Out of a Texas Night

by Phyliss Miranda

  Jennie’s soft voice broke into Brody’s thoughts. “I thank you so much for your help, but I can handle her from here. I know her parents appreciate you, too. Please come back.”

  “You are welcome. She just needs a little rest and then she’ll be a ball of fire by tomorrow, I’m bettin’.”

  Looking up at him, Jennie smiled. “I think you really know her well. Also, I’m going to make what we call party chicken around here for tomorrow, and I understand you’ll be our guest. I hope you like chicken.”

  “That I do, ma’am.” Brody accepted his jacket from Jennie. “I can see she’s in good hands, so I’ll say goodnight and be on my way.”

  He wanted so badly to kiss Avery, at least on the forehead, but that would be against all protocol.

  Instead, he picked up her pink music box with a white rose on top and turned it on. He also took a long look at a picture of her in her sheriff’s uniform. He had to look twice because he couldn’t help but think that her hair must grow faster than his. In the picture her hair was extremely short and colored differently. She didn’t even look like the woman in the bed he stood next to.

  Brody walked down the hall with not only the sound of the Blue Danube coming from Avery’s room but with six words that stuck in his brain: after everything she has been through.

  Chapter 19

  Avery woke the next morning to the smell of coffee brewing and hot cinnamon buns that only Jennie could make. Avery rolled over into the face of the brilliant rising sun, slightly shadowed by the church bell tower.

  After the luxury of a morning shower and washing her hair, which was getting longer by the day, she dressed, put on a light application of make-up, added a pair of tiny gold stud earrings, and headed downstairs.

  “Good morning, darling.” Her father’s booming voice filled the dining room. Before she could respond, he added, “I heard you come in last night, but I was reading in the study so I wouldn’t bother your mother. Did you sleep well?”

  “Yes, Daddy, I did, but I have to admit I was tired.” She added a package of the green stuff to the cup of coffee Jennie placed in front of her. “Thanks, Miss Jennie.”

  “You’re welcome, sweetie.” Jennie turned to face Avery’s father. “I met Deputy VanZant last night.” She bit at her lip as if she’d spoken out of turn.

  Avery stirred her coffee. “He brought me home after we took care of some business that had to wait until my swearing-in was over.”

  “He’s so nice and even walked her up to the house, so she’d be safe,” Jennie added.

  “That’s nice.” Avery’s father balanced his elbows on the table, “What case were you working on, Dannie?”

  “Now, Daddy, when I agreed to the job as interim sheriff, I made it abundantly clear that I’d take care of the county’s sheriff’s department and you’d take care of the town’s and county’s business. What we’re working on is not up for discussion.” Avery lifted her chin, feeling proud for standing up to her father on behalf of herself and the sheriff’s department. “Please pass the butter.”

  “You’re right, darling. I apologize. It’s just that I’ve always been the one in charge and I’m finding it hard to not overstep boundaries. I’ll do much better. I promise.” He took a gulp of coffee. “Jennie, did Kathleen talk with you about tonight?”

  “Yes, sir, when I went upstairs to take her a breakfast tray.”

  “What’s wrong?” Avery interrupted. “Daddy, Mother usually comes down and joins you for breakfast.”

  “She’s fine. The trip took a lot out of her and her energy level has been pretty low ever since,” her father answered. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but we need to cancel dinner tonight again. Not only is your mother not up to par, but she has a meeting this afternoon for our Relay for Life. It’s likely to run longer than expected. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Of course, I don’t mind. That’s a good cause and frankly, I wanted to stay late at the office because I’ve got a lot on my mind. An endless amount of work to do.” Avery added a small pad of butter to her cinnamon roll.

  “I know one person who’ll be unhappy. Deputy VanZant said he loves chicken, and that’s what I planned,” Jennie inserted.

  “I’ll handle Brody.” Avery smiled to herself, thinking about the hot cop.

