Page 54 of Dairy and Deadly

“Not a clue.” She unbuckled her seatbelt and stuffed her pistol in her coat pocket. Then she exited the vehicle. Stepping to his side, she muttered, “We’ll just have to wing it.”

“Roger dodger.” Winging it happened to be his specialty. “I’ve got your back, partner.” The agony that speared her gaze made him wish he could recall the words. “Sorry. Poor choice of words.”

“We’re good,” she said softly.

Locating her ex’s herd ended up being as easy as following the mooing sounds. They discovered a dairy parlor with the brand-spanking new milking machines Farmer Monty had described to him over pancakes.

A single ranch hand was hooking and unhooking cattle from the milking machines. He was a tall, slender man in faded jeans and a dusty denim jacket. A ball cap was pulled low over his eyes, shielding the upper half of his face.

Johnny gave him a friendly nod. “Have you seen Farmer Monty around?” It seemed like a good idea to make it sound like they had a legitimate reason for being here. One that didn’t make them look like outright trespassers.

The ranch hand nodded without speaking and pointed toward the farmhouse where Farmer Monty lived.

“Thanks, man. I’m Johnny Cuba, by the way.” Johnny stepped closer, and the guy took off running.

Johnny exchanged a startled look with Ashley. Then they wordlessly chased after the man.

The guy ran in a zigzagging motion, half stooped over like he was clutching something. He shot out a side door, and Johnny followed. Ashley was right on his heels.

He yanked open the door, gun in hand, and skidded to a halt. “You?” A sick feeling settled in his gut. He hadn’t wanted to believe this part of Ashley’s story, but the proof was staring him in the face.

Caro stood there with a pistol trained on him. Her deader-than-dead expression provided a striking contrast to her designer navy slacks and matching stiletto pumps. Her white silk blouse didn’t have so much as a wrinkle in it.

“Going somewhere?” Her voice was dangerously calm. As usual, her makeup was perfect. Her hair was pulled up in an equally tidy bun atop her head. Classy pearl teardrop earrings dangled from her earlobes.

Johnny heard a gun cock beside him.

“Drop it, Caro.” Ashley’s voice was equally calm. “The game is up.”

“Too bad.” Caro pointed the barrel of her gun upward, conceding defeat. A little too easily, in Johnny’s opinion. Then she ever-so-slowly lowered the gun to the floor. “Just when things were getting interesting.”

“On your knees!” Ashley stepped closer to kick her gun away.

Johnny whipped out his cell phone and dialed the sheriff’s direct line — one of the perks of his company working so closely with the police in such a small town.

Sheriff Luke Hawling picked up on the second ring. “What’s up, Johnny?”

“We’ve gotta situation, sheriff.” He gave him the highlights, and Luke assured him he was already hightailing it toward his police cruiser.

Johnny disconnected the line and tuned back in to what Ashley was saying. “Who was the guy that just ran past you?”

A hard smile settled on Caro’s red-painted lips. Though she was kneeling on the hay-strewn floor, she managed to exude a condescending air. “Nice try, city girl, but you’re never going to pin this on me.” She redirected her venom to Johnny. “She’s well aware that this shady operation belongs to her fiancé.” She angled her head at the nearest milking machine. “Pretending to break up with him was a nice touch. So was all the money she sent to her partner’s widow.”

“Who was that man?” Ashley repeated, as undeterred as a bulldog with a meaty bone clamped between her teeth. “Who are you working for?”

Caro gave her a bored look. “I work alone, darling. Unlike you, I would never rope a nice, unsuspecting cowboy into doing my dirty work.”

Johnny was surprised to see no chink in her emotional armor, considering that the sheriff was on his way. “Answer the question, Caro.”

She gave a mirthless chuckle. “Really, Johnny?”

“Really, Caro.” He scowled at her, trying to figure out what game she was playing.

“As if you didn’t already know who it was.” She glanced at the door behind her. “The one and only Martin Hobbs.”

Ashley’s gasp of revulsion tugged at Johnny’s heart. “Where is he now?”

Caro shrugged. “Beats me.”

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