Chapter 6: Thrown for a Loop

Earlier

“What?” Leighton asked for the second time while they were leaving the main house. Striding across the large open grass area, she couldn't help but notice Jake's expression.

"Nothing. Uh, you just look nice in your outfit," Jake commented. In his mind, 'nice' was an understatement, as Leighton looked sexy in her lime green polo and tan equestrian pants. It was nearly an identical style to Catherine Dall's, but Leighton's toned ass popped differently than the older woman's curvy behind.

“Thanks! Oh, um, sorry that we didn’t have anything in your size,” the redhead apologized, scanning Jake’s t-shirt and jeans.

“It will do, hopefully,” the stocky teen remarked.

As they rounded the barn to head for the stables, the two teens saw Catherine already seated on a gray horse while a man handed her a water bottle.

“That’s Marble. He’s an Arabian,” Leighton informed her guest, who appeared confused by who she meant. Jake swiftly realized she’d been talking about the horse as the man turned to wave at them. “Morning, Raffy!”

“Morning, Miss Ledford. Nice, clear day out for a ride.”

“Raffy, this is Jake Magnum, an old friend from summer camp. Jake, this is Rafael, our longtime horse groomer and handler,” Leighton said, making the introductions before leaning toward the man. “We'd better saddle up Snowflake. Jake’s inexperienced.”

“Ah, no problem. I already have Queenie nearly ready,” Rafael responded, motioning for Jake to follow.

"I sort of fibbed and told Cat that Jake had experience, that it had been a while for him," Leighton revealed once they'd left the older woman's hearing range and started walking down the stables.

"She's a fairly good rider but thinks she could win prizes," Rafael winked.

Chuckling as they agreed about the actress's attitude, Leighton gave a mini-tour and rundown of the stables. The long building consisted of seven stalls. Five were traditional stalls built for a single horse. Two larger box stalls sat at one end, with one serving as a communal stall used when they wanted to keep several horses together, and the other used for treating a horse. A tack room filled with saddles and bridles split the traditional and box stalls from one another. Glancing inside, Jake saw straw or shavings on the floor of the usually dirt floor. The vacationing Queenie's stall featured a rubber mat for extra comfort.

“Queenie and Snowflake are both Appaloosas,” Leighton explained, with the terminology going over Jake’s head. She explained how Snowflake was named after her pattern, while her personal horse was a red roan.

“Would you like to get on here?” Rafael inquired, gesturing to Jake.

“Uh, sure.”

"It's easier. Just don't fall off. You might have an issue on the trail," Leighton teased, watching as Jake attempted to climb up. After several attempts, Raffy offered a hand to help. However, Jake was **** to eventually use a step stool to get into Snowflake's saddle.

“Shut up,” Jake hissed, clutching the reins tightly as he swayed on the saddle. Nearby, the whinny from a horse in a stall seemed to mock him as the teen thought it sounded like laughter.

“It’s okay, Snowy. He’s just a rookie, not a threat. Follow me and Queenie,” Leighton told the horse, who appeared to relax in Jake’s mind.

Slowly, the red Appaloosa led its compatriot out onto the field, where they met Cat and Marble.

“Everything alright?”

“No worries. You'd better lead. Jake just needs a little time to get adjusted,” Leighton called over to the blonde actress. “He knows it’s like riding a bicycle. One never truly forgets.”

‘I hope so. He looks like a novice at the moment,” Catherine chuckled, leading them toward the trail.

The trail they rode on quickly left the open grass field to enter the forest. There was no buildup of trees in this spot as they swiftly rode past a dense collection of towering pine and oak trees mixed with the occasional brush. That underbrush of fuzzy moss, spiky thorns, and soft ferns seemed like one giant 'Do Not Enter' sign, while also hinting at the secret creatures that watched the intruders. The air was thick with humidity, and the morning dew covered the foliage as the fiery sun was mainly blocked. Trees leaned toward the open trail, creating almost an archway with their branches. Only slanted sunbeams pierced the leafy canopy, slightly cooling the riders in the shade.

