Winds of Wyoming (A Kate Neilson Novel) (23 page)

Kate saw Manuel’s focus flick toward the doorway. She turned to see a patient with an IV pole lurch past the doorway. Looking back at Manuel, she said, “How about pulling your earlobe when you see someone coming, so I can change the subject.”

He nodded. “What did you think about her answer? Sounds weird to me.”

“Nancy also told me that when God comes into our lives, he makes us into new people. That sounded good to me. I didn’t like myself.”

He stared at the ceiling. “I know that feeling. My friends—actually, they’d never been my friends before—they picked me up when I was walking on the side of the road, acted real chummy, and got me drunk on purpose. They dared me to do what I did, but not one of them stood up for me in court. They were too busy covering their own backsides.”

Kate saw him track another person walking by the door.

Someone paged a doctor on the intercom.

He focused on her again. “I guess I’m angry about all that, but I’m mostly mad at myself for killing the antelope.” He stared at the floor for a moment then looked up. “Did you ask your friend how God does that—makes people new?”

If she’d been able to reach Manuel, Kate would have hugged him. He looked so miserable. She nodded. “Like you, I was anxious for her answer, but exercise time was over. I had to wait until the next day to see her again. The moment I did, I grabbed her arm and said, ‘Tell me.’

“She whispered, ‘Directive number seven.’

“I let go. We weren’t supposed to touch each other.

“She motioned toward a table on the far side of the yard. ‘I brought my Bible, so I can show you God’s message for you today.’

“That made me feel special. I think I even walked a little taller as we headed for the table. The lone woman sitting there got up and hurried away when she saw Nancy open up her Bible, which was fine with me.

“We only had a half hour out in the yard, but she spent the whole time showing me from her Bible how Jesus wanted to come inside my life and make me clean. Just before—”

Manuel slapped his hand against his earlobe and yanked it so hard Kate thought it might rip off.

Clint burst into the room, roses raised high. “Great vase stalker Igor returns with kill from underground cavern. Now Igor hunt water—white water, not fire water.”

Kate laughed and pointed toward the bathroom. “Igor find flowing river in cave.”

Manuel watched Clint stride into the small room. “He’s a crazy guy.”

“He’s a good friend, right? A friend you can trust?”

Manuel nodded and scooted his chair closer to Kate. He lowered his voice, even though Clint was running water in the bathroom. “Maybe next time you can tell me the rest of the story.”

“I’d love to. I’m just getting to the good part.”

Chapter Eighteen

KATE PICKED UP THE
telephone handset. “Hello.”

“Hi, Kate. This is Laura. How are you feeling today?”

Kate grinned at the sound of Mrs. D’s cheerful voice. “Good, thank you. I sat in a wheelchair for breakfast and didn’t even get dizzy.”

“Wonderful. You sound better, thank God.”

“You didn’t know how much I would need your prayers when you promised to pray for me, did you?”

“I pray for you every day. Monday night we were all on our knees, including the Curtis twins.”

“They’re sweethearts.”

“Yes, they are. And like you, they’re part of our Whispering Pines family. Oops, I hear the front-desk bell. Hang on. Mike wants to talk with you. See you soon.”

Kate was touched by Laura’s inclusion of her in the WP family, but she knew it wouldn’t last. As much as she’d like to be part of the Duncan family, she didn’t belong with such good people.

She heard muffled noises before Mike came on the line. “Hey, Kate.”

“Hi, Mike. How’s life where the buffalo roam?”

“They’d better not be roaming.”

She giggled. “Figure of speech.”

“To be honest, it’s lonely without you.”

Surprised by his comment, she wasn’t sure what to say. Tears welled in her eyes. She sniffed. “I miss you, too.” She sniffed again and wiped at her nose.

“Don’t be sad.”

“I’m not sad, just weepy since the accident. I miss everyone at the ranch. I’ve had visitors, but it’s not the same as being there.”

“Mom and I are planning to drop by this afternoon.”

Kate smiled. She couldn’t wait to see him again. “I’d love to see you both, if you can get away. How’s your dog doing?”

He made a sound halfway between a sigh and a moan. “Tramp had a setback. Scared us bad. I took him to the clinic in Encampment. He’ll have to stay there until he recovers or …”

“You mean, he might …?”

She heard him blow a puff of air. “Uh, yeah ...”

“I’m so sorry. I’ll pray for him. He’s a huge part of your life.”

