Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Flies swarm around the half-desiccated carcass of what was once a goat… At least I think this thing was a goat. The head, horns, and feet are all missing, so it’s a little difficult to tell.
I swat the flies away from my face, fighting off rolling waves of nausea from the god-awful stench of decay that doesn’t seem to have any effect on Mrs. Crowe.
She hands me her bandana, even though I’m already wearing my lemon-oil infused red one around my nose and mouth. “Are any of the organs left inside, sweet pea?”
Holding the additional handkerchief over the lower half of my face, I sink into a crouch and use my pocketknife to lift up a section of rib. “I don’t think so, but with this many critters around, we wouldn’t expect there to be, right?”
“Very good.”
Buzzing at her praise, I prop up what’s left of the neck section of the skeleton, inspecting the spine and then the severed legs, exactly the way Elanor taught me.
I frown. “Looks like these were cut, not torn or gnawed off.” A maggot crawls onto the tip of my blade, and I shake it off, wiping my knife in the dirt to clean it before rising to my feet. “I don’t think one of your creepy legends did this,” I admit, scanning the shin-high straw-colored grass for any clue as to who could be responsible.
“No,” she says after a drawn-out moment. “I don’t think so either, darlin’.”
Shoulders heavy with thoughtful silence, we head for the side-by-side, draining a water bottle each before taking our seats. This is the fourth dead animal we’ve found over the past few days, each one missing more and more parts.
“Another ranch hand quit today,” Elanor laments, taking the bandana from my outstretched hand and tying it around her aging neck. “That makes three this month. They keep seeing shadows in the woods at night.”
Sweat drips down the small of my back as the cicadas in the surrounding trees grow ten times louder. “Have you reported it to my dad?”
“Daniel spoke to ‘im a few days ago. Joel suspects someone is trying to speed up the process of the land sale. Maybe even drive down the price.”
“That’s beyond messed up.” My head cocks to the side. Dad’s been broody and irritable since he got back from Austin. I’d assumed he was annoyed with Noah for leaving early, but maybe this is what he’s been preoccupied with?
“Who do you think is behind it?” I ask. “One of the Blackthornes?”
“Could be.” Elanor turns her head to the east where the pitched roof and single octagonal tower of the Cartwright mansion is barely visible on the hill above the tree line. “Or it might be Kane Bennett.”
I scowl, thinking of the other Bennett brother…the one I haven’t seen since he left three days ago. “As far as I’m concerned, the Blackthornes and the Bennetts can all shove off.” A muscle in my jaw flexes as I kick on the engine and set out for our next destination
Elanor frowns and reaches over to pat my forearm.
“Joel mentioned Ryker hasn’t come back yet.” She squeaks, bracing herself with a palm on the dashboard when I swerve to avoid a log. “You haven’t seen or heard from him at all?”
“Nope.” I shake my head, annoyed I wasn’t able to keep the bitterness from my tone.
After Kane interrupted our heavy petting session on the couch, he and Ryker had a heated conversation on the porch before hopping in the Cadillac and leaving a trail of dust and a deep divot in my driveway.
Three days later and I haven’t heard hide nor hair from Ryker.
His truck is still at my house and his duffle bags and wallet are lying on the coffee table where he left them, so he hasn’t skipped town, but that makes the whole thing worse.
After he left, I spent hours obsessing over the vexed expression he’d made before stomping out the door. Had I been too aggressive when I guided his hands under my shirt? Or when I was on top of him? Was it because I mentioned my dad and brother?
Then the text message had come.
Trouble
I will be at my Brother’s house for a few days. –R
The worst part is the text was sent to a group chat with Noah and Dad. I’m not sure what I was expecting after our little…whatever you want to call it on the couch, but I guess I thought touching someone’s boobs and ordering them to come while grinding on your dick would at least warrant a personalized text.
I snort humorlessly and veer left as we approach Old Man Dan moving a small group of cattle into a nearby paddock. Elanor waves at her husband and then turns to me. “Daniel really shouldn’t be doing that by himself,” she says with a worried curve of her brow. “Would you mind texting Ryker for us, sweet pea? See if he’s interested in picking up some hours?”
That’s literally the last thing I want to do right now, but Elanor so rarely asks me for anything… I bring the side-by-side to a stop and shut off the engine so the noise won’t spook the cows.
“Yeah. I can do that.” Reluctantly, I grab my phone and type out a message, paying special mind to keep it as cordial as possible. If Ryker can be standoffish and detached in his texts, then so can I.
