High Desert Detective, A Fiona Marlowe Mystery (Fiona Marlowe Mysteries) (23 page)

Jake had excused Fiona from taking the midnight to seven watch. He
had insisted that she not stay up since she had to take Opal to the doctor. Fiona
was relieved and disappointed. Jake seemed distant and preoccupied.

Opal had asked Fiona to accompany her into the meeting with the
oncologist. She seemed to be holding up well to the point of even being stoic
about what faced her now. They exchanged small talk on the ride in. Tillie was
never mentioned, and Fiona didn’t bring up the argument, because, after all,
she had been eavesdropping.

At the appointment Fiona learned more than she wanted to know about
leukemia. Cancer was a scary disease, and she was afraid for Opal. She left
when they took Opal for her first chemotherapy treatment which they said would
take about two hours. This was what the week days would look like for the next few
weeks.

Olympia dropped Fiona at the Ford dealership to pick up the new
truck. Olympia had to check out the purchase and walked around the truck, looking
it up and down. She kicked a tire and winced. “Darn, that hurts when you kick
tires. I wonder why people do that.”

“It’s an old saying,” said Rusty, watching Olympia with a look that
Fiona had seen many times on a man when first encountering her friend. It was a
cross between is-she-for-real and this-might-be-the-start-of-something-big.

“Nice rig you’re driving,” Rusty said to Olympia, indicating with
his head the Range Rover.

“I was thinking of trading it in on a truck,” said Olympia.

Rusty shook his head. “If I could afford to drive something like
that I wouldn’t trade it for new or used anything to be perfectly frank with
you.”

Olympia raised her eyebrows. “You might be the first honest car
salesman I ever met.”

Rusty smiled. “Of course, trucks are more practical in a place
like this. But if you aren’t going to be hauling hay or cattle, you can’t go
wrong with a Range Rover. Of course, people might be more willing to steal it.”

“Steal it?” said Olympia.

Rust pressed his lips tight together and nodded. “I know of no
one in these parts that has a Rover and certainly not a red one. It sticks out,
if you know what I mean. People are more understated here.”

Olympia studied the Rover. “I see.”

“Of course, if you don’t live here that shouldn’t be a problem.
You don’t look like you’re from around here.”

“I’m not.” Olympia flashed him a grin. “You are an astute judge
of people.”

“You have to be in the business I’m in.”

“I hate to break this up,” said Fiona, watching with admiration
the interplay between the two. She wasn’t sure if Olympia was working Rusty
over or vice versa. “But I’m here to pick up my truck. I hope this won’t take
long. I have to pick up Opal in a little while.”

Rusty jerked around at the sound of Fiona’s voice. “Yes, ma’am, I’m
sorry. I got caught up talking with your friend.”

“She has that effect on people,” said Fiona.

Olympia waved goodbye to Fiona and had a wink for Rusty. “I’ll
see you back at the ranch, Fiona,” she said as she sashayed to the Red Bomb.

“Your friend is quite a woman,” said Rusty.

“That she is.”

“I never saw a woman wears such sparkly duds. Is she a movie
star?”

Fiona thought for a moment. “She’s pretty famous, but not a movie
star. She’s a sparkler all right.”

When Fiona had signed all the paperwork, Rusty handed over the
keys and gave her a detailed lesson on the amenities of the truck. He paid
particular attention to how four wheel drive worked because he said she was
going to need it living here.

“The owner’s manual is in the glove compartment. Of course, we
are always ready to help, if you have any questions.”

The truck was parked on the side street by the huge garage of the
dealership. She wondered how they stayed in business with so few people in the
surrounding area. Rusty helped her step up on the running board, and she
settled into the big seat. She started her new toy. It purred to life. She
couldn’t help feeling pleased with her purchase. This might be more fun than
her Acura Legend that sat in the garage of her condo back in Northern Virginia.
Rusty waved her off, grinning.

She inched down the side street, getting accustomed to the feel
of the white Ford 150. She glanced at her watch. Opal wouldn’t be ready yet.
She decided to stop by the Sheriff’s office to see if she could catch Hoover.
She wanted to find out if there were any new developments. She didn’t want to
start re-building until they found out who set the fire. And she didn’t want to
re-build if Jake wasn’t going to be owner of the ranch. She wondered what he
would do if he didn’t get Opal’s beautiful ranch. Would he buy a different one?

