A sick sense of dread curled in her stomach. How was it that she hadn’t realized just how much money Sean was pulling from their account? Sure, she’d noticed, but hadn’t really taken the time to tally the amount until now.
Ten grand. What on earth would Sean want with that kind of cash?
Buying a new truck would be one lump sum payment, or regularly scheduled monthly payments. Not this hodge podge of withdrawals.
“I’m sorry, Sylvie.” Dawson reached across the desk to take her hand. “We need to get this information to chief deputy Holmes. This may be enough to issue an arrest warrant for your brother.”
She nodded slowly, clinging to his hand for a moment. If her brother was involved in gambling or drugs, she couldn’t protect him. Not after seeing the amount of money he’d gone through. No wonder the attacks against her had been escalating. Sean must be feeling desperate now that she’d cut him off.
It made her feel worse to think about what he might be doing to make up for the loss of income. Probably nothing good, like getting a job.
“Are you okay?”
“No.” She stared at their joined hands for a long moment before pulling free to use the computer keyboard. “I’ll print a copy to give to Rick.”
“I think you should ask Holmes to come out here.” A frown puckered Dawson’s brow. “I don’t want a repeat of the gunfire outside the Rocking Wrangler.”
Normally, she didn’t like going into town, preferring to stay on the ranch. But for some reason the thought of being stuck here, bothered her. Like she was the one in jail, despite having done nothing wrong.
She told herself to get over it.
“Are you going to talk to your dad?”
She grimaced. “Not yet. I don’t really know anything other than the missing cash. It’s not like I can prove Sean is involved in something illegal. It’s suspicious, yes, but there could be another explanation.”
“Like what?”
The question was a good one. She had no idea.
Dawson held her gaze, then shrugged. “Up to you.”
Yeah, it was her decision when to bring her father into this. And now wasn’t the time. Her dad still had two more rounds of radiation to go through, the last thing he needed was additional stress.
Besides, it would be better to wait until she was able to confront her brother, personally.
She pulled out her phone and made the call to Rick. He sounded very interested in the cash withdrawals and promised to be there as soon as possible.
“Josh and the rest of the ranch hands returned from the east pasture,” Dawson said. “I think we can safely cross Josh off the suspect list.”
“I know, it’s impossible for him to be in two places at once.” She pushed away from the desk. “I’d like to go for a ride, but we should wait until Rick shows up.” Rising to her feet, she took the bank paperwork from the printer, folded and stuffed it into her pocket. “Let’s take a walk.”
“Come, Kilo.” Dawson and Kilo joined her.
The warm June air didn’t ease the tightness in her stomach. Glancing up at the cloud spotted sky, she thought about how Dawson prayed before every meal.
She could use some of God’s strength, now.
Please, Lord, help guide Sean on the right path before he goes too far astray.
“Where would you like to go?” Dawson asked.
Away, she thought. Far, far away. But that wasn’t an option. She should be chipping in to help with the routine chores, but figured they should wait until they’d talked to the deputy. “I see Storm is in his paddock. Let’s visit with him.”
“Fine looking horse,” Dawson drawled as they walked along the fence line. “I know he’s sired some mares for us.”
“Yeah, and your stallion Rocco, has done the same, here.” She had to smile. “Our fathers really support each other, don’t they?”
Dawson nodded. “In the early years it was a necessity to depend on your neighbors. My grandfather and yours both started these ranches, handing them down to our fathers, and ultimately to us.”
She slanted him a look. “Except you don’t want the Copper Creek.”
He hesitated. “After being on the move for twenty years, it’s hard to imagine being tied to one place, like the ranch.”
There was no reason for her to feel a stab of disappointment. Dawson hadn’t kept his feelings a secret. And this was exactly what he’d meant by telling her he didn’t want to make a promise he couldn’t keep.
“I understand.” She didn’t really, but she hadn’t spent twenty years in the military, either. “I’m sure there’s a wonderful world out there, beyond Montana.”
“You’ve never traveled outside the state?” He sounded appalled.
