anything. Then again, I’d started this investigation and I wanted to see it come to some kind of an end.
One way or the other.
I hadn’t expected Sandra’s call, but her request to meet me made me far too curious to hold back, especially since she’d acted as if I should stay far away from everything. What had changed? I headed out, keeping my phone on the seat beside me. There was no telling when Mustang would call again. I made my way toward the city, constantly checking into my rearview mirror. With the new warning, that meant I was still on the radar.
I found the little shop easily enough, able to pull the Charger in a parking spot in front of the store. When I walked inside, I found Sandra at a table as far away from everyone else as she could get. While the place wasn’t packed, I sensed she’d made the selection on purpose. As she lifted her head, I could swear I noticed fear in her eyes.
Easing onto the seat, I was grateful she’d ordered me a coffee. I had a feeling I was going to need a significant amount of caffeine in order to handle the day.
Or maybe just the man.
“Your call sounded urgent,” I said in my normal tone of voice.
Sandra glanced from one side of the shop to the other before leaning over. “Keep your voice down.”
“Okay, you’re scaring me. What in the hell is going on?”
“There are always ears in this town. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
I couldn’t help but hear the near exasperation in her voice or notice the nervous tic that appeared in the corner of her mouth. “That much I’ve been able to figure out.”
She seemed relieved then shoved an envelope across the table, immediately reaching for her coffee. Was her hand shaking?
“What is this?”
“That is everything I could find out about RH Holdings,” she answered. “I asked my dad about them and his response was to laugh, asking me why I was inquiring, but there was something in his eyes that told me he was nervous, maybe agitated. You know my father. He’s never nervous about anything.”
No, Sandra’s father had even made a pitch for the Senate seat, defeated by a narrow margin. He was larger than life, his ranch one of the largest in the state.
“Just like you are. Why?” I fingered the envelope, not bothering to look inside.
“Someone took a lot of time to hide almost everything about them. While the corporation is legitimate, you can’t find anything substantial.”
“I already knew that. Let me guess. That didn’t stop you.”
She shrugged and took several sips of her coffee. “Given my father’s reaction, I grew more curious. I have a friend at the courthouse. She works in the records department.”
I tried to remain patient, opening the lid and taking a sip of the lukewarm coffee. How long had she been here?
“Anyway, I had her do a little digging, which enabled me to do some searching of my own. RH Holdings on record is owned by a single man.”
“But?”
“But, if you know where to search, you find out that there appear to be five owners, including the one on record. Three live out of state, the other two in Montana.”
“All of this is fascinating, but what does it have to do with cattle fraud?” I asked, uncertain whether I should be excited or terrified.
Sandra leaned even further forward, doing another check to see if anyone was listening in. “I don’t know at this point, but four of the owners are heavy hitters and in truth, two of them bitter enemies from years ago. I’m surprised they are working together.”
“Which means nothing if their business is legitimately run. Are there investors?”
“That information is sealed, but their tax records indicate they made over four million dollars last year.”
“Doing what?”
“From what little my father would tell me, he confirmed that there have been very successful schemes used to attract investors. He was buddies with an investor who lost almost everything exactly this way. While there are various methods of fraud, including embezzlement, his thoughts were that this scheme has a particular smell to it.”
“Go on,” I encouraged.
“The holding company supposedly purchases livestock from ranchers facing a hardship, paying less than the going rate. Often the animals are malnourished or simply need medical care the ranchers weren’t able to provide. Then the company attracts investors by highlighting the new herd, promising after some care that they can bring a hefty price for the