hours?” he said, his forehead furrowing. “I’m sorry. I was scared.”
“What happened?” Rebecca eased back, giving him some space.
“I was in my apartment,” he said, “looking at some seed catalogues. I think snapdragons by the foundation of the house, don’t you?”
“Perfect. What happened?”
“I heard someone in the barn.”
The words chilled Rebecca so effectively that she had to remember to draw in a breath. “Who? Did you see anyone?”
Joey shook his head. “I slipped out of the apartment, hurried down the stairs, and then I thought I heard some one in the loft. So I went to the feed room and climbed the ladder there. I was afraid they’d try to hurt one of the horses, so I was really careful.”
There was only one ladder into the loft. If someone was up there and Joey went looking, he’d essentially trapped that person.
“Did you see anyone?” Rebecca asked again.
“No. Someone hit me on the head with something. I lost my balance and fell.”
Rebecca forced herself to take a deep breath. The worst thing she could do would be to frighten Joey with her own panic. “Are you sure someone hit you?” she asked gently.
Joey nodded. “Feel.” He reached for her hand and put it on a big knot on the side of his head. “There.”
“Joey, do you know who did this?”
He shook his head. “I didn’t see who it was.”
“Did you notice anything else?”
“There was a red can in the loft. It looked like the can that goes with the tractor.”
“Diesel?” Rebecca couldn’t hide her fear any longer. Was it possible someone intended to set the barn on fire and that by some fluke Joey had prevented it?
“Yeah, the diesel for the tractor. It looked like that can, but it shouldn’t have been in the barn. It belongs in the equipment shed.”
“That’s right,” Rebecca said, eager to get to the court house and check with Dru to see what he’d found.
“Did I do the right thing?” Joey asked, a frown on his face. “I don’t want to disappoint Aurelia and Marcus. They said I should watch out for the horses and all the animals at Blackthorn.”
“You did exactly right,” Rebecca reassured him, squeezing his hand. “You did perfect, Joey. Now I’m going in to talk with the sheriff. Will you be okay?”
He nodded. “Can I go home soon?”
“As soon as they release you,” Rebecca said. “I’ll be back for you.”
Before she was at the door he had closed his eyes and had drifted into sleep. She watched from the doorway for a moment, wondering just how lucky he’d been to escape with his life.
WHEN SHE ARRIVED at the courthouse, she wasn’t surprised to see that Dru was in his office. It wasn’t quite noon yet, but the courthouse was emptying out. She walked into the sheriff’s office and saw Drew, backlit by a large window in his private office.
“How’s Joey?” he asked, his gaze lingering on her.
“He’s going to be okay. He said someone hit him.”
Dru stood up and walked around, assisting Rebecca into a chair. “I wish I had better news. We found a piece of lumber with blood and hair on it that I’m positive will be Joey’s. Someone struck him with that lumber.”
“And deliberately knocked him out of the loft? They could easily have killed him.”
“I can’t speak to their intention, but they surely meant to knock him out.”
“Joey said there was a can of diesel in the loft.”
Dru’s eyebrows shot up. “We searched the loft but we didn’t find any diesel fuel.”
“Maybe Joey frightened them away.”
“If he did, he’s a very lucky man to be alive. And so are those horses.”
“What’s going on, Dru?” Rebecca asked, trying hard not to let her voice tremble.
“I don’t know, but we’re going to find out.”
CHAPTER THREE
BRETT AND THE rest of the crew were drinking the last of the iced tea from their lunch break when Rebecca got back to Blackthorn.
“How is Joey?” Brett asked, and there was an odd tone in his voice.
Rebecca felt a sudden chill. Brett hated Joey, but surely not enough to try and injure him.
“He’s going to be okay. He’s very lucky. The fall from the barn could have killed him.”
“I know you think I’m a hard man,” Brett said, “but Joey shouldn’t be out here. This is a dangerous place and he’s going to get hurt.”
Rebecca locked her gaze with Brett’s and spoke softly. “Joey didn’t trip and fall. Someone hit him with a board and tried to kill him.”
Brett’s face drew into a frown. “That’s nuts. Who would want to hurt the simpleton?”
“That’s a good question,” Rebecca said. “And I’m sure Sheriff Colson will find the answer to it.”
“Who would want to hurt Joey?” Brett repeated almost as if he were talking to himself.
“Don’t repeat that information to the rest of the crew,” Rebecca cautioned him.
“Because you’re afraid they’ll quit?”
“Because one of them may have done it,” Rebecca said, once again watching Brett for any sign of guilt.
“I’ve worked with these men on two other digs.” Brett was having no difficulty working himself into indignation. “They have no reason to injure Joey.”
It was interesting that Brett defended his men. Rebecca took it as a good sign. “Nonetheless, it’s best if they don’t know that Joey was attacked. The construction workers are also going to be questioned. If someone on the estate is guilty, it’ll be easier to find out who it is if they don’t think we’re suspicious.”
“Except it puts my workers in some jeopardy,” Brett pointed out. “They have a right to know that someone is on the loose at Blackthorn, whacking people in the head.”
Rebecca felt her throat close. She hadn’t said that Joey was hit in the head. “Brett, don’t argue with me. Just do what I tell you. In the end, I’m the one responsible, not you.” She walked away, hoping that her little act of bravado had covered her intense concern
