Chapter 2

2

"How the hell does this keep happening?" Coy asked. "How did those men get on the property?"

"And how the hell did the deputies know to get here, right then and there?" Rip asked.

"Someone called it in," Kenzie said. "I, uh, can't believe I'm asking this, but can you see what you can find out about that? Maybe, do whatever it is you do to find out whatever you can without a warrant?"

"On it," Rip said, pulling out his phone and tapping at the screen. "Done."

"That was fast." Kenzie awkwardly chuckled.

"It'll be a bit before we have anything, but we'll have the answers, nonetheless, should there be any." Rip shared, tucking his phone away.

"I want you all to know you have the full cooperation of my office. Due to my connection to the family, I've recused myself from the case to not give the DA any reason to throw up a red flag. We no longer know who we can trust, so I am taking a backseat. I have a trusted confidant on the inside, though, who's agreed to assist with anything needed." Kenzie shared. "It's not much, but I figured any little bit would help."

"It helps. Someone is coming for our family." Coy said. "And they're coming hard."

"Smart, savvy, and know what they're doing," Kenzie added. "Who the hell is behind this and why? They got Nora out of the way. Who next? What do they gain?"

"We're being set up," Coy said. "For what, I don't know. At this rate, given all the shit that's been happening, all I can come up with is that they're trying to force us out. Maybe make us go bankrupt? Force us to sell? Revenge for any number of things."

"Someone wants our ranch, then?" Nash asked.

"Or, they just want us off it." Coy shared. "Get us out of here."

"Maybe we're closer to answers than we realize?" Rip offered. "Someone is trying to get in the way. Silence your family."

"I know where the answers to all of this are." Devyn shared. "Mama. She held the key to the kingdom. All her secrets were locked up in the proverbial vault, and now that she's gone…"

"Someone is afraid we're going to discover the truth," Coy concluded. "This isn't just a fight for whatever it is she held the key to. It's to keep us from finding it. We need to figure out who stands to gain from Mama being gone and us out of the picture."

"And how do you suppose we do that when we don't even know what secrets Mama was keeping? The will is full of clues, but none have panned out just yet."

"I got this," Devyn said. "We found Mama's journals earlier. Actually, that's what we were doing when all this went down earlier."

"Journals? Like a diary?" Devyn and Rip both nodded, and Dillon asked, "I didn't even know she kept a journal."

"For most of her life, it seems. Several boxes, full of our mother's thoughts and feelings, just sitting out there in her cottage."

"Is it right to go through them?" Nash asked. "They must be real private if we didn't even know she wrote in one."

"I understand if you all don't want to pry. It feels like an invasion of privacy, but at the same time, she knows she is passing on and doesn't get rid of them when she has the chance. I have to believe she left those for us for a reason. They were stored with all sorts of random files and papers that weren't kept in her file cabinet with other important papers."

"What kind of papers?" Coy asked.

"I don't know just yet. Some look like old receipts. Our birth certificates. Things like that." Devyn shared.

"Do you want me to get help going through them? I'm sure we can get a team to…"

"No." Devyn interrupted. "I appreciate the offer, but… like y'all said. These are her private thoughts and feelings. I know we need to get into them –– I feel it in my soul, but sharing with strangers––"

"We just aren't there yet," Coy admitted. "I understand."

"Look, I… need to do this. I need to reconnect with her, get to know her as she is now, not how I remember she once was. I feel like… something is missing, and I need to fill that hole and replace the hurt I feel." Devyn pointed to her chest.

"You still believe Mama didn't trust you." Nash laid a comforting hand on his sister's shoulder. "This is because she redid the will."

"That and the fact I didn't even know my own Mama, my best friend, was sick until the end. That she had this whole life I didn't know about. I feel so betrayed and hurt, but I also feel I don't have the right to feel that way. I'm not entitled to her feelings and private thoughts. But worse, I feel guilty for not prioritizing her, and now… it's too late."

Dillon tilted her head, and her expression softened as understanding washed over her, "You want to get reacquainted with her. Understand her."

Devyn nodded, "I do. And maybe I'll find something to help solve all of this. Find a clue, any small clue. At the very least… maybe get a little closure."

"I think you're the perfect person to go through those things, Dev, if you're sure," Coy said.

"I'm sure. I want to do it."

"What about Nora?" Charlotte asked. "You're representing her. What do you need help with? Name it, and I'll do it."

"Well, we can't bail her out until morning because small towns like Coyote Creek roll up the streets at dusk and don't open for business until dawn… even the courts." Devyn shared.

"So, she's really got to stay in a jail cell overnight?" Ransom asked. "Do you want me to make a call?"

"I think it'll hurt her case, show bias, give the District Attorney reason to move trial elsewhere, and compromise her getting a fair trial, given everything going on around here." Devyn shared. "It isn't ideal having her down there overnight, but it's our best option for now. Since I haven't officially passed the bar, I have secured additional counsel to assist."

