High Desert Detective, A Fiona Marlowe Mystery (Fiona Marlowe Mysteries) Page 9

  “Unbelievable. So I lose my house because someone is stealing cows?”

  Jake nodded.

  “That hardly seems fair,” she said.

  The tea kettle whistled, and Opal fixed Fiona’s drink.

  “We’re hoping, of course, that we are wrong about the cows. But then that wouldn’t solve the mystery of why your house burned.”

  “This is discouraging,” said Fiona.

  “You need rest,” Jake said. “Doctor’s orders. Everything looks more discouraging when you’re tired.”

  “Yes,” said Opal. “Your outlook will be much better when you feel better.”

  “I can’t get the smell of smoke out of my nose,” said Fiona. “I can’t get the sound of the fire and the roar of it out of my head. My mind keeps playing the fire scene over and over.”

  “Here’s your toddy,” said Opal. “A few of these and your outlook will improve immensely.”

  “Thank you. You both have been so kind. I hope I’m not the cause of this.”

  “It’s not your fault, so don’t think like that,” said Jake. “Have you heard from your friend?”

  “Olympia? No, I haven’t. She said she’d be here tomorrow, but she’s notoriously unreliable. Her driving here from Portland might take several days. She has a terrible sense of direction, but she does love to drive. She could end up on the Pacific coast. I’ll give her a call. Maybe tomorrow.”

  “She is more than welcome to stay here,” said Opal. “We have plenty of room.”

  “I was going to call that cute B & B in town and see if they have a room. She loves to do stuff like that. I’ll call them tomorrow.”

  “No, really,” said Opal, “I insist. She should stay here. It will do you a world of good to have a friend at a time like this.”

  “She’s one of my closest friends,” said Fiona, “but she is best served in small doses. When we travel, I make sure we have separate rooms so I can have a break from her non-stop talking. You may regret having her as a guest.”

  “We have enough work to do that we aren’t around most of the time,” said Opal. “You two can have the run of the place.” She put down her whiskey and water and looked Fiona dead in the eye. “Fiona, don’t think you have to stay. If you want to leave, I won’t fault you for it. The decorating job can wait. It has waited this long. You and your friend should visit and sightsee and have a good time. You can come back another time.”

  Fiona savored the toddy and felt its soothing warmth in her throat. She looked from Opal to Jake and back. “I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, but sitting here talking to you, I realize a deal is a deal and I said I would do your house, so I will. I appreciate your concern, Opal. Working on your house will give me something to do and think about besides all that has happened. At the same time, I don’t want to cause you any more problems. Something strange is going on, and I don’t know what to do about that. If you think I should leave because I’m a problem, I’ll go.”

  “You aren’t a problem,” said Jake. “You don’t have to go. You stay here with us so I can keep an eye on you.”

  “No,” said Opal. “You aren’t a problem. It’s just I’m worried what could happen to you, if you stay. I’ll fix you another toddy while you think about it.”

  Fiona could feel Opal’s concern. She knew Jake would protect her, if he could. After all, he had saved her life. If Jake was right and someone had burned the bunkhouse as diversion then she wasn’t the problem. She didn’t have another job lined up until the fall, figuring she would spend the summer out here. Olympia was coming. Jake was very attentive. But the main reason she didn’t want to go was that she was more than a little curious to find out what was going on with the bones, the rustlers, and the fire. Things were getting complicated.

  Jake rose and found another tall one for himself in the refrigerator, opened it, brought it back to the table and sat again facing Fiona. They looked at each other.

  Fiona smiled. “You got your way, Jake. I’ve come to stay in the big house.”

  He returned the smile. “Then you’ll stay.”

  “I’ll stay till Olympia comes. That will give me time to rest up, think things over, and see what transpires.”

