

As she left the office with the men, she thought of the man she’d seen earlier hanging around the mill. It was right across the street from her job, so she had a good look at him. He looked like the man that she’d seen at the ranch, but she wasn’t really sure. If she could get near him, then she’d know for sure. It had been dark and he’d been in front of her, not where she could see his face, but she had a feeling that she’d know him for some reason. As she moved out onto the street and into the awaiting car, she looked around. He was there, she was sure. But where? She wasn’t positive. Just the feelings of being watched had her cat humming to be freed.

The restaurant wasn’t ready for a party their size, so she stepped outside to be out of the noise. It was still something she was trying to get used to, all the people in her life now. And when she saw the man again, she turned her back to him as he moved down the street mumbling about cameras and the number twenty-four. As he passed her, she pretended to be window shopping, and when he walked by her, she took a deep breath and thought she’d made a mistake until he touched her arm.

“Hey.” He jerked her around and she stared at him. Someone had burned him badly at some point in his life. His face was scarred badly, his lips were not even, like the skin had melted in the wrong way. His brow was gone over his left eye, and his nose had a smashed in look to it. It was almost grotesque, but she also felt sorry for him. “I know you. You’re that woman that’s been hanging around the ranch. And you pushed me in the fire. You burned my hands that night. I had to buy some medicine so it’d not get all pus-like. You owe me for that. Okay?”

“No, it’s not okay. You were trying to burn down my house.” He grinned at her and told her that was the plan. “Why?”

“I like the pretty colors when it goes up. Did you know that if there is other things in the house, like cotton and stuff, it’ll make such pretty colors? I love to see that. But my brother said that I can’t be playing around here. He’d get caught and I’d be in deep shit, he said, if there was nobody to take any care of me.” She nodded, not sure what he was talking about but said nothing. “You’ll have to come with me now. He said that if I seen you again, I’m to bring you to him. He’d like a word or two with you. My brother sure is mad at them Douglas guys. You know them? He said they messed things up bad for him and me.”

“I don’t want to go with you. I’m having dinner with my husband.” He looked around and then back at her. “They’re coming now. You can join us if you want. I’m sure that they’d like that. We’re having steak and fries I think. And pie for dessert. You like pie, don’t you?”

“I like cupcakes better. They gots them lots of icing on them. I’m hungry, that’s for sure. But I and my brother have to get the money so we can go away. I’m going to buy me an island and have naked women waiting on me hand and feet…foot. He said it was hand and foot.” Susie nodded and saw Gerard, Darin, and Zach coming toward her. She stopped them but told them to play along.

“There they are now. See, you guys don’t mind if he joins us, do you? He’s the man that was trying to burn our house down.” She was careful not to say any names and warned them not to either. She didn’t know why, but she was thinking he might spook if he knew they were the Douglas family. “He was telling me about his brother. I didn’t catch his name.” She looked at the scarred man and waited.

“My brother is Garth Vance. He used to run the mill until he was caught stealing. Now me and him are gonna get our stash and go away. It’s the only way I can have me my island.” Mason came out too, but he stayed back when she asked him to. She had no idea why, but she thought perhaps this man knew what he might look like. When the man with her started telling the rest about the island and the women, she reached out to Mason.

He is the brother to Garth Vance. Why does that name sound familiar besides running the mill?
He told her.
So he’s the man that tried to have you all sent out on a rail for nonpayment of bills? This guy was in on that?

No. Not him, but I do know who he is. I think everyone does, as a matter of fact. His name is Howard Vance. He’s been in and out of mental hospitals for years. He killed a bunch of people when he was younger…young girls, I think. That’s how he was burnt. I guess one of the girls in the building fell against him when she was…. Never mind. He’s not right.
She told him she’d figured that already.
I don’t understand. What’s he doing here now?

He’s the man that tried to set fire to the house that night. And he was telling me about a stash in the mill.
He took a step toward them.
Mason, if you spook him now, we’ll never find out where his brother is, and I’m pretty sure a lot of people want to know that.

He’s wanted by the FBI as well as state and local police. I’m pretty sure that…this stash, did he say how much was in it? From what I’ve heard from Palmer, there are millions missing. Not just in money he got from ranchers, but from insurance fraud, double billing of companies he dealt with, and a number of other things.
She told him that all he’d said was that he was going to buy an island.
So they’re planning to scat. If you had asked me, I would have thought that he’d already left town. But if he’s waiting to collect on some money, that could explain it.

That’s what I’m assuming. And you should also know that he has no remorse about trying to burn down the house. It’s as if he has no idea that it’s wrong. And his brother, do you suppose he encourages him to do this? Burning down houses? It would explain the fact that they have money and the insurance fraud, right?
He asked her if she meant insurance that might pay off on land they might own
. Yes. I mean, if his brother is doing this, it only stands to reason that he knows, and why not make a little off his addiction?

Christ.
Mason didn’t come any closer, but she could see that he wanted to. Not only that, but she was sure that given the chance, he might shake the shit out of Howard and make him tell him everything there was to know. Like where the stash was.

I think we should go about our business and let him go.
He asked her why.
Because he’s not going to help us find his brother, I’m sure of it. And even if he did, the most we could hope for is he gets taken away and his brother runs again. I’m betting we won’t find him at all if he does.

All right. But I’ve called Paddy. He’s going to have one of his men follow him, and he’s going to have someone watch wherever Vance is. I don’t want either of them running, but I certainly don’t want the mill to go up in flames, or one of our homes.
She agreed with him, and the others walked away.
I don’t know if I’d tell him not to tell his brother he talked to you. If he doesn’t know your name, he might not know anyway. But just be careful with him. I’m not going anywhere until he’s gone.