I'm Not Lisa Ch. 10-11

Chapter 10 Finishing Touches

It was a happy trip back to the ranch. We were back in business again without the threat of our credit being withdrawn. We had immediate access to a full one-hundred-thousand-dollar line of credit, and Angus immediately drew on it to pay Tim Kleinhauser back. The relief after the tense moments of the past three days was plain for anyone to see. We were back on level ground.

At least I thought we were until we crested the rise just before the ranch came into view and the next thing I knew, Rance had hit the brakes and pulled over to the side of the road. I couldn't figure out what had happened until I looked over to the South and saw what Rance had seen. Three very large trucks were slowly working their way across the range toward the foothills in the distance. I couldn't tell what they were, but they weren't road trucks by appearance.

"What the hell!" Angus spat as Rance climbed out of the cab.

"Pass me the binoculars, Dad," Rance said in a low voice. I could tell he was trying to control himself.

"There's a drillin' rig for sure," Angus said. I can see that from here."

"Yeah. And a big generator and what looks like a pump with a tank body. We better get the hell out there and see what's goin' on," Rance said, climbing quickly back into the truck and handing his father the binoculars.

Rance didn't take off at a crazy rate. He was mindful of his father's leg I'm sure, and he drove slowly by steadily in the tracks of the big machines, easily catching them. He began flashing his lights and honking the horn until we could see that the caravan was coming to a stop. Rance was out of the cab in seconds and I wasn't far behind him. I could see Angus was frustrated at being stuck in the cab, but Marion stayed behind to calm him down.

I caught up to Rance just as one of the truck drivers stepped down from his cab with some papers in his hand.

"You mind tellin' me who you are and what you're doin' on our land?" Rance said, still working hard to control himself.

"I'm Tony Graziano, and I'm here to drill for coal-bed gas as per this permit," he said, handing Rance the papers.

"How did you get this permit?"

"I didn't. We're contractors. I was given this at the office when CoalMeth contracted us to drill the test holes."

"Well, I can tell you for sure that we've never given CoalMeth or anyone else permission to drill on our land," Rance said strongly. "Not now, not in the past. Somethin' is wrong here. Don't you start until I get this cleared up. It may come to pass that we will allow drillin', but it will be done legally with our permission. You'll be makin' a big expensive mistake if you do it before that."

"I better call the office. As far as I know, this is all legal. I don't need a problem with the law. You sure about this?" he said, trying to get some kind of confirmation.

"I'm Rance Cameron, and over in that truck is my father and mother. This is my fiancée, Julie Sanchez. I can absolutely guarantee that we own the 3C Ranch and that we have never signed over any drillin' or exploration rights to anyone at any time. That clear enough?"

"Look, Mr. Cameron. I'm going to call CoalMeth now. They look after all the paperwork. Like I said, I'm just a contractor. You'll have to talk to them about this," Graziano said apologetically.

He pulled out cell phone and punched in a number.

"Harry, you better get Mr. Krenneman on the phone. We've got a problem out here at the 3C Ranch."

He waited for a couple of minutes before someone came on the line.

Mr. Krenneman, I'm out at the 3C Ranch and there's a guy here claiming to be the owner who says he never signed over any drilling rights to you. I better put him on the phone so you can talk directly."

He handed Rance the phone. I wish I could have heard the whole conversation.

"Mr. Krenneman, my name is Rance Cameron. My father is Angus Cameron. If either one of our names isn't on that document, you can't be drillin' on our property without permission."

A pause.

"That can't be. My father never signed anythin' that would permit exploration or drillin' on our property without talkin' to my mother or me."

Another pause.

"Mr. Krenneman, I guarantee that signature is a forgery. Where did you get that from?"

Another pause.

"I thought so. Mr. Krenneman, I know for a certainty now that that signature is a forgery. I'll be contactin' the police and laying charges against Mr. Prentice. We may decide to permit drillin' on our property if we can work out a proper agreement, but I can tell you for sure it would never be with Dexter Prentice, and you can take that to the bank.

"I'm just getting' home, so I'd appreciate if you told this crew to hold off until we can get this straightened out. I'm sure you don't want to be a party to a criminal act."

Another short pause.

"My father and I will be down at your office early this afternoon. Maybe we can get this straightened out then."

Another short pause.

"I'll see you as soon as we can get there. I'll ask the police to join us."

A still shorter pause.

