Chapter 15
15
C onrad clenched his back teeth so hard one of his molars might crack. Was Beau playing a twisted game? Or was he honestly attempting to be part of this family?
“I’ve heard back from the others, and it looks like everyone wants to meet over the phone rather than in person,” Kade said.
“Okay.” Conrad had figured that would be the most efficient way since not everyone lived at the ranch or near the property. He’d been so fixated on the investigation he hadn’t kept up with his siblings. Last he’d heard, the twins were out of town on a siring mission. The Austin billionaire owner of a mare had demanded nothing artificial about the insemination. “Are the twins still in Austin?”
Kade nodded.
The deal was reportedly worth a hundred million dollars if the foal’s first season turned out to be a winner. If not, the deal was worth two hundred and fifty thousand. Gambling was as much a part of horse breeding as hooves on the ground. The billionaire had lost the past three seasons to a rival that liked to gloat. So, the Austin billionaire had decided a hundred million dollars spent would be worth the bragging rights. An air-tight non-disclosure agreement had kept the Sturgess’s from reporting the deal or uttering a word to anyone outside the family. The billionaire hadn’t wanted to look like he was trying so hard to beat his rival. Beaumont had made the deal months before his death.
It was a good thing Kade was digging into the books. Beau had volunteered for the job, but Kade wanted access. Now, they knew why Beau had signed up for the job. He wanted to broker his own deals behind everyone’s back. Being secretive could also mean he was trying to keep the profits.
There was one way to find out if Beau was being honest.
“Call Lukas and put him on speaker,” Conrad said to his brother. “Discuss the deal you made with him and Harrison.”
“Why would I do that?” Beau asked.
“To prove that you’re being upfront,” Conrad said. “You tell us the agreement now and then call the trainer. If he tells the same story, you come out in the clear. If not, then I’ll know never to trust a word that comes out of your mouth again.”
A look of panic flashed behind Beau’s eyes. “I wish you’d trust me,” Beau said.
“Make the call and I might,” Conrad countered.
Kade was already nodding. “We don’t have anything else to do while we wait. Go ahead—unless you’re chicken.”
“I’m not,” Beau quickly said. Too quickly? Too defensively?
Or was Conrad reading too much into his half-brother’s reactions? Anyone in Beau’s situation would likely be on the defensive under the circumstances. Conrad noted that Nikki was intensely studying Beau. He wanted to hear her conclusions when they were in private. Speaking of which, she’d wanted nothing more than to eat and get ready for bed. Dark circles cradled her eyes, and she had to still be reeling from the string of recent events, kicked off by losing her father.
Conrad felt like a jerk for keeping her up. He leaned over and said, “No one would be upset if you decided to go upstairs and get some rest.”
“I’d rather stay,” she said, determined as she kept her gaze on Beau. “We’re getting close, Conrad. I can’t leave now.”
Was she right? This could be another dead end.
The sound of gravel crunching underneath tires diverted their attention toward the front of the house.
Someone had just pulled up.
“Everyone is present,” Kade said as he set his cell on the desk so everyone on the call could hear. He turned to Sandy and said, “Beau was just about to call Lukas Wayne so we could hear his side of the story.”
Conrad got the deputy up to speed while Kade worked on connecting everyone on a call.
“I can save you the trouble,” Sandy said. “I’ve been to the Wayne house twice now. His wife said he went fishing. Said he takes off without his cell every few months.”
“Does that strike you as odd?” Conrad asked, figuring the wife was probably lying.
“Mrs. Wayne claims he tells her taking a phone wouldn’t do any good since he goes to spots that have no cell coverage anyway,” Sandy said, nothing in her expression saying whether she doubted the information.
“Do you believe her?” Conrad asked.
“At this point, I don’t have a reason not to,” Sandy said. “Mrs. Wayne produced a cell phone, stating it was her husband’s. She even went so far as to call it while I was present. It rang and rolled into voicemail that was his voice.”
“The timing of him disappearing sure is a little too coincidental,” Nikki pointed out. Conrad agreed, as did the others.
“I disagree,” Beau said. “There’s no reason for Lukas to stay in town. He wasn’t needed for the sale. The man has every right to go fishing since he’s innocent.”
Over the phone, Chloe issued a grunt. “Allegedly innocent.”
“Now that you have new information, what does this mean for my brother’s case?” Kade asked.
“Mr. Sturgess is still a suspect,” Sandy said. “However, your attorney can petition the judge to have the ankle monitor removed now that new information has come to light about the case.” She glanced around the room at the faces. “Mr. Wayne’s disappearance, however it’s been explained, does implicate him as a person of interest.”
“It’s not illegal to leave town,” Beau pointed out.
“No, it isn’t,” Sandy agreed. “But I wouldn’t advise you to go anywhere for a while, either.”
Beau’s face wrinkled. “Am I a suspect now?”
“Everyone on the property is a person of interest,” Sandy said, “including Kade and Conrad.”
The answer seemed to satisfy Beau.
“How good are you with an axe?” Sandy asked Beau.
“Me?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I didn’t grow up on a ranch or in a life of privilege,” Beau defended. “Throwing for sport was out of the question. So, to answer the question you really want to ask—no, I wouldn’t be able to hit a target from that far away, which would be the only way I wasn’t covered in blood.”
“Mind giving a demonstration?” Sandy asked.
“What about the others?” Beau asked. “Shouldn’t we all be asked to throw?”
“Yes, sir,” she said. “But right now I’m focused on you.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes to prove my innocence,” Beau said on a sharp sigh. “And I’ll do whatever it takes to prove my brother isn’t guilty.”
“Half-brother,” Kade corrected.
