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Undercover Christmas Page 13


  “He’s dead,” she heard Dayton say from inside the room. Marni looked past Chase to see Dayton standing beside his father’s desk. Jabe sat where they’d left him. He appeared to be slumped in the chair, his head to one side. Blood ran from his temple down the smooth, soft leather of the chair to pool on the hardwood floor at his feet.

  Marni closed her eyes, feeling ill, but the image stayed with her. Jabe sprawled in the chair at his desk. His right arm dangling at his side. His fingertips almost touching the pistol that had fallen from his hand to rest in the blood on the floor.

  “Don’t do that!” Chase barked.

  Marni opened her eyes to see Dayton jerk his hand back. He’d been about to pick up the gun from the floor.

  “Don’t touch that!” Chase repeated, limping over to his father. Forcing Dayton to step out of the way, he felt for a pulse. After a few moments, he cursed under his breath and looked up at Marni.

  She felt a shudder at the anguish she witnessed in his eyes.

  “Shouldn’t we get him covered up or something?” Dayton’ said.

  “Don’t touch anything,” Chase ordered.

  Dayton’s face reddened. “What the hell is wrong with you, Chase? It was suicide not—”

  “Who found him?” Chase demanded, cutting off his half brother as he opened the desk drawers with the tip of a pencil and searched inside.

  “I did,” Dayton said.

  “Was the will on the desk?” Chase asked.

  “No,” Dayton said with a frown. “There wasn’t anything on the desk, I don’t think. I don’t know. I didn’t notice. I saw him and I called for Mother.”

  Chase sighed and raked a hand through his hair. “And you didn’t see anyone else in this room or see anyone leave?”

  “I was just down the hall when I heard the gunshot. I opened the door and Father was the only one in the room,” Dayton said. “No one went in or out.” He seemed to realize where that left him. “You don’t think I killed him?”

  Marni watched Chase finish his search of Jabe’s desk, knowing he was looking for the will Jabe had been writing when they left the room. So where was it now?

  Lilly suddenly appeared beside Marni, her eyes large and haunted.

  “Lilly,” Hayes whispered. “Where have you been?” He stepped toward her as if he meant to comfort her.

  She sidestepped him and took Marni’s hand in her cold clammy one. Marni could smell the booze on the woman’s breath and felt Lilly’s body tremble as she asked, “It’s Jabe, isn’t it?”

  “Shouldn’t we call a doctor?” Vanessa cried, her voice high and brittle.

  Chase shook his head. “Call the sheriff.”

  “The sheriff?” Dayton echoed. “It’s obvious Father killed himself. What do you need the sheriff for?”

  “Someone call the damned sheriff!” Chase yelled as if he hadn’t even heard Dayton. “And close off this room.”

  No one moved. Hilda cried harder.

  Chase looked up, his gaze meeting Marni’s again. She stared at him, trying to understand the fury she saw in his eyes.

  “Just call the sheriff, dammit. From the barn,” Chase snapped when Dayton started to pick up his father’s phone. “The phone’s still dead. Use the two-way radio in the barn.”

  Dayton threw his half brother a lethal look, then stormed out of the room, sending the family scattering down the hallway.

  All except Marni. She stood alone at the edge of the room, hugging Sam, watching Chase with concern. He had gone deathly still after everyone left. For a long moment, he’d just stood looking down at his father. Then he’d taken one of his crutches and swung it wildly. It came down on the edge of the hearth and broke in a loud crack, but not as loud as the curse that Chase cried out. The sound tore at Marni’s heart. She wanted desperately to reach out to him, and even stepped toward him, then stopped, afraid he wouldn’t accept comfort from her.

  He threw the other crutch across the room and turned to see her still there.

  “I wish I’d killed the bastard myself,” he said, the cold rage in his voice sending a chill through her.

  He picked up his one good crutch and limped toward her. “Let’s wait somewhere else until the sheriff comes.”

  They went into the room where Marni had found Lilly crying last night. Chase sat on the arm of the couch.

  “I’m sorry about your father,” Marni said quietly.

