“No. She just doesn’t know it yet.” She shook her head. “Or maybe she does and doesn’t care.”
“Or he has a hold on her.”
She tilted her head toward him. “A hold over her? I suppose it could be the money. We didn’t have much growing up. He bought her a car today. That was what enticed her to go home to him.”
“Money is a powerful motivator.”
“But he could kill her one day or leave her like my friend, Jackie. She has to use two forearm crutches to get around. Has for the last ten years because her husband ran her down with his car.”
“I don’t know what to tell you. You’ve tried to help your sister, and she doesn’t want that help.”
“I was told tonight I’m not welcomed at their house.” She laced her fingers together. “Ever.”
“Are you surprised by that?”
“No, not really but I’m hurt. My sister called me last night. Now I feel like the villain for trying to help her.”
Cody grasped her hands, massaging them until she eased the grip her fingers had, their tips red. “Are you going to stop trying to help your sister?”
“No way. He may think he’s won tonight, but he hasn’t. He can’t bully me with threats.”
Cody stiffened. “He threatened you?”
“Not physically but he insinuated I would regret saying anything about him to others. He thinks if Elena comes back to him and appears to support him, people will forget that he beat the living daylights out of her. This is a small enough town that I won’t have to say anything. It will quickly get around. Juan already asked me about Elena tonight. He has a niece who works at the hospital. Others will say something.”
“So you might not have to do anything.”
“No, but Samuel will accuse me of spreading ‘false’ accusations about him and take it out on Elena. I don’t think he would be stupid enough to come after me. I’ll fight back. Elena doesn’t.” Although now that she thought about it, had Samuel been responsible for her slashed tires and threatening message tied on a rock? She could see him doing those things.
“Invite me next time you see him. I would love to have a man-to-man chat with him.”
She stared at his large hands covering hers and cherished his words. She didn’t feel quite so alone all of a sudden. Swallowing the lump of emotions jamming her throat, she looked at him and smiled. “You know I like you, Cody Jackson.”
His gaze snared hers and kept it tethered to his. “I like you, Liliana Rodriguez. You’re beautiful, passionate about life, and a good cop. Appealing traits in a woman.”
She laughed. “Being a good cop is a trait you like in a woman? I haven’t heard that one before.”
“We understand each other. The kind of hours and life we lead. The main reason my wife and I got a divorce was she didn’t understand anything about what my work meant to me. She knew what I was like before we married, but she thought she could change me. Being a cop is who I am. She could never understand that.”
“We aren’t always easy to live with. Half the time, our thoughts are somewhere else.”
“Just half the time?”
“Well, it depends on what type of case I’m working on.”
“Me, too.”
The warmth of his touch robbed her of a coherent comeback. A bond she’d felt since the beginning of the conversation strengthened and morphed into something much deeper than a casual connection. She was attracted to Cody, and if the intent look he gave her was any indication, he was attracted to her.
“Thank you, Cody, for listening to me. I used to think I had my life figured out. I had it together. I’m finding out that isn’t so. Ten days ago my life was plodding along just fine. Now it’s been ripped apart.”
“Murder will do that.”
“Family will.”
“True. That’s been the case for me. I have so much unfinished business with Kyle. I was his age once and should have a better handle on this.”
She shifted so she faced him. “Did you lose your mother? Besides being a typical teenager, he might be dealing with his mother’s death. You may have been in his life, but for years she was his foundation. That’s been yanked out from under him.”
“I’ve tried talking with him about her, but he shuts me down every time.”
“Don’t give up. Keep trying. There will come a time when he might be ready.”
He settled his hands on her shoulders and massaged them. “I won’t. I’ve discovered in the middle of all of this how important family is. Until he lived with me all the time, I’d forgotten what it really meant to have a family.”
The massage melted her insides, beckoning the tension to leave her body. She closed her eyes and murmured, “You’re hired. Anytime you want to do this I’m game.”
