So�This Is Montana� Ch. 25
Throughout the early morning hours, Lance and Joey spent several hours searching through the files containing records on the twenty some odd horses owned by Harvey Benson. In the end, they discovered more than $150,000 in possible discrepancies between the purchase prices for the horses and the amounts in which they were insured. In two or three cases, they had found that a horse had been insured more than once through different agencies for various amounts of money.
�You know, we really need to tell the others about this,� Lance said waving one hand at the page he had written figures on as he pulled off his glasses with the other hand then pinched the bridge of his nose.
He was having a hard time dealing with the possibility that he had bought a ranch from someone involved in such shady dealings as insurance fraud. For all he knew, there could be fraud in other areas. Lance had found in his experience in business that if someone was involved in some dishonest dealings in one area, there was more dishonesty going on elsewhere too.
�Yeah,� Joey agreed as he stood up and stretched his tired muscles, all the while being mindful of his stiff chest.
He felt bad for Lance but he had his doubts about Harvey Benson�s involvement in what they had discovered. He was sure that Lance was having visions of the whole Lou Pearlman fiasco that they had endured not too long ago...for the moment he was reliving some of his own memories of that sordid situation.
Silence fell over the pair for several minutes as they became lost in their thoughts then Joey spoke.
�Do you think we might find other discrepancies, Lance?�
�Probably, but where, Joey?� Lance asked as he folded his arms on the desktop then laid down his head as weariness over the whole situation began to descend upon him.
�What about with their heavy equipment or their vehicles�something like that,� Joey answered as he raised his eyebrows then ran his hands tiredly through his already wild hair.
�Like�if Mr. Benson was charged for services not actually done or something like that?� Lance asked as he laid his head back down on the desktop.
�Yeah�or maybe some of the stuff out there really isn�t his,� Joey quietly suggested knowing that his statement might ruffle some feathers, but he was surprised by Lance�s next comment.
�You might be right�I had kinda played around with that idea for the last hour or so,� Lance replied just as quietly. �I�d hate to think that Mr. Benson might be involved with anything dishonest like that, but�seeing these figures�I don�t know, Joey.�
Lance sat back up and put his glasses back on and perused through the figures that he and Joey had come up with through in their search through the files on the horses.
�There�s just too much money involved here, Joey not to suspect something else going on.�
�How do you want to handle this?�
�I guess we need to tell the others first�maybe this afternoon after the ride out to Skitty�s body,� Lance answered. �Maybe they�ll have some ideas on where we should look next.�
�Yeah,� Joey replied. �What about the ranch hands? I�d hate to think that Mitch, Troy and Pete are involved in this too.�
The thought made Joey�s stomach slightly roll. He really liked the three men. They had, in essence, saved JC�s life�maybe even Lance�s. How could they possibly be involved in something like what they were thinking about?
�We just need to play it cool, I guess,� Lance said as he removed his glasses and looked at the older man. �We just need to act like nothing is happening.�
�I think what we might want to do is look through the records on the heavy equipment�the tractors, mowers, trucks�you know. Make sure everything matches up and makes sense.�
�Yeah, that sounds like a pretty good idea,� Lance quietly agreed as he sat up in his chair, his weariness temporarily leaving him at the thought of what needed to be done.
�The ledgers and books are probably either here in Mr. Benson�s office or Mr. Williams might have them somewhere else since he�s probably in charge of that kind of stuff.�
�So�what do you say we get started on this investigation, Junior Detective Bass?� Joey said with a twinkle in his eyes.
�You got it Mr. McGruff,� Lance said with a laugh as he stood up and made his way across the room to a pair of filing cabinets.
�I�ll take this one,� he said as he pulled open the first drawer. �You get that one, Joey.�
With a nod of his head, Joey joined Lance and the two began their search through the cabinet�s drawers.
It was just a few hours later when Lance and Joey finally gave into the weariness that only a sleepless night could cause and the pair returned to their bedroom and laid down. Although he was exhausted, Lance found his mind almost too troubled to sleep and he once again began tossing and turning. Joey intervened and gave Lance a pain pill for his slightly throbbing arm and minutes later he succumbed to the pull of sleep along with Joey.
