Dang Near Dead (An Aggie Mundeen Mystery Book 2) Read online

  “What kinds of maps?”

  “Of a bunch of islands somewhere down past Florida.”

  Vicki’s having the same maps of the Caribbean that Sunny had confirmed it. She really intended to go there. She’d apparently discussed her departure with Sunny, and Bertha found out. Maybe Bertha spooked Vicki’s horse so she couldn’t leave. Maybe she just wanted to delay Vicki’s departure, but the girl’s injuries turned out to be serious. Was it possible Bertha didn’t know how critical Vicki’s injuries were?

  Was it conceivable Sam had asked EMS, SAPD, the hospital and Vicki’s parents to keep her condition quiet long enough for him to investigate at the ranch? Had Sam conspired with the Bandera sheriff?

  Maybe I wasn’t the only one keeping secrets.

  If the ranch hands knew Vicki was dying, they might figure they were suspects and flee, especially if they had criminal records or histories of mental instability. That would really stymie ranch operations.

  It was more likely Bertha knew the truth about Vicki’s condition. Even if she’d caused Vicki’s fall, Bertha would try to maintain normality as long as she could.

  I knew one thing for sure; I shouldn’t contest Bertha’s assertion that Vicki was on the mend. It was better for me to feign ignorance and try to calm Bertha.

  “Everything’s going to be all right,” I said. “We can try to find out what happened without upsetting everybody. I’ll try to help. I’m sorry I came in here and startled you. Do you have a flashlight I can borrow to see my way back to the cabin?”

  “There’s a good moon out. You shouldn’t have any trouble getting back,” she said, “but you can take this one.” She sniffled and handed me a flashlight. “I’m glad to have somebody to talk to. I’ll see you at breakfast.”

  When I stepped outside, the moon was brighter. Two Texas toads jumped sideways off the lodge porch. Mexican tree frogs honked in response. Uncomfortable with the noise, I slipped across the path and started down the other side, trying to stay in the shadows. The moonlight made me feel vulnerable. I didn’t know whether anyone had followed me to the lodge, or who might be outside waiting. I wrapped Bertha’s flashlight in Kleenex and held it tightly in case I needed it for a weapon.

  Invisible animals scurried close by through the brush. I imagined small creatures—mice, rabbits and squirrels—trying to escape larger ones like raccoons, skunks and coyotes. I preferred to think the javelinas were someplace else. Thinking about critters kept me from contemplating which human nocturnal hunters might be watching.

  I heard, “Whoo whoo whoo whoo, whoo whoo!” and froze. When I looked up, a barred owl with a round monkey face and dark eyes stared me down. His yellowish bill stuffed in his circle of neck feathers made him appear all-knowing. I could imagine him thinking, “I know what you’re up to, whoo whoo.” I’d read somewhere the Romans believed barred owls warded off evil spirits. My protector was watching. I felt calmer.

  When I finally reached our cabin and slipped in, I put Bertha’s flashlight in a plastic bag with the tissue still wrapped around it. If we needed the forensics lab to extract her prints, I’d give the flashlight to Sam.

  Thirty-Eight

  At sunrise, I donned my last clean long-sleeved shirt to cover scratches I’d incurred sneaking through the brush to Sunny’s cabin. I scribbled a note for Meredith saying I’d meet her at the lodge for breakfast and made sure I was the first person to arrive. Scents from the kitchen told me Maria was cooking sausages and biscuits.

  Bertha’s door was closed. I heard the shower running in her bathroom. In the dining hall, I parked myself at the table near the entrance so I could evaluate everybody’s facial expressions as they came in.

  From behind a copy of the Bandera County Courier, I peeked at the ceiling. My tail-up bobcat was hard to miss. Several people might notice it. Only one, however, would know that whoever had rehung the cat might have connected it with Vicki’s fall. Although I didn’t completely understand the connection between Vicki and the cat, her attacker would know.

  Maria lit candles under warming pans on the serving line. When Bertha emerged from her room, I noticed she’d applied makeup around her bloodshot eyes. With Vicki out of the picture, I wondered if Bertha would make another play for Ranger. For her strategy to work, she’d have to give up a lot of sausages and biscuits.

