\u201cAh, this is the ticket,\u201d I breathed aloud, plunging my bare feet
\ninto the roiling water of my hotel\u2019s outdoor Jacuzzi and taking a
\nstrawberry smoothie in hand. This was precisely the way a vacation
\nshould be\u2014full of rest, relaxation, good food, and, most of all, peace.
\nI opened my eyes just long enough to take in the ocean horizon
\nstretching in front of me, then closed them and sunk up to my chest
\ninto the massaging jets. Two weeks in sunny San Diego had been
\na good idea, and I had come at just the right time. April meant no
\nstudents, few families\u2014I practically had the hotel to myself during
\nthe day\u2014and of course, great weather.
A musical ring sounded from a nearby pool chair. I had an
\nincoming phone call. Leave it, Rocky. Leave it. I squeezed my eyes tighter,
\nconvincing myself to ignore my phone and focus on my emotional wellbeing\u2014
\nthe stress of the past year had really taken its toll on me. But
\nhabit is strong. By the time I had grabbed a towel and picked up my
\npants from the chair, the ringtone had started its merry tune again.
\nI pulled the phone out of a front pocket and, without checking
\nwho was calling, said, \u201cHello, this is Rocky.\u201d
\u201cRocky, I need a favor.\u201d I recognized that commanding voice
\nalmost immediately. Glenn Gridley, wealthy cattle rancher, professional
\nrodeo calf roper, and ill-tempered old man.
\u201cHello, Glenn. I\u2019m out of town right now,\u201d I said shortly. Glenn
\nand I went way back. I had worked on his ranch for a year before his
\nmission and had done a series of investigations for him over the years.
\nBut our last meeting hadn\u2019t ended well at all, and I was not in the
\nmood to take up another of his projects.
that deep voice when it was raging. It was on the brink of rage now.
\n\u201cSomeone stole my best roping horse!\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d I paused as I processed this information. I was familiar
\nwith the horse in question: a solid brown quarter horse that had
\nbrought fame and fortune to his owner throughout the rodeo circuit.
\nA horseman myself, and a fan of rodeos, I had watched from the
\nstands numerous times as Glenn and Badger won competition after
\ncompetition over the past three years. Badger, a six-year-old stallion,
\nwas said to be valued at somewhere in the neighborhood of a quarter
\nof a million dollars. Besides winning a lot of money in the rodeo
\narena, he brought his owner five thousand dollars every time he stood
\nat stud, and he was in high demand. If Badger was, indeed, missing,
\nthis was a real tragedy.
\u201cI\u2019m sorry to hear that,\u201d I said sincerely. \u201cWhat are the police
\ndoing about it?\u201d
\u201cI haven\u2019t reported it,\u201d he said, the anger in his voice so strong
\nnow that it made me wonder how a guy could be so cantankerous
\nwhen asking for help.
\u201cWhy\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cI have my reasons, Rocky. Don\u2019t push me on this. I want Badger
\nback. After you find him, then we\u2019ll talk about going to the cops.\u201d
I sat on the pool chair next to my pile of clothes and looked out
\nover the blue Pacific while I thought about what to say next. I was
\nnot about to give up my vacation to Glenn Gridley. Although I knew
\nhim to be a decent man\u2014and he clearly loved his family, as I\u2019d seen
\nfirsthand\u2014he and I were not exactly friends. He had a volatile temper
\nthat could erupt without warning, and that kind of personality gets
\ntedious after a while. I found myself regretting not changing my cell
\nphone number when I had the chance, but I hadn\u2019t expected to hear
\nfrom him again after his tirade six months ago.
I heard a faint \u201cYou there, Rocky?\u201d from my phone as I thought
\nback on that day years ago. It was late October, and I was representing
\na client who I later discovered was married to Glenn\u2019s
\nyoungest sister. They were in a nasty divorce battle, and Glenn\u2019s
\nbrother-in-law had retained me to look into certain activities he
\nclaimed his wife was involved in. The moment I learned that the
\nGridleys were involved, I was ready to back out, but then I uncovered
\nevidence that my client was lying both to me and to his soon-to-be
\nex-wife. I had not yet finished my report when I got a visit at my
\noffice from Glenn and his three daughters. That was a memorable day
\nin more ways than one.
