Whisper In The Dark (The McKinnon Legends-- The American Men Book One) (7 page)

The chronology of the events made sense to him. What he did not know was if they had gotten what they were after. What were they after? Sheriff Maxi knew as well as anyone the legends of the buried treasure. However, that theory would not go into any official report.

If Kyle’s assailants did gain what they were after, had they then turned Kyle loose and he had he died on his way back to the house? Or did the drug react quickly enough that they knew he was dying and left him for dead? That was a question he knew Kate would eventually ask, and he did not have the answers for her.

“Why was Kyle way out there in the middle of the property in his truck?” Brice watched Robert closely. The question was clearly on Robert’s mind, too.

Robert shrugged in a noncommittal response.

That bothered him as well. Usually horses or an ATV with four-wheel drive was a safer bet in such terrain. Kyle was nowhere near the fence line, so that was not his purpose for being there. And it was obvious he had not just happened upon his attackers. He was there for a reason. What was the reason? Maybe it was just because it was so isolated. If it had not been for the dogs, they might not have found him for days or even ever. Eight thousand acres was a lot of ground to cover, and his truck had gone down into a small ravine. Helicopter or light plane would have been the only way to see it unless he was lucky enough to be happened upon by chance.

Then there was the use of the drug that was a puzzle unto itself.

How common was the drug? How easily could someone get his hands on it? With the age of the Internet, it might be just as easy as the click of a mouse.

These were questions he needed the answers to and fast. Kate’s life just might depend on those answers.

Brice’s whining brought Robert back to the present.

“I will leave when Katherine asks me to leave. Until then you are just going to have to deal with me. Whoever killed Kyle and attacked George could go for her next.”

“And you figured that one out all by yourself? I’m impressed, Brice. Why are you curious as to what George knows?”

“For the same reasons that you are wondering.”

Robert seriously doubted that was his sole purpose, but decided not to interrupt. Most people do not like silence and will talk just to fill the void.

“If George knows something about his attacker or why he was attacked, then he needs to tell us everything he knows.”

Robert was not in agreement. “Not until he can talk to Maxi.”

“I’m sure it was an accident. It was probably a mistake. Maybe they did not know it was George and just reacted. For God’s sake, McKinnon, George is an old man.”

“Yes, we can agree on the fact he is old, and I do not think he was the target, Brice. I think you might be close to the truth that it was an accident. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. He interrupted the person who attacked him. If they were going to kill him, they would have killed him last night when there was no one to stop them.” Robert shook his head. “The person responsible for this was looking for something, and he interrupted them while they were in the process. And I think I know what they were looking for that would be worth the risk of discovery.” He dangled the carrot out in front of Brice to see if he would take the bait.

He was positive the man from the shadows would be back. The question was when. Chase and Reese were already at the house along with three other highly trained hired guns. Having Mason, his baby brother, on board with them would have made it better. Unfortunately Mason was currently unavailable. Which was truly a shame. The truth was Chase nor he had any idea where Mason was at the moment and had not heard from Mason in several weeks. If he did not check in soon then and only then would he have Chase send out the dogs to sniff Mason out of whatever high-risk endeavor Mason was currently entangled.

Chase and his team were certainly enough for the moment and if whoever attacked George was thinking to return tonight while they were here and away from the ranch, the guy would be in for a surprise. Chase's covert operations team was the best McKinnon-Bride's money could buy. The assailant would not know the team was there until he was past the point of no return.

“You know what they were after?” Brice went deadly still.

“What could they possibly be looking for, Robert?”

Katherine’s sleep-filled question abruptly stopped any further conversation.

Katherine sat up and stifled a yawn before going on.

“He was in the bunk house. Anything of value is in the house, and most of that is only valuable to me as family mementos and such. I’m sure Kyle had funds in the bank, and anything of real value is locked in the safety deposit box. Thaddeus was the one with the aversion to using a bank, not George or Kyle.”