  Bertha was jealous, but I couldn’t quite imagine her trying to kill Vicki. Bertha acted tough, but she could cry buckets. She obviously loved the ranch. She’d blithely indicated she and Ranger were lovers until Vicki showed up. If she had tried to kill Vicki, I doubt she’d have revealed her motive to me. Her spooking Vicki’s horse could have been accidental. But I couldn’t ignore Herb Vernon’s implication that Bertha had killed his parents to get the ranch. People had killed for less.

  Bertha spotted me, walked over to my chair, narrowed her eyes and studied me. “You’re here mighty early,” she said. She glanced up at the bobcat, put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. “Cute. How’s your hand?”

  “Much better. It’s sore, but the bleeding has stopped.” I’d put antibiotic cream on it and covered it with a small Band-Aid. I didn’t want somebody to identify the slash as a wire cut.

  She called to Maria. “Is everything ready? Here they come.”

  Ranger and Monty sauntered in. The hanging bobcat caught their eye. Both tried to act like there was nothing unusual about it, but Ranger squinted at the cat a few extra seconds. He might have been wondering if somebody had snitched his wire to re-hang the cat. Or he might have re-hung it himself.

  When George and Selma Tensel shuffled through the door, she screamed, grabbed George’s arm and pointed up at the leering cat. “That wildcat looks like it’s going to leap down here and get us.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Selma. It’s wired up there. And it’s dead.” He frowned at the ceiling and rubbed his chin. When he glanced around and saw Ranger and Monty, he glared at their backs looking disgusted. He probably thought they’d strung it up at a crazy angle to get everybody’s attention. When he gazed my way, I managed to appear innocent.

  River Rat slouched into the room looking hung over. He didn’t even glance up. He might be depressed over killing his sister. When the cabin six girls floated in and fluttered over to sit by him, he put his head in his hands. Jangles’ red and orange poncho and jangling bracelets probably made his headache worse. When Stoney slapped him on the back, I thought he might become ill. Millie, mouse quiet, patted his hand.

  Sunny dragged in with his head drooping. He spotted me. Even though he wore face paint, I couldn’t miss his hostile demeanor. By the time he glanced at the ceiling, he had turned his back so I couldn’t see his face. He plopped on a chair at a table by himself. The three girls looked at him wistfully. River Rat was probably contemplating how to make them flock to Sunny’s table so Rat could eat in peace.

  Meredith and Sam came in last. Sam eyed me suspiciously. “Why did you come here so early?”

  I gracefully folded one hand over the other, covering my Band-Aid. “I was ravenous. I’ve been waiting for you two.” He gazed around, glanced up and saw the cat. He looked at me again and lifted his eyebrows.

  “The bobcat was crooked,” I said. “Bertha and I tried to straighten it before breakfast. We didn’t do a very good job, did we?”

  He leaned over and got in my face. “You were checking the wire, weren’t you?”

  I didn’t blink.

  “Is it the same type of wire Ranger uses to sculpt?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is there something else you need to tell me?”

  I had to think fast. “Everybody’s going on the morning horseback ride,” I said. “It might be the only time everybody is together in one place.”

  “Yeah. That could be a problem.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Especially if one of them is a k
iller.”

  We went through the breakfast line.

  As each person finished eating, they’d steal a questioning glance at Bertha.

  Finally, she rose from her table.

  “I know we’re all thinking about Vicki. She’s still unconscious, but doctors are hopeful...We have the final event of your stay this morning, the all-ranch picnic trail ride for guests and wranglers. Everybody goes except me and Maria. By the time you return, maybe I’ll know more about Vicki’s condition. Don’t forget your backpacks. Maria is packing lunches in them. You can get ready for the ride and pick up your backpacks here in about an hour. Here’s how you put ‘em on.”

