Pierce Read online

  “This is by hand,” Ross said in exasperation as he pointed at the tools. “Who the hell even knows how to operate this old shit?”

  “It’s not that old,” Pierce said. “I imagine almost all of it is in good working condition.”

  “Maybe, but it’s old,” Ross said in disgust.

  “What’s with the hay? What are you doing back here?” Pierce asked as he continued to mark and measure the board in front of him.

  “I left some stuff here, remember?” Ross’s tone was only half derisive. He knew he’d get his face kicked in if he didn’t show enough respect. “Pete used to board some city horses here. I sent them home. Way too much work to look after.”

  “Sorted your money issue yet?” Pierce asked thinking how foolish he was to wipe out a source of income. Then anything that required effort appeared to be too much for Ross.

  “I still got an hour,” he said.

  “Is that all? I hadn’t realized the time had gone by so fast. I figured you were already out of time.”

  “You said eight,” Ross said in alarm.

  Pierce slowly straightened and looked at him. “I said four.”

  “No, you said four hours, and it’s only seven now.”

  “The question is whether you’ve done the job, or will I find out you’ve stolen your brother’s money? And, of course, that’ll definitely get your ass kicked across the property.”

  “How would you know?” Ross asked with a laugh.

  “Because Pete’s got the accountants and the bookkeepers and the police on his end tracking his account.”

  The color drained from Ross’s face. “Pete wouldn’t do that to me.”

  “Pete has to start looking after Pete,” Pierce said. “And other people should be looking after Pete, not him looking after you. You’re able-bodied and not working. You should be out there pulling in a decent wage, doing something with your own life, not trying to take what’s your brother’s.”

  “Don’t be so sanctimonious and righteous,” Ross said. “I’ve been living here and kept people like Jed off the place.”

  “That may be,” he said, “but you’re also making deals with Jed too, and Jed’s bad news in his own right.”

  “He is that,” Ross said. “He’s gotten a lot worse these last six months.”

  “What’s that all about?”

  Ross just shrugged. “I don’t know. Something about his wife wanting a divorce.”

  “Of course she wants a divorce,” Pierce said with a laugh of his own. “Why the hell would she want to stay and get her ass kicked every day? Watch her kids be terrorized?”

  “He won’t let her go,” Ross said starkly.

  “Are you going to help him?” Pierce asked. “You don’t seem to have too much in the way of ethics or honor.”

  “That’s not fair,” Ross muttered. “I didn’t see I was doing nothing wrong.”

  “The trouble is, when you take a half step across the line, it’s pretty easy to take another half step, and, before you know it,” Pierce said, “you’ve taken so many steps you can’t even see the line anymore. At that point, in your twisted mind, you’re already thinking it’s all yours. And you’re blowing it on booze and forgetting even about food.”

  “I’ve had a pretty rough couple months myself,” he said. “So I took a few dollars. That’s not a big deal. Pete would never begrudge me that.”

  “Well, just think, it’s not Pete’s deal anymore,” Pierce said. “It’s mine. And I’ll make sure Pete gets what’s his. Whether you like it or not.”

  Chapter 7

  Hedi cashed out at the grocery store and took her loaded bags to her deputy’s car. She would go home and change vehicles. She could already feel the tension in the air. Weird discussions behind her back. People looking at her sideways but not really talking to her.

  She ignored everybody and kept walking to the car. “Small-town news travels fast,” she muttered under her breath.

  When she got home, she planned to park around back to make sure she wasn’t seen. She had one handgun with her, and she wondered about picking up more from her dad’s. And hated that she was even thinking along those lines.

  Just then she got a phone call. She hit Talk. “Hey, Dad. How you doing?”

  “I’m doing okay, but I’m a little worried about that Pierce guy out there. I really admire what he’s doing for Pete, but he might have bitten off more than he can chew. Have you got an update?”

  “I just bought groceries, so he didn’t have to leave the place, in case Ross came back and didn’t want to give up possession again.”

