Home on the Ranch: Wyoming Sheriff Read online

  “I’ll be right back.”

  He returned a few minutes later. “These new ball joints are the Moog brand. It’s interesting that this box holding the four worn ball joints has the Moog brand printed on it.”

  Some of the pieces of the puzzle were starting to fall into place. “I’ll leave these three so you can lift any fingerprints. Let me know when I can come in. I appreciate your fast work.”

  He carried the box of examined evidence out to the truck and left for the office. Holden wished he were a detective again so he could spend all his time on this case. Instead, he had to work it in whenever he could, or after-hours. Those green eyes of hers begging for help wouldn’t let go of him.

  Chapter 3

  Jessica had just gone through the ritual of putting Chase to bed Wednesday night and was in the kitchen doing the dinner dishes when her cell phone rang. It could be anyone. When she checked the caller ID, her heart pounded harder than it should have. She’d only experienced this with Trent in the early days of their romance.

  She answered on the third ring. “Sheriff Granger?” Jessica knew she sounded out of breath.

  “Yes. Am I calling too late?”

  “Not at all.” She sat down on one of the chairs at the kitchen table.

  “If your son is still awake, we can talk tomorrow.”

  “No. After saying prayers and reading him six stories, he’s finally asleep.”

  His deep chuckle resonated with her insides. “I went through a lot of that on my trip to Cody last week to visit my family. I have two married sisters. One is expecting and the other has two children, Rob and Chrissy. She’s Chase’s age and kept me busy every night, insisting I put her to bed.”

  His comment put a smile on her face. “Sounds like she loves her uncle.”

  “I miss them.”

  Jessica couldn’t forget he’d lost his wife. That made her feel guiltier than ever that he’d been on her mind. “It must be hard to come back to the kind of work you do. I feel guilty to have bothered you.”

  “I like what I do. Since my wife died of cancer three years ago, it’s what keeps me going.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss, Sheriff.” Her voice caught. “If I didn’t have Chase...”

  “We all need a reason to go on living.”

  “I agree. I’m thankful you’re working on Trent’s case.”

  “That’s why I’m calling. I want to give you an update on what I’ve discovered so far.”

  “Oh, good... Are you going to tell me this has been about nothing, after all?”

  “I wish that were the case,” he replied in a sober tone. “Answer me one question. Do you honestly believe your husband told you the truth when he said that he changed all four ball joints that night?”

  She gripped the phone tighter. “I’d stake my life on it. Does this mean you believe someone tampered with the car?”

  “I know someone did. I went out to the salvage yard and had the mechanic pull the ball joints from your Dodge Charger. All three were brand-new. We’re lucky this much evidence still exists. Thanks to your discovery in the garage, there’s every chance we’re going to find the person who tampered with the car your husband worked on.”

  His answer sent shudder after shudder through her body.

  “I’ve already ruled this out as a random act of vandalism committed while the car was parked outside in the rain. It takes knowledge and time by someone with an agenda who knows how to replace a ball joint in the middle of the night.”

  “So you’re saying—”

  “I’m saying your husband had an enemy who knew what he or she was doing,” he broke in on her. “The tragedy is that it was raining when he took your car for a test-drive by that ditch. Otherwise your husband might have survived.”

  “I know,” she whispered. “I’ve thought about that, too.” Jessica shook her head. “I can’t imagine who would have wanted to hurt Trent.”

  “Given time, that’s what we’re going to find out. This investigation is still in the early stages. I’ll know more as the weeks go by and I’ll phone you. Until then I want you to be very careful.”

  “I will,” she said. “I said it myself earlier. If someone knew it was my car, it’s possible they wanted me injured.”

  “I’m not at all sure about that, and see no reason for you to jump to that conclusion. I’m only asking you to be careful in terms of talking to anyone about this, Mrs. Fleming.”

  “Of course. Thank you for trying to help me feel better.”

  “What I’d like you to do right now is start thinking about your husband’s life and the people who came in and out of it. Make a list of the ones you talked about during the recording along with anyone else you can think of. I have a gut feeling this criminal knew a lot about your husband and planned this out with exacting detail.”

  “It sounds that way.” Her voice shook.

  “I realize you don’t think he had enemies, so look at it in terms of another person who could have been envious or in competition with him. Perhaps someone from his past with a grudge. Did you two have friends in common in high school?”

  “You think this person might have known Trent as far back as then?”

  “We have to consider every possibility. Were there ever times when he didn’t get along with someone, be they male or female? A would-be girlfriend who was jealous of his interest in you? The receptionist at the dealership who might have been attracted to your husband despite the fact that he was married?”

  Jessica walked around the kitchen. “Carol was their only female employee and she was married, but I realize that doesn’t have to mean anything.”

  “It might not seem like a big thing to you, but to the other person it might have been the straw that broke the camel’s back. Don’t forget women are as capable of murder as a man. We can’t rule anything out. I need more information than what is on the tape I made of our conversation.”

  She couldn’t stop shivering. “I understand what you’re saying.”