“Thank you, my lovely Katherine. You have just made my point,” he said kissing her on the forehead. It was just too tempting to pass up, especially in front of Brice. Childish and beneath him, he knew, but still it felt good to twist the knife just a little in Brice’s pride that he was the one who currently held the real prize of the Golden Circle.

Kate sighed. “Not you, too? Oh, Robert, the fortune is just a myth. It is the stuff of good bedtime stories and conspiracy theories,” she scoffed waiving the idea off completely as myth.

Brice saw his opening to discredit and undermine the foothold he saw Robert had gained.

“No, Katherine. You are wrong. There is fortune to be gained from Brandenburg land. Why do you think my father has been jockeying to get his hands on it for as long as we all can remember? And he almost did fulfill that dream. Understand, Katherine, I did not agree with my father’s tactics, but he had Kyle by the short hairs. Until nine o’clock tonight Dad owned a note. Default on that note would have fulfilled his life-long obsession to own the Golden Circle.”

“What happened at nine this evening, Brice?” Kate drilled holes through him.

“Langston,” Robert warned. “Don’t do this to her. Not like this, Brice.” Robert knew he had been out maneuvered by one slippery bastard. “Kate, Listen to me. I can explain.”

“Explain what, Robert?” She pushed up and out of his embrace.

Brice knew he had Robert cornered and it was a heady feeling. It did not happen often that he could out maneuver a McKinnon, especially Robert who was sharp as a blade. He took full advantage never once caring how it would affect Katherine.

“Lover Boy there pulled a fast one, Katherine. He called my father away from a much needed holiday, dragging him back from Colorado, just to pay off Kyle’s note to obtain the note for himself.”

Katherine whipped around to Robert. “What note? What is he saying Robert? The ranch is leveraged?”

Robert sighed deeply. He might as well be honest now that the cat was out of the proverbial bag.

“He is saying more than that, Kate.”

“Robert?” She did not like the look in his eye. He looked guilty.

“Unless you can come up with three million dollars, I own the Golden Circle.”

The week following that revelation was horrible for Katherine. Brice came every day to the hospital regardless of the fact she really did not want to see him. Her ex-husband called sending his condolences for Kyle’s death.

Flowers arrived from her mother and stepfather. The handwriting on the card belonged to Lucy, their housekeeper.

George had developed pneumonia and was still in the hospital with the bills steadily piling up. She did not resent him knowing she would find a way to pay. The doctor let George out of bed just long enough to hold a small private service in the hospital chapel. Kyle’s funeral had been the most excruciating experience of her life.

Robert and his sister, Eve, were waiting in the hallway when she exited with Kyle’s ashes neatly placed in the marble urn. They had not come inside. She would not have begrudged or prevented Robert attending the service. He was not the one who killed Kyle, and he was Kyle's friend. However, she was relieved she did not have to see him during the services and suffer the mortification of having someone besides George see her crying hysterically alone in the pew.

Robert was heartbroken listening to her sobs as he stood in the long, sterile hallway. He wanted desperately to go to her, however, feeling it best that he hang back. If she needed him he would be there, even though the chances of her asking for his assistance were slim to none.

She refused to let him pay for the services, regardless of the fact Mr. Andrews, the funeral director, had already accepted payment from him. She demanded his money be returned immediately. Instead, she asked Mr. Andrews to agree to a trade for the charges. Agreeing, he accepted Kyle’s single vice, season tickets to the Dallas Cowboys football games for the upcoming season. Along with those tickets came a beautiful diamond broach Robert knew for a fact had been in her family for generations. He did not dare go behind her back again even if he did want to retrieve the family heirloom. He had asked Mr. Andrews to hold it for thirty days. Even he still had enough presence of mind to know that purchasing the broach out-right would push her way past angry. And if that were to happen he knew he would never be given the opportunity to apologize properly to her, even though, truthfully, he did not feel he had any reason to apologize. He had bailed her out at considerable expense to his bank account. She really should be thanking him. However, that was not why he did it, but if saying he was sorry was necessary, then he would say the words and mean them, only she wasn’t speaking to him.

