Goodnight Moo Page 17

  The room quieted.

  Brynn wanted to get Roy out of her house. Her head was pounding now, and she needed to take a nap. “How much do we owe you?” He slid the chair back and stood.

  “You don’t owe me anything. Wes is a friend. I never charge my friends.”

  She was going to offer him cheese but remembered this was the guy who had said he didn’t like cheese at the fair. “Well, that’s nice of you. Thank you.” What was wrong with her? He was helping them out. Okay. So he was a little strange. But most IT guys were a little odd.

  “You’re welcome. Well, I need to get out of here. I’ve a date tonight with my girl,” he said, which was an odd thing to say to Brynn. Why would she care about his date with Chelsea? Weird IT guys.

  “I’ll walk you out,” Wes said.

  Becky, who had been standing there quietly, whispered, “Thank God,” when they left the room. “That kid is strange.”

  “I thought it was just me,” Brynn said.

  “Did you notice his necklace?”

  “No.” Once again, her sister noticed something she hadn’t.

  “It’s one of those half heart necklaces like we used to wear in high school.”

  “Do you mean those things you wore when you were going steady?” Brynn asked.

  “Precisely. How old is he? I can’t imagine a college kid wearing one of those.”

  “Well, he’s into this relationship, evidently.”

  “Stupid boy,” Becky said.

  They walked out of the office and into the kitchen. “It’s time for your medicine.”

  After Brynn downed the pills, she retreated to her bedroom. A nap was exactly what she needed. Even images of Roy’s pimple face couldn’t stop her from sleeping.

  * * *

  Brynn awoke about an hour later with Romeo on her chest, purring, watching her as if she were doing the most interesting thing ever. “Hello there.” Romeo blinked and turned her head. She stroked the purring cat, still frustrated by Wes’s case. What could she do to help the police without them knowing? Becky had already given information on the carnie who was an ex-con. Nathaniel gave the police the credit card lead. She invented a story about her business needing a spokesperson and got involved with Chelsea. Then she received the creepy text message. How did this all fit together? If at all?

  Becky knocked at her door and walked in. “How are you doing?”

  “A nap was just what I needed.”

  “Good. You have company.”

  “I do?”

  “Chelsea is here to see you.”

  Brynn sat up and the cat jumped down with a disgruntled meow.

  “Take your time. Wes is down there now with her, he’s made a plate of cheese straws, and they’re visiting.”

  “Interesting. I didn’t think Wes liked her at all. He warned me from her.”

  “He’s too polite to turn her away, I guess.”

  “Cheese straws? They’re worth getting up for.” Brynn glanced at herself in the mirror. Okay, she’d just woken up. But a little makeup would help. “I’ll be right down,” she said.

  Why was Chelsea there? Brynn was not thrilled the person she was warned against was sitting in her living room. But then again, she’d not accept orders from anybody on who she could or could not have in her home.

  Chapter 36

  Chelse a and Wes were sitting in the living room. Chelsea on the couch, Wes on the La-Z-Boy. He had a pained expression when he was being forced to make small talk. Brynn knew it well.

  “Hello! So glad to see you, Chelsea!” She took a seat next to her on the couch.

  “Hi, Brynn. I wanted to visit Jewel. You said I could stop by anytime.”

  “Sure. Did you get a chance to see her?”

  She nodded. “She’s already looking more like herself. You’re taking such good care of her. She’s a special girl.”

  “That she is.”

  Chelsea took another bit of her cheese straw. “These are so good.”

  Brynn smelled it. And it turned her stomach. Odd. She loved cheese straws. But she had to turn her face.

  After Chelsea swallowed the cheese straw, she took a sip of water. “I was wondering if you had come to any other solid plans about the spokesperson idea.”

  “Not really. I’m sorry.” A pang of guilt tore through her. She had wanted to figure out how to lure the girl to her house. Get to know her, since all the shenanigans and murder seemed to relate to her somehow. “I’m still recovering and it’s difficult to think, sometimes. Plus we’ve been distracted by a few other things lately.” Wes squirmed in his seat. Brynn knew he didn’t care for Chelsea. This must be torture for him.