  * * * * *

  Fiona spent the better part of the next day resting in bed. Opal checked on her from time to time. Jake looked in that evening to make sure she was still alive. She lay curled up in deep sleep, a light cover thrown over her. Her legs lay bare and beautiful. Jake didn’t linger. It was too hard on his hormones to watch Fiona Marlowe in bed. He closed the door as quietly as he had opened it.

  Ruben Sweet and Mortimer Glory had brought bad news when they had finally ridden in after dark the night before. More cows and calves were missing.

  “We counted three times,” said Sweet. “We figure five pair are missing. We rode up and down the canyons and ridges. No sign of them. But we found traces of tracks.”

  “How did they get it in there?” said Jake. He was beyond baffled. He had thought it over long and hard about a safe place for the herd.

  “You know the old cattle lane that passes the east side of the valley?”

  “That’s way, way off and you have to navigate that rock strewn canyon.”

  “Near as we can figure that’s what they did, because there were signs of horses and cattle going that way. We didn’t follow it to the end. We thought we should come back to report in.”

  “I guess you’re going to tell me they cut the fence that stretches across that rocky canyon.”

  They both nodded.

  Jake had ridden out with them early this morning. He had seen the cut fence, the faint signs and an occasional track of cows and horses that had passed along that rocky canyon that led away from the little green valley. Horse prints and cut fence were the keys. Cows could sometimes breakthrough barbed wire, but there were no horses with the herd. The soil through that stretch was nothing but gravel and rock, hard to navigate. But someone greedy enough to want prime cows and calves had done it.

  Jake had sat back in his saddle and studied the landscape. They would have to move the cows to other pasture or post a watch. Putting a couple of hands here would short him. They were ready for the first cutting of hay, and he needed all three men they employed. He could come up here himself. Maybe invite Fiona to come with him. But that attractive thought didn’t stay with him long. That was wishful thinking. He had a ranch to run for Opal. He called the shots, and he couldn’t be out here for an extended length of time mooning over Fiona. Ranching was a practical business. Hay was the winter lifeblood of cattle ranching, and it was ready to cut.

  The only alternative was to move the cattle to pasture closer to the ranch, which meant that he’d have to figure out which pasture that would be. The dry spring weather was causing problems already with where to find water and pasture.

  “Okay, boys,” Jake had said. “I doubt they’ll be back tonight but I want you two to spend the night out here. In the morning, I’ll come back with help, and we’ll move the herd.”

  They had nodded, already equipped with gear for an overnight stay, anticipating the need before they left the ranch.

  Jake sat on the porch for a spell after dinner and watched the play of light over the valley. He had called Rosemary and Esme to help move cows in the morning. They were available and filled in when needed. He went over in his mind again which pasture they could move the herd to when Opal came out to join him.

  “How’s Fiona?” Jake asked since she hadn’t come to dinner.

  “I just checked. She’s still sleeping. Didn’t touch the food I left on a tray for her.”

  “Do you think she’s all right?”

  Opal nodded. “She needs the sleep. Best thing for her after what she’s been through.”

  They were silent for a time. Then Opal said, “I’ve been thinking about those cows we got to move. Why don’t we sell some off?”

  Jake thought that one over. “Prices are decent now but we might get a
better price in the fall.”

  “You know as well as I that you can never tell in this business. We run a gambling operation.”

  “You’re right on that one.” Opal had a good sense of when to hold and when to fold. “It would solve the problem of the shortage of feed and water. How many are you thinking?”

  “I’ve been debating that one. Let’s go through the records and see who doesn’t fit our breeding program and who’s on the sell list for the fall. We need some operating capital, and there are bank notes coming due. We’ll total up debt obligations and sale possibilities and see how close they come.”

  “There’s a tractor needing major repairs.”

  “All the more reason to sell off some of the herd. What do you say?”

  “It’s worth a look. I’ll call the broker in the morning to see who’s buying this time of year. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

  Opal was pensive for a spell then said, “I talked to my lawyer today about selling the ranch to you. After we agree on a price, I’d be willing to finance it for you.”