“Dymple says God puts us on our backs so we’ll look up to him. With all that’s gone on lately, it must be time for me to do some serious up-looking.”

“I guess that goes for me, too.”

He chuckled. “I forgot. You’re literally on your back. How’re you doing today?”

“Great. I sat in a wheelchair for breakfast.”

“I’m glad to hear it. You’ll be walking by the time we get there this afternoon.”

“I wish.”

“I hate to go, Kate, but I’d better get busy. Take care of yourself, okay?”

“I’ll try. See you later. Bye.” Kate laid the phone on the night stand and plumped her pillow. She didn’t know if it was the crazy night on the mountain or the meds, but she was sleepy. After a nap, she’d comb her hair, so she’d look nice for Mike—and Laura.

***

Mike hung up the telephone and headed for the barn. It felt wrong to walk the ranch grounds without Tramp at his heels. He passed Trudy’s little corner of the world shaded by a big cottonwood. The calf slept soundly on a pile of straw. By the time Tramp could play with Trudy again, if that day ever came, the calf would be too big and strong for him.

He stepped inside the cool dark barn. Where did he leave off? Every time he started a project, something—usually something bad—distracted him. ATV tracks, a cut fence, a dented truck, a dead buffalo. Plus the guy who broke into Kate’s cabin. Now Kate and Tramp were hospitalized. What else could go wrong? Other than Tara Hughes. She was over the top—.

A scream broke into his reverie. “Help! Somebody help!”

He raced out of the barn toward the sound of sobs and found Bethany huddled in the corner of the corral. He leaped over the railing. “What’s the matter?”

Tears poured down her cheeks. She pointed to the calf with the bottle she held in her hand. “Look …” She gagged.

He leaned closer and saw a deep gash across Trudy’s throat. Bile rose in his own throat. He put his arm around the teenager. “When I walked by a moment ago, I thought she was asleep.”

She choked on a sob. “Mrs. D asked me to feed her, but …” She buried her face in his shoulder.

Others who’d heard the scream gathered round the corral.

“Who would do such a horrible thing?” Bethany wailed and clutched at his shirt.

One of the guests, a man, stepped to the railing. “Some sicko, that’s who.”

Mike wondered if it was the same
sicko
who killed the mother cow.

“Probably that Mexican kid,” said another man. “I heard he spent time in the pen for animal cruelty. Has it in for our furry friends.”

“You’d better believe it.” This time, it was Darryl’s voice, tinged with bitterness as usual. Mike bit back his anger and helped Bethany to her feet. He turned to the crowd, staring straight at Darryl. “That’s the kind of talk that leads to lynchings. The sheriff will investigate and decide who the culprit is.”

Darryl rolled his eyes and strode away.

Mike spotted Tanner at the back of the crowd and motioned to him. “Get a tarp from the storeroom to cover the carcass. I’ll call the sheriff.” He looked at Bethany. “You okay?”

She nodded.

He led her out of the enclosure, closing the gate behind them.

Trisha ran up to them. “I just heard what happened.” She pulled Bethany into a hug.

Mike trudged toward the house, dreading the moment he had to tell his mom about the calf. Just beyond the corral, he stopped. How was he going to tell Kate her calf was dead?

Tanner jogged to his side. “Hey, Bossman, I don’t know if it’s related, but I saw Manuel doing something strange a few days ago.”

Mike winced. He hated to be called
bossman
, the name the employees had used for his dad for as long as he could remember. He didn’t begin to feel worthy to walk in his father’s boots. “What do you mean, ‘something strange’?” His response came out sharper than he planned. He liked Manuel. Plus, he didn’t want to think his mom made a judgment error in hiring him the moment he checked out of reform school.

Tanner back-stepped, hands up. “Sorry I mentioned it.”

“Wait. Let’s talk in the gazebo.”

They walked the path through the newly planted garden. Inside the gazebo, Mike faced the ranch hand. “Shoot.”

Tanner adjusted his hat. “I was working on the plumbing in the cabin next to the Blue Jay the afternoon it rained so hard and happened to look out the window. Manuel and Kate were standing in the rain beside her cabin, talking.”

Mike frowned. Kate and Manuel up to no good? Not hardly.

“Manuel was holding a shovel, like this.” Tanner demonstrated how he’d held the shovel parallel with the ground. “Looked like something heavy was on it. But I couldn’t tell what it was. Rain was coming down hard right then.