  He closed his eyes for a moment. “You know what this means? Elise McCumber and her baby are in danger until that will turns up.” He opened his eyes, his gaze fell on her and softened. “You’re in danger.”

  She hugged Sam. “Why would someone first try to kill your father to keep him from changing his will and now kill him to keep him from changing it back?”

  Chase shook his head. “Especially when it’s my baby who will benefit.” He eyed her. “Or so it would seem. The thing is, Elise McCumber isn’t carrying my baby any more than you are.” He gave her a look that said he’d prove it to her.

  Marni wished with all her heart that he could.

  “Why would a man so hell-bent on having a grandchild kill himself? There is no way my father killed himself. No way.”

  Marni had to admit she couldn’t see Jabe Calloway committing suicide. Especially now.

  “And where is the will he was writing when we left him? Dayton said there was nothing on the desk when he came into the room. There’s nothing in the wastebasket or the drawers. I checked. Whoever killed him either took it or destroyed it.”

  “But why? The way it stands right now, the money goes to the first grandchild.”

  He moved to the window. “As long—”

  “Don’t say it, Chase, you’re scaring me.”

  “You are still in danger,” he repeated, turning to look at her.

  “You mean Elise.”

  “Everyone in this house believes you’re Elise Mc-Cumber. That’s why you have to take off that damned maternity form. Now.”

  CHASE WATCHED in frustration as the sheriff and coroner did their thing, knowing each had come to the same conclusion: Jabe Calloway had committed suicide.

  “He didn’t kill himself,” Chase said, making Sheriff Tom Danner look up from his notes. Jabe’s body had been removed from the library.

  “What makes you say that?” Danner asked.

  “He was too selfish to kill himself,” Chase said, unable to control the anger he heard in his voice. “It would have made too many people happy.”

  The sheriff shook his head. “I knew your father—”

  “Then you knew what an overbearing bastard he was,” Chase said. “Do you really think he killed himself?”

  Danner rubbed his jaw and eyed Chase warily. “All the evidence certainly makes it appear to be a suicide. He was shot in the side of the head at contact range from the right side with a .38 registered to him.” He glanced at Chase. “He was right-handed and the gun is on the right side of his body. There’s no evidence of a struggle. The angle of the shot, the fact that only one shot was fired and the location of the gun all would support suicide, and I’d bet we’ll find powder burns on his hand. The only thing missing is a suicide note.”

  “No, the only thing missing is the codicil to the will my father wrote just before he was killed,” Chase said.

  “He was changing his will?”

  “His original will left an equal share to each of his sons,” Chase explained. “He changed it recently so the first grandchild would get the lion’s share of his estate. When I left him in this room, he was changing it back.”

  “Who stands to benefit at this point?”

  “It would appear I do.” He could feel the sheriff’s gaze on him, warmer than the fire.

  Danner studied him. “Well, unless you killed him, what would be the point?”

  “I wish I knew. All I can tell you is that someone in this family didn’t want Jabe to change his will back.”

  “Maybe the autopsy will come up with something,” the sheri
ff said, closing his notebook and putting it into his shirt pocket. “Your father was a complicated man. Who knows what his last thoughts were.”

  His last thoughts? “If we knew them, we’d know who killed him,” Chase said.

  “Or we’d know that he left a financial mess for you kids,” Danner said. “Knowing your father, that’s a possi-bility.”

  “Yes,” Chase said, not even trying to hide his bitterness. “His first thought was always his children.”

  THE BIG OLD HOUSE grew unusually quiet after the sheriff and coroner drove away, the lights from the ambulance flashing brightly against the fresh snow. Marni watched from the bedroom window, her hand on the maternity form she still wore. She couldn’t take if off. Not yet. Not until she knew that Elise would be safe.

  Still in shock Marni watched until the lights died in the distance. The sheriff said he had been planning to head out this way as soon as the roads opened anyway. Someone by the name of Mary Margaret McCumber had called, worried about her daughter.

