Cowboy Truth: Cowboy Justice Association #3 (24 page)

Ava liked her sister much better when she acted like a normal human being. She patted Mary on the back and tried to give her an encouraging smile.

“If it makes you feel any better, I don’t think Lyle had anything to do with his father’s murder.”

Mary nodded. “Thank you. It does, actually. He would never do anything like that. He’s a gentle man.”

A patient man too to put up with her sister’s bossiness and obstinate temperament. If he hadn’t killed Mary by now, then he probably wasn’t going to murder anyone else.

“He is,” Ava agreed. “I really do need to get going. I have a lot of work to do on my new book.”

Ava rolled the suitcase down the driveway and stowed it in her trunk. She and Logan needed to solve this murder before it started tearing the Bryson family apart. Possibly even this town.

A thought flitted through her mind as she drove away. As long as it stayed unsolved she had a reason to stay in town and with Logan.

Well, crap.

Chapter Eighteen

L
ogan dropped the last filthy box onto the living room floor. A cloud of dust rose making Ava sneeze and cough. She wrinkled her nose as the scent of mildew and plain old grime assailed her nostrils. This was going to be a nasty job.

“Here,” Logan held out some rubber gloves. “I have a pair for both of us. This is going to be dirty work.”

“I’m not sure the spaghetti was worth it,” she said dubiously. “It was good but this is kind of disgusting. What if there are bugs in there and they jump out when I reach in?”

Ava shuddered at the mere thought. She hated creepy crawlies of any kind. Logan had made a wonderful dinner of spaghetti with a rich meat sauce and crusty garlic bread but now she realized it had all been a bribe. She was cheaply paid labor who could be bought off with a home cooked meal.

“I shook the boxes and nothing came out.” Logan’s lips twitched as if he was trying not to laugh.

“You lying sack of crap. You so did not shake those boxes, did you?” She narrowed her eyes and tried to look mean but he just threw his head back and laughed.

“Honey, bugs would probably be scared to death of you. I know I am.” He patted her on top of the head. Hating it when he patronized her, she knocked at his hand and stuck out her tongue. “If you do a good job, we can have ice cream later.”

“We darn well are going to have ice cream later,” Ava grumbled. “A big bowl. With chocolate sauce.”

“I don’t have any chocolate sauce.” Logan had a mile-wide grin.

“Then you’ll get in the car and go get some,” Ava retorted, throwing a large cushion down onto the floor and sitting on it crisscross.

“Yes, ma’am.” Logan didn’t look in the least contrite. If anything he looked downright delighted. “Shall I get whipped cream too?”

He leered when he asked the question and she rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to be in any mood when I’m covered from head to toe in hundred year old dust and mold.”

“It starts already.” Logan sighed dramatically.

“What starts?” Ava tentatively reached into the box and pulled out a stack of files sending another cloud of dirt into the air. She choked and coughed, glad to see Logan did the same.

“You move in and next thing you know you’re making excuses about sex,” Logan declared. He was trying to look serious but she could tell he was picking at her again, trying to get a rise.

“Excuse me?” Ava sniffed. “I am not making any excuses. I only hope you can perform after working all day and then tonight too.”

She watched as his astonished expression turned to pure male arrogance. “Don’t you worry about a thing,” he drawled. “I’ve got the stamina to please my woman, demanding as she is.”

She turned back to the files so he wouldn’t see her hot cheeks. Whenever he talked like that she got all warm and flustered. He shouldn’t be so sexy…or annoying.

“Where do we start?” she asked, hoping to change the subject. Logan grinned, knowing what she was trying to do.

“Anywhere I guess. We’ll end up looking through all the files anyway.”

He was right. Luckily there were only two boxes. Still it would probably take hours to go through them all. Maybe she should put on a pot of coffee.

Logan settled on another pillow next to her and she flipped open the first folder, scanning the contents. It was a complaint regarding painted graffiti on the outside of a local business – Stenson Construction – dated 1989. The owner, Garth Stenson, had made a complaint about writing on his building. The report stated that Sheriff Frank Jesse had taken the statement and concluded it was teenagers.

Ava looked at the pictures that were stuffed into the folder. They’d faded with age but she could make out the words clearly painted in bright red on the cream colored exterior wall.

“Some things never change.” Ava shoved the pictures back into the folder. “I guess there will always be troubled youth in this world.”

Logan’s eyebrow arched. “Troubled youth? Do you mean like me?”

“I wasn’t referring to that,” she denied. “You had a good reason for what you did.”

“But other kids don’t,” he concluded. “You know better than that, good girl.”

“I know.” Ava sighed. “I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.”

Logan set his file aside and beckoned for the folder with his fingers. “What are you looking at?”

“Vandalism. Some teenagers spray painted a business.” She put the three photos in his outstretched palm. Logan studied them and then looked up.

“Why do you say it’s teenagers?”

“Because that’s what the police report said.” She handed that over.

Logan continued looking at the pictures and then the report before shaking his head. “Teenagers didn’t do this.”

“How do you know?” Ava frowned and looked over his shoulder. She wished she could see through his eyes. He had that inscrutable cop-look expression again.

“How many teenagers who go around painting graffiti use the words
unscrupulous
and
traitorous
in everyday language? In fact, how many teenagers have an opinion about a man who sells real estate? Did teenagers in 1989 buy and sell a lot of homes? No, this was done by an adult. Teenagers would have used a bunch of misspelled four-letter words.”