  After a second cup of coffee, scrambled eggs, and finishing off her cinnamon roll, Avery said good-bye to her father and kissed him on the forehead then hugged Miss Jennie, the woman who had been with the family since before Avery was born.

  She left for the office in probably the oldest vehicle in the county’s fleet, but she didn’t mind. Now wasn’t the time to pull rank. Not after only twenty-four hours on the job, on top of the disarray that had occurred with Deuce being out for two months already.

  Thoughts of a more suitable county vehicle crossed Avery’s mind. Deuce’s crew-cab was still in the county’s impoundment area in case they needed to check for any additional trace evidence. That was, if they ever narrowed down the suspect list.

  In less than five minutes, she pulled into the parking lot at the same time as Brody.

  After they had exchanged greetings, she said, “Brody, thanks for making sure I got home safe.” They walked to the entrance at the back of the sheriff’s department. “I hate to even tell you this, but we’ve got to cancel dinner tonight again. Mother has a meeting in Amarillo.”

  “That’s no problem.” He had a very serious look on his face. She bet she could win a bucket-load of cash if she put money on him losing sleep over what they had learned the evening before from his CI. “What are your plans for today?”

  “I was going to ask you the same thing.” She turned to face him. “I have something I want you to look at, if you have time. It’s on Deuce’s case.”

  “Sure. As soon as I check for messages with dispatch and my phone, I’ll come to your office.”

  “No. I want to meet you on the second floor in the vacant interrogation room. Alone, nobody else with you, please. I’ve not shared this with anybody and don’t want to until we’re finished with it.”

  By the questioning look in his eyes, she felt she owed him more of an explanation. She rubbed the back of her neck and said, “You won’t be sorry, or at least I hope you won’t.”

  * * * *

  Brody stared directly at her face, and the early morning sun shone against her green eyes, making them sparkle like emeralds.

  “I have my reasons,” she said.

  He opened the door for her and couldn’t help but think that the woman not only looked strong and feisty but also was as pretty as anything he’d ever seen in his life. The thought of holding her in his arms and making love in a field of beautiful Texas Bluebonnets crossed his mind. He attempted to erase the vision as quickly as it flashed before his eyes.

  Dummy, there are no Bluebonnets in the Texas Panhandle!

  After checking in, Brody did as he was asked.

  When he opened the door to the vacant and large conference room turned into an extra interrogation room, sometimes referred to as their third interrogation room. It hadn’t been used in years to his knowledge. As he entered, shock couldn’t even begin to describe how he felt. On the large conference room table, Avery had laid out cards with names, times, locations, and evidence written on them and had them taped to a five-foot piece of butcher paper. Not only were index cards used, but colored ones to boot. Now, this is one organized lady.

  “Come on in. I began a timeline of events based on the case file. I did most of the work in my bedroom at home a couple of days ago, but I want to see what you think.” She smoothed the paper like she might a silk scarf and began talking him through her process.

  Brody stood behind her, way too close for his comfort, but it was the only way he could see, since she had spread her arms out on the table, leaning in.

  There was one thing for certain: t
his was going to be an emotionally charged exhibit in more ways than one. He looked over her shoulder.

  “The festival ended at eleven, and you and Deuce were helping to clean up and take down booths.” She pointed to the first card in the left-hand corner, making her bottom press against his.

  Brody wasn’t sure if he could get through the investigative process without throwing her on the table and taking advantage of his boss. Hell, fire and brimstone, pass the matches…. What was he thinking?

  “At 12:32 a.m., according to the dispatcher log, Mesa got a call from her foreman. I can verify that because I was with Mesa and Deuce’s wife at the Buckin’ Bull Saloon. About the same time Mesa got a call from Deuce.” She reached down a little and seemingly didn’t realize what she was physically doing to Brody by squirming around.

  “Okay, I’m with you so far, and can verify that I was with Deuce until around 3:00 a.m. here in the office,” he said.

