Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
M arti pulled up to the front of her home. She opted not to pull into the garage since she would not be there very long. Rushing inside, she hurried upstairs to the bedrooms.
Then she realized she had asked Mrs. Bainbridge to babysit. She needed to call her. She had her on speed dial and hit the three.
The phone rang three times before the elderly woman picked up.
“Hello.”
“Hi, Mrs. Bainbridge this is Marti Parker. I don’t think I’m going to need you tonight after all. We’re heading out to the Circle C Ranch. Sophie has a playdate with Danny Malone.”
“You’ll be gone all night?” asked the old woman.
“Yes. It’s a sleepover and I’m not ready for her to do it on her own yet. Just call me a helicopter mother.”
“Oh, dearie, you’re not one of those. This is rather strange, isn’t it?”
“Not really, it will save me time and money. I don’t have to spend the time and pay for the gas to run Sophie back and forth.”
“Very well, dearie. Thank you for letting me know.”
“I’ll always be sure to let you know as soon as I can.”
“Have fun, dearie. Goodbye.”
The line went dead.
Marti grabbed her small suitcase and packed quickly.
For herself, she included her toiletries and makeup. Her hair was curly, and she let it air dry most days anyway, so she didn’t have to deal with hot rollers and blow dryers. For her bathing suit, she chose a modest one-piece. She wasn’t ashamed of her body, but the thought of the Lycra in the suit certainly made her feel better. She added a pretty cover-up to her luggage. She also packed a black turtleneck and black leggings to wear that night to the warehouse.
Then she gathered Sophie’s favorite stuffed giraffe. She slept with it every night. Marti packed her newest pajamas, favorite blanket and the juice and cookies she liked best. This was her daughter’s first sleepover, and she wanted it to be a good experience for her.
Traffic wasn’t bad, and she made the round trip in an hour and fifteen minutes. Back in plenty of time for supper.
Since it was only about four-thirty when she returned, she decided to see if Caleb wanted to make plans for their mission to the warehouse.
She met him in the family room with the kids. He was watching them play their game.
“Um, Caleb, may I talk to you for a minute…in private?”
“Sure.” He stood and walked over to her. “We can take this back to my office.”
“Thanks. That would be great.” She followed him and was glad she hadn’t tried to find it on her own, because she would have gotten completely lost.
He held the door open for her and then closed it behind her. “Now what did you need?”
“I just thought we might make some plans for tonight’s coming adventure.”
He lifted a brow. “What kind of plans did you have in mind?”
“Well, I don’t know the area very well. I’m hoping we’ll find a place across the street to watch the warehouse in question.”
He leaned back in his chair. “There is. I’m familiar with the area. I spent a lot of time there when Jamison first disappeared.”
“Right. I’d forgotten that for a moment. Is there any equipment we should have that you might have here? I have my phone and recorder. I thought I’d make a voice recording of what I see.”
Caleb shook his head. “We’ll need to be quiet. No talking and no voice recordings. I think this time we simply need to see what is happening. Who the players are. If this is a shipment coming in, we can call in the authorities to come and raid it before it goes out again.”
Marti narrowed her eyes. “You sound like you’ve done this before. Is there something you want to tell me or that I should know? I can keep it a secret. I have to in my business or none of my contacts would ever work with me again.”
He shook his head and sat forward, resting his forearms on the desk while he clasped his hands. “I’m not prepared to tell you anything other than I’m willing to accompany you on this excursion.”
“Very well, I guess we don’t have any other plans to make. I brought some dark clothing to blend into the shadows better if we need to run for any reason.”
“That’s probably a good idea though hopefully we won’t have to make a run for it.”
“I hope you’re right.”
The sun was still burning brightly by the time supper was on the table.
Caleb grilled steaks for everyone.
Bethany added fresh baked dinner rolls.
His housekeeper and cook, Hetti, added a green salad, corn on the cob and a peach cobbler for dessert.
As someone who liked to bake, Marti wished she could have contributed something to the meal.
