The Cowgirl in Question Part 13

"Why didn't you wait for Forrest to give you a ride home?" It was something she'd wondered about for years.

He took a drink of his beer and belched loudly. "I didn't feel like waiting around for him. You're wrong, there weren't n.o.body in the parking lot when we left."

We? "We? You just said when "We? You just said when we we left. I thought you hitchhiked home?" left. I thought you hitchhiked home?"

He looked around the room as if something in it would help him out, then he made a resigned face and said, "Blaze gave me a ride as far as the turnoff to her daddy's ranch. So what of it?"

This isn't what he'd said at the trial. Was he lying now? Or eleven years ago?

"Blaze didn't leave until after after the fight," she said. the fight," she said.

"I was out in the parking lot smoking a cigarette," Cecil said defensively. "But I'd left the bar, all right?"

"You must have heard the ruckus inside." She hadn't meant to make her tone so accusatory.

His eyes narrowed. "It wasn't any of my business if Forrest wanted to get the p.i.s.s kicked out of him. Didn't have nothing to do with me."

So much for brotherly love, she thought.

Cecil downed the last of his beer, smashed the beer can in his large paw of a hand and chucked it in the direction of the trash, missing. The can clattered to the dirty linoleum floor, not the first. Or the last.

He moved toward her and the door. "Time for you to go. McCall killed him and eleven years ain't near enough payment. If you were smart you'd mind your own business."

She backed up, slipping out the door. She could feel Cecil's cold, hateful glare drilling into her back like a steel bit as she walked to her car.

When she looked back over her shoulder, he was standing in the doorway, his eyes reminding her of the rattlesnake's in Rourke's pickup. As she got into her car, she hurriedly locked the doors and started the engine.

Cecil Danvers could have put the snake in Rourke's pickup. For that matter, Cecil could have killed his brother. Unless he had an alibi. Blaze. Was it possible she really had given him a ride as far as her father's ranch? But Blaze had been living in an apartment in town. Why had she gone out to the ranch? Maybe that hadn't been her destination. The next turnoff was Easton's family's place and the next-Ca.s.sidy felt a chill skitter across her skin. The next road past the ranch was Wild Horse Gulch.

BLAZE HEARD the faint tap on the window and looked up to see Yvonne Ames peering into the ADC office.

Blaze groaned, wis.h.i.+ng she could have hidden before Yvonne saw her, but the woman was already going around to the front door.

Blaze had gone to school with Yvonne, but they'd never been friends, not that Blaze had had girl-type friends. Yvonne was one of those girls who'd always been chubby and unpopular with boys unless she put out.

"Hi," Yvonne said shyly as she opened the door to Blaze's office. "Got a minute?"

No. "What's up?" Blaze asked, motioning her in. She glanced at her watch to let Yvonne know she didn't have a lot of time.

Yvonne nervously took a chair across from Blaze's desk, dropping her purse, spilling the contents, then frantically trying to get everything back inside.

Blaze sighed and waited impatiently. "If this is about business, Easton will be back-"

"No," Yvonne said. "I wanted to see you." She got everything back inside her purse, clutching it to her, fingers nervously kneading the soft leather. "I heard Rourke McCall was back? I knew you'd see him when he got back." Yvonne swallowed. "I wondered if he said anything about me."

Was the woman serious? "Why would he say anything about you? you?"

She gave a slight shrug of one shoulder. "I just wondered."

"No, he didn't mention you at all." Yvonne must be losing her mind. Rourke wouldn't look twice at her.

Yvonne got to her feet. "I heard he was looking for the person who really killed Forrest," she said, still kneading her purse with nervous fingers.

"Of course, that's what he would say," Blaze snapped. "He has to make a show of proving his innocence." Rourke had lost her loyalty.

Yvonne's eyes widened. "You think he killed Forrest?"

Blaze shrugged. "I hate to think that any man I ever dated could be a killer...."

"Rourke wouldn't kill anyone," Yvonne said.

As if anyone cared what Yvonne thought. "Why would you think Rourke might be asking about you?" Blaze asked, unable to let that go. "It wasn't like you were even at the Mello Dee the night of the murder."

