Picnic in Someday Valley (Honey Creek #2)(63)

“The news gets around. You know her?”

“Everyone in this valley knows everyone, at least on sight, but to her I’m just a rancher and I’d like to keep it that way.” Brand finally smiled. “No one here knows I have a part-time job.”

“I’ll keep it quiet. You have my word.”

“Just so you know, Ranger, if you break that mayor’s heart I won’t bother coming after you. Those two brothers of hers will get to you first. They stop by now and then. We went to school together. We enjoy fishing now. Never catch more than a skillet full of trout, but they fill me in on what’s going on in town and at the capital.”

Colby knew he wouldn’t get any answers if he asked, so he waited.

“You want a beer?” Brand asked.

“Sure.”

Brand nodded toward two chairs on the porch and stepped inside. A minute later he brought out two longnecks. They talked about the weather and the storm last week. Colby drank his beer and Brand took one draw on his.

Finally Colby got down to what he came for. “I wanted to come out and warn you that some guy is bragging about coming after you. I don’t think it has anything to do with your occupation.”

Brand showed no surprise. “It doesn’t. I stopped him and a few of his friends from raping a woman. They weren’t too happy that I broke up their party.” Brand shrugged. “They don’t know it, but I went easy on them.”

Colby told him what Piper had said. “The man who bragged about his plans is tall, thin, middle-aged, bald.”

“I know the one. I had no trouble tagging him. Leon Newton. Lives just outside of Clifton Bend but does his drinking over in Someday Valley. Unemployed when he can’t find anything to steal. If he comes after me, he won’t come alone. I’ll know he’s coming when he turns off the main road. Don’t worry about me.”

“I’m not. Soon as I recognized you, I knew you’d have it covered.” Colby thought that men like Brand were rare, smart, and more than a little lucky.

“Mind telling me where you were trained?”

“In the Marines and around.”

Colby knew that was all the information he’d get.

“The sheriff in town just knows I’m retired army intelligence. Nothing more.”

For some reason Brand trusted him. Colby would make sure that trust was never misplaced. He also wouldn’t be surprised if Brand knew everything about him.

Brand’s voice was calm, matter-of-fact. “My bet is it won’t be long before Leon messes up and LeRoy will catch him for something. He’s been in the county jail so often, they should put in a revolving door for him. As for him gunning for me, in no time he’ll find someone else to hate. He’s selling drugs, small time. LeRoy is watching him. Chances are I won’t have to do a thing. Problem solved.” Brand set his beer under the chair.

Colby made a mental note. The man didn’t drink.

“I’m afraid it’s not exactly solved on my part. Piper saw him threatening a friend, Marcie. The woman you rescued the other night.” Colby didn’t miss Brand’s eyes widening slightly and knew he’d just told the ghost something he didn’t know. “If Leon saw them talking and he knows Piper saw him, this Leon Newton could come after not only Marcie but the mayor as well.”

Brand was silent for a while, then asked, “Do you know what he said to Marcie?”

“Yeah, most of it at least, but I promised I wouldn’t tell anyone.”

Brand nodded. “I understand, but if I knew what you know and it was Piper in danger, would you want the details?”

“I understand. Marcie means that much to you?”

“She does. She’s my girl, but she doesn’t know it yet.” Brand’s smile was almost shy, as if this was the first time he’d realized it.

Colby told him that Newton said he was going to kill Brand slow and watch him bleed out. He tried to remember the exact words Piper used. “He planned to cut Marcie while he rapes her. Claims he’ll smear her own blood all over her until she’s red. But he wouldn’t kill her in case he wanted to come back again. Even told her that it’s easy to cut open scars, so this isn’t his first time, I’m guessing.”

Colby expected Brand to react, but he didn’t. He just stared out over his land.

The calmness was another one of his strengths. He didn’t react, he planned.

Finally, he turned to Colby and said, “You are right. He’s done this kind of thing before. I’d bet on it. Probably several times and getting more violent each time. The night I saw the gang of drunks, Leon was the leader, pushing the pack along. But he wasn’t drunk, and he backed away and let the others charge me.

“I think Leon has planned the attack on Marcie for a while. If he let the other men take a turn first, they’d never talk. Leon could have even killed her and the others wouldn’t have turned him in.”

Brand leaned forward in his chair. “Can you search the files for women cut while raped? He’ll probably follow a pattern. Small towns. Maybe finding them in bars and following them home. His victims will live alone.”

“Will do,” Colby answered. “In the meantime, what can we do about Piper and Marcie being safe? Piper thinks she’s protected in her own town.”