It was after 8:00 when Chris and Justin began to stir from their sleep and now both were dressing so that they could go eat breakfast
�Are Lance and Joey awake yet?� Chris quietly asked Justin, being mindful not to awaken JC in the next bed. He and Justin had both already showered and dressed some time earlier. They were becoming hungry and had thought about waiting for the others to wake up before eating, but changed their minds when they realized that it might take a while before the others would get up.
�No, not yet,� Justin quietly replied with a small sigh, having no idea that the pair had only climbed back into their bed less than two hours ago. He had carefully opened the bathroom door that connected the two bedrooms and saw that Lance and Joey were still very much asleep. Joey was lying on top of his bedcovers on one bed while Lance was buried under a mound of covers on his bed.
�Well, let�s go ahead and go to the kitchen for a cup of coffee,� Chris said as he stood up and crossed the room to the door. �They probably took some pain pills, J and they�ll need to just sleep them off.�
�Well, Lance is going to need to get up at around 9:30 so he can get ready to go out with the vet to that horse�s body,� Justin reminded Chris as he glanced at his watch.
�Yeah�I�m going to go with him,� Chris commented as they walked toward the kitchen. �You need to make sure that you stay with Joey and JC at all times while we�re gone.�
�You don�t have to worry about that,� Justin replied. �We�re going to stick together.�
During their long wait at the clinic the previous evening, Justin, Joey, Lance, and Chris had all decided to make sure that no one was by themselves during the rest of their stay at the ranch. They didn�t want any one to get hurt again and they were finding it difficult to trust anyone other than themselves in taking care of each other.
Minutes later, the pair was in the kitchen. Selma was busily preparing breakfast for John and Steven, who were also there.
�Morning,� Justin said quietly as he followed Chris to the coffee pot sitting on the counter across the room.
Both men simply nodded their heads in greetings as they continued to read a paper and drink their coffee.
�Where are the others, Mr. Kirkpatrick?� Selma asked as she flipped several pancakes on a hot, stovetop griddle.
�They�re still asleep,� Chris answered. �And�please, just call me Chris.�
Selma turned and smiled at both Justin and Chris.
�Sorry�I forgot, Chris. Does pancakes and sausage sound good for breakfast?�
�Yes, ma�am,� Justin answered as he walked over to the table after spying the sport�s section.
�Um�Mr. Cartwright,� Justin began. �May I have the sport�s section, please?�
Steven looked up then reached out and pushed that section of the paper toward Justin without a word.
�Thanks,� Justin said as he turned and glanced over at Chris, giving him a look that caused the older man to smile. After several years with the group, the five young men could read each other�s thoughts by simply looking at each other�s facial expressions and Justin�s was saying��grumpy much?� The pair sat at the bar and shared the sport�s section until Selma finished preparing breakfast. By then, JC had tiredly entered the room, followed by Joey.
�Didn�t get much sleep, Joe?� JC asked in a voice full of concern. His younger friend had dark circles under his eyes and he appeared slightly pale.
�Yeah�Lance was having trouble getting to sleep last night and we ended up staying up and talking until about 6 this morning,� Joey answered truthfully not knowing that Selma knew what they were actually doing, as did John and Steven. He and Lance had been talking but he just wasn�t going to tell the others what they had been talking about...not yet at least. He and Lance had agreed earlier to keep what they had learned while looking through Mr. Benson�s paper work under their hats until after the veterinarian�s visit was over.
�Was Lance hurting?� Justin asked before taking a bite of sausage.
�A little bit, but I think it was those long naps ya�ll took yesterday that messed him up. He�ll do better tonight,� Joey answered with a tired smile as he pushed a piece of pancake through a puddle of syrup on his plate before putting his fork down on his plate. Justin raised his eyebrows at Joey�s obvious disinterest in his food then glanced first at Chris who shrugged his shoulders as he sipped from his cup of coffee then moved his gaze to JC who was slightly frowning at the scene. Joey didn�t even notice the looks that were bouncing back and forth between his friends�he was too tired and too concerned about what he and Lance had discovered. With a small sigh, he pushed back his chair and stood up with his plate and coffee cup.
