Kashi jumped to her feet immediately, every thought of her enjoyment of the race, and commentary on the heat eddied from her mind. Guns weren't uncommon out west, no. Many people truly enjoyed hunting, or just going to gun ranges. Kashi herself had enjoyed those days with her dad on the range he'd set up at home. They'd shoot little clay birds in the air or downrange at targets backed against wooden logs or dirt piles. It was a fine time. But this weapon wasn't like the well worn rifles and shotguns the people around these parts carried. This gun was a shiny black pistol, the handle remarkable with its polished wood and carved swirls. It looked extremely valuable. Yet it was in the middle of a field.
Kashi spun in a slow circle, a hand atop her head as she blew a heavy breath out. Should she call the police? She knew better than to touch it. She spotted Matthias jogging over, wheelbarrow forgotten by the side of the stables.
"Hey Kashi what's—" he spied the gun on the ground, "wrong…"
Kashi shook her head incredulously. "Why the hell is there a gun like this in the middle of my uncle's field?" Matthias reached down, his hand pointed towards it. "Don't touch it!" Kashi said, visibly irritated. "We don't know whose it is, though it looks customized." She pointed out the unique aspects of the gun.
"Could it be the one that shot Carr?" Matthias asked, tilting his head, his face suddenly seeming more analytical.
"Well Carr was shot by what, a .40 S&W bullet, right?" Kashi examined the gun, squinting at the pistol, still half buried. "I'd have to pull it out to check, but there's a high chance that it could shoot the same bullets."
Matthias nodded, shifting nervously on his feet. "It could just be a coincidence. Should we call your uncle?"
"I don't know if we can trust him anymore." Kashi admitted. "We'd best call the police."
Ten minutes later, the area around the fallen wheelbarrow and the gun was taped off. Blue and red lights flashed, and officers were milling around. Kashi's uncle came storming down the hill towards the small crowd of officers and ranch hands.
"What is the meaning of this?" Her uncle shouted at nobody in particular. "Why on God's green earth are you all sifting through my property, taping it off willy-nilly and halting my day to day business?" He turned to the ranch hands. "Come on y'all, there's work to be done." They dispersed somewhat begrudgingly as Hudson Thomson turned to the officers.
"We got a call about a gun in your field and the possibility of it being the weapon for the shooting of Mr. James Thomson. Your brother, correct?" The officer said, not put off in the slightest by Mr. Thomson's anger.
"This is my property, you can't just charge in here. It's just a handgun." Her uncle protested. "You interrupted a very important business deal with the ludicracy."
Kashi exchanged a glance with Matthias. A meeting? "I'm going to run to the restroom," she said loud enough for her uncle to overhear. He ignored her completely. She hoped Matthias understood where she was really going.
Kashi casually walked up the hill in the direction of her uncle's house and when he and the officers were out of sight, she broke into a run, staying just outside the fence-line of the house itself. Her auntie Cee would be inside and perhaps Hughes himself. She didn't want to draw any attention to herself, so she circled around, coming just towards the window of her uncle's office. The curtains were partially drawn, making it difficult to see clearly, but there was a pair of tan suede shoes planted at the feet of the chair before her uncle's desk. A men's shoe. Kashi knew it had to be Hughes. The window was closed however, and she wouldn't be able to make it inside without someone hearing the door. Unless…
Much to Kashi's relief, the window of the bedroom she'd just moved out of was still unlocked. She liked to keep it that way when she lived there in case she needed to go in or out unnoticed. It seemed to be handy when she wasn't living there either.
Kasih lifted the window without so much as a squeak, sliding into her old bedroom, the carpet quieting her feet. Her uncle's office was just down the hall and past the entryway. There was a small broom closet right outside that she could fit in. It would be the perfect place to hide.
She could hear her aunt poorly humming a tune from the kitchen and a clanking sound that she assumed was from washing dishes. As long as Kashi was quiet, and Hughes didn't leave the room, she should be fine to get into the closet in the hallway. She'd worry about getting out later. Hopefully Matthias would cover for her. He did say he wanted to help after all.
Kashi opened the door, the slight squeak of the hinges making her wince, but her aunt didn't stop humming and she heard no footsteps. She'd taken off her boots, holding them in her left hand as she walked across the floor. The socks were immensely helpful in her pursuit to make no noise. She hurried as she spied her uncle coming up the hill from her fleeting glance down the hall through a back window. The doors to the office were shut tight, and Kashi slid right into the slightly ajar closet, shutting the door with a muffled thump.
Hudson Thomson walked down the hall a minute or two later, and Kashi pressed her ear against the wall that was shared with the office, hoping she'd catch some snippet of conversation.
"Sorry about that. Damn police are down sniffing around the yard. They found a pistol out there. One of my ranch hands called the cops." Her uncle said.
The other man's voice was harder to hear. "...found it if we were… hiding something… going soon." He must have been facing away from Kashi. She couldn't understand the rest of the sentence as his voice dropped lower and quieter.
"Yes, I'm aware." her uncle said. His chair screeched against the wooden floor. "We can't do anything now though."
"True. Perhaps there's… and again if we… that route is… change tactics." The other man said.
"Let's go out for lunch. I don't want the police to come find me here with you. Cecelia will take care of the cops when they come up to the house." Her uncle said.
Kashi frowned. Well escaping the closet would be easier, that much was for certain. But now she wouldn't be able to hear them.
The door to the office opened and the men walked right past her doorway. "You need to stop that niece of yours Hudson. If you don't, I will and I know you won't like the way that I deal with her." The other man threatened.
Something slithered down Kashi's spine, making her wince. Take care of her? What did that mean? What was her uncle going to do now that he knew for certain that Kashi was not on his side?