Рита Херрон – Warrior Son (страница 2)
Hell, if Maddox, Brett or Ray knew Roan was blood related, they might accuse him of sabotage.
All the more reason to keep quiet about who he was.
And all the more reason to keep his questions about Joe’s death to himself until he found out if there was any substance to his suspicions.
* * *
DR. MEGAN LAIL finished her autopsy report on a man named Morty Burns, a ranch hand who’d been shot and left dead outside Pistol Whip, Wyoming. So far, the police had no idea who’d shot him, but she’d done her job—established time and cause of death and recovered the bullet that had taken the man’s life.
She had been infatuated with dead bodies since her sister’s murder. Not that she enjoyed the morbid side of death, but the bodies told the story.
Just as she’d been driven to know who killed Shelly, family members deserved to know the answers about their loved ones. And it was comforting to know she could help give them closure.
Still, her father had been disappointed in her. He’d raved about Shelly and her beauty, constantly reminding Megan that she hadn’t been graced with extraordinary looks, that she had to use her brain to get anywhere in life. She hadn’t minded that at all. Science had always interested her.
When Shelly had been killed and investigators had converged, she’d realized that the medical examiner was the one who’d discovered the clue that led to the culprit. Sitting at the trial with her father, she’d decided she wanted to be an ME.
She removed her gloves, filed her report, then clicked to the news and studied the story about the recent arrest of Bobby and Barbara Lowman made by Deputy Roan Whitefeather and the sheriff. The arrests had hit big in Pistol Whip because they centered around the McCullens of Horseshoe Creek and revealed that the patriarch of the family, Joe, who had recently died, had another family on the side.
A mistress named Barbara and an illegitimate son, Bobby.
Bobby had resented Joe for years, and his mother Barbara felt betrayed because Joe never married her. They’d also been upset over the stipulations Joe placed on the will regarding Bobby’s inheritance, that Bobby would have to work under the tutelage of Maddox.
They’d pulled a gun on Scarlet and threatened the family, and both were in prison. But neither admitted to setting the two fires on the ranch, one of which had ruined the family’s long-standing home.
More details followed in the article.
Former rodeo star Brett McCullen has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the arsonist.
Megan massaged her temple as her mind took a leap. Something had been bothering her about Joe McCullen’s autopsy.
Her curious nature, the attribute that helped her most in her job, pummeled her with what-ifs. What if Joe’s death hadn’t been due to his illness?
She’d detected something odd about the tox screen and relayed her concerns to Dr. Cumberland, the McCullens’ family doctor and Joe’s lifelong friend.
The conversation replayed in her head.
“You’re young and new to this, Megan. You obviously made a mistake,” Dr. Cumberland had said. “I took care of Joe during his illness. He had emphysema. Just look at his X-rays and scans.”
She’d looked at them and Joe had in fact had emphysema. “But there are slight traces of a toxin indicating he was poisoned. It appears to be cyanide.”
Dr. Cumberland had scanned her notes and scowled. “Run the tests again. This can’t be right.”
Megan had gone to the lab, extracted another sample and sent it to be tested. An hour later, Dr. Cumberland had hand delivered the report to her.
“See, there is no sign of poison. The lab tech mixed up the reports. The result you first received was for another case.”
Yet the fact that someone was trying to hurt the McCullens bothered her. She was meticulous in her work and never made mistakes.
And she couldn’t let this go without one more look. Adrenaline pumping, she accessed the autopsy file. Guilt nagged at her for questioning Dr. Cumberland, though.
The family physician had worked in Pistol Whip for years. Everyone in town adored him. For goodness’ sake, he’d delivered half the town’s babies, including the McCullen boys, Maddox, Brett and Ray.
And he had been distraught over Joe’s death.
He wouldn’t have had any reason to lie to her or cover up a tox report.
But...something just didn’t feel right. She didn’t think she’d made a mistake...
She picked up the phone and called the lab tech, a young guy named Howard, then explained about the two different results.
“I guess it’s possible that I mixed them up,” Howard said. “But I double-check everything. I’m OCD that way.”
So was she. In their line of work, details were important.
Howard cleared his throat. “If you still have a sample I can retest.”
Megan’s pulse hammered. “As a matter of fact, I do. I’ll send it over right now, Howard. But please keep this between you and me.”
“Sure, Megan. What’s going on?”
“I just want to double-check for myself.”
He agreed to call her when he was done, and she decided she’d talk to Deputy Whitefeather while she waited on the results. He would know if Joe had any enemies.
She didn’t want to bother Joe’s sons unless she had something concrete.
The thought of seeing the deputy again stirred a hot sensation deep in her belly. She’d met Roan when he worked on the res on the tribal council.
When his mother died, she’d performed the autopsy. Roan had been devastated. His mother was all the family he had.
She’d hated to see the big, strong man in pain. A comforting hug had led to a kiss. A kiss filled with such loneliness that she hadn’t been able to resist. They’d made love for hours.
Sometimes at night when she was alone, she closed her eyes and could still feel his big, strong hands touching her, stroking her, loving her. She’d never felt anything so intense.
But the next morning, he’d walked away from her and hadn’t spoken to her since.
What would he say if she showed up with questions about Joe McCullen’s death?
* * *
ROAN CONGRATULATED THE happy couple before he drove back to the cabin he’d rented on the river. He missed the res, but working for the sheriff’s department meant he worked for all the people in Pistol Whip and the county it encompassed, so living in a neutral, more central location seemed wisest.
“Did you see anything suspicious tonight?” Maddox asked as they watched Scarlet toss the bouquet.
“No. I’ll ride across the property on my way home and take a look around, though.”
“Thanks.” Maddox shook his hand. “I appreciate you covering the office while Rose and I were gone. Brett said he was going to hire extra security for the ranch for a while, at least until we find out who set those fires. He’s rebuilding the barns and the main house is already done.”
“Extra security is not a bad idea,” Roan said. Maddox, Brett and Ray couldn’t keep up the ranch and do surveillance around the clock by themselves.
After all, on a spread this size, there were dozens of places for someone to hide.
Some blonde caught the bouquet, prompting squeals from the guests, and Maddox joined his wife on the dance floor.
Roan leaned against the edge of the makeshift bar they’d set up for the reception, his mouth watering for a cold beer. But he didn’t drink on the job.
The McCullen men danced and swayed with their wives, and for some odd reason, a pang hit him. They looked so damn happy.
They were family.
Something he didn’t have anymore.
Yet...they were his blood kin.
It doesn’t matter. You’re not going to tell them.
Hell, they’d probably think he was like Bobby Lowman, that he wanted something from them.
He wanted nothing but to live in peace. Caring about folks meant pain when they went away.
His mother’s face flashed in his mind. Truth be known, she was the only person in the world he’d ever loved.
His phone buzzed, and he checked the number, surprised to see Dr. Megan Lail’s name appear. Damn, he hadn’t seen her since last year, the night his mother died.
Since the night they’d...gotten hot and sweaty between the sheets.
Perspiration broke out on his brow and he swiped at it. It was the most erotic sex he’d ever had. For months he’d dreamed about it, woken up to an image of Megan’s breasts swaying above him as she impaled herself on his shaft. Of him pumping inside her, of her ivory skin blushing with passion and her soft moans of ecstasy filling the air.