Chapter 49
Marshall tapped his fingers nervously on the steering wheel as he pulled away from town and began the drive home.
Callie’s words had given him a lot to think about.
More loose ends. Another fucking mystery.
When had things gone so completely to shit on his ranch?
He had been so damn oblivious to all of it.
The phone rang over his Bluetooth and Marshall answered.
“Hey, boss. It’s Chip.”
“What’s up? I’m on my way back to the ranch. I should be there soon.”
“I was looking at the calendar and Jack was scheduled to go to the livestock auction in Fort Macleod tomorrow. You want me to do that for you? He had an eye on getting some cow and calf pairs to increase the herd. I’m sure you approved it.”
“Yep, I sure did.” He scrubbed a hand through his hair. “Gosh, I guess I’ll go. That’s tomorrow?” As if he needed one more thing on his plate. It didn’t seem fair to dump it on Chip or anyone else.
“Yeah, tomorrow. Are you sure you don’t want me to go? I don’t mind. Or we skip this one,” Chip suggested.
Marshall considered. Maybe Evan could come help out at the ranch in Marshall’s stead. His friend had helped him out before. Chip would be more useful making sure everything ran smoothly. Marshall could make all the important purchasing decisions when it came to more acquisitions for the herd.
“No, I’ll go. Maybe you can do it next time.”
“I’ll take care of things while you’re away, no problem,” Chip reassured.
“I’ll get Evan to come lend a helping hand, since we’re still short-staffed.”
“Sounds great,” Chip added before they ended the call.
It suddenly struck Marshall how lucky he was that some people were ready to take on more responsibility as soon as disaster struck.
Marshall said goodbye and hung up just as he was pulling into the driveway to the house.
A long drive to Fort Macleod would give him a quiet moment to think.
Driving would give him some alone time to gather his thoughts.
To decide which avenues he needed to pursue further.
He liked the energy of the auctions and the gentle ribbing the ranchers gave each other as they competed for their bids.
It would be a change of scenery and maybe a little distance from the ranch would do him some good.
After a quick call to Evan, he secured extra help in managing things at the ranch while he was away.
Hopefully, there would be fewer absences in the near future.
His truck pulled into the ranch shortly after his call with Chip.
He was grateful for his longtime ranch hands taking over some of Jack’s jobs while Marshall tried to get the ranch running back on track.
Once he figured all this shit out, maybe Chip would be ready for a promotion.
Or his cousin would be more than capable of taking over Jack’s position.
There was a lot of information to process, and he couldn’t wait to go over it all with Colette.
Something about sharing his thoughts with her felt right.
She had a way of making him feel intelligent and valued.
For the hundredth time that morning, a heavy sigh slid from his lips.
Quieting the engine, Marshall debated going back to the house for another cup of coffee when he noticed that the lights were on in the kitchen.
He could have sworn he had left everything turned off.
Had he locked the door behind him?
No, obviously. Regardless of what Colette had said, he wasn’t in the habit of locking his doors yet.
Curious, he made his way up the steps to the home, his eyes landing on a person with their back to him, sitting at the kitchen island.
Hank didn’t seem alarmed, so it must be someone familiar to him.
He had anticipated enjoying one more cup of coffee alone with his thoughts.
Turns out, he would have company this morning.
He recognized her as soon as he pushed the door open.
Edith.
“What’s going on, Edith?” he asked. The woman brushed aside a few stray tears on her cheeks and rushed to Marshall.
“I’m here because I didn’t know what to do and…I…I need help, Marshall,” she said with a shuttered breath. He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed the grieving widow’s back. A heavy sob was muffled by his jacket.
“Have a seat, I’ll make a fresh pot.”
With a trembling lip, Edith nodded and went back to her stool at the island.
Her hands trembled as she placed them on the counter.
Marshall ran into the washroom and brought back some tissues, placing them in front of her.
Taking one to wipe her cheeks, Edith took a deep breath and seemed to mull over her words.
Marshall turned to prepare the coffee, not wanting to put any pressure on her.
“I’m so worried,” she began. “I told the police what I’d heard, and they weren’t sure what to make of the information, so I decided to come to you. Marshall, you’re like a son to me. The son I never had. Jack felt the same. He loved and admired you so much.”
She took a shuddered breath and blew her nose.
His throat thick, Marshall poured water into the coffee maker.
He counted out a few scoops of coffee and dropped them into the filter, then started the machine.
It was easier to think of making a comforting drink than seeing the pain on her face.
He grabbed a few muffins from a container and placed them on a plate.
The antique floral plate slid on the counter as he pushed it toward her. “I love you too, Edith. Now tell me what is going on.”
She cupped her face in her hands, covering her red-rimmed eyes. Marshall pulled two mugs out of the cupboard and some cream and sugar, placing them in front of her. Silence stretched between them as they waited for the beep and Marshall served the hot coffee.
