Hanging Falls Read online

  Robo beat Mattie to the door into the station and stood waving his tail as he watched her approach. “You wait,” she told him, making him stand back so that she could enter through the door first. He seemed to be testing her frequently on this one small thing, but since his obedience was typically spot-on, it didn’t concern her too much. It was his way of checking to see how serious she was about being boss.

  The lobby was empty except for Sam Corns, the night dispatcher who shifted to days when covering for Rainbow. Light from the overhead glinted off his bald head. “Stella’s got the guys you need to interview waiting. She said to meet her in the observation room when you get here.”

  Mattie hurried to the room, taking Robo with her. There she found Stella and Sheriff McCoy standing in the darkened space, the only light filtering in through the two-way mirrors from the interrogation rooms. “Sorry I’m late,” she murmured.

  Stella glanced at her. “Not a problem. These guys just arrived, and we’re letting them sit for a few minutes while we decide which one to talk to first.”

  Mattie took a look at the two men: one, Parker Tate, the smooth guy with upswept, coiffed hair and office-casual clothing; the other, Quinn Randolph, a wiry, strong-looking individual with straggly blond hair beneath his cap, narrow-set eyes, and a pinched nose. But the thing that stood out most was the fact that both wore boots with rounded toes; the rep’s new and shiny, the farrier’s showing some wear. “Boots that could match our prints,” Mattie murmured.

  “Correct,” Stella said. “And the sizes look like they fall into the range the lab estimated. Good thing to note, but we’ll need more than that.”

  Parker appeared cool and calm, even motionless, while Quinn repeatedly took off his cap to swipe hair and sweat from his brow. Mattie briefed Stella and McCoy on her visit with the Perry brothers.

  “They had on the same type of boots as these guys,” Mattie added, gesturing toward the observation windows.

  “Common style for horseback riding,” McCoy said. “Makes the footprints less useful in our case.”

  “I’ll follow up and grill them again this afternoon,” Stella said.

  “It’ll help to separate them like you’ve done here,” Mattie said. “Focus on the one named Kevin. He’s most likely to talk.”

  “I know the Perry brothers.” McCoy leaned one hip against a counter that ran along the wall beneath the observation windows. “You’ve read that right—Kevin is the one who would talk, while Keith would get mad and clam up. Keith manages the ranch, but Kevin has an uncanny way with horses. He does a lot of the work and training.”

  Cole must know them, Mattie thought, making a mental note to ask him what he thought of the two brothers. And if they might have access to xylazine.

  Stella was watching the two men. “Let’s talk to the pharmaceutical rep first and let this other guy sit and simmer a while longer.”

  “Do you want me to sit in on the interview?” Mattie asked.

  McCoy pulled out a chair. “Sounds good. I’ll observe and come in if I need to follow up.”

  Mattie settled Robo in her office and returned to Stella as she waited outside the door. She held a folder that Mattie knew from experience contained photos and notes pertinent to the investigation.

  Parker Tate stood when they entered.

  “Sorry to make you wait,” Stella said, before introducing Mattie.

  Mattie returned his firm handshake. “Thank you for coming in.”

  He nodded, tucking one hand against the front of his shirt as he bowed ever so slightly. “I don’t know what this is about, but I’m happy to help law enforcement in any way I can.”

  A smooth talker in addition to his smooth looks. “Let’s have a seat,” Mattie said, taking a chair across the table from him.

  The station’s interrogation rooms were stark and airless, cold in the winter and hot in the summer. They contained plastic chairs with aluminum legs, a steel-topped table, and mounted cameras connected to recording equipment.

  Parker waited politely for Mattie and Stella to sit before taking his own seat. “How can I help?” he asked, flashing them a smile that revealed even teeth, brilliantly white.

  Stella started the interview and the recording by stating the date and time as well as the names of the people present. After her opening statement, she said, “Mr. Tate, I understand you’re a veterinary supplies rep.”

  Parker stroked his navy-blue tie, which contained a slight checkered pattern within its satiny sheen. “Well, that’s close, but I’m actually a veterinary pharmaceutical rep.”

