Blame It on Texas

by Christie Craig

  “You brought them with you?” Tyler asked.

  “Sure did.”

  “You wouldn’t mind sharing them with us, would you?” Dallas asked.

  “We’d be quite grateful,” Austin added.

  Phillips leaned back. “That depends on why you want to know. You guys don’t look like the type to chase a cold case for the fun of it. Tell me what’s up, and if I agree with what you’re doing, I might be persuaded to let you guys make some copies of what’s in this here briefcase.”

  Tyler laced his hands together. “That sounds fair, but before we show our cards, would you mind answering a few questions?”

  “Ask away.” Phillips reared back in his seat and crossed his arms over his barrel chest. “If I don’t like ’em, I won’t answer ’em.”

  “Who did you really suspect for the kidnapping?”

  The man rested his hands palms down on his knees. “My gut told me it was one of the lawn guys, Campbell. I just couldn’t prove it. And the week before the body was found, we actually put a tail on him. Forensics were certain that the body had only been in the new site for a few days. He couldn’t have moved that body.”

  Tyler nodded. “Do you think he was alone in the kidnapping?”

  “I never knew for sure. But I danced a jig when I found out Campbell died.”

  Tyler leaned his elbows on the desk. “Why did you retire? You were young.”

  Phillips crossed his arms over his chest again. “You’re barking up the wrong tree, buddy. Don’t get me wrong. I respect you asking, but I’m telling you, that case ripped my heart out. That and losing my partner; it took a toll. I couldn’t face it.”

  “You lost your partner?” Tyler’s curiosity was piqued. “Did he work on this case?”

  “He assisted some in the very beginning, but it was my case.”

  “What happened to him?” Tyler asked.

  “It wasn’t related to the case. He was on vacation, doing some fishing, and someone robbed and shot him.”

  “What was your partner’s name?” Tyler asked.

  “Now don’t you go trying to find shit on a marble floor. Marcus Dean was a good man.”

  Tyler leaned back and decided to follow this lead on his own. “Did you ever suspect any of the family in the kidnapping?”

  “I know everyone wanted it to be that way. Rich family kills their own daughter, but I didn’t buy that. That girl’s mama, she was broken. A good woman. Not uppity like the rest of them. Honestly, when her plane went down right after that, I almost thought she wanted it that way. Losing that little girl ripped her heart out.”

  “And Mr. Bradford’s daughter, did you ever feel…?”

  “Never cared for that cold woman. She actually hit on my partner. Her niece was missing and she’s trying to get laid. But I don’t think she could have killed that child.”

  “But do you think she might have been involved in the kidnapping?”

  Phillips settled back in his chair. “You know what I find interesting?”

  “What’s that?” Tyler asked.

  “Why you keep talking about the kidnapping and don’t seem to give a rat’s ass that the girl was murdered. Maybe you don’t know how sick it was, but—”

  “Hey,” Zoe said from the doorway. “Can I steal a cup of coffee?”

  Tyler frowned.

  John Phillips looked back at Zoe, and his face went instantly pale. He blinked, looked back at Tyler, and said, “Okay, this just got screwy, because I don’t believe in ghosts. So I think I’m done yapping my jaws until I get some explanations.”

  Zoe awoke with a start. She reached for Tyler, but he wasn’t there. She looked at the clock. 3:33 a.m. “Tyler?” When he didn’t answer and she didn’t hear any bathroom noises, she slipped out of bed, naked. She spotted Tyler’s shirt on the dresser and slipped it on. The realization hit that in ten days, she’d be back in Alabama and sleeping alone. The thought grew heavy and landed with a thump in her chest.

  She had accepted that she was in love with Tyler Lopez. She had also accepted that it probably wouldn’t go anywhere. Funny how she’d added the word probably to the sentence. She just kept hoping that maybe when it came time to leave, Tyler would suggest they rethink the whole long-distance relationship thing. But she vowed she wouldn’t be the one to bring it up. He’d made his position clear in the beginning, and she wouldn’t pressure him.