"We called in a favor to Carter Landry, former Assistant US Attorney. He's worked many cases with us, and we can trust him. He's like family in our world." Coy shared, referring to the work he did with Dillon and Rip. "He'll help Dev and oversee everything. He's the best at what he does, and Dev can count on him."

"Carter isn't worried about getting Nora out of this, and neither am I." Devyn shared.

"Is she safe there overnight, given everything…" Nash asked.

"I made arrangements for Cut to stay down there, he insisted, and I wasn't about to lock him up for disorderly conduct, resisting, or the plethora of other charges that would have come with his protest." Kenzie shared. "I also put my most trusted deputy on them. The confidant I mentioned earlier is Deputy Shanks. He offered help before when I was attacked, and I finally took him up on it. Nobody that isn't supposed to be there will be allowed anywhere near Cut and Nora."

"I guess that's the best we can do." Nash continued.

"Nash and I got the kids for as long as needed –– they're in good spirits. Y'all have done a good job shielding them from any of this, and they're just young enough to not ask a lot of questions." Charlotte shared. "One less thing for Cut and Nora to worry about, anyway."

"I want to understand what happened out there today," Nash said. "I've never known Nora to hurt a fly, much less murder two men. We know she didn't do it, right?"

"Of course she didn't," Devyn said. "Do you really want to know? Nora wanted to share herself when there were a bunch of prying eyes and ears around, but I don't think she realized she would be staying the night there."

"I think, for safety's sake, we need to compare notes and understand everything. It's the only way to keep each other safe now." Dillon shared.

"I agree." Devyn let out a deep sigh, stood, and closed the kitchen windows and door for privacy from the police still present on the property, "Here's the gist of it. We are going for a self-defense plea. When Nora reached the garden, she found the two men out there already. One was on the ground, probably already dead, the other his murderer. Use your imagination. When he saw Nora, he grinned and came at her. The way she described it was eerie."

"Like she'd just walked right into his trap and made it easier?" Coy asked.

"Precisely. My guess is there was supposed to be a single dead body on the grounds for deputies to find, incriminating all of us, but Nora…"

"Suspect number one." Coy chided. "He was going to kill her. That guy was going to kill her."

"I think so." Devyn nodded. "Of course, there's no way of knowing for sure, but when he saw her, he charged her, and she defended herself with a damn shovel and knocked the knife out of his hand. They fought a bit –– he knocked her down, and when he came at her again, she picked up the knife and, well, defended herself. Again, use your imagination. Then, we all showed up, and you know the rest."

Dillon buried her face in her hands, "Poor Nora. She will never be able to close her eyes again without reliving that."

"I don't know. If I've learned anything being around here these past weeks, it's that she's tough as nails, y'all are." Charlotte said. "That woman fought off an attacker, nine months pregnant, without warning, and won. We just need to help her through the trauma, and I think she'll survive this just fine."

"I hope so," Dillon said. "I think we're all coming out of the other side of all this different people."

"Different, yes. Stronger. Smarter." Rip chimed in. "I have to agree with Charlotte. This family is tough. You're going to get through this and be better for it."

"I'm still stuck on those guys –– how did they get on the property to begin with?" Coy asked.

"Man, you have hundreds of acres here –– there's bound to be a weak spot. They happened to find it." Rip said. "I can put up more cameras."

"There are already too many to manage." Coy shook his head. "I don't know if that's the answer."

"It's not too many and adding more will be easy to manage. We have software to help manage, and I'll get the drones up to patrol." Rip said. "We need to fill in the gaps. Short of bringing in a small army to line the perimeter of this place, I don't see another solution."

"Cameras. Drones… how is this real?" Nash asked, sounding defeated.

"I'll handle this," Rip said. "Let me worry about this part."

"Sir?" One of Ransom's agents said, popping his head in the door. "We have a problem."

Ransom stood, "Problem?"

"Trespasser. B team is bringing him up now." The agent said.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Another one?" Coy asked.

"This one drove right in. Said he's a friend of the family." The agent informed.

"We don't have friends." Coy shared. "Not anymore."

"Which is why we apprehended him. Said he knew you, Mr. President."

"Knows me? Here?" Ransom questioned.

"He wasn't on the list the family gave us, which is why he's being brought up to the house." The agent went on. "He's been searched and his weapons confiscated."

"Weapons?" Dillon turned to Ransom. "Don't go out there. Don't even think about it."

"They've been secured, ma'am." The agent said. "Truth be told, we've had eyes on him all day. He was parked just outside the property line most of the day before he finally moved in."

"And we're just now hearing this?" Devyn looked at Coy and Rip. "So much for security."

"That's protocol," Rip said. "Keep eyes on it until it's a threat."

"May I speak freely, sir?" the agent asked of Ransom.

Ransom nodded, "By all means."

"We ID'd him pretty early on. We know who he is. The only reason we've apprehended him is his proximity to you. I think you're going to want to see this." The agent grinned.