  She stuck meaty arms through side loops connected to a lightweight pack. “These packs are real comfortable. They leave your arms free to hold the reins. This clip at the top attaches to the back of your collar so the pack won’t fall off when you ride. They’re souvenirs of the BVSBar Ranch for you to keep. Designed ’em myself. Enjoy this beautiful morning riding in the Hill Country. I’ll see you here at the lodge when you get back.”

  Meredith pushed her chair back. “I want to secure my hair under a hat before this ride.”

  I was about to stand when Sam put his hand on my arm.

  “I’ll be there in just a minute,” I told Meredith. “You go on ahead.”

  Sam leaned toward me. “I called the Vernons’ attorney and asked whether their wills precluded Bertha from selling the ranch to developers. He said the Vernons wanted Bertha to keep the ranch intact and thought having underground water would help her keep the property. But he couldn’t advise them to specify in their wills that she couldn’t sell the ranch. That provision probably wouldn’t be enforceable.”

  I watched everyone leave. I knew they’d stop by their cabins before returning for backpacks. Sam and I had time to talk. Sunny still sat at his table, so we’d have to keep our voices low.

  “If the ranch loses money, what can Bertha do?” I asked.

  “The Vernons set up a ten-year agreement with the Texas Nature Conservancy. If, during that time, Bertha decides the ranch can’t support her, she gives the ranch to the conservancy. The conservancy agreed to pay Bertha enough to support herself and maintain the ranch during her lifetime. When she dies, if she has no heirs, the conservancy gets the ranch. If she has heirs or adopts children, for example, her heirs will own the ranch. If they reach age sixty, they’re subject to the same agreement. Darren wasn’t sure the courts would uphold that last stipulation.”

  “So, in effect, Bertha can’t ever sell this ranch.”

  “Not for ten years from the time she inherited it. If she does, the Nature Conservancy would take the position she failed to uphold the Vernons’ agreement, and the conservancy would own the ranch.”

  “Bertha’s had the ranch for five years already,” I said. “She has to keep the ranch afloat five more years.”

  “Yes. After that, she owns the ranch free and clear, and she can do whatever she wants with it. Darren said there were more details, but we didn’t have time to go into them.”

  “Five more years must seem like a long time to Bertha. No wonder she’s desperate. I wonder if the Vernons told her about their arrangement with the conservancy the night before they died.”

  “Maybe they told her, and Herb overheard,” he said.

  “Maybe that’s why Herb comes here periodically. He knows Bertha’s under stress. So he harasses her to agree to let oil companies drill on the ranch. He figures he and Bertha will both be rich, and she’ll be able to wait out her five years with the conservancy. After that, he probably thinks he can talk Bertha into developing the property,” I said, “and he can weasel himself into the deal.”

  “I find it pretty funny that Herb is pressing Bertha to let somebody drill,” Sam said, “since there’s no oil here. I hope he doesn’t decide to come harass Bertha while we’re away on this trail ride.”

  “I’d better tell Maria to stick close to Bertha,” I said. I remembered sensing rage seething in Herb Vernon. He might be capable of more than harassment.

  “I’ll swing by the cabin to get my Glock. I’ll pick up my backpack and meet you and Meredith at the stables in about an hour.” He rose and marched off.

  I glanced at Sunny still slouching at his table alone. I wanted to talk to him before the ride, but I had to alert Maria. I ran to the kitchen to make sure she and Bertha would be together while everybody else went on the trail ride.

  Thirty-Nine

  “Is Señora Bertha in danger?” Maria asked, her eyes huge.

  “I don’t think so. With everybody else gone, it’s just a good idea for you two to stick together.”

  “Something happened, Señora,” she told me in Spanish. “Last night, when everybody left after dinner, Ms. Bertha was alone in the dining room.”

  “Yes?”

  “Señor Tensel came in.”

  “George Tensel?”

  “Sí. I was in the kitchen so I listened. He told Ms. Bertha he wanted to buy this ranch. I heard him. She said it wasn’t for sale.”

  “‘You’ll have to sell eventually,’ he said. “‘I know the place is losing money. Wait until Vicki Landsdale dies. Nobody’s going to come here after that. It’s just a matter of time. I can wait.’ He looked so evil. She yelled at Señor Tensel to get out. He was angry and sneered at Ms. Bertha. Then he left.”