  Brynn tuned to Wes. “Wes, if you don’t mind, could you please check on those new orders? Since Roy was here and fixed everything, we can get busy with all of that.”

  Relief washed over his face.

  Chelsea sat up. “Was Roy here?”

  “Yes, he came to help out with our computer,” Brynn answered. “Charlie was so busy and we needed help.”

  A strange look came over her face. Boredom? Hatred? Brynn couldn’t quite say, but she knew it wasn’t love or even pleasant.

  Wes stood. “So I’m going to check on those orders, boss. Catch you later, Chelsea.”

  Becky entered the room.

  Chelsea seemed to remember her manners then. “How are you doing? What an awful thing to have happened. The man who attacked Wes is crazy. I’m so glad he’s behind bars.”

  “How well do you know him?” Brynn asked.

  “We dated a few times. But he got really clingy with me. I don’t have time for that. I’m young. I don’t want to be tied down.” Her blue eyes sparkled. Chelsea had the longest eyelashes Brynn had ever seen. Were they real?

  “Well, that’s smart,” Becky said, and sat down. “I wish I’d had that attitude when I was your age. Instead, I ended up pregnant and married way too young. I love my daughter; don’t misunderstand me. But it would’ve been nice to have her a little later in life. I missed out on a lot.” Where was Becky going with this? Brynn wondered. It wasn’t as if she were a teenager when she had Lily.

  “So is Roy your boyfriend?” Brynn asked.

  Chelsea paled. “Where did you get that idea?”

  “I’m sorry. I thought he mentioned a date with you tonight, so I assumed . . .”

  “Yeah, we’re going out, but I don’t want a boyfriend. Just don’t. He’s a little clingy, too.”

  “He doesn’t seem like your type,” Becky said.

  Chelsea set her water glass down. “I’m sorry. I need to go. I’d forgotten about another appointment I have.” She stood. “Please let me know about the spokesperson job when you know more.”

  “Okay, let me walk you to the door,” Brynn said.

  “No, that’s okay. I can find my way. Bye.” She waved her fingers and left the room. Becky and Brynn sat motionless until the door opened and closed.

  Becky crossed her arms. “That girl knows something.”

  Brynn was reminded of Tillie, who’d known something about Nancy’s death. She couldn’t help but compare the two girls, who were the same age. What Tillie was aware of was deep and dark and serious. Her keeping it to herself weighed heavily on her, which was evident. But Brynn didn’t get that sensation with Chelsea, who was polished and, if Brynn was correct in her assessment, was an astute liar. “I imagine she knows a lot.”

  “Wes doesn’t like her,” Becky said.

  Brynn nodded. “He knows more about her than he’s telling. But it speaks to him being a gentleman. I don’t think he likes to talk badly about people.”

  Becky popped a cheese straw into her mouth and chewed. “So good.”

  The doorbell rang. “I’ll get it,” Becky said, and jumped up.

  Brynn sat and thought over the strange visit from Chelsea. She said she wanted to see Jewel. Then she asked about the fake position. She also let it drop Roy wasn’t her boyfriend. But earlier, Roy said they were a couple and
even wore one of those half heart necklaces—which Chelsea did not wear.

  She caught herself: Had she stepped back into the strange time capsule of her high school youth? How had she gotten to this place where she was even thinking about high schoolers and their relationships? Oh, Brynn, what have you become?

  “Hey, look what the cat dragged in,” Becky said. It was Schuyler, who’d been so busy with her vet practice, the fair, and taking care of Brynn’s morning milking that Brynn hadn’t seen her in what felt like forever. Brynn hugged her.

  “It’s so good to see you.”

  Schuyler sat down. “I’ve come with some news. And it’s the strangest news you’ve ever heard in your life.”

  The three of them sat.

  “Can I get you anything?” Becky asked.

  “No, and I need you two to keep this to yourselves. But at the same time, I want to warn you because something strange is going on in Shenandoah Springs.” Schuyler’s amber eyes lit with excitement and worry.

