long. I wanted you to know that no matter how much pain your father caused you, he wasn’t responsible for trying to hurt me or he would have done it much earlier. Though he wished I hadn’t been in your life, we both know he was a troubled man with a terrible drinking problem. But it didn’t go as far as planning to kill me, so you can cross him off your list.”
Her lungs had constricted, making it difficult to breathe. “But according to you, someone did want you dead.”
His eyes narrowed on her features. “The police and I both felt that the accident had to have been premeditated. Someone went to elaborate lengths to set me up. It took someone whose dislike of me turned to hate. I’ll give you one guess.”
Suddenly she felt sick. “Ned,” she whispered.
“I’m afraid so.”
“After you told me he’d been stalking you in town, I thought a lot about that myself. But for him to go after you like that...”
“It chills the blood to think he could have done it to his own family, but I can’t rule him out as the prime suspect.”
“I agree,” she whispered. Being a year younger than Jarod, Ned had been a senior when she’d started high school. He’d always chased after her. The more she’d ignored him, the more he’d mocked her friendship with his “half-breed cousin.”
“He never hid his dislike of you.”
After his graduation Ned had hung out in White Lodge with his friends and followed her around whenever she went into town. His actions were repulsive to her.
“You’re the one girl who never gave him the time of day, but he never stopped wanting you. As our love grew, so did his jealousy. It’s my belief he’d been following me on those last few nights when we met in the mountains. But I didn’t realize it until the night before you and I were going to leave for the reservation. I caught him spying on me as I rode to the barn.”
Horrified, Sadie stared at him. “You think he was watching us wh-when—” She couldn’t finish.
“That’s exactly what I think. But he couldn’t go to my grandfather claiming to have seen us when he had no reason to be watching us. That would have opened up a whole new set of problems for him.”
“He was sick!”
Jarod nodded. “The next afternoon after I hitched the horse trailer to my truck, he saw me leave with Chief and knew I was getting ready to do something with you. So he set me up, but he needed an accomplice and couldn’t use one of our trucks on the ranch.”
“Who would help him do anything that hideous?”
“His best friend, Owen.”
“Owen Pearson? Cindy’s brother?” She was incredulous. “I know they used to drink and mess around like a lot of guys, but I can’t imagine him doing anything like that.”
“I found out from my grandfather that Ned and Owen committed a crime a few years ago but it was hushed up.” Jarod told her what he’d learned from Harlow. “Ned could wheedle money from his father when he wanted. Don’t forget he and Owen have been friends for years and got into so much trouble, Ralph claims it turned Grant prematurely gray.”
“I didn’t realize Ned gave your family that many worries. It’s still hard for me to believe Owen would go that far.”
“I’ve been doing my own investigation.” Jarod reached in his back pocket and handed her a sheet of paper, which she opened. It was a photocopy of a receipt from a body shop in Bozeman. The repairs listed included grill and front fender work on a 2003 Ford F-150 pickup owned by Kevin Pearson of the Bar-S Ranch, brought in on May 10 and repairs completed May 16 of the year in question.
“Jarod—” She lifted her eyes to him. Streams of unspoken words passed between them.
“The manager of the shop didn’t recognize Ned’s picture. It’s been too many years. But whoever took the truck in paid cash up front. I checked the police report on my truck, which was totaled. Once I contact the department that investigated my case and give them
Her lungs had constricted, making it difficult to breathe. “But according to you, someone did want you dead.”
His eyes narrowed on her features. “The police and I both felt that the accident had to have been premeditated. Someone went to elaborate lengths to set me up. It took someone whose dislike of me turned to hate. I’ll give you one guess.”
Suddenly she felt sick. “Ned,” she whispered.
“I’m afraid so.”
“After you told me he’d been stalking you in town, I thought a lot about that myself. But for him to go after you like that...”
“It chills the blood to think he could have done it to his own family, but I can’t rule him out as the prime suspect.”
“I agree,” she whispered. Being a year younger than Jarod, Ned had been a senior when she’d started high school. He’d always chased after her. The more she’d ignored him, the more he’d mocked her friendship with his “half-breed cousin.”
“He never hid his dislike of you.”
After his graduation Ned had hung out in White Lodge with his friends and followed her around whenever she went into town. His actions were repulsive to her.
“You’re the one girl who never gave him the time of day, but he never stopped wanting you. As our love grew, so did his jealousy. It’s my belief he’d been following me on those last few nights when we met in the mountains. But I didn’t realize it until the night before you and I were going to leave for the reservation. I caught him spying on me as I rode to the barn.”
Horrified, Sadie stared at him. “You think he was watching us wh-when—” She couldn’t finish.
“That’s exactly what I think. But he couldn’t go to my grandfather claiming to have seen us when he had no reason to be watching us. That would have opened up a whole new set of problems for him.”
“He was sick!”
Jarod nodded. “The next afternoon after I hitched the horse trailer to my truck, he saw me leave with Chief and knew I was getting ready to do something with you. So he set me up, but he needed an accomplice and couldn’t use one of our trucks on the ranch.”
“Who would help him do anything that hideous?”
“His best friend, Owen.”
“Owen Pearson? Cindy’s brother?” She was incredulous. “I know they used to drink and mess around like a lot of guys, but I can’t imagine him doing anything like that.”
“I found out from my grandfather that Ned and Owen committed a crime a few years ago but it was hushed up.” Jarod told her what he’d learned from Harlow. “Ned could wheedle money from his father when he wanted. Don’t forget he and Owen have been friends for years and got into so much trouble, Ralph claims it turned Grant prematurely gray.”
“I didn’t realize Ned gave your family that many worries. It’s still hard for me to believe Owen would go that far.”
“I’ve been doing my own investigation.” Jarod reached in his back pocket and handed her a sheet of paper, which she opened. It was a photocopy of a receipt from a body shop in Bozeman. The repairs listed included grill and front fender work on a 2003 Ford F-150 pickup owned by Kevin Pearson of the Bar-S Ranch, brought in on May 10 and repairs completed May 16 of the year in question.
“Jarod—” She lifted her eyes to him. Streams of unspoken words passed between them.
“The manager of the shop didn’t recognize Ned’s picture. It’s been too many years. But whoever took the truck in paid cash up front. I checked the police report on my truck, which was totaled. Once I contact the department that investigated my case and give them
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