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TWENTY-EIGHT
Rio looked at Rowley as they climbed into the truck. “Wow! I sure didn’t expect a confession like that from a suspect.”
“I guess he figured we’d find out sooner or later and fessed up.” Rowley let out a long sigh. “Two years in jail and innocent. That must have been soul destroying.”
Taking the interview into consideration, Rio snorted. “Don’t allow a sad story to sway you about his true character. Most psychopaths are nice guys until they’re cornered.”
Rio’s phone buzzed as they headed back to town. It was Emily. His heart warmed at the thought of her. They were officially dating now, but he respected the fact her career and studies came first and any talk of marriage would need to wait. Once she graduated and began her residency, things would be different. “Hey. What’s happening?”
“My dad called. They just found Dave and Tauri. They’re okay but a building exploded and they’re staying at the ranch today to rest, all of them. They’ll be back at the office in the morning.” Emily cleared her throat. “He said maybe you shouldn’t call Jenna about the new murder. She’s in shock and it might make things worse. Styles is heading home but he said Agent Katz will be available to assist if you need her to run any checks.”
Nodding, Rio climbed out of the truck and followed Rowley to Aunt Betty’s Café. The delicious aromas of fresh coffee and barbecue ribs filled his nostrils, making his stomach growl. “Thanks, Em. I’ll call you tonight at nine as usual. Bye.” He disconnected and gave Rowley a rundown of what she’d said.
“Okay, we have a ton of work to get through before Jenna gets to the office in the morning.” Rowley walked to the counter, ordered ribs, peach pie, and coffee and then headed for the reserved table at the back of the diner.
Shrugging, Rio ordered the same and followed him. “Now we find Dallas Strauss.” He removed his damp coat and hat and dropped into a chair with a sigh, smiling at Wendy as she filled cups with steaming hot coffee. “You don’t by any chance know a guy by the name of Dallas Strauss, do you?”
“Dallas?” Wendy placed the pot of coffee onto the table and nodded. “Yeah, he drops by for a meal from time to time. Blond hair and he has unusual black eyes. Like lumps of coal in a snowman.” She giggled.
“Do you know what he does for a living or where we can find him?” Rowley sipped his coffee.
“He lives and works out at the Diamond Bar Ranch.” Wendy smiled. “He drops by when he’s in town buying supplies. I saw him in the pizzeria on Friday. Don’t tell Susie but I dropped by for a pie to take home. A change is as good as a vacation they say.”
Recalling that Johanna Worth worked at the pizzeria, Rio put down his cup. “Did you see him chatting with Johanna Worth, one of the servers, by any chance?”
“Well just about everyone speaks to the servers, don’t they?” Wendy balled one hand on her hip. “Look at us chatting away. Anyone watching us would figure we’re up to no good.” She raised her eyebrows. “I don’t know Johanna. There are so many new people in town these days.” She shrugged. “Dallas always chats to me when he drops by. He leaves a big tip as well.”
“What about Carter? Have you seen him lately?” Rowley looked up as Susie came with their meal and raised both eyebrows at Wendy.
“Carter, yeah, he has been by a few times over the last week.” Wendy looked at Susie. “When did you last see Dallas or Carter?”
“Hard to tell them apart when I’m in the kitchen. Carter I’ve seen more last week than for a time. He mentioned he was staying out at his cabin on vacation. Dallas came by on Thursday. Come to think about it, so did Carter. He ordered a pile of takeout. He was dressed nice, clean shirt and jeans, and he smelled good, like he was going on a date.” Susie blushed. “He has such a nice smile.”
Blinking, Rio covered a smile. “Thanks, you’ve both been really helpful.” As they walked away, he pulled his plate toward him and stared at Rowley, who was chuckling. “Well, Carter is never going to live that down.”
“You can say that again.” Rowley tucked a napkin down his shirtfront and tackled the ribs and moaned. “The best ribs in town.”
Rio swallowed and nodded. “You said it. Have you heard of the Diamond Bar Ranch?”
“Yeah. They run beef cattle and horses. It’s between here and Blackwater. Before the mines, down along the riverbank where it’s green. The bigger ranches usually hire hands after the melt and through to the first snow. If Dallas Strauss works there now, he works year-round. To get a position like that, he must have been there for a time. He might be a family member. If I recall, the folks out there go by the name of Hill. Ethan is the owner as far as I know. He has a contract to supply beef to some of the finest restaurants in Montana. He has a manager who runs the place, and he handles the business side of things.”
Enjoying having Rowley’s local knowledge, Rio nodded. “Good, once we’re done here, we’ll head out and see if we can locate Strauss.” He glanced at his watch. “As Jenna will be back first up, once we’ve spoken to Strauss, I’ll grab Cade and Piper and head on home. I figure we’ll be pulling double shifts until we find this killer.”
“That works for me.” Rowley nodded. “Although, we haven’t looked through the victims’ laptops and phones or located next of kin. If you can open them, I’ll go through them tonight.”
Shaking his head, Rio smiled at him. “I’ll do it. You go and spend some time with your family. If I find anything interesting, I’ll call you.”
They ate in silence for a time and then Rio looked at Rowley. “Did you figure Chase Holden was just a little too cooperative? Too nice?”
“I was just thinking the same thing.” Rowley looked at him over his cup. “I sure as heck didn’t want to turn my back on him.”
The hairs on the back of Rio’s neck prickled. “Neither did I.”
TWENTY-NINE
Rain pounded against the windows as Jenna tossed more logs on the fire. They’d arrived home to a damp freezing house. Rain had blown through the gaping front door, bringing a scatter of fall leaves across the highly polished floors. Jenna had closed as many doors as possible before she’d left with Styles, but she’d stared in dismay at the damage to the front door. Needing the security and the warmth, Kane had gone to the best source he knew, and within the hour, Wolfe had arrived with a new door. It seemed that Wolfe had the ability to obtain just about anything, no matter what the day of the week or the time of day. They’d had time to tend the horses, shower, and eat and then she’d tucked Tauri into bed and they’d sat with him until he’d fallen asleep. The little boy was so exhausted he’d struggled to stay awake at the kitchen table.
Unable to do anything to help with the repairs, Jenna made a fresh pot of coffee and then wrapped herself in a blanket on the sofa. Pumpkin, her black cat, curled up beside her, her silken black paws kneaded the blanket, purring in contentment. Jenna tried to relax but couldn’t push the day’s events from her mind. The fear of losing Kane and Tauri had been too much to bear. Flashes of the explosion and the dropping of her stomach came in waves. Right now, she didn’t need to be alone. Her mind would settle soon, but the reason Kane had allowed this to happen baffled her. He and Wolfe were usually so security conscious, so it was obvious Wolfe hadn’t been involved from the get-go. No doubt, because if he’d notified his chain of command, they’d have gone ballistic. They didn’t take chances with an asset like Kane.
