Page 34 of Setup In Montana

“Pretty young yourself,” she said.

“Is that why you had planned to take off before all this happened? You want to see the world?”

“You’re going to think I’m delusional,” she said quietly as she glanced over at him. “I’ve always felt that my life was out there waiting for me, but that I’d miss it if I didn’t go find it.”

“What was your life out there waiting for you to do?”

She gave him the side-eye, not sure if he was mocking her. “I know it probably sounds ridiculous to you, but I don’t know where I belong. You were born and raised on a ranch. You have strong roots. I’m like a weed that grows wherever it lands, but never feels like it belongs there. Ridiculous, huh?”

“I think most people get stuck in a place and don’t have what it takes to pack up and go. I admire you having the courage to want to strike out on your own to see if it is really greener down the road.”

Clancy couldn’t help but laugh. “It wasn’t courageous striking out, as if turned out. I was running from a killer. Who knows if I’d have had the strength to really go otherwise.”

“Change is hard. I know that feeling only too well, but you’re a lot stronger than you think you are. Look! A shooting star!”

As she lay back and watched a white light streak across the sky, she felt a sense of awe. The sky away from any artificial light was unbelievable. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d lain under the stars. Never with someone close by who quickened her pulse just being there.

“Did you make a wish?” he asked quietly.

“I did. How about you?”

He looked over at her. “I did.” He rolled up on his side again. She felt his fingers brush her cheek and turned to him. Their gazes locked and she could see need shining in his eyes. He wanted her as much as she wanted him right now.

“Dub.”

Chapter Fifteen

When Max checked his phone, he saw that he’d missed two phone calls. One from Clancy. He listened to it first. Thankfully, she was all right. He called back, but there was no answer. He didn’t leave a message. His second missed call was from Dr. Frazer, who hadn’t left a message.

He quickly called, anxious to hear how the blood type testing was going. But when the doctor answered, Max could hear what sounded like a disturbance in the background. “Is everything all right over there?”

The doctor growled in answer. “I just had a patient faint at the sight of blood, knocking everything on the floor. Once we get it all cleaned up, I’ll finish this. And then, Sheriff, I hope we are done. To answer your question, yes, I had a local nurse take my sample with witnesses in the room. I am O positive, always have been, always will be.”

Max could hear the frustration in the man’s voice. He knew he’d offended the doctor. “Thank you for doing this.” Doc growled in answer. “Can you tell me anything yet?”

“No. We have taken all the blood samples. Now it just has to be typed. When I know, you’ll know.” Dr. Frazer hung up.

He was counting on someone connected to the rest home having O negative blood, pointing to the person who’d killed Jane. And with Hazel’s scarf, he was convinced he could tie the two murders to one killer. At this point, he yearned to get this case solved so he could go home to his pregnant wife.

Goldie had been calling him every evening hoping for news on her cousin. He was relieved that Clancy had called and that she was with Dub Crawford. She wasn’t alone and lost or already dead as he’d feared. But she was on the run from the killer, a faceless person Max believed was connected to the rest home. Clancy wouldn’t be safe until the killer was caught.

His phone rang. He thought it might be Clancy. Seeing it was Dr. Frazer calling, he thought this could be the call he was waiting on. Hopefully, the doctor had information that would finally break this case wide open.

“Doc,” the sheriff said, unable to hide how hopeful he was.

“I finished running the blood types. I even ran one of them twice to make sure.”

“Who has O negative?” Max asked, his voice suddenly hoarse.

“The cook at Shady Rest, Diana Turner, has O negative,” the doctor answered.

Max found himself on his feet and checking the time. Just about now, Diana would be finishing up in the kitchen. He wanted to catch her before she left for the night. “You’re sure?”

“Like I said, I ran the test twice.”

“Thanks for letting me know so quickly,” Max said and disconnected on his way out the door. The drive to Shady Rest only took a few stressful minutes. He didn’t want to miss her. But he was only going on the blood type from the pen that Jane had stabbed her killer with.

He had heard the doctor’s disbelief that the killer was Diana. Until Max talked to her… He checked the time again. She would have just finished her shift. Had she heard that the killer had O negative blood? Had she worried about getting her blood tested knowing he would be coming for her? Maybe her plan was to finish her shift and then make a run for it.