\u201cRocky!\u201d
\nI guess I\u2019d stalled long enough. I wasn\u2019t at all sure that I would
\nlike to have Glenn Gridley for a client again. I could envision us
\nbutting heads. \u201cMr. Gridley,\u201d I began. I could hear his breathing
\nquicken at my formal address. \u201cI am unavailable at the moment. I am
\nout of state and don\u2019t expect to return for a while yet.\u201d
\u201cHow are you going to find my horse if you aren\u2019t even in the
\narea?\u201d the upset rancher demanded.
\u201cI don\u2019t recall telling you that I\u2019d take your case,\u201d I said mildly.
\n\u201cAnd after our meeting in my office in October\u2014\u201d
He cut me off. \u201cForget that,\u201d he said, as if his simply giving the
\norder meant that I could easily wipe our previous association from my
\nrather good memory. \u201cI was angry because I thought that you were
\ntrying to spread dirt about my little sister. My daughters convinced me
\nthat you did, in fact, do her a favor. I was wrong, and I apologized.\u201d
\nIndeed he had. And it was true that I had done him a favor. But I
\nlook for truth, not for dirt. Once Glenn had become calm enough to
\nlisten to me and his three daughters, he\u2019d told me that he appreciated
\nwhat I\u2019d done. But I will never forget his angry accusations against
\nme. From that point on, I had promised myself that I\u2019d have nothing
\nto do with Glenn Gridley.
I hadn\u2019t completed my thought, so I said, \u201cI don\u2019t know why you
\nwant me to go after your horse. I got the impression that you didn\u2019t
\ncare much for me. If you can\u2019t trust me, I don\u2019t see how we can work
\ntogether.\u201d
\u201cLook,\u201d Glenn said, taking a deep breath. I could tell he was
\ntrying to keep his tone light but it was a struggle. \u201cI know things
\nhaven\u2019t been that great between us for a long time, but I need your
\nhelp today. I want my horse back, pronto. You know what his disappearance
\nmeans to me.\u201d
There was a long pause. Then he said, \u201cThis has nothing to do
\nwith personal feelings. It was my brother-in-law who I didn\u2019t like,
\nnot you. I admit that you were fair. And I believe you can accomplish
\nwhat I don\u2019t want to ask the cops to do\u2014I don\u2019t want or need
\nthat kind of publicity. Also, they probably wouldn\u2019t work as hard at
\nsolving it as I think you would. You know our family better than any
\ncop.\u201d That almost sounded like a compliment.
\u201cGlenn,\u201d I tried again as I strolled toward the salty water of the
\nPacific. \u201cI am far away on vacation. Let me suggest a couple of other
\ninvestigators you might try.\u201d
That wasn\u2019t the answer he was after. \u201cYou do investigations!\u201d he
\nexploded. \u201cMy money is as good as the next guy\u2019s. Name your fee,
\nand I\u2019ll have a check ready as quick as you can get back.\u201d
This wasn\u2019t going well. I heard a female voice in the background,
\na gentle, calming voice that I recognized. My heart did a small flip as
\nI listened to her say, \u201cDad, shouting at him isn\u2019t going to help. You
\nknow he can do the job. Why don\u2019t you let me talk to him?\u201d
I could picture the proprietor of that voice as though she were
\nstanding in front of me. Shanice Gridley was a special person to
\nme. Even though she was four years my junior, being with her
\nhad always felt comfortable, and we\u2019d spent a lot of time together
\nwhen I worked for Glenn. I will always remember her long, brown
\nhair flying in the wind as we rode through the fields of her father\u2019s
\nranch, inspecting fences, checking cattle, and laughing about her
\nyounger sister Cindy\u2019s many admirers. The last time I had seen
\nShanice, Cindy, and their youngest sister, Jena, had been at that
\nOctober meeting in my office.
Glenn\u2019s voice was slightly softer when he spoke again. \u201cShanice
\nwants to talk to you,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you won\u2019t listen to me, perhaps
\nyou\u2019ll listen to her.\u201d Apparently she still had a calming effect on him.
\nMaybe she would understand that I was on vacation, that I really
\nwasn\u2019t in any position to begin an investigation right now\u2014not for
\nGlenn or anyone else.
\u201cThat\u2019s fine,\u201d I said, not bothering to tell him that I\u2019d listened to
\nevery word Shanice had just said. What I\u2019d done was reject his request
\nfor help. If he interpreted that as my not listening, then I supposed
\nthat I\u2019d be accused of not listening to his daughter as well.
