A Murder State of Mind Boxed Set Page 36

  “You’re the most beautiful woman in the world,” he whispered.

  “Well, maybe this corner of Oregon right at the moment. You clean up pretty damn smart yourself,” she quipped. They laughed together and stole a quick kiss, before the rising notes of the organ brought them back to the present and they turned their attention to the ceremony.

  * * *

  “What an absolutely perfect wedding.” Gillian’s eyes sparkled as she sat on the side of the bed and began to undress. “And the food. I'm so full I may never get up again."

  "Great for the waistline," Kelly chuckled and patted his midriff.

  “Wasn't Stella gorgeous? They both looked so happy."

  "Yep. They're a darn good fit, those two."

  Sleep came fast. It seemed like minutes later Kelly woke to sound of banging on the cabin door.

  "What the heck," he muttered, as he fumbled with the latch and yanked on the door.

  "Sorry." Bubba stood outside with a flashlight aimed at the door. "Old Rob from Gillian's stable just called. They found Larry Preston's body in one of her stalls."

  "Shit." Kelly pulled the door closed and stepped out on the porch with Bubba.

  "Larry Preston? Are you sure. He's just a kid."

  "That's what I said to Rob. And yeah, he's sure. He knows the Preston brothers. There's three of them and Larry's the youngest. There's going to be hell to pay that's for sure."

  "I better tell Gillian. She'll want to call Rob."

  "I'll get some coffee brewing."

  "Thanks."

  "What's wrong?" Gillian poked her head out the doorway and blinked in the light from Bubba's flash.

  "Let's go inside." Kelly put his arm around her shoulder, nodded at Bubba and led Gillian back inside the cabin.

  “There’s been some trouble at the stable.” Kelly tightened his grip.

  “What?” She pulled back, her eyes searching his face trying to read his expression.

  “Larry Preston has been found dead inside the stables. Nobody knows what happened.”

  “Oh my God. I’ve got to get home.” As the owner of the Lake Country Riding Academy, Gillian employed a full-time groom and one other instructor besides herself. The rest of the staff were students who worked part-time.

  “I know. You pack, I’ll arrange our flights.”

  Kelly got busy on the phone while Gillian filled her suitcase.

  “I’ve got us on a 9:30 flight to Fort Worth,” Kelly said when Gillian, who had been on her cell with her young assistant, hung up and joined him at the bed where he was taking care of his own packing.

  “How’s Angelina holding up?” Kelly closed his case and set it on the floor beside Gillian’s.

  “She sounded so scared. She's trying hard to be brave, but she's only seventeen. It's bad enough reading about murder but when it happens to someone you know it's devastating."

  "It's tough on all of you. But if it's humanly possible we’ll be on that flight. Meanwhile, Rob's got a good head on his shoulders. He'll see that the kids are okay until we get back. Besides, I'm sure their parents have rallied round. They know you're out of town."

  "I'm worried about the horses too. They're bound to be spooked. Quarter horses are extremely sensitive."

  “I know. The sooner we get on the road the better.” Kelly picked up their cases and the two of them headed for the lodge, where Bubba met them with hot coffee and pastries packed for their trip.

  “It’s a couple hours’ drive, you’ll need something.” He placed the containers on the dash and turned to give them both a hug.

  “Be safe,” Bubba said after they’d climbed into the Jeep.

  “Thanks Bubba. I’ll call you when we get things settled.” Kelly headed down the road.

  "Do you think we'll make it in time?" Gillian asked.

  "It'll be close. But we're going to try. Don't worry. We'll get back as quick as we can."

  Chapter Two

  Augustus Graham, a large black man known to his friends as Gus, filled the doorway of Gillian's ranch style kitchen. "Hey Kelly. Good to see you. Sorry it has to be under these circumstances."

  "Thanks Gus. I guess the only bright spot in this mess is the fact that you're in charge of the investigation."

  "How's Gillian holding out?"

