In the Shadow of Death (5 page)

“This is where I took those photographs.”

When the vehicle came to a sudden, shuddering stop, the four of them scrambled out and peered over the edge. Hendrix, looking through the binoculars, gave a low whistle and silently offered them to Al.

“Let me see!” Kate grabbed the glasses from Al and peered down. “Oh, my God!”

Maggie took the binoculars out of Kate's trembling hands, but it took a few moments for her to refocus them and bring the Jeep into view. The body was spread-eagled on a flat rock a few yards from the vehicle. Overhead, several large birds screamed, wheeling and then darting at the body. “Can't you stop them?”

Hendrix leaned into the Rover, and withdrawing a shotgun, let off a few rounds into the air. The birds took off, screaming their protests as the shots reverberated around the ravine. “How are we going to get down there?” Kate cried when the sound had stopped.

“With these.” Hendrix grabbed the gear they had brought with them, then fastened one end of the rope to the winching gear on the front of the Rover and flung the other end over the treacherous edge. Bernie arrived to help Hendrix slowly pay out the rope as Al clawed and bumped his way down into the deep ravine. Minutes passed before they heard a faint shout to say he had reached the bottom. Hendrix took the glasses from Maggie and trained them downward to watch Al clamber over slabs of granite to get to the overturned Jeep. Momentarily, Maggie tore her gaze away from the unfolding drama to look at the arid, dusty landscape and feel the unearthly silence. Even the birds, startled by the shotgun blast and the activity on the cliff's edge, circled at a safe distance now—waiting. There was another shout from below and, wrenching her eyes from the birds, she saw that Al had reached the body.

“What's he saying?” Kate cried, tears running down her face. “Is it Douglas? Tell me, is it Doug?”

Below them, Al continued to yell and wave his arms.

“He's saying it's not Doug,” Maggie said, putting her arms around Kate. “It's not him.”

“Oh, thank God,” Kate whispered. “Thank God.”

“He wants us to haul him back up,” Hendrix said, looking through the glasses. “The guy must be dead.”

“Who is it?” Kate asked.

Hendrix shrugged. “Dunno.”

The wait seemed interminable. Hendrix and Bernie winched Al back up the cliff and there was a collective sigh of relief when, dusty and bleeding, he clawed over the edge. He sat for a moment, getting his breath back, then looked directly at Kate.

“It's not the boss.”

“But if it's not Doug, who is it?”

“Bit hard to tell. He's been dead for a least a couple of days.” He stood up as a police car came to a crunching halt just below the Rover. Two RCMP officers got out of the vehicle, walked up to the group and peered over the edge. “You've been down?” the corporal asked Al, taking in his dusty appearance.

Al nodded. “He's dead.”

“Can't you do something about those birds?” Maggie cut in. “They're coming back.”

Hendrix raised the gun and fired another round into the air. “That should scare them off for a bit longer.”

The corporal turned to Kate. “It's not . . . ahem . . . it's not Mr. Guthrie, then?”

Kate shook her head. “No,” she answered before turning to Maggie. “This is Corporal Brossard. Corporal, this is Margaret Spencer, a guest at the ranch.”

Brossard indicated his companion. “This is Constable Dempster.”

Hendrix handed the binoculars to Brossard. “Have a look.”

Brossard trained them on the Jeep. Then he pointed to the creek at the bottom of the ravine. “Is it possible to drive in from the other direction along that creek?”

Hendrix shook his head. “There's no more'n a track alongside the stream. It'd take half a day to get the body out that way. He's dead, so in my opinion, it'd be best to just haul him up.” He put his hand on Kate's shoulder. “Kate, why don't you and your friend go back to the house?”

Brossard turned his attention back to Kate. “As it's not your husband, perhaps that would be a very good idea.”

“No, it's not my husband,” Kate answered heatedly, “but I'm still staying until I see who it is.”

There was a sound of a distant siren. “Will the ambulance be able to turn around?” Brossard asked abruptly.