  “If possible, can you add ages, addresses and phone numbers to the names and bring the list to my office on Friday at the end of the day? Your son is welcome to come with you. Tell him that after cleaning out your garage, you might have some things to donate to the sheriff’s auction in July.”

  His resourcefulness amazed her. “That’s a good idea. He won’t think anything of it.”

  “I’ll only need to talk to you for a few minutes.”

  “I’ll start working on those names right away. Thank you for getting back to me so fast.”

  “Like you, I want to see this case wrapped up as soon as possible. Good night.”

  “Good night.”

  She hung up in a daze because she realized she hadn’t wanted the conversation to end. Upset to be this distracted by him, she poured herself a fresh cup of coffee. This assignment was going to keep her up for a while. The first thing to do was call her mom and tell her what she’d learned. But she got her voice mail because her mother had gone out to dinner and a movie with a group of friends.

  “Call me back. I have important news.”

  After getting paper and a pen from the study, she went back to the kitchen and began the arduous process of compiling a possible list of enemies. At ten after eleven her phone rang.

  She clicked On. “Hi, Mom. Did you have a good time?”

  “I did! But I want to know your news.”

  “Sheriff Granger called me. The bottom line is, he knows for a fact someone tampered with the car.” The tone in his voice had left no doubt. “He’s doing everything he can to find the person responsible and arrest them.”

  “Oh, honey.”

  “Awful, isn’t it? I’m making a list of people who might have had it in for Trent. The sheriff wants me to bring it to his office on Friday. I was hoping you could help me think of peo
ple over the next few days. Honestly, I can’t think of one person who would want to hurt him.”

  “Neither can I.”

  “Oh, and getting off topic, but just so you know, Wilma Morris will be watching Chase again at her house this summer. He and her son Joey get along great, and there’s a new boy their age named Sam joining her group.”

  “That’s wonderful!”

  “I agree. Chase needs more friends when he’s not at school, and he likes Wilma a lot. As soon as I drop him off at her house in the morning, I’ll drive over to the shop and deal with any walk-ins. I don’t have any appointments until Friday.”

  “I’m glad you’ve worked that out with Wilma. Why don’t we hang up now so you can get some sleep? I’ll think about this list of people and we’ll talk in the morning.”

  “Sounds good. Love you.”

  She hung up the phone and went to bed. Maybe tomorrow more names would come to mind. To her chagrin, she didn’t fall asleep for a long time. After finding the box of worn ball joints, she’d been living with the possibility that a crime had been committed. But to hear it confirmed by the sheriff was terrifying.

  Who did she know who was so messed up in the head that he or she would be willing to try to injure or get rid of Trent? And why?

  Thank heaven the sheriff was conducting the investigation. Before she drifted off, the last thought on her mind was that she’d be seeing him Friday.

  After hearing him talk about his niece and nephew, she had an idea he’d be a good father. One day he’d fall in love again and have a family.

  Jessica realized she was lucky to have had Chase before early menopause struck. But it seemed so unfair when she had friends who were working on their second and third child.

  Before long, Jessica was crying. After wallowing in self-pity for a while, she got angry with herself. What she needed to do was think about finding the evil person who’d tampered with the car that had killed her husband. Thank goodness Sheriff Granger was on the job. If he couldn’t solve the crime, she figured no one could.

  * * *

  On his lunch break Friday, Holden stayed in his office to eat while he studied the police report on the Fleming case. Former Deputy Canaga, the investigating officer, hadn’t mentioned looking at surveillance tapes from the dealership. By why would he? The accident happened out by the highway and he hadn’t said a word about foul play being the cause. There was only mention of the defective ball joint.

  Was it possible Mid-Valley had a surveillance camera overlooking the outside lot where clients’ cars were left overnight?

  He phoned O. J. Powell, Whitebark’s fire chief, and was put right through.

  “Holden—Welcome back! I understand you repaired a lot of fencing on your trip to Cody.”

  A chuckle escaped Holden’s lips. Nothing was sacred with the guys. “My dad and I had some long talks, that’s for sure.”

  “Promise me he didn’t convince you to move back home.”

  “No. I like it here.” Already this case for Mrs. Fleming had taken over his thoughts.

  “That’s the best news I’ve heard all day because we need you around here. What can I do for you?”

  “I need a favor. Could you send one of your men over to the Mid-Valley auto dealership with the excuse that he’s doing a routine check for fire extinguishers? You know the drill.

  “While he’s at it, ask him how many surveillance cameras he can see both inside and out, without letting anyone know. And when he looks around the parts department, ask him if he sees any Moog auto parts on the shelves. I need that information as part of my undercover investigation.”

  “Moog, huh?” O.J. laughed. “You old fox! I’ll do it provided you let me in on what you’re up to. As soon as he’s done the job, I’ll get back to you. How about lunch on Monday at the Blue Bird? One o’clock?”

  “I’ll be there. Thanks, O.J.”

  “Happy to oblige.”

  Holden left to pay a visit to the jail to talk to Lieutenant Fogarty. Because of what he learned there, he stopped at the bakery on the way back to the office to see Mrs. Allred.