  "She's keeping it together, but it's rough. These kids are like family. Right now she's out in the stables settling down the horses." Kelly motioned towards the kitchen table. "Grab a seat. If you've time for a cup I'll put the coffee on and maybe you can bring me up to date."

  "Sounds good. I could use a cuppa Bubba's Special about now." The two of them shared a laugh at the memory of the molasses-like brew Bubba used to serve down at the Indian Creek bait house. "How's the little guy doing? The Creek don't seem the same without him."

  "He's great. If you get out of the concrete jungle long enough to take a vacation you've got to take Betty to his place in Oregon. It'd do you both good."

  "Now don't you get started." Gus rolled his eyes. "I'm already in hot water with Betty over the number of vacation days I've got banked."

  Kelly set a cup in front of Gus. "Same old Gus." He poured them each a cup and put the pot within easy reach. "So what do you know about this Preston kid?"

  "He's the youngest of four. The old man's a boozer. We've had him in and out of the drunk tank for years. Mom's okay. One of those long suffering women who's got a blind spot when it comes to any of her men folk."

  "I know the type. What about the kid?"

  Gus shook his head. "About what you'd figure. Drugs, booze, the usual wild parties and a couple of short spells in juvie. "

  "Gangs?"

  "Not to my knowledge. Of course we've had no reason to check. Now we'll get into everything—associates, activities, and habits. There's got to be a reason why an eighteen year old kid is hit over the head with enough force to scramble his brains."

  "He was killed by a blow to the head?"

  "That's right. With something smooth and very hard—maybe a shovel, or some kind of farm implement. We're still looking."

  "I suppose there's no chance he simply fell and hit his head."

  Gus squinted at Kelly and scowled.

  "Okay." Kelly held up his hands. "I guess I'm spending too much time in the company of civilians."

  "To answer that, not that it warrants an answer—there's not a chance in hell this death is anything other than cold-blooded murder."

  "Yeah," Kelly sighed. "Poor Gilly's in for a rough time."

  "You want to give us a hand?"

  "I'd like to. If you don't have any objection."

  Gus chuckled. "Helluva lot of good it would do me if I did. But no. Matter of fact, I'll be glad of the help."

  "Hi Gus," Gillian said from the doorway. "It's nice to see you again. Although I wish the reason was different."

  "Me too. I'm sorry about your loss. Were you close to the lad?"

  "No, not especially. He wasn't one of my regulars—just an extra who helped out in the stables during the summer. But it doesn't matter. He still shouldn't have been murdered."

  "Do you feel up to giving me a rundown on the stables? Just an overview for now, like how many kids work here, their names and if you've had concerns about any of them, that kind of stuff."

  "I'll get you a coffee." Kelly pulled out a chair and motioned for Gillian to sit while he got her a cup and poured.

  "Thanks." She smiled up at Kelly and then turned her attention back to Gus. "I have five regular kids. They alternate every other day after school and one weekend day. There's Angelina Morales. She's what you might call my administrative assistant. She's a senior in high school. Then there are the four boys. I have Mike Armstrong and Kevin Cummings working Monday, Wednesday and Friday and Paul King and Toby Martin working Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. The other two, Larry Preston and Robin Barlow, are casuals. They work alternate Saturdays, which is a light day—just feed and a basic muck out and we call one or both them in whenever we need ex
tra help."

  "I think I've met Angelina. She's the attractive brunette with the big brown eyes that are sure to break a lot of hearts."

  Gillian laughed. "That's Angelina. She is beautiful. Except she's the type of girl that will probably be on the receiving end of any heartbreaking that's done. Everyone loves her. She's a sweetheart and I'm certain she isn't involved with Larry. He's a good-looking guy—or rather he was—but he's kind of wild. Not Angelina's type."

  "You'd be surprised how many girls like Angelina fall for wild boys." Gus turned to Kelly who nodded agreement.

  "I don't know her that well," Kelly said, "but my take is that if she knows anything about Larry's murder, she'll tell Gillian first chance she gets."