The kids were good, talking animatedly about their game.
Bethany rested her hands in her lap and looked over at Marti. “So, Marti, I’ve read some of your articles. You’re an investigative reporter. What are you investigating now?”
Leaning back in her chair. “Oh, I never talk about my current project. Call it a superstition…I fully believe if I give away my story, it won’t be published, and all my work will have gone for naught.”
Bethany nodded. “I can respect that. I don’t like to have anyone around when I get ready for a horse show. I don’t want to be distracted and perhaps forget to do something.”
“Yes, it’s like that.”
By the time they finished the cobbler, with homemade vanilla ice cream on top, the sun was behind the mountains. It wouldn’t set for another ninety minutes or so.
Danny whooped after he’d swallowed the last bite of his dessert. “Daddy, can we swim now?”
Caleb smiled tenderly at his son. “I think that would be a fine way to spend the rest of the evening. Let’s all go get ready and then meet by the pool. Do you need any help, little man?”
The boy, who could have been a replica of his father with his dark hair and gray eyes, rolled his eyes and stared at his father with his hands on his hips. “Daddy, I’m a big boy. I can dress myself.”
Caleb chuckled. “Yes, you are a big boy. Now, go play for a bit and then put on your swim trunks.”
Danny scampered through the kitchen’s sliding glass doors.
Caleb placed a hand on Marti’s shoulder. “Since I didn’t get a chance to show you the guest rooms, let’s do that now, and then you can change clothes.”
“That would be great.” She looked around for Sophie and spied her with Danny out on the grass. She opened the sliding door and called her. “Sophie. Come on. Let’s go change clothes. You want to swim, don’t you?”
The little girl came running. “I’m ready, Mommy.”
Caleb led them to the stairway where she’d left the bags.
Marti picked up her bag. “Sophie, you can carry your backpack, and I’ll get my overnight bag.”
“Here, let me take those.” Caleb picked up the suitcase and the backpack and then he started up the stairs. “Follow me.”
He took them up to the second floor.
At the top of the stairs were two halls. One heading west and the other east.
“You’re in the west wing. This way.” He stopped at the first door on the left. “This is Sophie’s room. There’s an adjoining door to your room right next door.” He went into the room and opened the door between them. “I think you’ll be quite comfortable here.”
Marti walked inside behind Caleb and looked around. The room boasted lavender walls, purple carpet, a queen-sized brass bed, oak bureau, nightstands, and a chest of drawers. It had its own three-quarter bath and a large closet. The comforter and the curtains were a lavender paisley pattern which Marti wouldn’t have chosen, but it wasn’t her house.
Sophie ran to the bed. “Look, Mommy, it’s purple. I love purple.”
Marti chuckled. “This is perfect for Sophie. Purple is her favorite color. Thank you.”
“Of course. Your room is right through here.” Caleb went through the adjoining door.
Marti’s room was green. Green walls, dark forest-green carpet and plain light-green curtains on the windows. The king-sized bed had a sage satin comforter with pleats along the bottom and top. The room was beautiful. Very restful.
“Thank you so much. This is lovely.”
He paused, sadness filling his eyes before he spoke again. “My wife liked to decorate the rooms herself. She usually changed everything up about once a year.”
Marti couldn’t imagine what he must have gone through, losing the one you love would be unbearable for her. Her heart went out to him. She reached out and placed a hand on Caleb’s arm, hoping to provide some comfort. “I’m so sorry. You must miss her very much.”
Caleb put a hand over Marti’s where it lay on his arm. “Yes. Thank you.” He lifted her hand from his arm. “Well, we’ll see you out at the pool. You can find it again, can’t you? It’s out the doors between the kitchen and the dining room.”
She laughed. “Yes, I should be able to find it.”
His smile warmed her heart, and then it was gone.
She had the feeling that he believed he wasn’t allowed to smile or to be happy. He smiled most when he was around Danny. She wasn’t sure how much of it he genuinely felt and how much he forced himself to do for the child’s sake.
