B.J. Daniels the Cardwell Ranch Collection (32 page)

She had no idea what she would be walking into. No idea who the man was or why he was in this house with a gun. Moving along the edge of the room to keep the old hardwood floor from creaking, she headed for the bedroom doorway.

“Come on, hurry it up. Give me the baby,” snapped a male voice she didn’t recognize. “We don’t have all day.”

Liza was next to the doorway. She could see the man holding the gun. He had it pointed at Stacy who was standing next to Hud beside the empty bassinet. Hud had his hands inside the bassinet. He appeared to be rolling up Ella’s quilt.

Taking a breath, she let it out slowly, the same way she did at the gun range just before she shot.

Then she moved quickly. She jammed the barrel of shotgun into the man’s side and in clear, loud voice said, “Drop the gun or I will blow a hole in you the size of Montana.”

The man froze for a moment, then slowly turned his head to look at her. When he saw her, he smiled. “Put down the shotgun before you hurt yourself, little lady.”

“There’s something I wasn’t honest with you about either,” Stacy said turning from the bassinet. “My brother-in-law is a marshal and that woman holding a shotgun is a deputy. She will kill you if you don’t drop your gun.”

“But I’ll kill you first,” he snarled and lifted the gun to take aim.

Liza moved in quickly, slamming the barrel hard into his ribs as Hud threw Stacy to the floor. Her momentum drove the man back and into the wall. She knocked the pistol from his hand, then cold-cocked him with the shotgun. As his eyes rolled back into his head, he slid down the wall to the floor.

Hud already had the man’s gun and bent to frisk him, pulling out his wallet. “Dana, are you all right?” he asked over his shoulder. Liza could hear Stacy sobbing.

“I’m fine,” Dana said.

The marshal rose. “I’ll get my cuffs.” He was back an instant later and had the man cuffed. Liza hadn’t taken her eyes off their prisoner. She’d seen his hand twitch and knew he was coming around.

“Stacy, Ella is in the kitchen on the floor,” Liza said over her shoulder.

“I’m not leaving without my baby,” the man screamed at Stacy as she hurried past her and into the kitchen. “I’ll kill you next time. I swear, I’m going to kill you.”

Hud hauled him to his feet. “You aren’t going anywhere but jail. You just threatened to kill my sister-in-law in front of a half dozen witnesses.”

“I’ll take him in,” Liza said. “You take Dana to the hospital. I heard her say her water just broke.” As she led him out of the house, Liza began to read him his rights.

Chapter Fifteen

After booking Virgil Browning, Liza was just in time to catch Shelby as she was coming out of Yogamotion. She had a large bag, the handles looped over one shoulder, and seemed to be in a hurry. As Liza had walked past Shelby’s SUV, she’d noticed there were suitcases in the back.

“I’m sorry, we’re closed, Deputy,” Shelby said. “And I’m in a hurry.”

“You might want to open back up. Unless you want to discuss why you were being blackmailed at your house with your husband present.”

All the color washed from the woman’s face. She leaned into the door as if needing it for support. “I don’t—”

“Don’t bother lying. Alex would have bled you dry since his wife was taking everything in the divorce, right? He needed money and he had you right where he wanted you.
Of course,
you had to kill him.”

“I didn’t kill Alex.” When Liza said nothing, Shelby opened the door to Yogamotion and turned on the light as they both stepped back inside.

Liza saw the sign that had been taped to the door. Closed Until Further Notice. Shelby was skipping town, sure as the devil.

“I swear I didn’t kill him,” she said as they went into her office and sat down. “Why would I kill him? I had no idea who was blackmailing me,” Shelby cried.

Liza studied her face for a moment, trying to decide if she was telling the truth or lying through her teeth.

“So how was it you made the payment if you didn’t know who was blackmailing you?”

“I sent ten thousand dollars in cash to J. Doe, general delivery in Bozeman each month.”

“You were that afraid of the truth coming out?” Liza had to ask.

“How can you ask that?” Shelby cried. “It wasn’t just the vandalism. Wyatt’s father lost his business, went to prison and probably killed himself, all because of what I did.” She was crying now, real tears.

“You had to know it would eventually come out.”

She shook her head adamantly. “It would destroy my marriage, my reputation, I’d have to leave town. Wyatt has said if he ever found out who did that to his father, he’d kill them.”

Liza felt a chill run the length of her spine. “Maybe he’s already killed. Didn’t he blame Tanner for what happened?”

She quit crying for a moment and wiped at her tears, frowning as she realized what Liza was saying. “Yes, he blamed Tanner, but he wouldn’t…” The words died off. “Tanner killed
himself.
”

“Did he? Was Wyatt jealous of your relationship with Tanner?” Liza saw the answer in the woman’s expression. “Tanner was supposed to be watching the equipment, right?”

“No, Wyatt wouldn’t…” She shook her head. “He’s had to overcome so much.”

“Does he know about the blackmail?”

“No, of course not.”

