Renegade (Tin Star K9 Series Book 1) by Jodi Burnett (literature books to read .txt) 📗

to ride up into the BLM whenever we can. It’s gorgeous countryside.” She pointed to another location on a flatter section of the ranch land. “Down here is our double gate. It’s wide enough to push our herds through for grazing them on the BLM in the summer. We only use the gate near where the body was found for hiking or trail-riding.”

“It seems to me, that someone on the ranch would have noticed a stranger driving through your property up that trail to the location of the grave. Who else knows about the gate?”

Caitlyn nodded thoughtfully. “I’m not sure. But if no one was home at the time, someone could go up there and back completely unnoticed.” She tapped her chopsticks against the fingers of her other hand. “Obviously, Dylan had the opportunity that night to go up there without being seen since my parents weren’t home.” A furrow formed between her brows. “I just can’t imagine Dylan killing someone. And if he did, would he be stupid enough to bury the body on his own property?”

“It might have been a temporary gravesite since it wasn’t very deep.” Colt scanned the other items on the wall. “What else do you have?”

“I have these photos of the gravesite. I took them with my phone. These three,” Caitlyn pointed to the top row of photos, “I took when I first found the body.” She indicated several more in the row below. “These I took when Dylan and I showed you and Sheriff Tackett what we found.”

“We ought to have copies of these photos at the Sheriff’s Department.”

“Take your own photos. You’re supposed to be the professionals.” Wondering, belatedly, if it was a good idea to share all she knew with him, Caitlyn moved off to the side and read from a sheet of paper tacked on the edge. “These are the few facts as I know them: One, Wendy had not been dead long when Ren discovered her grave. We know this because several people reported seeing her at the Tipsy Cow on Friday, and I found her body on Monday morning.” Caitlyn chewed on the end of a chopstick. “Two, whoever buried her was in a huge hurry.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because the killer didn’t take time to dig a deep grave or cover her carefully. Like you said, it may have been a temporary solution. Frankly, I’m surprised we found her before a forest animal did.” Caitlyn leaned against the table and Colt joined her there. His warmth was magnetizing, so she took a step away from him to the side. “And three, we know Wendy was pregnant, but at this point we don’t know who the father is, or whether the pregnancy had anything to do with her murder. If not, what other motive might someone have had to murder Wendy Gessler? Which leads me to ask why Dylan was arrested? What possible motive could he have?” Caitlyn pinned Colt to his spot with her eyes as she waited for an answer.

“Don’t you think it’s suspicious that Dylan refuses to take a paternity test? If he was innocent—if there was no possibility of him being the father—why wouldn’t he just take the test?”

“No, Colt, you’re taking a shortcut in your thinking. It may seem obvious to you at first, but don’t you see? You’re missing crucial elements in your theory… You have tunnel vision because you’re trying to make the evidence fit who you think is guilty, instead of allowing it to point you to the actual murderer. Besides, it isn’t up to Dylan to prove he’s innocent.” She paced back and forth in front of her evidence board. “And, even if he is the father, that wouldn’t automatically give him a motive to kill her.”

“Wendy’s parents asked Hague if he would take a paternity test, and he did. We should have the results of that test tomorrow. That should tell us something.”

“Still, I can’t see how her pregnancy would give anyone a motive to kill her. Jim announced on the news the other night that he had been planning to ask Wendy to marry him.”

“What if Wendy was pregnant with Dylan’s baby, and Dylan wanted her to have an abortion, but she refused? That could be a motive.”

“No way. You know Dylan better than that, and so do I. He would never ask her to do something like that. Wendy being pregnant with his baby would not make him want to kill her.”

“Then explain why Dylan has been so moody and angry for the past several months.”

Caitlyn stared at Colt, thinking over the facts, and her heart burned at his words. “How far along was Wendy? Did the doctor say?” Caitlyn’s gaze drifted back to the evidence board.

Colt chewed a bite of spicy chicken and took his time to swallow. “I could lose my job if I tell you what was in his report.”

“You know you can trust me not to tell anyone, and besides, I’m sharing everything I know with you. I’m just wondering about the timing. You see, I know why Dylan has been a jackass for the past couple of months, and it has nothing to do with Wendy. Dylan is mad at me. He’s been mad at me all along, and it isn’t about Wendy or anyone else.”

“Why is he so mad at you?” Colt set his plate down and crossed his arms over his chest.

“It’s family stuff. It’s no one else’s business, and it has nothing to do with this case.”

“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?”

“I’ve already judged it, and it isn’t any of your business.”

Colt sighed. “You want me to trust you, Caitlyn, but you refuse to trust me. That isn’t fair.”

“One doesn’t have to do with the other, Colt.”

“Trust is trust.” His sandy brows crunched together, framing the flecks of icy blue-green irritation in his eyes.

“Fine! Dylan is mad at me for a decision I made that ended up putting the ranch in a