“Chase must know something specific,” Laredo concluded. “Something that he either didn’t want to discuss over the phone with Brewster or something that he couldn’t, something that required a face-to-face meeting. Whatever Chase knew, it had to be very damning.”
“He seems to remember more every time I see him.”
“But nothing so far about why he went to Texas,” Laredo reminded her.
“He will, in time,” Jessy stated with confidence.
“Let’s hope time stays on our side,” he declared and downed a swallow of coffee.
“Were you able to find out anything in Blue Moon about Markham?” she wondered.
“Not really. He doesn’t seem to do much business there.” Laredo eyed her with quiet speculation. “There’s a lot of talk, though, about the amount of time he’s been spending at the Triple C. Quite a few people are convinced it’s the beginnings of a romance.”
Jessy shrugged off the gossip. “Well, they’re wrong.”
“It makes for a good story, though—wealthy Englishman from a noble family woos rich and beautiful widow of a cattle dynasty. I guess the surprise would be if they didn’t try to marry you off to him.” His mouth crooked in a brief smile, something Jessy had seen little of lately. “What about Cat?” he asked. “How did your meeting go with her?”
“It didn’t. She wasn’t home when I stopped by the Circle Six yesterday,” Jessy explained. “I left a note asking her to call. We have been playing phone tag ever since. Unfortunately I’ll be in and out most of today. I probably won’t be able to talk to her until tonight or tomorrow.”
“Let me know when you do so I can pass on the results to Duke.” He drained the last of the coffee and set the empty cup on the tray. Through it all, his expression had been one of heavy thought. “I’d better head down the road,” he said absently and straightened from the desk. But he stood there, still pondering something.
“What’s wrong?” Jessy sensed his concern.
“I think I may have made a mistake calling Parker,” he stated, staring into the middle distance. “If he talks to Markham, he’s likely to mention getting a call from a lawyer. Markham will wonder who my supposed client is. It depends on how paranoid he is as to what he’ll do about it.”
“What do you mean?” She felt a mounting uneasiness.
“I mean, if he does any checking at all, he’ll find there is no such law firm of Cummins, Fitch and Stillwater in the Denver metropolis.” His gaze locked with hers. “The next time you see him, Jessy, be very careful what you say. One slip, no matter how small, might make him start wondering what you know. That could be dangerous, Jess.”
“I know.” She nodded, feeling the first faint lick of fear.
“Be on the lookout for any questions from him about Chase, regardless of how casual or innocent they might sound,” Laredo warned.
“I will.” She showed him the stony calm that had long been her protection against questions that probed in closed areas.
“Let me know if there is any change in his attitude toward you. Any at all,” he stressed. “If there is, you may have to find some work for me to do here at headquarters. Because it’s for damn sure I can’t protect you from the feedlot.”
“You just worry about protecting Chase,” Jessy replied, finding the prospect of seeing Laredo a dozen times or more a day to be too unsettling.
“You can count on it,” he told her and left.
PART THREE
A shifting wind,
It sees him die,
And Calder knows
The time is nigh.
Chapter Fifteen
Abig yellow sun sank closer to the western horizon, its golden color bleeding into the sky and adding a touch of amber to the late-afternoon light. Slowing the Suburban, Cat made the turn into the Circle Six ranch lane. The distinctive scent of fresh-cut hay invaded the vehicle long before she came within sight of the forty acres of ridge-top planted in alfalfa.
As she approached the field gate, she noticed Logan standing just inside the opening. Culley was there as well, slouched atop his brown horse with one leg hooked over the saddle-horn. Both men had their attention focused on something in the field. Looking beyond them, Cat saw the pair of big bay draft horses pulling the mower hitched behind them. Quint held the reins, perched on the mower seat.
Pulling onto the shoulder, Cat stopped the Suburban and joined Logan at the gate to witness this major event in her young son’s life—his first time mowing with the horse team. Logan slipped a welcoming arm around her shoulders, drawing her close to his side.