A well-trodden path consisting of a mixture of dirt, gravel, and wood chips, it could be firm yet give way under the horses' hooves. Initially, a primarily straight track with a few slowly developing curves, the trail descended into a serpentine maze after the first ten minutes.

A peaceful atmosphere settled over the riding trio. The usual forest cacophony of rustling leaves, flapping branches, and crunching brush blended together. Even the addition of chirping birds, buzzing bugs, and animalistic grunts couldn’t intrude on the tranquility.

While the serene trail felt like an escape from the world for Catherine and Leighton, Jake Magnum, North High's two-way football star, attempted to sit tall and still on his steed. Almost willing himself to project confidence on his gentle mare, Jake's muscular arms gave off an air of ease as he appeared to grip the reins with the casual mastery of a born rider. Further ahead, Catherine seemed to buy the lie that Jake had settled back into riding, but Leighton's observant, protective eye knew better.

In reality, Jake's palms felt sticky as his knuckles tightened and fingers locked on the leather reins. A nervous energy coursed through his veins as he tried to focus on the rhythm of Snowflake's gait, the steady clop-clop sound echoing through the dense forest. His thoughts were a jumble of adventure, fear, and excitement. Besides the horse riding, who wouldn’t be scared and excited to be around a legendary and gorgeous actress?

To make matters worse, the thick, humid air was also infused with the noticeable scent of the pine trees and the sweetness of the blooming wildflowers. Jake's nose twitched even more than yesterday when they tracked Troy and the fleeing man. With horrific suddenness, Jake realized his allergies might be starting up. The image of sneezing fits, itchy eyes, and an intense headache while riding filled him with dread.

Jake attempted to distract his twitching nose and burgeoning fears with the thrill of watching Cat and Leighton's profiles. The blonde cougar had already developed a pattern of galloping ahead with Marble before returning to the other two riders at a slower pace. The constant movement had long, golden locks fluttering in the breeze while her ample bosom bounced with each step. Closer to his terrifying perch, Jake's eyes often flickered to Leighton's slim legs, which seemed to have been sculpted by the finest artist in the country. He tried to recall the bitchy, bossy girl he had intensely disliked five years ago, but the transformations to her personality and figure were too difficult to ignore.

Nervously readjusting his grip on Snowflake’s reins one hand at a time, Jake swallowed hard before deciding to risk breaking the silence.

“Hey, Leighton. Isn’t it great out here?” the usually confident teen inquired, his voice shakier than he’d like.

“I was just wondering if you’d passed out from fright,” Leighton remarked with musical laughter. She glanced over at him with her eyes sparkling with more mischief. “Jesus, Jake, you’re sweating more than Queenie here. You okay?”

Jake noticed Queenie and Snowflake seemingly share a look as the former flicked her tail in apparent agreement. Horses don’t talk to each other, do they? Burying the horrifying possibility of them discussing his riding ability, Jake’s cheeks reddened while he attempted to show bravado with a broad grin.

"Just the heat, I guess. I'm having a blast."

A nudge to Queenie’s sides sent the horse forward in a graceful leap. With her hooves barely touching the ground, the Appaloosa shot forward with a burst of speed. Suddenly, the slightest movement from Leighton brought the horse to a halt before she turned and raced past Jake. Another abrupt stop and turn brought Queenie alongside Snowflake before circling Jake and his mare several times in a wide arc.

With the earthy smell of horses being overwhelmed by the scent of coconut sunscreen, Jake felt the wind’s whispered breeze kick up with help from the rider and her steed. Continuing his amazement, Leighton worked as one with Queenie to dart the Appaloosa into the forests and gracefully around several trees before returning to his side.

"Wow," Jake responded, his voice tinged with awe. "You're like a pro out here."

Leaning back in her saddle with a relaxed and confident posture, Leighton watched as Catherine returned once again.

