Montana Refuge (16 page)

“Two nights ago? Is that the night you called her from the ranch?”

“Yes. And Roger Trill was at my place when she got off the phone. She was going over there to pretend to see if she could tell if I took anything.” Her lips trembled and tears flooded her eyes. She stepped away, resuming the pacing, her steps clumsy through her tears. “She called George to tell him she was going to be late getting to his place, but he said her voice sounded funny and she was going on about a suitcase or something. He wasn’t sure what she was talking about. But she never showed up and he sent a friend to check on her and she’d been stabbed. What if she told Trill—”

“What if she did?” he said, clutching her arms to keep her from spinning off into space. “Why would he hurt her just because she spoke with you? She didn’t even know exactly where you were.”

“But if she mentioned the call, maybe he wanted her cell phone to try to trace me.”

“He’s a cop, Julie. I think he could subpoena her cell phone records.”

“But that would mean he was being open with his department and that seems unlikely.”

“Then he could have probably talked her out of it. You told me she was worried about you and that he’d fed that worry by making it sound as if you were damn-near suicidal. I bet she would have done whatever he asked. There would be little cause to hurt her.”

She pulled an arm away and mopped her eyes with a sleeve. He handed her a bandanna and she blew her nose.

“Why did she tell her brother she was bringing a suitcase?” Tyler asked. “Was she going to stay with him?”

“I doubt it. His place is really small and there’s a nurse who spends every night from around eleven o’clock until morning. There’d be nowhere for her to sleep. Besides, George sounded confused...” Julie’s voice trailed off as another thought struck her.

“What is it?” Tyler demanded.

“What if Nora found a suitcase and clothes missing from my apartment?”

“But you said you didn’t take anything.”

“I didn’t. But what if that’s why Trill wanted her to come over to my place? What if he’d secretly taken things the first time he was there and now he wanted Nora to confirm stuff was missing to establish that I was truly gone of my own will. Only she knew I hadn’t been home so she’d know he was trying to put something over on her. And what if he saw right through her pretense to believe whatever story he made up, so he killed her and made it look like a bad robbery?”

“That is one hell of a lot of what-ifs,” Tyler said.

“I know.” Her tears had stopped for a few minutes, but now they began again. “Poor George. I don’t know what he’s going to do without Nora. And Tyler, it’s because of me, I just know it.”

He reached out to hold and comfort her but he didn’t say anything. There was nothing he could say that would help, mainly because he thought she was probably right.

* * *

S
OMEHOW
, J
ULIE MANAGED
to pull it together long enough to cook dinner. One of the calves had gotten itself stuck in a deep ditch, so two of the wranglers had to leave to rescue it and a couple of guests went along to help. Therefore, it was a smaller group who came through the chow line.

Andy had finally staggered out of his tent earlier and asked for coffee. She’d served him up a big mug along with the leftover cobbler from the night before. He’d eaten, thanked her, suffered a once-over from Dr. Marquis and gone back to his tent where she suspected he’d spend the rest of the night. His eyes had only barely been half-open, but he’d listened attentively when she explained that she was probably the reason he had been drugged.

Those who had gone after the calf returned in high spirits while Julie dished up hot peach crisp. It was her plan to get the dishes done as soon as possible so she could turn in early. Fatigue had come and gone and now she felt like one of the walking dead. If she was going to get Andy back to the ranch tomorrow and affect an escape from Montana for herself, she needed to be able to think clearly.

What she purposely avoided thinking about was Nora’s death.

Tyler seemed to be waiting until everyone had finished downing a cocktail or two. She imagined he hoped a little alcohol would make his revelations go over easier.

He finally met Julie’s gaze as he stood and tapped a fork against his tin mug. When he spoke, his voice carried over the whole camp. “Folks, please, may I have your attention,” he began.

Every head turned his direction. Julie had the feeling they’d all been waiting for an explanation of the day’s events that came from the source and not the rumor mill. “I want to tell you all that I’m sorry things were a little rough today and that there was so much hanging out by the river. You all deserve an explanation and to be made aware why there are going to be a few changes.”