  Gillian nodded. "Yes. I'm sure of that too. It's been crazy since we got home so I haven't had a chance to talk to the kids about anything other than the horses. I will though and if any of them knows anything, I'm sure they'll tell me."

  "Sounds fair." Gus turned to Kelly. "How would you like to come on board for this investigation?"

  “You mean officially?”

  “Yep. The Commissioner's approved an investigator position a few months ago. I’ve been waiting for the right man to fill the spot—matter of fact I’d planned on giving you a call to see if there might be any interest.”

  “Wow. You’ve kind of caught me flatfooted. I’d rather work with you than anyone on earth. I just hadn’t really planned on going official again.”

  “I know,” Gus chuckled. “But I figured this investigation might be a good time for you to try us on for size.”

  “You old dog,” Kelly laughed. “What if it doesn’t fit?”

  “No problem. The job’s semi-permanent, if it works—great, if not, you go back to doing your own thing.”

  "Couldn’t say fairer than that. Might work to our advantage too. The kids know I'm a former cop, but they also know I'm Gillian's friend. They’ll be more inclined to trust me than a stranger. I'll wander out to the stables after a bit and talk to the boys. That okay with you?” He turned to Gillian for confirmation.

  "Fine with me. Toby and Paul are there now. Do you want me to get Angelina to join us?" She turned back to Gus.

  "Maybe later. First I'd like you to give me a rundown on the stables. What do those kids do besides cleaning the barns? Any chance they're involved in some kind of bookmaking scheme? You know horses and gambling kind of go together."

  Gillian laughed. "Gus. You city boy. That's thoroughbred racing. I raise quarter horses. They're racers too, but it's different. Mainly they're show horses and rodeo competitors. They don't run the kind of races that attract big time gamblers."

  "Oh." Gus grinned. "So what do you raise them for?"

  "The American Quarter horse is the best riding horse in the world. They're used for all kinds of things—show horse, race horse, reining and cutting horse, rodeo competitor, ranch horse. I could go on and on."

  "Okay," Gus chuckled. "I get the idea. What about drugs? Any indication of that kind of activity?"

  "My God, I hope not." Gillian ran her hands down her face. "I guess anything's possible nowadays. But I'd be sick if I thought one of my kids was involved with drugs."

  "We'll check them out. Can you think of anything that's happened around here that has seemed out of the ordinary?"

  "That's just it, I can't. I've been thinking back over everything we've been doing for the past two months and there's nothing. I don't really have what you would call a personal relationship with the kids, except Angelina, of course. But I am friendly with them. Before this happened I would have sworn that I knew them well enough to recognize anything serious enough to lead to murder. Is it possible that Larry could have been mistaken for someone else? What about his brothers? I don't know them, but I've heard stories about those boys and drug activity. Wasn't one of them just released from jail?"

  "That would be Clinton," Gus replied. "We've already considered the possibility of Larry's brother's being involved—or even that this was some kind of retaliation killing for something involving one of Larry’s brothers. We'll be investigating those possibilities. We're going to cover all angles, that's why we need to do a thorough check on his friends and co-workers, to eliminate them.”

  Gillian nodded understanding and turned a wan smile to Kelly. "If you and Gus will excuse me, I need to change out of my traveling clothes."

  "You should lay down for a while." Kelly slipped his arm around her shoulder. "You didn't get more than two hours sleep last night. Gus, do you need anything that won't keep?"

  Gus shook his head. "We're good for now. You go take care of yourself. I'll have a chat with Kelly and then be on my way back to the station."

  "Do you want to take a walk out back?" Kelly asked.

  Gus nodded. "Good idea."

  Outside the two men strolled across the lawn and let themselves out the gate that led to the stables.

  "This is probably going to be rough on Gillian," Gus said. "My gut tells me that we are going to find drugs—or something even nastier—at the bottom of this. And worse yet, from Gillian's point of view, is the sinking feeling I have that one or more of her regulars is going to be involved in this mess."

  "I know. I've had that same bad feeling ever since we got here. What's more, I don't think Angelina's telling us everything she knows. Maybe I'm oversensitive because of Gillian's position, but something doesn't feel right."