  Brynn was growing a bit impatient with the prelude. “Well, spill!”

  “I learned this from my brother and it’s not been publicly announced yet.” Mike was the local fire inspector and had an in with the law officials. “The tractor accident was definitely murder, but not by Josh.”

  Becky and Brynn waited for the rest of it.

  “It was done remotely. Witnesses said they saw Josh flailing around as if he’d lost control. And he had. Someone was controlling the tractor from somewhere else.”

  “What?” Becky gasped. “Like something from a sci-fi movie! I don’t believe it.”

  “I’m totally serious. It’s like a bigger and better technology than the remote toys we had as kids.” Schuyler paused.

  “We had a little Volkswagen Bug, remember that?” Brynn asked.

  Becky nodded. “But that’s way different.”

  “No, it’s not. That technology is out there. Now the new tractors have Wi-Fi in them so the farmers don’t have to feel disconnected from their families or from the internet, if it’s what they want. Evidently, the Wi-Fi is how this person hacked into the tractor. The police don’t know who did it, yet, or how far away he or she was. Or how far the technology could even reach. If it doesn’t go far, the suspect pool would narrow down to the people on the property right then and there.”

  Brynn couldn’t believe her ears. Someone used Josh and his tractor to kill Evan? Did they know they were doing it? Did they mean to kill? Or was it someone fooling around with technology? She recalled the look of dread on David Reese’s face when she told him about the accident. “Have they talked with David Reese? He could probably tell them a lot.”

  “I assume they have. He’s been around. I saw him at the station. He’s probably helping the police.”

  “I told him about the accident and he seemed concerned.”

  “He should be. He sold Josh the tractor and claimed it was safe and secure. Evidently, it’s not.”

  Brynn asked the obvious question: “Why would a tractor even need Wi-Fi?”

  “It’s used for all kinds of things, like tracking how many seeds are planted, stuff about the soil. It’s collecting information and sending it to a computer at the house. Plus, on a big farm, it’s great for communication between the staff.”

  Gone were the days of yelling across the field and counting the seed yourself. Brynn sighed.

  “This is like something from one of those old movies, right? Like where the robots take over the world?” Becky said.

  Brynn grinned. “But there’s always an evil mastermind behind it. Genius, but flawed. Who could that be?”

  “Exactly,” Schuyler said. “Who wanted Evan dead and why? Was it specifically aimed at him or was he or she on some power trip to prove it could be done?”

  “What about this David Reese guy? Who is he?” Becky asked.

  Schuyler shrugged. “Owns the tractor shop. He’s not from around here. I don’t know him well at all.”

  “I think he’s creepy. When we met, he looked at me as if I were a piece of meat. You know what I mean,” Brynn said.

  “Just because he’s a lech doesn’t mean he’s an evil genius mad killer,” Becky said.

  “Yeah, but you know, he gave me the same look,” Schuyler said.

  “Uh-oh,” Brynn said.

  “Yeah, I asked him what his problem was. His face got all red and he walked away. Creep.” Schuyler didn’t broker any foolishness. This guy was lucky she didn’t smack him. “My karate training teaches me not to hit someone unless they come at me first.”

  “You read my mind,” Brynn said.

  The three of them laughed.

  “Okay, but why would Reese want to kill a young summer helper?” Becky said after they calmed down.

  “I wondered the same thing,” Schuyler said.

  Brynn mulled it over and her first thought was too distasteful to mention. Or at least she thought.

  “I see the wheels turning in your pea brain,” Becky said.

  “Nah, it’s . . . creepy.”

  “The whole thing is,” Schuyler said.

  Brynn paused, trying to gain composure before she spit it out. “What if he likes Chelsea?” Even as she said it, a chill traveled up and down her spine. “What if he wanted to get the competition out of the way?”

  “He’d kill a man for a young woman’s attention?” Becky’s eyes were as wide as the moon.

  “David Reese is a creep. But he’s too old for her.” Schuyler was the voice of reason most of the time.

  “How many older men become fixated on younger women?” Brynn said.

  “Well, that’s random,” Becky muttered.