Yvonne nodded and stepped toward the door. "I wrote him a couple of letters while he was in prison and sent him some cookies a few times, that's all."

Blaze stared at her. Why was Yvonne lying?

"Gotta go," Yvonne said, and made a hasty departure.

What was that about? Why would Rourke ask about her? her?

Blaze frowned as she watched Yvonne walk by the window. Yvonne shot a look back at the office. Yvonne looked as if she'd just put one over on her.

Blaze let out a curse. Ca.s.sidy had sworn on the witness stand during the trial that she'd overheard Forrest on the pay phone at the Mello Dee talking to a woman woman after his fight with Rourke, after Blaze had left, right before he left and was later murdered up Wild Horse Gulch. after his fight with Rourke, after Blaze had left, right before he left and was later murdered up Wild Horse Gulch.

The prosecutor had argued that Ca.s.sidy had no way of knowing if Forrest had been talking to a man or a woman. Ca.s.sidy had said Forrest called the person on the line "honey bun."

Blaze swore again. Forrest always called her her honey bun, so she'd just a.s.sumed Ca.s.sidy had been lying to try to implicate her in the murder. honey bun, so she'd just a.s.sumed Ca.s.sidy had been lying to try to implicate her in the murder.

Now Blaze realized there had had been another woman. What other reason would Yvonne have to stop by to ask if Rourke had inquired about her? Forrest had been two-timing her the night he was murdered? With Yvonne Ames? "You sorry b.a.s.t.a.r.d." been another woman. What other reason would Yvonne have to stop by to ask if Rourke had inquired about her? Forrest had been two-timing her the night he was murdered? With Yvonne Ames? "You sorry b.a.s.t.a.r.d."

ON THE WAY THROUGH TOWN, Rourke stopped at the sheriff's office to see his brother.

"Dad just called," Cash said when Rourke walked in. "He wants everyone at dinner tonight. No arguments," he added before Rourke could decline. "And no I don't know what it's about, just that it must be a big deal or he wouldn't insist on having us all together in the same room."

Rourke knew the truth in that. He remembered too many meals that had turned into near knock-down-drag-out fights. Funny, but he almost missed them. He thought about how strangely his father had been acting today when he'd seen him and Dusty. His sister had said Asa hadn't been feeling well. "I'll be there. What time?"

"Six," Cash said, and looked relieved. "I heard Brandon is back out at the ranch. You know anything about that?"

Rourke shook his head.

"Yeah? You probably don't know anything about why Burt Kelly is acting oddly, either."

"Kelly?" Rourke echoed.

"I already heard that you were at the VanHorn Ranch this morning. Mason saw your pickup at the office and thought there might be a problem. He said Kelly was unusually subdued after you left."

"Really?"

Cash leaned his elbows on the desk and rubbed his temples with his fingers. "Want to tell me about it?"

Rourke knew he had to give his brother something. "Forrest owed Kelly money, a grand in gambling debts."

Cash sat up and let out a low whistle. "You thinking Kelly might have killed him over it?"

Rourke shook his head slowly. "But it makes me wonder if Forrest might have had other debts, other creditors who weren't so understanding. It also makes me wonder where Forrest got the money to start with. Kelly said he'd taken Forrest for ten big ones. Any idea where someone like Forrest Danvers would get that kind of money?"

Cash shook his head. The Danverses had been dirt poor for as far back as Rourke could remember. They were also uneducated and often in trouble with the law.

"I hope you're wrong about Kelly," Cash said. "I'd love to bust that b.a.s.t.a.r.d for murder."

Rourke nodded, knowing the feeling.

"So you didn't tear up the place? Kick Kelly's b.u.t.t?" Cash sounded surprised.

"Prison taught me a few things," he said.

"I hate to think," Cash said and sighed. "But obviously prison didn't make you any smarter. Easton was just here. He's afraid you're going to get someone killed."

Blaze had told Easton about the Sat.u.r.day-night plan. Dear Blaze.