“I’ve been to Colorado and Wyoming buying horses.” She shot him a wry glance. “But I’m thinking that doesn’t count in your opinion.”
“You’d be right,” he said with a laugh. Then his expression sobered. “Unfortunately, I’ve seen more unpleasant places than not during my numerous deployments. It’s just hard to imagine sticking in one spot for the rest of my life.”
“Well, you don’t have to, right? You can go wherever you’d like.” She tried to sound lighthearted as if she didn’t care.
But she did. Far more than she should.
“You should visit San Diego sometime,” Dawson said. “The weather is great all year round, and so is being near the ocean.”
She gazed up at the mountain ridge that belonged to her ranch. The ocean sounded incredible, but she couldn’t imagine leaving the ranch for an extended length of time. “I bet it’s amazing. Do you have a place there?”
“Not at the moment.” He didn’t expound on that, and she didn’t ask. There was no doubt in her mind that Dawson would end up traveling from place to place, stopping at home just long enough to check on his father.
She jumped up on the edge of the fence and whistled. Storm lifted his head, and trotted toward her.
“Josh rides him a fair amount, doesn’t he?” Dawson asked as she stroked the stallion.
“Yeah. We’re planning to keep Storm’s colt, Jasper as a future sire, too.” She grinned. “Last I heard your dad was excited to mate Jasper with one of your best mares.”
“I’m not surprised.” Dawson patted the horse’s flank, then jumped back when the stallion kicked out. “Feisty.”
“I know. He isn’t great with strangers, which is why Josh rides him so often. The only three people on the ranch he tolerates is me, Josh and my dad.”
“What about Sean?”
She frowned, and nodded. “Sean, too.”
In the distance, she could see a cloud of dust. No doubt, Rick Holmes heading their way.
She sighed and reluctantly slipped down off the fence. It wasn’t a good feeling to hand over information that may implicate her brother in illegal activities.
Yet she didn’t have a choice. Sean needed to be held accountable for whatever mess he’d gotten himself into.
If he was only guilty of the attacks against her, she’d refuse to press charges, as long as he promised not to do it again. But she didn’t think that was the case.
She had a very bad feeling he was involved in something far worse.
The look of dread on Sylvie’s features, pained him. Dawson wished there was more he could do. The urge to pull her into his arms, was so strong, he found himself leaning toward her.
Yet he forced himself away. Sylvie wasn’t leaving the ranch, and he wasn’t staying. At least, not for long. Visits, sure, but to be in the same place day after day for months, even years on end?
Unimaginable.
Yet when he glanced at Sylvie, he could secretly admit how much he’d miss her when the danger was over. Just seeing the ranch, the stallion, everything around them through her eyes gave him a better appreciation for the wilderness around them.
She was one of the strongest women he’d ever know. And one of the most stubborn.
He wanted to find her brother, using whatever means necessary to force him into telling the truth.
They stood for a moment watching the squad approach. Kilo spotted a squirrel and took off after it, only to stop abruptly when the animal disappeared up a tree. Looking dejected, Kilo turned and trotted back to his side.
“You should consider getting your dad a dog.” He glanced at Sylvie. “It would be good for your dad to have responsibilities.”
“You’re probably right. Maybe once this is over.” She walked toward Holmes, pulling the paperwork from her back pocket. “Thanks for coming out again, Rick.”
“Show me what you have,” Holmes said. “Sounds serious.”
“It is.” Dawson quickly joined them. “Have you found Sean or his rodeo buddies yet?”
“No, it appears as if they’ve left town.” Holmes took the paperwork from Sylvie. His brows levered up when he saw the withdrawals she’d marked for him. “Ten thousand total?”
“Yes, with change.” She sighed. “I feel stupid for not realizing how much he’d pulled out of the account sooner. I guess I was distracted by my dad’s illness and running the ranch.”
“We’ve been hearing about illegal gambling taking place in Dillon,” Holmes admitted. “There’s always been the usual sports pools, but rumor going around town is that there are big stakes poker games going on.”
