High Desert Detective, A Fiona Marlowe Mystery (Fiona Marlowe Mysteries) Read online

  Jake was trying hard to keep a lid on his feelings and a civil tongue in his head. He replied very evenly, “Maybe they should be out on the street. They’ve been sucking the life out of this ranch for years. Maybe then they’d have to grow up and be accountable.”

  “I know you can’t understand this, not having any relations asking you for money.”

  “You have a soft heart, Opal. It doesn’t have anything to do with understanding. I’d tell them to get out and make it on their own. How else will they learn?”

  Opal sighed. “I promised Tillie’s mom before she died that I’d look after them. We both knew she never had much of a chance to make a decent living with all the bad choices she’s made.”

  Jake had heard this one before. “You promised all Henry’s brothers and sisters you’d look out for their kids.”

  Opal didn’t say anything. The psychology of the whole thing was beyond him. He never understood her attachment to Henry, who was long dead, and his endless family. He listened to the quiet of the late afternoon. Queenie was cleaning in the other end of the house to the faint whir of the vacuum cleaner. Off in the distance a cow was calling for her calf which reminded him he had a thousand other things to do. He needed a beer but didn’t want to leave the room. They needed to have this discussion. They needed to work out the future of this ranch.

  Opal looked at him. “I don’t know how to say this Jake, but here goes. I might not be able to sell the ranch to you. I may have to divide it up among the relations so they have a place to live and a way to make a living.”

  Jake studied her with a frankness that made her look away, unable to sustain his gaze.

  He said, “I know how hard that decision is for you to make.”

  She nodded. “It will break my heart. I got to have more time to think. I thought when I had Albert’s estate settled and all my side of the family off my back, that I’d get some breathing room.” She shook her head. “Somehow I thought old age would be easier than this. I didn’t sign up for this part.”

  “You haven’t had any breaks lately.”

  “There’s more. I’m thinking to give Howie a job here, let Queenie go and hire Tillie to help me around the house. I don’t know how the chemotherapy treatments are going to go. My energy hasn’t been good. Tillie might be a big help.”

  “What about Fiona? What about the big speech you gave to Tillie about not needing her help around here?”

  “I didn’t know how bad things were for them.”

  It was time for him to get that beer. He was going to say things that later he’d wish he’d never said, and Opal didn’t need his coming down on her, not with all she had on her mind.

  “I got things to do.” He rose to leave.

  “Jake,” Opal said, “do you remember what you were like when you came here to work?”

  He stopped and looked at her. “Yes, I remember,” he said at a near whisper.

  “No one had much hope for you.”

  “No, I was a real loser.”

  “And look how you turned out.”

  “If it weren’t for you, I’d be a Howie today.”

  “I know you think I’m crazy. I don’t know if there is any Howie and Tillie to save, but I have to try. I’ve never believed that we were all created equal. Some of us got the short end of the stick. As St. Paul said, we have to bear one another’s burdens.”

  “That he did. Now I better get to the thousands of things I have to do.”

  “Jake.”

  He waited.

  “Thank you for all you’ve done for me. I probably don’t say that often enough. Let’s see how things go. Don’t give up hope.”

  He nodded. “There is one other option. If you sell the ranch to me, you’ll have lots of cash, and I’ll have all the bills to worry about, not you. Think about it.”

  * * * * *

  Fiona and Olympia ended up at Lauren Brooks’ shop to consult with her on places to live and who was the best realtor in town.

  “I think the best realtor is an independent broker I know, who’s lived here forever and knows the valley inside and out.”

  “Thanks,” said Fiona. “Does she have an office?”

  “She works out of her home. I’d call first because she’s probably out showing places. What are you gals up to? People are still talking about the last time you were in town.”

  Was it possible that Olympia was actually blushing, thought Fiona. She could feel her own face turning beet red. “We aren’t that infamous, are we?” she said.

  Lauren laughed. “This is a small town, you have to remember.”

  “I keep forgetting,” said Fiona. “We thought we’d take in a movie. Any suggestions?”

  “There’s only one movie house in town so that should be easy. Better take a warm jacket because the operator keeps it about ten below in there at all times, doesn’t matter the season.” She looked down at their feet. “I wouldn’t wear sandals. There are reports of little critters that scurry across people’s feet.”

  “Yuck,” said Olympia. “Critters? Only one theater in town? We better go when we’re properly attired in parkas and snow boots.”