Willa
The Crowes need a tasker and want to know if you’re available?
I hit Send. “Done.”
Elanor lights up. “Thank you, dear.”
While we wait for a reply, I watch Old Man Dan effortlessly use his horse to steer the cattle through the gate. He might be pushing eighty, but he rides like the massive animal is an extension of his body.
“Do you ever worry about him on that thing?”
“Who? Daniel?” Elanor asks, following my gaze. “Never. That man’s been riding since he was five and he’s never been thrown. I worry more ’bout the fence mendin’ and the hands than I do about my Daniel ridin’.” She looks at me meaningfully. “But that doesn’t mean I like him out here on his own. Sure would be nice to have some more help.”
Taking the hint, I glance at my phone.
That’s odd…
I have full bars on my cell, but for some reason, the message wasn’t delivered. I try resending it, but the same thing happens.
“What’s wrong, dear?”
I stare in the direction of the Cartwright mansion, an uneasiness churning in my gut. “The message won’t go through. I think his phone’s off.”
Elanor hums thoughtfully. “That doesn’t sound right. You’d think he’d want to be reachable at all times, considering what’s going on with Beau and Charlotte.”
She’s right. Ryker wouldn’t have his phone off while the custody battle was still so up in the air. Not when he swor e to Charlie that he’d never leave her on her own…
“Maybe we should ask Joel to go out there and check on him?” Elanor suggests uneasily.
With the last of the cattle safely in the paddock, I restart the engine. “Kane won’t let Dad past the gate. I could go up there and see what’s going on, if you’d be willing to let me borrow one of the four wheelers.”
“ Hmm . It might be best to let your father handle this one. But that reminds me…” She slaps her knee. “Take us to the garages, would ya?”
“Sure thing.” I force a smile, trying not to worry about why Ryker’s phone is off as I turn us back toward the big house.
Elanor has always been a “fly by the seat of your pants” type of boss, which means side-questing in the middle of a workday is a fairly common occurrence. That being said, I’m not exactly mechanically inclined, so I’m a little nervous to see what she has in store for us.
During the drive, I sift through about twenty different scenarios of what she might need help with. I consider everything from clearing out rat traps to soaking up oil stains, but it’s not until we’re inside the garage and Elanor drops a ring of keys into my hand that I realize exactly how far off track I was.
Slack-jawed, I let my gaze volley between Elanor and the dust-covered 1953 Chevy pickup truck before us. “You can’t be serious.”
“As a heart attack.” She smiles, albeit a bit sadly, while the scent of rust, dust, and damp garage swirls around us. “The truth of the matter is without power steering, I just can’t drive her anymore. You need a car and she needs a good home. I was gonna sell her to a collector, but with a new engine and a hodgepodge of random parts, she’s not worth as much as she could be. Besides, I’d much rather sell her to you.”
Awestruck, I run my palm over the paneling of the truck’s rusted body. I’ve seen faded pictures of her original soft-teal paint job, but years of use have chipped away the top coating, leaving behind a beautifully sun-weathered patina.
“She’s perfect.” My grin slips away, and I shake my head. “But there’s no way I can afford her.”
Even with the rough shape of the exterior, this is a classic car—one I’m sure a number of rat rod enthusiasts would pay a pretty penny for. I won’t rob the Crowes of that cash, especially not this close to their retirement.
Elanor wipes a light layer of dust off the hood with her sleeve. “Can you do four grand?”
My heart sinks. “I’ve only got $2,500.”
She hums, like she’s deep in thought. I’m about to offer her the eight hundred dollars I put aside for textbooks, but she cuts me off before I can. “Let’s do three, then. If you pay two now, I’ll let you take the truck and work off the rest.” I open my mouth to refuse, but she silences me with a look. “You’re family. If you make me sell her to a stranger, I’ll never forgive you. Go on, do us both a favor and get some use out of her.”
Overwhelmed, I wrap my arms tightly around Elanor’s middle, breathing in her comforting almond scent. “I don’t deserve you. Thank you.”
She squeezes me back, patting my hip before pushing me away. “You deserve the world and more, my love. Now go, take her for a spin. I need to tell Daniel about the goat we found and then take a nap.”
Elanor leaves me in the garage, keys in hand and mouth open wide enough to catch flies.
I can’t believe I own a car. Squealing, I jump up and down with a little victory dance. I’m tempted to run home and scratch number one off my bucket list, but there’s one thing I have to do first:
Find Ryker fucking Bennett.