“Is that right?”
“I’m not kidding you.”
He made a thoughtful face. “I’ll run an inquiry and see if anyone by that name is missing. Of course, Smith might not be the name of the relations. You still think there’s something about that girl that needs to be investigated?”
“I do. I have this feeling.”
Hoover studied Fiona for much too long in Jake’s opinion. He was a great friend only when he kept his eyes to himself.
Hoover finally said, “Instinct is not to be discounted. I’ll look into it.” He winked. “And thanks for the tip. Now, my friends, I’ll be going. I have crimes to solve, criminals to bring to justice.”
He stood. “Fiona, would you care to show me that spot on the hill where you found the old gun?”
“Sure, I’ll walk up there with you,” said Fiona.
“I’ll go, too,” said Jake, not trusting Hoover where Fiona was concerned.
Up on the hill, Fiona walked to the spot where she had left the small stack of rocks to mark where she had found the gun. The stack of rocks was right where she left it. She searched under the sagebrush, pulling apart the branches.
“That’s funny,” she said, straightening up, “I know it was here. These are the stone markers, but there is no gun.”
“Let me look,” said Hoover. “You see any prints, Jake, that look fresh?”
Jake joined in the search but their own faint footprints were the only ones to be seen.
“It might be that ghost come back,” said Jake, “because I don’t see any new prints. Of course, we may have obliterated them with our stamping around this spot.” He carefully checked the brush around the site. “Good thing the little pile of rocks is here or we may not believe you, Fiona.”
“No, I swear, I found this old gun lying right there. Really.” She pointed to a hidden place under the bushy narrow leaves of the sage brush. “Right there.”
Hoover slapped the dust from his hands. “Have you seen anyone around this hill lately?”
Jake and Fiona both shook their heads.
“I didn’t think anyone would be much interested in a heap of ashes,” said Jake. “Besides, it’s been kind of hectic around here. It might not have been a day job. Someone might have come at night.”
Fiona said, “Really it was here. An old rusted gun.”
Hoover nodded. “I believe you. We went over this site pretty good, but we could have missed something covered in the brush. I’ll see if anyone has tried to pawn off an antique gun lately. The same person who burned the place may still be around and looking for what he didn’t find.”
They walked Hoover to his truck.
“What happens next?” Jake asked.
“I’ll follow up to see if we can come up with a vehicle on the evidence we have. You’ll make a list of all the employees who worked for Opal in the last twenty years. Put relatives on that list. I’ll see what I can find out about an old gun though I don’t hold much hope.”
He stopped and faced Jake. “You’ll want to take precautions. Someone is still snooping, looking for something. Watch your back.”
Jake nodded. He watched Hoover drive down the road, dust trail blowing to the east. He was going to have to watch more than his back. The rustling was going to cause a real ruckus in the family. And wait till they heard that he was buying the ranch. One thing did occur to him. Maybe some of the family already had gotten wind of his deal with Opal, and maybe they were trying to scare him off. He couldn’t rule that option out.
Dinner that night was a quiet affair with only Opal, Fiona and Olympia at the huge kitchen table. Jake had gone to bed after doing chores and cleaning up. He had hardly spoken to her. Fiona wondered if he was mad about something. Maybe he was too tired and too worried to talk, and she was imagining things. Opal was more reticent than usual. She and Jake had withdrawn to the ranch office after he got back and had had a closed door session while she and Olympia had enjoyed happy hour on the front porch.
After they finished eating, Olympia said, “Are there any good movies on TV? I’m having movie withdrawal. I need a regular dose. I so love a good movie. Some of my books have been made into movies, you know. Maybe one will be on tonight.”
“Fiona’s told me about your books and movies,” said Opal. “Help yourself to the big screen TV in the corner in the family room. There are lots of DVDs there if you don’t find a movie on TV you like.”
Olympia moved off in search of a movie, and Fiona helped Opal clear the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher.
“I really want to thank you,” Fiona said, “for putting up with both of us, Opal. I know Olympia can be a pain. She has a good heart though.”
Opal looked at Fiona as she wiped down the kitchen counters. “Everybody’s got something good in them. She is a world famous author so I guess those folks are more eccentric than most of us. She’s pretty wild even for here.”
“She lives life on the edge, that’s for sure.”
“How long is she going to stay?” Opal asked with what seemed like a studied casualness.
Fiona hesitated because she wasn’t sure what to say. “I’m sorry. I don’t know. If you want, we can both move into town. That bed and breakfast would probably be delightful. I know you must have a lot on your mind. I hate to be causing you more problems.”
Opal stopped what she was doing and sighed. “Fiona, all hell is going to break loose here anytime. Some of the family may be involved in stealing cattle from us though I hope to God they aren’t. Or it could be someone who worked for us. And pretty soon I got to tell the relations that Jake is buying the ranch.”
Fiona put her arm around Opal’s shoulder. “You have a lot weighing you down. Is there anything I can do to help?”
Opal patted Fiona on the arm. “You’re a sweetie. I’m telling you this because you might want to find someplace safer to stay. Somebody torched that bunkhouse, stole our cows and took a whack at Jake. Maybe you could find a short term rental in town till all this blows over. I’d hate for something else to happen to you. Have you decided what you are going to do?”
“I’ve given it serious thought. I had a chance to talk to Lauren Brooks last night, and she gave me some good ideas. I talked it over with Olympia this afternoon. I think I’m going to rebuild, so I’d like a clear title to the place on the knoll.”
Opal studied her and nodded. “I know that little piece of paper I gave you isn’t going to hold up in a court of law and with the coming battle over the ranch that I’m sure will develop, you will need it all legal like.” She made herself a whiskey and water. “I need a drink to calm my nerves. Can I get you anything?”
“I’ll take one of those. I feel on edge tonight myself. You were awfully quiet over dinner. You didn’t laugh at Olympia’s jokes.”
“I’m sorry. I was shaken up after talking to Jake. That list he’s putting together will include some of my relations, but it can’t be helped. The economic loss of the cows will put us back at a time we need the money. I’m upset that Jake got hurt. And I lost prime cows from a bloodline that has taken years to develop. Ranching is a hard business in a good year. In this day and age you have to keep up with what’s happening in the global market because it affects prices we get for beef and hay. Heck, some of our alfalfa hay goes to feed dairy cows in Japan.” She shook her head. “I feel like I’m falling way behind.”
She handed a fresh drink to Fiona, and they sat down across from each other at the kitchen table. A cool breeze came through the screen door with the setting sun. Fiona liked that. No need for air conditioning. Close the house up in the hot weather during the day. Open it up at night. There was a lot she liked about this country.