High Desert Detective, A Fiona Marlowe Mystery (Fiona Marlowe Mysteries) Page 6

  “You two don’t let up,” said Fiona with a smile. “Opal, we better get on with our shopping, or we’ll never finish.”

  It didn’t seem to bother Opal that the shopping hadn’t started. She was a slow shopper, but they finally got the wire, gloves, seeds, and other commodities that the modern ranch woman needed. The next stop was the furniture shop.

  Fiona stopped at the door and looked around the large showroom. She could tell by what she saw in the front row of sofas that there wouldn’t be much here that she liked. She wondered about having a sofa built to her specifications which she had done before. At least she could look for a decent mattress and box spring. They ran into more people Opal knew. Fiona began to despair of spending any money.

  Then Brewster walked into the store.

  “I’m glad I found you,” he said. “I heard you were in town and came looking for you. I heard about the goings on out there at the hot springs, and I got an idea about who that might have been. I hear you are a pretty good detective.”

  Fiona’s ears perked up, and she leaned forward in anticipation. “Word certainly travels fast in this town. What do you know?”

  Brewster motioned her over to the side aisle out of hearing of the couple that Opal was talking with.

  “I have a friend who was supposed to visit me a while back. She never showed up. I didn’t think much of it because I didn’t know her well, and she said in passing that she was going to stop by and never did. Now that I think about it, maybe it was her. Maybe she was in some kind of trouble.”

  Fiona said, “What did your friend look like? I mean, did she wear jeans and plaid shirts because that’s what came up with the bones.”

  “Anyone could have dressed a body in those clothes. Maybe they did it to throw everyone off the trail.”

  “You better take this story to the Sheriff.”

  “Can’t do that. Sheriff Hoover and I have had a run in on more than one occasion. You tell him.” And with that he turned and stalked off.

  “Wait a minute. You didn’t give me any details. And I never said I’d do it. I’m not that good a detective,” she said to his retreating back. But he was already out the door. Fiona sighed. The man was an odd one. That didn’t bode well for her remodel project.

  “May I help you?”A slender, stylish young woman had come up behind Fiona. She was simply dressed in black slacks and a short sleeve pastel top, the first woman in town Fiona had encountered that wasn’t wearing jeans. She had a pleasant smile and a non-threatening countenance, perfect for a sales woman.

  “I’m not sure,” said Fiona. “I need some furniture and a bed, but I didn’t see anything in the showroom I like.”

  “We can order anything you want. I have tons of catalogs.”

  “That would be great.”

  “My name is Lauren, I own the store. Are you new in town?”

  “Why, yes, I am. I’m re-modeling an old bunk house, and I’ll need furniture and drapes.”

  “You’ve come to the right place,” said Lauren.

  * * * * *

  On the drive home, Fiona felt better, having made the acquaintance of Lauren Brooks, who had displayed impressive expertise in home fashion. The new bed would be delivered in two days. The new living room furniture was on order and would arrive after the re-model was complete. Opal’s purchases were in the truck bed, including a submersible pump, a roll of barb wire, fence posts, and tools that Jake had ordered. Fiona was in a fine frame of mind and looked forward to a glass of wine while watching the sun go down over her new albeit dilapidated home.

  She had been lost in redecorating schemes in her head when she saw the flashing lights in the rear view mirror. She glanced at her speed. Seventy five miles per hour. She couldn’t believe she was being pulled over.

  Opal looked behind. “He must have been sitting up on the ridge, waiting for us. That’ll be Scooter Brown. He’s a state policeman. That’s his favorite spot to nab the unwary motorist. I forgot to warn you.”

  Fiona sighed. Just what she needed was another speeding ticket. She pulled over to the side of the road. The police car zoomed around and parked in front of her. She rummaged in her purse for her license.

  “It’s a good thing you were driving, Fiona. Scooter said he’d take my license the next time he caught me.”

  Fiona looked at Opal. “You get speeding tickets?”