"You know," the redhead said, her eyes never leaving the incoming rider, "I've been riding since I could walk. There's something about it that just... clears my head." She paused momentarily, her gaze drifting up to the canopy of leaves above. "The world makes more sense when I'm on Queenie."

“It’s a shame you gave up competitive riding and jumping,” Cat commented, coming along Jake’s free side.

“You competed?” Jake asked, trying to recall if he had already known that. It may have sounded familiar.

“I stopped right before I turned fifteen,” Leighton explained. “Too many trainers and people at the events told me I needed to treat Queenie with a firmer hand. I’m not treating her like that. Queenie’s my friend.”

"I thought you stopped because you slapped a fellow competitor in the face," Catherine responded. Her remark seemingly startled the redhead.

“That happened too,” she admitted. Catching Jake’s amused expression, the redhead added, “You have to understand the equestrian and dressage circuits are filled with some of the most spoiled brats imaginable. I’ve witnessed plenty of epic meltdowns from ten-year-olds to twenty-year-olds over the tiniest things. Usually, they flipped out on the people their parents hired to help them, but sometimes at the parents for not spending even more insane amounts of money.”

“So you slapped somebody for being a brat?” Jake asked, grinned.

“I slapped a guy for being an asshole to his horse. Others said he showed a firm hand, but it was borderline abusive according to the rulebook,” Leighton explained. “To me, his actions were plain cruel.”

“Damn. That’s awful,” Jake replied, hesitating to ask his follow-up. “Whatever happened to the guy and his horse?”

“I don’t fucking care about that jerk, but you’ve already met his former horse,” Leighton revealed, gesturing at Marble. “My parents offered triple to rescue him for me.”

“He’s such a gentle stallion,” Catherine praised, reaching forward to rub the horse affectionately.

“Marble has a great home down here. Vonnie and Raffy make sure of it,” Leighton declared. “I never want to think about what might have been if my parents hadn’t listened to me.”

The trio fell into an awkward silence as they continued to ride at a pace that matched Jake's limited skill level. Eventually, Cat opted to lighten the mood by asking several questions about the teens' shared past.

“So, summer love, huh? Was it an up-and-down adventure at your camp?”

“Uh, well, I don’t know. Kinda. She pissed me off before, um, I forgave her….I mean, ended up liking her.”

Leighton giggled as Jake clearly struggled to think of something to sell the lie about their past fake relationship.

"Was it a single summer or an on-and-off-again affair?" the twice-divorced woman asked knowingly.

“Gawd, dealing with this one felt like an eternity. He’d make these public displays of his love in front of—”

“We were only there one summer!” Jake blurted out.

“A single summer of sizzling juvenile love? And you kept in touch as friends? Wow!” the golden blonde exclaimed. “Wait, did you never return because she broke your heart?”

“What? No!” Jake shrieked. “It…It wasn’t like that. There was an incident near the camp, and we weren’t asked to return.”

“Oh…So this was five years ago? That’s when there was some sort of robbery or manhunt, right?”

“Something like that,” Leighton replied. Her suddenly icy tone shut off any further questions.

Surprised by the redhead’s sudden attitude change, Jake watched as the older woman shrugged. Another five minutes passed as they reached a particularly twisty and turny section of the trail. With that occurring, Catherine chose to ride alongside them instead of her usual gallop ahead. Her closeness caused Jake to fight the magnetic pull between his eyes and her heaving breasts.

Damn, I’m hanging out with Catherine fucking Dall! The Triple Crown winner of best ass, tits, and most fuckable. This crazy! The guys won’t believe it when I tell…Oh, shit…I need proof!

Fumbling to pull out his mostly useless cell phone, Jake snapped off a few pictures of Leighton and Catherine. At first, wondering if Jake spotted something in the woods, the redhead quickly realized what her guest and hired investigator wanted.

“Give it to me,” Leighton ordered before suggesting to Catherine that she bring Marble to a stop beside Snowflake.

“We’re talking pictures? Of course!” the blonde agreed, well-used to photo requests.