  “How is that different?” Stella asked, leaning forward with apparent interest.

  Mattie figured Stella already knew the answer and was warming the guy up.

  “I represent a company that sells veterinary drugs and some other stuff like vitamins and prescription dog food, but we don’t carry the many other items you’d find in a veterinary supply store. We only rep the stuff our company produces for sale.”

  “I see. So you carry mostly veterinary drugs?”

  “Yes, ma’am. We go to veterinary supply stores and vet offices to introduce our new products and take orders if they’re running low on stock.”

  “Do you sell to customers?” Stella asked.

  “Those are our customers,” he replied with a thin-lipped smile.

  “Ah … I didn’t make myself clear,” Stella said, returning his smile. “I meant, do you sell directly to the consumers who use your products on their animals?”

  “No, we don’t sell directly to end users.” Parker’s smile seemed a bit strained around the edges. “But I know you didn’t call me in here to talk about my job, Detective. How can I help you?”

  “What can you tell me about a drug called xylazine?” Stella asked, placing one elbow on the table.

  Parker fiddled with his tie again. “It’s a sedative used primarily for horses.”

  Stella waited for him to add more, and Mattie waited with her.

  Parker shifted his gaze from one to the other of them and back. “Dangerous to humans.”

  Stella nodded. “Do you carry bottles of it with you on your rounds?”

  Parker placed his hand on the table and wiggled it back and forth. “That depends. It’s not a new product, so I don’t typically keep samples of it with me. But if one of our customers orders it and I know I’m able to deliver it on my rounds the next day, I might take it with me.”

  “Do you know a young man named Luke Ferguson?” Stella asked, changing the subject.

  Parker squinted. “I do.”

  Stella raised a brow. “How well?”

  Parker shook his head. “Barely know him. Had drinks at the Watering Hole with him a couple times.”

  “You met him there?”

  “We just happened to be there at the same time, not an arranged meet-up.” A frown creased Parker’s brow. “I ran into Quinn Randolph in your parking lot. He’s the one who came into the bar with Luke.”

  This information matched what they’d gotten from others, and Mattie saw an opportunity to clarify. “So Luke and Quinn are friends?”

  Parker’s frown deepened. “I’m not sure about that. Quinn said that Luke was one of his clients. I only saw him a couple times, and then I heard he moved away.”

  “You heard that from …?” Mattie asked.

  “Quinn.”

  “So you and Quinn are friends?” Mattie asked.

  Parker shrugged, trying to look nonchalant, but there were beads of sweat that had formed on his brow that the room’s temperature didn’t warrant. “Sure. We’re friendly. We’ve only known each other a couple months.”

  If this line of questioning had raised the heat, Mattie wanted to make sure they kept it on. “And you and Quinn met where?”

  “The Watering Hole.”

  “Do you work together?”

  “No.” Parker looked down at the table. “We just happen to like the same bar at the end of the day.”

  “I guess
your work does have something in common, though,” Mattie said, figuring she might as well move into the topic that interested her most. “He works with horses, and you represent a company that manufactures a drug meant to sedate horses. Mr. Randolph might need that drug from time to time.”

  Parker looked up from the table to give Mattie a keen stare, as if trying to figure out if she had a hidden agenda.

  Which, of course, she did.

  Stella picked up the questioning. “Have you provided a bottle of xylazine to anyone here in Timber Creek lately?”

  He shook his head. “My only customer here is Dr. Walker, and he hasn’t ordered any.”

  “How about others? Say, Mr. Randolph or anyone who owns horses outside of town?”

  Parker pooched out his lower lip and gave his head another shake. “Nope. Like I said, I don’t sell to end users.”

  “How might an end user obtain the drug?” Mattie asked, wanting to keep the questions coming from both her and Stella.

  “By prescription only. From a veterinarian.” Parker shifted his gaze back and forth between them. “Why the interest in xylazine?”

  “If an end user had a prescription, could they purchase the drug from you?” Mattie asked.

