“Then a call on my personal phone warning me to stop meddling. I haven’t given that number out to anyone except for you.”
Sandra exhaled, shaking her head. “Jesus. There are always ways of getting anyone’s information. You know that. Listen to me. You need to go to the sheriff.”
“And say what? Some asshole disguising their voice threatened me?”
“Yes, you should put it on record at minimum, girl.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Uh-huh. I can tell you won’t. What happened at the auction?” she asked in a quiet voice.
I swirled the glass in my hand, praying the wine would take the edge off. “I talked to a few people and took some pictures. I might have thrown some insinuations around, which wasn’t my original intent.” Including to the sexy cowboy.
“You took pictures and tossed out innuendoes? Wonderful. My guess is that wasn’t well received. Some of the ranchers prefer to keep their business private. The auctions are damn important to their businesses and any interference is akin to stealing a prized steer out from under them.”
“I figured that out and no, I almost had the camera ripped out of my hand more than once. I was warned to stop meddling.”
Sandra put her glass on the table, folding her hands. “Look. I understand that the call you received from some investor was disconcerting and phone calls in the middle of the night certainly added fuel to your inquisitive mind, but you really need to slow down. You can’t go accusing people of crimes.”
“That’s what Mr. Cowboy said but you didn’t see the injured steer I was asked to tend to. The poor thing was malnourished as well as injured. Why was I called to some ranch to care for a leg injury when the bastards hadn’t fed the poor animal in weeks? I have the pictures to prove it.”
“Danni, listen to yourself. You’re building some conspiracy theory when you know times have been tough around here. I’ve told you stories. Didn’t a couple of your clients mention the world of ranching has been brutal the last couple of years? Hmmm… my guess they did only because you pushed. Sometimes people simply do the best they can with what they have.”
Her admonishment was well noted, although everything about that night had been odd.
“Yeah? I get it, but my gut tells me that there’s something going on. Besides, I don’t have that many clients. What if the smaller ranchers are being bilked out of millions of dollars by this unknown source?”
“You know better than to make accusations like that, no matter what you’ve read.”
Times were tough all the way around, my client roster not growing as I’d hoped. I hadn’t been able to get over trying to care for the injured animal. The entire situation was far too unusual. I would never forget the smell inside the barn I was taken to or the odd look in the eyes of the rancher as he stood over me, watching everything I did.
Then barely a week later to receive a call from an investor asking if I’d be interested in working with a corporation handling all their veterinarian needs had raised my hackles. I’d never even heard of the firm in question. While I’d searched the internet, I’d found little more than a landing page and limited information regarding their corporate existence. And the single blurb regarding their company? That had been a joke.
“We hope to provide ranchers with an alternative choice, including a new way of life.”
What in the hell was that supposed to mean? There were no phone numbers on the website, only a basic contact form.
The nagging remained, my mind forcing me to ask a few questions of other professionals. Had any of the other veterinarians been experiencing a rise in animal cruelty cases? Had they heard of anything going on within the ranching industry? The two veterinarian clinics I’d called had shut me down before twenty words had left my mouth. I had contacted the sheriff’s office, although I wasn’t going to tell Sandra that tidbit, only adding fuel to her fire. They’d taken my statement but told me in no uncertain terms that I might not hear anything. When I’d searched the local newspapers, I’d found the same stories that Sandra had led me to. However, the internet had highlighted various Ponzi and embezzlement schemes occurring in several states.
While there hadn’t been anything concrete to affirm my beliefs regarding the injured animal or the phone calls, there was no way