Page 69 of For Always
“Wait a minute,” Clyde said. He stood and set his glass on the coffee table. “Are you trying to say that you think Noah’s behind this. Noah Windmyr that scrawny little kid that stayed to himself while the rest of you were running wild around town.”
“Oh my, Lord,” Dessie said with a hand going to her chest. “Noah Windmyr.”
“I’m just saying that it makes sense. None of these things started happening until after Noah came back to town,” Tyler said.
“But that’s your only proof,” Alex spoke up. “You’re basing this theory on broken trust and loyal friendships. Have any of you even seen Noah Windmyr at the ranch? You have a pretty sophisticated security system here, how was it that Noah Windmyr—the scrawny loner—was able to come back to town and gain unlimited access to this place without anyone knowing? That doesn’t make any sense.”
Unfortunately, Alex was right.
“I don’t have all the answers.” Tyler admitted. “But I wanted to share what I’d found. I think its Noah.”
“He was here,” Jagger said. He’d sat forward in the recliner and rested his elbows on his knees, his glass cupped in both hands. “That night Dessie had the big dinner party. Noah was here, standing in this living room, talking to Brooke.”
“Sonofabitch!” Tyler exclaimed. “He was.”
Even with all the thoughts of Noah Windmyr today, he hadn’t recalled him being at that dinner party. Not until Jagger brought it up.
“He hadn’t wanted to shake my hand,” Tyler added. Not that he’d wanted to shake the guy’s hand either. But that had been because he was talking to Brooke, not because Tyler suspected him of killing his parents.
“So wait a minute,” Gabriella said. “This guy has been on the ranch. He knows this place because he grew up here. Is it possible he could have been hiding in the wooded area all along? There’s no security gate surrounding the trees, just along the roads and the entrance and exits.”
“She’s right,” Stephen said.
“So he could have been coming and going through the woods,” Tyler added. “We played back there when we were kids. There are paths we all know like the back of our hands.”
“Okay, I’m convinced,” Monica stated. “When do we call the sheriff?”
“In the morning,” Tyler stated. “The investigator was pulling Noah’s financial records and anything else he could find on him today. In the morning I’ll have a full report and whether or not it points to something concrete to nail Noah to all of this, I feel like we still have a good lead to give Sheriff Alvarez. Good enough to get him off our backs.”
“I don’t know about that,” Alex said. “As much as I hate to say this, you and Gabriella gave the police damn good reason to come after you as suspects. I mean, what were you thinking threatening this woman in a public place with all those witnesses?”
“I was thinking that I wasn’t going to let her talk down to me like I should have been serving dinner or mopping up the floors in her father’s restaurant instead of sitting there trying to have a nice dinner with Tyler,” Gabriella snapped.
“Gabs, this is not the first time you’ve had to deal with racism and I can promise you that, unfortunately, it won’t be the last. Especially since you’re in an interracial relationship,” Alex stated calmly. “I’m sure Mom and Dad went through the same thing.”
“It doesn’t make it right and I don’t have to stand for it. I don’t care who is giving people the impression that it’s okay to start popping off at the mouth about their racist beliefs, I’m not going to tolerate it,” she insisted.
“And neither am I,” Tyler said taking her hand. “Hannah was out of line. There isn’t one word about that conversation that I would change if I could. No matter how unfortunate it was that she ended up being killed on my land.”
“Remind me to never put you two on the witness stand,” Clyde commented.
“It won’t come to that,” Jagger said as he stood up. “We’re going to get Noah Windmyr. Tyler and Gabriella will be cleared of all suspicion and we can get on with business as usual. You and I still have to meet to talk about a buy-back.”
Tyler nodded, glad that his brother was coming home in his own way.
“With all that said,” Tyler told them. “Let’s get the house locked down tight for the night. Even with the sophisticated security system, I don’t want to take any chances.”
“That’s a good idea,” Stephen said. “Naomi and I will ride around and check on all the animals, make sure everything is in order before we head home.
“Thanks, Stephen,” Tyler told the ranch manager. “I’m happy to have you managing the ranch. And I’d like to discuss you taking on even more responsibility during the times I’ll have to fly out for business.”
Tyler and Stephen had stood and Tyler extended his hand to Stephen. With a wide grin, Stephen accepted Tyler’s hand and shook it enthusiastically.
“Thanks, man. I appreciate that. Westwind is my home,” he said.
“And we’re happy to have you as part of the family,” Tyler told him.
After walking Stephen and Naomi, and Clyde and Dessie out, Tyler closed and locked the front door. He checked the security pad near the door to make sure it was engaged and then heard from Alex and Jagger that they had checked every door and window on the lower level. They turned out the lights and the five of them headed upstairs for the night.