  He wasn’t in the living room or the kitchen, so she opened the door that led to the business. Light spilled out of the office. Her bare feet barely made a sound as she moved to the door.

  Tyler sat at his desk, one hand on Lucky’s back moving his fingers over his fur as he read from the open file on his desk. She stood there for several minutes, savoring the view of him shirtless and so intense.

  He must have sensed her because he looked up. “Hey, what are you doing up?”

  “Looking for you.” She moved in and sat on the edge of his desk. “What are you doing?”

  “Reading over Phillips’s notes again.”

  She frowned. “Do you really think his partner’s death was related to my case?”

  “Yeah, I do. It’s too much of a coincidence. He was killed in Barker County.”

  “But that doesn’t mean my dad killed him.” Zoe had given up trying not to refer to the Adamses as her parents. They had raised her, loved her. And as hard as it was to accept they were behind any of this, she couldn’t stop loving them. “He was a gentle man, Tyler.”

  Tyler’s expression filled with empathy. He slid his hand over her knee. “If your dad had anything to do with it, I bet it was to protect you.” He shook his head. “Whether we like it or not, we are products of our parents and our upbringing. Our flaws, even our good traits, are due to our circumstances. You are incredible, and that has to mean they were incredible parents.”

  She smiled. “Thank you.”

  His expression went from empathetic to sexy. “And you look a hell of a lot better in my shirt than I do.” He reached and touched the hem of the shirt to raise it.

  She slapped his hand and giggled. He grinned sheepishly and ran his hand up and down her calf.

  “Can’t you sleep?” she asked.

  “My brain is too busy chewing on things. The case, Sam, and… sex.” He slowly moved his hand up to her thigh. The sweet sensation of his touch had her catching her breath, and when he slipped under the shirt, she didn’t stop him this time.

  When his fingers moved higher between her thighs, she didn’t stop him, either.

  “You’re going to end up with a wet spot on your desk.” She giggled.

  “Well, damn,” he said, and laughed. And then he brushed all the paperwork off his desk. “I knew there was a reason I cleaned off my desk.”

  Friday morning, hyped up on caffeine and sex, Tyler sat at his desk and wondered how long he could go without sleeping. He’d usually get by with five hours a night, but he was down to one or two. He didn’t know what was wrong with him.

  That wasn’t true.

  He knew.

  He just didn’t want to think about it too much.

  “Did you ever hear from Mrs. Drake?” Dallas asked Austin.

  Tyler ignored their conversation and focused on his shit.

  He’d recalled a psychology book he’d read a couple of years back. It had covered how the brain worked in different phases of one’s life. One of the side effects of being in love was the inability to sleep. Others were an intense sex drive, a sense of euphoria, and the inability to stop thinking about the person with whom you were enamored. Symptoms he had. Not that he was in love. He just was on the road to being there.

  His ability to sleep had vanished. In three days, they’d gone through a twelve-pack of condoms. If he hadn’t been worried about chafing, he would have used twice that many. He was happy for the first time in… a long time. And there wasn’t a second that Zoe didn’t pop into his mind.

  And she was leaving.

  That bit down on his sense of eup
horia like a hungry dog. And yet, seeing how Sam let herself be abused because of their flawed upbringing sent up red flags for Tyler. She was a walking example of the old adage: Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. And damn it, if he didn’t watch out, he was going to find himself in that same boat.

  In spite of believing from the start that he was preconditioned to fail at marriage, he’d pushed his logic aside to believe in Lisa. To believe he could have what his older brother and his older sister had with their spouses. He’d thought he had it, too. And then he’d been accused of murder, of being a dirty cop. He could have handled the betrayal of the force; sure, it would have hurt, but he could have gotten through that. But when Lisa stopped believing in him, Tyler realized how stupid he’d been to let down his guard.

  In the back of his mind, he could hear the words Lisa had thrown at him after he’d been arrested. “I don’t know what I believe, Tyler. They have your prints.”

