A knock sounded at Kelly’s front door and Sharlene answered it. Standing in the doorway was Tony with a glum look on his face.
“Hello, Sharlene. I’m so sorry about your mother. Is she doing better?”
She shook her head. “Not much. They took her to the hospital and the doctors did tests all day long but couldn’t find anything wrong. She’s disoriented but the doctor said it might be temporary. Mom couldn’t stand the thought of staying in the hospital overnight and she put up such a fuss that Dad gave in and brought her home.”
“She’s home, then?” he asked in astonishment.
“Yeah. They just got home. Dad tried to talk her into staying overnight but Mom said she wasn’t going to stay in any ‘blasted’ hospital because there’s too many germs and she might get sick.”
Tony smiled at her mother’s spunk and then asked, “May I speak to your uncle, Sharlene? I’ve got some news for him.”
When Faith heard the request, she called out, “I’ll get him, Tony.”
Sharlene looked at him questioningly. “What’s wrong?”
Tony opened his left hand and exposed a large burr.
The prickly husk made her eyes widen with curiosity as she asked, “What’s that?”
“I found it under the mare’s blanket. It was strategically placed right where your mom would give a kick and slam it into her side. That was why she became so wild.”
“Is the mare all right?”
“I had to put some ointment on her belly but she’ll be okay. I’m just worried about your mom.”
Kelly was standing in the hallway, listening to everything his foreman had said and he was upset, to say the least. That burr didn’t get there by accident. He knew that much. Kelly was disturbed by this news and it grieved him that whoever it was had tried to hurt his sister on purpose. Just the thought made him furious.
Tony turned to him and their eyes met. Kelly looked at the burr and shook his head as he walked toward them. “I figured it had to be something. That mare is the most docile animal we have. I’m surprised she didn’t make a fuss when Julia climbed on her.”
Kelly took the burr and stared at it with disgust. He looked at Tony and then said, “You know what this means?”
“Yes, sir. That’s it’s an inside job and we’re all suspects.”
Kelly nodded. “You’re right, Tony. Julia was getting a little too close for comfort.” He turned to leave and then hesitated and turned around. “Don’t take this investigation personal. We’ll talk later.”
Then he turned on his heel and headed toward the kitchen.
Sharlene looked deep into his eyes for a few moments and Tony could tell that she was looking into his inner soul. He licked his lips and wondered if she thought he was guilty.
After an uncomfortable few moments, the tension was finally broken as she said, “I know you didn’t do it, Tony.”
He breathed a breath of relief and gave a weak smile. “Thanks. But you’re the only one.”
“How about Kelly? He still believes in you.”
He gave a crooked smile. “Okay, that makes two.”
She nodded. “We’re the only ones that count.”
He chuckled. “I guess you’re right. I wish everyone had your faith in me.”
“Remember what Kelly said? Don’t take this investigation personal.”
Tony took her hand and squeezed it, making her feel warm inside. Then he gradually released her hand, turned and headed out the door.
* * *
John was sitting on an easy chair in the bedroom, watching his wife sleep and feeling so guilty for what had happened. He blamed himself and he was in the uttermost depths of despair. He leaned over and lovingly stroked her hair. How he loved this spunky woman! She was always putting herself in danger just to get a story. Now here she was, trying to help her brother keep his place and she gets hurt.
He touched her cheek and she stirred. John was worried because she was so disoriented, but the doctors agreed to release her since they couldn’t find anything wrong. He had helped his wife into her nightgown and put her in bed but she acted as if she didn’t even remember where she was. This was so upsetting. Had he done the right thing by checking her out of the hospital?
Julia’s memory loss was probably the main reason why she was so upset at the hospital. The doctor said it was probably temporary. The lump on her head wasn’t too bad and there were no internal injuries. When Kelly opened the door and entered, John turned toward him.
“We’ve got to talk,” said Kelly. “The girls are in the kitchen.”
John looked at his wife and nodded. She probably wouldn’t need him since she was sleeping. He stood and followed Kelly out. The girls were sitting at the table and snacking on chips and dip when they entered.
Kelly leaned against the cabinet and cleared his throat. “The reason I’ve called this meeting is because we’ve got something very serious to consider. I’ve finally come to the conclusion that Julia may be right.” He pushed his fingers through his thin blond hair, hating to put his next thoughts into words. “One of my own ranch hands is sabotaging my property for the soul reason to get me to sell. Julia was getting too close for comfort so he decided to put a stop to her investigation.”
John narrowed his eyes and asked, “What makes you think that Julia was targeted?”
Kelly opened his hand and placed the burr on the cabinet. “That was found under Julia’s saddle blanket. It didn’t get there by accident. The person who put it there probably hoped it would fall to the ground and then we would blame the wild actions of my gentle mare on the Thunder God, like usual. In other words, this legendary god is giving us a definite message.”
John slammed his hand on the cabinet with fury and cussed. “Sorry, girls! But I’m not in the mood for holding my tongue at this moment.” He turned to Kelly and asked, “And what message is that?”