�It was a very good breakfast, Selma,� Joey said as he placed his plate and cup in the sink. �I�m sorry I didn�t finish it.�
�Well, that�s okay, Joey,� Selma answered with a smile as she patted the young man on the shoulder. �I�m sure you�ll be ready to eat more after your ride this morning. I�ll be sure to pack you a sandwich though, just in case you happen to get hungry.�
�Thanks, Selma�I�d appreciate that.�
Joey then walked back by the table and gave JC�s shoulder a gentle squeeze.
�I�m gonna go check on Scoop.�
�Sure, Joe�see you in a few,� Chris said as he watched him leave the room then turned back to see that JC and Justin�s faces were mirroring the look of concern that he was sure that he was wearing.
It was around the middle of the afternoon when Chris and Lance met Troy, Mitch and Pete outside at the stables. Dr. Reynolds had called around 9:00 to tell the group that he wouldn�t be able to come out that morning due to some problems at his office and would be there, at the ranch sometime after 2:00. His delay in making it out to the ranch turned out to be the best thing in that Lance was able to sleep until almost 1:00 giving JC and Justin the chance to explore the ranch while Joey begged off and went back to bed in an effort to catch up on the sleep that he lost.
�Now, you�re sure you�re up to this Lance?� Chris asked uncertainly as he and Lance watched the ranch hands move around in the stables. He knew that Lance was pushing himself beyond what Dr. Granger and Dr. Parrish had ordered, but he also understood his friend�s need to participate in what they were going to be doing.
�Yes, Mom,� Lance answered with a slightly lopsided grin as he absent-mindedly played with the sling holding his right arm to his chest.
Chris returned the smile, but Lance�s next words caused that smile to fade away.
�I took one of my little green pills for my arm and headache about 20 minutes ago and I�m feeling�well�I�m not feeling much of anything right now,� he added with a slight giggle while adjusting the sling�s strap behind his neck. He could already tell that it was rubbing the back of his neck raw.
�Lance, I�m serious,� Chris said in a tone of voice that matched the equally sober, almost worried expression he had on his face causing Lance�s smile to fade. He found it to be rather disheartening to see this uncharacteristic behavior coming from his usually carefree friend.
�I don�t want to have to take you back to the clinic, Lance. I�ve had enough of that these past two months to last a lifetime.�
Chris�s words pricked Lance�s heart. He had known that Chris and the others were worried about him, but now he realized just how much and he quickly tried to reassure him that he was taking his words seriously.
�Listen, Chris, I�ll let you know if I need to turn back...really,� Lance said, his voice full of sincerity as he stepped closer to his friend and put his hand on his shoulder.
�I�ve already made that promise to Mitch and now I�m making it to you and you know I don�t lie.�
�And you better not start now,� Chris said with an unsure smile as his eyes searched Lance�s face. �Just as soon as you start feeling funny or anything, you need to let me know, okay Lance�please?�
�Okay, Chris�I promise.�
Chris seemed satisfied with the answer and the pair watched as Mitch, Troy and Pete saddled five horses for their ride out to the northern pasture where Skitty�s body was. Charlie Reynolds, the local veterinarian was due to arrive any minute and the group would ride out on horseback to the location for him to take photographs for insurance purposes along with verifying that the horse had indeed broken its leg in order to justify the necessity of its being destroyed.
�I�m glad you�re going with me, Chris,� Lance said. �I know that you�re not crazy about riding horses and this means a lot to me�really.�
�I know,� Chris answered with a grim smile. �I just hope I don�t end up joining the club that you and Baby J are members of.�
Lance nodded his head in understanding. A few years earlier when the group had been recording the video for �The Girl Who Has Everything,� Justin had taken a bad spill from his horse, giving everyone a real scare. Granted, he had landed in loose sand when he fell, but the fall had been bad enough that Justin practically had to be bribed to get back on his horse to complete the shoot. Eventually, he ended up trading horses with JC, who had a gentle mare, and the video was finally finished, but the scare had taken some time for Justin to get over.
As the pair followed the ranch hands and horses out of the stables, unfamiliar pick-up drove up and stopped creating a cloud of dust that floated past the vehicle before settling again in the yard. A middle-aged gentleman stepped out of the vehicle then reached back inside and pulled out a large, leather medical bag along with several smaller boxes that looked like tackle boxes.
