Reunion Mission (Rangers Under Fire)

by Virginia Vaughan

  * * *

  Claire grimaced in pain as the technician manipulated her arm and shoulder to the right spot for the CT scan. Tears welled in her eyes but not because of the pain her injury caused. It was because of how she’d humiliated herself in front of Matt. She’d clung to him for too long before he’d had to pry her away so he could go investigate the scene.

  Embarrassment rushed to her face as she remembered the look of revulsion in his expression as he walked away from her. She had to remember not to be so needy. She didn’t want him to think she was still dependent and crippled.

  She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on her breathing, but her thoughts kept wandering to those moments in Matt’s arms and how protected she’d felt with them wrapped around her. She felt safe with him. She tried to tell herself it was because of his experience as an army ranger. But Preston wanted to protect her, too. Why didn’t she feel that same way about him? He’d tried to offer her comfort, yet it hadn’t given her the same sense of security and assurance that she felt with Matt.

  She shoved those memories away. They didn’t matter anymore. Matt was only with her, only safeguarding her, because of her involvement with Luke. At the thought of Luke, tears threatened again. The CT technician smiled at her. “All done. I’ll take you back to the ER.”

  As the tech wheeled her in a wheelchair—he’d insisted despite Claire’s insistence that she could walk—they rounded the corner and she noticed Matt and Preston standing guard on opposite sides of the hall. They both looked agitated and angry.

  Matt saw her and his face fell. “Claire, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left you even for a moment. I should have stayed with you.”

  “You can’t be with me all the time. I have classes to teach.”

  “Not anymore. From this point on you’re on medical leave until we find out who’s behind this.”

  She stared up at him, anger biting through her that he assumed he could command her to do something and she would do it. She stood to face him.

  “I have students who need me. I won’t let them down by cowering and hiding.”

  “Claire, these kids are conspiring against you. They must know Luke was selling drugs and they know you’re in danger. Still, they’ve kept quiet. Why haven’t they come forward to help you?”

  “Because they’re kids, Matt. They’re scared and probably worried about getting into trouble. Don’t you remember what it was like when you were a kid? When you messed up? How frightened you were of getting into trouble?”

  He knew she was referring to the night of the wreck.

  “Well, they’ll have to talk to me,” he said. “I’m starting student interviews tomorrow.”

  “Let me be there when you talk with them. They’ll open up to me.”

  “No,” Preston stated. “If whoever is behind Luke’s death learns that you’re asking questions, you could be in even more danger.”

  She turned to Preston. She knew he was only trying to look out for her, but his words rubbed her wrong. “Luke is dead. My house has been shot up and I’ve been choked, threatened and nearly run down. How could I possibly be in more danger?”

  “Claire—”

  “I’m doing this, Preston.”

  Preston raked a hand over his face but nodded his agreement. She looked at Matt and saw the same expression of resignation on his face.

  They might not like it, but they wouldn’t try to stop her again.

  * * *

  Claire had always had a stubborn streak. Matt was glad to see that hadn’t changed. Despite Preston’s agitation, she was determined to go back to school and be there for her students. He admired her determination and her loyalty, but Preston was right. She was walking into danger by stepping back into that school.

  As they drove back to his parents’ house, Matt tried to reassure her.

  He remembered all too well the fear and worry after the wreck. Even through his worry about Claire and her injuries, he’d been terrified of the consequences he might face. They’d both been drinking and he’d been driving, a stupid, youthful mistake. He remembered worrying about going to jail, being questioned by the police and sitting with his dad in the lawyer’s office. He’d even been afraid of the reaction of his family...the look of disappointment on his parents’ faces when they’d arrived at the hospital. But that had been useless worry. Yes, there had been disappointment, but their faces had been full of fear and relief and anguish as they’d wrapped him in their arms and praised God for his safety.

  Facing Claire’s parents had been different. Their cold, angry stares had bored into him, blaming him for their daughter’s predicament. And they were right to blame him. But that hadn’t taken away the sting.

  Claire was probably right that her students would be feeling something similar, afraid to come forward and face the consequences of what they’d been involved in. A boy was dead and that was a heavy burden for a teenager to bear.

  They would be too afraid to talk to him openly. But they trusted Claire. They knew her. And most important, Luke had trusted her. If they had any chance of uncovering Luke’s supplier, Claire needed to question those kids.

  “During my quiet time, I’ve been reading the story of Joseph in the Bible,” she said, “and I see a lot of similarities between Joseph and kids today. Joseph was a favored son. He was given everything and favored by his father over his brothers. And after the dream he had about his brothers serving him, he was cocky and arrogant and overindulged. These kids are given everything they desire and many of them have no humility. They’re not bad kids, they’re just pampered, and I’m afraid, like Joseph, it can only bring them suffering eventually.”

  “Unless they have someone like you looking out for them.”

  Excitement shone in her beautiful eyes. “Matt, this could work. You have to trust me.”

  With almost anything else, he would have no problem trusting her, but she wasn’t trained for this and she’d already become a target. If this afternoon proved anything, it was that Claire wasn’t even safe at the school.

