Chapter 3
Three
It took them almost an hour to reach the old cabin, and Jenna had made the right decision to leave Duke at home with Raya.
Although Carter’s dog, Zorro, appeared to be having the time of his life.
They could have taken Carter’s FBI chopper to find the cabin, but when Rhett mentioned the hands on the ranch had literally gone to ground when it arrived, they’d decided to take a trail ride.
No one would suspect they’d be investigating a possible murder with kids tagging along.
To calm the situation with the hands, Rhett had explained to Bowman that Carter maintained the chopper and was taking it out on test flights.
He hadn’t lied to him. Carter did maintain the chopper and took it out on many flights.
Rhett just left out the fact that Carter was an FBI agent.
When making arrangements to visit the ranch, and to avoid attention, Jenna had suggested they head off as a family group, in the guise of going on a trail ride.
The horses all carried bulging saddlebags, and when they reached their destination they would dismount and have a picnic.
It would keep the boys happy and give Jenna time to search the ruins.
She glanced around to see Tauri ride up beside Kane.
Jackson had insisted on riding with him after Carter’s horse reared and sidestepped at a shadow.
Now settled in front of Kane on the saddle her little boy kept up a “what’s that” conversation, pointing to everything in the vicinity.
They had passed a few scattered cabins on the way to what Rhett described as one of the back pastures. Jenna turned to Kane. “They look like hunting cabins. Do you figure anyone lives there?”
“Nope.” Kane adjusted his grip on Jackson.
The little boy had started to wriggle a few moments ago.
“They’re likely for holding equipment. When the men are out checking the fences or whatever, it saves them going all the way back to the ranch.
Some of them might even have a stove, a few supplies, and a cot on the off chance someone gets stranded out here.
It would be very unusual for someone to live here.
Most of the hands live close to the ranch house.
I noticed the layout includes a cookhouse and what I would call a mess, a building where people go to eat for regular meals.
They likely feed everyone at a certain time but often people need a snack during the day and so there would be a kitchen open most times. ”
They’d been traveling uphill for a time and now the way ahead flattened out onto a narrow plateau.
On one side a sparkling river wound its way downhill, and on the other side woodlands stretched out to eventually join Stanton Forest in the west. The ruins of the old cabin, now covered in vines and overrun with grass and weeds, sat within a dilapidated fence.
Once it had been a pretty hideaway or fishing cabin.
A shiver went down Jenna’s back, and Seagull snorted and pranced.
Beside her, Kane rested his hand on his weapon as he scanned the area.
She moved up closer to him. “Do you feel like someone’s watching us? ”
“I don’t feel it, but I did catch sight of a reflection in the woods.
” His body language remained cool and calm.
“As if someone has field glasses on us or maybe a scope.” He turned his face ahead but called Carter’s name.
“I figure we might be under surveillance. I caught a lens flash at two o’clock. ”
“Gotcha.” Carter maneuvered his mount toward Kane.
“I’ll take the boys to Julie and Rhett. They can set up a picnic under the trees by the river.
It’s well protected. Rhett’s smart enough to keep everyone behind one of the boulders.
They should be fine. I’ll take my rifle and move along the riverbank and watch your back.
” He took Jackson from him, and with the little boy giggling and whooping with excitement, they headed in the opposite direction.
Trying to act nonchalant, Jenna moved her mount closer to Warrior. “What do you see?”
“Not a scope.” Kane smiled and looked past her into the distance toward the river.
“Field glasses. The boys are safe. Get closer, and when I count to five, gallop toward the cabin. Head around the back so you have the remaining wall between you and the forest. Hunker down. Five, four, three, two, one—go.”
Instead of following her, Kane turned Warrior toward the wooded area and galloped away.
Jenna glanced over her shoulder and sighed in dismay.
She assumed Kane would be beside her and not heading into potential danger without backup.
She shook her head. “Why do you do this to me, Dave?” She reined in and Seagull stepped gingerly into the overgrown surrounds to the cabin.
It had been twenty-two years since the death of Rhett’s parents and yet charred remains of the cabin were still evident.
The partly incinerated front door hung from rusty hinges.
A strong lock with the key still in it remained.
The hairs on the back of Jenna’s neck stood to attention, the key in the lock was on the outside.
Someone locked them inside the cabin and set fire to it.
How didn’t the sheriff see this evidence of foul play?
She glanced behind her as the sound of hoofbeats came closer. When Kane swung down from his mount, she waved him toward her. “Did you catch anyone?”
“Nope, but one of the ranch Jeeps took off in a hurry when he saw me. Someone is keeping an eye on us, for whatever reason.” He picked his way around fallen bits of charcoal-colored wood and debris. “What have you found?”
She indicated toward the door. “How did the sheriff miss that?”
“Maybe whoever murdered them opened it and pushed it back like that and didn’t mention it to the sheriff.
” Kane pushed back his Stetson. “From what we know about him, and some of the others who followed, they weren’t the smartest pups in the litter.
I’d say, seeing two people alone in a cabin out in the woods, he would surmise that they used the stove and accidentally set fire to the cabin.
It only takes an ember to fall out of the grate to set these places ablaze. ”
Shaking her head, Jenna walked around, trying to make out the original layout of the cabin. “Do you think it’s worth calling out Wolfe to take a look, and maybe Norrell?”
