Chapter 3
Dinner was a grim affair.
“I do apologize Sandra,” Sophie called in a quavering voice, “but I’m just not hungry.” To Jeff she said, “I—I have to go.” She half rose from her chair, but he gently pulled her back into her seat.
“I know you want to get home in order to speak with Roberts and check on your animals, but they’re in good hands and I doubt if you’ve eaten all day,” he said. “Am I right?”
She shrugged.
“Okay, then eat something and I’ll drive you over there myself. I don’t feel good about you going on your own anyway.”
He was solicitous, bordering on super nice, and Annette could almost see why Rosa was so enamoured. She turned her gaze to the young woman who was digging into a pile of mashed potatoes like she was shovelling snow. None of this news appeared to have affected her appetite in the least.
“That’s right,” Rosa agreed, her words slightly garbled as she swallowed and lifted another heavily laden forkful to her mouth. “You have to take care of yourself. Jeff and I will drive you over later.” Gravy dripped down Rosa’s chin and her eyes flashed to Jeff as she hastily wiped it with her napkin.
Blinking in surprise, Annette turned away. Sophie slumped at the table, white-faced and trembling, but she didn’t argue. Gabrielle put some food on her plate and Sophie pushed it from side to side, picking up a small mouthful here and there.
Everyone must feel the same way. They wanted to help, but there was nothing any of them could say or do to alleviate her worries. The authorities would need to be involved now. The situation had become much more serious than had been anticipated and Annette wished fervently, yet again, that they hadn’t come. Their presence could only make matters worse, as Sophie would feel an obligation to them, and Jeff would be forced to keep them as his guests. Great.
She looked down at her own food. It was difficult for any of them to do justice to the fabulous meal Sandra had prepared. Well, except for Rosa it appeared. The woman busily helped herself to seconds of the delectable meal. She indulged in a heavy-handed application of the rich and flavourful gravy, pouring it liberally over the potatoes, slices of juicy roast beef, and crispy Yorkshire puddings on her loaded plate. Annette gazed around the table, noting that the rest of them weren’t able to gum down more than a few mouthfuls. It was a terrible state of affairs.
Scraping her chair away from the table, Sophie stood to her feet and dragged on her coat. Rain still pelted down outside, and the gloom of the evening only added to the greyness everyone felt. Annette knew without being told that she and Gabrielle could not go to Sophie’s ranch now. If the poisoning had been a deliberate attempt to scare the lady, or to threaten the continued operation of Sophie’s Triple T Ranch, then it had worked.
“I must go,” Sophie muttered.
“Of course,” Jeff said, already helping her on with her coat. “And I’ll drive, but once we make sure everything is okay, you’ll come back here for the night. Agreed?” He bent to look inquiringly into her face as though she were a small child. “And Rosa too,” he added with a quick smile for the other woman.
Sophie shook her head. “I can’t leave the ranch unattended. We don’t know who did this, Jeff. What if they strike again? What other damage might they do?” She straightened her back, a picture of resolution. “I won’t leave my home.”
“You don’t have water,” he stated reasonably. She opened her mouth to object, and he lifted a hand. “And,” he continued, “you, alone, will not be able to stop whoever is doing this to you and your ranch. Look what took place last night while you were there. No. You need help and twenty-four hour surveillance. I’ve already hired a security company to stay there for a few nights.”
“You did what?” she took a step back.
“I went over your head, and I apologize, but you know Malcom wouldn’t have wanted you there alone, and neither do any of us, here. Right?” Jeff crossed his arms across his chest and looked around the table.
Annette scrunched her paper napkin into a ball and set it onto the table. “We’re all concerned about you Sophie. I agree with Jeff.”
“Yes,” said Gabrielle. “Please let him help you Sophie.” She rose to her feet and went to put her arms around her mother-in-law. “Andrew would want you to stay safe, too. Please?”
Rosa got to her feet as well. “It’s the best thing to do,” she said, reaching for her jean jacket. “Thanks for a marvelous supper, Sandra. I don’t suppose there was dessert?” She looked expectantly at the housekeeper who stood wringing her hands at the other end of the table.
But Sandra didn’t answer her. “Sophie, ma’am,” she said, “For what it’s worth, I think you’d best do what Jeff says too. We’ll all sleep a whole heap better if you’re under this roof where you’re out of harm’s way. And I’ve made a delicious chocolate cake that we’ll have in the living room when you get back. I’ll even start the fire, so we can cozy up after this storm.”