  Lauren laughed. “I don’t know what’s more exciting, the movies they have or what happens in the theater.”

  Fiona exchanged glances with Olympia. “Maybe another time. We’ll try to keep a low profile while we are here. No drinking with gold miners, you hear, Olympia?”

  “Wouldn’t dream of it. I’ve turned over a new leaf.”

  Back in the Red Bomb Fiona said, “I want to go by the Sheriff’s office and see if Hoover is there.”

  The office and county jail were only a mile down the road and up on the promontory that gave Rocky Point its name.

  Fiona pulled into a slanted parking place in front of a two-story brick building painted a distressing shade of pink. “That is not a very manly color for a jail,” she said.

  “Maybe it’s a jail for women only,” said Olympia. “I’m excited to see the new love of my life.”

  They walked into a tiny waiting area. A woman sat behind a glass partition. “May I help you, gals?”

  “We’re looking for Sheriff Hoover,” said Fiona.

  “I don’t think he’s here. Let me check. He was called out a little bit ago.”

  The woman left her station and walked into a back room. A deputy, the one who was at the hot springs the day of the accident, came out to meet them.

  “The Sheriff isn’t here at the moment,” said Deputy Nathan Brown. “Is there something I can help you with?”

  “I wanted to show Sheriff Hoover a photo of an old gun I found at the site where the bunkhouse burned on Opal Crawford’s place. I found it and didn’t move it and when we went back to see it when Sheriff Hoover came, it wasn’t there. But I found it on the couch of the new bunkhouse. Let me show you.”

  The deputy had remained silent while Fiona ran through her story. He looked at the photo she showed him. “That could be any gun, anywhere. I’m not sure what you think the significance of the photo is.”

  “It proves that there was a gun.”

  He shrugged. “It could be anyone’s gun. How do you know it is the same gun as you found at the burn site?”

  Fiona was feeling more than frustrated. “I don’t but I thought it was worth mentioning. That’s all. Would you tell Sheriff Hoover that we were here and why? I’d appreciate it.” She gave him a bright smile that she didn’t feel. She had wanted him to be fantastically interested in her brilliant piece of detective work and tell her what a great clue it was. What she got was a glancing blow to her ego.

  Back in the Red Bomb, Olympia, who had remained admirably silent through the whole exchange with the deputy, said, “Fiona, what were you doing in the buckaroos’ house?”

  “Looking for you.”

  “For me? You mean, you thought I had shacked up with the guys?”

  “Yes. That isn’t unusual for you.”

  Olympia was silent for a few moments
then said, “I have turned over a new leaf, truly Fiona. My past behavior shocks even me.”

  Fiona shrugged. “I went down there thinking you had spent the night with Sweet. The door was open. I walked in and called for you. No one was there. I saw the gun that had disappeared from the burn site on the couch. I’m sure it is the same one.”

  “Let me see the photo.”

  Fiona brought it up and handed the phone to Olympia.

  She studied the photo for a moment and then said, “You can’t see the gun very well, but it does look old and rusty. It might not be the same gun. You might be chasing down a rat hole with this one.”

  “Maybe, but if it is the same one, how did it end up in plain sight on their couch? And what was it doing up on my knoll?”

  “Hard to say.”

  “Maybe it was one of the ghosts that live on my knoll. Maybe they are playing havoc with the evidence.”

  “Ghosts? The plot thickens. Tell me more. I love a good ghost story.”

  Fiona told her friend about ghosts rumored to inhabit her knoll and how they had been exorcised.

  “Then, of course, they’ve come back,” said Olympia.

  “Maybe,” said Fiona. “Or their human incarnations.”

  Olympia rubbed her hands together. “This is getting really exciting. Where to now? I’d like to drive around the neighborhood and see what houses are for sale. I’d kind of like a place outside of town, preferably not haunted. But I have a ghost tolerance policy. Nice reclusive place for the solitary art of writing. Just me and one handsome male ghost. I’ll require internet service. How far to the nearest airport?”

  “Boise. Three and a half hours by car.”

  “I may need my own helicopter pad in that case.”

  Eleven

  Wednesday morning Fiona drove Opal to the doctor in the Red Bomb. Olympia, still on her new leaf, had gotten up early and rode in with them. She had an appointment with the realtor that Lauren had suggested. Yesterday they had driven around Rocky Point looking at houses for sale that might be of interest. But Olympia’s heart was now set on a ranch.

  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?”
r />   “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.”