at times. When he got wrapped up in solving a computer puzzle, he lost track of everything else, including time and polite conversation. Which made the hairs on the back of Cameron’s neck rise. What was Lenny working on now?
Cameron’s gaze panned to Mike Lawson and Cassie Allen sitting close together, peering at a printout on the table between them. Mike glanced up and nodded. “We’ve made a little progress.” He nudged Cassie, who looked to Mike first. Deaf since college, she hadn’t heard Cameron enter. When she turned toward him, her face lit with a smile. “Hi, Cameron.”
He nodded and remained standing. “So what did you find on the disk?” And what does it have to do with me?
“Actually, we think the disk is full of land coordinates. Lenny was just showing us where one of those coordinates is in the state of Colorado. Would you do us the honors?” Evangeline glanced at their techno geek.
Lenny clicked a single key. The projected view zoomed in until Cameron could read the town names—one in particular.
“Are you familiar with a small town northwest of Denver called Dry Wash?” Evangeline used the laser pointer to indicate the position on the map.
Was he familiar? Did spending the first eighteen years of your life count toward familiarity? Cameron molded the brim of the light brown Stetson in his hands. “Yes. It’s my hometown.” He directed his stare to Evangeline, his eyes narrowing. “But you know that.”
Evangeline nodded. “The coordinates pinpoint a location near there. I had Lenny pull up the online county plats and overlay it with the exact coordinates.”
Cameron stepped closer to the screen, recognition igniting the nerves in his gut. Lines drawn over an aerial photograph delineated the Bar M Ranch from the Flying W Ranch to the south. The point on the map indicated an area on the border between the two ranches. “The Bar M is my father’s ranch and the Flying W belongs to Hank Ward.” He glanced at Evangeline. “What’s the significance of the location?”
“We don’t know exactly, but we know a little more about some of the other coordinates.” Evangeline nodded to Lenny. “Show him the other view, please.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Lenny clicked several keys and a broader view of Colorado appeared on the screen with red dots sprinkled across the map.
“These are some of the other coordinates listed on the disk.” She pointed to two of them. “We’ve researched these two. The land is owned by a company called Tri Corp. Media.” She shot a glance toward Mike. “Mike, tell them what you found out about these locations.”
Mike’s face was poker straight. “They’re known to be rich in oil and…they were previously owned by Milo Kardascian and James Durgin, our dead CEOs. They sold their companies and land for cash and shares in Kingston Trust to pay off debt.”
“So you have two CEOs who sold out for cash and shares, Tri Corp. Media bought the companies and land and both CEOs are now dead.” Cameron shrugged. “Sounds suspicious. Why don’t you take it to the police?”
Jack shook his head. “And tell them what? We don’t have any solid evidence to point toward Tri Corp. Media. For all we know TCM is just a company that knows when to make a good deal.”
Evangeline paced in front of the screen, the light from the projector painting mottled images across her gray suit. “All we have is this land coordinate and the disk. That and a few other puzzle pieces.”
“What puzzle pieces?”
Mike jumped in. “Durgin came to us scared he would be the next man murdered from a list of Kingston Trust investors.”
None of this was making much sense to Cameron. “Why don’t you go to the investment company that manages the trust and get the list of investors?”
“That’s just it, it’s a blind trust,” Evangeline responded. “They don’t have to share the names of the investors unless we get a court order and send in the police. We don’t have enough evidence to do that yet. We’re going on supposition.”
Lenny raised his hand. “I’m checking into Kingston and hope to know something soon.”
Mike added, “There’s also Milo Kardascian’s connection to the Russian mob through his gambling debts.”
“Wait a minute. Do you think the Russian mob is involved in this?” Cameron tapped his hat against his thigh, his brain scrambling to take it all in.
Evangeline’s shoulders rose and fell. “We’re not certain of anything yet. We do know Kardascian was a habitual gambler. He frequented the mob-run private gambling establishments in Central City where he gambled his way deep into debt.”
Jack snorted. “And the mob demands payment in one form or another.”
With too many questions and not enough answers, Cameron wasn’t liking where this investigation was going. “Do you think the mob or the owners of the trust are going to go after this land because of the oil?”
“Possibly.” Cassie had been watching Cameron intently, reading his lips. “Rather be safe than sorry. Apparently each investor only knows the name of one other investor as far as we can tell. We only know of the two who’ve died recently.”
Evangeline picked up the story. “Durgin had been told he himself was a target by the investor who had his name. Durgin knew only one other name, but he didn’t get to tell us before he was murdered. He was scared and asked for our protection. Unfortunately, someone got to him.”
“Let me get this straight. A business deal is about to go down somewhere along the border of the Bar M and the Flying W.”
Evangeline nodded. “That’s what we think.”
“Are we looking at a possible payment or a transfer of land or mineral rights?” Cameron asked.
Evangeline glanced at Rick and Cassie. “Apparently, the two CEOs sold their land before they knew it was rich in oil. They might not have known about the oil, but someone else did. Maybe the Russian mob that let Milo rack up a huge gambling debt, or the owner of the Kingston Trust. Maybe TCM has a hand in this. We don’t know yet. We do know that once the CEOs invested in the trust with their companies and land, they were murdered.”
For several seconds, the news sank in. A knot formed in the pit of Cameron’s belly. “You think that once they get the owners to sell or invest their land in the Kingston Trust, they kill them to keep the profits for themselves?”
“You tell me. We’re just guessing at this point.”
“What if the landowners don’t want to sell?” Cameron asked. “I know these people, their families have ranched that land all their lives.”
Mike tapped a pen to the table. “Kardascian and Durgin were forced to sell to get out of debt.”
“These ranchers don’t gamble.” Cameron snorted. “Hell, they don’t have time. They’re too busy trying to eke out a living raising cattle.”
“There are other ways to force people out.” Evangeline stared hard at Cameron. “They could ruin the business so they’re forced to sell. They’ve proven themselves ruthless, who’s to say they won’t take more drastic
