Between Kenneth Alt and the police hanging around, Cait valued what little time she had alone. With the house empty and quiet, the afternoon stretched before her. She’d vowed not to return to the ranch until Wally was captured, but she missed Bo and his family and decided time in the country was exactly what she needed.
She called June and asked if she’d like to go to the ranch with her.
“I’d love to. Jim’s with RT and the officers. He said something about checking the lighting at the theaters. I’ll be right over.”
Cait waited until June and Niki were settled in her car before calling RT. “I’m going to the ranch. June and Niki are with me.”
“Be sure to take your gun.”
“You don’t think I’d leave home without it, do you? Back in a couple of hours.”
“Call when you get there and when you’re ready to leave,” he said, “and keep your eyes on the mirrors. I know you feel your wings have been clipped, but when this is over we’ll do something fun to celebrate. Just the two of us.”
She tingled with anticipation of spending time alone with RT as she drove down the driveway and onto the road. She looked forward to seeing Bo’s engaging ten-year-old, wheelchair-bound daughter who had risen above her difficulties. Cait’s problems couldn’t compare to the bright future Joy lost out on after a disastrous fall from her horse during a riding competition.
Traffic was light, except for a string of yellow-jacketed bicyclists on Mines Road pumping hard toward Del Valle Regional Park. Ilia said Livermore was a biker’s paradise and that they came from all over the Bay Area to ride the miles of challenging hills.
She checked the mirrors one last time before turning into the entrance to the ranch, then she relaxed and looked out the open window at the pristine white fences, cerulean blue sky, and pungent eucalyptus trees.
June sat up straight and stuck her head out the window. “No wonder you love it here. Oh, look at the beautiful horses!”
Cait drove slowly to keep the dust down and so June could admire the scenery. When she pulled up to the front of the barn, Bo came around the side with a rake in his hand. She turned the engine off. “That’s Bo.” When she opened the door, Niki leaped out and sprinted off.
Bo tipped his Stetson back and smiled. “This is a nice surprise. And you got a dog.”
Cait grinned. “His name is Niki. He’s a gift from RT’s daughter.”
“Handsome dog,” Bo said. “Lots of playmates for him here.” He looked at the shorts she was wearing. “Doesn’t look like you came to ride.”
“Not today. Bo, this is June Hart. June and her husband, Jim, retired and came to help me with the festival. She and Tasha go way back to when they were aspiring actresses in New York.”
Bo and June shook hands. “Cait didn’t exaggerate when she called this place a bit of heaven,” June said. She raised her hand to shade her eyes. “Did she tell you Hilton and I were related by marriage? He was my husband’s cousin. I introduced Tasha and Hilton, but it took years before she’d agree to marry him. She thought marriage would interfere with her career.”
Bo laughed. “So I’ve heard.”
“Oh, dear,” June said. “I was shameless getting them hooked up, but I persevered because I knew they were perfect for each other.”
“How about a tour?”
“I’d love it.”
“Let’s cut through the barn to avoid a mess I’ve made trying to patch a cement wall. We’ll go up to the house first so you can meet the family.”
The empty stalls smelled of fresh straw. Hilton’s saddle still hung on a hook next to Faro’s stall.
“Do you ride?” Bo asked June.
“I used to, but I doubt I could get my leg over a horse now.”
“I didn’t know you rode,” Cait said.
June laughed. “Like Hilton, I grew up with horses.”
“The next time you and Cait come out, we’ll go for a ride,” Bo said. “Don’t forget to wear jeans and close-toed shoes.”
As they exited the barn, Bo asked, “Lots of people attending the plays?”
“Every performance is sold out.”
“Cait’s a natural-born businesswoman,” June said. “She’s even got the cantankerous stage manager wrapped around her little finger.” She gasped. “Oh, look at that.” Her eyes were riveted on the log house ahead of them.
“Wait until you see the inside,” Cait said.
“Hilton built it,” Bo said. “We’re lucky to live here.”
“Indeed you are.” June lagged behind while Cait and Bo crossed the bridge over the dry creek. “You may have to force me to leave.” She followed them up to the porch.
“Cait!” Joy squealed. She sat on the piano bench, her wheelchair off to the side.
Cait leaned down and hugged her.
Joy beamed. “Are you going to ride?”
“Oh, sorry, honey. Not today. But I brought someone to meet you.” Cait introduced June.
June smiled and took Joy’s offered hand. “What a pretty name.”
“June used to be an actress, like Tasha,” Cait said.
“Did you know Hilton? This used to be his house.”
“I did.” June told her how she introduced Tasha and Hilton.
Bo’s wife, Khandi, walked into the room and Cait introduced her to June.
Cait’s cell rang. RT’s name popped up on the screen.
“RT,” she answered, “we’re at the ranch.”
“Anyone tail you?”
“No.”
“Say hello to the Tucks for me. Call before you leave.”
“Everything okay?” Bo asked.
Cait nodded. “There’s a situation at the house.”
“You can’t leave yet,” Joy said, her black curls bobbing about her head.
“Not until June’s had a chance to see the ranch and meet Faro,” Cait said. “Next time I might get up my nerve to ride again. How about that?”
Joy grinned. “Maybe I can ride with you. Okay, Daddy?”
“I think that can be arranged.”
“June rides,” Cait said.
Joy grinned. “Yes! How about tomorrow?”
“Probably not, but soon. I promise.” Cait hugged her.
“I’ll be right back, Joy,” Khandi said and followed them outside.