“No,” Hendrix answered. “We'll all have to drive up another couple of miles to the old mine to turn around. The road's wider up there,” he said, “but even so, it's going to be real tricky getting all the vehicles turned so that the ambulance can be in front. When it gets here, get him to follow you.”

Brossard walked Hendrix over to the Rover. “I'd appreciate your help when we all get back here,” he said.

Hendrix nodded and started his motor.

Maggie, Kate and Al waited on the far side of the road, their backs pressed against the wall of rock, until all the vehicles had made their way up to the mine, turned and come back, with the ambulance and police car leading. Then there was the long wait while Brossard, Dempster and one of the medics were lowered into the ravine. The two women, taking turns using the binoculars, watched the drama unfold below them as the men strapped the body onto a collapsible stretcher. Then began the difficult manoeuvre of hauling the stretcher to the top of the ridge.

Once up, Brossard uncovered the victim's face and asked if anyone recognized him. Bernie and Al shook their heads, but Maggie had the distinct feeling that Hendrix did know him, by the fleeting look of shock that showed on his face. Kate's expression was one of relief, but she, too, denied knowing the man's identity.

Before Brossard could cover the body up again, Maggie stepped forward to get a look. Her first impression was that the man had not been a drifter. Considering the body had been down in the ravine for at least two or three days and his clothes were in a bad state from the accident, she could see that they had been expensive: soft tan leather jacket, jeans and hand-tooled boots. Through the left breast pocket of the jacket was a neat bullet hole. Seeing her interest, Brossard quickly covered the man up and pushed the stretcher into the ambulance. After watching them drive away, the four from the Wild Rose Ranch climbed into the Rover, and with Bernie following, drove back to the ranch without saying a word.

Maggie went immediately to her room, and after a soothing bath, fell into a deep sleep. She was awakened by a light tapping on her door.

“Maggie, there's soup and sandwiches downstairs.”

Still drowsy, it took her a few moments to orient herself to the unfamiliar surroundings. “Give me a few minutes.” It seemed like a whole day had passed since she had awakened that morning, but it was only noon.

M
aggie dug into her handbag and hauled out a steno pad and a couple of pencils to plunk down on the lunch table. “Okay,” she said. “Let's have the whole story.”

“Do you mean you
are
going to help me?” Kate asked.

“I'll decide when I've heard all the details. Let's start by you telling me where you met Douglas.”

“My boss, Ray Teasdale, invited all the staff over to his house for a barbeque. Douglas just happened to be staying with him at the time.”

“And you got together?”

“Neither of us had a partner and Ray sort of introduced us, and we just stayed together most of the evening.” Maggie noticed how Kate suddenly came alive when talking about her husband. “And he called me a couple of days later,” Kate continued, “and asked me on a date. It kinda went from there.”

“You liked him right away?”

“He was so different. You know . . . older, sophisticated. Not the usual type I'd been dating before.”

“And what was your boss' reaction to you dating his friend?”

“He thought it was funny at first, but then he tried to butt in when he realized we were serious.”

“Why?

“He said Douglas was too old for me and that he had been married before and had kids . . . ” She paused, as if thinking back. “But I was married before, too.” She went to the window. “He knocked me around quite a bit.”

“How did you feel about that?”

“I was only eighteen at the time. I guess I had it coming to me. You know how it is?”

Maggie couldn't imagine “how it was.” Harry had his faults but was always gentle.

“My father had the marriage annulled,” Kate added.

“So you started dating Douglas?” she asked.

Kate nodded. “We were married six months later.”

“How did you feel about ranching?”

“Well . . . you see . . . I'm really used to the city. I did find the horses and ranch life a bit much. I'm still a bit scared of the big horses, and it can be lonely out here sometimes,” she added in a sad little voice.

“I saw you riding, Kate, and you didn't look scared to me.”

“Oh, Al's a great teacher.”

“Okay. So what happened the morning Doug went to Alberta?”

Kate fiddled with the table mat in front of her. “He got up early and left.”

“Just like that. He didn't say goodbye or anything?”