But Liza could see the fear in the woman’s eyes. “If he found out that you were being blackmailed and thought it was Alex Winslow behind it, what would your husband do?”

“He couldn’t have found out,” she said. “If he knew, he would have left me.”

Liza thought about that for a moment. “What if you weren’t the only one being blackmailed?”

Shelby’s head came up. “What?”

“Has your husband been having similar financial problems to yours?” Liza asked.

“It’s the economy,” Shelby said. “It’s not…”

“Because he’s been paying a blackmailer just like you have?”

“Why would he do that?” Her eyes widened and Liza saw that, like her, Shelby could think of only one reason her husband might be paying a blackmailer.

“Oh, no, no.” She began to wail, a high keening sound. “He wouldn’t have hurt Tanner. Not Tanner.” She rocked back and forth, hugging her stomach.

“I have to ask you,” Liza said. “Were you ever pregnant with Tanner’s baby?”

Her wailing didn’t stop, but it slowed. She shook her head, before she dropped it into her hands. “I didn’t want him to leave Big Sky after graduation. I thought that if he married me I could say I had a miscarriage. Or with luck, I could get pregnant quickly.”

“Where is your husband?” Liza asked her.

“He’s been out of town, but I expect him back tonight.”

“That’s why you were leaving. You’re afraid your husband has found out.”

Shelby didn’t have to answer. The terror in her eyes said it all.

“I’d tell you not to leave town,” Liza said, “but I’m afraid that advice could get you killed tonight.”

Shelby’s cell phone rang. She glanced at it. “I need to take this.”

As Liza was walking away, she heard Shelby say, “I’m so sorry.” She was crying, her last words garbled but still intelligible. “Really? Just give me a few minutes.”

* * *

A
FTER
LEAVING
THE
RANCH
,
Jordan drove around aimlessly. His mind whirled with everything that had happened since his return to the canyon.

Foremost was Alex and Liza’s blackmail theory. Alex had always resented the rich people who came and went at Big Sky—but especially those who built the huge houses they lived in only a few weeks each year.

So had Alex blackmailed Shelby for the money? Or for breaking him and Tessa up all those years ago?

But was that what had gotten him killed? As much as he disliked Shelby, he couldn’t imagine her actually shooting Alex. True she used to hunt, maybe still did, and hadn’t been a bad shot. And she was cold-blooded, no doubt about that.

It just felt as if there had to be more.

Both Hud and Liza had warned him to leave town and stay out of the investigation. He couldn’t, even if he wanted to. Driving past Yogamotion, he saw that the lights were out. There was a note on the door. Getting out, he walked to the door. Closed Until Further Notice.

He pulled out his cell phone and tried Shelby’s house. No answer. Then he got Crystal Winslow’s number from information and waited for her to pick up.

“Hello?”

“Crystal, you probably don’t remember me, I’m Jordan Cardwell.”

“I remember you.” Her voice sounded laced with ice.

“I need to ask you something about Alex. I heard he majored in engineering at Montana State University. Is that how he made his money?”

“He was a consultant. He worked for large construction projects like bridges and highways and some smaller ones that I am only now finding out about.”

He heard something in her voice, a bitterness. “Smaller jobs?”

“Apparently, he was working for Shelby Iverson and had been for years. Her husband signed the checks, but I’m betting she was behind it. He must have thought I was so stupid. What could Iverson Construction need an engineer consultant for? They build houses.”

“Crystal, how often did they hire Alex?”

“Every month for years.”

“Twenty years?”

“All these years.” She was crying. “That bitch has been…playing my husband like a puppet on the string.”

More likely it was Alex playing her. So he had been blackmailing not Shelby, but Wyatt since Tanner’s death and hiding it as work-related payments. No wonder Liza hadn’t found it.

As he told Crystal how sorry he was and hung up, he wondered how Wyatt had been able to hide this from Shelby all these years. With building going crazy at Big Sky until recently, maybe it hadn’t been that much of a strain on Wyatt.

He would ask Wyatt when he saw him. Which would be soon, he thought as he parked in front of the Iverson mansion on the hill. The place looked deserted. As he started to get out a big black SUV came roaring up.

* * *

W
YATT
I
VERSON
LOOKED
HARRIED
and dirty as if he’d just been working at one of his construction sites. He had a cut on his cheek that the blood had only recently dried on and bruises as if he’d been in a fist fight. “If you’re looking for Shelby, she’s not here.”

“Actually, I was looking for you,” Jordan said, not caring what had happened to Wyatt Iverson or his wife. “Have a minute?”

“No, I just got home. I’ve been out of town.”

“This won’t take long,” Jordan said, following him up the steps to the front door and pushing past him into the large marble foyer. “I just need to know how you killed Tanner Cole. I already suspect
why
you did it, misguided as it was.” Through an open doorway he saw a large bedroom with women’s clothing strewn all over the bed and floor. Shelby either had trouble finding something to wear tonight or she had hightailed it out of town.

“I really don’t have time for this,” Wyatt said behind him.