When they stepped off the porch, Khandi took Cait’s hand. “What’s wrong?”
Cait glanced across the fields at the horses grazing behind the white fence and at Niki running with Bo’s dogs. “Someone is stalking me. His name is Wally Dillon. I told Bo about it the last time I was here, but I didn’t want to involve your family.”
Bo nodded. “I told her why you carried a gun. By that bulge beneath your shirt, I assume nothing’s changed.”
“No. Wally’s here to kill me.” She bowed her head as she talked about Hank Dillon. “I became a cop to help people, but you do what you have to do when another officer’s life is in jeopardy. I shot Hank Dillon before he killed another officer. His brother, Wally, is looking for revenge.”
“Oh, Cait,” Khandi said. “I’m sorry.”
“Can’t blame yourself for doing your job,” Bo said. “It could eat away at you if you allow it.”
“I got over it. I was duty bound and did what I had to do. I would do it again under the same circumstances.” She smiled. “An officer is alive because of me. That’s a good feeling.”
“I think you should tell them about Chip,” June said.
Bo nudged his Stetson higher on his head with his knuckle. “Chip?”
“Chip Fallon, an actor,” Cait said. “He played the role of Hamlet. He was murdered in the vineyard Saturday night.”
Khandi’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, no!”
Bo stopped in his tracks. “Another tragedy. Did you find him?”
“No. Kurt Mathews did. He manages the vineyard.”
June filled in the details and explained that the police had been there every day.
“How can we help?” Khandi asked.
“I don’t want to involve your family, but I would love to spend a little time here at the ranch whenever I can get away.”
“That’s a given, Cait,” Khandi said. “Come any time.”
What is it about the ranch that turns me into a marshmallow and stirs my emotions? “I appreciate that. While we’re here, I’d like June to see Faro.”
“Sure thing,” Bo said.
Niki and Bo’s golden retrievers romped nearby, scattering a flock of ducks while a pair of llamas munched on grass.
Hilton’s chestnut quarter horse edged closer to the fence. As they approached, he extended his long, sleek neck.
“How you doing, son?” Bo asked as he held his hand out and offered Faro a butter mint.
“This was Hilton’s horse?” June asked.
Bo nodded. “This is Faro.”
Faro ignored June’s hand when she tried to stroke him. Bo handed her a mint. “Try this.”
Quick as lightning, the mint disappeared from her hand.
They spent a few minutes talking about Faro, then crossed to another pasture where Bo’s horse, Cash, grazed. The black Morgan trotted to the fence, his movements free, straight, and well balanced. He nudged Bo’s hand, looking for a treat.
“He’s gorgeous,” June said.
They spent a few minutes with Bo’s horse before Cait asked, “Bo, can June see where you do surgery?”
“Sure.” He dug into his jeans pocket and removed a ring of keys.
“I should get back to the house,” Khandi said. “Nice meeting you, June. I hope you’ll come again.”
After Khandi left, Bo took Cait and June to his lab. He unlocked the door and flipped a switch. The bright fluorescent lights flooded the large sterile room.
As she had the first time she’d seen Bo’s lab, Cait blinked to adjust to the sharp glare off the stainless steel counters, sinks, shelves, cupboards, and refrigerator. The room was spotless, with white walls, white tile flooring, and stainless steel drains. Hoses hung from trolleys.
June complimented Bo on his sterile lab, then Cait said it was time they leave. Bo locked up while Cait called Niki. The dog ignored her but not Bo’s sharp whistle. Cait held the door open for Niki.
“Bring Niki again,” Bo said.
“I’ll do that. Thanks for letting us spend a little time with you.” She removed her gun from her waist and set it in the compartment between the seats, then settled behind the wheel. She waved to Bo, backed her car around, and drove down the lane.
“That’s a nice family,” June said.
“You bet.” She checked the mirrors after pulling out onto the road. A warm breeze floated through the open windows. They drove in silence, the shimmer of rising heat glaring on the pavement. Traffic picked up on Tesla, and a pickup appeared in the rearview mirror, closing in on her. With the sun to her back, she blinked a couple of times as she narrowed her eyes on the mirror. She gripped the wheel harder. The driver of the pickup stayed close behind until just before the stop sign at Greenville Road, when he swerved sharply and passed on her left and ran through the intersection without stopping. With her eyes riveted on the pickup, she almost sailed through the stop sign and had to brake hard.
Up ahead, the pickup had pulled off the road.
“June, get on the floor.”
“Do you think that’s Wally in the pickup?”
“Yes. Hang on.” Cait brought her gun to her lap, right hand clutched around it, and with foot to the pedal accelerated through the intersection and passed the pickup. “Got a partial plate: four-XQC-four.”
A short distance ahead, she braked hard to avoid hitting a family of turkeys ambling across the road. She slapped the wheel. “Damn!”
The pickup caught up, swerved hard to Cait’s left, and roared past, leaving more exhaust fumes in its wake. His brake lights lit up when the driver slammed on the brakes, smack in the middle of the road.
Cait hit the brakes. “What the—”
A loud pop.
The windshield cracked like a spider’s web, leaving a bullet hole through the middle.
Niki barked; the sudden stop tossed him against the back of Cait’s seat.
Cait watched the pickup take off and disappear from sight. After the air cleared, she expected to see a mess of turkeys on the road, but they’d escaped.
The neat twist of curls on top of June’s head tumbled down. “I think someone tried to kill us!”