�That�s Charlie Reynolds,� Mitch said as he, Chris and Lance watched the man approaching with a smile on his face.
�Hey, Charlie,� Mitch said as he took two of the boxes and handed them to Pete who quickly carried them over to Troy to load onto another horse that Pete had just lead over to join the rest of the group.
�Let me introduce you two newcomers to the area, Charlie,� Mitch said as he gestured toward Lance and Chris to step forward.
�This is Lance Bass, the ranches� new owner and this his business partner, Christopher Kirkpatrick.�
�Call me Chris, please and it�s nice to meet you, sir,� Chris said as he shook the man�s large hand.
�Good to meet you too, Chris and you too, Mr. Bass,� Charlie said as he finished shaking their hands.
�Please, call me Lance, Dr. Reynolds,� Lance replied with a smile.
�Well, since we�re all on a first name basis, just call me Charlie,� the man said with a smile as Lance and Chris nodded their heads then stepped back allowing the veterinarian to pass by.
�What kind of business are you two in?� he asked as he helped Troy with the boxes of equipment.
�The music business,� Lance answered with a smile knowing that the next question was probably going to be the same as Selma�s.
�Oh, really�country?� the man answered. The doctor�s back was turned and he missed Chris cringing and Lance fighting to keep his laughter contained.
�Um�no, sir,� Chris said with a grimace while Lance smiled broadly and listened as his friend quietly told the doctor a little about their group.
Minutes later, Troy waved as Lance, Chris, Mitch, Pete and Dr. Reynolds rode their horses toward the northern pasturelands. It had been decided between Troy, Pete and Mitch, that at least one of them would be with the guys at all times in order to keep a better eye on them�to possibly prevent another day that they had experienced yesterday.
With a shake of his head, Troy quietly walked into the ranch house to check on Joey, Justin and JC not knowing that Selma was also keeping an eye on the trio, but for different reasons.
For it being in the fall, it sure is warm out here,� Chris complained as he felt a few beads of sweat make their way down his back.
�Welcome to Montana, Chris,� Charlie said with a smile. �If you don�t like the weather, just wait around a few minutes and it�ll change.�
�Yeah,� Pete said with a smile. �Just like Texas.�
Lance and Chris had to agree with him. They had done several shows throughout Texas and were always amazed with how rapidly the weather seemed to change there. They had always found it amazing that one minute there would be stifling heat then, before an hour would pass, rain and wind would put them behind schedule in the outdoor venues.
As the ride progressed, the group broke into smaller sets with Pete and Mitch leading the way with Chris, Lance and Charlie following not too far behind.
�Care to tell me a little about what happened yesterday?� Charlie asked Lance. Troy had filled him in on much of what happened but he wanted to hear this young man�s version also. It might possibly help in when writing of his findings as he completed his examination of Skitty�s remains and filled out the proper paperwork for insurance.
�Well�it�s a little fuzzy and all,� Lance said in an apologetic tone of voice as he wiped a few beads of sweat from his forehead. He had little snippets of memories but for the most part he didn�t remember too much of what happened about 15 to 20 minutes before the accident and he certainly had even less of a recollection of what happened afterwards.
�Just do the best you can,� the doctor said. �I�m sure Pete or Mitch can fill in any of the blanks for me.�
Lance nodded his head and adjusted himself in his saddle before speaking.
�We had gone out to the northern pasture�Pete, Mitch and Troy wanted to kind of show me around a little and had picked that area because it�s so pretty this time of the year.�
�That it is, my boy�that it is,� Charlie said with a smile as he gazed at the trees about him. They held leaves of flaming colors�red, orange, and yellow with a splattering of deep burgundy and the occasional green of the evergreens.
�Yeah,� Lance said quietly then cleared his throat as he also looked at the blazing trees. �Um�I remember someone saying something about chores needing to be done and we decided to just let the horses go and then my memory gets pretty blurry. I remember Skitty moving really well�just flying�then�that�s it. Next thing I can really remember is waking up at the clinic a couple of hours later.�
While Lance had been speaking, Pete reined in his horse and moved to the back of the group until he was riding at Lance�s side.
�Need some blanks filled in, Charlie?� he asked quietly.