  “No. They’d purchase it from a vet supply store or directly from a vet.” He smoothed his tie yet again.

  “All right,” Stella said. “Do you know a man named Tracy Lee Brown?”

  Parker squinted. “I’ve never heard that name.”

  “Do you like to hike, Mr. Tate?” Stella asked.

  “Not really.” He frowned at her.

  “Do you ride horseback?” Mattie asked.

  Looking at Mattie, he nodded. “I do.”

  When he didn’t volunteer any more information, she prompted him. “Have your own horses?”

  “I have two.”

  “Do you trail ride up in the mountains to places like Hanging Falls?” Mattie observed him carefully.

  “It’s one of the things I like to do on weekends. Why’s that?”

  That’s interesting. “And have you been up to Hanging Falls this summer?”

  “About a month ago before the heavy rain started, yes.”

  “Did someone go with you?” Stella asked.

  “Well, yes. Quinn and I rode up there together.”

  So he and Quinn were better friends than he’d previously admitted. “Did you see anyone else up there when you went?”

  “No.” He paused a moment as if thinking. “Well, there was a guy on the trail just below the falls, but I didn’t know him and we didn’t stop to talk.”

  “What did he look like?” Mattie asked.

  “Skinny guy, long hair pulled back into a ponytail, fanny pack. Jeans that were too big.”

  Sounded like Tracy Lee. “Did you pass this guy coming or going?”

  “He was headed downhill as we were going up.”

  “And you didn’t stop to talk?”

  “Nope. We might have said hello as we passed each other. He stood off the trail to let us by.”

  “Did you camp up there?” Stella asked.

  “No, it was just a day trip,” Parker responded, looking at Stella. “Why all the interest in this, Detective? If you gave me a little more information …”

  Stella might appear relaxed as she settled back in her chair, but Mattie could feel the detective’s energy rocket beside her. She knew where Stella would go next. “Luke Ferguson was found dead at Hanging Falls a couple days ago.”

  Parker’s brows rose, and his jaw dropped in a look of apparent surprise. Mattie wondered if it wasn’t a case of overacting. She and Stella both sat and waited for him to say something.

  He closed his mouth and opened it a couple of times before managing to speak. “Uh … good grief! An accident?”

  “It was no accident,” Stella said. “We’re investigating his death as a homicide.”

  Parker frowned. “Well … I don’t get it. Luke was just a kid. I mean … he was at least twenty-one … old enough to drink, but … he still seemed like just a kid, you know. Sheltered.”

  “Sheltered?” Stella asked.

  “Well, yeah. He’d never been exposed to alcohol before, and it seemed like he wanted to party. He’d never had experience with girls or been away from home.” Again, his gaze shifted between her and Stella, and Mattie wondered why it seemed he knew more about Luke than he’d indicated earlier.

  She decided to assume he knew about the altercation in the alley. “What happened between Luke and the Perry brothers?”

  Parker leaned forward, an intense frown on his face. “Did they kill him?”

  Mattie shrugged. “What do you know?”

  “Those old guys are loose cannons.” Parker tapped a finger on the table. “Usually sit at a table by themselves and don’t say a word. Couldn’t believe they reacted the way they did to Luke.”

  “Which was …?” Mattie waited for his answer.

  “Told him to stay with his own kind where he belonged.”

  “Did you see it?” Stella asked.

  “No, but Luke was shaken up enough to leave. Not long after that, he told Quinn he was going to go back home.”

  So far, they’d gleaned that Parker Tate owned horses, had been up to Hanging Falls, and had probably encountered Tracy Lee Brown at least once. But they didn’t have anything on him at this point that felt incriminating. Mattie wanted to move on to Quinn Randolph.

  Stella’s next comment indicated that the two of them were in sync. “You’ve been most helpful, Mr. Tate. We need you to wait here a few minutes longer. I might have some follow-up questions for you before we let you leave.”

  Parker frowned as he leaned back in his chair. “How much longer might that be?”

  “Not too long.” Stella stood. “I’ll return soon.”