  He promised to call Mrs. McCumber and let her know her daughter Elise was fine and would be calling from Bozeman. Sheriff Danner had offered to give Marni a ride but Chase had insisted be would take her. Where was Chase? He’d promised to come to her as soon as he’d finished with the sheriff. In the meantime, he’d made her promise to stay in the bedroom with both doors locked.

  Marni caught a glimpse out of the window of someone hurrying to the barn and recognized Chase’s tall, lean figure limping across the snowy yard. What was he doing going to the barn again now?

  Marni heard a sound and turned to see that someone had just slipped a note under her door. She rushed over to pick up the piece of paper and, against her better judgement, opened the door to look out. The hallway was empty.

  She closed the door quickly and unfolded the piece of paper. “Elise, meet me at the barn. It’s urgent, Chase.”

  Marni looked down at the note, unsure. Who had delivered this? She’d just seen Chase hobbling out to the barn. And she’d never seen Chase’s writing. Not only that, she’d promised she’d stay in her room. She remembered how Dayton had tricked Chase into leaving her alone in the barn with him. She didn’t want that to happen again.

  But the note said it was urgent.

  Suddenly more worried about Chase than herself, Marni hurried to the barn. The last of the day’s sun made the snow-covered earth glow white. The pines hung heavy and the air smelled fresh and crisp.

  Marni pushed open the barn door and stepped in, expecting to find Chase inside. She stood for a moment, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dim light. The tack room was empty, so was the office. She moved to the edge of the arena and looked down at the soft trampled ground. Empty.

  A horse whinnied from the stable area, drawing her in that direction. As she opened the stable door, she could hear one horse in particular. She caught a glimpse of Wind Chaser about the same time she saw Hayes.

  Hayes stood back from the stall, a look of concern on his face as he stared at the stallion. Wind Chaser thrashed ground, his hooves pounding the ground beneath him, his eyes wild.

  “Something’s wrong with this horse,’ Hayes said to himself, frowning. He seemed to sense Marni and turned to smile tentatively.

  “I was looking for Chase,” Marni said and started to turn.

  “I was the one who sent the note,” Hayes said. “Not Chase.”

  “But I just saw him—”

  Hayes nodded. “I sent him over to the other barn so I could talk to you alone.”

  Marni felt a chill wrap its icy fingers around her neck. “What about?”

  He moved toward her. “You’ve been great with Lilly.”

  “Lilly?” Is that all this was about?

  “The thing is, there is so much you don’t know. I’m just afraid that Lilly might do something—” He glanced behind him, back at Wind Chaser, and when he turned, stumbled into her, bumping the maternity form. “I’m sorry, I—” He looked from her belly to her face and back again. “My God.” He stepped back as if burned. His eyes widened as he stared at her.

  Marni felt her heart sink. Hayes knew she wasn’t carrying Chase’s child! Wasn’t carrying any child. “I can explain.”

  But she didn’t get the chance. Behind them, Wind Chaser let out a high-pitched whinny followed by the sound of splintering wood. She and Hayes swung around.

  Everything happened so fast The scent of gardenia. The stall door banging open. Wind Chaser, hooves flying as the horse reared, eyes wild.

  Marni stumbled back and fell hard, knocking the air out of her. She heard Hayes let out a cry. And the sound of the horse, above them.

  She rolled over to find Hayes lying crumpled beside her, silent and bleeding. She crawled over to him.

  “Elise,” he said, his voice barely a whisper. He reached out to her, she took his hand and held it

  “Don’t try to talk, Hayes.”

  “The baby. You have to protect the baby.”

  “Hayes, it’s all right—”

  He squeezed her hand and shook his head. “No.” His grip loosened. His eyes closed.

  “Hayes!” Marni cried. Then she saw the rise and fall of his chest. Thank God, he wasn’t dead.

  Behind her, she heard Wind Chaser snorting and stomping the dirt. Slowly she turned to look over her shoulder, hoping he’d gone back into his stall, knowing there wasn’t much chance of that The horse stood only a few feet away. He snorted and stomped the dirt, then reared again. She screamed and curled herself protectively around Hayes as the hooves came down.