�Yeah�how did she go down, Pete? Did she hit a hole or branch on the ground or what?�
�No�she came around that bend up ahead,� Pete answered pointing at an area in the distance. �There�s a hollowed out stump out there to the right, behind that stand of trees�kinda looks like a grizzly standing up.�
�And�she took one look and that was it?� the doctor asked as a picture formed in his mind while, at the same Lance and Chris listened intently. Although this was the second or third time that Chris had heard the entire story, he was still interested in knowing what had happened to his friend.
Lance�s interest was different and laid in the fact that much of his memory of what had happened resembled a slice of Swiss cheese�there were so many holes that needed to be filled�too many blank spaces. He had been able to remember quite a few things at the time of the accident but those memories had, for the most part, either simply faded into blurred, confusing images or disappeared altogether.
�That�s pretty much what happened, Charlie,� Pete replied as he nodded his head then looked over to see that Lance was listening intently so, he continued.
�Skitty saw the stump and began to side step real fast�too fast. We could tell that Lance was fighting to regain control but he just couldn�t. She hit a patch of loose dirt and gravel and her feet slid right out from under her. Lance was thrown�she didn�t land right on top of him��
�That was a lucky thing,� Charlie said interrupting the ranch hand while Chris shuddered at the thought of Lance being crushed under the weight of the large animal.
�We all got off our horses. Troy and Mitch tended to Mr. Bass while I took a look at Skitty. It was pretty obvious that her leg was broken,� Pete said quietly. �She didn�t really struggle to get back up but I didn�t waste any time either. I got one of the guns and took care of her.�
Lance hung his head down at those words and quickly swiped his left hand over his face in an effort to wipe away his stray tears of frustration. Although he now knew of the horses� reputation to scare easily, he still couldn�t help but feel somewhat responsible for her having to be destroyed.
Chris, seeing Lance�s reaction, quickly pulled his horse closer to Lance�s side then reached out to touch his friend�s thigh.
�Hey�it wasn�t your fault, Poofu,� he said quietly as he gave Lance�s thigh a gentle squeeze.
Lance simply nodded his head then wearily rolled his shoulders in an effort to relieve some of the tension that he was beginning to feel. Between Skitty�s death and the discrepancies that he and Joey had found earlier that morning, Lance was finding it difficult to feel relaxed, but he glanced over at his friend as he patted the hand resting on his leg.
�I�m okay, Chris�I�m okay,� he said in a less than reassuring tone of voice, but it was enough for Chris to give him a small smile as he leaned back in his saddle and returned both hands to his reins.
�Well�her leg is without a doubt broken,� Dr. Reynolds said as he circled the horse�s stiffened body, taking pictures of the leg and the fatal bullet wound in her head. Chris, Mitch and Pete stood near the animal�s body, helping the doctor in any way that they could so that his job could be done before sunset. Meanwhile Lance stood watching in the background, several feet away. He couldn�t bring himself to move any closer than maybe 10 or 15 feet to the body without feeling his stomach roll at the site. Actually seeing the damage that had been done as a result of the fall made his heart feel heavy.
�Looks like you killed her with a clean shot, Pete,� Charlie added as he knelt down closer to the horse�s head.
At the doctor�s statement Lance turned away from the activity and walked over to a nearby tree and leaned heavily against it. Mitch happened to look up and noticed that Lance was no longer near them and he quickly scanned the area before his gaze rested on the slumped figure seated under the giant shade tree about 30 feet away.
�Chris?� Mitch said quietly as he placed his hand on the young man�s shoulder to get his attention.
�Looks like Lance met his limit.�
�What?� Chris stood up and followed the direction that the ranch hand was pointing in and his stomach dropped at the sight of his young friend.
�Thanks, Mitch,� Chris said before trotting over to Lance�s side. When he reached his side, Chris knelt down in front of Lance and gently grasped one of his shoulders.
�You okay, Poofu?� Chris asked quietly as he reached up and ran a hand over Lance�s head, which was resting on his knees that he had drawn tightly up to his chest.
�Yeah,� was his muffled response. �Um�seeing her like that�just kinda made me�a little nauseous.�
�Let me go get one of the water bottles,� Chris said with a small sigh. He stood up and made his way over to the horses. He found one of the water bottles that had been prepared for them then headed back over to Lance�s side.