"Thank you. I'll hand you back to your crew now."

He passed the phone to Graziano and moved toward me.

"That man has balls of brass," he said. "Let's go back to the truck and I can let Dad know what's goin' on."

We got back in the truck and Rance began to drive toward the house.

"Prentice gave CoalMeth a release with your signature on it, authorizin' them to explore and drill on the 3C," Rance said.

Angus exploded. "He did what. How the hell can he do that? I never signed anythin' allowin' that."

"I know that, Dad. It's a forgery. I'm callin' the police when we get to the house. I'm havin' them meet us at CoalMeth's office this afternoon and we'll get this straightened out. You'll be surprised that Prentice gave them the document last week on Thursday. He must have been pretty sure of himself that we'd settle when Crenshaw pulled our line of credit. This is goin' to be a nasty surprise for both of them."

"I'll see them two bastards in jail over this," Angus fumed.

"We can only hope. It would serve them right. All we have to do now is to prove the signature is a forgery," Rance growled.

"How hard will that be?" Marion asked.

"I don't know. One thing for certain, though, we're not goin' to let Prentice get away with this."

Rance called the police department and spoke to someone in charge, explaining that he believed a fraud had been committed with the use of a forged signature. After some discussion, the officer agreed to meet Rance at the CoalMeth office at two that afternoon.

"Rance, do you mind if I go with you? I think we should all be there for this."

"No ... I don't mind. In fact, I think you're right. It involves all of us, so we might as well let them know we're serious."

It was just before two when we walked into the CoalMeth office and asked for the manager. A man at the front desk picked up the phone and called someone, indicating there was a "delegation" here to see him. In a minute, a tall, forties-something man emerged from the office, dressed in field clothes rather than a suit.

"I'm Rance Cameron, and this is my family. I called you earlier about an attempted fraud."

"Yes," he acknowledged. "I'm Rich Krenneman, the area manager for CoalMeth. I'd certainly like to get this straightened out."

"I've asked the police to have someone here as well. This has all the earmarks of attempted fraud, and we want to put a stop to it," Rance continued.

"I understand and agree totally. The last thing we want is a conflict with the landowners."

"Then we're on the same wavelength," Rance agreed.

"You mentioned you weren't adverse to the idea of drilling on your property. Is that correct?"

"Yes, but if we were to make an agreement with CoalMeth, it would be done one-on-one, and not through some agent."

"I can understand that. We'd be happy to sit down and discuss an agreement with you once this problem is cleared up."

"Well, that will be our first order of business when we prove the signature you have is a forgery."

At that moment, the door opened and a uniformed officer entered the office.

"I'm Officer Hawthorne," he said. "I'm looking for a Mr. Rance Cameron."

"That's me," Rance responded, turning to us. "This is my father, mother, and fiancée."

"What exactly is the problem, Mr. Cameron?"

Rance went on to explain the document Prentice gave the CoalMeth office to allow exploration and drilling on the 3C Ranch. He also noted that no one in the family had signed nor ever seen the document.

"Do you have a copy, Mr. Krenneman?"

"Yes. Right here," he said, handing it over to the officer.

"Is this your signature, Mr. Cameron?" the officer asked, showing Rance the document.

"No ... it's purported to be my father's signature. Does this look like yours, Dad?" he asked, handing the paper to him.

Angus looked at it and I saw his eyes go wide. "I sure does look like my signature, but not the one I use these days. It's more like the way I used to sign years ago. Wouldn't you say so, Marion?" he said, passing the paper to her.

"Yes. That's your old signature before you hurt your hand. Give me your wallet, Angus."

Rance's father looked a bit bewildered, but did as she asked. Marion opened the wallet, searched for a moment and pulled out her husband's driver's license.

"Here. This was just issued a year or so ago. That's how he signs his name these days," she said, handing the laminated card to the officer.

I watched as he compared the two signatures and nodded. "No doubt about it. They aren't the same. You say you hurt your hand and that's why your signature changed?"

"Yeah. Got it caught between a bad-tempered steer and a gate post three years ago."

"CoalMeth wasn't in the valley then, was it?" the officer asked Krenneman.

"No ... only in the last twenty months."

"Who gave you this document?" the officer asked.

"Dexter Prentice. He's been a self-appointed agent for some of the ranchers, getting them to sign up for cash now rather than the hope of royalties later."

"Have you paid any money to Mr. Prentice?"