  She grinned. “Sure. Once I got a DUI. But I had hardly anything to drink. Scooter was feeling mean that day. He can be ornery when he wants. Smile pretty, and you’ll get off with a warning.”

  Scooter appeared at the driver’s window.

  “I didn’t recognize the driver of Opal’s fine rig,” he said. “I thought maybe someone had stolen it, though I couldn’t imagine who would want it. I see the owner is in the cab with you.”

  “Yes, sir, she is. I drove her to town to shop today, and we are on our way home.”

  Opal leaned over and smiled. “Hi, Scooter. This is our new neighbor. She’s moving into that old bunkhouse.”

  “I see. May I see your license? Do you realize you were doing eighty in a fifty-five mile per hour zone?”

  Fiona handed over her license and smiled her brightest. She was sure she had been doing seventy-five but she didn’t want to argue just yet.

  “I see, Miss Marlowe, that you are from out of state and that your license has expired.”

  “What?” said Fiona. “That can’t be possible.”

  “It says here it expired last month.”

  “I’m sorry officer, but I just got back to the States from Australia, and I came out here right after and with everything I must have overlooked the bill for my renewal.”

  “I see,” said Officer Brown. “I’m sorry I’m going to have to give you a ticket. We don’t like people driving on our roads without a proper license, and you were travelling twenty-five miles over the speed limit.”

  “Twenty,” she said.

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “Officer, sir, I was only going seventy-five, I looked at the speedometer when I saw you in my rearview mirror. It said seventy-five.”

  Opal piped up. “Sorry about that Scooter. My speedometer might be a little off. That’s my fault. She didn’t know.”

  Scooter squinted up at Opal. “I’ve warned you about that before, Opal.”

  “Yes, you have. But I’ve been busy with the ranch and all, and I haven’t gotten a chance to get around to it.”

  Officer Brown pulled out an electronic device and started punching.

  “Opal, you need to get the speedometer fixed. And you, Miss Marlowe, are going to have to pay a fine for having an expired license and for speeding.”

  Fiona and Opal sat in silence while he finished. The little machine spit out two skinny pieces of paper. He handed them to Fiona and touched his hat.

  “Ladies, have yourselves a great evening.”

  This was a day spoiler as far as Fiona was concerned. She wasn’t sure how many more speeding tickets she could afford. Officer Brown turned to go then paused and turned back.

  “You’re the lady found the skeleton in the hot springs, aren’t you?”

  Fiona frowned. Was she going to get another ticket for that? She wasn’t sure how much she wanted to say.

  “She sure is,” Opal said, solving the problem.

  “I heard the diver pulled up more bones than fit one skeleton.”

  “Where’d you hear that?” Fiona asked. She couldn’t help but be interested.

  “I heard it on the police radio while I was waiting for speeders.”

  “Did they say anything else?”

  “It’ll take them a few days to thoroughly search the site. Sheriff Hoover said he thought you have impressive detective skills.”

  “He said that on the police radio? He has an inflated view of my abilities.”

  “I talked to him last night. We keep in touch. He won’t be pleased to hear you are a speeder though. We don’t like speeders on these roads. They�
��re dangerous.”

  Fiona was not about to say she hadn’t seen many people observing the speed limit here and why was he picking on her.

  “Thank you for the information, Officer. We appreciate being kept up to date on the latest development on the hot springs bones,” she said.

  Officer Brown tipped his cap. “My pleasure. Every little detail might help solve the case.”

  They watched him get back in his car. Fiona wondered if she were part of the investigating team. She couldn’t imagine the standard issue law enforcement officer wanting a rookie on their team. But then she was starting to learn that not much was standard issue out here.

  She started the engine, deciding to have two glasses of wine if she ever made it home. The engine coughed, sputtered and died. She cranked it again. It wouldn’t catch.

  “Old Faithful does this sometimes,” Opal said. “Wait a little bit and try again. Might be a little dirt in the fuel filter.”

  “What else can go wrong today?” Fiona asked.