  “Good idea,” he said thoughtfully. “I can’t say I’m feeling too good about this.”

  “I know,” she said, “but I think Pierce’s heart is in the right place. I just don’t know if he understands how bad Jed has gotten.”

  “I’m not sure I understand either. Can you explain it to me?”

  She told him about Jed attacking her in his house and shoving her with his rifle and threatening her. “I guess you didn’t read the emails I cc’d you on, did you?”

  “No, I’m sorry. I’ve been avoiding the computer. As you know it’s not my preferred method of communication. But this…” Her father swore up and down a blue streak. “And that damn sheriff didn’t do anything?”

  “Nope. He’s pretty cozy with Jed, and, as long as Jed stays on this side of the law, he doesn’t care.”

  “But that was not on this side of the law,” her father snapped. “What has this come to?”

  “Hate to say it, Dad, but, when you got in that accident, all hell went to a shithole.”

  “I can see that,” he grumbled. “I’m not sure I could pick up the reins and be sheriff again though. I kind of like retirement. I’ll talk to Fort Collins, see what our next step is in ousting our current sheriff.”

  “You like retirement and no need to go back. But please find out how to get rid of our sheriff. He’ll get someone killed with his negligence,” she admitted as she moved the last of the groceries over and locked up her deputy vehicle. “What you don’t like is sitting on the sidelines. So feel free to fix this. If anyone can, it’s you.”

  “I hear you there. Do you think somebody needs to come to the house and stand watch tonight?”

  “I’m heading there now myself,” she said. “The sheriff won’t call it on duty, but I sure as hell am. Pierce might have taken on more than he can chew. I don’t know him well enough. It’s not just Jed. You know he’s got the Billy boys in the back, and, if he gets them all riled up, they’ll shoot that place down, and they’ll torch it with him in it.”

  “You in it too, you mean,” her father said in alarm. “Maybe I’ll come over myself.”

  “I won’t say no,” she said. “But we could be jumping the gun here. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a watch on what Jed is up to, but I don’t know. Those kids and his wife, she was supposed to leave. I called her at work today, and she promised me that she would, but I just don’t know. I don’t have a good feeling about any of this.”

  “Neither do I.” Her father’s voice suddenly sounded brisk. “You go on over. I’ll call the boys and see what we come up with.” And just like that he hung up.

  She frowned, staring at her phone. “But I don’t need to be looking after you too, Dad. You’re not the law anymore,” she said slowly.

  She walked back into the house and grabbed an overnight bag and stuffed it in the car. She didn’t know what the hell would happen, but she wanted to be prepared. She also grabbed one of her big thick flannel shirts in case it got really cold out tonight. She didn’t know how much she would be in the house or outside, so she chose her black one, just to blend in the background. She wasn’t the hunter the others were, but she was no slouch when it came to hiding her tracks and staying out of sight.

  The last thing she did was put out some cat food and fed her dog. She had a small Maltese that was aging and wouldn’t appreciate being alone tonight, but she couldn’t
take him into a gunfight. He was all about curling up on her pillow and being cuddled. He didn’t like loud noises or aggressive moves. He’d be fine if it was a normal visit, but tonight could get ugly.

  She arranged his blanket on the couch for him and walked away, locking up behind her.

  In her own vehicle, she drove toward Pete’s place. The air had an electric feel to it, the atmosphere felt off, wrong in so many ways.

  Following her instincts, she drove into the barn and parked. There was an old blanket, kind of a car cover there. She threw it over her car as soon as she had the groceries out. It took her two trips to get the groceries to the house, but, with everything stacked on the front veranda, she knocked on the door and then pushed it open.

  A light was on in the living room, but everything else appeared quiet. Frowning, she grabbed her grocery bags and carried everything into the kitchen, setting it all on the table. Outside she could see Pierce sitting on the steps only ten feet away from Salem. Her ears were back, and her lip was curled, but she was the one approaching him.