“If you’ll excuse me, I must change my clothes, too.” He gave her a slight bow of his head and left the room.
Marti sighed.
“Mommy, why’d you make that funny noise? You usually only make it when you’re sad.”
She hadn’t realized Sophie associated her sighing with sadness. “I’m not sad, really. I just make that noise—a sigh—when I realize something about myself.”
“What did you realize?”
“Just that Mommy can’t always get what she wants, and that sometimes that is a good thing. You’ll understand when you get older.”
“That’s what you always say.” She put a hand on her hip and swung the other out. “When you get older. This will make sense…when you get older. Never mind. I want to play with Danny now.”
Marti smiled at her daughter’s complete change of topic. “Okay, we better get changed, then.” She was glad Caleb put them in rooms with an adjoining door, which would remain open while they stayed there.
The bathing suit Marti chose was a white halter style that covered more than it showed. It did, however, make her cleavage look good without being offensive. The cover up was a sarong skirt that tied at the waist and allowed one of her legs to peek through when she walked. It was a teal jungle scene with lots of palm fronds and the sun setting in the background.The fact that it was her favorite color was a bonus.
Once they were dressed, she and Sophie found their way back to the kitchen.
She opened the sliding door and found Danny and Caleb already in the water.
Caleb pushed his wet hair back from his forehead. “Come on in, ladies. The water is fine.”
Again, she noticed his hair was a little long and curled on the ends. Marti thought it was perfect for him.
She untied her skirt and set it on one of the lounge chairs. She noticed a towel been placed on each chair.
Sophie took a running leap into the water, splashing Caleb and Danny. She came up laughing and swam over to Danny. They started pushing the water at each other with their hands.
Sophie giggled.
She was a little fish in the water. Marti had started her lessons when she was six months old and still continued them. Though she really didn’t need them anymore, they were a way for Sophie to play with other kids her age when she was out of school.
Marti took the stairs into the pool. The water was warm as she walked over to Caleb, who was standing in chest-deep water. By the time she reached him, she had to tread water to be next to him.
Caleb looked over at the children. “The kids seem to be getting along well.”
“Sophie is eager to have a friend after school. It’s hard on her because she can’t really have anyone over. Because of my work, I can’t bring kids into the house for things like sleepovers and we live too far out of town to have anyone close to go play with. The house we have was in the right price range when I was looking. In town we’d have had much less room. I need a separate office because of my work. Sophie is allowed in there as long as I’m in there, but I lock it when I’m not. As you said, you have the same problem with Danny being so far from town. It’s hard to have friends for play dates.”
“I do. This is the first chance Danny’s had to have a friend from school over. I’d like to do this more often…if you’re up for it.”
Marti’s pulse raced. Her heart pounded in her chest. Did that mean Caleb wanted to see more of her, too? “I think that would be wonderful. Sophie loves the idea of a ranch. Um, I don’t suppose you know anyone here who would want or have the time to teach Sophie to ride a horse, do you?”
Caleb laughed. “Oh, I think that can be arranged. We are a working cattle ranch, after all and do ride horses.”
Bethany arrived at the pool wearing a barely-there string bikini.
She was one woman who could pull it off. Tall, slender, and built just for something like that.
Marti felt almost frumpy in her one-piece suit. But her body wasn’t really suited for a bikini. She had hips and a stomach from having Sophie. She’d never been able to lose that last fifteen pounds. She didn’t look bad, but she wasn’t the slender woman she’d been before.
With his beautiful gray eyes glittering with interest while he looked at her, Marti almost felt like a desirable woman once again. But she was probably just seeing things she wanted to see.
Caleb glanced around. “So, what time do you want to leave tonight?”
Marti made sure the kids and Bethany were otherwise occupied. “My tipster said the meet is to happen at two am. How long will it take to get from here to the warehouse?”
“About half an hour, but we should be in place before that, so I’d like to leave about one am, if that meets with your approval.”