Leighton took almost a half-dozen pictures. She especially found the last two funny as Cat leaned over to lock arms with Jake, which made him blush.

“Okay, let’s get a few of the ex-lovebirds,” the golden blonde announced. “Maybe embers of passion will rekindle this week. One never knows.”

Both teens grimaced at the thought of pretending to have a renewed relationship this week. Leighton might be willing to do so if it helped get rid of Jean-Paul Flamand. However, Jake dared to dream of hooking up with one of the hot, visiting celebrities at the grand home.

“Come on, just one quick kiss for old time’s sake,” Catherine prodded, causing Jake and Leighton to shake their heads.

Suddenly, Queenie neighed as she reared slightly. Leighton flinched at the abrupt move, tightening her grip on the reins while whispering soothing words to the spooked steed. Cat looked around in confusion as Jake didn’t understand what had happened.

“It’s okay, girl. It’s okay—”

Then, the world seemed to freeze as Queenie neighed louder and reared back fully. Leighton’s knuckles whitened as her eyes widened with fear. Desperately trying to calm Queenie while holding on, a high-pitched whinny foretold a third rear on her hind legs. This time proved too much as the frightened, panicked horse threw off her beloved owner.

Leighton hit the ground with a thud. The impact jolted her body, knocking the air out of her lungs. She barely reacted as Queenie bolted forward down the trail. Catherine quickly grabbed Snowflake's reins from Jake to calm his horse down before the horse responded similarly to her longtime stablemate.

“Oh, my gawd!” the blonde gasped before turning to check on the fallen girl. “Leigh, are you alright?”

“I…think so. Just…give me a second,” the redhead replied, wincing. She raised her head enough to listen to the distant echoes of Queenie’s hooves as they faded.

Jake wanted to check on his fellow teenager but knew better. He might not get back up on Snowflake. Instead, he watched Cat dismount Marble to kneel beside the fallen girl.

“I landed on my back and shoulder,” Leighton replied to Cat’s inquiry.

“What…What happened? Does that happen often?” Jake asked.

“Queenie never gets spooked like that. But something must have terrified her,” Leighton stated, looking over into the forest.

Still mounted on Snowflake, Jake shivered as he searched the dense forest for whatever frightened the friendly horse enough to throw Leighton. Suddenly, the peaceful tranquility of their surroundings felt tense and ripe for action.

---

“Here they come!” Marie announced, pointing to the portion of the trail where the riders had first taken it.

Phineas heard Paisley gasp as her cousin appeared on the back of the small All-Terrain Vehicle Rafael had taken to find the horse riders. The last twenty-five minutes since he left had been excruciating for the pale blonde and her aunt.

“How does Leigh look? Is she okay?” Yvonne questioned, using her hand to block the sunlight and peer ahead. Not waiting for an answer, the strawberry blonde calculated the ATV’s trajectory and raced toward the stables.

Phinn and the women hurried to follow Yvonne. None of the others had returned from their session or trip to the store. Immediately, the concerned strawberry blonde waved at the vehicle's driver.

"No, no, take her to the house, Raffy!"

Despite several shouted attempts to redirect the ATV, it pulled up in front of the stables. Marie reached it first to help the sore Leighton, who sat behind Rafael. Yvonne joined them seconds later.

“Stay on, dear. Raffy can drive you closer to the house.”

“No! I need to check on Queenie,” Leighton responded.

“She’s okay. Marie settled her down somewhat. Let’s get you to–”

“I need to check on her!” the redhead insisted, tears welling up.

The rest of the group stood back to watch Leighton stagger over to her beloved Appaloosa’s stall. They watched her sob as she hugged the horse. Queenie appeared to finally settle down upon hearing Leighton’s voice.

Standing off to the side, Phinn noticed a hushed conversation between Marie and Rafael. He couldn't make out much but knew they discussed some aspect of Queenie's condition that Marie found. Raffy nodded while saying that he'd check on it.