“To give up and sell or someone’s going to get hurt.”
John pounded the cabinet once again with frustration. “You know Julia wouldn’t want you to give up. She’s not a quitter and neither are you.” He took a deep breath to stop his anger from taking over. “So, who do you think it is? Any ideas?”
“That’s why I called you here. We need to talk this out.” Kelly walked to the center of the room. Everyone could see the worry lines under his eyes as he looked upon the group with soberness. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since this happened and I’ve come to a conclusion. These young men aren’t interested in running my dude ranch and they are too young to get a loan that’s as sizable as this place. So I think someone’s behind all this and is using one of my men to sabotage this ranch.”
“For what purpose?” asked Sharlene.
“To build a resort.”
“But why would your men betray you, Uncle Kelly?”
He shook his head with sadness. “I’ve thought about that and came up with three reasons. First, there’s bribery. Someone could be offering money. And I’m not thinking pennies, either. I think it’s enough to make someone disloyal to me. Second… blackmail. If someone is real ashamed of his past and doesn’t want anyone to know, that could do it. A person can get real desperate, at times. Third, threatening the life of a loved one, and he’s helpless under the scrutiny of this man.”
The girls were stunned. This was something you read in a novel or saw in a movie, not in real life. Would one of his men betray Kelly? They seemed so loyal. Their uncle had to be wrong.
“Let’s start with Terry and Billy,” said John. “Now we’re just supposing, not accusing. Remember that, girls. What if these brothers needed money and someone paid them to do all this mischief?”
“Okay,” said Faith. “But who paid them?”
“That’s the part I don’t know,” said Kelly. “Perhaps one of my clients, someone who saw a lot of potential here. I’ve had a client or two ask if I’d sell. All I have to do is narrow it down.”
“We need to question your former housekeeper,” said John. “She quit suddenly. Why? Was she threatened or bribed? Or was she the mastermind?”
Kelly nodded. “Now that’s a thought.”
“How about Mike? Could someone bribe him with enough money to trash your place?”
“I don’t think so. He’s not poor by any means. His father passed away a few years ago but he left his family with plenty of money and they’re not wanting for anything. I don’t believe someone could bribe him. Not only that…when I had to let a few workers go, he volunteered to work part time ‘cause he knew I needed the help.”
“But…” said John. “If he was released from his job, then he couldn’t sabotage the ranch so easily. Someone might see him coming and going. It’s much easier when you live here. How about threats on his family or blackmail? Also, didn’t Mike saddle the horses?”
“Yes,” said Kelly. “But he said the horses were tied to the fence about ten minutes before you were ready.”
John nodded. “That’s right. Anyone could have snuck up and done it.”
“I don’t have any doubts about Tony,” said Sharlene. “I don’t believe he’s guilty of anything. Besides, he was the one who found the burr. He could have hid it if he were guilty.”
“Not necessarily,” said John. “Was the mare hurt?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. We already suspected something was wrong and the mare was hurt. To hide it would make us more suspicious.”
“But it was Tony’s idea to turn this place into a ranch five years ago,” said Sharlene defensively. “And he wanted it to be a success, Dad.”
“Okay.” He turned to Kelly. “But what better way to take over a place after it’s become successful! He puts up a defamatory website and your business goes downhill. All of a sudden he has his own ranch.”
“No!” Kelly shook his head and said firmly, “I don’t think he’s guilty, either. He’s loyal. I know it for a fact.”
John saw the stubborn look in his eyes. It reminded him of Julia. The room was silent. No one wanted to think that Tony was guilty. Everyone in the room really liked him, including John.
Sharlene was desperate to take the heat off Tony, so she blurted out, “How about your cook? He has plenty of money. Right? He could buy it easily.”
Kelly was stunned. “Nonsense! If he used that up, then he’d miss out on his dream. He’s only working for me until he can buy his own diner. He can’t wait to quit and be his own boss.”
Faith stood in defense of the cook and said firmly, “That’s right. Besides that, why would he put up a website to defame his own good name.”
Kelly gave a firm nod. “She’s right.”
Sharlene backed down when she realized what a dumb idea she had. “Sorry. I just thought we should bring in every person who works for Kelly.”
“Oh, I forgot to give you a message,” said Faith as she turned toward her father. “That detective Mom hired said he’s got some information about Mike and your former housekeeper. I told him that today wasn’t a good day and to call tomorrow morning.”
“Then we’ll wait until he gives us something to go on,” said Kelly. “Let’s wait until tomorrow and find out what he has for us.”
John stood. “Well, if this meeting is over, I think I’ll go check on Julia.”
Kelly slapped the counter with the palm of his hand and said, “Meet us in the living room in five minutes. I have a good movie for us to watch. We need to relax and get this off our minds. Okay?”
John nodded.
With that, he walked out of the room and into the bedroom where his wife lay sleeping. The anxiety he felt was beyond anything he had ever experienced in his whole life. Hopefully by morning, she would be herself again.