Sophie smiled wanly. “I suppose you’re right.” She laid a hand on Jeff’s arm. “I know you’re doing what you think is best, and I appreciate it. I just don’t like the thought that I’ve been scared away from my own home.”
“That makes sense,” said Rosa, ramming the ball cap back onto her head. She made her way around the table and held the swinging doors open for the three of them to leave. “But you’re not scared. You’re taking precautions and that’s just being smart.”
They disappeared through the opening and the doors swung sadly to and fro behind them. Annette and Gabrielle stared at one another. This was unbelievable.
After a moment, their focus shifted to the table and mechanically, they moved to it and began to clear away the dishes and food.
“Thank you,” Sandra said, as they carried everything into the kitchen. Her bubbly nature appeared deflated. “If you girls could scrape off the plates and place them into the dishwasher, I’ll put away the food and we can all go sit down. I don’t think any of us feel too ambitious. And you must be suffering jetlag.”
Speaking for both of them, Gabrielle answered, “I think our concern for Sophie would make it impossible for us to sleep yet. We’ll wait with you until they come back and have a slice of that cake you mentioned. Besides, I want to know how the other animals are doing.”
Working together, they soon tidied the kitchen, but silence reigned. Each of them was occupied with her own thoughts. Annette longed to get her sister alone for a chat, but it didn’t feel right to leave Sandra alone. The idea was frightening that close by there were people so sadistic and vengeful.
Annette thought back to when Andrew and Gabrielle had met. Her sister had been stalked and attacked by a man who had been thrown in prison for his crimes, but it had been Andrew who had saved her. Annette wished her brother-in-law was here now. Yet, he didn’t even know what was happening with his mother and the ranch. Would Gabby tell him? She didn’t think so. What could he do all the way from Paris except worry himself sick thinking about it.
They retired to the spacious living room. Annette and Gabrielle seated themselves at either end of the long caramel-coloured sofa and, almost in perfect unison, tucked their feet under them.
Sandra busied herself starting a fire in the enormous stone fireplace. It was June, and the grass and trees on the rolling hills outside were lush and green with new growth. Though somehow a fire was a comforting presence, and it would take the chill out of the air. A tiny flame flickered to life and soon spread to the kindling Sandra had artfully arranged. In moments, a crackling fire sprang up and the faint hint of wood smoke wafted through the room.
“I should be getting home.” Sandra straightened with a grunt and brushed bits of bark from her knees. “My husband texted me a while ago, but I just can’t leave until I know that Sophie and Jeff are safe...and Rosa,” she added as an afterthought.
“Je comprends,” Annette sighed and then, realizing what she’d said, corrected herself. “I mean, I understand. Jeff mentioned that other incidents ‘ad taken place at the Triple T Ranch. Perhaps you could tell us about them?”
“I knew what you said in French,” Sandra said with lifted eyebrows. She grinned. “What a surprise. Guess my French education wasn’t entirely wasted.”
She sobered and lifted a hand to rub her forehead as if in pain. Looking at them with bleak eyes and a sigh, she explained. “You see, Sophie is my friend. We met shortly after she moved here to be married. Anyway, the problems started just over a month ago. First off, cattle started to go missing. There was no sign of the bodies, so they hadn’t died, but about fifteen head still can’t be accounted for. According to Jeff they were some of her best breeding stock.” Sandra walked to one of the easy chairs and sank into it with a huff of air. She stared out the huge windows and into the gathering gloom of a rainy evening for a few moments before continuing with her tale.
“Then Sophie’s Jeep was stolen while she was in town one day. The police found it down a dirt track about twenty kilometers from here. It had been driven into a tree and was demolished, but the whole incident was put down to a random act of crime. There were no fingerprints and no suspects.” She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands.
“After that it got less random. The air seeder was sabotaged. I don’t pretend to understand farming or machinery.” She made a grimace, suggesting she didn’t want to understand the inner workings of it either. “But I was told that the line to the monitor box was cut. The monitor controls the quantity of seeds that are sown and probably other things as well.” She waved disinterested arms in the air. “At any rate, that took significant time to fix because everyone was busy seeding their fields and repair shops were busy. It set her back a week. She reported it to the authorities, but it wasn’t taken very seriously. So, she got it fixed, but then the tractor broke down. The engine was completely blown.” Sandra sat back again and clasped her hands until the knuckles turned white.
Annette knew, without looking at her sister, that Gabrielle was on the verge of tears. The shock of all that was happening to her mother-in-law, combined with jetlag, was taking a toll.