He held up the picture for her closer inspection. “So Sheriff Jesse was wrong?”

Logan tossed the photos into the folder. “He was. What else is in that file?”

They scanned through the documents and it was more reports of vandalism, including broken glass and slashed tires. “Whatever happened to the Stenson agency? They’re not on Main Street now.”

Logan shook his head. “They went out of business I believe. I know the Stenson family moved out of town at one point.”

“You think Bill Bryson did these things to get rid of competition?” If she was thinking it, she was pretty sure Logan was too.

“It’s kind of a coincidence. Let’s keep digging and see if we find more of them. I have a feeling I was right. Frank hid these files for a reason.”

Ava set the file aside and reached for the next folder. She was eager to find out more. Something had been going on in Corville when Sheriff Frank Jesse was in charge and it was time to get to the bottom of it.

*   *   *   *

Logan and Ava had only gone through about ten files but it was easy to see that Sheriff Frank Jesse had been corrupt. Whether he’d actually taken bribes from Bill Bryson to cover up his dirty dealings Logan didn’t know, but it was clear Frank had turned a blind eye, covering up the evidence.

“Are you okay?” Ava was looking at him with sympathy. “This can’t be easy for you.”

Logan tossed another folder aside. “Yes and no. The fact is I’m not really surprised. I think there has been a part of me that’s known Frank wasn’t this great lawman for a long time. God knows when I took over the entire department was a fucking mess and the deputies did whatever they damn well pleased. It took me months to clean it up.”

“I kind of assumed he was like a father to you.” Ava plucked at her T-shirt.

“Never like a parent. Hell, more like a drill sergeant,” Logan snorted. Frank Jesse had been a hard man. The fact that Logan never asked him for anything was probably what had made the two men quasi friends. Frank had always respected hard work and Logan had never let him down there.

“He left the ranch to you,” Ava persisted.

Logan shrugged. “He didn’t have any family and he knew I didn’t either. I think he knew I would take care of the place, and I have. I’ve renovated the home and barn and rented out the pasture land. It’s a going concern and is firmly in the black. That’s more than I could say when Frank was in charge.”

He leaned forward wanting to make sure this point was clear. “Listen good girl, I liked Frank. He taught me a lot about being a lawman. He treated me decently and didn’t give me a lot of shit about how I lived my life. The fact that he didn’t do the things he taught me to do as a sheriff, well, that’s on him. I have a feeling before we’re done here we’re going to find out a whole hell of a lot more that we don’t like. It’s not going to do me any good to sit around and wonder how I never knew this about him. Frank was a law unto himself and he sure as shit didn’t spend a lot of time explaining his actions. To anyone.”

Ava waved her hand over the still mountainous pile of files. “I think you’re probably right. He was obviously trying to hide this. It’s strange that he hid it in his own home though. A house he left to you. You would think he’d have known that you would find this eventually. Do you think on some level he wanted you to find out?”

Logan laughed at Ava’s pop psychology. Women always wanted men to be more complex than they really were. “I doubt it. At the end, Frank was sick and his memory was bad. I doubt he even remembered that he hid the files. Don’t look for conspiracies where there are none.”

Logan’s phone vibrated and he pulled it from his pocket, glancing at the screen.

Tanner.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Presley,” Tanner answered. “More specifically, she’s in labor. Has been for a few hours and Seth is getting mighty nervous. He called me since I’ve been through it a couple of times but I think it would be good if we could all be there for him. You know, in support.”

Seth had been anxious through Presley’s entire pregnancy, fussing about the littlest thing. Logan could only imagine what Seth was like now that the moment had arrived. He was probably driving his wife crazy.

“I’ll be there. If I leave now I should make it within an hour and a half or so.”

“Thanks. Reed is on his way and so is Evan Davis.”

It wasn’t surprising to hear the Marshal who had introduced Presley and Seth was going to be there. He was good friends with Seth, and Presley was very fond of the man. “What about Griffin and Jared?”

Tanner snorted. “I called Griffin and got a message that he’s off on one of his fishing trips. Dare is in charge.”

Deputy Darrell “Dare” Turner was Griffin’s senior deputy and a damn good cop. He was also the grouchiest son of a gun Logan had ever met. It was as if he had a handful of burrs in his boxer shorts. Day and night. Logan had never seen the man with a smile on his face.

“Griffin loves his fishing. What’s Jared’s excuse?”

“He’s on duty with one of his men out sick. Sounded harassed as hell. He’s having a hard time keeping lawmen from what he’s been saying.”

That was because Jared was a perfectionist. Few people could live up to his expectations.

“I’ll be out the door in five. See you then.”

Logan hung up and gave Ava a guilty look. He was going to leave her with all this work.

“You have to go, don’t you?”

Logan grimaced. It wasn’t fair but what could he say? “Presley, Seth’s wife, is in labor. I don’t have time to explain much of it, but suffice it to say Seth is a nervous wreck.”

Instead of being angry, her expression softened. “First one?”

“Yes. Tanner thought it would be a good idea for some of us to go and support them.”

“I’d like to meet these people someday.”

He’d like that too. More than he wanted to admit.

“I hate to leave you with all this work.”

Actually a part of him was relieved. He hated looking through old files for a needle in a haystack.