  Mattie nodded at Parker as she followed Stella from the room out into the hallway, closing the door behind her.

  “Knows more about Luke Ferguson than he originally admitted,” Stella murmured. “And more friendly with Quinn Randolph than he’d like us to believe.”

  Mattie nodded and moved toward the door that led into the room where Quinn waited, stepping aside so that Stella could enter first. Quinn was wiping his brow as they entered, and he startled when the door opened, looking even more nervous than he’d been earlier.

  “Thank you for waiting, Mr. Randolph,” Stella said, as she took a seat across the table from him. She introduced Mattie, and although he wiped his hand on his jeans before returning her handshake, his palm felt clammy and damp.

  “What’s up, Detective LoSasso?” he asked, while Mattie sat next to Stella. “Why the long wait? Have you been talking to Parker first?”

  “Actually, we have,” Stella said in a pleasant tone. “So you know Mr. Tate?”

  “Absolutely,” he said, nodding as he leaned forward and folded his arms on the table. “We’re friends. What’s going on?”

  “And you also know Luke Ferguson?” Stella asked, leaning forward to match his body language.

  “Yeah. Parker and I had drinks with Luke at the Watering Hole.”

  “How do you know Luke Ferguson?”

  “I met him when I went to his place to shoe horses.” Quinn met Stella’s gaze. “He was living out east of town with a bunch of folks who all dress alike. Do you know the people I’m talking about?”

  Stella nodded. “How well do you know Luke and the people he lives with?”

  Quinn shrugged. “I know their horse business. And I’ve seen enough to guess at their personal business, if you know what I mean.”

  “No, Mr. Randolph, I don’t know what you mean,” Stella replied, keeping her tone light and conversational. “Could you clarify that for me?”

  “They’re some kind of religious nuts,” Quinn said, his gaze popping between Stella and Mattie. “And I’m sure they’re polygamists, although Luke didn’t say that in so many words.”

  “Oh?” Stella paused, and Mattie waited too, want
ing him to go on, reading his body language to see how he felt about the information he was willing to share so readily. So far, he appeared eager to talk, as if he was sharing gossip more than passing judgment.

  “Yeah. There’s a lot of women and children out there and only a handful of men. It’s like stepping into a different world, going back in time but with some kind of a kinky twist.”

  “And what did Luke say about it?” Mattie asked, genuinely curious about Luke’s opinions prior to his murder.

  “Actually, he didn’t like it, and he decided to go back home.” Quinn shrugged and rubbed a finger on the tabletop as if wiping a smudge. “Said he didn’t care for the preacher, the guy named Isaac King. Wears an eye patch.”

  Mattie hoped Quinn would add more. “He didn’t care for Mr. King?”

  “Right. Said he was too intense about their religion.”

  “Did Luke say why he felt that way?”

  Quinn paused as if thinking. “Nope. But that’s the way I remember it. Too intense.”

  “Did he seem to like the others in the group?” Stella asked.

  Quinn smiled in a way that looked more like a leer. “Oh yeah, he liked the others well enough. There was a purty little girl he liked a bunch, has a German shepherd that’s with her all the time. Luke was taken with her. Said he planned to come back and marry her when she was older.” Quinn was shaking his head as he finished talking, and he spread his hands on the table. “Kids.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Mattie asked.

  “Luke was just a big kid, even when he was partying and carrying on. That’s what got him into trouble.”

  “What kind of trouble?”

  Quinn looked down at the table. “That’s all I’d better say about that.”

  “In for a penny, in for a pound, Quinn,” Stella said. “Go ahead and explain.”

  He looked up at her. “Well, he made some people mad because of his carrying-on when he was drunk, but I hate to talk about that, since they’re my clients too.”

  “Tell us.” Stella leaned back in her chair like she had all the time in the world.

  Quinn darted a glance at Mattie. “The Perry brothers. They’re a couple of old codgers who live out by the folks we’re talking about. They threatened Luke, told him to stay with his own kind, but they didn’t really hurt him.”