Shoot First
Shoot First (Caught Dead in Wyoming, Book 3)
Patricia McLinn
Published by Craig Place Books, 2015.
Also by Patricia McLinn
A Place Called Home
Lost and Found Groom
At the Heart's Command
Hidden in a Heartbeat
A Place Called Home Trilogy Boxed Set
Bardville, Wyoming
A Stranger in the Family
A Stranger to Love
The Rancher Meets His Match
Bardville, Wyoming Trilogy Boxed Set
Caught Dead In Wyoming
Sign Off (Caught Dead in Wyoming, Book 1)
Left Hanging (Caught Dead in Wyoming, Book 2)
Shoot First (Caught Dead in Wyoming, Book 3)
Last Ditch (Caught Dead in Wyoming, Book 4)
Look Live (Caught Dead in Wyoming, Book 5)
Back Story (Caught Dead in Wyoming, Book 6)
Cold Open (Caught Dead in Wyoming, Book 7)
Hot Roll (Caught Dead in Wyoming, Book 8)
Reaction Shot (Caught Dead in Wyoming, Book 9)
Body Brace (Caught Dead in Wyoming, Book 10) (Coming Soon)
Flores Silvestres de Wyoming
Flores Silvestres de Wyoming: El Principio
Casi una Novia
Pareja Hecha en Wyoming
Mi Corazón Recuerda
El corazón de Jack
Colección de trilogía Flores Silvestres de Wyoming
Innocence Trilogy
Price of Innocence
Marry Me Series
Wedding of the Century
The Unexpected Wedding Guest
A Most Unlikely Wedding
Baby Blues and Wedding Bells
Rodeo Knights
Ride the River: Rodeo Knights, A Western Romance Novel
Seasons in a Small Town
What Are Friends For?
The Right Brother
Falling for Her
Warm Front
Secret Sleuth
Death on the Diversion
Death on Torrid Ave.
Death on Beguiling Way
Death on Covert Circle
Death on Shady Bridge
Death on Carrion Lane (Coming Soon)
Serie I Fiori di Campo del Wyoming
I Fiori di Campo del Wyoming: L'inizio (Il Prequel)
Innamorarsi In Wyoming
Il Mio Cuore Ricorda
Il Cuore di Jack
The Wedding Series
Prelude to a Wedding
Wedding Party
Grady's Wedding
The Runaway Bride
The Christmas Princess
The Surprise Princess
The Forgotten Prince
Hoops
Not a Family Man
The Wedding Series: The Complete Collection (Books 1-7 and Prequels)
The Wedding Series Trilogy
The Wedding Series Box Set Two (Books 4-5, The Runaway Bride and The Christmas Princess)
The Wedding Series Box Set Three (Book 6, The Surprise Princess, and Hoops prequel)
The Wedding Series Box Set Four (Book 7, The Forgotten Prince, and Not a Family Man prequel)
Tod in Wyoming
Tod in Wyoming: Sendeschluss
Tod in Wyoming: Hängengelassen
Tod in Wyoming: Abgeschossen
Tod in Wyoming: Grabenbruch (Coming Soon)
Wyoming Wildflowers
Wyoming Wildflowers: The Beginning
Almost a Bride
Match Made In Wyoming
My Heart Remembers
A New World
Jack's Heart
Rodeo Nights
Where Love Lives
A Cowboy Wedding
Making Christmas
Wyoming Wildflowers Trilogy Boxed Set
Wyoming Wildflowers Box Set Two (Book 5, Jack’s Heart, and A New World prequel)
Wyoming Wildflowers Box Set Three (Book 6, Where Love Lives, and Rodeo Nights prequel)
Wyoming Wildflowers: The Complete Collection
Wyoming Wildflowers: The Complete Series
Standalone
Courting a Cowboy
The Games
To Love a Cowboy (A Western Historical Duet)
Widow Woman
Wyoming Wild: Western Romance Series Starters
Christmas Romance: Three Complete Holiday Love Stories
Proof of Innocence
Survival Kit for Writers Who Don't Write Right
Watch for more at Patricia McLinn’s site.
