Chapter 6 Secret in the Cistern #2
It was clear he was including her in that statement.
Relief flooded her to learn he wasn’t upset about how she’d handled Ben Haywood’s situation.
On the contrary, he was practically oozing gratitude, but that wasn’t all.
There were other emotions swirling in the air.
Kaya hadn’t been imagining things. The rising tension between April and Bear was sweet and wonderful, and they could do whatever they wanted about it.
Sadly, April had no more experience in welcoming someone into her inner circle than she did with mentoring college students. This was unfamiliar territory for her.
“Bear,” she said nervously, hoping like crazy that Kaya couldn’t hear her. “I’m new at this.” She fluttered a hand between them. “So, um, please be patient with me.”
Whether by accident or design, Bo stepped between them and Kaya, who was clinging to Ben like she would never let him go. Fortunately for Kaya, Bear’s attention was too focused on April to notice.
He reached for her hand and gallantly lifted it to his lips. “Your wish is my command, Dr. Chandrakanta.”
“No titles,” she reminded breathlessly. She’d been called Dr. Chandrakanta most of her adult life, but she didn’t want to even think about forensic pathology while she and Bear were enjoying a moment like this.
“Just Bear and April. I like it.” His fingers pressed hers before letting go of her hand. “Until next time, then.”
She searched his chiseled features. “Be careful out there.”
“Always,” he promised.
Knowing their current rendezvous was ending, she told him that she and Kaya were returning to the dilapidated barn at Haywood Ranch to have another look around.
“Keep me posted.” His words seemed to hold a double meaning. He wanted her to keep him informed, but he was also asking her to stay in touch.
“I will.”
He firmly shut the door between them.
She watched through the window as he turned to shake Ben’s hand before Ben headed to his car. It was a good sign. Then Bear faced the vehicle April and Kaya were seated in until Bo drove them out of sight.
“Maybe my uncle has a finger fetish,” Kaya suggested cheekily, leaning companionably on the leather console between her and April. “He seems fascinated by your fingers. Whether it’s a simple handshake or a lift into a vehicle, he always seems reluctant to let you go.”
April gave her assistant an annoyed look. “You’re relentless.”
“You’re in denial,” she shot back.
“We have work to do,” April reminded, “so put your game face on.” She leaned forward to get Bo’s attention.
“Take us to the hotel, please, so we can get our work clothes on.” He would welcome the detour since Lonestar Security had him staying at the same hotel.
Anytime she and Kaya were in their rooms was downtime for him.
A little over an hour later, they were back in the SUV, bumping across the washed-out gravel road leading to the part of Haywood Ranch that butted up to the old highway.
On the way there, April had done some online research on her phone.
She’d discovered that the acreage making up Haywood Ranch had expanded considerably during the past thirty to forty years.
Callie Haywood’s name might still be on the deed, but someone else had been making those decisions in recent years.
Whoever it was had invested heavily in real estate.
It was an interesting tidbit of information that she tucked away for later consumption.
It might be important, and it might not.
The other thing April had learned during the drive over was that Callie Haywood had been outspoken and opinionated during her younger days — downright cantankerous, according to one hillbilly newspaper columnist. Another report described her as “full of vinegar and spit.”
Like April, Callie had apparently never married.
Unlike April, Callie’s single state might not have been by choice.
The more information April read about the woman, the more unlikeable she sounded.
Before old Callie had succumbed to Alzheimer’s, she’d been known far and wide as a money-grubber interested in one thing only — fattening the family coffers.
“Almost there,” Kaya announced, giving April’s cell phone a pointed look. “Are you ready to come up for air?”
“I am, and we need to be prepared for anything and everything,” April cautioned as they rolled up to the weathered barn.
It was a strange case that seemed to shift and change with each passing day.
Too many things weren’t adding up, and she was beginning to suspect it was by design.
Someone was toying with the authorities, purposely sending them down rabbit holes.
It felt like it was time to adopt a laser focus.
She formulated a mental to-do list of the most essential tasks:
Determine how Tiffany Masterson and her companion arrived at the barn without the most skilled wilderness survivalist in the region seeing or hearing them.