The older woman inhaled slowly and studied her cup, the cream still swirling in the mug from after she stirred it.
“As you know, I was diagnosed with cancer a few months ago and have been undergoing treatments. Jack was struggling with it. Even though we have a great medical system in Canada, there were bills. I couldn’t work, and expenses were piling up.
You know, for travel, hotels, certain medications, meals, and all the things we need to receive treatments in the city. ”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you two were going through this,” Marshall said, his shoulders slumping.
“Jack was a proud man. He would never complain,” she said as she heaved a heavy sigh. “So when he was offered money to do a simple job. He accepted it. I’m not saying it was right, but I’m not here to judge him. It’s not up to me.”
A sick sensation pooled in his chest as Marshall sensed he was going to learn something he didn’t want to know. “What happened?”
“A man offered him a great deal of money to help him out.” Edith cleared her throat. “Jack was paid to keep tabs on you.”
His brows gathered in confusion. “What? How?”
“It started simple at first, and I don’t know many details.
He didn’t like talking about it. Jack was miserable, but we needed the money.
Gathering bits of information and reporting to someone.
He thought it was harmless. I found these papers, here.
” Edith slid the slim file across the countertop, and Marshall stopped it with his hand.
Lifting the papers, he opened the file and glanced at the information contained within it.
The fucking Lorimer Fertilizers file. Colette would lose her shit when she saw this. It wasn’t missing. It was stolen. Someone made it disappear on purpose.
“I’m so sorry, Marshall. We betrayed you, and I just wanted you to know. I don’t expect you to forgive me. I’ll be leaving the ranch to go live with my sister in Brantford.” Edith took a long drink of her coffee and waited while Marshall collected himself.
“Do you think this might be the reason Jack was murdered?” Marshall asked the question out loud, already knowing the answer. He dropped the file back on the counter with a shake of his head. Who would want to sabotage him or the ranch?
Edith took a ragged breath and nodded. “I know it is. I feel it in my gut. He paid a heavy price for his betrayal. I know he made mistakes, but he didn’t deserve the end he got.”
Her words piqued his curiosity.
“Why do you think it got him killed?”
“In the days before he died, he told me the people he was working for had threatened him because he didn’t want to keep working for them.
He could barely sit still or sleep at night.
He was paranoid, checking our locks and windows.
Telling me to be careful. He tried to brush it off, but I know he was scared,” Edith explained.
“The guilt weighed on him. ‘I’ve gotta come clean,’ he kept saying to me.
I never knew exactly who he was working for, but they frightened him good.
” Edith shoved her tissues in her pocket and slowly stepped down from the barstool.
“Well, that’s all I had to tell you. Please forgive me. Forgive Jack. Maybe if we had come to you sooner, none of this would have happened.” Edith lowered her head and shuffled toward the door, ready to make her escape.
“Wait, Edith,” Marshall said. He walked around the kitchen island and wrapped his arms around her, blinking away a sheen of tears. “I wish you had come to me for help. You know I could have given you money. I would have done anything for you two.”
Edith blinked, her mouth curving into a wobbly frown. “There are a lot of things we would have done different, knowing the consequences now.”
“You don’t have to leave the house. I won’t have you suffering through your treatments alone,” Marshall insisted, pulling back and gripping her shoulders. His gaze locked with her teary blue eyes, and she shook her head.
“I need a fresh start. My sister lives closer to the hospital, and she’ll help me while I finish all my rounds of chemo.
Don’t you worry about me.” Her gaze held his for a moment, and she sighed.
“Stay safe.” She reached up and patted him on the cheek and Marshall leaned into her hand.
He worried that he might never see her again, that she might succumb to the grief, the cancer, or both.
“I’ll get the guys to help you move. You don’t have to lift a finger; just tell me when you’re ready.” He stroked a hand on her back, somehow trying to communicate his understanding and offer her some comfort.
She nodded and turned to open the door. “I’m going to miss these beautiful sunrises,” she said with a large sigh as she stood on the front porch of the ranch house. “Take care, Marshall. I hope you can figure out what’s going on.”
Marshall watched as she walked to her old SUV that had seen better days.
How had he not noticed they were struggling?
Jack always came to work with a happy smile and an easy laugh.
Not once had he ever complained about money or about times being tough.
He had just been…Jack. Maybe that was the problem.
Crossing his arms, his eyes scanned the horizon, his breath catching on the beauty of the morning as the sun came to burn off the sprinkling of frost clinging to the lush grasses.
For a moment, he dreamed of what it would be like to watch the sunrise with Colette, sipping their coffee and kissing each other goodbye before starting their day.
It motivated him. He needed to stop the killer for all of them, but mostly for her. They had been loving on borrowed time, and he wanted more. So much more.
First, he would send a copy of those files straight to Colette. It was a missing piece to a puzzle that might just lead to a killer.