Page 30 of Dangerous Secrets
“True, and more his style.Sawyer will talk to him if he’s thinking in that direction.”Hepaused, seeming to debate whether to say more.He plowed a handthrough his hair, only to have it falling back across his forehead.“There are other people who won’t be happy I’m back.”
“Who do youmean?”
“Whoever set me up forraping Melanie.”He hitched a shoulder.“They might be getting I’mcoming for them.”
The grim determination in his tonemade a chill snake down her spine, fearing for hissafety.
“James and Clara got yourconviction dismissed.You were unequivocally cleared, and you’vebeen out of prison nearly six years.Why do something about itnow?”She kept her tone neutral.Not by any means did she want himto know how him taking off for anywhere but here after getting outof prison had affected her.She wouldn’t have him feeling sorry forher, and he would if he suspected she’d thought of him any morethan he’d thought of her.
“I wasn’t ready before.Iam now.”
Her fingers tapped faster.Gettinginformation from him meant accepting a tiny nugget at a time.Hismotioned to the tools in the back of the side-by-side.“What areyou working on?I’ll help you.”
An obvious ploy to change the subject,but it reminded her of the difficult task ahead.“No, it’s awfuland mine to deal with.”
“Tell me.”
Her shoulders tensed at the disturbingmemory and she found herself grateful she could share it with him.“Callie found a dead calf this morning.Poor thing was torn topieces.I’m guessing it was coyotes.”
“Where?”
“East orchard, by thebridge across the creek.”
“You sure it was coyote?Were there tracks?”
“What else would it be?No, I didn’t see tracks and if I did, I wouldn’t know if they wereCallie’s or a coyote.I guess it could have been a bear.There arebears in the hills, but they don’t usually kill livestock.I thinkI would’ve noticed bear tracks.Shane’s ranch borders the eastorchard so that’s probably where the calf came from.I need to callhim.”
“Show me.”
He scooped Bud from inside the truckand put him in the cabin, then slid into the passenger seat of theside-by-side as she got behind the wheel.Discovering the calf hadbeen disturbing, and while dealing with whatever came up on thefarm was her job, she had to acknowledge Walker’s presence steadiedher.
Minutes later she pulled to a stop onthe road near the bridge.Flies had multiplied and rose in a blackcloud when they approached, only to descend again onto the remainsof the calf strewn in the dirt.The stench of death had risen withthe warmth of the day.Walker shooed away the flies as he bent toexamine the carcass.He reached into his pocket for his phone andtook several pictures.Delaney’d had enough looking at the poorcreature and went to grab the shovel.In a shady spot under a tree,she started digging.The smell of the sage brush and the call ofcrows flying through the deep blue sky should’ve helped calm her,but she couldn’t shake the feeling of uneasiness.
Dry underbrush crunched under hisboots as Walker approached.“Hold off on the digging.We can’t buryit until Sawyer’s had a look.I called.He was already coming togive me a hand at the cabin so he’ll be here shortly.”
“Why does Sawyer need tohave a look?”She stuck the shovel in the ground, the grimexpression on Walker’s face heightening her anxiety.
“The calf wasn’t killed bycoyotes.They got to it, chewed off pieces and scattered themaround, but they didn’t kill it.I didn’t find an ear tag, sowhoever did this likely removed it to slow downidentification.”
“You’re not thinkingbear.”
“No, not bear.Human.”
She glanced at the mutilated remainsstrewn in the dirt and figured Walker was only confirming what shehadn’t wanted to think about.“What makes you thinkhuman?”
“Throat was slit with aclean cut, and it was gutted with a knife.Blood soaked into theground shows it was killed here and bled out.The coyotes got to itafter it was already dead.”Tone grim, he continued.“A lot ofwhat’s spread around are what’s left of the entrails after thecoyotes finished with it.Hindquarters are missing, but that likelywas coyote dragging it off to bury and eat later.”
“Oh god.”Bile rose fromher stomach and she swallowed convulsively.“I need to find outfrom Shane if it’s his calf.”She shook her head.“I don’tunderstand this.Why would someone kill a calf, and why leave it inmy orchard?”
She caught a quick flash of somethingon Walker’s face before he schooled his features.
She pointed a finger.“You know, or atleast you think you know.”
He took her hand, holding it firmly inhis.“The bastards who wanted to fuck me over last night might’vemoved on to Plan B when they failed.”He tugged her closer.“Becareful, Laney.You could be in danger.”
“Me?What about you?You’re the one with a bullet hole in hishead.”
“Graze.There’s adifference.Listen up, if it was those fuckers who did this, thenthey could come after you to get at me.This calf is on yourproperty.That’s not an accident.It could’ve been left where you’dfind it as a warning.”
