The only sound in the room was the sizzle of bacon frying and Opal’s singing. Fiona set a jar of rhubarb marmalade and butter in front of her. The others looked like they were enjoying Opal’s musical performance.
Opal finished the song with a flourish and got a round of applause. She grinned at them. “I guess you’re wondering why I’m so happy this morning. I’ll tell you. Jake will get my ranch.”
Fiona sat blinking her eyes. Was she hearing right?
Jake stared at Opal.
“Didn’t you hear me, Jake,” Opal said. “Aren’t you happy? I’m selling the ranch to you.”
Jake cleared his throat and set down his coffee mug which he had halted halfway to his lips. “Well, dog-gone-it, Opal that’s great. When do we settle?”
“I’m calling the title company today, and we’ll settle as soon as they get the papers ready.”
Fiona had to know what had happened last evening. “What about Reese Crawford?”
Opal’s grin got even bigger. “I turned him down and I explained why and he grumbled and upped his price, but I still turned him down. I explained that he didn’t deserve this ranch nor did Tillie, and I didn’t appreciate being threatened by my own relations. I told him that he didn’t need this ranch if he had one in California. I warned him that Tillie wasn’t what she said she was. That both of them better be careful because I suspected them of being behind the fire set here and our cattle that are missing.”
“Reese Crawford was here?” asked Hoover, finally finding his voice. “I guess I missed an installment in the soap opera.”
Opal laughed and recounted the story of Reese arriving yesterday evening.
“That gives me a smoking gun but no fingerprints, Opal,” said Hoover. “They have the motive for wanting the ranch, but that doesn’t mean they set the fires or are stealing your cows.”
“But listen to this,” said Opal. “Jake told me you found that Walt Long fellow. So I casually mentioned as we were chit chatting when we first sat down in the living room that I heard that Walt Long worked for him and asked how he was doing since he used to work for us. I had to do a little fibbing. He said Walt did work from him from time to time but he hadn’t heard from him lately. Then I knew that Reese was behind this whole thing. How’s that for a connection?”
Hoover slowly nodded his head up and down. “Weak connection but it gives me something to work on. You may have uncovered the missing link, Opal.”
“Great detective work,” said Fiona.
Jake still wore a happy grin on his face. “I can’t believe you said all that. You gave him both barrels.”
“I did, and it felt so good. And I told Reese if I ever saw him or Tillie around the ranch again, I’d get out my rifle. He knew I wasn’t kidding. I don’t think we’ll have any more trouble with cattle rustling, or people trying to set the ranch afire.” She threw back her head and laughed out loud. “When I got done with Reese Crawford I felt like singing at the Grand Ole Opry. Jake gets the ranch, and I feel real good about it. I am so happy for you two. And I’m happy for me, too.”
Her laughter halted abruptly, and she glared at Fiona and Jake. “You are getting married, aren’t you?”
“Yes ma’am,” they both said at the same time.
“Excellent.” Opal’s smile returned. “Now I can die happy.”
About the Author
Marjorie Thelen lives and writes novels on a ranch on the Oregon frontier outside of the small town of Burns. She enjoys writing stories that entertain her and, hopefully, her readers. She’s written two novels in the Mystery-in-Exotic-Places series: The Forty Column Castle and The Hieroglyphic Staircase. She is currently writing the third novel in the series, The Hoodoo Canyon. Designer Detective was the first in the Fiona Marlowe Mystery Series. And, yes, there is a sequel in the making to High Desert Detective. The idea for it came from a water color by artist Dona Townsend of Washington entitled My Heroes Have Always Been. All Marjorie’s books are available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, ibookstore and other online retailers. If you would like to learn more, visit her web site: www.MarjorieThelen.com. To learn more about life on the Oregon frontier visit her blog at http://alongpalominolane.blogspot.com. She welcomes correspondence from her readers through the contact page on her web site.
The Forty Column Castle: An eccentric aunt drags her unsuspecting niece, Claudie Lowell, into the murky world of antiquities smuggling on the island of Cyprus. Claudie tries to clear her aunt’s good name only to uncover layer upon layer of dangerous intrigue masterminded by Zach Lamont, the most dangerous man of all.
The Hieroglyphic Staircase: Elena Palomares’s summer archaeological project in Copan, Honduras turns into a nightmare when she discovers someone has been stealing stones from the Hieroglyphic Staircase, she finds a stranger dead at her work site, and she’s a suspect. An ex-priest offers to help clear her good name. In the course of their investigation, they discover there is a price to pay for disturbing the ghosts of the ancient Mayans, and Elena must decide if she is willing to pay it.
Designer Detective: Fiona Marlowe, interior designer to the rich and powerful in Washington D.C., discovers her wealthy old client dead in his library and helps his Wild West relatives from southeast Oregon solve the mystery of his demise.
The Hoodoo Canyon: A top secret conference of the world’s best physicists convenes at a remote backpack site in Bryce Canyon National Park. But the scientist who organizes the conference never shows up and among the attendees is an alien.
The Deovolante Space Opera series: stay tuned