  “Sheriff—I’m so glad to see you! I’ve been worried sick about Mike.” She was the mother of the son in jail on a hunger strike.

  “Don’t worry. Yesterday I gave orders for him to be transferred to the hospital and a psychologist is working with him. Hopefully he’ll cooperate. I’ve given instructions that you’re welcome to visit him anytime.”

  “Bless you. Here!” She put half a dozen brownies in a carton and handed it to him. “I can’t thank you enough.”

  “Let me know how it goes.”

  Holden downed two of the brownies on his way back to the office. For the next two hours, he worked his way through a packed schedule. Deep down, he kept waiting for five o’clock to roll around.

  When it got to be six, he decided Jessica wasn’t coming. Fighting disappointment, he left his office and started down the hall. But he didn’t make it all the way because a cute boy and a stunning blonde woman came around the corner walking fast.

  Their eyes met. “I’m sorry I’m so late. It was unavoidable. My last client was so upset with her hair color, I had to strip it and start over. I couldn’t decide whether to call you to tell you I was running late, or just come as soon as I could. Forgive me.”

  “It doesn’t matter. You’re here now.”

  Her son stared up at him with warm brown eyes. “Are you the sheriff?” he asked.

  He couldn’t help but smile. “Yes. You must be Chase. How did you know?”

  “Mom said you look like a sheriff should look.”

  Holden switched his attention to her. If he wasn’t mistaken, she blushed.

  “How come you’re not wearing your cowboy hat?” Chase asked.

  “That’s a good question. When I’m out on the ranch, I wear it. But here at work I have another kind of hat I wear if I go on patrol. Come on back to my office and I’ll show it to you.”

  Chase turned to his mother. “Can we?”

  “Don’t you remember we came to see him about a donation to the sheriff’s auction?”

  He nodded and they followed Holden, who told them to take a seat while he walked around behind his desk.

  “Do you live on a ranch?”

  Holden smiled. “That’s right.”

  “We live on a ranch, too. Do you have a horse?”

  “Yup. His name is Blackie.”

  “I don’t like horses.”

  “How come?”

  “They’re so big!”

  “Not all of them.”

  Chase lifted his head. “What do you mean?”

  “Some are born little.”

  “But they get big! My dad loved horses, but he died.”

  Holden fought not to react. His throat had started to swell. “I’m very sorry to hear that, Chase.”

  “Me, too.” He sighed. “Mom rides his horse.”

  “What’s his name?”

  “Bucky.”

  “Is that because he has buck teeth?”

  Chase laughed. “No. Dad called him that because he’s a buckskin.”

  His glance met Jessica’s. “That makes perfect sense.”

  The boy looked around. “Where’s your hat?”

  “Right here.” He pulled it out of his bottom drawer and put it on. Jessica looked as surprised as her son.

  “That’s a baseball cap!”

  “Yup, except it says Sheriff. This is part of our new uniform. We don’t wear cowboy boots, either.”

  “How come?”

  “When we’re out in the wind, our cowboy hats go flying off and our cowboy boots slip, so we wear hiking boots.” He tugged on the visor. “We can’t have our Stetsons blowing away, can we? This one stays put.” The boy giggled. “Want to try it on?”

&nb
sp; “Can I?”

  “Sure. Come on over here.”

  He got up from the chair and walked over so Holden could put it on his head. This was Trent Fleming’s son. The moment was surreal for Holden. It was too big for the boy, but if he wore it on the back of his head, it worked. “You look great in that, Chase. Show your mom.”

  Her son turned toward her.

  Jessica’s smile lit up Holden’s insides. “I love it.”

  “I wish I had one like this.”

  “But only his can say Sheriff,” she reminded him.

  “I know.”

  “Hey, Chase—have you had dinner already?”

  “No.”

  “Neither have I, and I’m hungry. Do you like spaghetti?”

  He whirled around with shining eyes. “Yeah!”

  “Then keep the hat on and let’s walk over to the Spaghetti Factory. They make these yummy meatballs. My niece Chrissy really loves them.”

  “How old is she?”

  “Five.”

  “Hey—she’s my age. Does she like horses?”

  “Only her miniature horse.”

  He frowned. “What’s ‘miniature’ mean?”

  “A little horse.”

  “You mean a pony?”

  “Nope. I mean one that’s even smaller.”

  “Smaller—”

  Holden realized Chase couldn’t imagine it. He lifted his gaze to Jessica whose fabulous green eyes were lit up. “What do you say, Mrs. Fleming? Would you like to go to dinner? We can talk there as well as here.”

  “That sounds fun. I haven’t eaten at the Spaghetti Factory for a long time.” She handed him the list of names. He folded it and put it in his pocket.

  Together they left the building and walked through the complex to the other side. He noticed that virtually every male in sight checked Jessica out. She looked fantastic in designer jeans and a soft pink blouse. The sun illuminated the gold highlights in her hair.

  It felt good being with her and Chase. Normal. He hadn’t experienced anything close to this kind of normal in over three years.

  They entered the restaurant and were shown a table. They all decided to have spaghetti and meatballs. Chase ordered root beer while they drank coffee.