2. River
This Texas heat,I swear I could be considered a brisket right now.
I opened the cooler in the back of my Jeep, grabbed a bottle of water, and drained it. This property was going to be the death of me today. I only had myself to blame. I should have worked it so I’d come here earlier this week when it was cloudy and drizzly. I’d much rather be wet than cooked.
Uh, you know what I mean.
I pulled my baseball cap off, rubbed the sweat from my brow, and pulled out a headband. Maybe this would help keep the sweat out of my eyes this time around.
I was no stranger to the heat. My Military career saw me in a few places that would give hell a run for its money. Deserts that were sand, scorpions, and the sun. The Amazon where there was wetness, snakes the size of houses, and the humidity had its own zip code and telephone number. Then there were the times where you just prayed for shade as you lay in wait, watching your fellow soldiers’ backs as they tried to rescue the fallen.
Those places, those times in my life prepared me to come back home and do what I did. But heat was heat, and your girl was hot.
This property was not quite one hundred acres, but to walk that, going on hours now, and still not be done was its own kind of hell. I was getting paid to scope out all ninety-eight and a half acres so…that’s what I was doing. The property had access roads that were accessible for the average person, but I had to hit the places that not everyone would dare to enter without a horse and prayer. A few of the paths, I dared to call them trails or roads, were in seriously rough shape. If it weren’t for my creative driving skills, and my Jeep’s ability to literally climb mountainsides, I have no idea how this morning would have gone. The signal out here wasn’t the best in a few parts of the property. I had a sat phone, don’t worry. Working the lands like I did, it was a must.
Land surveying was grueling on the best of days, but I loved it. Companies hired me to look over prospective land purchases. Some were just land, some were properties that had a home on them. Some, like this one, were old farms. I had to locate any wells, outbuildings, and property on the property. I had a printed map, and I marked everything on it. Bodies of water, ponds, creeks, rivers; it all went on here.
I pulled my hair back, resetting the low ponytail, added the band, and replaced my ball cap. My arms were burning slightly, so I put on more sunscreen. I swear, I should buy stock in this stuff with as much as I used. Dropping the bottle back in my bag, I washed my hands and grabbed my pack. I’d do this quadrant then call it for the day.
Looking at my watch, I noted the time and set off to find the big red barn I’d seen earlier driving down the hillside. I’d marked its location on the map already; it was just a game of cat and mouse now. The field I was in now was all hay. That would be a bonus for the potential owners. One less commodity they’d need to purchase early on.
Amber’s Horse Rescue Sanctuary was hoping to relocate to a larger property, expanding their reach into Texas. The original home was located in Oklahoma. I was excited to be a part of this, to be honest. I was all for saving animals, and their therapy program would be a great addition to this area. Kids and adults alike could come and ride, enjoy the life of a cowboy for the day. Therapy for the mind, body, heart, and soul. What more could you ask for?
With the amount of land, the already established outbuildings, barns, covered sheds that held hay feeders, watering troughs—though a few would have to be replaced due to age—it was a great start to something that could be huge.
I never told a realtor I was coming out until I’d already had a look. Before you say anything, it wasn’t trespassing. It was literally my job to go in, scout it out. I also had written permission from the actual owners to be out here. Just in case.
Finding what was on the property, taking water samples, and getting an overall feel for the space was a priority. Make these maps, take measurements of the land itself. Then, once we had the information needed, and everything checked out as being on the up and up, I had the clients make an official appointment.
Trust me, you couldn’t count how many times this has paid off for my clients. People would tell you anything to sell a listing. I’d had them tell a client there were wells established, fully functional. Streams for fishing and a number of other things. I got to the property, and the wells barely had water in them. They tested for bacteria. Or had septic tanks that were malfunctioning to the point of entire plots being all but a biohazard area. Now those were just disgusting. It automatically failed a potential property, and we moved on.
My cell vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out to see ‘home’ pop up on the screen.
“Rivers Mortuary. Your loss is tomorrow’s buffet. How may I help you?”
“Ew, you know that is disgusting, right? Like, I’m telling the preacher to pray for your soul.”
I laughed softly. I loved fucking with my younger siblings. With us ranging from thirty-three—still a young thirty-something, thank you very much—to age four, it was so much fun for me. I took it very seriously.
“You tell him, squirt. I’m sure the prude would agree with you. What’s up; I’m working.”
“When are you coming home?”
“A couple of hours more than likely. You okay? Wait, why are you home?”
“Yeah, we’re okay. It’s a teacher workday thing; we did classes online this morning.
“Oh, okay.” I’d been gone since 6:00am. I hadn’t remembered that. Dammit.
“But you’re okay?”
“Yeah, it’s just, Mom is sleeping again, and we’re hungry.”
I frowned. Dean, my little brother, was thirteen; he wasn’t helpless by any means, but the rule was if Mom, Rosie, or I were not there, no using the stove. I’d not been to the grocery store yet this week, so the microwavable items were probably low again.
“Has Mom been up today?”
Jesus, please say yes.
