Dang Near Dead (An Aggie Mundeen Mystery Book 2) by Nancy G. West

their deadly potential and learn to handle them safely. Doesn’t always work; but most of the time it does.
     
    Bluster is only a way of talking: big state, big dreams, big mouths. Don’t let it fool you. Underneath the bluster, you’ll find hearts of gold and people who’ll help anybody who needs it. Just don’t try to take something from a Texan before they offer.
     
    Turning Texan,
    Aggie
      
    I thought about Texans I’d met at the ranch. How far would Bertha go to get and keep the BVSBar? How far would Herb Vernon go to reclaim it? Vicki’d grown to love the Hill Country. Could she really leave?
    When it was time to put on my sundress, I was careful to avoid my ivy patch. To boost my spirits, I applied extra makeup. If the calamine lotion didn’t wear off and I stood up to eat, I might make it through lunch.
    Sam joined Meredith and me to walk to the lodge. Before he could tell us about his morning ride, I told them about Herb and Bitsy Vernon.
    “This is turning into quite a vacation spot,” Sam said.
    We walked in silence, immersed in thought. If I could figure out who’d killed the Vernons, Sam could relax and enjoy a much-needed vacation. He might finally realize I had sound sleuthing skills. I had to deduce who put a snake in the freezer.
    Before we reached the lodge, Meredith stopped.
    “Do you think Bertha is capable of killing her own aunt and uncle to get this ranch?”

Fifteen

      
    Thinking about the value of the ranch, I studied the dining hall. The decorating theme was dead animals. Heads of deer, bison, and elk were mounted on wall plaques near the ceiling. How could anybody shoot the elegant creatures, especially deer and elk, unless they needed to consume the meat to survive? Didn’t elk live in colder climates anyway? What was an elk’s head doing up there?
    A bison’s dull eyes stared across the dining room. Bison didn’t roam free anymore except in national parks, nature preserves or private commercial herds. Somebody had special access to kill that bison.
    Something about the bison’s face reminded me of Dr. Carmody, my Aspects of Aging professor from last Semester at University of the Holy Trinity. Maybe it was the bison’s eyes: dull, yet cunning. To force my mind off the professor, I studied the ceiling.
    Fish and bobcats hung at raucous angles from ceiling wires, which made them appear to be sizing up guests. I was intrigued by two bobcats. One was larger than the other, probably a male and female. Their ears were tipped with black tufts, which supposedly collected sound to sharpen their hearing. I’d read they had excellent eyesight for day and night vision and were abundant in South Texas.
    Light fur cascading down their cheeks made them look loveable. I wanted to touch it to see if was soft. Bobcats were supposed to be secretive, shy, and solitary, but some were rambunctious and overly curious. Like me. Maybe that’s why those two ended up hanging from the ceiling.
    Wire served multiple other purposes on a ranch: stringing fences, tying hay bales and hanging farm implements. Ranger Travis used it to sculpt animals and birds, but I was mystified by the wire protruding from the mouth of the snake we’d found in the freezer.
    The cabin six girls and Selma entered the dining hall with their hair still damp. Jangles’ upswept wet hair looked like the stem on a pumpkin. Stoney appeared particularly boyish with her hair slicked back. Millie looked like a damp rag doll. They must be starving from exercise to risk appearing in public with wet hair.
    Selma had probably tried to fluff her hair while she argued with George over who had endured the lousiest morning. Conflict must have made her hungry. She beat George to the buffet line. I saw her and Bertha glare jealously at Vicki’s dry, fluffy locks.
    Wranglers Ranger and Monty moseyed in, followed by River Rat, whose blow-dried hair hung shiny and straight to his shoulders. He winked at his aquatic gang of tadpoles, frogs and