  Jake shook his head. “Thanks, but it’ll be a lot cleaner if I go through the bank. I’ll talk to the lady in the lending office, and see what kind of terms I can get. We’ll need to draw up a list of assets and land and exactly what I’m buying. If I can’t get financing for the whole spread, you could maybe sell me the core part, take the cash from the sale and put it in a trust for your nieces and nephews. At least, they’ll be getting something.”

  “I hate to do that.”

  “Sometimes reality and our wishes don’t coincide.”

  “You can say that again.”

  “I called Hoover about the missing cows. I can’t figure out how these guys are working this. It has to be an inside job.”

  Opal shook her head. “It will be a sad day at the H Bar O, if it is one of our employees.”

  “It might not be a full time guy. Might be a part-timer we hired years ago that knows the ranch and the lay out and how we operate.”

  “I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking about Cody and those two boys that talked him into helping them.”

  Jake nodded. “I’m wondering where those two are now. Nothing was ever proven. Our cattle disappeared and were never found. That was quite a loss we took.”

  Opal didn’t say anything for a while. Then quietly she said, “Cody never displayed a lick of sense when it came to the company he kept.”

  “He sure could ride and rope though,” said Jake. “I hated to lose him. Have you heard from him lately?”

  She shook her head. “Not a word. It’s like he’s dropped off the face of the earth. Then again, he never was much of a correspondent. I don’t expect he’ll bother unless I call the prison.”

  The screen door opened, and Fiona walked out on the porch. “May I join you?” she asked, looking like she had just showered. Her hair was wet and slicked back. She wore another sweat suit one of the girls loaned her. It had OSU Beavers blazoned across the front.

  “Have a chair,” said Jake. “How are you feeling?”

  “Better, much better. What day is this?”

  “You slept most of a whole day,” said Opal. “It’s after dinner and we are enjoying the evening. Did you eat anything?”

  “Not yet. I saw the food you left and drank some tea.” She held up the glass. “You make the best iced tea I’ve ever had.”

  “Go on,” said Opal. “You’re just thirsty. My secret recipe is five tea bags to two quarts boiled water, one cup of sugar and one lemon. I make it up three gallons at a time.”

  “Thanks for sharing the secret with me. Maybe someday I’ll learn to cook,” said Fiona. She sat down next to Jake on the juniper loveseat. “Olympia called and left a million messages. She’s still in Portland. She’s found some writer friends, and they’re showing her the town. She gushed over the great restaurants and live music they have. She might not show up for a while.”

  “All in good time,” said Opal. “She gets here when she gets here.”

  “What’s been going on?” asked Fiona. “I feel like I’ve been to Mars.”

  “We’re missing more cows,” said Jake. “There’s no rain in the forecast. We start cutting hay day after tomorrow. In the morning we move cows to another pasture. It’s the usual ranch life.”

  “What can I do to help?” asked Fiona.

  “That a girl,” said Opal. “You can’t keep a good woman down.”

  “You need to rest,” said Jake.

  “I feel one hundred percent better,” said Fiona. “If I’m going to stay, I need to help.”

  Jake allowed himself an inner smile on that pronouncement. He didn’t want to scare his hope away though.

  “We’re moving cows tomorrow,” said Opal. “Rosemary and Esme are coming to help. We’ll have extra meals to prepare. You can help me, if you want.”

  “Or you can ride with the herd,” said Jake.

  Fiona winced. “I’m not sure I’m ready to get back on a horse. My muscles still remember the experience.”

  Opal laughed. “Then help me. We can talk about what’s to be done to spruce up the house.”

  “It’s a deal. Has anything developed on who set the fire?”

  “Hoover is on the case. Nothing new on who might have done it,” said Jake.

  Fiona shook her head. “The next question is why. Any new ideas?”

  “Same ones as before. They are trying to get to us, not you.”

  “How about the bones at the hot springs?”

