Page 56 of Killer on the Homestead
“Is that a leap?”
“Maybe. But it’s one I want to look into. The fact of the matter is someone was already murdered. Whoever was behind that isn’t above hurting people, so it isn’t a leap to wonder if they forced Owen to take those pills. To frame him for all of this.”
Duncan wasn’t sure. This all felt like a stretch, but it was reality. A dead ranch hand. Stolen pills. Missing cattle. “Too bad we don’t have a security camera on the bunkhouse.”
Rosalie clapped her hands. “But we can. We absolutely can, and no one has to know.”
Rosalie drove withmore determination than caution, and though Duncan didn’t outwardly react, she didn’t miss the way his good hand gripped the door like it would save him.
She supposed it made her a bad person, but it amused her. So she didn’t slow down. She drove fast and only alittlerecklessly to Fool’s Gold headquarters.
Because these little things that didn’t add up were all steps. Maybe she couldn’t see the top of the staircase yet, but she was building it.
She parked in her spot behind Fool’s Gold HQ. She noted there were a couple of vehicles in the lot. Quinn’s truck, and a car she didn’t recognize. Brand-new, it seemed.
“We’ve got a lot of surveillance equipment. I’ll grab what I want, and then we’ll head out to the ranch. Do you think everyone will be out of the bunks tomorrow morning?”
“What about tonight?”
“I can put the outside surveillance up tonight without raising any eyebrows, but I don’t think I can get anything inside as long as people are there. We’ll just have to chance giving it some time. This only works if no one knows we’re on to them.”
Rosalie unlocked the back door, gestured Duncan inside, then led him down the little hall toward the equipment room. She heard voices, so she popped her head into the main office area where Quinn was standing with Anna Hudson-Steele, who wasn’t working, considering she had her toddler on her hip.
They both looked over at her, or probably at Duncan hovering behind her.
“Just came in to pick up some surveillance equipment. Anna. That your new car out there?”
“Yeah. Had to upgrade.” She patted her stomach. “And be relegated to desk duty again for a while.”
“Aw. Congratulations. You and Hawk make cute babies.”
“That we do. That your new partner back there?” Anna asked, eyeing Duncan.
Rosalie didn’t scowl, though she wanted to. “Anna, this is Duncan. Duncan, Anna’s one of our part-time investigators. You probably know some of her older siblings. She’s a Hudson.”
“Guilty as charged,” Anna said with a grin, bouncing the toddler on her hip. “I heard you’re having problems out at your folks’ ranch. You have our sympathy there, but Rosalie’ll get to the bottom of it. Stubborn is her middle name.”
“Pot. Kettle.”
“I have mellowed in my old age and motherhood era,” Anna replied loftily.
“My butt,” Quinn muttered, making Anna laugh.
“Well, congrats again. But we’ve got to get to work.” Since Duncan was right behind her, and there wasn’t room to move in this tight part of the hallway, she pointed down the hall. “Door at the end.”
Before she could follow him, Anna called out.
“Hey, Rosalie?”
Rosalie popped her head back in. Anna pointed out where Duncan had gone down the hall, then pretended to fan herself, and Rosalie rolled her eyes and walked away, amused in spite of herself.
She went down to the storage room, unlocked it and led Duncan inside. Duncan was quiet and frowning, clearly working something over in his head while Rosalie gathered what she thought she’d need.
“What’s on your mind, Ace?” she asked once she was sure she had everything.
“The Hudsons. Their parents went missing all those years ago. For years, no one knew what happened.”
She studied him for a minute. Worry. But it wasn’t for himself, or even the truth. He was worried about his parents dealing with unknowns for years, and she couldn’t give him a hard time for that, or let it stand. “Yeah. But there were no bodies. They disappeared. It’s different, Duncan. We’re going to get to the bottom of this.”