He got as far as the living room with its white furniture he would bet no one had ever sat on, before he turned to look into the other man’s face. Wyatt was magazine-model handsome, a big, muscled man, but Jordan was sure he could take him in a fair fight.

Unfortunately, when he saw the gun in Wyatt Iverson’s hand, he knew he wasn’t going to get a chance to find out.

“You want to know how your friend died?” Wyatt demanded. “I told him that everything was going to be all right. That he shouldn’t blame himself for my father’s construction equipment being vandalized. He’d already had a few drinks by the time I got to the cabin.” Wyatt stopped just inches from Jordan now.

“Tanner felt horrible about what had happened, blamed himself,” he continued, a smirk on his face. “I suggested we have more drinks and bury the hatchet so to speak. By the time we went out by the fire pit, he was feeling no pain. I kept plying him with booze until he could barely stand up, then I bet him he couldn’t balance on an upturned log. You should have seen his expression when I put the noose around his neck.”

Jordan knew the worst thing he could do was go for the gun. Wyatt had the barrel aimed at his heart and, from the trapped look in the man’s eyes, he would use it if provoked. But seeing that Wyatt Iverson felt no remorse for what he’d done and realizing the man was ready to kill again, Jordan lunged at the gun.

Wyatt was stronger than he looked and clearly he’d been expecting—probably hoping—Jordan would try something. The sound of the gunshot ricocheted through the expanse of the large living room, a deafening report that was followed by a piercing pain in Jordan’s shoulder.

Wyatt twisted the gun from his fingers and backhanded him with the butt. Jordan saw stars and suddenly the room started spinning. The next thing he knew he was on the floor, looking up at the man. His shoulder hurt like hell, but the bullet appeared to have only grazed his skin.

“You lousy bastard.” Jordan struggled to get up, but Wyatt kicked him hard in the stomach, then knelt down beside him, holding the gun to his head.

“Your friend knew he deserved it. I told him how my old man had let his insurance on the equipment lapse, how this would destroy my family and your friend Tanner nodded and closed his eyes and I kicked the log out.”

“You
murdered
him,” Jordan said between clenched teeth.

“He got what he deserved.”

“He didn’t deserve to die because of some vandalized equipment even if he had been responsible. Shelby set up Tanner that night—from the party to the vandalism—to get back at him. It was that old story of a woman scorned.”

With a start Jordan saw that this wasn’t news. Wyatt had known. “How long have you known that you killed the wrong person? Then you killed Alex to keep it your little family secret and end the blackmail?”

“
Alex?
I didn’t kill Alex.”

Jordan started to call the man a liar. But why would he lie at a time like this when he’d already confessed to one murder? With a jolt, Jordan realized that Wyatt was telling the truth. He didn’t kill Alex.
Shelby
. No wonder she’d taken off. Not only would it now come out about her vandalizing the Iverson Construction equipment, but that she’d killed Alex to keep the photographs from going public.

“Where’s your wife, Iverson?” Jordan asked through the pain as Wyatt jerked him to his feet and dragged him toward the front door with the gun to his head.

“Have you known all along it was her? No? Then you must be furious. Did you catch her packing to make her getaway?” Jordan had a thought. “Does she know that you killed Tanner?”

Wyatt made a sound that sent a chill up Jordan’s spine.

He thought about the cut and bruise on Iverson’s cheek, that harried look in his eye—and the dirt on him as if he’d been digging at one of his construction sites. “What did you do to her?” he demanded. “You wouldn’t kill your own wife!”

“One more word and I’ll kill you right there,” the man said as he pulled him outside to the rental car. He reached inside and released the latch on the hatchback.

“You’re going to kill me anyway. But you have to know you can’t get away with this.” He felt the shove toward the open back of the SUV just an instant before the blow to his head. Everything went dark. His last clear thought was of Tanner and what he must have felt the moment Wyatt kicked the log out from under his feet.

* * *

L
IZA
CALLED
H
UD
’
S
CELL
ON
HER
way to the Iverson house.

“How is Dana?” she asked first.

“In labor. We’re at the hospital and they are making her comfortable. They’re talking C-section, but you know Dana. She’s determined she’s going to have these babies the natural way.”

“Give her my best. Did you get a chance to ask Stacy about Tanner’s party?” she asked as she drove toward the mountain and the Iverson house.

“She was pretty shaken up after what happened and I got busy, but she’s standing right here. I’ll let you talk to her since I have to get back to Dana.” He handed off the phone.

A moment later a shaky-voiced Stacy said, “Hello?”

“I need to know about the party Tanner Cole had at the Iverson Construction site twenty years ago.”

“What?”

“You were there. I’ve seen a photograph of you standing around the campfire. I need to know who shot the photos. Come on, Stacy, it wasn’t that long after that that Tanner died. Don’t tell me you don’t remember.”

“I remember,” she said, sounding defensive. “I was just trying to understand why you would ask me who took the photos. I did. It was my camera.”