On the ride home, she kept her hands still in her lap, even though her heart was pounding against her ribs. Rhett was waiting in his office. Nia shut the door behind her and repeated everything she had heard. 6 weeks, Rhett said. Flint Cattle Company canceled our contract eight weeks ago.
Jed Carver and Asa Quinn left seven weeks ago. The poison was purchased before the fire. Rafe was setting the pieces in place, Nia said. Rhett pulled a blank sheet of paper toward her. Write it all down.
What Seth said, where you were standing, what time it happened, then sign it. Nia took the pen. For years, men had been willing to use her hands while treating her words as if they carried no weight. Now those same words might become the first stone in the case against Rafe Crow. That same afternoon, Clay Boon sent a letter to his cousin, Eli Boone in Amarillo.
3 days later, the answer arrived. Eli knew someone connected to the federal land office and an investigator named Vance Creed was already on his way to Redstone County. Vance Creed reached Holt Ranch beneath a sky bleached white by heat. He wore no uniform, only a dark coat coated with trail dust, a plain hat, and a worn leather case. He looked to be around 50.
His face showed no surprise eyes, exhaustion, or suspicion. He had the steady expression of a man accustomed to hearing lies without feeling the need to call anyone a liar too quickly. Rhett met him in front of the house. Eli Boon said you were coming. Eli said you were having trouble with water, livestock, and buyers who don't know when to stop asking.
Vance looked toward the burned remains of the storehouse. He didn't mention the fire. There's only so much a man can fit into a letter, Rhett replied. The investigator began with the poisoned troughs. He crouched beside each one, studied the wood, measured the distance to the road, and noted the direction of the hoof prints.
Then he followed the pipeline along the eastern boundary, and examined the section where the wooden cover had been torn away. He asked no unnecessary questions. When he finished, he requested to speak with Nia. They sat at the kitchen table. Rhett stood beside the window while Clay leaned against the wall.
Vance placed Nia's written statement in front of him. "I want to hear it from you," he said. "No embellishment. Start at the beginning. Nia told him about the dead calf, the oily film on the water, the unfamiliar hoof prints, and the sick cattle.
Then she described her visit to Voss's supply and repeated Seth's words as closely as she could remember them. Vance never interrupted. When she finished, he asked, "Why did you ask about phosphorus? Doc Ezra Finch had already identified the poison. "And why did you think Seth Voss would remember who bought it?
Because people in small towns remember large purchases, especially when the customer asks them to keep quiet. A trace of approval passed through the investigator's eyes. "Did Seth give you a name? No. Good.
Rhett frowned. Good. If she had pushed him for one, Seth could later deny the whole conversation. As it stands, we have a clean statement and a store record that can be requested officially. Vance closed his leather case.