Identify Willow Chaska’s grave robber.
Locate the missing Tiana Dakota
That was it. Her logic told her that everything else — no matter how important it might sound on the surface — was simply a distraction.
Even Willow’s grave robber might end up in the distraction column.
The whole point of bringing Willow into the mix seemed to be about kicking dirt on Bear’s reputation.
Someone had it in for the Dakotas, and they weren’t stopping with Tiana.
They were coming after Bear and Kaya now, possibly because of Kaya’s decision to solve her aunt’s cold case.
Kaya watched April curiously. “Preparing for anything and everything as ordered, boss.” She’d been in a lighthearted mood most of the day.
“Not to throw a damper on things, but I can’t imagine us finding much that the police and their scent dogs overlooked.
That said, I’m going to celebrate big and loud if we do.
” A peal of laughter rolled out of her. “I borrowed that line from Luke Hawling’s playbook. ”
It was a good line. “You and me both,” April sighed.
Bo nosed the armored SUV right up to the police tape roping off the scene. There were holes in the dirt surrounding the barn, where the police had searched without success for more bones.
April turned a critical eye on the barn next, trying to pick out any details she’d missed the last time she was here.
It was weathered to a dull gray and leaning a bit to one side.
It needed repairs and would eventually collapse from sheer neglect.
Was that what its owners wanted, or was the neglected appearance of the barn simply for show?
The barn had to be significant. Why else would it be the center of so much activity? She intended to find out.
“Stay here until I give the all-clear signal.” Without waiting for an answer, Bo left the vehicle and slammed the door shut, raising his key fob to lock her and Kaya inside.
“Nice!” Kaya’s tone suggested she thought his actions were the opposite of nice. “If he were cast in a fairytale movie, he’d be the ogre.”
April couldn’t argue with that. “Something tells me he would take that as a compliment.”
They watched him haul open the rickety barn door and disappear inside. He reappeared in a few minutes, poking his bald head out of the barn to send them a thumbs up. At the same time, the door locks on either side of them gave a satisfying click.
“He set the prisoners free,” Kaya trilled sarcastically.
“Let’s make a run for it before he changes his mind.” April pushed open her door and hopped out.
She and Kaya had to traverse thick tire ruts and unfilled holes to reach the entrance of the barn. It would be all too easy to twist or sprain an ankle if they weren’t being careful.
“I’m glad we took the time to change.” April glanced down at her running pants and sneakers. Wearing a white linen suit out here would’ve been a bad idea.
“Me, too.” Kaya was in jeans and hiking boots.
They entered the barn, and she made a beeline for the storage bin in front of the horse stalls.
She rummaged through it and selected a shovel and a pitchfork.
“Normally, I’d be cracking jokes about digging for buried treasure, but I’m mostly hoping we don’t find any more skeletons. ”
“I think your uncle feels the same way.” April reached for the pitchfork, ready to make good use of it.
“Yeah, I caught that.” Kaya sniffed. “After crabbing at me pretty hard about not getting my hopes up about my aunt, I assumed that meant he’d given up, too.
But nooo!” She walked slowly backwards, slamming the shovel into the ground every few inches in search of a hidden trapdoor.
“All these years, he’s been clinging to the hope of finding her alive. ”
They spent a solid hour stomping around the barn, scraping and digging for all they were worth. Bo was right there beside them. He helped pry open an old toolbox and kicked through a rusty metal turnstile. All that they unearthed was more dirt and grime.
April finally took a break, propping the pitchfork against the wall and brushing off her pants.
A cloud of dust billowed from them, making her sneeze.
“I’m about ready to cross the tunnel-or-storm-shelter theory off my list.” She didn’t want to, but they were striking out.
Sometimes, part of being a good forensic pathologist was admitting when one’s theories were wrong.
Kaya leaned on the top of her shovel, looking perplexed. “Maybe Traitor Tiffany and her evil accomplice parachuted down from the sky.”
“That’s one idea.” April knew she was only kidding. “But Bear would’ve heard an aircraft flyover.”