\n\u201cHi, Rocky. How are you?\u201d Shanice asked. Her voice seemed
\nslightly deeper than I remembered. Sadder, even?
had just begun, and yet suddenly, I didn\u2019t want it to end. I missed
\ntalking to Shanice Gridley.
\u201cI\u2019m fine. I\u2019m sorry to ask you to take this case, but it\u2019s really
\nimportant to us. We love Badger, and the ranch just won\u2019t be the same
\nwithout him. I don\u2019t know what we\u2019ll do if we don\u2019t get him back.\u201d
\nI could already feel my resolve wavering, but I tried to remind
\nmyself of the importance of my time in California. I hadn\u2019t taken a
\nvacation for years. Who knows when I\u2019d do it again?
\u201cIt\u2019s great to talk to you, Shanice, but I\u2019m on vacation right now,\u201d
\nI said. \u201cThe past six months have been crazy. It took a lot to get away,
\nand I just don\u2019t think I can take the case. You understand, right?\u201d
\u201cOf course I understand, but I\u2019m sure you also realize how much
\nwe need you. No one knows our family, or our horses, better than
\nyou. Our horses are our life\u2014we love them like family. And you
\nreally are the best private investigator Dad\u2019s ever seen.\u201d I could hear
\nShanice\u2019s emotion through her words. She was desperate.
\nBut her approach wasn\u2019t fair. Glenn was concerned about the
\nvalue of the horse both now and in the future. Shanice, on the other
\nhand, cared about the horse as an individual, much as I felt about my
\ntwo horses. She made Badger\u2019s theft a personal rather than a financial
\nmatter. As I walked along the beach in front of the hotel, I finally
\nsquared my shoulders and focused on what was in front of me. The
\ncool Pacific Ocean rolled over my feet as a large wave pushed ashore,
\nand I made my decision.
\u201cShanice,\u201d I began. \u201cAs I explained to your father, I am on vacation
\nand won\u2019t be back in Utah for several days. You need someone
\nwho can go to work right now. I can give you names of several great
\ninvestigators who might be willing to help you.\u201d
There was no angry outburst, just a pleading request as she said,
\n\u201cI remember how smart and persistent you are. I know you probably
\nthought you\u2019d never hear from us again, but we need you. I convinced
\nDad of this, and he agreed to call you. Please, we need your help,
\nRocky. You understand our love for horses. Most of all, you know
\nus, so I think you would be more likely to work harder for us than
\nsomeone who doesn\u2019t. I hate to think what some awful person might
\nbe doing to that wonderful horse.\u201d
I took a deep breath. This sort of case needed immediate action,
\nand I was enjoying my time alone on the beach. I was looking
\nforward to another week away from the pressures of my work. \u201cI\u2019m
\nsorry, Shanice,\u201d I said. \u201cI\u2019m simply not available now. I\u2019ll be back in a
\nweek. When I get there, if you haven\u2019t found Badger, then I\u2019d be glad
\nto help. In the meantime, you might consider trying someone else.\u201d
The phone was silent for a long moment. I could hear Shanice
\nbreathing into it. When she spoke again, there was resignation in her
\nvoice. \u201cI\u2019m sorry we bothered you. And I understand the fact that you
\ndon\u2019t have time to help us right now. I should have known better than
\nto try to persuade you to return home and go back to work. One of the
\nthings I\u2019ve learned about you over the years is that you don\u2019t let emotions
\npersuade you. You work on facts, no matter which way they lead.\u201d
\u201cThank you,\u201d I said. \u201cLet me refer a couple of other investigators.\u201d
\nI gave her their names and told her where to find their numbers.
\u201cIf I were your father, I\u2019d also make a call to the Box Elder County
\nSheriff,\u201d I added. \u201cI don\u2019t know him well, but I know him by reputation.
\nI hear he\u2019s a very good lawman.\u201d Then I said something I probably
\nshouldn\u2019t have, considering that I was on vacation. \u201cIf neither of
\nthe men I mentioned work out, call me back.\u201d
I\u2019d no sooner broken the connection than I regretted saying that.
\nI could only hope that one of my colleagues would take the job. If
\nnot, I had almost made a commitment. But I consoled myself with
\nthe hope that one of them would take the case. If so, it was probably
\nthe last time that this family would call me.
