Cast A Cold Eye by Curtin Rich

Author:Curtin, Rich
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery
Publisher: Monticello Press
Published: 2021-11-22T00:00:00+00:00

15

THE FIRST TIME Rivera drove up this road, he hadn’t noticed the llama. He brought his pickup to a stop and lowered the window. The llama was accompanied by several dozen sheep. He’d heard llamas made good guardians of a flock but had never before seen one guarding sheep in real life. Llamas were tall which made them good at spotting predators. They were large and could kick and bite, which meant they could ward off a hungry coyote intent on mutton for its next meal. Rivera stopped and turned off the engine.

Now he noticed the beauty of the fields and the woods surrounding them, the absence of people, the silence, and the fresh mountain air. The llama slowly raised its head, extended its long neck, and studied Rivera with a prissy expression for a long moment. Apparently deciding the deputy was no threat, it lowered its head and resumed grazing. More and more, Rivera understood the love the Whitmires had for this place, why they had decided to spend their lives here, and why they wanted to preserve the ranch’s beauty.

He resumed driving and thought about Rusty Randall. He’d been a lucky young man before someone ended his life. Not many people discover what they love to do at such an early age. But he had found his passion and dove in completely and wholeheartedly. Rivera imagined Rusty loved to wake up each morning and start working on his project.

Rivera spotted Sam Cameron’s truck in the distance parked off to the left. Cameron and a young helper were repairing sagging fenceposts and tightening barbed wire strands. Rivera pulled to a stop. Cameron spotted the deputy, waved, and walked over to his vehicle.

“Howdy, Deputy.”

Rivera slid out of the truck. “I’d like to ask you a few more questions.”

“Sure.”

He related the story about Lorelei Marchand and her three friends and asked Cameron if he remembered them. The deputy mentioned they had rented ATVs.”

“When did you say that was?”

Rivera repeated the date.

An incredulous expression appeared on Cameron’s face. It transformed itself into a grin which became a chuckle. “You’ve got to be kidding, man. I can barely remember what I had for dinner last night.”

“You were supposed to follow along behind the guests when they were riding ATVs, right?”

“Well, sure, I was supposed to. I mean, that’s what Mr. Whitmire wanted me to do in case there was a problem. To be honest, most of the time I did follow them, but not always. Sometimes the guests went off in their ATVs without telling me, and sometimes I was just too busy with other things. This is a large ranch with an endless list of things that need fixing. Of course, I wouldn’t want Mr. Whitmire to know any of this.”

“So, you don’t remember these people.”

Cameron laughed. “No way. Even if I did follow them, I wouldn’t remember. It was too long ago.”

Rivera grinned. “Well, I knew it was a long shot. I’ve got some other questions for you. How did the Whitmires feel about their son marrying Angie?”

Cameron’s smile disappeared.

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