  She obviously saw he was struggling with this, and instead of demanding she was going to do it no matter what, her face softened and she placed her hand softly on his arm in an effort, obviously, to scramble his thoughts. It worked.

  “The past two days have been insane, and I would be crazy to try to convince you I’m not scared. The truth is I’m terrified. Someone killed Luke and now they’re trying to kill me, too. I’m no fool. Of course I’m scared. But I’m not alone in this and that gives me confidence.”

  “I can’t protect you if you won’t let me—”

  “I wasn’t talking about you, Matt. I was talking about God. He’s always with me and my future, whatever it is, rests in His hands.”

  He fixed a hard stare on her, taken aback by her words. A Glock might make him feel better, but God?

  “You used to believe in God,” she said. “When we were kids, you had an incredible faith in God. What happened?”

  Car wreck? Ambush? Dead friends? Lost the love of my life? Take your pick. “I grew up, Claire. I realized God didn’t care about a dumb soldier from Tennessee.”

  “That’s not true. He does care, Matt.”

  He shook his head, not wanting the course of this discussion to continue. He wasn’t up for having a discussion on faith while they were dealing with a menace trying to kill them. His only care right now was keeping Claire safe, and that didn’t include letting her go unprotected to school.

  But what choice did he have but to trust her? She was right. By now, everyone had seen him on the news at the crime scene. It was a small town and everyone who knew his parents knew he was now working for the DEA. The students wouldn’t talk with him, but they might open up for Claire.

  He gave a resigned sigh as he realized he was going to let this happen.
He needed it to happen. “I want you to promise me that you’ll let me take the lead. You’re only there to reassure the kids.”

  She nodded. “I understand.”

  “We’ll go over some things tonight if you feel up to it.” He turned to look at her, remembering her arm was in a sling and they’d just left the ER. She might need a night to recuperate before stepping into this hornet’s nest.

  “Tonight is fine,” she said, causing Matt to smile.

  Stubborn to the core, just as he remembered.

  * * *

  Matt had flagged several interviews the local police had conducted that he wanted to follow up on. They included Luke’s closest friends and girlfriend. These were the people who would know about his extracurricular activity. Did they also have in-depth information about his supplier?

  He set up in the security office. Claire looked tired but determined. She’d wanted to wear a high collar to hide the mark on her neck, but he’d encouraged her not to. It was better for the kids to see it as well as the sling on her arm. They needed to be reminded that something bad had happened in their school so they could understand the seriousness of the situation. Claire was a well-liked teacher, and Matt hoped seeing her in pain would help drop their guard.

  Ryan Summerhold was first on the list. According to his own statement to the police, he and Luke had been best friends since kindergarten. Who better to know what Luke was up to than his best friend? But Matt knew he had to be wary. If Luke was involved with the drug ring, it was possible Ryan was, as well.

  Ryan was a tall, slim, good-looking kid who paled when he saw Claire. He seemed anxious, but between having his best friend murdered and being questioned by the police and DEA, it would’ve been odd if he wasn’t.

  Matt offered him the chair opposite Claire. He wanted Ryan to see her and understand the enormity of what had happened. He sat on the desk, elevated above the boy. He wasn’t trying to scare him, but a little intimidation often resulted in a quicker, honest response.

  “Are you okay, Miss Kendall?” Ryan asked as he sat down.

  Matt had prepared her for such a question and waited for Claire’s response. He needed her to be honest and forthright. This was her first opportunity to do so, and Matt wondered if she would remember what they’d discussed. These interviews were important, and if Claire was going to be a part of them—which he wanted her to be—he needed her to follow his suggestions.

  She slipped her long hair behind her ear and leaned forward, making the mark on her neck more visible. Ryan tensed when he saw it. Good. She remembered what Matt had told her.

  “No, not really. Someone is trying to hurt me, Ryan. Before Agent Ross starts his questioning, I want you to know that Luke told me about the drugs. He confided that he wanted to get out. I’m worried that’s what got him killed.”

  Her voice was calm and reassuring in a manner he wouldn’t have thought possible, and he noticed Ryan soaked it in. Matt was amazed by her. How could she be so broken and battered and still so kind and calm? She wasn’t projecting a victim mentality, and he admired that about her. She was a strong woman. He supposed she’d had to be. With that thought, his admiration for her turned to shame for what he’d done to her. Because of him, she’d had plenty of practice.

  He saw Ryan’s eyes shift as if wondering what he should say and what he shouldn’t.

  “Luke trusted me, Ryan. I hope you will, too.”

  Ryan sighed and raked a hand over his face. “The truth is, Miss Kendall, that Luke and I hadn’t spoken much in the past few months. He pulled away from us. It’s like he just changed. One day he was the same ole Luke and the next all he wanted to do was talk about God and go to church. He didn’t want to party. He didn’t want to go out. It’s like he became a different person.”

  “What about the drugs?” Matt asked.

  “You’re not in trouble, Ryan. No one is interested in busting you. We only want to find out what happened to Luke. You were aware he was selling drugs to his friends?” Claire asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Do you know how he got started doing it?”