"He told me some fool story about you reenacting the night Forrest was murdered. Someone could get killed."

"They did the last time. I was hoping you'd play Forrest," Rourke said.

"You can kiss my-"

"Don't worry." Rourke wondered why Easton had come whining to the sheriff. "Ca.s.sidy and I are going to find the killer before Sat.u.r.day night."

"Ca.s.sidy? Dammit, Rourke, you aren't involving her in this, are you?"

"She's already involved, bro. And she's a big girl, she can make up her own mind about whether or not to keep helping me, all right?" He got to his feet. "By the way, those doughnuts you brought me this morning were wonderful."

Cash looked like he had a whole lot more to say but was biting his tongue. Obviously it was painful for him.

"Who do you think Easton was worried about getting killed?" Rourke asked, thinking of something the private investigator he'd hired had told him.

"You know Easton's been seeing Blaze."

Rourke smiled. He knew a whole lot about Easton. And Blaze. "Hasn't everyone been seeing Blaze?" He started for the door. "Even you, I hear."

"It wasn't a date," Cash called after him. "She asked for a ride home when her car didn't start."

Rourke was laughing as he left. It felt good. "See you at dinner."

"WHAT'S WRONG?" Easton said from the doorway. All he'd heard was Blaze utter the words "You sorry b.a.s.t.a.r.d!" but he knew that look on her face only too well as she swung around from the window.

He would normally a.s.sume he was that b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Except something in her expression told him it wasn't him this time.

"Was that Yvonne Ames I saw leaving just now?" he asked. "What did she want?"

Blaze stared right through him for a moment. She shook her head as if trying to clear it. "She just stopped in to say hi."

He raised a brow. He could tell when Blaze was lying, without any effort, anymore.

"She invited me to lunch, wanted my advice. Man problems."

Blaze should have quit while she was ahead. He knew there was no way Yvonne would ask for her advice on anything. Maybe Blaze couldn't see it, but Yvonne hated her guts. He wondered what Blaze had done to her. Yvonne didn't seem the malicious type. He'd bet Blaze had taken some man from Yvonne that she was interested in. That was usually the case with the women who hated Blaze.

He walked over to his desk and put down his briefcase. "I think Yvonne is nice," he said, knowing it would set Blaze off.

"You would," she said under her breath but plenty loud enough for him to hear. "You should date her. If you haven't already."

He turned to look at her, unable not to smile. Blaze was so transparent sometimes. He noticed she'd changed out of that s.e.xy blue dress she'd been wearing earlier. He wondered what that meant. Rourke must not be coming around. Is that what had put Blaze in this mood? Or was it Yvonne's real reason for stopping by that had set Blaze off? And what real reason had that been?

"Is everything all right?" he asked.

"Fine." She smiled but didn't put much effort into it.

"You seem a little on edge. I hope it isn't Rourke who's causing it," he said.

A flash of anger sparked in her eyes. "Rourke?" She let out a laugh. "Rourke has never caused me any trouble."

Uh-huh. Easton nodded, his mood picking right up until he remembered the trouble Rourke was causing him.

ROURKE DROVE OUT to the Palmer Ranch only to find that Blaze's stepbrother Gavin had taken the day off. He got the impression that Gavin had left that morning after getting a phone call warning him that Rourke was looking for him. Good old Kelly, no doubt.

On the way back to town, Rourke took the old road, slowing at the Mello Dee Supper Club and Lounge on the outskirts of town. The place looked just as it had eleven years ago. A roadhouse with a gravel parking lot, faded-paint building and blinking neon sign out front.

Rourke hoped to h.e.l.l he and Ca.s.sidy found the killer before Sat.u.r.day night as he pulled into the parking lot. He didn't want to come back here. There was only one other vehicle in the lot, a new blue pickup, so new it didn't even have plates yet.

He sat for a moment, just staring at the place, reliving memories that had haunted him for years. If he had just let Blaze dance with Forrest...or never gone up Wild Horse Gulch. But Ca.s.sidy was probably right. It wouldn't have made any difference once the killer had Rourke's gun with his fingerprints on it.