  She took a card out of the pack, wrote the information on it, and began to move things down, having to re-tape the card each time. “I’m sorry this is taking so long, but this is all I had to work with and I really have my reasons for not wanting anyone else involved at this time. Once I agreed to be named to this position, I began working on this project.” She exhaled. “I believe I have the only key to this room, or that’s what I was told when it was turned over to me. I was warned that it was the only one, so be careful to keep it safe.”

  “Thelma?” He twisted his head in her direction and leaned against the wall. “You mean Thelma knew you were going to be named the new sheriff?”

  The look on her face told him everything. “I didn’t have time to lose and she was sworn to secrecy. No doubt she’s on our team and can be trusted.”

  The sheriff continued, “There are now notes in the file that indicate Deuce was interrogating Tommy Mitchell. The file doesn’t say who he is, but now I know. You helped by telling me Deuce was here with Mitchell. Two minds are better than one, so don’t hesitate speaking out,” she said, as if he’d ever not put in his two cents when appropriate. “Who else was here?”

  “The night dispatcher, Raylynn. Of course, because of the Spring Festival, Danny Scott and the night deputy, Jessup, were both on duty.” He stopped to get his thoughts in order. “They were in and out. I recall one time, Deuce told them to check on the partygoers, so they were both gone for a while—Scott much longer, I’m positive—a whole bunch longer.”

  Avery looked up, shook her head a tad as if trying to organize the information. “You, Deuce, and Mitchell, along with the dispatcher.” She stared at the timeline. “I’ve already received the information from the helicopter pilot.” She continued to look intently. “Surely, Scott used a map for his coordinates during the search.”

  “He did. I saw it myself.” Brody closed his eyes at the thought of having to remember the events of the night. “There was an area he didn’t have marked off as being covered. I asked about it and he said he’d forgotten to write who had it covered.” His thoughts intensified, and he shivered at them. “The more I think about it, the more I believe it was near, if not exactly, where Deuce was located.”

  “That’s interesting.” Avery lowered herself into a straight-back chair and covered her eyes with her hands. “Where could the map be?” Avery almost whispered the question. “And why isn’t it in the file?”

  The dispatcher’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “Detective VanZant, there’s someone here to see you.” Thelma’s voice sounded soft and a bit on the sensual side, not anything like her typical tone over the intercom.

  “I can’t imagine who it is, but guess I’d best go downstairs and leave you with your thoughts.” Brody got up, unlocked the door, and walked downstairs, only to be met by Thelma on the landing.

  “What’s wrong?” Brody asked, fearing for the worst. “Who wants to see me?” A slight shock ran up and down his spine at the glazed-over look in the dispatcher’s eyes.

  “Oh...” She swallowed hard. “Nothing’s wrong. He’s—he’s, well, he’s absolutely breathtakingly handsome with wide shoulders. Beautiful brown eyes, like the color of a newborn calf. He’s so tan, it’s ridiculous. Obviously not from this neck of the woods. Dark sun-bleached hair...oh and did I mention he has a service dog with him. His name is—”

  “Marion Frances Robertson, ‘Rocky’ to you…. Our new deputy. And I’m going to recommend to the sheriff that you become a detective the way you can describe someone as well as you did in only a few seconds.” Brody shot her a smile, hoping she realized he wasn’t chastising her, and headed into the outer office. Over his shoulder he said, “Thanks, Thelma. Appreciate you.”

  Brody opened the door to the outer offices for Thelma only to come face-to-face with the larger-than-life fugitive specialist and Bonita County’s newest recruit, Rocky Robertson. At his heels obediently sat his K-9 multi-purpose dog.

  He quickly introduced Rocky and Thelma. The dispatcher returned to her office, and Brody could see redness he’d never seen before on her neck. She was obviously impressed by their newest deputy.