  Jake smiled. Fiona was back in the saddle. She was feeling better. “No new developments that we’ve heard.” He checked his watch. “I’ve got an early start in the morning. If you ladies will excuse me, I’ll turn in for the night.”

  * * * * *

  Hoover showed up the next day around noon time as Fiona was helping Opal load lunch coolers on Old Faithful to take up the road for the buckaroos. Jake, Rosemary, and Esme had left on horseback to move the cows.

  “Hello, ladies,” Hoover said, a big grin on his face. “I see I’m in time for lunch.”

  “You’ll have to ride with us,” said Opal. “It’s all packed in these coolers. Don’t just stand there. Help me lift these heavy coolers into the bed of the rig.”

  “Are you sure this fine vehicle will make it?” Hoover asked.

  “Of course it will. Jake charged the battery.”

  They squeezed into the front of Old Faithful, Fiona in the middle. She looked to the top of the knoll where the heap of ruins that once was her bunk house lay black and forlorn, and she sighed.

  Hoover caught her looking. “That’s a big sigh, Fiona. There’ll be more bunkhouses. Are you going to re-build?”

  “I haven’t decided,” she said.

  Opal turned the ignition key. Old Faithful started up with a growl and then settled into an unhappy idle. They bucked into motion.

  “What brings you out here?” Opal asked Hoover. “What are you investigating this time?”

  “Cattle rustling is on the agenda today. I wanted to check in with you folks. I thought I might ride out to the valley and take a look around.”

  “You’ll need a horse,” said Opal.

  “Jake will loan me one. How far back is the canyon the rustlers used?”

  Opal screwed up her face. She expertly steered the truck down the road and tuned onto another dirt road that was more cow path than road.

  “This road goes most of the way. We’ll meet the cows coming along here. At the end of the road, you have to walk or ride horseback the rest of the way. Can’t use ATVs because it’s about a mile over rocky ground.”

  “And that opens up into that sweet little valley?”

  Opal nodded. “That sweet little valley we thought would deter anyone else from stealing more of our cows. They came in on horseback and probably drove the cows quite a way to an old cattle lane where they parked a trailer.”

  Opal glanced over at Hoover who sat at the passenger door. “We might be out that t
en head. We got to put a stop to this, Hoover.”

  “You know how hard that is to do. It’s isolated out here. We’d have to post an army of sentinels, and we don’t have an army. We’re lucky to have me and two deputies on a good day.”

  “There they are up ahead.” Opal pointed to the dust cloud in the distance.

  Fiona heard the cows before she saw them. Cows and calves alike were bawling a cacophonous symphony.

  “They don’t sound happy,” she said.

  “They are going to be unhappy until they get water. That’s what the bawling is about. They’ll stop at the stock tank up ahead. That’s where we’ll have lunch,” said Opal.

  Fiona could barely see the riders for the dust and the bobbing heads of cattle. She saw Jake toward the front of the herd, calling and whistling to the cows, his horse expertly turning them toward the well. The lead cow caught the scent of water and went into a trot, her calf leaping and dancing beside her. The rest of the girls and little ones followed, and they were soon jostling for position at the stock tank.

  Rosemary, Esme, Sweet and Glory fanned across the back of the herd, moving them into the area of the stock tank. Rosemary and Esme looked like an outlaws with bandanas drawn up over their noses. Jake dismounted and came over to Old Faithful where Opal and Fiona worked on setting out the food on the tailgate of the truck. He took off his hat and beat it against leg, raising a small dust storm.

  “I never liked this part of cattle ranching,” he said, using a red neck scarf to wipe his face. His dark, curly hair was plastered against his head and a line of dark ran across his forehead where the dust and sun stopped.

  Fiona handed him a glass of iced tea, and he took a long draw.

  Hoover walked over to stand by Jake.

  “How many did you lose?”

  “I count five pair.”

  “These boys know their cattle.”

  “You bet,” said Jake, grim-faced. “I think it might be those guys that Cody teamed up with a while back.”