  Standing still, she watched as man and dog slowly tried to work out their differences. She could see the bowl was a good twenty feet away, and it appeared emptied and flipped over. Pierce had something in his hand, which he held out for her. Salem wanted it badly but didn’t come any closer. Pierce took off a piece and threw it in front of her. It didn’t land on the ground because she snatched it out of the air and gobbled it down, then turned to look at him again expectantly. But she wasn’t coming any closer.

  Hedi smiled as she studied Salem’s large frame. She was a good fifty pounds over the normal weight of a shepherd, so some other breed was mixed in there. Her feet were huge, and her jaw was massive. Hedi had only ever seen Salem more aggressive than calm. She wondered what she was like around Pete.

  Hedi walked to the open doorway as she watched Pierce toss another piece toward Salem, and she snatched it up and waited. He spoke to Hedi, his voice at the same low pitch. “Step on the porch.”

  Obediently she did so and quietly called out, “Hi, Salem.”

  Salem’s ears twitched, and her gaze darted toward her, then back to Pierce again.

  “Can I come closer?” Hedi asked.

  “Slowly walk toward me,” he said quietly.

  She did as she was told. “She doesn’t see me as a threat, does she?”

  “Are women known to have beaten her?”

  “I don’t think so,” she said. “I’ve only ever fed her and given her water.”

  “Which is why she’s not afraid of you. She’ll be cautious, just in case you are like the men she’s met, but you’re not one of the main threats. I am.”

  “It’s good instincts on her part then, isn’t it?” she said, a note of humor in her voice. “I’m surprised she’s this close to you.”

  “I’m not. I’ve been at it since you left,” he said. “I hope you brought home some food though, because I’m starved.”

  “I did, indeed. But I’m not cooking it,” she warned. “I might have been the delivery person, but I sure as hell am not a cook.”

  “Did you bring fast food too?”

  “I did, in the sense that I brought subs.”

  “Oh, yum,” he said, standing up slowly, still tossing food toward the hungry dog. “Salem, sweetie, I’ll go in and get some food myself.” He took two steps back, and Salem’s butt hit the ground. She looked up at him, her ears straight up.

  “It’s almost as if she understands you,” Hedi said.

  “She does,” Pierce said quietly. “I’ve been working on a few of the commands she would know from Pete’s training. I gave her the Sit command just now with a hand signal, and she did it without argument. So we’ve come a long way.” He looked around. “If there was a dog bed still around, it should be something for her use on the deck. Even though she’ll probably be a while getting back into the house, it would be good to know she feels like this is home again.”

  “I think I saw something in the barn,” she said. “Give me a moment.”

  She took off slowly at first, so as not to spook Salem, and headed toward the barn, where she took the big car cover. It might be more of a horse blanket, but it would do the job. It was large, at least a four foot by three foot. Carrying it with great difficulty out of the barn and to the deck, she place it close to the steps. “Maybe this’ll do.”

  He looked at it and nodded approvingly. “It probably was a horse blanket, but it’s thick, so I’m not sure. As long as she thinks maybe it’s for her, it’ll be fine.” He motioned for Hedi to back up into the kitchen, then he turned deliberately and walked inside, leaving the door open. “Now we’ll see what she does.”

  He took one look at the subs on the counter and grinned. She smiled to see such joy on his face. It was a good thing she brought two twelve-inch subs since she was hungry herself. She unwrapped the first one and cut it in four pieces. The subs were made from whole French bread loaves.

  He reached for the quarter portion closest to him and then stopped and looked at her. “Do you want me to have an end piece instead?”

  “We each get an end piece,” she explained, “but I’m starting with a center piece.” She flashed him a grin and walked to the counter. “Damn. I did buy coffee, just didn’t start any. I guess we can put some on afterward.” She sat at the small rickety table and frowned. “I don’t think this was Pete’s table. He had a big oak one from his granddad.”

  “It’s possible,” Pierce said. “I’m not sure what Ross might have sold.”

  Just then she heard noises upstairs. “What’s that?” she cried out in a harsh whisper.

