Chapter 10
Ten
Needing to speak to Kane alone, Jenna hung back as they walked toward the ranch house.
Once Carter had headed inside, she lingered in the front yard and turned to Kane.
“I feel like an idiot. I almost broke down seeing that poor battered woman. It makes me look weak. Who could do that to another human being?”
“It doesn’t make you look weak. It makes you look human.
” Kane rubbed the back of his neck, tipping his Stetson over his eyes.
“All of us have seen things we can’t stomach.
Most of the aftermath of the crimes we’ve been involved in are horror stories, but it’s not like you to go off at anyone like that.
I figured that Ty needed an explanation. Everyone here is your closest friend.”
Jenna chewed on her bottom lip and turned to him.
“I had a flashback. I haven’t had one for years.
Most of them had faded away before I became sheriff.
I believed when I accepted the assignment I was tough and I could handle it, but at the time I was scared.
It didn’t matter that I was a DEA agent and could call in backup at any time.
I was living it. I know what these women go through.
” Sighing, she shook her head. “I don’t want anyone feeling sorry for me.
That’s not who I am, Dave. Avril Parker doesn’t exist anymore, and she has no right coming back into my life.
” She rested a hand on his arm, feeling the tension in his muscles.
“Maggie told me that once I had my own kids I would see things differently and I do. I feel more vulnerable. Before I didn’t think it would matter so much if I died, but once I met you and we had the boys, everything changed. ”
“I figure that’s normal.” Kane smiled at her. “I believe we consider our mortality more seriously once we have kids.”
“Hey.” Rhett opened the front door and waved at them. “Lunch is ready. Why don’t you wash up and head into the kitchen?”
Forcing her lips into a smile, Jenna waved back.
“Coming.” She turned to Kane. “Do you figure we can convince Julie to watch the boys for a little bit longer while we talk to Bowman again? I need to get the information on the employees’ comings and goings over the last few months.
Maybe someone who worked here didn’t make it home. ”
When she walked into the kitchen Jenna stared at Jackson sitting at the table. “You have a highchair?” She looked at Rhett and grinned. “Did the boys behave themselves while we were gone?”
“I always behave myself, Mommy.” Tauri looked at her and frowned. “Jackson has been good too. We’ve been playing trains. You should see the train set that Rhett set up in the family room. It’s huge.”
“I found it in the attic—or should I say I found the boxes of unopened tracks and engines.” Rhett grinned. “I imagine my parents were saving it for me for Christmas. We’ve been spending most of the morning setting it up. The boys loved it.”
“That’s wonderful.” Kane ruffled Tauri’s hair and looked at Rhett. “Do you figure you could watch the boys for another hour or so while we interview some of the hands?”
“I’d love to.” Rhett smiled. “They’re so much fun. I feel like a kid again.”
“Me too.” Julie grinned. “I’ve never played trains before.”
“I like trains too.” Jackson waved a slice of bread and honey. “This is sticky.”
Jenna cleaned him up, took the bread, folded it over, and cut it in two. “Better?”
After lunch, Rhett and Julie took the boys back to the family room.
She turned to Kane and Carter. “We need to move as fast as possible. Bowman should know where the women work. We’ll spread out and speak to as many of the people who work alongside them as possible.
Someone will know something. We’ll start with Bowman and work from there. ”
They all stood at once and headed for the office.
As usual, Bowman was inside working on his computer.
Jenna wondered if he ever left the office.
He seemed to work everything by remote. “Ah, sorry to trouble you again, Mr. Bowman, but we really must speak to you. I’m sorry to say that we just discovered a body half buried in a mound of dirt in the northwest paddock.
It’s female. I need to know if any of your hands are missing or have left recently. ”
“A body?” Bowman stood and leaned on the desk. “You saying someone died on the ranch? Was she murdered?”
“That hasn’t been determined. We’ll find out more at an autopsy in the morning.” Carter chewed on his toothpick. “Has anyone been reported missing?”
“Nope, not a soul.” Bowman frowned. “The northwest paddock isn’t being used.
We’re giving that area time to regrow so we can move the cattle up there later.
We move them around so they don’t destroy all the grass.
” He scratched his head. “There’d be no need to dig a hole up there.
In fact, leaving an empty hole would be dangerous for the cattle. ”
I never mentioned an open hole? Jenna frowned. “What gave you the impression there was an open hole?”
“I figured she fell into a hole.” Bowman eyed them critically. “You’re not giving me much information to go on here.”
“That’s because it’s an ongoing investigation but we know someone on the ranch was involved.
” Kane leaned against the doorframe and eyeballed him.
“There is more than one set of tire tracks from the ranch right up to where the body was found and back again. Unfortunately, there are tire tracks all over where the heavy machinery is kept, so we couldn’t discover where the body came from.