  “Don’t worry. We’ll get her going any minute.”

  Fiona tried again, but the old motor didn’t fire although it sounded like it wanted to. Officer Brown was waiting for them to leave. He got out of the car and came back to their truck.

  “What seems to be the trouble?” he asked. “The usual?”

  Opal said, “Might be the carburetor this time.”

  “Pop the hood,” he said. “This isn’t the first time I’ve had to look under the hood of this old rig.”

  “Try it again,” he said.

  Fiona compiled. It caught but she had to keep gunning it to keep it going.

  Officer Brown slammed the hood.

  “You need to have it looked at when you get home. I’ll follow you to the turn off to the ranch.”

  The little caravan moved on down the highway, Officer Brown bringing up the rear, Old Faithful bucking her way home. When they made it to the turn off, Officer Brown flashed his lights and kept on going. As luck would have it, Old Faithful made it halfway along the dirt road to the ranch and then quit on them for good. No amount of cranking, swearing, and waiting helped.

  “It’s not far to walk,” said Opal. “The evening is cooling down. We’ll be back at the ranch in no time.”

  Fiona slammed the door of the truck after she spilled out of the seat. She had been here less than a week, and she had already had more adventure than she needed.

  “We’ll get the rest of the stuff in the morning,” Opal said. “A walk will do us good. It’s a lovely evening. We could call Jake but there’s no cell signal here. I’ve tried before.”

  Fiona sighed and fell in beside Opal. Someone gave a wolf whistle, and she turned around, looking to see who it was.

  “Did you hear that?” asked Fiona.

  Opal laughed. “That’s only a meadowlark, not one of your many admirers. Meadowlarks do that to confuse us. They have many sweet songs to sing.” She pointed to the offender who flew to a stand of greasewood.

  Fiona stopped and watched him fly away into the sun that was setting over the ridge to the west. It would take a bottle of wine to calm her down tonight.

  Four

  Jake was enjoying an end-of-the-working-day whiskey on the porch of the ranch house when he saw two figures walk up over the rise in the distance. He went inside to fetch the binoculars. It was Opal and Fiona. Fiona looked put out. Opal was talking and gesturing with her arms. He drove out in the truck to give them a ride.

  “Out for an evening stroll, ladies?” he said, as he pulled alongside and stopped. “You look like you could use a ride, Fiona.”

  She stopped and shoved her hand on her hips. “Old Faithful let us down.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me,” he said. “Hop in.”

  Fiona helped Opal into the front, and she got in back of the extended cab Ford 350.

  “I was telling her funny stories, but she didn’t laugh much,” said Opal.

  “I guess I’m tired. It’s been a long day,” said Fiona.

  “You hear the latest?” Jake asked, looking at her in the rear view mirror.

  “About more bones in the spring?” asked Fiona.

  “You’ve heard.”

  “Scooter Brown told us,” said Opal.

  “Don’t tell me Scooter got you, Fiona,” said Jake, laughing.

  “I don’t think it’s very funny getting one ticket, let alone two.”

  Opal said, “He was waiting for us, and I forgot to warn Fiona about that spot he favors. He gave her a speeding ticket and another for her expired license.”

  “You don’t have to say it with such glee,” said Fiona. “I could lose my license.”

  “So this isn’t your first offense,” said Jake.

  “Not exactly.”

  “Maybe you should get an Oregon License.”

  “I’m afraid to. They’ll search my record and probably require a written exam. I’m not sure I’d pass the test.”

  “I’ll be your driver and squire you around where you need to go.”

  “Thank you for your generous offer, but I like the freedom of driving my own vehicle.”

  “How did it go here today?” Opal asked.

  “We are short a few head in the west herd. We’re checking it out. They may be out where we can’t see them.”

  “Don’t tell me. With Cody in jail I thought that would stop the cattle rustling.”

  Jake shook his head. “We may have a new crop of thieves.”

  She sighed. “It’s always something.”

  “Lately it seems to be,” said Jake. “Here we are, gals. Watch your step. You need help out, Fiona?”