“Yeah, she left early and came home like an hour ago. She was in a mood, I could tell.”
“Where’s Rosie?”
“She went to work. Mrs. Talbert said she could help her in the store for a few hours each week.”
“I told her she didn’t have to—Okay. Grab the menu off the fridge, the yellow one. Call Mr. Tony and order a couple of pizzas. Ask him to put it on my tab. I’ll stop by on the way home and pay him. He can call me to confirm it if he’d like.”
“Pizza. Yes!” Dean cheered.
“Hey, don’t wake up Mom. Jesus, boy.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay. Where are Kenny and the baby?”
“She’s not a baby; she’s four.”
“Compared to me, you are all babies, so shush. Where is Laura then?”
“Asleep on the couch. She was crying for you earlier, so I rocked her to sleep.”
“Thanks, buddy. I figured she would want Mom to do that.”
“Mom came in and went straight to bed. She didn’t even speak to us. Mood, I tell you.”
He sounded so broken right then. Ugh, that woman. We were going to have a talk again. It was something when the child had to parent their own parents. Taking a deep breath, I gave myself a mental shake. Let it go, River. Let it go. The kids were safe and that was what mattered.
I was approaching the big red barn now. I had serious work to do; this thing was huge. I tipped my head back and looked way up. It was at least three stories. Must have been used for machinery.
“Hey, Deano, I gotta go. Order pizzas, make sure Kenny and Laura eat, and if you want, y’all can go in my room, climb up on the bed, and watch a movie, okay? If you have to buy one, then do it. Nothing R-rated or you will be sleeping with one eye open, yes?”
He cackled. This kid, I swear. “Nothing bad. I promise. I’ll find one we already have. Promise.”
“Hey, if you find one you want to buy, it’s okay. I am giving you permission.”
“Okay. We will find something.”
“Do me a favor. If she gets up, just stay out of Mom’s way until I get home.”
“Okay, can we have some of your cookies?”
Grinning, I nodded. “You can have a few. Don’t let them have more than one, or we will never get their butts to sleep tonight.”
“Deal. Love you. Be careful, okay?”
“Love you too, buddy. I will. See you in a few hours.”
Lord, give me strength. I loved my mother, she’d tried to give me all I needed growing up, but she had a penchant for falling for men who only wanted her body. They’d use her until she was used up or pregnant and then leave. Every one of us had a different dad. I didn’t even know mine. Probably for the best. If he was anything like the other deadbeats, I wasn’t missing anything.
This was why I’d let them all move in with me when I’d come back to Texas. Not solely for her, she could fend for herself, she always had, but it was for the kids. I needed to know they had a roof over their heads, had food in their bellies, and an adult with them as much as possible. Rosie was seventeen. A junior in high school, so she was a huge help. I could only be there so many hours in a day.
I’d talk to Mom and if need be, I would take those kids from her. I had all the proof I needed to do it. I was trying to help her out. I was the one providing for us all. And thank God I had a job that afforded me to do so. I wanted her to be okay, I was trying, but you couldn’t help someone who didn’t want it.
I slid the phone into my pocket and walked over to the barn doors. They looked to be in good shape. Before I went in, I circled the barn. It had to be a half a city block in size. The grass around it in spots had been pushed down, like people were out here walking around. That made me curious. Maybe I wasn’t the only one scoping out the property.
I pulled out my camera, to get pictures of the area, just as I had been doing the entire morning. The barn had a loft door way up at the top, so I’d have to see if it was accessible from the inside. Most barns, even the ones for equipment, had a lot of space that was usable for storage; if it was a working barn, meaning animals were housed there, then it held hay or grains. That’s why it was called a hayloft by most.
I side-stepped a worn path to peek in through a cracked board. It was dim, dark even. I didn’t hear anything, so I went back to the front and pulled at the large door. It opened with a squeal of rusty hinges.
I moved inside, looking around. There were a few pieces of large equipment. Old boxes of parts, empty gasoline cans. And dust—Lord, the storm cloud of dust I was stirring up made me sneeze.
It was then that I heard something. I was naturally nosey. I expected to find an animal scavenging for mice. There were always mice in a place like this. Especially with it being so overgrown around here.
There was a feel to this place as I got further inside. Unease washed over me. I was nothing if not practical. I pulled my pack off, lowered my camera, and pulled my .38 from my back holster. There could be mice. Could be a bird. It could also be a coyote. A bobcat or heaven forbid, something bigger. My .38 would at least make it rethink me being a snack if that were the case.
I, however, did not find an animal. What I found was much worse than that. My heart stopped, and it took me a minute to register what I was seeing.
Two women were tied to a poll; one was slumped over, her face bloody. The other was tapping her foot on the concrete floor. That was the noise I’d heard.
I holstered my gun, pulled out my cell, and dialed 9-1-1 as I rushed to them, my training kicking into gear. I pulled my knife from the sheath at my waist. This was suddenly like a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.
“I need an ambulance and the police at 6810 Old Route 4. The old Mickelson Ranch. I have two women that are in bad shape.”