Smokescreen (Pros and Cons Mysteries #2)

Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

H annah had informed Olive that dinner would be served promptly at 6:30.

Even though Olive wanted to be in the middle of the action outside, she resigned herself to go freshen up instead.

A few minutes before dinnertime, she headed downstairs. She was anxious to talk to Reid and to get some more information from him. She hoped eating together would afford her that opportunity. As of right now, she wasn’t sure exactly who would be there.

When she stepped into the dining room, the hearty scent of roast beef and gravy hit her. In the center of the thick wooden table sat an off-white earthenware container filled with what she assumed was beef stew. A black basket with a black-and-white plaid napkin inside appeared to be filled with homemade biscuits. Fresh pads of butter sat on a plate beside the basket.

Hannah waited near the doorway to greet her. “Good evening, Olive.”

“Hannah.” She gave her a polite nod. “Did you prepare this?”

“Oh, no,” Hannah said with a laugh. “That would be Miriam. She’s our cook, and she does a fantastic job.”

“It looks and smells amazing,” Olive said. “Do you know if anybody else will be joining us?”

“Mr. Harrison often invites Cooper as well as other staff members to eat with him. I haven’t been informed if that will be the case tonight, however.”

Olive stared at the woman another moment before finally saying, “You are very efficient.”

“That’s my goal.”

“Reid is lucky to have you.” Although Olive meant the words, she also knew she needed to get on Hannah’s good side if she wanted to glean any information from her. Having the woman view her as an enemy wouldn’t get her very far.

“Have a seat.” Hannah pulled out a chair at the corner of the table.

Olive lowered herself there.

She’d changed into some stylish black pants and a creamy blouse along with some heels. She’d contemplated going more casual but had decided to stay on the dressier side. It seemed like the right choice for a wealthy socialite from California.

Just as she sat, Reid walked into the room. His eyes lit when he saw her.

He was a better actor than Olive had given him credit for.

“Olive, so glad to see you,” he murmured.

“Glad to see you unharmed. That was scary back there.”

“Another day in the life of a Wyoming rancher.” He shrugged as if it weren’t a big deal. Then he glanced at Hannah. “Listen, if you don’t mind, Olive and I would like some privacy during dinner. It’s been a long day, so we’ll take care of ourselves. Please close the doors as you leave so we can have some time alone.”

A strange expression crossed Hannah’s face, but as quickly as it appeared it was gone. Instead, she nodded obediently. “Of course.”

Hannah definitely had a thing for Reid. And Olive was nearly certain Reid had no clue how she felt.

That was something Olive would need to keep an eye on.

Until she had more answers, she couldn’t rule out any potential motives or suspects. Nothing was off the table.

Including unrequited love.

As soon as Hannah disappeared and the door was closed, Reid opened the crock. “May I get you some beef stew?”

“That sounds amazing.” Olive held out her hearty white bowl toward him.

Reid gave her a generous scoop before handing her the basket of biscuits. She took one and slathered it with butter.

If she wasn’t careful, she would come home from this assignment ten pounds heavier.

Once food steamed in front of both of them, Reid asked, “Do you mind if we say grace?”

Olive’s eyebrows rose with surprise. She’d seen the Bible in his office. Heard him mention this ranch being a slice of heaven. Maybe he really was a believer.

“Not at all,” she told him.

He took her hand and lifted up a prayer of thanks for God’s provision and for the safety He had provided today.

Hearing his prayer did something strange to Olive’s heart. An unknown emotion squeezed her chest so hard it hurt.

Was the reaction because of her dad? Because of his proclaimed faith before he died?

Olive had never been able to figure that one out. Had her dad truly been a believer, or had that all been some type of scam?

She might not ever know that answer. That reality caused a strange restlessness to jostle inside her. She liked answers, but she had to accept that they weren’t always possible to obtain.

Reid said Amen and released her hand.

Olive quickly grabbed her fork, desperate to take back control of her thoughts. She cut into a tender piece of savory roast beef.

Then she lowered her voice as she asked, “So what really happened out there? Do you think that fire was an accident?”

Reid’s gaze darkened. “I have trouble believing that. Not with everything else that’s happened. I’m just glad no one was hurt, including the animals.”

“Me too. I still need some information from you.”

He reached into his pocket and handed her an envelope. “I wrote out the names of all my most recent hires, and I included the information I had on them from their applications.”

“Color me impressed,” she murmured.

“I also included the name of two local ranchers who’ve been trying to buy me out. Not completely buy me out because there are very few people who would be able to do that.” He paused. “I don’t say that to sound boastful. But this ranch comes with a hefty price tag. So they were both simply trying to buy parcels off me, generally plots adjacent to their own property.”

“Makes sense. Do you think either of those people could be behind this? Besides the motive for getting the property, have there ever been any conflicts?”

He let out a thoughtful breath. “One of the men on the list is Bob Turro . . . the two of us got pretty heated with each other. He wanted to buy about a hundred acres from me. Said it was so he could more easily access his property. I told him I wasn’t interested in selling but I’d give him an easement to use. He didn’t think that was enough and vowed to do everything he could to get what he wanted.”

“What do you think he really wants?”

Reid clucked his tongue. “I’m not sure.”

“This is very helpful.” Olive held up the envelope before sliding it into her pants pocket. “What about that will Lucy gave you?”

“I can let you see that also, but it would have been more obvious to bring that with me tonight. The paperwork is thick and involved.”

“Agreed.” She took a bite of her beef, which was so tender it practically melted in her mouth. It had been a long time since she’d had a true home-cooked meal, and she hadn’t realized how much she’d missed them.

“Come by my office later, and we can look it over.” He broke off a piece of his biscuit but didn’t take a bite. “But the document is bogus. There’s no way my father wrote Lucy into his will. The two of them didn’t have a great relationship, and from the start it was obvious to me that Lucy’s mother was a gold digger. That might sound harsh, but it’s true. When you’re dealing with the amounts of money we have, it’s something you always have to keep your eyes open for.”

He finally took a bite of his food and chewed slowly.

“And, of course, there are those men who know they’re dating a gold digger, and they don’t mind. Not as long as she’s beautiful.” Olive tried to keep the judgment out of her voice but was unsuccessful. Shallow people weren’t her favorites.

Reid’s gaze narrowed as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. “You’re right. There are some people like that. But you won’t see me on that list. I find that reprehensible.”

Olive felt another burst of admiration for the man, something she wasn’t expecting. But his attitude was refreshing, and she was glad to know he was grounded.

But she did have one more question.

She lowered her fork, trying to approach the topic gingerly. Yet she couldn’t afford to be too polite. “Reid . . . I saw you outside arguing with a man about an hour before the fire. What was that about?”

Surprise washed through his gaze. “Oh, that? It was nothing. That was Mark, our maintenance supervisor. He likes to think his ideas are better than mine, and I have to correct him every couple of months. Again, it’s just another day on the ranch. Nothing to be concerned about.”

Olive wished she believed that. But her gut told her Reid wasn’t telling her the complete truth.

Before she could ponder that thought too long, a creak cut through the air.

She and Reid glanced at each other.

She was nearly certain the sound had come from a footstep . . . a footstep from someone standing on the other side of that door listening to their conversation.