  “We met a guy at a party two years ago. We used to buy from him. He got Luke started selling.”

  Matt perked up at this information. “Did you know him? What’s his name?”

  “Steve Wilson. He was a senior at Morehead High School. If anyone knows who Luke’s supplier is, it would be him. Luke never told me. We were always very competitive. I think he was worried I would try to take over his business. His parents are loaded, so he didn’t need the money, but he enjoyed being the go-to guy. He thrived on the attention. I think it was because his parents, you know, didn’t have a lot of time for him.”

  She thanked Ryan for being honest with her. Matt asked him a few more questions, then Ryan stood to leave. He stopped in the doorway and turned to them, a solemn look on his face. “Luke was my best friend,” he said. “I can’t believe he’s really gone. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. It was just good fun. It’s not like it’s hard drugs.”

  Matt stood and faced him. He understood how Ryan was feeling. It was the same feelings he’d had after the accident. They’d only been having a good time and hadn’t drunk much, but it had been enough to change both their lives that night. “Sometimes things aren’t as black-and-white as they may seem. When I went to school here, I had a car accident after a night of innocent drinking. I hurt someone I cared a lot about and I ruined both our lives. Trixie is a dangerous drug, Ryan. It may seem harmless, but it’s not. Don’t let it pull you down the way I let alcohol do to me.”

  Ryan nodded, then left, and Matt closed the door behind him.

  Claire was blushing when he turned around. “My life wasn’t ruined.”

  His was and he wanted to tell her so. Living without her had changed him. Hurting her had changed him. The life he’d built wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t the one he’d wanted. But he knew saying that wouldn’t do either of them any good.

  Instead, he focused on the investigation. “Ryan gave us a name. Steve Wilson, formerly of Morehead High School. He should be easy enough to track down.” He went to his laptop and used the DEA database to run down info on Steve Wilson.

  “It looks like Wilson has been in prison for the past two years for possession with intent to distribute. According to DEA records, he’s never given up his supplier.”

  He glanced up and saw Claire stand, her good hand rubbing at her hip. She moved slowly toward the window and looked out, her mind obviously sizing up the interview.

  “You did good,” he told her. “And you were right. Ryan opened up to you in a way I doubt he would have for me.”

  “I had to keep reminding myself that whoever killed Luke is also preying on these kids. They have no clue how dangerous this drug is. They think it’s harmless. After you told me about the kids who have died, I Googled Trixie. It’s bad news.”

  He nodded. “Don’t worry, Claire. We’ll find them.”

  “I’m still having trouble believing it’s someone inside the school. You don’t go into teaching because you want to make money. You have to care about these kids. I can’t understand how someone can claim to care about them, then turn around and sell them something dangerous.”

  “We might not be looking for a teacher. It could be someone from the custodial staff, the lunch crew, secretaries, security, repairmen. There are a lot of people going in and out of this school. Principal Spencer gave me a list, and I’m following up on every one of them.” He picked up the next file on his desk. “Next we’re interviewing Melissa Bridges, Luke’s girlfriend. I want to ask her about Luke’s relationship with Ryan and see just how truthful he was being.”

  “You didn’t believe Ryan?”

  “It’s not that I didn’t believe him, but with Luke dead, his supplier will be looking for someone else to sell for h
im. It’s possible Ryan might be their next recruit.”

  * * *

  Melissa, Luke’s on-again, off-again girlfriend, echoed much of what Ryan had said about Luke’s pulling away from them. But she knew even less than Ryan about Luke’s drug dealing. In fact, she claimed she never wanted to know.

  “I liked Luke a lot,” she said. “But we were never serious. We were just having a good time. At least, I thought we were. But that didn’t mean I liked being cheated on.”

  “You think Luke was seeing another girl?”

  “He was spending a lot of his time with someone, and it wasn’t me.”

  Claire pressed for a name, but it was obvious Melissa didn’t know. Though she had given them a lead that Luke had been possibly seeing someone else during the last few weeks of his life. Would this mystery girl know who killed him?

  Claire knew Luke’s salvation could have had a drastic change on his life and that could account for his pulling away from his friends. Unfortunately, he hadn’t had time to help them understand his conversion before he’d been killed.

  Ryan had said Luke craved the attention selling drugs got him, and it saddened her to think about that. Luke’s parents were both professionals, but she knew they’d had little time to devote to their son. She understood Luke’s need to find attention elsewhere. She and Luke had come from the same kind of environment. In her home growing up, attention was at a premium. Her parents had been cold and distant, and she’d grown up feeling lonely and alone. Somehow she’d assumed that was what family was supposed to be...until she’d met the Ross family. Matt’s family was so different from her own. They were warm and lovingly caring and had invited her to attend church with them. Had it not been for Matt and his family, she could have gone down the same path as Luke, or shut down altogether.

  By the time Matt finished asking questions of the students, it was past school hours. She was glad to be able to help him with the interviews, but she missed her classroom and teaching. Principal Spencer had called in a sub for her for today, but she was ready to get back to it and soon.