  “EASY, BABY,” Chase said, his words soft. Marni opened her eyes, expecting to see Chase leaning over her. Instead, he stood between her and the stallion and his soft words were not for her, she realized, but the horse.

  It took a moment to realize exactly what he was doing. Putting distance between her and the horse. “Be careful,” she cried as she watched Chase advance on the stallion.

  “Hush, and don’t move,” Chase ordered softly, the softness obviously still for the horse.

  He moved slowly toward the stallion, murmuring soothingly as he backed Wind Chaser toward an open stall. “Easy, boy.”

  The stallion stomped and swung his head. Marni watched in amazement as Chase cajoled the horse into the empty stall and closed and latched the door.

  He turned and limped over to her. “Are you hurt?”

  She shook her head as she tried to sit up, her muscles like jelly. “Hayes—”

  Chase turned to his half brother, checked for a pulse then rushed to the office and the two-way radio. She listened to him call for a medical helicopter. Then call the house on an intercom.

  “There’s been an injury in the barn.”

  He reappeared and pulled off his coat to lay it over Hayes. Then he pressed his leather glove to the wound on Hayes’s head to stop the bleeding.

  “What were you doing out here?” he demanded, not looking at her.

  She could hear the controlled anger in his voice. After all, he’d ordered her to stay in her room. She wondered if Chase did anything but order people around. “I got a note from you saying to meet you in the barn. That it was urgent.”

  “I didn’t send the note.”

  “I know that now,” she said in exasperation. “Hayes did. He said he’d sent you to the other barn so he could talk to me alone.”

  “What about?”

  “He seemed to want to talk about Lilly.” She remembered the smell of Lilly’s perfume just after she’d turned to see the stall door standing open. Had she imagined it? Or had Lilly been in the barn?

  Chase made a disgusted sound. “You came out here, knowing how dangerous it was?”

  “I saw you come out here, then I got the note. I was worried about you.”

  “About me?” He swore under his breath. “How did the stallion get out?” he asked, obviously changing his tack.

  Marni wished she knew. “I found Hayes near Wind Chaser’s stall. The horse was agitated.” H
ow did she explain what had happened next?

  Chase turned to blink at her. “Are you telling me Hayes is the one who left the stall door open?”

  Marni looked over at Wind Chaser in confusion. “No, the door was closed. We had turned our backs when I heard the sound of splintering wood. The stall door banged open. Just before that, I think Hayes realized I wasn’t really pregnant. And I think Lilly was here,” she added.

  Chase turned on her, a look of shock on his handsome features. “What?” was all he got out before Vanessa came bursting into the barn, followed by Dayton and Felicia, then finally Lilly.

  Vanessa threw herself to the dirt beside Hayes and wept openly, showing much more emotion for her son’s injury than she had for the death of her husband.

  Lilly stood staring down at her husband, her face the color of snow, her eyes dark and wide. “It’s God’s will,” she whispered, making Marni look up at her in surprise. It was then that Marni noticed that unlike Vanessa, Dayton and Felicia, who had rushed straight from the house, Lilly wore her coat and boots.

  Vanessa shooed Chase away, taking over the care of her son. Chase helped Marni to her feet. She still felt woozy as he led her over to Wind Chaser’s empty stall. The boards on one side had been splintered by the horse’s hooves. The door hung open. Marni watched Chase inspect it. He pulled a piece of broken wood from inside the latch and motioned for Marni not to say anything until they were outside.

  “Is that what I think it is?” Marni asked.

  “It looks like someone jammed the stick into the latch so it wouldn’t lock all the way,” Chase said when they were a good distance from the barn.

  “That’s crazy. Anyone who came into the barn could have been Wind Chaser’s victim.”

  Chase nodded. “Any chance Lilly saw you go to the barn to meet Hayes?”

  “I don’t know.”

  He swore and stopped to pull her around to face him. ‘You have no idea what you’ve stumbled into. This family—” He waved a hand through the air, then let out a long exasperated breath before he loosened his grip on her. “I know you want to protect Lilly. It’s your nature. But Marni, when it comes to Calloway money, Lilly isn’t that much different from Felicia.”