CHAPTER 10

As Matt started the truck his phone rang. He looked, saw that it was Roy, and put it on speakerphone. "Where are you, Uncle Roy?" He was supposed to be keeping an eye on things at the ranch.

"I'm down by the main gate. We've got company: a couple of guys in a phone company van who seem to think that taking pictures is part of their job description." Roy sounded irritated.

"I'll be down there in just a minute." He broke the connection then hit CJ's number on his speed dial. "Lock the doors, turn on the alarm and you and Murray get into the bathroom in the center of the house. Can't talk right now. I'll call you." He hung up before she could get in a word.

Roy had the trunk on his car open and was keeping an eye on their guests. Matt pulled up behind his uncle's car and got out of the truck. He surveyed the area as he walked to the back of the car. He noticed that Roy had taken off his suit jacket and tie and rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt. That usually meant trouble.

"Hoyt posted a couple of officers on the gate. They were here when I got here a little while ago. Where are they now?" He looked down into the trunk at the variety of weapons that his uncle kept there.

"Don't know. I decided to check out the gate after you came in, and when I got here, this is what I found." He motioned to the van. One of the men was up on a phone pole, while the other was behind the open rear door of the van taking pictures through the window.

"Guess I need to make a phone call." Matt pulled his phone out of his pocket and hit Hoyt's number. "Hoyt, it's Houston. We've got a couple of guys down here at the gate acting like they work for the phone company – but they're taking pictures. Where are your officers?"

"You mean they aren't there? Hang on." Hoyt picked up the phone on his desk. Matt could hear him punching buttons, then "Sanders. I assigned two officers to the front gate of Houston's ranch. Where are they?" Matt heard silence for a minute. "No, they aren't. I've got Houston on my cell phone telling me they aren't anywhere in sight."

Matt continued to watch the two men. The guy on the phone pole said something to the one on the ground, who then started to pick up the "Men Working" sign as the other climbed down the pole. Matt interrupted Hoyt. "Looks like they're packing up, Hoyt."

"Alright. I'm still trying to track down those officers. They aren't answering their radio." Hoyt's concern could be clearly heard in his voice.

The two men loaded up in the van and went on down the road. Matt turned back toward his truck. "Keep an eye out, Uncle Roy. I'm going to follow them. Hoyt, you got that?"

"Yeah, and I've also got two more cars dispatched out there and I'm heading that way, too." He hung up the phone and took off out the door of his office.

Matt got in his truck and flew out of the gate that Uncle Roy had opened for him and turned right, following the van that was now almost out of sight. As he increased his speed, he thought about the road up ahead: a mass of sharp hairpin turns that had caused their share of accidents. If they keep up this rate of speed they're going to lose it on one of these curves Matt thought to himself.

The driver of the van stepped on the gas even more as he took one of the curves and the van toppled down a rocky ravine, splintering apart as it fell. Matt screeched to a halt at the point where the van had left the road, just as it burst into flames. He looked around the ravine in case anyone had been ejected from the van but could see no sign of life. Hitting Hoyt's number once again, he watched as the van continued to burn. "Hey, we're going to need the fire department and most likely the coroner. They went off the road." After hearing Hoyt swear, he hung up and called Uncle Roy to let him know the outcome of the chase.

"Well, they didn't last long, did they?" He continued to keep watch on the road with a pair of binoculars. "I'll call CJ and let her know what's going on and that you're okay, Matt. Just be careful." He hung up and immediately called CJ, who sounded shaken as she answered. He explained what had happened and let her know that her husband was safe and sound.

"Thanks, Uncle Roy. He sure scared me when he called. We're okay here, you two just be careful." She hung up and told Murray what had happened.

Sitting on the side of the huge claw-footed tub, Murray was visibly shaken. "How does he deal with stuff like this all the time, CJ?"

"Well, Murray, some folks can handle corporate mergers and stacks upon stacks of paper work. Others can handle … well, the stuff that Matt handles." She grinned at him.

Back at the accident scene, Hoyt had just pulled up and directed one of the patrol cars to cover the gate at the ranch and the other to search for the missing officers. He walked over to Houston as the firemen put out small brush fires that had ignited. "Lousy PI's are just like lightning rods." Matt just looked at him and smiled.

"Face it, Hoyt; your life was boring until you met me." He saw the disgusted look that met his comment.

"Doesn't look like that fire is helping any evidence that we might have been able to collect from the van." The lieutenant reached into his pocket for an antacid.

After the firemen had put out the blaze, Hoyt and Matt worked their way down into the ravine and began looking at the scene. Two badly burnt bodies were in the van. Matt pointed out the remains of the camera to Hoyt. "Somehow I don't think we're going to be getting any evidence from that. Maybe we can at least get an ID on our two crispy critters here." His remark was met with a scowl from Hoyt.

"Well, guess I'll talk to you later, Hoyt. I've got some leads to check out." With that, he headed back up the hill to his truck and left to check on the restaurant and cab leads.