  “Ross,” he said. “He came to get the rest of his stuff. This is his second trip.”

  “How do you know it’s his stuff though?” she asked.

  “Because I’m taking pictures of it and checking with Pete. If it’s just personal shit, I don’t think Pete cares. He was trying to take some of the electronics, and Pete says those are his. We’re also having an argument about how much money he owes Pete. From the looks of it, he needs to replace close to thirty thousand dollars that he stole.”

  “I didn’t steal it,” Ross snapped from the doorway, “and I ain’t paying it back.” He turned and looked at her. “Hey, I mean, really I didn’t steal it.” His voice turned into a whine. “Pete’s got no reason to say that.”

  “Thirty thousand dollars?” she said. “What did you do with all that money? Pete needs that to fix up the house.”

  Ross raise both hands, palms exposed, in obvious frustration. “Well, I didn’t know he was coming back, did I?”

  “That’s hardly any reason to steal from your brother.” She turned to look at Pierce. “Pete doesn’t have much money.”

  “Oh, he’s got money, his pension if nothing else,” Pierce said. “We’ll have to go through the courts, obviously, to get the money back though.”

  “I don’t have the money,” Ross said. “I told you that.”

  Pierce turned and looked at him, pinning him in place. “A lien has been slapped on your account,” he said. “I got confirmation of that twenty minutes ago. You won’t be getting any of that money out of that account until an agreement is made.”

  “You can’t do that,” he blubbered. “I don’t have any money for gas.”

  “Isn’t that just too damn bad,” Pierce said, standing, towering above him. “Isn’t it too damn bad you stole so much money from your brother? According to the lien, over sixty thousand dollars is in that account. And I want to know where it came from. Like, where is Pete’s antique dining room table?”

  Ross shook his head. “No. You can’t touch that money. That’s my money.”

  “I know of at least thirty thousand you took from Pete. But, for all I know, it’s a lot more than that, and that’s why we’ll do a full investigation before you get access again.”

  “You can’t do that.”

  “Too damn bad, too late. A lawsuit has been filed. A lien has been slap
ped. Now you should get a lawyer, and you can fight it out.”

  “How am I supposed to pay for a lawyer,” he cried out, “if I can’t get my money?”

  “Stealing it from your brother doesn’t make it your money. I guess you have a problem then, don’t you?”

  Hedi stepped forward and said, “Ross, did you really steal that kind of money from Pete?” She knew assholes were in this world, but to steal from your disabled brother? … That was pretty low.

  He looked at her sadly. “I didn’t think Pete would need it. It seems like the government paid for everything for him, so what did he need the money for? I needed it.”

  “What did you need it for?” she asked, puzzled. “You’ve been living in Pete’s house free and clear, Pete’s paying the bills, the taxes, according to what Pierce has said. So what did you need the money for?

  “Because I don’t want to stay here,” he cried out. “And, even if I can’t sell Pete’s place, and if I want to get the hell out of here, I have to have cash.”

  “When were you thinking of selling Pete’s place?” she asked. “Did you ask him about that?”

  “Yeah, but he won’t sell.” Ross snorted. “Look at this place. It’s falling down. I won’t get much for it anyway. As much as it’s nice to have free room and board, I do have to think about my own future.”

  “Where did you get all the money from then?” Pierce asked.

  “It’s mine,” Ross snapped. “I was working, you know? Right up until I lost my job a few months back. I saved it.”

  “You saved it because you were living at Pete’s place,” Pierce said.

  “And did you sell a bunch of stuff from Pete’s home?” Hedi said, looking back at the kitchen table. “He had that wonderful antique table from your granddad. That was Pete’s. Where is it?” She caught a glimpse of something in the back of Ross’s eyes. She stared at him. “Did you really strip his house of everything of value and sell it?”

  “Just a few things,” he said. “He was my granddad too.”

  “But according to Pete,” she said, “you got cash, and he wanted the heirlooms.”