“Have you noticed outsiders milling about?” Dawson asked. “Could be that Dillon was targeted by someone looking to make a killing.”
“Now that you mention it, yeah, there have been some new faces. Many of them have come and gone. Although one guy in particular claims to be looking for property to buy. Reba, the real estate agent has shown him everything that’s for sale, but he hasn’t been satisfied with what she’s offered.” Holmes shook his head. “Call me crazy, but it seems suspicious to me. We’ve tried to keep an eye on the guy, but he hasn’t broken any laws that we’re aware of. At least not yet.”
Not yet, was the operative phrase, Dawson thought.
“I sure hate to think Sean got himself tangled up with Ben Stuart,” Holmes added. “Can’t trust an outsider.”
He filed the name away for future reference, although he knew that Stuart being an outsider didn’t mean anything. Plenty of people wanted to invest in property, even in wilderness of Montana.
“Where exactly is this illegal gambling taking place?” Sylvie’s question interrupted his thoughts. “The Rocking Wrangler?”
“That’s one possibility, but I’ve heard the Timber Inn, and the Beaverhead Grill also mentioned.” Holmes shrugged. “It’s been difficult to get anyone to talk, so far, all we’re getting are denials. From what we can tell all the games are held after hours.”
“Was Sean gone overnight?” Dawson looked at Sylvie. “Bar time is two in the morning, if the poker games are starting then, they’re probably not finished until dawn.”
“I honestly don’t know.” She blew out a heavy sigh. “Sean didn’t fill me in on his comings and goings. Sure, I often saw Sean in the morning, and some days he looked worse than others, as if he could have been up late drinking. But I was focused on running the ranch and taking dad in for treatments.”
“I’m sure Josh would have mentioned if Sean wasn’t doing his fair share.”
She let out a harsh laugh. “Yeah, Josh was none too happy about Sean. And that’s the main reason I told Sean he had a choice, either work the ranch to earn his pay, or be cut off.” She shrugged. “You know how that went.”
“You cut him off.” He turned toward Holmes. “Has there been an increase of other crime in town? Thefts? Drugs?”
“Some thefts, but that’s not unusual. Haven’t heard much about drugs being found, though.”
Dawson wasn’t a cop, but he still thought that was rather unusual. If people were desperate for money, there should be a corresponding rise in other crimes.
“Are you going to put out an arrest warrant for Sean?” Sylvie asked.
“We’ll put out a notice to be on the lookout for him, but without evidence of an actual crime, I can’t just arrest him. He must have had access to the money, so we can’t say he stole it.”
“He may not have stollen it, but add the ten grand with the multiple attacks on Sylvie and you have to admit it’s suspicious. That should be more than enough for probable cause.”
Holmes scowled. “What, are you a cop, now? Or a lawyer?”
“No, but you must realize the two issues are related. Talk to the DA,” he advised. “I’m sure he’ll support an arrest warrant.”
“I’ll talk to Sheriff Marty Denton, first.” Holmes tucked the bank information into his pocket. “Anything else happen that I should get on record?”
“We found a campsite two hundred and fifty yards off lizard trail,” Dawson said. “Spotted a guy in a red shirt from the chopper, then stumbled across the campsite. We haven’t found the trespasser, though.”
“If the guy was Sean, he wouldn’t be trespassing, would he?” Holmes asked.
“No, he wouldn’t. But it’s still strange that someone would be camping out there,” Sylvie said. “Someone living on the side of the mountain could have done all of these attacks against me.”
“What about the shooting in town?” Holmes asked.
“That might be an aberration,” Sylvie admitted.
“We’ve been operating under the assumption that the attacks were the work of one person,” Dawson admitted. “But it could be that two men are involved.”
Holmes squinted at him for a long moment. “You’re thinking that if Sean owes this Ben Stuart money, that he’s the one who sicced a couple of guys on Sylvie.”
“Exactly.” Dawson frowned, thinking that if there were more than one guy out there, he needed to get one of his SEAL teammates out there for backup.