  “I don’t know,” Schuyler said. “But I’m hoping the police come up with someone soon. This creeps me out more than anything else that has happened recently. That you could remotely take over a tractor and demand it run someone over? What’s next?” Schuyler said.

  Brynn couldn’t help but remember all the other strange technological stuff going on—the ransom ware, for example. She’d always embraced technology. Loved her computer, the internet, the smartphone. But this was all giving her pause. Maybe too many details about her life were on the computer. If someone decided to steal her identity, for example, she now saw how easy that might be. Not that any person in their right mind would want to steal her identity—she didn’t have much money; she had a struggling business and property she still owed money on. In fact, now she thought about it, she almost wished someone would steal her identity. Good luck with that, mister.

  Chapter 37

  After their conversation, the women moved into the field for a breath of fresh air. After all the technology talk, Brynn wanted her feet on the earth and her eyes on the horizon. Schuyler wanted to check on Marigold, who was expecting a calf. Brynn was excited, but apprehensive because of poor Petunia and her past grief.

  “She’s doing great,” Schuyler said after examining Marigold. She placed her arm around the cow, who turned and looked at her and blinked. Jewel sauntered up to them, a little hesitant but curious. “Speaking of doing great. Jewel looks good. Gaining weight. She seems to be fitting right in.”

  “She is,” Brynn said. “Any luck finding a home for her?”

  “Not yet,” Schuyler said, and looked away. It was as Brynn suspected. Schuyler wasn’t searching too hard. Could she keep Jewel, along with the new calf? She wasn’t sure. But it would be hard for Jewel to go to another strange place, sensitive cow that she was.

  Freckles bounded over to Schuyler and nearly knocked her over. “Speaking of gaining weight!”

  “I think she’s part cow,” Becky said as she joined them.

  “She might be.” Schuyler tussled round a bit in the field with her. Freckles was another one of Schuyler’s strays. Brynn had kept her because Freckles and Petunia became fast friends.

  Brynn rubbed Jewel’s nose, and if a cow could sigh she was certain she would. Her big cow eyes peered at Brynn from beneath the scraggly hair.
Brynn worked her way to her neck. “Wait,” Brynn said, “didn’t she have a collar?”

  “Yes, she did,” Schuyler said.

  Brynn shrugged. “It’s gone. Wonder what happened to it?”

  “Odd. It’s not like a cow can take off her collar.” Schuyler rubbed around the cow’s neck.

  “Right?” Brynn said.

  Becky rubbed around her neck, too. “Maybe it got stuck on something and she slipped out of it.”

  “She was very thin,” Schuyler said. “But I don’t see that happening.”

  The three of them looked around. The field had nothing but green grass and flowers. Brynn checked in the barn in Jewel’s stall. Nothing. “How odd. A missing collar.”

  Collars were tagged with important tracking information. It wasn’t necessarily the collar Brynn was worried about, but its tag.

  “I need to head out,” Schuyler said. “I’m on CSA duty tonight at the fair. It’s a shame you haven’t gotten to go much. Tomorrow is the last night. Perhaps you can attend if you’re feeling okay.”

  Brynn agreed it was a shame. The fair was a culmination and celebration of her community’s farming work through the year. Besides, it was just good fun. She didn’t want to think about her disaster of a cheese competition. “I’d like to go. I hope I can.”

  Had it been two weeks already? Brynn had lost track of time in her concussed mind. She’d been concentrating on other things.

  “If you find the collar, let me know,” Schuyler said. “Otherwise, I’ll have to get new tags for her.”

  Brynn and Becky walked her to her truck and watched as she drove away.

  “How could a collar slip from a cow’s neck?” Becky asked. Brynn shrugged. “Maybe Wes is aware of this.” She reached into her pocket for her phone and remembered she didn’t have one, “Bother! I don’t have a phone.”

  “That’s right. I’ll text him,” Becky said as they walked toward the house.

  Brynn opened the door and welcomed the cool air-conditioned breeze on her skin. Brynn made her way to the couch and lay down. It had been quite a day. Ransom ware. Monster tractors. And missing cow collars. What else could happen?