you
know that was when it happened?”
Diego replied, looking as though Atkins was
nuts. “We ride fences every day at the Bar C, Sheriff. The count went down by
twenty head between ten o’clock yesterday morning and a few minutes ago. Our
cowhands were all celebrating Bye’s wedding at a barbecue that went on until
the wee hours of this morning, so you probably don’t need to question them.”
Atkins turned to Liz. “How about your
workers? Were they all together celebrating Bye’s wedding too?”
“No sir. My mother and I were the only
people from the Laughing Wolf who went to the wedding. Jack and I left the Bar
C about seven o’clock.”
Four finally met Jack’s gaze. “So you and
Liz…”
“Yeah. Liz and I. What of it?” Jack felt
Liz’s surprise at the obvious animosity he and Four showed toward each other.
“At first I thought Liz had called her
lawyer out here to protect her interests, that’s all.” Four shrugged.
Jack restrained himself from strangling the
old man. “I’ll protect her interests any time they need protecting, but I’m
here now strictly as Liz’s lover.” He liked the way her cheeks turned pink at
that last word. “From what I’ve heard so far, I’d say you need to look for
somebody who has tires with treads like the ones we’re looking at. Seems to me
they’re fairly unusual. Nobody cuts a fence and trespasses on a pasture that
has no livestock in it unless they’ve got cutting another fence and rustling
somebody else’s cows in mind.”
Diego had moved along the track toward the
cut fence that had opened up onto Bar C property. “I found a couple of boot
prints, boss. Horse tracks too.”
“Some of those prints are probably ours. We
were riding fences, found the repair and got down to take a look,” Jack told
him.
Diego shook his head. “There are footprints
on the Bar C side too. Looks like the rustlers went out into the pasture to
pick out the steers they wanted to steal.”
Atkins and Four strode over to the spot
where Diego was pointing. “I’ll get somebody from the task force out here to
take plaster casts of the tire treads and the footprints over there. Four, keep
your men off the area around where your fence was cut so the guys won’t be
getting their prints mixed up with the rustlers’.”
Diego pulled out his cell phone. “I’ll tell
them to stay away from this fence altogether, Sheriff. It’s doubtful you’ll
find footprints of any Bar C wranglers, because we ride fences on horseback or
in Jeeps. Four, I’ll put some cowboys on 24/7 watch in this pasture but I’ll
tell them to stay far away from the fences.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier if you just had a
few cowboys climb the windmills and watch all the fences with binoculars?” Jack
asked when he and Liz joined the others.
Four shot him a disgusted look. “I doubt we
have anybody but Bye and maybe one of the engineers who’d be willing to climb
any distance up those things. You have a good idea though. We could place
cameras with wide-angle lenses high up on the bases of some windmills and
record everything that happens on the ground. That way we’d be able to catch
thieves red-handed.”
Liz dropped Jack’s hand and gestured toward
the closest grouping of the tall metal windmill bases. “If you’d put some up on
these platforms and aim them toward the Laughing Wolf, I’d be happy to pay for
the extra cameras.”
She was one smart lady. Every time he was
with her, Jack admired her more. Having a woman who could take charge outside
the bedroom the way Liz did appealed greatly, since she obviously wanted to
cede control to him as far as their sex life went. When he smiled at her she
moved closer and hitched her fingers in his back pocket.
“If you don’t need us anymore now, we’ll
get on with checking the rest of this fence.” Jack could tolerate his old man
only in small doses, and he’d had enough right now, so he walked over to where
they’d ground-tied Zeus and
know that was when it happened?”
Diego replied, looking as though Atkins was
nuts. “We ride fences every day at the Bar C, Sheriff. The count went down by
twenty head between ten o’clock yesterday morning and a few minutes ago. Our
cowhands were all celebrating Bye’s wedding at a barbecue that went on until
the wee hours of this morning, so you probably don’t need to question them.”
Atkins turned to Liz. “How about your
workers? Were they all together celebrating Bye’s wedding too?”
“No sir. My mother and I were the only
people from the Laughing Wolf who went to the wedding. Jack and I left the Bar
C about seven o’clock.”
Four finally met Jack’s gaze. “So you and
Liz…”
“Yeah. Liz and I. What of it?” Jack felt
Liz’s surprise at the obvious animosity he and Four showed toward each other.
“At first I thought Liz had called her
lawyer out here to protect her interests, that’s all.” Four shrugged.
Jack restrained himself from strangling the
old man. “I’ll protect her interests any time they need protecting, but I’m
here now strictly as Liz’s lover.” He liked the way her cheeks turned pink at
that last word. “From what I’ve heard so far, I’d say you need to look for
somebody who has tires with treads like the ones we’re looking at. Seems to me
they’re fairly unusual. Nobody cuts a fence and trespasses on a pasture that
has no livestock in it unless they’ve got cutting another fence and rustling
somebody else’s cows in mind.”
Diego had moved along the track toward the
cut fence that had opened up onto Bar C property. “I found a couple of boot
prints, boss. Horse tracks too.”
“Some of those prints are probably ours. We
were riding fences, found the repair and got down to take a look,” Jack told
him.
Diego shook his head. “There are footprints
on the Bar C side too. Looks like the rustlers went out into the pasture to
pick out the steers they wanted to steal.”
Atkins and Four strode over to the spot
where Diego was pointing. “I’ll get somebody from the task force out here to
take plaster casts of the tire treads and the footprints over there. Four, keep
your men off the area around where your fence was cut so the guys won’t be
getting their prints mixed up with the rustlers’.”
Diego pulled out his cell phone. “I’ll tell
them to stay away from this fence altogether, Sheriff. It’s doubtful you’ll
find footprints of any Bar C wranglers, because we ride fences on horseback or
in Jeeps. Four, I’ll put some cowboys on 24/7 watch in this pasture but I’ll
tell them to stay far away from the fences.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier if you just had a
few cowboys climb the windmills and watch all the fences with binoculars?” Jack
asked when he and Liz joined the others.
Four shot him a disgusted look. “I doubt we
have anybody but Bye and maybe one of the engineers who’d be willing to climb
any distance up those things. You have a good idea though. We could place
cameras with wide-angle lenses high up on the bases of some windmills and
record everything that happens on the ground. That way we’d be able to catch
thieves red-handed.”
Liz dropped Jack’s hand and gestured toward
the closest grouping of the tall metal windmill bases. “If you’d put some up on
these platforms and aim them toward the Laughing Wolf, I’d be happy to pay for
the extra cameras.”
She was one smart lady. Every time he was
with her, Jack admired her more. Having a woman who could take charge outside
the bedroom the way Liz did appealed greatly, since she obviously wanted to
cede control to him as far as their sex life went. When he smiled at her she
moved closer and hitched her fingers in his back pocket.
“If you don’t need us anymore now, we’ll
get on with checking the rest of this fence.” Jack could tolerate his old man
only in small doses, and he’d had enough right now, so he walked over to where
they’d ground-tied Zeus and
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