He had tried to call and went by the ranch often to try and talk to her. She was not there much, but when she was, she had not come to open the door. She let the answering machine pick up all her messages even when he knew she was there. He figured she was sleeping.

Most of her days and nights were spent up at the hospital seeing to George’s recovery.

After a week Katherine was numb with exhaustion and past the point of clear thought. Yet, she knew as George’s only family, it was up to her to see to it he continued to receive the best of care. Losing count of the hours, she had no idea even what day it actually was and loathed to say anything, but she needed to try and clear her head.

Poking her head out George’s hospital room door, she asked the one person who always seemed to be there.

“Robert, what day of the week is it?”

He immediately stood and walked to the doorway. “Wednesday. Kate, please, will you just go home and get some sleep. If you won’t let me take you, then I’ll get one of my men to take you home. You’re asleep on your feet, Baby.”

“No. I cannot leave him alone. What if he needs something?” She shook her head. “I’m staying.”

“I am perfectly capable of seeing to his care, Kate. I will personally stand watch until you return,” he offered in earnest.

This was not the first request by any stretch. Robert thought she looked like walking death. Her eyes were darkly rimmed and he would swear she had lost weight and feared at any minute he would be admitting her into the bed right next to George. He hoped she would relent. Her answer was not any different than the previous two dozen attempts to get her to think about her own health.

She told him no.

All he said each time in reply was, “Yes, Ma’am.”

What else could he say? What he really wanted to say would only prove counter productive, and if he stood there much longer he would not be held responsible for throwing her over his shoulder and forcibly removing her.

She, on the other hand, wanted to whack the neutral look right off his face.

“Just go away and leave me alone,” she snapped back at him.

“Is that the way you really feel, Kate?”

“I never took you for an idiot, Robert. I think I have been very plain for the last six or seven days,” she said standing there with her arms crossed using the door jam just to keep her upright.

“No, I’m no idiot, and I’ve no desire to stay where I’m not needed. Good day, Miss Brandenburg,” he said politely tipping his hat before walking away.

She found herself almost wanting to cry when he turned down the hall and out of sight without a backward glance.

"Robert, I'm sorry," came her soft apology just a little too late.

Two days came and went and she did not see him again. Some other men were always there standing watch outside George’s door. She let them stay only for George’s safety. If even a sane and logical man such as Robert believed there was treasure, then who knew how many nut cases were out there just waiting to kill Old George for the prospect of hidden gold.

Sheriff Maxwell came by the morning of the second day after they had words to serve the official papers from Robert’s attorney. Along with those papers was a hand written note from Robert asking she go see Mr. Lyles, the family lawyer.

That was the one request from Robert she would follow up on just as soon as she could.

“Ms. Brandenburg, Mr. Lyles will see you now.” The pretty redhead politely informed her from behind the mahogany reception desk of Lyles, Petty, Coker, and Yarbrough, Attorneys at Law.

She was ushered into the tastefully decorated office of the attorney she remembered her father using for anything and everything he needed done legally.

Mr. Lyles stood and walked around the desk to shake her hand.

“You’re all grown up, Katherine. You look a lot like your mother. How is she these days?” the elderly gentleman asked.

“I would not know, Mr. Lyles. She and I never speak.”

“Sorry to hear that, but it happens. Never makes it easier though does it?” He smiled indulgently much like her grandfather used to do. It was comforting.

“No, sir.” She sat down in the chair he gestured for her to have a seat.

“Well, enough about your mother. I assume you are here about Kyle and the estate?”

“Yes and no,” she said handing him the promissory note Robert gave to her after she demanded to know the truth.

Mr. Lyles leaned back in his executive chair after pulling his glasses off his head. Slipping them on his nose he then began to read.