We’re assuming that it was taken to the vehicle and then transported to where it was buried. ”
The man was no help at all and the fact that a body had been found didn’t seem to faze him. It wasn’t the reaction Jenna had expected. Usually a person would ask how they died at least. She looked at him. “Do you have a log of who is driving what vehicle on each day?”
“I’m afraid I can’t help you with that information.
” Bowman sat down heavily in his office chair, lifted his hat, and scratched his head.
“Different trucks and machinery are needed during the day and night sometimes, and it would take forever to log them in and out during the course of the day. I wouldn’t want people running to me to get permission to go and dig a hole to bury a dead cow, for instance, or if they needed someone to help lift hay bales or fix a fence in an emergency. ”
Not knowing how long the woman had been kept prisoner and tortured, Jenna cleared her throat. “Okay, do you have a list of anyone who left in the last two weeks?”
“Yes, I have that information.” Bowman sat down at his computer and tapped away at the keyboard. The printer whirred and a piece of paper shot out. He stood to collect it. “Here you go. These are the names of anyone who left the last two weeks.”
Jenna scanned the list. “This one, Marie Reyes, left on Thursday. Do you know where she was heading?”
“Nope. I paid her in cash and she left.” Bowman scratched his cheek. “I know she was asking around for a ride into town. She’s not here, so I guess she got one.”
“Can you describe her?” Kane folded his arms across his chest and straightened. “Hair and eye color, height?”
“She was Mexican, here on a work visa.” Bowman eyed him suspiciously. “She wasn’t an illegal. We don’t employ illegals here.” He drummed his fingers on the desk. “Pretty, maybe five-five, a little woman, but she worked hard. I never had a problem with her.”
“Where did she work?” Carter moved the toothpick across his lips. “With the women or with the men?”
“The hay barn. Both work when we bring in the hay.” Bowman leaned back in his chair more relaxed now.
“Don’t underestimate a woman working on a ranch.
They drive heavy machinery, and many work alongside the men, mending fences and the like.
I have quite a few women wranglers and ranch hands as well. ”
Jenna didn’t like his nonchalant attitude.
In fact, she didn’t like him at all. She could imagine one of the women going to him to complain about harassment and him sending her away.
Had this happened to the victim? Or was someone using the ranch as a dumping ground?
As the ranch had hands coming and going all the time, it would be easy enough for anyone who’d worked there previously to know that machinery was available day and night.
There was no security on the front gates.
It was easy to just drive in. Someone could have brought a body, dumped it in the back of any of the machinery capable of digging holes, driven it to the empty paddock, and buried the body.
They could have left under the cover of darkness and no one would have known.
She’d noticed when she’d been in the chopper there were a large number of vehicles in the parking area.
They would belong to the employees. She figured, at this time of the year when they’d all worked hard during the day, most would be in bed asleep by ten at night.
This left a wide margin for anyone to slip in overnight and bury a body.
She looked at Bowman. “Do many people take the excavators out at night? They have powerful lights, don’t they? ”
“Yeah, they do and sometimes they’re used at night.
” Bowman paused for a beat. “If someone reports a dead cow. We usually get out right away and bury it. You see, the smell brings in the wildlife and they aren’t fussy.
They’ll take the dead one but they’re also a danger to the herd. So yeah, sometimes it’s done at night.”
This narrowed the playing field a little. Jenna nodded. “Not everyone would be qualified to operate the machinery. Who usually buries the dead cattle? Can you make me a list?”
“Yeah, but it will take a time.” Bowman rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t have that information at hand. I’ll call you when I have it ready.”
“Thanks.” Kane handed him a card. “My details are on there, just send it to my email address.” He exchanged a look with Jenna. “We’ll head down to the hay barn and see if anyone remembers who gave Marie a ride into town.”
“Are you sayin’ the woman you found is Marie?” Bowman shook his head. “We don’t have trouble here. Everyone gets along. It must be someone else.”
Jenna stared at him. “I guess we’re going to find out.
Don’t allow anyone to leave the ranch until we’ve finished our investigation.
If anyone slips away, make sure you have their details.
You have Marie’s visa details, right, if you checked that she was legal, so you must have more details.
Get that information ready because we’re coming back with a warrant.
I also need access to the following, which as Rhett owns the ranch, he can hand over to me.
These include work schedules, payroll logs, employment contracts, safety reports, and incident logs. ”
“Over what period?” Bowman’s eyes bulged. “That’s a ton of work.”
“Over the last few years, but don’t worry, we’ll get access to your computers.” Carter smiled at him. “Our IT expert is arriving soon—so if you’re inclined to delete any files, don’t. He’ll know and destroying evidence is a criminal offense.”