Read Online Dead or Alive by Michael McGarrity - Free Book Online

coming with him?”
    â€œNo,” Clayton answered. “He’ll let me know later in the day when he’s due to arrive.” Grace still hadn’t looked at him—not a good sign. “How are the children doing?”
    Grace sighed. “They were completely hyper until exhaustion set in and they couldn’t keep their eyes open for another second. I’m not sure I want to take them back to the ranch so soon after what they saw.”
    â€œThey didn’t see anything,” Clayton replied.
    â€œThey’re children, ” Grace shot back.
    â€œAnd the best thing we can do for them right now is not make a big deal about what happened at the ranch. If we stay away, it will only make them think that we fear this death, and that would be wrong for us to do. Riley Burke’s wife and family will help him travel from this world to the next, so there is no witchery or ghost sickness to worry about.”
    Grace looked at her husband. He’d made a valid point. She’d been thinking purely as an Apache, which wasn’t completely necessary for her to do. After all, this was a situation where Mescalero rituals didn’t really apply.
    â€œYou’re right,” she said. “Have the police finished their work at the ranch?”
    Clayton nodded. “Except for a broken patio door, everything has been put right. Chief Baca assigned a patrol officer to keep an eye on the place until we show up. I told him we’d be there around eight.”
    â€œYou were sure I’d go back?” Grace asked.
    â€œNot really. But I figured if you did want to return to Mescalero with the children, I’d have to stay behind to complete the academy course, get the broken patio door fixed, and look after the place until Kerney arrived.”
    â€œYou’ll go with us to the ranch before you start your class?” Grace asked.
    Clayton smiled. “Absolutely, but if I’m going to be worth a plugged nickel, I’d better get some shut-eye.”
    Grace leaned over and kissed Clayton’s cheek. “You look tired.”
    â€œI am,” Clayton said as he pulled her close for a hug.
    Grace tucked her head against Clayton’s chest. “All of us should wear something black tomorrow.”
    Clayton nodded. Black helped to protect the living from the dead who might want company on their journey. “Of course,” he said. “Let’s get some sleep.”
    Â 
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    Kerney had gotten the call from Clayton at six A.M. London time just as he was rousing Patrick out of bed. The two of them had been on their own for the last two nights while Sara was at a Royal Army base in the Midlands.
    The news of Riley Burke’s murder had stunned him into silence. He liked Riley immensely, trusted him completely, and had come to rely upon him as the driving force in their partnership to raise, train, and sell world-class competition cutting horses. He saw a good bit of his younger self in Riley. Both were ranch-raised, loved the land, and grew up dreaming of making a livelihood as ranchers like their parents and grandparents before them. Kerney’s parents had lost their ranch when the government took it over to expand White Sands Missile Range on the Tularosa Basin in south central New Mexico, while Riley’s parents had managed to hang on to most of their Galisteo Basin property in spite of the financial ups and downs of cattle ranching.
    Kerney had worked side by side with Riley long enough to know that if Patrick grew up anything like him, he would be about as proud as a father could get.
    As he fixed breakfast, Kerney didn’t say a word to Patrick about Riley’s death. Over the course of the last few months the family had been in Santa Fe, Riley had spent a lot of time at the ranch working with the horses, and Patrick had become quite fond of him, often tagging along at his heels asking endless questions that Riley handled graciously. During those