“He showed Kate whatever was on the shovel. Then they walked to the back of the cabin sort of sneaky-like, looking every direction. Manuel dumped the load onto the ground. Maybe into a hole. Then he covered it with dirt. About as soon as he finished, they took off in opposite directions.” Tanner shrugged his shoulders. “That’s about it. Nothing much, really.”

Mike grabbed one of the shovels leaning against the gazebo bench. “Let’s check it out.”

As they made their way through the garden, he glanced toward the corral. An even larger crowd had formed. He made a mental note to call the sheriff as soon as he uncovered whatever Manuel buried.

What was it about the Blue Jay? Was the cabin jinxed, or was it Kate? He shook his head, mentally kicking himself for doubting her. He didn’t know Kate well, but his heart told him she wasn’t the problem.

They found a soft dirt pile under a lilac bush. Mike scraped off the top layer. Tanner offered to dig, but Mike refused. He scratched and poked until he felt something soft give under the shovel. Then he tapped around until he came to the hardened edges of the hole. His boot on the blade, he forced the metal lip into the soil and levered a muddy mass from the hole.

Tanner stooped to examine it. He rubbed at the dirty surface with a stick. “What d’ya know? It’s a snake—bullsnake, I’d say.”

Mike knelt beside him. “I wonder where they found the snake.” He thought for a moment. “Maybe Kate saw it and Manuel killed it for her.”

Tanner nodded. “Maybe. At least they buried it. Whoever threw that dead ferret in the dumpster didn’t do us any favors. Stunk it up ten times worse than usual.”

“You saw a ferret in the dumpster?”

“Yeah, a black-footed ferret.”

“Are you sure? I thought they were nearly extinct.”

“I saw a special about endangered species on Public Television a few months back. This ferret looked the same as those on TV—like a long, skinny weasel with black feet and a black mask. The narrator said they normally live on the prairie but some have been found at higher elevations.”

Mike stared at the snake, thinking about the ferret. “So, how did it get in our dumpster? Is it still there?”

“Who knows how it got there, but it’s gone. The sanitation guys came by yesterday. The smell is probably still there, if you want to take a whiff. But be warned …” He grimaced. “It’s mighty powerful.”

Mike lowered the shovel back into the hole and wiggled the blade out from under the snake carcass. “Do me a favor, Tanner, and keep this to yourself.” He spread dirt over the top. “We don’t want to scare off the guests. The dead calf is bad enough.”

Tanner nodded. “Gotcha. I’ll take the shovel back to the gazebo.”

Mike tamped the soil before handing him the shovel. “What made you look in the dumpster?”

“One of the girls dropped a bag of trash in when I walked by and started gagging. She wouldn’t look, but I got curious, held my nose and lifted the lid. The ferret was right on top of some garbage bags. Looked smashed, maybe road kill.”

Oh, great. Somebody had run over an animal on the endangered species list and left it on their property. That would make for front page news, maybe a big fine or prison time.

Tanner turned to go. “Let me know when the sheriff is done with the calf, so I can bury it. She’ll get to smelling ripe in no time, same as that weasel.”

Mike watched Tanner walk away. He needed to call the sheriff about the calf and radio Clint to ask him to check the bison herd—and the cattle and the horses, in case the killer had visited the other pastures. What was it with dead animals lately? Was God punishing him for Matt’s death? But he’d told God a thousand times he was sorry. What more did he want?

***

Bernard Caldwell, the deputy who answered Mike’s call about the downed bison cow, aimed a camera at the calf’s body. “You’ve had a run of bad luck with your buffalo lately.”
Click.

“I don’t know that luck has anything to do with it, Bernie. Looks intentional to me. A bullet to the heart and a knife to the throat are no accidents.”

“Name’s Bernard,
Deputy Bernard Caldwell
. Do you think someone has it out for you?”
Click.

“I don’t know of any enemies, but something strange is going on around here.”

The deputy stepped closer to the dead calf and got down on one knee. “How’s business since your dad died?”
Click.

Mike stared at the deputy. He’d played sports with Bernie in high school, back before he became
Deputy Bernard Caldwell.
But they’d never been close friends. Now he remembered why. Bernie had always carried a chip on his shoulder and had made it known around school how much he resented the fact that Mike got to play in the state basketball tournament their junior and senior years, but he didn’t.