"No sir. Not one cent. The only people we'll pay are the landowners themselves, or their appointed representative. Any money paid so far has come out of Prentice, not us. He wouldn't get anything from CoalMeth until the wells were producing."

"Alright. Leave this with me, please. I think you can conclude that the signature is in doubt, Mr. Krenneman. You'd be wise to suspend any work until this matter is cleared up."

"Yes, fine. I'll call the crew and ask them to leave," the manager said.

"Thank you," Angus and Rance said, almost in unison.

"Mr. Cameron," the officer said, directing himself at Angus, "Can you provide some current signatures on official documents? Say, cancelled checks by your bank for example?"

"Sure. I can have them to you this afternoon if that's any help."

"Good. I'll photocopy them and you'll still have a copy for your records with our stamp on them."

"That will be fine," Angus nodded.

Officer Hawthorne excused himself and left the office.

Rance turned to Krenneman.

"Mr. Krenneman, I appreciate the way you've handled this. Like I said on the phone, our family is willin' to discuss drillin' on our property, but not through a third party. If you're interested, we'd be willin' to sit down and talk."

"I'd very much like to do that, Mr. Cameron. If you'd like we could set up a time and I'd come out to the ranch, or we could meet in my office, whichever is the most convenient for you."

"Dad, this is your call," Rance said.

"I'm having a bit of trouble gettin' around since I broke my leg a few weeks ago. If it isn't too much trouble, I'd prefer to meet at the ranch."

"Not a problem," the manager said quickly. "Name a day and a time and I'll be there."

"How about Friday, say eleven in the morning. We can fix you a lunch while you're out there. You may want to have a look at the area where you'd be drillin'," Angus offered.

"Great! I'd really appreciate that. Eleven on Friday it is. Thank you very much. I'll look forward to seeing you then."

As we drove back out of town toward the ranch, Rance made an observation.

"I think Mr. Krenneman has pretty much convinced himself that the signature is a forgery. I think the policeman is thinkin' the same thing. I'll drive back to town with your cancelled checks and see what else I can find out."

"I hope it's as cut and dried as it seems, Son. If it is, Mr. Prentice is in a world of hurt."

"I think the bigger question is where he got that old signature. Have you ever sent him anythin' that would have your name on it?" Rance asked.

"Nope. Never had anythin' to do with him, and don't ever plan to."

"So ... how did he get it? Might be a good question to ask the officer, don't you think," Rance grinned.

"Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?" I asked with my own sly grin.

"Don't know. What do you think I'm thinking?"

"Maybe Melvin Crenshaw supplied a copy of an older document from his files for his pal Dexter Prentice."

"Mom ... did I tell you just how smart Julie is?"

"Yes you did dear. Several times. It appears you are right."

"Rance, do you mind if I go with you this afternoon?" I asked.

"No. I don't mind. I'd enjoy the company," he smiled.

We returned with the cancelled checks in a Ziploc bag and walked into the police station.

Rance pulled the officer's card out of his shirt pocket.

"Is Officer Hawthorne in?" he asked.

"Just a moment, sir," the desk officer replied.

A moment later, a smiling Hawthorne appeared, walking quickly to the front desk.

"You didn't waste any time getting back here," he said brightly.

"No time to waste on somethin' this important," Rance said. "Here are the cancelled checks. I think you'll see the signature is pretty much the same on every one of the six we've provided."

Hawthorne looked at them carefully, nodding as he did so.

"They're pretty consistent alright. I'll make photocopies for your files. We'll need them if there's any prosecution in this case. Otherwise you'll get them back at some point when the case is closed."

"Fair enough. Somethin' else, though. That old signature that was on the release. You might talk to Melvin Crenshaw at The Central Bank of Trinidad. It's one of the only places one of my father's old signatures might be on file. Crenshaw called our line of credit late last week for no good reason. We've never been given an excuse, and I suspect he might be givin' Prentice a hand in puttin' pressure on us to sign with him. We refused, so there could be a connection."

Officer Hawthorne studied Rance for a moment, then made a note.

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Cameron. We'll let you know as soon as we have something concrete on this issue. I appreciate your letting us handle this. I know there's some pressure on you, but we have the tools to do the job and make sure that the law is served."

I saw Rance nod, extending his hand to the policeman. They shook, and we left the office.

"Never a dull moment, huh?" Rance said as we climbed back into the truck.