  "Nope. You're not oversensitive. I had exactly the same feeling. Do you want to have a go at her, or do you want me to haul her into town and shake her up a bit?"

  They'd reached the stables and Kelly paused with his hand on the latch. "I'd consider having you do that if it wasn't for Gillian. But if you're willing to let me give it a go, how about I ask her some pointed questions and at the same time explain a few facts about withholding information from the police. I don't think Angelina's involved in drugs or anything like that. More likely she's protecting someone. But all those years undercover for DEA taught me to take nothing for granted. I'll approach her like I would any other suspect."

  The two men stopped at the corral surrounding the barn and Gus planted his foot on one of the wooden rails.

  "This isn't going to bring up too many bad memories, is it?"

  Kelly winced at Gus' question, but they both knew his reference to the murder of Kelly’s wife by a drug gang was appropriate. Lynda died because of Kelly's undercover drug work, and the similarities between that case and where this one might be leading were too obvious to overlook.

  "I know where you're heading," Kelly said, "and I appreciate the concern. But this is an entirely different situation. Lynda was killed because of my work. She wasn't involved in the situation that led to her murder. Gillian, on the other hand, owns this place. Whatever is going on or has gone on is directly her concern. The fact that I am or am not involved will not increase her danger, and it just might, or at least I'd like to think it might, make her safer instead of making her a target like Lynda."

  "Good. That's my take as well. Of course this may not have anything at all to do with drugs. But, considering that both of our instincts already have us looking in that direction, I thought it best to clear the air before we started.” Gus gripped Kelly's shoulder in a gesture of reassurance. “I'll head on back to town now. Give me a call if anything comes up, if not let's meet over at the White Bull for breakfast. Eight o'clock suit you?”

  "Sounds great. I'm going to go down to the stables and nose around. Maybe I’ll have a chat with whoever is working this weekend.”

  Gus left and Kelly went to the barn. Inside he walked along the aisle past horse stalls whose occupants were out to pasture for the day. Whispered voices traveled on a gust of wind and Kelly’s cop sense went on high alert. Stepping into an empty stall he flattened himself against the wall.

  "Are you sure the cops have gone?" The voice shook and Kelly strained to catch the frightened whispers.

  "Yes. There's no one here but Kelly and Gillia
n, and they're inside." Kelly recognized Angelina's voice.

  "What did you tell them?" The male tone—insistent and scared—echoed in the silent barn.

  "I haven’t talked to them yet. I’ve avoided everyone. But I’m not going to lie to Gillian. So you better find Sam and tell him that we’re going to tell the truth and if he has any brains at all he’ll go to the cops and tell them everything."

  "You can't do that. We promised."

  "No, you promised. I only agreed to let you talk to Sam before I said anything. I am not going to lie to Gillian. Now get out of here. Go tell Sam that he has until morning to tell the police what he knows or I'm telling Gillian everything."

  Angelina's statement was followed by quick footsteps and the bang of the door. Kelly remained silent and waited. Moments later another door closed and Kelly stepped out into the aisle.

  Kelly pondered the conversation and wondered which one of the boys had been in there with Angelina. He could, of course, go straight to Angelina and demand an explanation. But she'd already stated her intention of going to Gillian. He needed to pull back and let her make the call.

  * * *

  Later, after Gillian had finished stable rounds and said goodnight to the boys, Kelly uncorked a bottle of Merlot.

  "Let's take these out to the swing." He handed her a glass and nodded towards the back door.

  "Thanks." Gillian tucked her arm in his. "It seems like a dream—or should I say nightmare."

  "I'm sure it does. I've been feeling a bit disoriented myself. Last night we were kicking up our heels at the wedding. Now here we are back home in the middle of God knows what kind of mess."

  "Do you really think one of those kids is involved in Larry's death?"

  They'd strolled along the porch to the long wooden swing where Gillian loved to curl up and read. Together they sat and snuggled close with Gillian tucked securely against Kelly's arm.