“The witness saw him push her and then run down the trail. Other witnesses saw him run to his car and leave. Daisy confirmed the car's description, and we have video footage of the piece of shit ditching his rental car in the lot at the Redmond airport. He boarded a flight to Seattle, where he took a connecting flight to Boston. His dating profile has been erased. Turns out Wesley Barnes was in fact from Colorado, but he died seventeen years ago.”
I wait to see if any of them pick up on what I’m telling them. It’s Gus whose mind gets there first.
“Wasn’t the asshole that threatened her about buying the property from Boston?”
“He was. And after some digging, it turns outWesleyisn’t his name, and he is that asshole’s second cousin.”
“What the actual fuck?” Cal says, running his hands through his hair.
Knox keeps pacing.
“Here is my theory. And it’s only a theory. Daisy refused to relay Chad’s offer to the family. I think they thought if they got her out of the way, the family would be distraught and accept an offer. When they found out she hadn’t died in the fall, they paid someone local to cut the fence. I think it’s all connected.”
“What do the authorities say?” Gus, the levelheaded one, still in his seat, questions.
“We’ve got the Feds and local police involved. I’ve also been in contact with a friend of mine from the police academy who works for Massachusetts State Police. Turns out there’s more than meets the eye with the company making the offer on the ranch. They’re linked to an organized crime family in, you guessed it, Boston. He says they’re organized, well-funded, and dangerous. Nearly impossible to investigate, but he’ll keep his ears open.”
“Why would gangsters from the East Coast want to buy up cattle ranches in Central Oregon?” Knox asks.
“The minerals,” Cal says, before I reply with a non-answer, because I have no idea what their true motive is.
“What minerals?” Angus sounds just as confused as Knox and I look.
“After Dad passed and Knox got our tax debt in order, Howard did a thorough audit of both businesses. The store and the ranch. We went over the deed to the land. It turns out our deed includes mineral rights. This isn’t always the case. You may own the land, but not the rights to any minerals on that land. I thought little of it.” He shrugs and lets out a steady breath.
“Why do I feel like there's more to this story?” Knox sighs.
“Well, after the Clays got their offer from the Boston fucks, they looked into their deed, and they don’t have mineral rights. Only surface rights. They haven’t been here long enough to know what they might be sitting on. So, they hired a geologist, who confirmed the land is rich with sunstone. As we all know, thehigh desert of Central Oregon is the only place on Earth you can find the gem. Apparently, their land is riddled with it.
“And since their land butts up to ours and we have thousands of acres, our land is the most valuable,” Gus pieces together.
“It seems extreme to kill Daisy over some rocks,” Knox interjects.
“That’s the way these guys work. If they don’t get what they want, they do what it takes until they do.”
“If we know who they are, why don’t we arrest them?”
“If only it were that easy, Cal. I’m doing everything I can, though. Tomorrow, the feds will bring some pictures to the house for Daisy to look at. If she points out the guy we’re pretty sure it is, our contacts in Boston will arrest him if they can find him. But we lack the proof that connects Chad to the fence and the fall. He’s a legitimate businessman, and the Madden family is his biggest client. Unless we get a confession, it’s gonna take a lot to prove my theory. But I won’t quit until these fuckers are dealt with. Until then, Daisy’s staying here, where I can keep her safe.”
Cal hesitates, but finally says, “Thank you.”
I nod, relieved that’s all he has to say.
Daisy’s right. Cal’s reaction to his sister sleeping over wasn’t great and may be an issue when the time comes to tell him more. And it will come. His sister and I are inevitable. However, tonight is not the night for that conversation.
Knox pulls his phone out of his back pocket. “I’m calling Hopper, the band’s head of security. He’s based in L.A., but I’m sure he can get some bodies up here.”
“She’s not going home just because she’s got a bodyguard, Knox.”
Let Cal get pissed over my protectiveness. She’s not leaving my sight.
The rocker of the family finally stops his pacing and turns to look me in the eye. “I know that, brother. But you can’t be everywhere, and if I’m not mistaken, the whole family might need a little extra protection.”
He’s right. I let my need to protect his sister consume my thoughts and forgot about the rest of the family. Shit.
“Of course. The more protection for all of you, the better.”
“And why doesn’t Daisy want us to know?” Cal asks. The glare he shoots in my direction isn’t about the fall, but about there being more between his best friend and his sister. Does he remember our conversation about me finding the one?