Dallas was his first thought. He and Dallas had been swim buddies going through BUDS training, and he’d be familiar with ranch life. Dallas had mentioned family issues, but maybe that was resolved by now.
The main problem? Montana was a mighty long car ride from Texas. Other than Alaska, they were the two biggest states. A plane ride would work, but Dillon’s airport wouldn’t be easily accessed from other big cities. To make it easier for Dallas, he hoped to convince Sylvie to pick him up via chopper in Helena.
“Do you mind if I use your restroom?” Holmes asked, his expression sheepish. “Long drive back to Dillon.”
“Sure.” Sylvie hesitated, then added, “I haven’t mentioned Sean’s withdrawals to my father yet. You know he’s still getting cancer treatments, and I don’t want to worry him.”
“I’m just checking in to make sure things are going all right after the barn fire,” Holmes said with a wink. “Nothing more.”
“Thanks.” Sylvie led the way inside.
Dawson stayed outside with Kilo. He pulled out his phone and called Dallas.
“Dawg!” Dallas greeted him by his SEAL nickname. “Long time, man. How are you feeling? No more surgeries on the horizon I hope.”
“I’m fine.” He prayed each night that he wouldn’t need more surgeries.
“What’s happening?”
“I’ve got a bit of a situation here,” Dawson admitted. “I know you’ve been tied up with family issues too, but my neighbor, Sylvie McLane is in danger. And it’s looking more like there’s a couple of guys out to get her. I could use some backup, if you have time. If not, no worries. I’ll call one of the other guys.”
“You mean the old married men?” Dallas snickered. “Well, except for Nico. From what I hear, he’s still trying to find a line on Ava. I’m starting to worry that all he’s going to find is her dead body.”
“I know.” It was a horrible thought, but you didn’t fight terrorists for twenty years without expecting the worst. Nico and Jaydon were swim buddies, and Nico wouldn’t stop searching for Jadon’s sister Ava until he found her, dead or alive. “I’ve offered to help. He said he’ll call us in when he needs us.”
“Same here,” Dallas admitted. “Maybe the old married guys will even help, if they can pry themselves away from their women and kids. Mason and Aubrey are talking about adopting another one to give Lucas a younger brother or sister. And did you hear that Charlotte is pregnant? I’m sure Kendra is next. Not sure what they’re thinking having kids at our age. That’s a young man’s game.”
That image of his SEAL teammates chasing kids made him grin. Who would have thought that Mason, Kaleb and Hudson would all be married within seven months of landing stateside? If he hadn’t seen Hudd’s lovesick face for himself, he never would have believed it. Or the other guy’s besotted expressions for that matter. Between his multiple surgeries, he’d managed to make all three weddings.
Sylvie’s face flashed in his mind. It was all too easy to imagine her wearing a wedding dress and holding a bouquet of wildflowers straight from McLane Mountain.
Don’t go there, he warned. Putting down roots in Montana wasn’t part of his master plan.
“Dawg?” Dallas prompted. “When do you need me? I’ll bring Romeo, too. He’s turned out to be a fine tracker.”
Romeo was a chocolate lab, a few months older than Kilo. Dallas had gotten Romeo when they’d all gone to visit Lillian, the woman who made it her mission to provide all military vets dogs of their own. Mason had arranged for their entire team to get dogs, and he had to admit, Kilo had been a good companion after his surgeries.
“Are you sure you can come?” Dawson swallowed a flash of guilt. “I don’t want to cause issues with your family.”
“Things have calmed down here,” Dallas admitted. “I’m sure my leaving for a few days won’t hurt. Where are you again? Someplace in Montana?”
“Dillon is the closest town.” He noticed Sylvie and Holmes coming back out of the house. Kilo wagged his tail and ran over to greet Sylvie as if she’d been gone for days instead of minutes. “If you can fly into Helena, that’s the biggest city here. I’m sure I can borrow my neighbor’s chopper to come pick you and Romeo up.”
“Okay, give me some time to get a few things settled. I’ll try to be there by tomorrow mid to late afternoon.”