The crying teen eventually regained her composure after almost ten minutes. Raffy’s insistence that Queenie would be fine gave Yvonne an opening to escort her niece to the house. Aware that he wouldn’t be in the room as they checked Leighton for any injuries, Phinn lingered behind in the stables.

He watched Rafael grab several items from the tack room to rub the horse down. Phinn waited until he saw the horse groomer studying Queenie’s side before he approached and made his presence known.

“What is it? What did you find?” the high school sleuth asked, slightly startling the man.

“What? Oh, it’s you. It’s nothing,” Rafael said dismissively. However, Phinn had caught his concerned face before he spoke.

“I doubt it’s nothing. I heard Marie alert you to what she found,” Phinn revealed, seeking answers. “Is it suspicious?”

Sighing, Raffy motioned for the bespectacled teen to come over. Without touching the Appaloosa, he indicated two spots. One was on Queenie's rear hip, while the other was on her flank.

“What am I looking at?” Phinn asked, noticing two minor marks.

“Skin swelling. Possibly a welt or a bruise. It’s probably nothing and occurred after Queenie raced off on her own,” Rafael said, but Phinn could tell he didn’t believe his own downplaying of the marks. “Maybe a branch.”

“Something hit her? A gunshot?”

"No, no, no! No gunshots!" Raffy exclaimed after dropping a curse in Spanish. "Her hide hasn't been broken."

Phinn studied the marks again until the sound of approaching tires caused Raffy to go check. Now alone, Phinn took several pictures of the potential bruises before following the older man. He found him standing at the end of the barn and watching as the sheriff drove to the main house.

“Who called the sheriff?” Raffy asked.

“Nobody that I know of. He was supposed to return to question the guests about the body we found,” the teen detective reminded. “He’ll likely want to speak to you as well.”

Sighing again, Rafael muttered a few choice words in Spanish under his breath. Finished, he strolled across the grass to the house's side door. Phinn considered going around the house to eavesdrop on the sheriff's questioning. However, the junior investigator decided to stick around the stables until Jake returned. He also didn't like the idea of leaving Queenie alone at the moment. With that in mind, he slipped inside an empty stall to wait.

Twenty minutes later, Phinn woke from his inner musings when footsteps approached. Surprisingly, it sounded like two pairs of footsteps. The watchful detective waited until they passed his hiding spot and paused a stall down from Queenie’s.

“Hello, I see you’ve returned. How did the session go?” Phinn inquired, stepping out from the stall to startle Karter Terstad.

“The fuck, kid?!”

“I’m sorry if I startled you, Mr. Terstad. Ms…I don’t believe I caught your last name, ma’am,” the gumshoe noted.

“Selene is sufficient. Were you visiting the horses?” the dark-haired woman with alabaster skin inquired.

"Just waiting for my friend, Miss…Selene. He went horseback riding and should be back any moment…I think. Does it take long to ride a horse somewhere?" Phinn asked, playing the clueless teen. "Oh, is Mr. Flamand with you?"

"He shall also return shortly after more meditation time," Selene replied, her eyes narrowing as she studied the teen.

“Uh, well, the sheriff is back. He wants to interview both of you. It sounds pointless. I don’t know how they can tell anything about a dead body,” Phinn added, playing up the dumb kid act. He took his glasses off to look for smudges.

“Very well,” Selene nodded curtly before motioning for Karter to follow.

While he watched them head to the house, Phinn wondered if they had approached from the direction of the stables or gone there from a different direction. The PI also mulled over Jean-Paul’s whereabouts.

Everyone knew the sheriff would return today. Did Flamand plan to be gone when he arrived? Does he want to avoid any interactions with the law? Maybe, maybe not. I suppose if I apply that line of thinking to him, I’ll have to use it for Catherine Dall's decision to go riding.

Another ten minutes brought Rafael back nearly simultaneously with the reappearance of Jake and Catherine. Phinn waited for the horse expert to help Jake dismount without breaking any bones. While they dismounted, both asked about Leighton. Neither Phinn nor Raffy could provide any answers about her condition. Catherine groaned when told the sheriff had returned for questioning.

