sounded believable.
“The sheriff wants to ask you a few questions. Are you up for it?”
“Yes.” He sounded better. At least the word made sense.
“Good.” The kind doctor patted his arm as if he were a child. “We’ll talk later, but you are a very lucky man to have survived such a fall.”
He didn’t feel very lucky.
He decided to risk opening his eyes. Sheriff Alex Matheson was standing over him with her husband Hank at her side. She looked worried, but his cousin looked angry.
“What happened?” Rick said, looking straight at Hank. The rancher might be a few years older than he was, and he’d never known Hank Matheson to lie about anything. If the Matheson clan in Harmony had a head, it would be this one strong man. Hank not only ran one of the biggest ranches around, he also served as the volunteer fire chief.
Alex answered for Hank. “We think someone tried to hurt, maybe even kill, you tonight. The stairs were in good shape around four when Liz dropped off some papers. It’s pretty dark out there now, but my deputy had no trouble seeing that a couple of the steps had been sawed out. You took a twenty-foot fall.”
She leaned close. “Did you hear anything?”
Rick shook his head. “George is always banging around downstairs. I didn’t hear anything unusual.”
Hank’s frown deepened. “You know anyone who would want to kill you?”
Rick tried to smile. “Yeah, most of the people I’ve represented. One mentioned yesterday that I should watch out for accidents, but he didn’t do this. He’s locked up and I’d be real surprised if Mouse had a friend who’d help him carry out his threat.”
“Anyone else? We think you might have been robbed.” Alex pulled out her pad and pen. “Your briefcase was empty.”
“It’s always empty unless I’m heading into court.” Rick didn’t want to say that he had nothing besides his lunch to put into it most days. “I thought I saw a shadow of a man moving away, but I can’t be sure.”
Alex nodded. “Whoever did this could have stayed around to make sure you fell. Could you identify him from a lineup?”
“No. He was little more than a shadow. I didn’t get a good look at him.”
“How tall?”
“I don’t know.” Rick knew the drill. “Baseball hat, maybe. Dark jacket. I didn’t see or hear anything else except the chiming of the clock.”
Rick forgot about the doc’s warning and grabbed for his billfold. If the plan was robbery, the guy went to a lot of trouble for seven dollars. A machine above his head immediately started making all kinds of noises.
Dr. Spencer was back. “That’s it for tonight, Sheriff.Rick needs to rest.” She moved around Rick, checking him as if he were a broken clock that had fallen off the wall and she needed to know he was still ticking.
“All right.” Alex smiled at the doc, then took Hank’s hand. “Sorry about earlier. I was just trying to do my job.”
“Me too,” the doc admitted. “We’re all worried about him, Alex. Me, you, the whole town. Half the nurses already have a crush on this Matheson.” She glanced from Hank to Rick. “They’re all so good-looking, but this one is single.”
“Which half of the nurses?” Rick asked just before he fell asleep, too exhausted to wait for the answer.
Chapter 7
S UNSHINE SLICED INTO THE HOSPITAL ROOM THROUGH the blinds when Rick finally woke. He vaguely remembered talking to the doc before dawn. She’d gone through all the things wrong with him, including a mild concussion, two cracked ribs, and a gash in his back that needed stitches. Both his legs were badly bruised but no broken bones. Then, with a smile that would have made him fall in love on the spot if she wasn’t already attached to a rancher named Tinch Turner, Addison told him to rest a day, then get out of her hospital. They needed the beds.
Rick had drifted off to sleep when she’d left, but the hospital staff had been waking him up every hour since. One wanted his
“The sheriff wants to ask you a few questions. Are you up for it?”
“Yes.” He sounded better. At least the word made sense.
“Good.” The kind doctor patted his arm as if he were a child. “We’ll talk later, but you are a very lucky man to have survived such a fall.”
He didn’t feel very lucky.
He decided to risk opening his eyes. Sheriff Alex Matheson was standing over him with her husband Hank at her side. She looked worried, but his cousin looked angry.
“What happened?” Rick said, looking straight at Hank. The rancher might be a few years older than he was, and he’d never known Hank Matheson to lie about anything. If the Matheson clan in Harmony had a head, it would be this one strong man. Hank not only ran one of the biggest ranches around, he also served as the volunteer fire chief.
Alex answered for Hank. “We think someone tried to hurt, maybe even kill, you tonight. The stairs were in good shape around four when Liz dropped off some papers. It’s pretty dark out there now, but my deputy had no trouble seeing that a couple of the steps had been sawed out. You took a twenty-foot fall.”
She leaned close. “Did you hear anything?”
Rick shook his head. “George is always banging around downstairs. I didn’t hear anything unusual.”
Hank’s frown deepened. “You know anyone who would want to kill you?”
Rick tried to smile. “Yeah, most of the people I’ve represented. One mentioned yesterday that I should watch out for accidents, but he didn’t do this. He’s locked up and I’d be real surprised if Mouse had a friend who’d help him carry out his threat.”
“Anyone else? We think you might have been robbed.” Alex pulled out her pad and pen. “Your briefcase was empty.”
“It’s always empty unless I’m heading into court.” Rick didn’t want to say that he had nothing besides his lunch to put into it most days. “I thought I saw a shadow of a man moving away, but I can’t be sure.”
Alex nodded. “Whoever did this could have stayed around to make sure you fell. Could you identify him from a lineup?”
“No. He was little more than a shadow. I didn’t get a good look at him.”
“How tall?”
“I don’t know.” Rick knew the drill. “Baseball hat, maybe. Dark jacket. I didn’t see or hear anything else except the chiming of the clock.”
Rick forgot about the doc’s warning and grabbed for his billfold. If the plan was robbery, the guy went to a lot of trouble for seven dollars. A machine above his head immediately started making all kinds of noises.
Dr. Spencer was back. “That’s it for tonight, Sheriff.Rick needs to rest.” She moved around Rick, checking him as if he were a broken clock that had fallen off the wall and she needed to know he was still ticking.
“All right.” Alex smiled at the doc, then took Hank’s hand. “Sorry about earlier. I was just trying to do my job.”
“Me too,” the doc admitted. “We’re all worried about him, Alex. Me, you, the whole town. Half the nurses already have a crush on this Matheson.” She glanced from Hank to Rick. “They’re all so good-looking, but this one is single.”
“Which half of the nurses?” Rick asked just before he fell asleep, too exhausted to wait for the answer.
Chapter 7
S UNSHINE SLICED INTO THE HOSPITAL ROOM THROUGH the blinds when Rick finally woke. He vaguely remembered talking to the doc before dawn. She’d gone through all the things wrong with him, including a mild concussion, two cracked ribs, and a gash in his back that needed stitches. Both his legs were badly bruised but no broken bones. Then, with a smile that would have made him fall in love on the spot if she wasn’t already attached to a rancher named Tinch Turner, Addison told him to rest a day, then get out of her hospital. They needed the beds.
Rick had drifted off to sleep when she’d left, but the hospital staff had been waking him up every hour since. One wanted his
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