Hoover was standing in the reception area when she arrived,
talking to the dispatcher.

“Hello, Fiona,” he said, “what brings you into town?”

“I picked up my new truck this morning,” she said, “and I have
time to kill so I thought I’d see if I could catch you in.”

“Let’s see that new rig,” he said. “I take it you are planning to
stay a while.”

They walked out the door to where she had parked her truck on the
street.

“Very nice,” said Hoover. “I bet Rusty sold you this.”

“He did. I kind of like it though it takes some getting used to.”

“You’ll never buy another car after you drive a truck. They can’t
be beat for versatility.”

The bright summer sun beat hot on her head, and Fiona slipped on
her sunglasses.

“Move over here into the shade of this scrawny tree,” Hoover
said. He was in full uniform and wearing the wide brim hat.

Fiona stepped into the shade and looked at him. “I’m thinking to
rebuild the bunkhouse that burned but before I do, I want to make sure that
someone isn’t going to sabotage it again. Do you have any new leads on the arson?”

“Jake sent me a list of past employees, and we’ve gone through
them. Unfortunately, half of them are relatives, the other half are on the
wanted list, and there’s some crossover. We have a pretty wide field to
question, and we’ve had a series of emergencies, and I haven’t gotten to it.”

“Could I see the list?”

Hoover considered. “I guess so.”

“I could interview some of those people for you since I’m a
neutral party.”

“You’re not that neutral. You’re attached to Opal and Jake.”

She shrugged. “I could try.”

Hoover studied Fiona. “Jake might not get the ranch.”

“What do you mean? How do you know?”

“Because I’ve lived in this valley all my life.
Henry’s relations are pretty powerful, and that is a prime cattle operation.
True, Opal made it happen. Opal and that sorry lot of men she gave jobs. That
might have come back to bite her. Some of those guys she tried to save were
unsavory to put it mildly.”

“What happened to the unsavory ones? Can you track them down?”

“We’re working on it. Why don’t you let me do my job? Cool your
heels for a few days. Take that friend of yours sightseeing or shopping or
something.”

Fiona had the distinct feeling she had gotten a pat on the head
and told to go and play. She was not to be put off.

“My friend is thinking of buying a ranch here.”

Hoover groaned.
“Just what we need.
Another city slicker mucking things up.”

Fiona was beginning to wonder how hard Hoover was working on her
case. His heart didn’t seem to be in it. But then she didn’t know him very
well. “Did your deputy tell you I was in here yesterday?”

“He mentioned it.”

She took out her cell phone and pulled up the photo of the gun.
“Here is the gun I told you I found on the knoll.”

Hoover studied the photo. “It’s an old colt 45. Where did you
take this?”

“In the buckaroos’ cabin at Opal’s.
It
was lying on the couch in full view. I’m sure it’s the same one I saw up on the
knoll.”

“Well, then case closed. One of the boys must have left it up
there and went back to retrieve it.”

Fiona didn’t like that answer. For some reason the Sheriff’s tune
had changed. She plopped the cell phone back in her purse. “I’m sorry to bother
you, Sheriff Hoover, and I won’t take up any more of your valuable time. Have a
good day.”

* * * * *

Jake and the boys sat down to lunch at a meal Queenie had
prepared for them. Opal had told him that Queenie would be making the meals.
When he asked what was going to happen with Tillie, was she going to come and
help out, Opal had said not yet. She seemed distant after their talk yesterday,
and he had too much to do to worry about it. Let her take her time. After all
it was her ranch, and she had a terrible illness to come to terms with.

He needed to think of his future because as far as he was
concerned, the handwriting was on the wall. He’d saved up enough money that he
could get a decent spread of his own with help from the bank. It wouldn’t be
the H Bar O, but it would be his and there would be no relatives to contend
with. Fiona might not be a part of Plan B. He’d just have to see.

They sat for a spell after they finished and Sweet said, “Where
are we going to move those cows, Jake?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“We could move them to that BLM lease on the east side. We haven’t
had any of the herd on it this spring.”