“What’s happening with the sheriff?” Jake asked once they stopped near the barn, and Catherine continued toward the house.

“No idea. I’ve been hanging around out here. What happened when Queenie threw Leighton?”

“Nothing. The horse was fine one second and then freaked out.”

“Were you doing anything when it occurred? Did you hear any sounds?”

“I didn’t hear anything. Are horses like dogs? Can they hear better than us?” Jake asked.

“They have excellent hearing and sense of smell. Why did you spot an animal afterward?” Phinn queried.

Jake replied that they hadn’t and assumed another animal spooked Queenie. Pressed again about their actions, Jake revealed that they’d been in the middle of taking pictures. Immediately, Phinn wanted to see them.

“I took some of Catherine and Leighton separately. Then, she took a few of me and Catherine before offering to do the same for me and Leghton,” Jake explained. “We were in the middle when Queenie freaked out. Hey, what are you doing?”

Phinn didn’t reply at once as he scanned the pictures, occasionally zooming in on the image. After a couple of grumbles, he appeared to scroll back to another picture. Finally, the bespectacled teen swore.

“Dammit, I can’t tell.”

“Tell what?”

“Here, do you think that’s a person? The black blob?” Phinn asked, zooming in on the first picture of Jake and Leighton together.

“I can’t tell. Wait, do you think somebody was in the woods watching us?”

“More than watching. Something hit Queenie on the side facing the forest in these pictures with you,” Phinn revealed, explaining what Marie found and Rafael relayed to him. “Raffy’s downplaying his concern. He said they could be welts or bruises caused by Queenie hitting a branch after fleeing. However, these look like bruises where something struck the horse. It didn’t break the hide, so it wasn’t a gunshot. Might have been pellets.”

“Whoa! You think somebody in the trees shot Queenie with a BB gun?” Jake questioned while he thought over the possibility. “That could make sense. Catherine explained horses to me more on our way back. The first shot might have hit Queenie’s hip, with the second on her flank. Cat said that the flanks can be very sensitive.”

“It’s Cat now, huh?” Phinn teased while motioning for Jake to follow him inside the barn. “I think now is a good time to search in here.”

“Oh, right! We need to figure out why that weirdo came in here naked last night,” Jake recalled. “Hey, did you learn anything while I was gone?”

“Eh…I’ll fill you in later,” Phinn told his best friend. He didn’t want to distract Jake from their search.

The early afternoon sun filtered in through the cracks in the aged wooden walls. Phinn paused a moment to study several of the cracks while wondering if the second person he spotted last night would've been able to peek inside through a hole. Unsure, he relented to Jake's complaining about flicking on the light switch. While the brainy detective preferred to use their flashlights, they recognized their search would look more suspicious if anyone walked in. The barn's interior felt oddly vast and cramped at the same time. High rafters on the west side added to the expansive feel, yet rows of stalls cordoned off much of the first floor. After spending some time in the horse stables nearby, Phinn recognized the signs of forgotten animal stalls now filled with hay and grain.

Jake moved first toward the work area. A sturdy piece of solid oak, the workbench looked scarred with the marks of countless projects and repairs. A mishmash of old and new tools lay scattered across its surface, some covered in dust or cobwebs. A rusted hammer sat next to a gleaming screwdriver. The same could be said of various wrenches, pliers, mallets, and clamps. A hand-cranked buzzsaw, an ancient-looking anvil, and an open vise made the smartphone charger lying in the middle feel like a time-traveling intruder. Jake paused for a moment to study the charger. However, it looked almost a decade old and might not be in use anymore. Just another discarded piece thrown among the odds and ends of nails, screws, and bolts.