“That’s fine. Call me when you’ve made your travel arrangements.”
“Will do. Be safe Dawg. Don’t do anything crazy until I get there to cover your six,” Dallas said.
“Roger that.” He disconnected from the line and crossed over to join Sylvie and Holmes.
“Who was that?” Sylvie asked, her green eyes curious. Then she shrugged. “Sorry, I know it’s not any of my business.”
“No big secret. That was my buddy, Dallas. He and his chocolate lab Romeo are going to head out to help. I hope it’s okay that I promised to pick him up via the chopper when he arrives in Helena.”
“That’s fine, we have plenty of room.”
He mentally kicked himself for not asking that it was okay to have Dallas and Romeo stay at the ranch house, too. “We’ll probably take turns using the guest room, so that one of us is always awake and on guard.”
She gave him a strange look, but simply nodded. “Whatever you think is best, although things have been quiet for a while.”
“Don’t say the Q word,” he warned. Every time someone did that while on a mission, things went sideways real fast.
“Superstitious?” She teased.
“No. God is watching over us. Just saying, the minute you think things have settled down, something new hits.”
“He’s not wrong,” Rick said wryly. His radio crackled and he lifted the handpiece from his shoulder. “This is Holmes, what’s up?”
“Boss, we got a report of a dead body,” the dispatcher’s voice was loud enough for them to all hear. “Young male pulled out of Beaverhead River.”
“Where exactly?” Holmes asked, his expression grim as he darted a glance at Sylvie. Dawson knew he was imagining the dead body was that of Sean McLane.
“The report came in from the RV park. Figure you’d want to head over.”
“I’ll be there as soon as possible.” Holmes clipped the radio back to his collar and turned toward the squad.
“Wait! We’re coming with you!” Sylvie shouted.
“This is a police matter,” Holmes shot back. “I’ll let you know if it’s anything related to your case.”
Seconds later, Holmes was peeling down the long winding driveway, red lights and sirens all the way.
“Come on, I’ll drive.” Dawson knew there was no point in trying to hold Sylvie back. “My SUV, so we can take Kilo.”
“Thank you.” She hurried toward the vehicle.
He didn’t have red lights or sirens, but he kept his foot to the floor, following in the deputy’s wake. Considering the situation, he figured there wouldn’t be any deputies on patrol to pull him over.
“You think it’s Sean.” Sylvie’s soft voice broke the silence.
He was very much afraid it was, but he wasn’t going to say that. “Try not to lose hope, Sylvie. It’s summertime, for all we know, some tourist got drunk, fell in the river and drowned.”
“Maybe.” He could tell she wanted to believe that.
“We’re only thinking the worst because of what we learned about illegal gambling going on,” he added. “Typically, people who are in debt to loan sharks aren’t killed. Dead men don’t pay.”
“Great. That’s reassuring.” Her tone indicated otherwise.
He decided it was best to keep his mouth shut. He pushed the speed limit all the way to Dillion while keeping an eye on Kilo in the crate area. The dog didn’t seem to mind the high speed.
The Beaverhead campground and RV park was on the west side of town. Dawson headed that way, pulling to a stop where a series of squads were parked. In a flash, Sylvie was out of the car and pushing through the crowd of gawkers.
Muttering under his breath, he took a moment to let Kilo out. He had to use the leash because of all the people. He elbowed his way into the group.
“Sylvie, stay back,” Holmes barked. “It’s not Sean, okay? It’s not Sean!”
“Who is it?” Sylvie demanded.
There was a momentary silence before someone else, not Holmes called out, “Matt Keagan.”
“Everyone back off. This is a crime scene,” Holmes shouted irritably.
The group of onlookers moved back several steps. Dawson did too, searching the crowd for Sylvie.
Knowing the dead man was Matt Keagan didn’t help much. Last anyone saw Sean, he was with his two buddies Matt and Ned.
Now that Matt was dead, he had to assume either Ned or Sean was culpable.
Or in danger of ending up the same way.