Free Ten-Gallon Tensions in Texas: A Kate on Vacation Mystery (The Kate on Vacation Mysteries Book 3) by Kassandra Lamb Page A

headed for the guest room to change out of her disheveled clothes. Looking in the mirror over the dresser, she realized she had several leaves stuck in her curls. She was surprised her mother-in-law hadn’t noticed.
    More likely she had noticed and had made certain assumptions as to how they got there.
    “If only,” Kate muttered under her breath. She yanked a comb through the unruly mess.
    ~~~~~~~~
    José himself returned with Skip to the clearing. They stood under the tree, staring at the empty blanket. The branch was gone.
    And of course, the bike had been gone as well when they’d arrived.
    The sheriff took his Stetson off and scratched his head, then replaced the hat. “You’d think whoever dropped the branch on y’all would’ve just climbed down after you left and skedaddled, not taken the time to move it. Let’s see if we can find it.”
    They split up and circled the edge of the clearing. Skip stopped at a spot where the grass was bent down, like something had been dragged over it. “Over here.”
    José joined him. “Hmm, can you see the branch?”
    Skip pointed.
    “Stay here.” José trudged through the underbrush a few feet over from the bent down grass. When he got to the branch, he took out his cell phone and took several pictures of it.
    He carefully retraced his steps, taking pictures of the bent down grass as he went.
    “It’s positioned under a tree, to look like it fell there. Unfortunately, the grass and dead leaves are too thick for footprints.”
    “You think the branch was hurled at us on purpose?” Skip said.
    “Could be. The wood’s not rotted but it isn’t thick enough to hold the weight of a teenager or an adult. Someone might’ve misjudged it.” He paused. “Or bounced on it on purpose to make it break.”
    “While hanging on to a branch above them,” Skip said.
    José nodded. Skip retrieved his mother’s blanket and they walked in silence back to the sheriff’s cruiser.
    Once settled in the car, José turned in the seat to face Skip. “Guy who lives behind Jimmy’s car lot found a wooden baseball bat in his yard this mornin’. I’m guessin’ it’s what was used on those windshields.”
    Skip was silent, digesting that.
    “I’ll get my forensic guy to look at it,” José said.
    Skip gestured toward the woods. “Kate thought she heard giggling, just before stuff started raining down on us.”
    José pondered that for a moment. “Don’t think a girl’d be heavy enough to break that branch. Might’ve been a boy whose voice ain’t done changin’ yet.”
    “Or Willy Carlton,” Skip said. “Remember he used to giggle like a girl when he got excited.”
    José gave him a small grin. “Yeah, but that was before his voice had finished changin’.”
    ~~~~~~~~   
    Over breakfast Monday morning, Skip’s mother announced that she was taking all the grandkids on an excursion. “All but Junior. He’s gonna help his mama at the car lot, so I’ll take Frankie and Sherry with us. You remember Shelly and Ben Watson, Skip?”
    “Sure do, Mama.”
    “I’m takin’ the kids out to their ranch. They’ve got a nice docile mare that Edie can ride, and Ben’s gonna show Billy some rope tricks.”
    The kids’ eyes sparkled with excitement as they scarfed down pancakes soaked in syrup.
    “Sounds like fun. You want me to go with you?” Kate said, knowing that her mother-in-law was likely to turn her down.
    “Nah, you get this boy of mine to take you out to lunch.”
    Skip took a final bite of pancake and slid back his chair. “I’m gonna check in with José.”
    His mother’s smile faded, but she quickly rallied. “Come on, kids. Go wash your faces and hands and let’s get your cousins and get goin’.”
    Edie and Billy jumped up and left the room, the latter whooping at the top of his lungs.
    Kate winced.
    Her mother-in-law turned back to them. “See if you can get him to let Jimmy go. José oughta know he couldn’t kill nobody, not in cold blood like that.