Conrad normally stepped up to defend Beau when Kade did something like this. Not now. Seeds of doubt had been sewn, and Conrad’s life hung in the balance.
“Do you want to do this right now?” Beau asked.
“It’s dark outside and late,” Sandy said. “I’ll be by at first light.”
Beau nodded.
“I got a call that I need to speak to you about in private, Ms. Guidry,” Sandy said, changing the subject.
“Okay,” Nikki said. “As soon as we’re done here, we can step outside and talk.”
“Unless anyone has anything else to say, I’m ready to wrap this discussion up now,” Sandy said.
All agreed.
“I need to get back to the bunkhouse,” Kade said after ending the conference call. He shot a warning glance at Beau. “You are on notice.”
“Have been since the day I walked through the front door,” Beau muttered. It was true. It was also the reason Conrad had given Beau the benefit of the doubt.
Had he made the wrong call?
“What can I do for you, Deputy?” Nikki asked as soon as the two of them were out front.
“Families are none of my business,” Sandy hedged. “However, I received a desperate call from your mother asking if I could do a wellness check at the Sturgess home. She said you haven’t picked up your car from here or returned any of her calls and texts.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Nikki said, guilty that she hadn’t made an attempt to reach her mother yet.
“It would give your mother peace of mind,” Sandy said. “And I’d appreciate it, too. That way, I wouldn’t have to field any angry calls from a man claiming to be your father.”
“You know who my father is… was, ” Nikki said. It was still impossible to believe Harrison Guidry was gone.
“I do,” Sandy admitted.
“Heath is well-meaning,” Nikki said. “But he is not my father.”
“I know,” Sandy said, her gaze intent on each bruise and cut on Nikki’s face. “I want to make certain you’re at the ranch of your own free will and not under duress.”
“I am, and I’m sorry Heath lied to you,” Nikki said. Her first thought had her wondering if he would get into trouble for sticking up for her again. Except this was different. “He crossed a line.”
“Did he?”
The question Sandy was really asking was whether or not Nikki’s stepfather was physically abusing her.
“No,” Nikki said. “The reward he put out for my ‘safe’ return was bogus and ended up hurting me more than it helped.”
“Do you want to explain what happened to cause all those cuts and bruises?” Sandy asked.
Nikki gave a quick rundown and then relayed the type of vehicle and descriptions of the men who’d abducted her. “I’m fine now.”
“Do you want to press charges?” Sandy asked.
“No,” Nikki admitted. “Technically, they were after the reward and things got a little out of hand when I had other ideas.”
Sandy frowned.
“The description fits one of the men who turned Conrad in,” Sandy observed after a few silent moments passed.
“That’s correct,” Nikki said.
“Why didn’t you report this incident?” Sandy asked.
“You want an honest answer?”
“Yes, of course.”
“I didn’t want Heath to be in trouble for trying to help,” Nikki said.
Sandy gave Nikki’s face a slow once-over. “It seems his helping is creating more of a problem.”
“Agreed,” Nikki said. The deputy’s reaction caused Nikki to think twice. “Heath is going to be angry once he sees what those assholes did to me.” She flashed an apology at the deputy. “Sorry for the language.”
“I’ve heard worse,” Sandy said with a half-smile meant to put Nikki at ease. This whole conversation was unsettling for obvious reasons, and something else niggled at the back of her mind that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. “Said worse, too.”
She returned a half-hearted smile that made her face hurt. Movement made her face hurt.
“Is your stepfather the same person who owns Alastor Construction?” Sandy asked.
“Yes, that’s him.”
“I imagine any one of his workers would jump at the chance to make the boss happy,” Sandy said. Where was she going with this?
“They are loyal to him,” Nikki said.
“I’m sure it’s deserved,” Sandy said. “Sometimes, the best of intentions backfire. Ever notice how that happens?”
Was she still talking about the bruises and cuts?
“Yes, ma’am,” Nikki said, figuring that went for Beau if his story about the deal turned out to be true. It was unsettling that Lukas Wayne had disappeared.
“Be careful,” Sandy warned.
“I will,” Nikki said. “Did you mean what you said about making sure Conrad could get out of that ankle monitor?”
“Yes, why?”
“No reason,” Nikki said. “It sucks that he’s being treated like a criminal when he’s one of the kindest people you’ll ever meet.”
“He has an assault record in Colorado,” Sandy reminded.
“I know,” Nikki said. “Things aren’t always what they seem on the surface.” She should know. Her mother had learned the lesson the hard way, getting married and having a child with Nikki’s biological father. Thinking everything would magically work out had been the downfall.
It dawned on Nikki what the deputy might have hinted about. Would one of Heath’s workers take it upon themselves to do away with Harrison? Her entire nervous system reacted to the thought. Did that mean it was true?
“I’ve only spoken to him a couple of times,” Sandy said. “Sheriff Barrett thinks the world of his soon-to-be brother-in-law, though.”
“Do you trust the sheriff’s judgment?”
“As a matter of fact, I do,” Sandy admitted.
“All right then.” Good to know.
“If you think of anything else you’d like to say or if any details come back to you, call dispatch,” Sandy said. “They’ll know how to get hold of me or another deputy on duty.”
“Will do.” Although going to the law hadn’t proved useful yet.
“If you change your mind about pressing charges, call me.”
“Will do,” Nikki said.
Sandy nodded, looking resigned the call would never come.
“Thank you for stopping by,” Nikki said.
“My pleasure.”
As Sandy walked away, the notion that one of Heath’s workers could be responsible for Harrison’s death and Conrad’s setup resonated more and more. Could she confront Heath about the theory without causing a blowup?
She turned around as the light in the office cut off.
Conrad opened the front door two seconds later. “We need to talk.”