  “No, thanks. I got two good but hurting feet.”

  “I’ll put out some cold cuts for supper,” said Opal, heading for the house. “I made some fresh cole slaw today. Come in when you’re ready.”

  “I’ll get Fiona a bottle of wine. You look like you need it,” Jake said. “Have a seat on the porch. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  Jake found a bottle of red wine and two glasses, thinking he might have a sip himself. Fiona was in a bad mood but after a little wine and a rest she’d be okay. He hoped she wasn’t thinking of leaving.

  He poured her a healthy glass and one for himself and sat by her on the love seat made of finished juniper. Opal had put on nice cushions that made it a real comfortable sit. He held his glass up for a toast.

  “Here’s to a better day tomorrow,” he said.

  “Thanks, Jake. You’re very kind. Give me a minute to unwind, and I’ll be fine. The wine helps. I’m sorry to hear you lost more cattle.”

  “There’s another mystery for you to solve.” Maybe if she had enough mysteries to solve she wouldn’t leave.

  They sat in silence and watched the sky change from deep rose to dark violet. A small flock of sparrows skittered around in the trees. The old black rooster crowed from his favorite perch on the corral fence. Evening was settling, and they with it. The usual cool down set in, and a breeze ruffled the grass that stretched through the fields in front.

  Since Fiona wasn’t offering any small talk, Jake ventured a question. “Did you find anything to buy today?”

  She took a long sip from her glass. “We spent most of our time talking to everyone in town. We picked up the tools you ordered. They are in the back of the truck. I ordered furniture at Lauren Brooks’ store.”

  Jake laughed. “It’s a big social event going to town in a community this small.” He looked at her. She didn’t join in the laugh. “This is a totally different way of life out here. You’re not used to it.”

  She stirred. “What did you say? I was thinking about bones and cattle rustling.”

  “I said you aren’t used to the life style here.”

  She shrugged. “It is different. I have to say things are not turning out as I envisioned. I thought I’d arrive, have some redesigning to do, meet some interesting people, see some pretty vistas, you know the usual pie-in-the sky dreams.”

&
nbsp; “Do you ever think you’d get used to it?”

  She finally smiled. “After less than a week it is hard to tell. Have you noticed that when we get together, dead things turn up?”

  “No, I haven’t. The stars shine brighter when you’re around. I don’t think about dead things.”

  She leaned toward him and smiled that soft, sexy smile. “I’m glad I have some influence on the stars.”

  He put his arm around her shoulder, and she leaned against him. They listened to the evening. A pack of coyotes yipped their way from one ridge to another. A cow bawled for her calf. The breeze played a soft lullaby.

  She said, “What do you know about Brewster, the guy that was here this morning about painting the bunk house.”

  “Brewster? You mean Jim Brewster? You’re using him to paint?”

  “Yes, why not?”

  Jake shrugged. “I guess that’s okay. I don’t know much about painting so I couldn’t say. I don’t know him that well. He seems a little flaky to me.”

  “He’s a bit touchy but artist types can be. Anyway, he found me at the furniture store and told me this odd story about a lady friend of his who was supposed to visit him and never made it and that I was supposed to tell the Sheriff because they had some run ins, and then he stalked off without telling me anything else. Do you think I should mention it to Hoover?”

  “Brewster is weird enough that what he says may not be the whole truth. You could mention it, though it probably won’t lead to anything.”

  “Brewster might have killed this lady friend, put her bones in an old shirt and jeans, dumped her in the hot springs for safe keeping, but then feels remorse and tells me but not the Sheriff.”

  Jake glanced her way. “Fiona, you sure do have an imagination. I think it’s getting away from you again.”

  “It’s not imagination as much as my mind building plausible theories as to why human beings do strange things. We found bones in an odd location, and no one is missing them.”

  “I wouldn’t know. I’m not much of detective.”

  “We were a pretty good team when we were trying to find out what happened to Albert Lodge.”