�Here, Lansten�drink some of this. You may have just got a little hot too.�
Lance nodded in agreement and took the bottle from Chris then took several sips of the cool liquid. Frowning, Lance swallowed what he had sipped from the bottle as he held it up in front of him before bringing the bottle back to his lips for another sip only to grimace once again.
�It has a funny taste, Chris,� Lance quietly complained as he held the bottle out to his friend who quickly shook his head at the offered bottle.
�No�I�ll just take your word on it,� Chris said with a slight chuckle as he watched Lance make a face after taking a few more sips of the cool liquid.
�I guess it must be the container that I�m tasting,� Lance said as he handed the nearly empty bottle back to Chris. �I think I heard someone say that it was brand new.�
�Yeah�that�s probably it,� Chris said as he dropped to sit on the ground beside Lance.
The pair silently watched the small group around the horse for several more minutes until Mitch stood up and walked over to his horse and untied a small container hanging from his saddle. He then walked over to the pair and knelt down before them.
�Feeling okay?� he asked Lance who tiredly nodded his head. For some odd reason he was suddenly finding it very difficult to keep his eyes open.
�We�re going to burn the body�if you two want to go ahead and head on back to the ranch, that would be just fine.�
Chris�s response to Mitch�s statement was garbled nonsense to Lance�s ears. He could feel that something was wrong but he couldn�t voice his suspicions. His mouth didn�t seem to want to work and neither did his arms or legs, for that matter.
While Lance tried to understand what was happening to him, he didn�t hear the conversation turn from the horse to himself.
�Hey�Lance?� Chris said when he noticed that the younger man was not responding to Mitch�s questions. �Lance?�
When he also didn�t get a response, Chris reached out and turned Lance�s pale, expressionless face toward him. In alarm, he noted how dilated the younger man�s pupils had become�so much so that only a tiny sliver of green could be seen surrounding his huge pupils.
�Look at his eyes, Mitch,� Chris said in a voice that was thick with growing panic as he gazed up at the older man standing by him.
The ranch hand took one look at the young man�s face and stood up and turned to look at the others behind him.
�Charlie�get over here,� Mitch anxiously called out before kneeling back down.
The veterinarian and Pete trotted quickly over to the trio and immediately saw the reason behind the tone of Mitch�s voice. As Charlie and Pete jogged over, the doctor saw that Lance was leaning heavily against Chris, seemingly unaware that there were others around him.
�Let�s get him laying down,� Charlie said as he motioned for Chris to move over a bit so that there was plenty of room for Lance.
�Did Lance take any medications before the ride, Chris?� Charlie asked as he and Mitch moved Lance so that he was lying on his side in the tall grass.
�Yes�he said that he took one of his pain pills about 20 minutes before we left�I don�t know what he�s taking though,� Chris answered. �Do you think he may have taken too much or something like that�I mean that�s not like him, but��
�No�I�m not sure, but I think the heat in combination with the medicines and what�s going on here might be the cause of this,� Charlie answered before leaning over Lance.
�Lance�can you hear me?� he asked as he lightly patted the young man�s face.
�Mmm�ungh�� Lance replied before turning a pasty white then a light green.
�Look out,� Charlie said as he moved away just in time for Lance to vomit violently into the grass before his eyes rolled into the back of his head.
�Pete�call the ranch and have them send a truck up here to meet us on Mill�s Road,� Mitch said as he and Charlie pulled Lance a few feet away from where he had become sick while Chris stood nearby, shaking his head in disbelief.
�Don�t worry, Chris,� Charlie said after looking up to see the young man�s distraught expression. �He�s going to be fine. We�ll get him back to the ranch and into bed.�
The three continued to speak quietly over Lance�s still form while Pete moved a few feet away to make his phone call.
�Selma�this is Pete�I need you to send a truck up to Mill�s Road near Knotty Pine Creek.�
�Has something happened, Pete?�
�Mr. Bass is pretty sick�we think the heat and his medicines may have gotten to him.�
�Oh�bless his heart�I�ll send someone right away up there.�
�Make it quick, Selma�thanks.�
�No problem at all, Pete.�
�Yes, sir�no problem at all,� Selma murmured to herself with a small smile as hung up the phone then left the kitchen in search of her son.