He rose and skirted around her to stand behind her. “Your neck and shoulders are knotted.”
“After today I’m not surprised the knots aren’t as big as boulders.”
She imagined herself on a beach, waves lapping against the shore, the sun’s rays driving all cold from her bones, the salty tang in the air refreshing. As his fingers worked the knots loose, the pain ebbed to a dull ache. She sighed at the promise of even more relief.
The door opening in the interview room next to them and Officer Hudson speaking to Dave Bond brought the job back full force to Liliana. She glanced toward Hudson who released first one cuff then the other from the bar bolted into the table. For a moment, she’d forgotten where she was. Suddenly back in the present at the police station, she scrambled to her feet, rotating around to face him.
“Thanks, but I think it’s time I head home. I suspect tomorrow will be as long and hard as today was.”
Cody cocked one corner of his mouth. “Maybe the bad guys will take this weekend off.”
“Ha! I wish. That didn’t happen last weekend.”
“It’s been over a week, and we’re no closer to solving the murders than when we started.”
“Look on the bright side. We caught a smuggling ring in the process. Maybe the one who was responsible for shooting Al.”
“Dave Bond?”
“Yes, he did come after you.”
“You’re one of those people who looks at the glass as half full?”
“Usually, although it has been hard lately.”
“C’mon. I’ll walk you to your car.” He held the door open for her.
“You don’t have to. I can manage on my own if you need to stay.”
“No, I’m going to Al’s. Tomorrow is starting early. I’m having Miguel brought in by eight.”
Liliana stopped by her desk and grabbed her purse. “He isn’t going to be too happy.” She caught sight of a new fax on the top of the papers littering her work surface.
“I don’t imagine he will be. But something doesn’t add up with him and his cousin. Just don’t know what it is yet.”
She glanced around at the large room, then picked up the fax. “You can tell something is going down. We rarely have this much activity at this time of night.” After reading the paper, she looked up at Cody. “This report says that Carlos Salazar had a border pass and a couple of months ago didn’t return to Mexico. He was an illegal alien.”
“So Miguel was lying to us about him coming from New Mexico.”
“I suppose it’s possible he didn’t know his cousin was illegally in this country, but I’m betting he did. What else was Miguel lying about?”
“We’ll ask him first thing tomorrow morning. We can’t blame Miguel for lying about his cousin. He was protecting himself.”
Liliana started for the back exit. “Yeah, I know, but we could have looked into Carlos’s background in Mexico before now. It could have made our job easier if he had been upfront with us.”
“And I’m gonna tell him that tomorrow.” His hand at the small of her back, Cody reached around and pulled the door open. “We’ve rattled a few cages today. Be careful driving home.”
At her car, she turne
d toward him. “You, too.”
He panned the parking lot then returned his attention to her. Cupping her face, he dropped his head toward hers. His lips took possession of hers, and she welcomed it, winding her arms around his neck and bringing him even closer. Like the brief massage, his kiss wiped away the rest of the world for a blissful moment. Soothing peace replaced the earlier stress. She didn’t want to leave his embrace, but the sound of a car pulling into the back lot broke the bond.
He moved away. “Take care.”
She wasn’t even sure how she ended up sitting behind her steering wheel, the engine purring to life. Backing out of the parking space, Liliana headed home, the sight of Cody watching her drive away staying in her thoughts.
“Did everything go okay today?” Cody walked to the coffeepot sitting on the counter in Al’s kitchen and poured some into a Texas Ranger mug.
“Everything is fine. Your son and me spent some time getting to know each other.” Al slid his cup toward Cody. “Here, refill mine.”
“You mean Kyle didn’t spend his time holed up in his room?”
“Nope. I don’t think he was too happy I picked him up at school, but he got over it.”
“Really? Are we talking about the same teenager?”
Al leaned against the counter, allowing it to support part of his weight. “Yep. About five feet ten inches, dark hair, and blue eyes. Got a cocky smile.”