SHOOT FIRST
Caught Dead in Wyoming
Book 3
Patricia McLinn
Caught Dead in Wyoming series
Sign Off
Left Hanging
Shoot First
Last Ditch
Look Live
Back Story
Cold Open
Hot Roll
Reaction Shot
Body Brace
Also by Patricia McLinn
Secret Sleuth series
Death on the Diversion
Death on Torrid Avenue
Death on Beguiling Way
Death on Covert Circle
Death on Shady Bridge
Mystery with romance
Proof of Innocence
Price of Innocence
Ride the River: Rodeo Knights
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A killing to keep old Wyoming secrets and treasures
Death hits close to home for Elizabeth Danniher when an elderly neighbor kills a man apparently robbing her of Western artifacts. As a former national TV reporter, Elizabeth knows self-defense might satisfy the legal system, yet leave her neighbor in danger. Doing what she does best — asking questions — Elizabeth sidesteps her boss and a jealous anchorman to inquire into an eccentric and mysterious western billionaire, an ambitious curator, rival collectors, family feuds and Cottonwood County’s Wild West crimes of a century ago.
5-Star Praise for Shoot First
“Strong characters, solid mystery. A great feel for the newsroom, as well as Wyoming. McLinn does a stellar job of clouding the identity of the murderer, while leavening the tension with sly humour.”
Also available in audio
Also available in print
Copyright © 2014 by Patricia McLinn
Large Print ISBN: 978-1-944126-80-3
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-939215-35-2
Audiobook ISBN: 978-1-944126-28-5
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-939215-34-5
EPUB Edition
www.PatriciaMcLinn.com
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.
Cover design: Art by Karri
Interior design: BB eBooks
Photo credits:
Wyoming Road Under Storm Clouds (manipulated) © Nicolaus Wegner | LightAlivePhotography.com
Smooth-bore (manipulated) © Mycteria | Depositphotos.com
Aufmerksamer hund (manipulated) © Sinnlichtarts | Fotolia.com
* * * *
Dear Readers: If you encounter typos or errors in this book, please send them to me at Patricia@patriciamclinn.com. Even with many layers of editing, mistakes can slip through, alas. But, together, we can eradicate the nasty nuisances. Thank you!
— Patricia McLinn
To Marion Hale,
Who started all this by introducing me to mysteries
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
About the Book
Copyright Page
Dedication
Day One – Monday
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Day Two – Tuesday
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Day Three – Wednesday
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Day Four – Thursday
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Day Five – Friday
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Day Six – Saturday
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Day Seven – Sunday
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Day Eight – Monday
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Day Nine – Tuesday
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Day Ten – Wednesday
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Day Eleven – Thursday
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Four
Chapter Fifty-Five
Chapter Fifty-Six
Caught Dead in Wyoming series
Acknowledgments
Excerpt from LAST DITCH
About the author
DAY ONE
MONDAY
Chapter One
“Holy smokes,” Jennifer said. “You’ll never guess what just came over the police radio.”
Only she didn’t say smokes and said is mild for the sound that crossed the KWMT-TV newsroom.
Like everyone else in the open room cluttered with desks, computer terminals, filing cabinets, and KWMT employees, I turned toward Jennifer. She is officially a newsroom aide, unofficially a sometimes-production assistant, and very unofficially the computer guru for me and sports anchor, Mike Paycik.
Offsetting all that good, Jennifer loaded FreeCell on my computers at home and work…. She had a lot to answer for.
“Elizabeth?” she called to me, then added, as if the newsroom were littered with Elizabeths, “Elizabeth Margaret Danniher? What’s your address?”
As a light and airy casual question, it failed.
Every face in the newsroom turned toward me. Without moving from my chair, I had provisionally stepped across the knife-sharp boundary between newsroom colleague and poor schmuck who’ll be the subject of a news story tonight.
Journalists are not heartless about the subjects they interview or report about.
Let me rephrase: Most journalists are not entirely heartless about many subjects they interview or report about.
However, there is a necessary distance. Necessary to do a good job as a journalist, and necessary to retain a few shreds of sanity. If you shed a single drop of blood with each sad, tragic, woeful, heart-tugging story you encountered, you’d be a bloodless corpse in no time.
So there is a firm line between us and them. Us being the newsroom folk, and them being the poor schmucks.
Jennifer’s words connecting my address with a police radio call shoved me across the line to them.
That wasn’t a new position for me at KWMT. When I’d arrived in April to serve out the remainder of a network contract, I’d been viewed as an alien. Not from outer space, but perhaps from an even more distant universe from Sherman, Wyoming — major-market TV.
Now, with September nearly here, about half the newsroom no longer waited to glimpse my antennae, while the rest kept a wary eye out for any green tinges to my skin. Jennifer was part of the former group. Mostly.