The walls behind and next to the workbench resembled a punchboard, with all its hooks and nails. Nothing stood out at first among the lengths of twine, coils of ropes, old leather gloves, and extension cords. However, after glancing down at the pile of shovels, pitchforks, and brooms sticking up from a rusty bucket, Jake whistled. Hanging from hooks looked like a slasher film killer's dream selection of killing tools. Saw blades, pruning shears, machetes, and hatchets all made Jake shiver a bit. Distracted by the sharp-edged tools, Jake nearly ran into a wheelbarrow that leaned hard to one side on an almost flat tire.

"Not too many signs of life over here," Jake commented. "Except for some stuff that could end us pretty quickly."

“A person could hide an item behind these hay bales, but unless we knew where to search, it would take more time than we have to move them,” Phinn noted.

“Maybe Flamand was digging in here last night.”

“As in searching for a buried item? Doubtful, but we can’t rule it out,” Phinn admitted, wondering if a strategically placed hay bale could be covering a hole. “Let’s check the hayloft before we consider the possibility.”

While an ancient-looking ladder ran up to the hayloft, the teen detectives didn't need to risk any of its rungs collapsing. Instead, they climbed a very narrow staircase up to a converted hayloft. The space had been transformed into a cozy, rustic retreat. Jake found a light switch that turned on a bare bulb in the center. Creaking floorboards led to a tiny table with two rickety-looking chairs under the bare bulb.

Jake nearly jumped as Phinn loudly opened a window. Essentially, he pushed two pieces of wood outward to reveal where the old hayloft door once resided. Two ropes on each side allowed a person to pull the two pieces back shut. However, while open, the makeshift window framed the horizon like a painting.

“Too bad it doesn’t face the pool area,” Jake remarked.

“No, opening on this side provides more privacy,” Phinn noted. Briefly, he wondered if an Ellison or one of their workers had put the thought and effort into this secret getaway.

The additional light from the open window revealed a quaint little nook in the corner, where a plush mattress rested on a very low bed frame. A patchwork quilt and several pillows lay neatly on the top of the bed. A nightstand/bookshelf next to the headboard held a small lamp and an assortment of yellowing paperbacks. Over toward the end of the bed, another shelf held several old board games.

“Well, these look out of place,” Jake announced, using his flashlight to pull an item out from the small space under the bed.

“Fancy and cleanish-looking,” Phinn remarked after Jake used his flashlight to lift a pair of lavender panties into the air.

“Definitely not the cheap kind. Satin and silk. I bet these cost money,” Jake observed, moving over to the window for more light to study his find. “And as you said, they look fairly clean. Can’t have been here for long.”

“Put them in here before you move on to sniffing them,” Phinn directed, handing over a plastic bag with a zip-top.

“Hey, I’m just noting they seem well-cared for. Either they were only recently left here, like from last night, or they’re a trophy,” Jake argued.

“Trophies? When did you become Mister Alpha?” Phinn challenged with a smirk.

“Ah, man! I haven’t thought of that creep in a long time. Dusty hated him passionately,” Jake recalled about an old case.

“Well, you’re the one mentioning underwear trophies.”

“I don’t keep them. That’s Rick Valance’s thing,” Jake revealed about his high school rival.”

"Eww, I don't want to know how you know that," Phinn said, leaning toward the open window. "I hear several voices. Let's see what's happening?"

Closing the hayloft window, the pair of investigators hurried out of the barn and over to the house. They just reached the end of the long porch in time to see the sheriff’s car pull away. Phinn threw up his hands as he knew the sheriff didn’t have enough time to interview everyone.

“Is the sheriff already done?” Jake asked Marie.

“He had to leave. There’s another brouhaha down at Earl’s,” the housekeeper informed them before adding, “It’s the only tavern in town.”

“Is he coming back tonight?” Phinn questioned.

“Don’t know. He didn’t seem interested in asking many questions. I think Leighton wants to see you,” Marie added before going inside.

"For fuck sake! This sheriff is worse than we expected," Phinn bitched. "At this rate, we're better off going to the local morgue and examining the body ourselves."

“No, don’t even think of that,” Jake warned.