She nodded. “That will be great.”
Bethany walked up to them. She was almost six feet tall, so she didn’t have to tread water, like Marti did.
“What are you two talking about over here?” Bethany asked as she came to a stop between Marti and Caleb.
“Just thinking about more playdates for Sophie and Danny,” said Caleb with ease.
Marti nodded. “Sophie is having the time of her life, and I was asking your brother if someone here could teach her to ride a horse.”
Bethany laughed. “Of course. I can. We have kids with cancer out for a week at a time during several weeks over the summer. It gives them a chance to get out of the city, they come from as far away as New York, and away from their disease. They also learn how to ride and take care of the horses, too. It’s great fun. You should have Sophie come when we do that. Danny loves it. He has lots of kids to play with then. And he already knows how to ride and can show them just how easy it is. They learn better if someone their own age is along for the ride.”
Caleb nodded toward his son. “I’ve seen Danny come out of his shell since we started the program. He loves helping out and knowing how to do something that they don’t makes him feel important.”
Right now, Danny and Sophie were in the deep end, playing with a soccer ball. It resembled a game of keep away, as they both attempted to prevent the other from obtaining it.
Marti didn’t know what the winner got, but it didn’t matter. They were happy just with the game.
Caleb checked his watch. “I’ll meet you in the kitchen at five minutes to one and then we can leave.”
“Do you want me to drive?”asked Marti.
Caleb barked out a laugh.
Bethany laughed, too.
Frowning, Marti looked back and forth between the siblings. “Did I say something funny?”
Bethany shook her head. “I’m sorry. You didn’t say anything funny, it’s just clear that Caleb’s tour of our home was less than complete. You obviously haven’t seen the garage. My brother’s tour of our home is definitely lacking if he didn’t show you…his babies.”
“I didn’t show her the garage. I’ll do that tonight…after we get back.”
Bethany cocked one eyebrow. “Get back from where? And when are you leaving?”
“We’re checking out a tip Marti received, and it might have something to do with Jamison’s disappearance. I’m the back-up. We’ll be no later than four am. You won’t have to do anything—just be around in case one of the kids wakes up and needs something.”
“That’s unlikely to happen, though,” Marti was quick to add.
“That’s right,” agreed Caleb. “But just in case…”
“I hope you find some answers about Jamison. As for the kids,” Bethany waved off their concerns with a shake of her hand. “You don’t have to worry about anything. Danny is unlikely to wake, he never does and if Sophie does, we’ll just have hot cocoa in the kitchen until she’s ready to go back to bed. We’ll be fine. You just be careful out there. I get the feeling there is a lot you aren’t telling me, but I’ll wait for answers until you get back. Make no mistake.” She first pointed at Caleb and then at Marti. “I will want answers.”
Caleb smiled and grabbed her finger. “Yes, baby sister, you’ll get your answers.”
“Good.” Bethany turned and waded back the way she came.
Marti looked at Caleb. “What will you tell her if we find something that can’t be related for any reason?”
“I’ll think of something. I always do. None of my family knows I’m with the DEA. I don’t talk about my job.”
Marti’s stomach did a flip. “DEA? You’re part of the DEA?” she whispered.
“Yes, but that can’t get out either. It’s because of that I agreed to go. I’m trying to get the goods on the cartel. We want to shut them down and, so far, haven’t been able to do that. We catch the two-bit dealers, but never the one who supplies them. They would rather do time than reveal their sources. They are scared, and they’re probably right to be. We’ve found a couple of bodies dumped in the mountains outside of Bozeman.”
Marti’s heart pounded as she realized she might be in even more danger than she’d originally thought. “Bodies? Why haven’t I heard about that?”
“We kept it hush-hush. If the residents knew about it, they might panic, and that wouldn’t be good for anyone.”
“No, I don’t suppose it would.” Does he expect to find a shipment of drugs tonight? What if we do? What can we do about it? Does he have backup he can call on?