"If I'd known it was going to be this exciting, I'd have been here sooner," I laughed.

"Well, we aren't out of the woods yet, but I have a feelin' it won't be long before we know what this is all about."

"That map we saw at Valley S & L, do you think it will mean an end to the money worries?"

"It could. It's too soon to say. If it does, well ... anythin' we ever hoped for at the 3C could be possible. Let's not get our hopes up just yet, though."

"Always the cautious man, huh?"

"Naw. Just tryin' not to jinx us," he grinned. "Say, when are we goin' to get married?"

"Talk about changing the subject," I laughed. "I thought you'd want to make sure all this mess was looked after before we decided."

"You mean to tell me you and Mom haven't discussed a date yet?"

"I didn't say that. We've discussed one. How does October 16th sound?"

"Fine. Are we havin' a church wedding?"

"Of course. We've already booked it."

"You have? What about the reception?"

"All arranged. At the church annex."

"Guest list?"

"Mostly done. Just need to know who you want to invite."

"When were you goin' to tell me about this?"

"Soon. Didn't want you to get too distracted. Plenty of time yet," I smiled.

*

Chapter 11 As Good As Done

Our surprises weren't over yet. As we pulled into the yard, I saw a truck parked in front that looked somewhat familiar.

"Looks like you're finally goin' to meet my sister," Rance grumbled.

"Oh ... good. Caroline, isn't it?"

"That's right. I hope that idiot husband isn't with her."

We parked the truck in its usual spot and walked into the house. I saw Marion and Rance's sister sitting on the sofa, and neither of them looked very happy. I recognized Caroline as the blonde I had seen talking to Rance that fateful morning. As I got closer, I could see Caroline's eyes were puffy and red. I stood back as Rance walked up to her.

"What brings you out here, Cary?" he asked without being confrontational. "More trouble at home?"

She nodded, looking downcast.

"She caught Billy cheatin' on her. I guess it wasn't the first time. She's left him and is goin' to file for divorce," Marion said in a monotone.

"Well, can't say as I'm surprised," Rance said in a low voice. "But just the same, I'm sorry to hear it."

Caroline nodded again, then looked up at him. "Looks like we didn't do so well pickin' partners, did we?"

"First time around, you're right," Rance said, then turned to me. "Cary, this is Julie Sanchez, my fiancée. I believe I've done a whole hell of a lot better the second time around," he grinned. He reached for my hand and held it gently.

"Nice to meet you, Caroline. I'm sorry it couldn't be under better circumstances."

"Nice to meet you too, Julie. Don't fret over me. I'm just gettin' rid of the last traces of Billy Miller. I'm about done with him now."

"Cary is comin' back to the ranch to live here for a while," Marion said.

"Good," Rance responded. "No place like home when things aren't goin' well. Besides, you'll finally outnumber us men."

That produced a small smile from the woman.

As the afternoon progressed, I could see Caroline was getting a little brighter and not feeling quite so sorry for herself. After I'd helped Marion in the kitchen with the evening meal, I poured myself a glass of wine and went out on the deck to sit with Rance's sister.

She was a blue-eyed blonde, very attractive with naturally curly hair and a sexy body. I was envious in a way, but I certainly didn't envy what had happened to her. She didn't look a lot like Marion, so I assumed she favored the Cameron side of the family. She had a glass of wine beside her, but it appeared untouched.

"Mind if I join you?" I asked.

"No ... not at all. I guess we should get to know each other since you're marrying into the family," she smiled.

I got the feeling that there wasn't any hostility in her towards me. I held out my glass and she picked up hers to touch lightly in salutation.

"Mom says Rance got lucky when he found you. He needed to catch a break. Lisa did him a lot of harm. He didn't deserve that."

"You and Rance get along okay?"

"Yeah. He's always been my big brother, lookin' out for me. If I was in trouble, I'd more often go to him for help. He was always there for me."

"I gather he didn't approve of your husband."

"No. Right from the beginning he felt Billy was wrong for me. But ... when things did go wrong ... he never said 'I told you so,' not even once."

"So ... him cheating on you wasn't a first?"

"No. I knew in my heart he wasn't faithful. I was trying to ignore it and hope he'd quit some day. But he never did. The more he got mixed up with those high rollers and speculators, the more he thought he was Mr. Big and could get away with it. Finally, one of his girlfriends phoned the house for him and I couldn't ignore it anymore."