  How could she think he could butcher a man and his wife? Dios, she’d ripped his heart out that day. And down deep, he knew it shouldn’t matter, but it still did. He didn’t want to be hurt like that again. Losing Zoe was going to hurt like hell, but it would hurt twice as much if he started believing again. What he had to do was just enjoy it while it lasted. Let her walk away and know that while it hurt, it would only hurt more if he tried to hold on.

  “Hey.” Zoe bolted into the office. “Where’s Lucky? The apartment door was left open.”

  “I must have…” Realizing he’d been the last one out of the apartment, he popped up. He looked back at Dallas. “Where’s Bud?”

  “Bud?” Dallas shot up from his chair.

  “Shh!” Ellen appeared in the door of the office. “You guys gotta come see this.”

  Tyler wrapped his arm around Zoe and followed Ellen. Dallas and Austin came behind them.

  Ellen motioned to the casket. Tyler eased in, Zoe at his side. Bud and Lucky were curled up together, practically spooning in the casket. Everyone laughed. The dog and cat stirred. Two big canine bug eyes and one feline eye stared up at them, but the animals were too comfortable to move.

  “Traitor,” Austin said to Bud, and everyone laughed.

  “That’s sweeter than apple pie,” Zoe said, and leaned against Tyler.

  Sweet was having her next to him, Tyler thought. Enjoy it while it lasts, he told himself. But his time was ticking away.

  Tyler was back at his desk about an hour later when he heard the bell chime, telling him someone had just come in, and then, “Sir, you don’t go back there until I…” Ellen’s voice rose from the front room.

  “What now?” Dallas muttered.

  “If it’s another cheating-spouse case, I say we take it,” Austin said. “I just invested in a watch camera, and I can take pictures anywhere now without being seen.”

  Tyler stood to check on Ellen.

  He hadn’t gotten a foot from his desk when he saw the old man walking through the doorway.

  “Mr. Bradford,” Tyler said, trying not to show his surprise.

  Bradford stared at Tyler. “Would you like to explain why you attacked my hired help?”

  Hired help? Was that what he called PIs? Tyler asked himself, somehow feeling insulted. “Well, sir, your hired help broke into our client’s apartment.”

  “She was snooping around my mansion. I sent him to get some answers.”

  “Problem is someone sent a thug to kill her, too.”

  “That wasn’t me! And thanks to you, my man came back empty-handed, so do you mind telling me why this client of yours was snooping around my place?”

  Tyler looked at Dallas. “Can you make sure we’re not disturbed?” The last thing he wanted now was for Zoe to walk in.

  Dallas stood. “I’m on it.”

  Tyler motioned to a chair. “Have a seat.”

  As Tyler settled back in his chair, he tried to decide which approach he’d take. He’d had several different approaches planned but hadn’t decided the best tactic yet.

  While Tyler found it hard to believe Bradford was behind the kidnapping, or had someone try to run her out of town, it was evident that someone at the mansion had recognized Zoe and wanted her gone.

  Tyler cupped his hands together. “It’s a long story.”

  “Well, make it short. I don’t have much time. Matter of fact, I’m told I have six months. So I don’t intend to waste any more than I have to by dealing with this.”

  Tyler leaned back in his chair. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t put on airs for me. Just answer my question.”

  “Her name is Zoe Adams.” Tyler waited for the old man to respond to it.

  He didn’t.

  “I had her name,” Bradford snapped.

  “That’s right, you had one of your security officers pull her over and give her a ticket while he was on duty for the Glencoe PD.”

  “I did no such thing,” Bradford said. “I hired a PI to find out what she was up to. That’s all. What I want to know is what she’s looking to steal or take from me. I’m tired of people taking things. I’ve had too many things taken from me in my life.”

  Tyler got the feeling he wasn’t talking monetary things. “She doesn’t want anything. Have you had the pleasure of seeing Zoe Adams?”

  “Seeing her?” Bradford looked confused. “She followed my limo. And I was told she was hanging out at the front gate.”

  So the old man hadn’t really gotten a good look at Zoe. Tyler worried the truth would be too much for a dying old man. “Are you aware of the broadcast of Unsolved Mystery Hunters that featured the Bradford kidnapping?”

