Page 25 of Setup In Montana

She was. But where to begin? She thought about what Tanner was telling his father right now and felt sick.

“Dad won’t believe what Tanner’s telling him,” Dub said as if reading her mind. Or was it her worry he was reading? He shot a look at her. “Dad likes you too. Don’t pay any attention to Tanner. We don’t.”

“What he said about the sheriff looking for me, it’s true. But I didn’t kill Esther.”

“Who’s Esther?”

Clancy took a breath, knowing she had to start at the beginning for him to make any sense out of it. “Esther is the meanest woman who ever lived.” He chuckled at that. “I’m not kidding.” She proceeded to tell him all of it up until she threatened to come back that night and get her money one way or another.

He glanced at her for the first time during her story with worry in his expression, before quickly going back to his driving. “You went back that night.”

She felt tears burn her eyes. “I’ve regretted it ever since. But I never saw Esther. When I went to her door, I heard voices and realized someone was inside with her. I knew I could wait until whoever it was left and try again to get my money, but by then, I regretted sneaking back into the rest home. I left shortly after that.”

“So why are the cops looking for you?”

“Because of the argument I had with her and my threat to return and get my money one way or the other.”

“So no one saw you?”

“One of the residents, Jane Cooke, saw me. But I knew she wouldn’t tell. This morning at breakfast I heard that Jane’s been murdered.”

Dub looked startled. “Whoa. They can’t blame you for that one. You were here on the ranch.”

“I think whoever killed Esther saw her that night in the hallway, and that’s why she’s dead.”

He drove in silence for a few minutes as the road seemed to get worse. If there was even a road, since the truck was bucking large sagebrush bushes.

She thought about what Sarah had said. “I know it sounds like I could have stayed in Grass Range, told the sheriff what I knew and not left the way I did. But something else happened. That night as I slipped back out of the building, I noticed the time on my watch. It was a quarter past midnight. When I looked back, I saw someone in shadow watching me from Esther’s apartment window. I thought it was her, but the morning after the murder, I heard from a friend that Esther was killed before midnight.”

He slowed the pickup to stare at her. “When you heard voices outside Esther’s door, the killer was already in her apartment?”

“I think so. It could explain why Jane is now dead. But also why I ran. The killer saw me that night. I didn’t get a good enough look to identify the person I saw in the window watching me leave, but the killer might not know that.”

“You think the killer is after you now.” Dub sped up again, looking thoughtful. “You think the killer recognized you?”

“Grass Range is so small, it’s more like a wide spot along the highway. Even if the person didn’t recognize me, all he would have to do is ask around and someone would tell him where he could find me.”

Dub swore.

“You believe me,” she said, her voice cracking.

“Of course I do.” He seemed surprised that she would even question it.

“But you don’t know me.”

He glanced over at her. “I know you. I felt I knew you the first time I saw you. More importantly, I trust you.”

She had to swallow the lump in her throat. “I know it looks suspicious, me leaving Grass Range the way I did. But it’s also why I left my car beside the road and took off walking in the rain, hoping to catch a ride to get as far away as I could.”

He nodded, concentrating on his driving, before he said, “I hate to think what could have happened to you if my dad hadn’t picked you up. The killer could have been in the very next vehicle that came down the highway to offer you a ride.”

She shuddered, knowing how lucky she’d been and not just with John Crawford. Now here she was with his son. John had saved her life that night and now his son was trying to help her as well. “I’m sure the sheriff thinks I know something about the murders. But I don’t. The killer has nothing to fear from me.”

Dub was silent for a moment before he said, “Unfortunately, the killer doesn’t know that.”

Chapter Eleven

Dr. Frazer didn’t sound happy to hear from the sheriff. “I had a thought,” Max said the moment the man answered. “I think we’re still going to have to get blood types from the staff and the rest home manager—”