Page 60 of Silos and Sabotage

She stared at it as he hurried her way to assist her across the porch. “You’ve been holding out on me,” she accused. “When in the world did you find time to ride a bull?” She honestly hadn’t pegged him for being that crazy.

“It’s his.” Gage jammed a thumb in Johnny’s direction.

“He lost a dare,” Johnny bragged, swaggering their way.

“That I never agreed to.” Gage looked like he was trying not to laugh.

“It’s okay. I went easy on him,” Johnny scoffed. “Unlike what he did to me when I lost to him.”

“I’m not sure I want to know?—”

“He made me wear a military-grade gas mask to work.” Johnny gripped his neck with both hands, pretending like he was gasping for air.

“I’m glad you survived.” She held up a hand. “You’re welcome to spare me the details. Nice wheels, by the way. Is that a new Jeep?”

“Nope. It was a Christmas gift to myself a few years ago, since no one else would buy it for me.” He took off his Stetson and whacked it against his knee, sending up another cloud of dust.

“Don’t!” Ella and Gage shouted in unison. Gage hurriedly stepped between her and the dust cloud to assist her into her seat and shut the door.

Once the three of them were buckled in, Gage announced, “While we’re on the topic of mud, dust, and other annoying things, my younger brother called a few minutes ago. It’s been months since I heard from him.”

Ella was happy to hear it. “Where’s he been?”

He snorted. “His standard response is that he’d have to kill me if he told me. It’s a Special Forces joke.”

It sounded very much like the fun-loving younger brother he’d described to her. “Is he stateside now?”

“Yep, and get this. He recently finished an online degree in criminal justice with an emphasis in forensic art. I think you know where I’m going with this.” He’d previously mentioned setting up some sort of video call for them.

“Oh, wow! Absolutely. When can I meet with him?” Her insides twisted with angst as she recalled the faceless creature who’d attacked her father.

“I told him I’d text him back as soon as you give me a green light.” He started the motor and headed down the driveway. “We’ve got a video phone set up in one of the Lonestar conference rooms.” He caught her gaze in the rearview mirror. “What do you think the odds are of convincing your mom to join us?”

“In our favor.” Ella doubted there was anything her mother wouldn’t do to help find her husband’s killer.

They drove through town and soon left the city limit sign behind. On the other side of it, grain silos appeared on both sides of the highway.

Gage pointed out four silver silos standing in a perfect line. “According to the local news, those are the next set of silos going up for sale.” They looked identical to the repurposed ones that had been used to build the Heart Lake Animal Rescue Sanctuary.

“Here’s some local gossip on the topic.” Johnny’s gaze followed where he was pointing. “Years ago, your mother’s family,” he pointed across the seat at Ella without turning around, “allegedly sabotaged a bunch of silos before selling them to the Bolanders.”

“Oh, really?” She could only hope it was a topic of conversation that wouldn’t come up over dinner.

“Really,” he drawled. “Let me regale you with the tale.”

During the remainder of their drive, he recounted how Mr. Walker Moneybags Radcliffe, as he called him, had decided out of the blue to update all of his silos. It sounded like something that had happened a few decades earlier. He’d subsequently offered to sell a dozen of his older silos at a steep discount to the Bolanders. Though the two families were barely on speaking terms, Creston Bolander hadn’t been able to pass up such a bargain, but he’d soon lived to regret the decision. According to the story, the silos he’d purchased from the Radcliffes had required constant repairs. He’d eventually started auctioning them off dirt cheap just to get rid of them. He’d let the animal rescue sanctuary help themselves to three of them for no more than the cost it had taken to haul them off.

“Sabotaged silos,” Ella mused.Just when you think you’ve heard it all.“Was there ever any proof?”

“Nope.” Johnny shook his head. “Most folks have long since chalked it up to a small-town legend.”

“Are the four silos we just passed some of the allegedly sabotaged ones?” She craned around to get a final glimpse of them before they disappeared.

“Nobody knows.” Johnny adopted a spooky voice. “According to another legend, two of the sabotaged silos eventually became haunted.”

“Hence the dare.” Gage pointed at his belt buckle. “I don’t believe in ghosts, but Johnny insists he caught one on video. In the event he stumbled across Billy Bob’s hideout, something well worth celebrating, I yielded to the dare I never accepted and wore the buckle.”

“You just wanted to wear the buckle,” Johnny ragged, “just admit it already.”

---