John Smyth stood up. “Excuse me for interrupting you,” he said, “but we all know what happened. We’ve all talked about it and we all know Julie and Andy are planning on leaving tomorrow morning and frankly, it doesn’t sit well with any of us. As a matter of fact, we’ve unanimously agreed that if she goes back, we’ll all go back. We started this together and we want to finish it together.”

“That’s very nice,” Tyler said, “But you don’t understand the situation—”

“Actually, we do understand it,” John said. “You have a herd to get to pasture and a woman in jeopardy.”

Meg Peterson stood up, waving her hand. “We all understand,” she said. “John and Dr. Marquis filled in some of the blanks for us. We know someone drugged Andy and has taken some deadly actions toward Julie. We won’t hear of her and Andy going off on their own. There must be someone else out there intent on doing her harm. It simply can’t be one of us.”

Julie’s tears were back, but they weren’t the guilt-induced gut-wrenchers from a couple of hours before when she heard about Nora. These were grateful tears as she glanced from one face to another.

“Look at it this way,” John said. “We’re all watching out for her now. We’re all keeping an eye on each other, too, and that’s a good thing. She’s safer here now that things are out in the open. If there’s a stranger up to no good, one of us is bound to see him. If one of us isn’t who they say they are, they are on alert that this is no longer a secret and they’d be well served to back down.”

Tyler shook his head. “Sorry, folks, you don’t know what you’re volunteering for. I’m already taking chances I shouldn’t take. This stunt today was the crowning glory. Any one of you could have been hurt by this culprit’s ruthlessness. You’re not aware of the full scope—”

“Are you talking about what happened to Julie’s sleeping blanket?” John Smyth said.

“You know about that?”

“Not the details, no, but I know there was a problem and it kept you two up most of the night.”

“And how about that arrow?” Bobby Taylor added, gesturing at the arrow still stuck in the side of the wagon. “Heck, we know someone narrowly missed hitting Julie with that thing.”

Julie spoke into the ensuing silence. “I’m so sorry to have impacted your vacations in such a negative way.”

“You mustn’t worry about that,” Meg Peterson said as the three secretaries rushed to Julie’s side.

“We all voted, even the wranglers and cowboys,” one of them said. “We all want to get the herd up to the meadow and we all want to stay together. In fact, you’re sleeping with us tonight in our tent. So, don’t cry.”

“This will be like the Old West,” Meg said.

“Yeah. All of us against the bad guys,” Bobby added.

Julie tried to speak, but she just couldn’t.

“And we’re doing the dishes tonight,” one of the other secretaries added. “You need to get some rest. I can’t imagine how harrowing that river must have been.”

“From now on, Julie, we’re on a buddy system and you aren’t ever going to be alone,” John Smyth added.

* * *

T
HE SECRETARIES WERE
as good as their word. Two of them stayed to wash dishes and the third—Sherry—went with Julie to their tent. Julie laid out her bedroll and opened it completely before getting inside, searching every inch with the flashlight for spiders or other miscreants. Thankfully, she didn’t find a thing.

Julie had thought her eyes would close the moment her head hit the pillow, but oddly enough, she found sleep elusive. Dr. Marquis paid a visit by saying “knock, knock” outside the tent and entering when Sherry opened the flap.

“Tyler told me you had an upsetting telephone call today,” he said, looking from her to Sherry. “I wondered if you’d like a sleeping aid.”

“No,” Julie said, sitting up. “Thanks, but I’ll be fine and I’ll need to be up early to get breakfast going.”

“I’m going to help you,” Sherry said.

Julie started to protest, then thought better of it. Who was she kidding? Company and an extra pair of hands would be great. “Thanks,” she said instead. “I appreciate the offer.”

“The drug won’t knock you out,” the doctor said. “All it will do is relax you so that you can sleep.”

Again Julie shook her head. “Really, thank you, but I’ll be fine.”

“Well, you let me know if you change your mind,” he said, and left.

Tyler was next and this time, Sherry explained she was going to stand outside the tent while they said goodnight.

“Obviously, everyone knows we’re married,” Julie said as the flap closed behind the secretary.

“Everyone knows everything,” Tyler said, but there was a smile in his eyes as he knelt down to perch on his heels beside her.