  “Hey, you old ton of bricks, I’d come over and give you a shot to the arm and hug, but I’m afraid that Malinois pooch there would make sure I didn’t have an arm, or leg for that matter, to hug anybody again.” Brody knew better than to make any sudden moves without Rocky giving his service dog the appropriate gesture.

  “Happy to be here finally. Glad to introduce you to my best friend, Bruiser.” Rocky gave the K-9 on a leash a treat, signaling that everything was okay.

  “I didn’t expect you until next week. Got a place to stay?”

  “Didn’t take time to get an apartment, but figure I could do that once I got here. Got all of mine and Bruiser’s stuff in the SUV,” Rocky said.

  “You’re more than welcome to stay out at the ranch.” Brody reached into his pocket and retrieved a set of keys. At first, he gave consideration to tossing them at Rocky, but on second thought, knowing any unforeseen movements could make Bruiser think his handler was in jeopardy, he laid them on the table. “In between the madness that’s been going on, I did find time to make arrangements to get the headquarters cleaned. You’ll know my room by the unmade bed, but there are four more to choose from. All clean.” Brody leaned on the side of the table. “I don’t have a lot of food, but have Bud in the fridge and Black Jack in the cabinet. You probably want to go by the GreenMart to pick up anything you want and I’ll reimburse you.”

  “Thanks, I’ll take you up on bunking with you, but I’ll pay my own way,” Rocky said.

  “There’s lots of land and a big dog run for Bruiser,” Brody replied. “But now we need to get you introduced to the sheriff.”

  “She’s here?”

  “Always.” Brody walked the few feet to the dispatcher’s area and was surprised that the door was closed. He opened it and asked Thelma to page the sheriff. He smiled at himself, just thinking about Avery’s surprise at being paged over the intercom for the first time. The offices were so small that a person could holler and be heard in the attic.

  Thelma’s loud, yet womanly voice boomed throughout the building.

  “While we wait for Sheriff Humphrey, let’s go into my office.” Once Rocky took a seat with Bruiser at his feet, Brody continued, “I’m a little surprised at the K-9.” He hesitated then further explained himself. “He’s really good-lookin’ and obviously he’s your pal.”

  “Deuce authorized him to join the department, and I just presumed you knew. Bruiser is getting up in age, but he’s certainly not ready for retirement. As all handlers and dog teams are, we’re pretty inseparable, so I bought him. He goes everywhere with me, and if I tried to force him into retirement, I’m afraid he wouldn’t make it very long. We’ve been together for a while now.”

  “He’s good-lookin’ for sure.” Brody leaned against the credenza. “So, a bounty hunter is now called a fugitive s
pecialist out in California?”

  “Only when we are still a part of law enforcement.” Rocky let out a deep, jovial laugh that fit his bigger-than-life personality. “After being in the Air Force and then working as a C.O. at Lompoc Federal Prison, I needed to try my wings. You know I don’t like to be tied down. Once I worked on Deuce’s wife’s problem a couple of years back, I got the yearning, so here I am...still in law enforcement. I want the bad guys off the street,” Rocky explained.

  Sheriff Avery Humphrey knocked and immediately opened the door to Brody’s office. After an introduction, she accepted the chair he offered her and the three began a friendly discussion, getting to know one another.

  “Your reputation preceded you, Deputy Robertson. As I understand it, Sheriff Cowan hired you and swore you in while he was out in California talking you into coming out to Texas.” She smiled then said, “You sure do look like you will fit in, and I have no doubts about your abilities.”

  “Thank you, Sheriff Humphrey. I already knew Deuce and more about VanZant than I want to know. I feel very welcomed and comfortable.”

  Avery looked over at the dog. “And what do we call him?”

  “Most folks think of him as Killer, but he’s Bruiser. A dual-purpose K-9, drugs and tracking; he’s so driven and highly motivated that I can use him for other things. He’s been known to alert me to a thing before I even knew for sure what we were looking for. He believes he’s smarter than his owner.”