Page 21 of Setup In Montana

Hoping he’d get the break he needed in the case, Max called the doctor. If they had all the residents’ blood types, maybe they’d have their killer.

He felt as if time was running out. He had to find and stop the killer before anyone else died, so he was relieved when the doctor finally arrived.

Dr. Frazer was a short, squat man with white hair and bushy white eyebrows. He had brought over the list of residents’ blood types. It didn’t take long to discover that none of the residents had O negative blood.

“How is that possible?” Max said more to himself than the doctor. “Whoever killed Jane had O negative blood.”

“I’d say that it wasn’t one of the residents,” the doctor ventured with a shrug. “I’ve hardly ever run across a person with O negative blood type.”

“It has to be someone connected to the rest home.” That left the staff, the manager and the doctor. “What’s your blood type, Doc?”

Frazer bristled. “Not O negative.”

“You’re positive none of the residents have O negative?” the sheriff asked, unable to let go of what he’d hoped was going to solve at least one of the murders.

“Not anyone who still lives there,” the doctor said as he put the paperwork he’d brought back into his case. He paused. “I did have one resident with type O negative. As I said, it’s rare. But Mildred Wilson, who died about three weeks ago, was O negative.”

Another dead end, Max thought. It made no sense for the killer not to have a connection to the rest home with two residents murdered. So if not one of the residents, that left the staff.

“I’m going to need a warrant,” Max said more to himself than the doctor. “When I get the court order, I hope you’ll help me get blood samples from everyone here on staff—including yours.”

The doctor made a dismissive sound as he left. Max was sure he was on the right track. None of the residents had killed Jane. That didn’t mean they hadn’t killed Esther, but with the scarf connection, he figured he only had one killer on the loose. At least he hoped that was all.

Now all he had to do was convince a judge to let him get blood samples from the staff and anyone connected to the rest home.

He still didn’t have a motive, though. From what he’d heard about Esther’s thievery and already knew about her personality, he’d assumed there was enough reason for someone to want to kill her. But Jane was another story. If the cases were indeed connected.

The manager seemed to think the rest home was secure after the gates were locked for the day. But what if people had found a way to get in and out without him aware of it? Looking outside, he saw that it had finally quit raining. He mentally kicked himself for not checking the perimeter of the building earlier, but there was no time like the present. He could use some fresh air.

He walked the perimeter. It didn’t take him long to find what he’d feared he would. At one of the exits, not far from Esther’s room, he found how anyone could have come and gone after hours.

Back in Vernon’s office, he asked, “I’m going to need a list of visitors for the past month. Also I’m going to need to talk to all of the staff again. I found a rock by one of the emergency exits closest to Esther’s apartment.”

“A rock?” Vernon frowned.

“When I was at law enforcement academy, we had set hours, but there were some who sneaked out by leaving a rock to keep the door from closing and locking them out when they returned. There was a large rock at your back door.”

Vernon looked embarrassed. “I had no idea. I’ll get you that list of visitors. It isn’t very long.”

“Also, I need to know which residents leave the rest home regularly.”

“We have a few who are ambulatory,” the manager said. “I know Hazel’s a sleepwalker, but as far as I know, she’s never gotten out at night.”

The sheriff nodded. His first thought had been that residents were sneaking out. But now he wondered who might be sneaking in. Still, he believed both murders had been inside jobs. He called Dr. Frazer. “I need to ask you a question about the O negative blood type.”

Chapter Nine

When Clancy heard someone enter the barn, she thought it would be Dub coming back. He’d left her alone earlier to finish up with the stalls. She could hear boots on the wood floor as he approached, but she didn’t turn, determined to keep working.

Their earlier discussion had left her unsettled. When he walked away, she’d regretted not opening up to him. She would be gone soon, Dub Crawford just a memory—if even that, she told herself. A lie. Whatever it was about this cowboy, she’d remember him. Just as she would have regrets that she hadn’t gone out with him. Hadn’t even given him a chance to show her that he wasn’t just another cowboy who’d break her heart.

She realized her mistake almost at once. Those were definitely not Dub’s boots behind her. The man who’d come into the barn wasn’t Dub and now he was standing so close behind her that she felt she couldn’t breathe because she knew who it was. She could hear him breathing hard, smell something sour on his breath, feel his dislike radiating off his body.

Clancy picked up the handiest tool and turned around in the tight space between the stall wall and Tanner Crawford.

“What is it with you and my brother?” Tanner demanded, having cornered her. He towered over her, scaring her a little even as she told herself that he was only trying to intimidate her.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”