“It was a huge blow, and the financial burden was massive,” Sandra continued in a low voice. “The mechanic who was called out to the ranch, found a discarded iodine bottle in the grass nearby. Someone had deliberately poured iodine into the fuel tank…blatant vandalism. The police were called again. But they had no leads, no one had seen suspicious vehicles around the place, and there were no fingerprints anywhere. Sophie was left with another bill and the tractor was out of commission for three weeks. Her fields were only planted last week which is a good month behind schedule. Potentially there will be problems with feed for the cattle this winter.”
She looked across at them and shook her head. “Maybe I shouldn’t have told you so much,” she said. “But you’re her family and I think you should know. She tries to carry the entire burden herself, but…” Sandra jumped to her feet and began to pace. “But I don’t know how she can keep going at this rate. Most recently, in fact only a couple of days before you arrived, the two men she had employed to help her with running the ranch, quit. Very mysterious indeed since they’d been with her since Malcom died and seemed to enjoy their work. But they disappeared without giving notice.”
“I wish she would have…t-told us,” Gabrielle moaned, her voice breaking. “Andrew should be here. He would have closed the sh-shop and come.”
“That’s what Sophie doesn’t want,” Sandra supplied, a hint of irritation in her words. “She is so determined to run the ranch the way Malcom did, without the help of her sons, that she’s become blind to the fact that she could lose it.”
Annette slid across the sofa and put an arm around her sister just as the huge wooden outer door slammed back on its hinges with a gust of icy air. Sophie, Jeff, and Rosa had returned.
The three women leaped to their feet and rushed to the door to hear if there was any news, but Sophie shook her head.
“All three cows are recovering, thank goodness,” she quavered, allowing Gabrielle to help remove her wet coat and walk her over to the sofa with an arm around her shoulders. “Jeff took them fresh water from here, and everything looks normal, and quite peaceful—considering it’s not.” She sat down, her features drawn and haggard, and buried her face in her hands. Gabrielle sat beside her, and Annette took a seat close by.
Rosa flung herself into one of the chairs and pushed damp strands of hair from her face. She looked tired and wan too. “Maybe you should consider one of those offers you got to buy the ranch,” she said, her voice serious. “It would be a lot less stress for you. Who knows where this craziness could end?”
Jeff cast her a furious glance. “She’ll do no such thing,” he barked. “The RCMP will find whoever’s responsible and it will be over.” He caught Annette’s eye. “Sorry,” he said quietly in explanation. “RCMP stands for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.” She nodded her thanks.
“Will they find them?” Sophie asked feebly. “They ‘aven’t ‘ad much luck so far.” She patted Gabrielle’s knee and looked around at each concerned face. “I suppose you girls both know what’s been ‘appening by now,” she looked meaningfully at Sandra who held herself erect.
“Yes. I told them,” Sandra answered without regret. “It’s high time your family steps in to help you, that’s what. But I didn’t know you received an offer to buy you out.” Her stare narrowed in on Jeff. “That sounds suspicious, don’t you think, Jeff? Maybe they’re behind all this trouble. Trying to run you out through fear and intimidation. Who are these people?” she shot back at her friend.
“Old man Danbury paid her a visit about a week ago,” Jeff ground out between clenched teeth. “But I can’t see him, or his insipid son, stooping to such dirty tactics. Besides, the police already talked to them both and didn’t see any reason to take it further.”
“But do we really know the secret intentions of the heart?” Annette asked softly.
“She’s right,” Sandra announced. “I say anything’s possible. We don’t know what they’re capable of.”
Sophie straightened. “In any case, I’m not beaten yet,” she said. “But we shouldn’t point fingers until there is evidence. Someone is trying to run me out of my own home and scare me into leaving the land Malcom’s grandfather settled.” She slapped her knees and rose to her feet. “I don’t intend to let that happen. Now, I think it’s time for some of that cake you mentioned earlier, Sandra. I know I could do with a strong dose of chocolate.”
Annette eyed her sister’s mother-in-law. Sophie looked as if she was putting on a brave face for her friends and family, but Annette wasn’t at all convinced the woman could keep going on. It was obvious the Triple T Ranch was in danger and if the guilty party or parties weren’t captured soon, the financial problems were liable to run the ranch into ruin. She didn’t know much about ranch life, but anyone could see that if there wasn’t any feed for cattle, or money to pay for day-to-day operations, equipment and hired help, it would fail.
Annette’s heart went out to this brave lady who persevered despite the odds. She accepted her slice of cake and lost herself in the flames of the fire, quietly following the effort to introduce a much lighter topic of conversation into the room. She looked up only once to find the dark eyes of their host boring into hers and wished yet again that they had never come.