“Why do you want my address?” The question was reflex. I was already heading for her.
“Oh, just wondering.”
“Jennifer.”
The threat in those syllables worked. “There’s a call on Lewis Street. The four-hundred block. That’s where you live, right?”
She knew that since she’d been to my rental several times. But I was admitting nothing. Not while surrounded by media vultures. Plus, I hesitated to claim the tiny, disheveled house I’d dubbed, with not a shred of affection, the Hovel.
“What?” I asked Jennifer.
“You live on Lewis Street, right?” she repeated.
“Not what did you say. What’s the call for?”
“Oh. A body’s been found. A dead body.”
“Oh, smokes,” I said, although I didn’t say smokes. “Mildred.”
“I thought you named the dog Shadow?”
I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to claim the dog any more than the house. Although that might have been self-protective, because he didn’t seem in any hurry to claim me, either. “Why would I name a dog Mildred? Especially a male dog?”
She shrugged, conveying she didn’t put anything past me, though she was open-minded enough not to hold it against me.
“Mildred is my elderly neighbor across the street. Mildred Katarese.”
“Oh.” In concert with her syllable I felt the newsroom’s interest evaporate. The death of an elderly neighbor was unlikely to reach the evening news. “If they repeat the address, I’ll write it down and let you know.”
I suppressed a sigh. Writing it down the first time was a basic Do in the journalism Dos and Don’ts I’d been sharing with Jennifer.
But this wasn’t the time to go over that again. I had a decision to make.
I could wait to see if they repeated the address, and if Jennifer caught it this time. I could call the sheriff’s department to see if they would fill me in over the phone. Or I could…
“I’m going to go see what’s going on. If anyone—” Meaning Les Haeburn, the news director and my boss, or Thurston Fine, the news anchor and not my boss though more than willing to make trouble for me. “—asks, I’m on assignment.”
* * * *
Police and sheriff’s department vehicles littering a street from one corner to the other is never a good sign. The ambulance in Mildred’s driveway was worse.
Earlier this summer, there’d been another ambulance at the door of another elderly woman in the neighborhood. I now knew the woman in the house behind Mildred’s had been her cousin.
My limited contact with my neighbors had mostly been with Mildred. Primarily of the wave-cheerily-and-call-Good Morning-across-the-street variety, with a few conversations when our trips to put out or retrieve garbage cans overlapped.
Mildred was seventy-nine years old. She’d been born and raised on one of Cottonwood County’s many far-flung ranches, then moved in with her grandparents to attend school. In the way of some older people, she was vague about what had happened since, while telling stories rich in detail about her family’s history,
the ranch, and the social whirl of her school days.
At times the details were so unrelenting and so plentiful my attention unplugged while her voice and memories streamed around me.
Right now, though, I would have been thrilled to listen to every last I remember when.
I really didn’t want the ambulance to be for her.
I could sit here in my car, a block shy of the Sherman police vehicle turned astride to block access to Mildred’s house (and my driveway), and hope against hope Jennifer had it wrong about the reason for the ambulance. Or I could get in there, find out, and possibly offer assistance. Of some kind. To somebody.
I eased my foot off the brake to roll closer.
A familiar figure wearing a sheriff’s deputy uniform on its shorter-than-average frame gave a peremptory wave, ordering me to get lost.
The wave was also familiar. I’d received it from officials all over the globe. One of those universals that made you want to hum “It’s a Small World After All.”
It might seem strange, a Cottonwood County deputy hanging around a Sherman Police Department vehicle, but it wasn’t. The Sherman Police Department was tiny, befitting its jurisdiction within city limits. The Cottonwood County Sheriff’s Department, responsible for the rest of the county as well as the jail and courts, had six or seven times the personnel to cover seven- or eight-hundred times the territory. For nonroutine calls, the departments adopted a whoever’s-available policy.
I rolled closer. The gesture became more commanding. I rolled closer. The figure came to my car window, not needing to duck much to look inside.
“Ma’am, turn around and — Oh. It’s you.”
“Deputy Shelton, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you in town before.” That was notable, since everyone in the county shopped at the Sherman Supermarket, and considering the time I spent in the place, I would have expected our paths to have crossed.
I’d first encountered Wayne Shelton on a ranch whose owner planned to repel burglars single-handedly. Deputy Shelton handled the situation, with timely assistance from three KWMT-TV staffers — Mike Paycik, camerawoman Diana Stendahl, and me.