  “Aware of it? I filed a civil suit against them. Bringing up family matters like that just to help their ratings is a crime.” He frowned. “Is that who she is? Someone from that show?”

  “No.” He folded his hands together. “I don’t know how to say this without it sounding crazy. But we think that Zoe Adams is Caroline Bradford.”

  The old man looked stunned, then he stiffened. “Do I look like a fool? What kind of PIs are you if you believe some nonsense like that. My granddaughter was murdered.”

  “Actually, according to the police records, her body was never officially identified.” Tyler saw no reason to point out why.

  “But…” The old man sputtered. “She had on the same clothes she was taken in. They were burned, but we knew they were hers because her name had been sewn into the tags. And there was her stuffed dog.”

  “I know. But we think someone wanted everyone to believe she was killed.”

  “Why?”

  “We don’t have those answers yet.”

  Bradford shook his head. “My granddaughter’s dead.”

  Tyler opened his desk and found the copy of the picture he had of Zoe in first grade. He pushed it across the desk. “Do you recognize this little girl?”

  Shock entered his faded blue eyes. “There are programs that can alter photos.”

  “This one wasn’t altered. And neither is this one.” He clicked his mouse to bring up his screen saver, which was a shot he’d taken of Zoe with his cell phone. “It was taken two days ago.” Tyler turned his laptop around.

  The old man gasped. Tyler knew in his gut that Bradford wasn’t that good of an actor. He hadn’t known who Zoe was and therefore didn’t have a reason to shoot at her. But someone else had.

  “She looks just like my daughter-in-law,” the old man said.

  Tyler nodded. “I know.”

  “I don’t understand. How could…? Where’s she been? Why did she wait so long to come back?”

  “She didn’t remember. She had one or two vague memories of her childhood. When she saw the show, some of the things she had remembered all her life made sense.”

  “Where is she? I need to see her. I’ll need DNA tests.”

  “DNA is fine. I’ll check with Zoe about meeting you. But there’s a problem.” He leaned in. “Someone has tried to kill Zoe, and the only thi
ng that makes sense is that it’s someone at your mansion. And the only reason that someone would want her dead is because they were behind the kidnapping.”

  “That’s ridiculous. My hired help are trustworthy.”

  “What about your family?”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  “IS BRITNEY HERE?” Ricky asked when they pulled up at the Only in Texas office. His three words came out with more excitement than Rick had heard from him all day.

  “No. But Ellen is.” And Rick was eager to see her, too. He’d thought so much about her that he’d driven himself crazy. His litany for the last few days was… What would Ellen do? Not that he didn’t think about her outside of parenting. He couldn’t stop thinking about their kiss—or about how, when she laughed, her eyes twinkled like Christmas lights. And that’s how she made him feel. Like a kid at Christmas.

  He’d needed to talk to Tyler, but Rick could have done it over the phone. He pulled on the rearview mirror. He ran his hand through his hair and then popped a mint in his mouth.

  “Is she your girlfriend?” Ricky asked.

  Rick flinched. “Uh, just friends.”

  “She’s pretty.”

  “Yeah, she is.” And she was smart and so easy to be around. She was… perfect. Simple and yet nice. She…

  “Are we going to just sit here, or are we going inside?” Ricky asked.

  Rick flinched again, realizing how easy it was to just get lost in his thoughts when Ellen was the subject. “Let’s go inside.” He ushered his son out of the car and into the PI firm.

  Ellen looked up when they walked in. “Hello.”

  The first thing he noticed was her smile. Genuine, as if she was happy to see him. Then he noticed she was looking at Ricky and not him. Oh, well. It still felt good.

  Ricky ran up to her desk. “Can I play with Tyler’s computer again?”

  Rick made a note to get some kid games on his old laptop.

  “I can ask,” Ellen said.

  “Is Bud here?” Ricky asked.

  “Yup, he’s in the office. Why don’t you go on back? I’ll follow in a few.”

  Ricky took off, and finally, she looked at Rick. While her smile wasn’t quite as vibrant, it wasn’t forced. “How are things?” she asked.