Competition Can Be Murder Read Online Free PDF

been delightful company and I’d like to meet Drake.” He patted me on the shoulder and held the heavy wooden door open for me.

    Dusk darkened the sky as I arrived back at the cottage. Red Fern. It was the only time I’d lived in a house with a name. For the first time I noticed that there were thick patches of ferns growing around the little garden wall. A mist had begun to rise over the open moorland to the north. Southward, the pine forest appeared dense and black, with tendrils of mist playing at the tops of the trees. I hurried into the cottage and fired up the electric logs again. Drake should be here within the hour.
    After two cups of tea and two slices of cake, I wasn’t particularly hungry. But Drake would be, with all that sea air and adrenaline drawing at his reserves, so I decided soup would be a good choice for dinner. I opened a couple of the cans I’d bought this morning and added a few extra vegetables and a dash of wine to spark them up. Simmering gently on the stove, the scent filled the cozy rooms. I made a quick salad and put it into the fridge to stay chilled, then let the bottle of wine breathe on the counter.
    I was just trying to decide between switching on the TV set or pulling out the book I’d begun reading nearly a week ago on the airplane. For some reason, I just wasn’t getting into the story, but maybe that was because of the week’s distractions. Before I’d made a choice, I saw the headlights of Drake’s company van pull into the lane. At least this was a welcome distraction.
    “Whew! It’s getting chilly out there,” he said as he breezed through the front door.
    “Misty, huh? Dampness going to your bones?” Our high-desert climate at home in Albuquerque brings cooler temperatures with nightfall, too, but there’s rarely any dampness associated with it. We were learning to adjust and pull out the sweaters.
    “How was your day?” Drake asked, planting a kiss on my mouth before pulling off his jacket that smelled of sea breezes and jet fuel.
    “Very interesting. I’ll fill you in during dinner.”
    “Something sure smells good. I’m starving.”
    “Wine first? Or with dinner?” I headed toward the kitchen as I made the offer.
    “Mind if I have a quick shower first? I think I smell.”
    “Well, I didn’t want to say anything . . .”
    He’d come up behind me and he grabbed a dish towel and gave me a quick pop on the butt with it.
    “Hey!”
    “Pour the wine,” he suggested. “I’ll step into the shower and, unless you join me in there, I’ll be ready to relax in about ten minutes.”
    I thought he was going to give me another quick peck, but the kiss lingered then became one of those that sends tingles clear to the toes. Before I knew it, I was, indeed, in the shower with him and it was more like an hour later that we poured the wine.
    “ Now I’m relaxed,” he murmured, as I ladled soup into bowls and quickly set the table. He carried the glasses to the table and we opted to switch off the overhead light and burn a candle instead.
    I filled Drake in on my day, including the bit of overheard conversation between Ian Brodie and the other man and Robert Dunbar’s suspicions about his lambs being stolen.
    “I’m sure it was Ian he was talking about when he said the young farmer probably took the lambs. Unless, do you suppose they have a number of different men leasing grazing pasture?”
    “Hard to say, hon,” Drake answered. “This place is huge. Didn’t they tell us the whole property was around 20,000 acres? Dunworthy runs a prize herd of Angus cattle, quite a number of sheep, and they’ve also got land planted in barley, which they sell to the distilleries. And that’s in addition to the parcels they lease out so others can farm them.”
    “Really? Well, in that case maybe there are any number of suspects.” I caught myself. “Listen to me. I’m talking like this is a case I have to solve.”
    “Well, watch out, or you will be solving it.