“I’m sorry about the mutiny on my behalf,” Julie said. “I could sneak away—”

“No, you couldn’t. John organized a camp watch. People are taking shifts, two at a time, I might add, keeping an eye on things and each other.”

“I can’t imagine the guests are finding this situation very enjoyable. Aren’t they worried they could be cavorting with a killer?”

“I don’t think so,” he said, reaching out to smooth a piece of hair away from her eyes. How she wanted him to slide into the bed with her, just to hold her, just to take away some of the pain. How selfish was that?

“You need sleep,” he said. “Good night, Julie.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead.

“If it’s not time for your shift with the herd, maybe you could stay for just a minute?” she asked softly.

He wrapped his big hand around her smaller one. “I can be a few minutes late,” he said. “Lay down.”

She did as he directed.

“Are you warm enough?” he asked, tucking the bedding up around her chin.

She nodded.

He hummed a few bars of the song he usually whistled, a tune she always associated with him, a tune she’d always found comforting. But this time she thought of the bomb John Smyth was waiting to drop on Tyler and her stomach clenched.

Chapter Twelve

Tyler awoke near daybreak out near the herd where he’d thrown his bedroll after his turn at watch. His thoughts immediately jumped to Julie and he rolled up his bed and slung it under an arm before he was fully awake.

Once again the scene that greeted his eyes as he approached camp was infinitely reassuring. Not only was Julie hard at work making breakfast, but two of the Wall Street secretaries were helping her. John Smyth was up as well, flipping pancakes. Even Andy was there, seated on a rock, his mug in his hand. Apparently bad coffee the day before hadn’t turned him off the stuff.

Tyler didn’t know what his mother’s issue was with John, but he’d decided she was wrong about him. Julie trusted him and he’d come through for her. For that matter, he’d come through for the whole group. Many of the wranglers were like Mele—young, relatively inexperienced, especially with violence, more trained in serving people than keeping an eye on them. Tyler decided he’d go along with Julie’s instincts and trust John—up to a point.

Within a couple of hours, the chuck wagon was ready to leave camp, Julie taking the reins, Dr. Marquis riding shotgun beside her, his horse tethered to the back. Andy would ride alongside them.

“Had that thermos for twenty-eight years,” Andy grumbled as he and Tyler hitched up the team. “Like to get my hands on whoever messed with it.”

“Do you have any ideas?” Tyler asked as he nudged Gertie into her harness.

“None. I left it in my saddle bag. Anyone could have doctored it.”

“That’s what I figured,” Tyler said.

“And I was just getting it broke in proper like,” he added.

“Tell you what,” Tyler said, fastening the last buckle. “Get one of those fancy kind that actually holds heat and it’s on me.”

“You’re on,” Andy said. “But what do I do for coffee today?”

Tyler shook his head as he watched Andy ride toward the chuck wagon which soon took off, Julie at the reins, Dr. Marquis seated beside her, Andy bringing up the rear.

The rest of them gathered the strays, and two hours later, took off trailing the wagon. As always, the cattle instinctively found the easiest route while humans worked to keep them more or less together. It was a lot more efficient to keep an animal from straying than rounding them up once they headed off on their own.

Tyler hadn’t ridden this far afield yet this year and he was surprised to find several minor rock slides. He warned the wranglers to keep an extra eye on the poorer riders in the group and was glad the doctor was safely seated in the wagon up ahead.

Was one of them a killer? He couldn’t quite buy the theory of a stranger following along behind, drugging Andy’s thermos when he wasn’t looking, trying over and over again to harm Julie without succeeding.

If the goal was to kill her, then shoot her, already, and get it over with. That meant the goal wasn’t to kill her. But wait...if the goal was simply to scare her or harm her, then why not be more overt? To Tyler, everything pointed toward someone trying to make what happened to Julie look like an accident. A fatal accident.

What would that person do now that the whole camp knew something was afoot? Suddenly, his allowing the guests to override his common sense seemed like a really stupid idea and as they reached the top of the hillside, he came to a conclusion. He would send half the wranglers on ahead with the cattle and half of them back with the guests before something terrible happened. All they needed was a liability suit brought about by injury, or heaven forbid, death. Talk about destroying the ranch...