“Maybe.” Kane shrugged. “From what Rhett told us, there are still original members of the regular staff living here. Two people burning to death in a cabin isn’t something you’d forget in a hurry.
I’d like to know what time of day this happened.
I know they sent Rhett to his grandparents because of a threat that hasn’t been disclosed, so they didn’t come here for a romantic hideaway—and why would they leave the house if they believed someone was trying to murder them?
” Kane removed his Stetson and pushed a hand through his black hair before replacing it.
“Why were they here in the first place? If we can get to the bottom of those questions, maybe we discover what was going on here.”
Agreeing with Kane, Jenna pulled out her phone and took a few photographs concentrating on the door and the key in the lock.
The place held a terrible sadness and she could almost hear the screams of Rhett’s parents dying.
She wanted to be as far away from this terrible place as possible.
The people who died here needed justice and she would do everything in her power to get it for them.
Blinking away tears, she turned away. “This place doesn’t feel right, does it?
I mean the entire ranch? I feel eyes on me every time I go outside, as if we’re intruding into something secret.
” She sighed. “I’m not saying there are ghosts haunting the ranch seeking justice, but there’s an undercurrent that makes my hair stand on end. Do you figure we’re in danger?”
“I’d hope not.” Kane moved closer beside her. “The people who live on any remote ranch the size of this one are a community in themselves. We’re intruders, so we are scrutinized, is all.”
Jenna shook her head. “So the guy spying on us wasn’t a threat?” She glared at him. “How can you say that? He could have picked us off one by one.”
“No, he couldn’t have, but I agree he could be a threat.” Kane turned her to face him. “I wasn’t distracted at any time since we left the ranch house. I noticed him right away and gave chase. You don’t believe I would risk you and the kids, do you?”
Jenna shivered. “If there is a killer lurking on the ranch, working alongside everyone in plain sight, they might be waiting for one of us to venture out alone. Accidents happen on ranches. Herds stampede, people get crushed under machinery. The hostility is there; you can’t deny it.”
“I’m aware.” Kane indicated to the stand of trees where Carter had led the kids. “That’s why the kids are over there behind the trees. After seeing that guy watching us, maybe we’d better head back to the ranch house?”
“Not before I give the kids a snack. We did promise them a picnic. To be honest, I can’t wait to see what Rhett’s housekeeper will make us for lunch.” She forced a smile and leaned into him. “Can you manage until two? I can hear your stomach rumbling from here.”
“There are enough sandwiches for everyone. I’m not the only one here who likes a snack.” Kane smiled at her and linked his fingers. “Here, I’ll give you a boost.”
She placed her foot into Kane’s hands and he hoisted her onto Seagull. “Thanks.”
“It will be interesting to listen to the different stories the old hands come up with about this murder. As it was already written up as an accident, we’ll need to tread lightly and go in as interested friends of Rhett’s rather than sheriff and deputy.
” He mounted Warrior and leaned toward her, squeezing her thigh.
“There is one thing we need to do today and that is open the safe. As it was hidden away inside Rhett’s father’s dressing room, it makes sense it would be the most likely place to hide something of importance.
” He scanned the area in both directions before moving out into the open and heading toward the river.
Following, Jenna moved up beside him. “Do you think you can pick the lock?”
“Nope, but I have a gizmo in the Beast that Kalo gave me.” Kane smiled.
“Apparently, you just input the make and model of the safe and it runs it through a series of combinations. I hope it works because I haven’t cracked a safe for a long time.
I could blast it out of the wall, but I think that’s going a little bit too far. ”
Firebird, Tauri’s horse, whinnied as they approached and Carter rounded a boulder to greet them, with Zorro trotting along beside him, ears pricked and mouth stretched in a doggy smile.
Julie and Rhett came along behind, with Tauri talking one hundred words per second.
Tauri really liked Julie and she had the patience of a saint.
“Rhett”—Jenna waited for him to look at her—“have you found a good place for a picnic?”
“Yeah, follow me.” Rhett led the way to a small crop of trees alongside the riverbank.
Jenna smiled. “We’ll be right along.”
“Was someone watching us?” Carter lifted his chin toward the woods.
“Yeah, but they left in a hurry when I rode out of the trees holding a rifle.” Kane shook his head. “Was it just curiosity or did someone send him to spy on us? After what we found at the cabin, I’d say the latter. Something happened in Rhett’s father’s time and it’s likely still happening now.”
Making an effort not to transmit that anything was wrong to her sons, Jenna jumped down from her horse, took Jackson from him, blew raspberries on his cheek, and handed the laughing boy to Kane.
She glanced over to Rhett and Julie, and moving closer to Carter, lowered her voice.
“There’s no doubt it was murder.” She scrolled through the images on her phone and handed it to Carter.
“The sheriff must have been blind not to have noticed the key was on the outside.”
“We’ll need to watch our backs. I’d like to know the reason for the cover-up and how the sheriff was involved.
” Carter’s brow wrinkled into a frown. “You’d need to be blind not to see the key in the lock.
The problem is there are families living here that go way back.
Generations have worked on this spread. Secrets passed from generation to generation—or some scheme they’re all involved in.
I’ve been moving around as much as possible, and the folks here look way too prosperous.
That’s not what I would expect.” He handed her back her phone.
“Whatever Rhett’s father witnessed, it must have been worth killing him for. ”