The surf was much higher now, and I decided to hit the water
\nfor a little while. I returned to the pool area to grab my clothes, then
\nwalked back to the beach and left the items on top of my towel a
\nshort distance from the water. Then I waded into the ocean, pulled
\non a pair of goggles, and backstroked between a nearby buoy and the
\nshore for the next thirty minutes, frequently checking to make sure
\nno one messed with my stuff on shore.
At around four p.m., I dried myself off, flashed a weak smile at a
\ncouple of young women who walked by, and then picked up a book
\nin my room before heading for the pool area. Reading proved futile,
\nhowever; I couldn\u2019t get the call from Glenn and Shanice Gridley out
\nof my head.
Back in my hotel room, I showered and then sat down to plan the
\nevening and the next day. There were a number of places I\u2019d considered
\nvisiting when I first decided to take a vacation, but strangely,
\nnone of them held as much appeal now as they had done then. I had
\nalready visited a couple of temples in the area, attending a session in
\neach one. I\u2019d also gone to church in a singles ward in Los Angeles on
\nSunday. In the back of my head, I\u2019d hoped that I\u2019d find a pretty, single
\nwoman who might agree to spend an evening or two with me and
\nguide me to the most interesting places in the city.
I\u2019d dated some in my life, but at thirty-two, I\u2019d never even come
\nclose to marriage. I\u2019d thought that maybe I\u2019d find a prospect in a
\nsingles ward in LA. That had been a stupid idea. I didn\u2019t meet anyone
\nthat sparked much interest in me, and if I had, I don\u2019t know that
\nI\u2019d have worked up the courage to ask her out. Part of my problem,
\nI now realized, was that I was looking for the perfect girl. In fact, if
\nI were honest with myself, there was no question that I compared
\nevery girl I met with Shanice Gridley. We\u2019d been very close before my
\nmission, and I had secret hopes of dating her when I returned. But it
\nwasn\u2019t meant to be. She\u2019d been married for six months by the time my
\nmission was complete.
I had to admit that I wasn\u2019t exactly secure when it came to dating.
\nI knew my failings, and I had always been afraid that the women
\nI met could readily see them as well. I wanted a wife who I could
\nconnect with on a deeper level, and yet I don\u2019t think I\u2019d ever given
\nanother girl a chance. I had been fooling myself all these years, and
\nbecause of that, I was quite lonely. Maybe I\u2019d always be lonely.
\nI lounged around for a few hours in my hotel room and then ate
\ndinner at a restaurant on the top floor, alone. That was my life: alone.
\nAfter dinner, I wondered what to do with myself. I realized with a
\nstart that my vacation wasn\u2019t all I had been telling myself it was; I was
\nbored stiff. I pulled out my cell phone and made a call.
\u201cHello, this is Glenn Gridley,\u201d I heard a crusty voice answer. He
\nwas clearly still upset over the loss of his horse. Well, I\u2019d called him
\nthis time, so I guessed I\u2019d get to the point.
\u201cGlenn, this is Rocky Revada.\u201d
\n\u201cYour friends are no more agreeable than you are,\u201d Mr. Gridley
\ngrowled.
corrected the rancher.
\n\u201cThen why did you refer me to them?\u201d he asked accusingly.
\n\u201cBecause I\u2019m on vacation,\u201d I admitted.
\n\u201cSo what is this call about?\u201d he asked. \u201cHave you thought of
\nsomeone else you might refer me to?\u201d
I took a couple of breaths before speaking. This guy could prove
\nto be a difficult client. But since his call earlier, and especially after
\ntalking to his daughter, I had lost interest in my vacation. I let out the
\nsecond deep breath and said, \u201cI think I can be back by morning, if
\nthat\u2019s not too late.\u201d
Glenn Gridley might be a short-tempered guy, but he was also a
\ndecisive one. \u201cYou\u2019re hired,\u201d he said with finality. \u201cCall me as soon as
\nyou\u2019re back. We\u2019ll meet you at your office first thing.\u201d I assumed that
\nmeant him and Shanice, and maybe a son-in-law and other daughters
\nas well.
I was lucky and got a flight that would have me back in Salt Lake
\nCity by eleven that night. That meant that I could be in my house
\non my small farm outside Logan before one in the morning. I\u2019d call
\nGlenn at eight and be at the office shortly after that.