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“Cody West.” Breely’s cheeks heated. She hated how personal this could get, with so many standing around potentially judging her.
“Breely,” Hank said softly, “do you want to clear the room except for you, me and Swede?”
She considered it. No one liked airing their sex lives in front of an audience. No matter how well-meaning that audience was.
“Look, if this helps us find who is targeting me and my family, I can stand a little humiliation.” She lifted her chin toward the list. “I was sixteen; he was nineteen and an accomplished horseman, a cowboy familiar with wrangling cattle and horses. He had a bright future as a cowboy.” She shrugged. “I thought I was in love with Cody West. We steamed the hayloft that summer. Then one day, he didn’t show up for work. He never came back.” She met Hank’s gaze on the monitor. “I think my father paid him to leave.”
Hank nodded. “He did. We’re looking at him.”
“It’s been over a decade. Why would he come back to haunt me now?” Breely shook her head. “He’s probably married with half a dozen children.”
“What better reason to need money?” Kyla said.
Cody hadn’t been a bad guy. She’d been young and impressionable. He’d been young and sowing his wild oats.
She moved down the list.
“Steven Ford was caught stealing money and credit cards from other employees. Daddy had the sheriff arrest him and escort him off the property. He was mad. He took a swing at the sheriff’s deputy. He blamed everything on my father. Hell, that’s been more than eight years. What’s the statute of limitations on being pissed for being ratted out to the sheriff?”
“Some people never let go of a grudge,” Kyla said.
“Marty Riggs and Taylor Brown were lazy. They didn’t last a month. They didn’t seem surprised when they were escorted off the property.”
“What about Jarod Jones?” Swede asked.
“Too interested in his cell phone and his girlfriend. If you don’t focus on the task at hand, you can get hurt or injure someone else. He also liked to say, That’s not my job. I didn’t hire on to muck stalls or clean out feed troughs. When we hire hands, we specifically say they must be willing to do anything. We never know what’s going to blow up in our faces, run us down, or break and need fixing.”
Hank chuckled. “Sounds like a typical day on the ranch.”
“You get it.” Breely smiled at the head of the Brotherhood Protectors. She’d heard he’d been raised on a ranch like her. “Dillon Sarley.” Her eyes narrowed. “I caught him stealing money from the petty cash in my father’s office in the house. Ranch hands weren’t allowed into the house without permission. Daddy wanted to call the sheriff, but Dillon begged him not to. He returned the money and promised not to steal from my family again.
“Daddy was in a hurry to get to the airport. He let Dillon off with a warning to never step on Brantt property again.”
“Has he?” Moe asked.
Breely shook her head, “Not that I’m aware of. It’s been three years.”
“Have you seen him around the town where you live?”
She shook her head. “I heard he had to move away. Since Daddy wouldn’t give him a recommendation, no one would hire him. He should’ve gone to jail. There was over two thousand dollars in that petty cash drawer. He thanked Daddy for not charging him for breaking and entering and robbery. As he left the house, he saw me standing in the doorway to the living room.”
“Did he say anything to you?” Hank asked.
Breely closed her eyes and thought back. “He muttered something about me being immature and snitching.” She looked up. “He stole almost two thousand dollars, and he was mad at me?” She shook her head. Sometimes, I don’t understand people.”
“I have difficulty understanding people as well. Was there anyone else on the ranch or in the nearest town who might have held a grudge against your family?” Hank asked.
Breely shook her head. “Not that I can remember.”
“Thank you,” Hank said. “I know it can be hard to talk about the past. If you think of anything else, don’t hesitate to shoot it our way.”
“Will do,” she said.
“We’ll work these names and get back to you,” Swede said.
“I’ll work them from here, as well,” Kyla said.
“Moe?” Hank said.