“I’ve thought of that but it’s a little isolated. One of you boys
would have to stay out with the herd for a while. We can’t lose any more cows.”

“No problem,” said Glory. “I like sleeping under the stars.” He
was a man who wore a grizzled beard, had the lined forehead of a perpetual
worrier, and a voice that sounded like it came from the bottom of a well.
 

“All right,” said Jake, “we’ll move them in the morning. I’ll
call Rosemary and Esme to see if they can come over and give us a hand. Glory,
ride out there this afternoon. Check the fences and top off the stock pond.”

 
Fiona and Opal came back
while he was in the office checking hay prices and talking to the broker. The
window in the office overlooked the lane into the house. He smiled when he saw
Fiona’s new rig but wondered how things were going to turn out. If Tillie and
company got the ranch, he wondered if Fiona would stay. He liked to think that
she would stay because of him. But he didn’t know for sure.

He walked out to greet them and have a look at the Ford.

“How do you like it?” asked Fiona, standing by the truck with a
smile of pride on her face.

“I believe you’ve fallen in love with a truck,” he said.

“She rides real nice,” said Opal, standing there and admiring the
truck with them.

“How do you feel?” Jake asked her. “How did it go?”

“Didn’t feel anything.
People were all
nice. I’m not even tired, so I think I’ll go in and see if Queenie needs help.”

Jake told her about moving the cows and where. She agreed.

“I wish I could go along on the drive, but I got other things to
do.” And with that she went inside.

Fiona walked over to where Jake stood. “She seems stoic and resigned.
The oncologist said the chemotherapy will affect her energy after a while.”

“She has too much to deal with. Did she say anything to you about
Tillie and the ranch?”

“Nothing.
Not a thing.”

Fiona turned to look at him. “I stopped by to see Hoover while I
was in town.” She pulled out her cell phone. “I showed him this photo.”

Jake looked at the photo. “Is that a gun?”

She nodded and told him where she had found the gun and how she
came to be in the new bunkhouse and then related Hoover’s reactions, and her
feeling that something wasn’t quite right since Hoover’s attitude had changed.

Jake met her gaze. He was glad Hoover’s ardor had cooled for
Fiona. “Hoover can get short sometimes when he’s under a lot of pressure. Don’t
put too much store in his change of attitude. So he didn’t think anything of
your finding the gun?”

“No, he brushed it off.”

Jake studied the photo. “None of the boys ever said anything
about collecting guns or that they were interested in old guns. But I can ask
them.” He handed the phone back to her. “You know, it may not mean anything.
Hoover may be right.”

“I’d probably accept that explanation if my cute little bunkhouse
hadn’t burned to the ground. How could one of them accidently lose an old gun
up on my knoll? I’m suspicious.”

Jake’s smiled. He could hear the detective wheels turning in her
head. “You would be.”

She was not to be put off. “Hoover didn’t seem to approve of some
of the ranch hands Opal hired. I offered to try to track down some of the unsavory
characters, as Hoover called them.”

“Including me.
I had to grow on him. But
I’ve been around long enough now I’m a fossil.”

“That goes to show you that some people can turn over a new leaf.
I’m interested in your employee list and who might now have repented and who
might still be unsavory.”

“I’ll go over it with you, but without the reach of law
enforcement you’re not going to be able to find them. And I’m not so sure it
would be a good idea.”

Fiona shrugged. “I’m trying to help.”

“It’s your detective genes.”

She laughed. “You’re right. Maybe if we teamed up we could solve
this one. We were a pretty good investigative team back in Virginia.”

He smiled at that one.
“All right.
We’ll
have a look at the list, and I’ll tell you what I know about each guy.”

* * * * *

Opal laid her purse on the kitchen table. The room was clean and
tidy, and she had nothing to do. Queenie was a great help, and she wondered if
Tillie came if she’d do as good a job or if she’d just keep things stirred up.
She didn’t need that right now, but she needed to get back to Tillie about her
decision. Lord, she was tired, and she didn’t feel quite right, but she wasn’t
about to let on to anyone about how bad she felt.