  “Thank you for telling me, Maria. George Tensel is going with us on the horseback ride. I don’t think he’ll come back here any time soon. Herb Vernon might come see Ms. Bertha while we’re gone, though. He drops in at unexpected times, doesn’t he?”

  “Sí, Señora.”

  “Do you have a gun in here?”

  “Sí, Señora. And I know how to shoot it. I grew up on a ranch.”

  “Okay, good. Put bullets in the gun. If Herb Vernon or anybody else comes in here and starts yelling at you or at Bertha, you get that gun, go to that window over the sink, hold the gun out the window and shoot straight up. We’ll hear it, we’ll know it’s you, and we’ll come as fast as we can.”

  “Esta bien, Señora.” She nodded with resolve. “Now I’ve got to finish these.” She continued assembling lunches to put in backpacks.

  I thought Maria and Bertha could handle themselves. She had a few backpacks ready, so I grabbed one. I needed to catch Sunny.

  Forty

  While Sam and I talked, Sunny had left the lodge and was striding toward his cabin. I charged after him and ran up to him, smiling and talking fast before he could shoo me away.

  “Sunny, I want to apologize for being in your cabin uninvited. Is your eye okay? I know you’d never hurt Vicki. I have an idea how we can finger the person who did. Can I walk with you to your cabin? I brought you a backpack.”

  He looked suspicious, but when I mentioned Vicki, he appeared interested. He took the backpack. We kept walking toward his cabin.

  “Vicki knew Wayne Rickoff was the vet who attacked you at the Milwaukee rodeo, didn’t she?”

  He stopped and stared at me. “How’d you know that?”

  “I met Vicki’s parents at the airport when Sam and I went to San Antonio for supplies. They said she went with her college boyfriend to take vets from the Milwaukee VA hospital to the rodeo. I learned you clowned at that arena and that a vet attacked you.”

  He looked stunned.

  I shrugged. “I went back to college last year and got in the habit of doing research. The hospital keeps a list of where veterans go and who entertains them. I have a friend at the VA hospital who checked the records for me.”

  I continued talking before he had time to think about exactly how I’d obtained that information. “Anyway, when I saw that Vicki recognized Wayne Rickoff, I put the pieces together. I also thought about the snake that slithered toward Rickoff when we first toure
d the ranch. I don’t suppose you had something to do with that.”

  He grinned in spite of himself. “I’m glad the idiot didn’t shoot somebody. I like to hassle Rickoff in hopes he’ll go someplace else to work.” He turned to me. “How’d you know about the snake?”

  “Maria started screaming, and Bertha and I found one in the freezer. It was pretty stiff from being cold. Somebody had wired its mouth closed. I remembered the snake at the firing range had something shiny around its mouth. I realized it must have been wire.”

  He nodded, smiling. “Once you get snakes cold enough, you can wire their mouths shut. It doesn’t hurt them, but when they thaw out, they’re pretty mad. You can always get them cold again if you want to remove the wire and turn ’em loose. Too bad ‘ole Bertha threw that snake out of the freezer. It would have warmed up pretty quick outside. Ready to slither toward ole’ Rickoff at the right moment.”

  “Once a clown, always a clown, huh?”

  “I guess so. We think up tricks for our acts. Couldn’t do that one with the vets, though, or with kids.”

  “You keep that cooler in your room for non-poisonous snakes you catch, right? It’s not just used for make-up.”

  He chuckled. “You never know when a thawed, angry snake will come in handy.”

  “I’ve got to get ready for the ride,” I said. “See you at the corrals?”

  He shrugged. “Sure.”

  The all-ranch ride would be interesting.

  Forty-One

  I had forty-five minutes before we were to meet at the corrals, and I needed a backpack.

  I trotted to the lodge, thinking about George Tensel’s greedy mug and cousin Herb’s Vernon’s menacing scowl. I was glad I had time to check on Bertha and Maria. When I saw that Bertha’s Jeep wasn’t parked out front, panic closed my throat. I burst into the dining room.