Kate's eyes filled with tears. “He always says goodbye, because he knows I hate being left on my own,” she continued and dabbed at her eyes. “He said Hendrix would be around and not to worry. Just keep the doors locked at night.” There was a fresh flood of tears.

“Anything else?”

“No . . . wait, yes. He asked did the telephone wake me.”

“You have a phone in your bedroom?”

“No. There's one in the kitchen and in Douglas' den, and Hendrix has one in the barn.”

“And had you heard the phone ring?”

“No. I sleep pretty soundly.”

“What about Doug's kids? Have you told them about their father?”

“Yes. Christine suggested that he just needed a break from married bliss. Jamie said that I should be so lucky and not to worry, because he was sure to turn up like a bad penny.”

“Jamie doesn't get on too well with his father, I take it?”

“Jamie's fun—always kind of ironic, you know—but a bit of a drifter, so Douglas got him a job with a friend of his.”

“What kind of job?”

“He works for some kinda company that deals with mines and things like that.”

“Financing them?” Maggie asked.

“I don't really understand what. Anyway, I think Jamie resented his father butting in.”

“Understandable. Doug have other family?”

“His mother. She's in a retirement home in Vancouver.”

“What about his ex?”

“Oh, she got married again. Lives in Seattle.”

Maggie snapped her notebook shut. “I can't promise my boss will let me take this on, you understand. And to be honest, I don't know what I can really do to help you.” She slipped the book back into her bag. “I don't know this area at all and the police have now agreed to look into it—although that doesn't always mean very much, I've come to know.”

“Well, suppose your boss says no?” Kate's eyes filled with tears again. “You've got to tell him I need you! Please, Maggie! I don't know what to do anymore . . . ”

“Let me think about it, Kate.”

“Can't you call him now, please?” The sudden banging on the front door made her jump up from her chair.

“Hello! Anyone at home?”

Before Kate could get to the door leading to the front hall, it opened and in walked a tall bronzed woman dressed in beautifully pressed jeans and a tailored shirt, with a loosely tied, multi-coloured scarf around her neck. Maggie thought all that was needed to complete the scene was a white Stetson and a horse named Buttermilk
.
But the woman's resemblance to Dale Evans stopped at the neckline. Her cold green eyes were taking in Maggie's appearance without the slightest degree of approval.

“Maggie, this is Vivienne Harkness,” Kate said. “She and her husband live on the next ranch.”

“I didn't realize you had a guest,” Vivienne said, extending a manicured hand. “I should have called first. But when I heard that Doug was missing, I just
had
to come.”

“Maggie's going to help me find him,” Kate said confidently.

“And how do you propose to do that?” Vivienne asked, turning to Maggie.

“She's a private investigator,” Kate blurted out.

“Investigator?” She looked Maggie up and down. “That's an odd sort of job for a woman. But perhaps it's a hobby?”

Maggie, wishing that Kate had kept her mouth shut, smiled sweetly back at Vivienne.

“No. I do it for a living. And as I've only just agreed to help Kate, I'll start by asking you a question, Mrs. Harkness. How long have you known Mr. Guthrie?”

Vivienne gave a brittle laugh. “You surely don't suspect me of abducting Doug? I've known him since I was a child. He's like a brother to me.” She turned back to Kate. “Did you two quarrel?”

“No,” Kate answered in a tight voice.

“There, there, pet,” Vivienne said. “Knowing Doug like I do, I'm sure it will all blow over.”

But Kate, ignoring Vivienne's condescension, was off on a new tangent. “Did you hear about the dead man that Hendrix and Maggie found in Black Adder Ravine this morning?”

Vivienne turned her attention back to Maggie. “Well, you have been a busy little girl, haven't you? What were you doing up there?”

Kate answered before Maggie could open her mouth. “Hendrix was giving Maggie a riding lesson.”

“And who is this dead man?”

“We don't know,” Kate said. “Hendrix called Brossard and they hauled him out on a stretcher.”

But Vivienne was still focussed on Maggie. “That must've given you quite a shock”

“Wasn't exactly my idea of a start to a peaceful vacation,” Maggie agreed with a grim smile.