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“Oh, God. Please don’t tell me something else has happened…” Janessa and Becca both looked at each other and frowned.
I realized this was impacting all of us in different ways. I was just thankful that everyone here—along with Cade, Boone, and Justin, of course—had managed to stay out of harm’s way. I prayed that our luck would hold out.
“We stopped by Nora Statler’s place on the way here,” Cole said. “Her… friend… from the USGS passed away this morning at the hospital.”
“That’s awful,” Janessa said. “That poor man. Even if he was mixed up with Nora somehow, he didn’t deserve that.”
“And we still aren’t any closer to figuring out how it all connects,” Prescott said. “I was hoping Nora’s reaction to the news would give us some insight, but… not so much.”
“Do you still think she had something to do with it?” Becca asked. “With the… the guy’s death?”
“I don’t,” I answered before either of my guys had a chance to speak. I knew they were probably still skeptical, but I wasn’t. Not really, anyway. Not after seeing her this morning. “I was right there next to her, and I thought she was going to pass out. Her heart was beating like crazy. Like a hummingbird. And I honestly don’t think she’s a good enough actress to pull off that reaction.”
“No,” Janessa smirked. “Shemighthave some talents that I don’t know about—or care to know about—but acting is not one of them.”
“Exactly,” I said. “She seemed just as genuine as when she was talking about her horse the last time we were there. It doesn’t seem like she cares about much, but shedoesobviously care about some things.”
“Isaac, her horse, her dead husband, Zachary…” Janessa counted them off on her fingers. “Yeah, that’s probably about it. But I’m with Daisy Lynn on this one. I think she cared about the guy.”
I could see Cole flinch at the mention of Zachary’s name. Everyone else seemed to notice, too, since everyone slowly turned to face him with puzzled expressions.
“Sorry,” Cole said. “I know I shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, but I couldn’t stand that guy. My grandpa always swore he was no good—something to do with my Uncle Merle, I guess.” He exhaled slowly, then gave a smile that was too weak to be anything but forced. “Anyway, I don’t guess that has anything to do with all of this. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“We weren’t getting anywhere anyway,” Prescott said, giving Cole a sympathetic look. “We’ll figure it out, though. Every new clue, every new piece of evidence is a step in the right direction. The person behind this has been careless too many times—and now they’ve killed someone. They’re gonna get desperate, and that’s when they’ll get caught.”
“I hope so,” Cole said quietly.
“I hope so, too,” Janessa added. “I know I’ll sleep easier once that maniac is behind bars.”
I nodded. I had complete confidence in my guys. If anyone could catch this person, they could. But yeah… that day couldn’t come fast enough.
* * *
I couldn’t help but feel out of place as I stood and watched Logan, the veterinarian, check on the horses with Janessa by his side. Her uncle had gone out to the pasture to check on the cattle. Prescott and Cole had to leave for a while so they could go help respond to an accident on the state highway, but they were going to come back to pick me up after they were finished there.
So that just left the four of us—Logan, Janessa, Becca, and me. And judging from the looks Becca kept tossing my way, she felt as out of place as I did.
Dealing with animals up close like this was something we just weren’t used to. But maybe this was good practice. I mean, I’d need to get used to it if I was going to make a home on Cole’s ranch someday, right?
It also didn’t help that the vet gave me the creeps. Not that he’d said or done anything to me, of course. If I didn’t knock him out myself, my guys definitely would have.
But Janessa had mentioned a couple of times that he’d sort of tried to flirt with her, and I felt second-hand embarrassment for her just thinking about it.
Not only was the guysonot her type, but anyone with eyes could see that she was only interested in Cade and Boone. But maybe this vet wasn’t good at picking up signals like that. He definitely seemed more at ease with animals than with other people.
“So you see, they really are doing better,” Logan said, smiling as he reached out and rubbed Janessa’s back for a few seconds before letting his hand drop again. “But it’s good to give them regular check-ups like this. Can’t be too careful with all the craziness going on lately.”
I watched as she took a step back, only for him to take another step in her direction. And thenanotherstep. Now he was definitely in her space.
Becca and I exchanged looks. We needed to do something. We both stepped forward at the same time, and I cleared my throat, startling him into taking a half-step back in the right direction. At least that was a small victory. But he was still too close, in my opinion.
“What time did you say Cole and Boone were coming back?” I asked, probably a little louder than necessary.
Her face lit up—maybe because I’d just mentioned her guys, or maybe because she could see exactly what I was trying to do. Maybe both.
“Soon, I hope,” she said, even though I already knew it would be sometime tomorrow at the earliest. Logan didn’t need to find out about that part, though. “Did I tell you, Logan? Cade, Boone, and I are together now.”
Logan looked like he’d been about to say something but closed his mouth and frowned instead. “That’s… great news,” he said, obviously lying.
