Chapter 6
Six
Carter walked between Kane and Jenna. “You know, we wouldn’t look so intimidating if just the two of you questioned the foremen.
” He popped a toothpick in his mouth and moved it across his lips.
“I’ve never been to a ranch with two foremen before.
I’m guessing one is a cow boss, managing the cattle and bison, and the other is the head wrangler of the horses.
A spread like this would likely breed its own horses.
Apart from the trucks we’ve seen with Lawson’s Ridge on the side, they use horses on a daily basis. ”
“You checked them out and didn’t find anything apart from a few misdemeanors.” Jenna looked at him. “Their sons were born on the ranch. It will be interesting to discover their observations.”
“They’re not going to say much if they know their father’s a serial killer.
” Kane smiled. “The problem is the group of people that has been here since Rhett’s parents died extends to many more people than just those few.
We can ask who’s been around over the last twenty years or so or we can check the employment records over the year before they died.
It would cut the search down considerably if we can compare that list to the employment records now. ”
“I’ll ask Bowman for a copy of the current employment records.” Rhett rubbed his chin. “I have the original books in the office. I can make a list.”
Carter smiled. “The recent ones will be digital, and Kalo will be here tomorrow. He’ll make a current list of everyone who has been here over the time.
He has comparison software and access to just about every database in the country.
” He sighed. “I wish Jo were here. She could do a profile for us.”
“Once we get the names of everyone, we’ll see if anyone has priors for anything likely to kill for.
” Kane rubbed his chin and stared into the distance.
“If we’re talking about sex slavers or drug trafficking, we might be looking at a whole bunch of people.
One boss might be running the show and there are always worker bees.
We are talking millions of dollars passing through the ranch, and these men don’t put any value on life, so killing Rhett’s parents would be like removing an obstacle in their way.
” He turned to Jenna. “I figure we need to find out more about the death of his grandparents as well. It’s just too much of a coincidence to believe they died so soon after Rhett’s parents.
This is a close-knit community and then there was no one else to care for him.
He’d be out of the way in foster care. Think about the money they could have made in the last twenty-two years.
” He moved his attention back to Rhett. “Now you come along and upset the applecart. Trust me, knowing these people like I do, Carter is right. We’ve poked the bear.
Now we have to wait for their next move. ”
Carter pushed his hat down hard on his head as a gust of wind blew between the buildings, bringing with it a cloud of dust and leaves.
A few people drifted toward the barns, eyeing them with interest. “We’d planned to go and check a few more of those patches of turned soil.
My chopper is ready.” He glanced at Rhett. “Does that fit in with your plans?”
“Yeah, if we can meet back at the house by one-thirty, my housekeeper will put on a spread for us.” Rhett grinned.
“Polly is a great cook and more like a grandma than an employee. I really don’t have to do anything.
She makes sure the house is kept spotless and does all my laundry as well.
I didn’t know she had a husband. When I spoke to her during the interview process, I didn’t think it was relevant.
Seems he comes along with her in a package deal.
He’s a great gardener and has already turned over the vegetable patch outside the back door.
He figures he can grow a few crops that Polly will preserve for winter.
” He smiled at Jenna. “Julie will show you where everything is if you need anything for the boys. The coffee pot is always on, so help yourself.”
“Thanks.” Jenna smiled. “We’ll see you both later.” She followed Kane to the barn.
Carter led the way to the paddock where he’d left the chopper.
He’d refueled it the previous day at Wolfe’s office.
Having a helipad on the morgue roof, along with available aviation fuel, made a world of difference.
Most times he refueled at various airports.
He walked around the chopper making a preflight check, just in case anyone had tampered with his bird.
The wind had picked up since the morning and the cool breeze coming from the mountains lifted his hat, bringing with it a good respite from the heat.
It always concerned him when the temperature increased more than normal in June.
It usually led to brushfires or heavy rainfall.
He waved Rhett into the chopper. “Let’s see what we can find.”
“I hope we don’t find anything nasty, but it will be good to see the full extent of my land. It’s hard to imagine the size.” Rhett climbed into his seat and pushed on his headset.
Carter got along well with Rhett. They both had the same ideals, and he liked that Rhett didn’t constantly ask him about his military service.
Like him, he’d rather put the past behind him and live for the future.
He took the bird above a sea of green, the wind blowing down from the mountains making the grass move in waves beneath them.
He headed to the west side of the ranch.
The massive acreage had been split into fenced areas, and as they moved across the land, bison munched on the fresh green grass, perfectly happy in their environment.
The Black Angus beef cattle looked in superb condition, all fat with glossy black coats.
“The stock here looks remarkably good. No wonder Lawson’s Ridge has such a good reputation for prime beef. ”
“So I’m told.” Rhett leaned to one side, peering out the window at the ground below.
“There, that cattle grave looks recent. I can make out tire tracks through the grass.” He frowned.
“The grass is long here. I don’t figure the cattle have been moved into this paddock since before the last rain.
If one of the cattle or bison happened to jump the fence and just drop dead, it would make sense that they were buried here, but even the paddocks on either side have the long grass.
I don’t figure any of the cattle have been moved up this far yet.
What I discovered from speaking to the men is that they have a counterclockwise system of moving the cattle from one paddock to the other before the grass is completely eaten, to keep up a constant supply. ”
Nodding, Carter dropped the chopper down within a few yards of the mound of freshly turned earth.
“That makes sense. As this one is fresh, we’ll grab the shovels from the back and dig around a bit and see what we can find.
” He picked up a pair of gloves, grabbed a shovel, and climbed down from the chopper. “Zorro, with me.”
Ahead of him, Rhett hurried toward the mound of dirt and then stopped dead.
Zorro whined and sneezed. Carter caught up with Rhett and stared at the mound in disbelief.
A hand protruded through the soft soil, sticking up as if waving to them, and on the air the unmistakable smell of death wafted toward them.