Peril by Ponytail (A Bad Hair Day Mystery) Read Online Free PDF Page A

well, and he blames my renovations,” Raymond said. “The guy’s an idiot. We’ve done the proper environmental impact studies, and they were approved. There’s no way our ghost town project can be contaminating his property.”
    “It’s not the first time he’s complained, and you can bet it won’t be the last.” Carol rose to take away their empty soup bowls.
    Annie stood to assist her, while the two kids slid a dessert spoon back and forth across the table at each other. Brian made sputtering noises like a damaged motor.
    “Children, keep it down,” Raymond chided. “We’re trying to have a conversation here.”
    “Why does this fellow worry you so much?” Dalton asked, voicing the thought in Marla’s head.
    “The man has it in for me, and don’t ask why because it’s nobody’s business but mine. I’ll need more approvals for my construction. If the council refuses to issue even one permit, it’ll put us behind schedule.”
    “And how does that benefit Donovan?” Wayne said in a frustrated tone.
    Marla figured he must have asked his father before about Hugh Donovan without satisfaction. What had happened between the two men to cause animosity?
    “He hopes I’ll run out of money if he delays things long enough. I’ve had offers to buy that property, and I suspect he’s behind them. If the council doesn’t heed him, he’ll find other ways to shut me down.”
    “Any word on the missing guy from the ghost town?” Wayne asked.
    “Nope. The man never returned to his bunk. You know what I’m thinking.”
    Dalton twirled his fork and then put it down. “Surely you don’t believe this other rancher caused the man’s disappearance?”
    “Hugh is capable of anything in order to stop me.” Raymond’s brows drew together like two mating caterpillars. “His claim about the cattle being sick is hogwash, if you ask me.”
    “Doesn’t your ranch have cattle, too, Uncle Ray?”
    “You bet. We have five hundred head of cattle, mostly breeding stock. We sell the cows. Up on the mountain, we lease sixty thousand acres from the forest service.”
    Impressed, Marla stared at him. “How many people do you have working the cattle?”
    “It takes two employees except for periodic roundups, when we need six to eight men.”
    “Wow, that’s a big difference from the number of employees at the dude ranch. Carol said you have one hundred and twenty people on the staff. What do they all do?”
    Raymond’s eyes crinkled as he eased into the subject. “We have our wranglers, of course. Then there’s housekeeping and lodging, food and beverage, our naturalist who runs the nature center, directors for our kids’ programs, fishing and hiking specialists.”
    “Fishing?” Dalton’s brows lifted. “Where is there water?”
    “We have a pond fed by a natural spring on the ranch, and there are lakes in the area.”
    “So Wayne is the general manager, and Carol manages the finances?” Marla sought to clarify the different positions. “Who else is in charge?” Did Raymond take an active role in the ranch’s day-to-day supervision, or was his focus solely on the ghost town project?
    “Besides Carol and Wayne, we have ten other managers. They’re all capable of functioning in multiple roles. I’m confident they can handle things, although I am concerned about this latest rash of incidents. It’s too coincidental that we’re having similar problems over at Craggy Peak.”
    “I’m hoping Dalton can help us, Dad,” Wayne said, leaning back as Carol and Annie delivered steaming platters to the table.
    “How many visitors can the ranch accommodate?” Marla piped in, curious to know.
    “At full capacity, we can house up to two hundred and twenty-five people.” Wayne helped himself to a heap of roasted potatoes and then passed the dish. “The buildings are spread out over seven hundred acres.”
    “Yes, I’ve noticed how they’re scattered around. How many guest quarters are there?”
    “One