There was commotion outside. Voices grew louder, and a scuffle could be heard as they approached the porch steps.

"Ransom Wyatt," the man yelled, his voice familiar to all, "You want to call off your hit squad?"

Charlotte buried her face in her hands, "Oh no."

Coy and the others rushed outside with the agent to see what the chaos was all about. There stood Owen Bridges, wearing a menacing look, flanked by two Secret Service Agents holding them in their grips.

"Owen?" Ransom questioned, "What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like? Being manhandled by your detail, sir ." Owen fired back before catching Nash's ornery stare. "Oh, you're just loving every minute of this, aren't you, Nash?"

"Not at all, sir." Nash grinned. "A bit curious what you're doing here, though."

"He's fine." Ransom said, calling off the agents. "We got it from here."

"You better return all my shit. Don't touch my guns. Hooligans." Owen huffed as he straightened his clothes and regained his composure, "They took my weapon and vehicle, Ran. What gives?"

"I heard it was multiple weapons." Ransom snickered, "With all due respect, I'll ask again, what are you doing here, armed, unannounced, and why are you surprised by the response you received? You know I'm still the President, right?"

"Of course, it's why I'm here. I took an oath, and that doesn't go away when someone retires. I serve at the pleasure of the President, Ransom. Always will, unless it's someone I don't support, then that's someone else's problem." He admitted. "I'm also here because I heard what happened. I was trying to see where your weak spots are."

"Why do you care?" Coy questioned. "With… all due respect."

"As long as my daughter stays out here, I am interested in this, too. The story I got, what happened to Nora… it doesn't add up." Owen said. "Nothin' around here has been."

"You're here to help, then," Coy said.

"I'm here to make sure my daughter is safe. Seems y'all been struggling with that as of late." Owen bluntly stated. "I told you the other night that I'm happy to help if needed. Well, now I'm insisting."

"On what grounds?" Coy sounded offended.

"On the grounds that something sinister is going on in these parts, and you all seem to be at the heart of it. You want to protect your family. I want to protect mine."

"Daddy…" Charlotte began.

"Don't start with that. You know, I know, and half the town that's paying attention knows that the day Delilah Stone died, the gates of hell opened in these parts."

Coy's brow furrowed, and he exchanged a look with Kenzie, "The town knows?"

"Not sure if you remember, Stone, but this here is a small town that does what small towns do… they talk. There's talk about your stake out with the Sheriff –– and let's be honest –– it wasn't to find the kids who've been out cow tipping… or whatever bullshit story you gave. I also know your call on Ellis Steele wasn't for shits and giggles. Then there's the chopper that flies in and out, guessing that's you, Stone, and your people. Let's not forget the incident with Nora."

"News does travel fast." Coy shrugged.

"I don't trust you, Coy." Owen said, "Not with my daughter. Not when you have your own family and the Sheriff here as your priority."

"I don't trust you, Owen. You know a little too much about my business, and I can assure you, Charlotte is just as safe as anyone else on this ranch."

"You found something, didn't you," Owen asked point blank.

"Such as?"

"I couldn't guess, Stone. But whatever it is, it's at the core of whatever bullshit you dragged here, and like I said, it has to do with Delilah Stone, doesn't it?"

"What do you think you know about my mother?" Coy asked.

"More than you realize. She's the reason you went to Ellis Steele, isn't she? What did she do? What did she leave that sent you there?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Coy grinned. "But if you know something, especially about my mother, I suggest you start talking."

"I'll talk when you talk." Owen was locked in Coy's stare, unwilling to give in or give up.

"Then I guess we're at an impasse."

"Seems so," Owen said. "We both have a lot on the line and despite not seeing… eye to eye, I'd like to offer help."

"Oh really, in what way?" Coy asked.

"Let me help you protect this property. If I'm doing my math right, it's the big fella with the tattoos over there who's been working your perimeter and keeping things locked down." Owen nodded to Rip. "I know this land, and I've already found some hotspots. I can help tighten them up."

Coy stared at Owen, unsure how to respond, but kept his cool nonetheless and didn't show his hand. "What's in it for you?"

"I know my daughter is safe here." Owen looked at Charlotte with a pleading look. "She's all I got left. Let me help with that. Please."

"Alright." Coy said, tipping his head Rip's way, "He doesn't like what you got to say, and you're out."

"Fair enough. I have it all mapped out." Owen said. "I'll just leave it with you. And don't be surprised if you see me at the head of the road that comes down this way or on the other side of your acreage just sitting. Watching. I won't cross onto your property, but I will be watching. And if you decide you have something you'd like to share, I'm happy to sit down and share a cup of coffee and trade stories. You know where to find me."

Owen turned and walked off without saying another word.

"The map?" Coy asked.

Owen looked over his shoulder back at them, "Ran's men have it. You can get it from them. You know where to find me if you need me."

"What's his deal?" Nash asked.

Charlotte shook her head, "No idea, but he knows something… and he's worried."