Smokescreen (Pros and Cons Mysteries #2)

Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

“ I n cases like this, we try to verify signatures and seals, examine formatting and language, and we look for a certain level of quality,” Wayne began as he pulled off his reading glasses and set them on the desk. “I’ve been comparing this document to the original we have on file from your father, the one my father drew up for him nearly ten years ago.”

“And?” Reid asked.

“And the will itself is very similar, only with a few changes—including adding Lucy as a beneficiary. According to this, your father bequeathed her five hundred acres on the eastern side of the property.”

“But my father wouldn’t have done that.” Reid’s voice rose slightly.

“You and I know that, but others might not.” Wayne let out a sigh. “If my father was still around, of course he could refute it. The fact he’s not with us anymore only makes this more complicated.”

“Couldn’t Lucy have taken the original will and made changes to it that would look legitimate?” Olive asked.

“Possibly.”

“What about the law firm on the letterhead?” Olive continued. “Have you heard of them?”

“Radcliffe, Johnson, and Pearson?” Wayne stared at the names across the top of the paper. “I can’t say I have. But I’ll do some research and see what I can find out about them.”

“She could have faked the letterhead,” Olive said. “People who like to con others are good at faking documents.”

Wayne frowned again. “I agree. But the seal on this document appears legitimate. In fact, it looks convincing enough that Lucy might have a case to take you to probate court.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Reid muttered.

“I wish I was. You and I both know your dad would never leave anything to Lucy Bondurant. He’d rather burn the whole ranch down before he let that woman get her hands on it. But someone unfamiliar with the situation might find these documents believable.”

Reid closed his eyes and let out a breath before pulling himself back together. His gaze zeroed in on Wayne. “If that’s the case, will people think I manipulated the will to make it seem like Lucy wasn’t included?”

A frown flickered across Wayne’s face. “I’d like to think not, but it’s hard to predict these things. If you don’t mind, I’d like to keep this copy and do more research. If this document has been fabricated, then you’ll have a case for fraud. So this could go a lot of different directions.”

“It sounds like it.” Reid frowned and shifted in his seat. “What do I do in the meantime?”

“Just sit tight. I’ll work on this today because I know you’re anxious to get some answers.”

“I appreciate that.” Reid stood. “I don’t want to take any time away from you doing that, so I won’t stay much longer. Besides, I’d like to take Olive to the Saddle Saloon.”

Olive followed his lead and rose to her feet.

“You’re going to love that restaurant,” Wayne said with a twinkle in his eyes. “Try the cowboy burger with onion rings and barbecue sauce. It’s delish.”

“I’ll have to do that,” Olive said.

They turned to step toward the door.

“There is one more thing I thought I might mention before you leave,” Wayne called.

They paused and turned back to him.

“What’s that?” Reid asked.

“There’s rumor around town that the government is trying to claim some land through eminent domain.” Wayne paused. “If that’s true, then some of your property would be on the chopping block.”

Olive turned to watch Reid’s expression.

Fire filled his gaze.

If that happened, he wouldn’t go down without a fight.

But was the government too big to defeat?

Olive didn’t want to believe that, but it was a real possibility.

“This burger is really good.” Olive grabbed her napkin as barbecue sauce dribbled down her chin. The cowboy burger was tasty, just as Wayne had said. But it was also messy.

Reid grinned at her. “If there’s one thing we do right here in Wyoming, it’s nature and food.”

“That’s two things,” Olive pointed out.

“True.”

They sat at a corner table at the Saddle Saloon. The place had dark wood walls, a dark wood ceiling, and a grand wooden chandelier in the center. Waitstaff came and went through swinging double half-doors from the kitchen and wore Western wear. An old player piano near the back wall played ragtime tunes, and the whole place smelled like sizzling beef.

Reid and Olive had decided not to discuss the eminent domain issue. Not yet. Reid wanted more information first.

But Olive’s mind was already spinning. What if the government was somehow connected to the sabotage at the ranch?

For now, she honored Reid’s request not to talk about it. But there would come a time when they’d need to.

Olive placed her burger back on her plate and wiped her mouth again. “I can’t believe what Wayne said about that will.”

Reid’s gaze darkened. “Me neither. It just seems so far-fetched.”

“I wonder about the lawyer Lucy hired to do this for her,” Olive murmured. “Radcliffe, Johnson, and Pearson. I did a quick internet search, and they are an actual law firm based out of Billings.”

“That doesn’t mean they’re behind this.”

“You’re absolutely right,” Olive said. “But she clearly has some resources behind her if she was able to make the will look as believable as she did.”

Reid narrowed his eyes. “She probably swindled someone else out of some cash in order to pay for it.”

There was clearly no love lost between them.

“What’s the age difference between you two?” she asked.

“Only three years—I’m older.”

“And how old were the two of you when you became stepsiblings?”

“I was twenty, and she was seventeen. We didn’t get along then, and we don’t get along now.”

Olive stored that information to the back of her mind. “I can have Tevin look into this lawyer she hired. He’s great at finding information.”

Reid raised his burger, ready to take a bite. “Have you heard from him lately?”

“I know he’s getting ready to come to the ranch to do your geological survey. Otherwise, we’ve exchanged a few text messages, and he’s followed up on a few things for me.”

Reid tilted his head as if impressed. “You guys really are top-notch, aren’t you?”

“That’s why you hired us.”

He grinned again. “Yes, it is. You came very highly recommended—and at a very steep price tag.”

“I don’t set any of the prices. I just do the work. But I do know that Rex invests heavily in his agents when he brings us on. He puts us through the best training, some of which the FBI even goes through.”

Reid’s eyebrows rose. “That is impressive. Do you learn defensive driving?”

“We sure do—as well as handgun training, personal combat, interrogation techniques.”

“It sounds like you might be even more well trained than an FBI agent.”

“There are good and bad things about what we do,” Olive said. “We don’t have to operate under the rules the FBI does, which gives us more leeway. But we also don’t have the authority the FBI has, which is a handicap.”

“Are you guys a small, close-knit team or is Aegis larger than I think?” He took another bite of his burger.

“We’re a pretty small team, and it works well that way. We could grow larger, I suppose, and take on more cases, but that’s not what Rex wants. He needs to fully trust everyone who’s involved.”

Reid studied her a moment as he swallowed. “I must say, it seems like you could have done anything you wanted for a career. Why join an elite private investigative firm?”

Funny, most people didn’t usually ask her that. “The opportunity sounded exciting. I didn’t want to be behind a desk, and even though I was good at sales, I didn’t feel fulfilled. I thought I’d give this job a whirl and see how I liked it. I’m still here three years later.”

“Very interesting.”

“Isn’t it?” She picked up a fry and dipped it into her spicy ranch sauce.

As she did, the bell on the door behind her jingled, and she glanced back to see who’d come inside.

When she saw the tall, thin man, she sucked in a breath and lowered her head.

Work Boots was here.

Inside the restaurant.

On a mission.

Edgar Seller walked to the table nearest the door and thrust a paper into someone’s face. “You ever seen this woman?”

Olive’s stomach sank.

She instinctively knew this guy had come here trying to find her.