B.J. Daniels - Justice at Cardwell Ranch

“So either it was a lucky shot or the killer had been set up and waiting,” Liza said, joining them. “The killer either picked the meeting spot or was told where the victim would be.”

Rupert shifted his gaze to her and frowned. Being from the old school, the coroner made no secret of the fact that he didn’t hold much appreciation for women law enforcement. If he’d had his way, he would have put them all behind a desk.

Hud liked that Liza didn’t seem to let him bother her. His deputy marshal’s good looks could be deceiving. Small in stature, too cute for her own good and easygoing, Liza often gave criminals the idea that she was a pushover. They, however, quickly learned differently. He wondered if Jordan Cardwell thought the same thing about the deputy marshal. If so, he was in for a surprise.

“Which could mean either that the victim was expecting to meet not only Jordan Cardwell up here, but also someone he trusted,” she continued. “Or—”

“Or Jordan told the killer about the meeting,” Hud interjected.

Liza nodded and glanced over to the stump where Jordan was waiting. “That is always another possibility.”

“One I suggest you don’t forget,” Hud said under his breath. “If it’s all right with you, I’ll take our suspect down to the office.”

She nodded. “I want to wait for the crime scene techs to arrive.”

Hud hadn’t seen Jordan for six years. As he walked toward him, he was thinking he could have easily gone another six and not been in the least bit sorry.

“You just happen to come back to the canyon and a man dies,” he said.

“Good to see you again, too, brother-in-law. I guess my invitation to the wedding must have gotten lost in the mail, huh?”

“What are you doing here, Jordan?”

“I already told your deputy marshal.”

“Well, you’re going to have to tell me, too. Let’s get out of the woods and go to my office. You have a rifle you need to pick up before we go?”

Jordan gave him a grim, disappointed look. “No, I’m good.”

THE DOOR OPENED A CRACK. “Oh, good, you’re awake,” Stacy said as she peered in at Dana. “I brought you some still-warm chocolate chips cookies and some milk.”

“That was very thoughtful of you,” Dana said, sitting up in the bed and putting her crossword puzzle aside. Earlier, before her doctor’s appointment, Hud had made her a bed in the sunroom so she wouldn’t have to go up the stairs—and would be where she could see most of what was going on. She patted the bed, and her sister sat down on the edge and placed the tray next to them.

“I’m just glad you let me stay and help out. It was fun baking with Hank and Mary. They are so cute. Hank looks just like a small version of Hud and Mary is the spitting image of you. Do you know …” She motioned to Dana’s big belly.

“No,” she said, taking a bite of cookie. “We want to be surprised. Did you find out ahead of time?”

Stacy had cautiously placed a hand on Dana’s abdomen and now waited with expectation. The babies had been restless all day, kicking up a storm. She watched her sister’s face light up as one of the twins gave her hand a swift kick.

Stacy laughed and pulled her hand back. “Isn’t that the coolest thing ever?”

Dana nodded, studying her older sister. Stacy had changed little in appearance. She was still the pretty one. Her dark hair was chin-length, making her brown eyes the focus of her face. She’d always had that innocent look. That was probably, Dana realized with a start, why she’d been able to get away with as much as she had.

“So did you know ahead of time you were having a girl?” she asked again.

Stacy shook her head and helped herself to a cookie. “It was a surprise.”

“Speaking of surprises …” She watched her sister’s face. “Jordan is in town.”

“Jordan?” Had Stacy known? “What is he doing here?”

“I thought you might know.”

Stacy shook her head and looked worried. “I haven’t heard from him since we were all here six years ago.” She made a face. “I still feel bad about trying to force you to sell the ranch.”

Dana waved that away. “It’s history. The ranch is still in the family and it makes enough money that you and our brothers get to share in the profits. You know I think my lawyer did mention that he’d received notice that Jordan was divorced.”

“I wonder how much of his ranch profits he has to give to Jill? That woman was such a gold digger.” Stacy laughed as she realized the irony. “I should know, huh? Back then I figured if I was going to get married, I might as well get paid for it.” She shook her head as if amazed by the woman she’d been. “Have you heard from Clay?”

“No.” She helped herself to another cookie and sipped some of the milk. “He hasn’t been cashing his checks lately. My attorney is checking into it.”

“That’s odd,” Stacy agreed. “Well, I need to clean up the kitchen.”

“Thanks so much for giving the kids their baths and getting them to bed.” Mary and Hank had come in earlier to say good-night and have Dana read a book to them before bed. They’d been wearing their footie pajamas, their sweet faces scrubbed clean and shiny. They’d been excited about helping their aunt Stacy cook.

“Thank you so much for all your help,” Dana said, touched by everything Stacy had done.

“I’m just glad I was here so I could.” She smiled. “I didn’t know how fun kids could be.”

“Wait until Ella is that age. Mary loves to have tea parties and help her daddy cook.”

Stacy nodded thoughtfully. “Let me know if you need anything. Knowing you, I can guess how hard it is for you to stay down like this.”

Dana groaned in response. She couldn’t stand the thought of another day let alone weeks like this. “Thanks for the cookies and milk. The cookies were delicious.”

Stacy looked pleased as she left the room.

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