“You saw that. He smiled. When I dropped him off this morning, I would say he was in more than a bad mood, if that’s possible.”
“It’s my charm. Never met a teen I couldn’t get on my side.” Al’s chuckle sliced the air. “Well, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration.”
“Do you give lessons?”
“Just a couple of tips—care and listen.”
“I’m afraid to ask what you two talked about.”
“This and that.” Al limped toward the table and sat. “Tell me what happened today. I’ve gotten a few reports, but I’d rather hear it from you. Firsthand accounts are always much better than gossip.”
“You listen to gossip?” Cody took the seat across from Al and sipped his coffee.
“Remember the rumors about the smuggling ring. And you busted one tonight. You’d be surprised what you hear through the gossip mill. Like your Jane Doe was from the Chihuahua area in Mexico.”
“What!” Cody sat up straight.
“I got through talking to one of my contacts in the Mexican government. He’d passed the info on to ICE. I imagine you’ll hear tomorrow.”
“What’s her name?”
“Anna Medina. There isn’t much to tell about her. She lived alone and was a waitress at a popular cantina. Did you realize that the Salazar family has relatives in the same area?”
“A connection between Carlos and our Jane Doe?”
“That’s certainly possible.”
“We discovered that Carlos was in this country illegally. He had a border pass under the name Carlos Ortega. That’s why it took a while. Salazar is his mother’s maiden name. One day he didn’t return to Mexico, and ICE didn’t find him at the place where he worked. He hadn’t shown up that day for his job. How did you find out about some of the Salazar family living where Anna Medina did?”
“I’ve lived in this area a good part of my life. I have my own connections.”
“Are you surprised about the cavern under the Rio Grande?”
With a frown, Al set his cup on the table. “Not much surprises me anymore. Over the years, I’ve heard rumblings but nothing concrete. But then I’ve heard talk about a lost gold mine in the Big Bend National Park, too.”
“It wouldn’t be the West without rumors about lost gold mines.”
“This area has been relatively lucky to avoid some of the problems in towns along the border.”
“Why is that the case?”
“I think the police department is good and more importantly Cesar Álvarez lives here. He owns a lot of the land around here, and he has a lot of money to keep it safe. He has his own private army.”
“Is he crooked?”
“Honest?” Al averted his gaze for a moment then looked back at Cody. “He could be. I could never find anything. But then other than the occasional coyote bringing illegal aliens through here, there hasn’t been a lot of crime,” a long pause, “that we know about.”
“He’s been out of town until recently so I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting him yet. But the caverns are partially on his land so I will.”
“Tread lightly. Now tell me what happened.”
After taking another swallow of his coffee, Cody related the events that occurred starting yesterday concerning Salazar’s ranch.
“It doesn’t sound like you had a dull day.” Al stood and moved to the sink to pitch the last of his coffee. “Your story has worn me out. I’m heading to bed. I imagine you’ll be busy tomorrow. Kyle said something about going riding after school. I thought I would go with him. I have a couple of places I wanted to show him not far from here.”
“That’s fine. I’ll see what happens tomorrow, but I think it’ll be okay for us to return to the apartment in the evening.”
“At least you caught the guy who went after you, and he admitted it was his idea.”
“That’s what he says. But a big question still remains. Who hired him?”
“I can’t see him going after you. He’s probably too busy trying to find another way to get his guns across the border.”
“Do you think this smuggling ring had something to do with your shooting?”
“More than likely but we may never know who pulled the trigger.”
After Al left, Cody finished his coffee, almost calling Liliana to tell her about Anna Medina. But she’d been so tired tonight. He hoped she went home and fell asleep right away.
Cody walked into the hallway and stopped at the door to the guest bedroom where his son was staying. He knocked.
Wearing his earplugs and listening to his iPod, Kyle opened the door and stepped to the side. “Al said you and the detective caught a gunrunning ring.”
“Yep. The best part of it is that the cavern system was extensive, and there are probably several areas to access it. The Feds will be busy tracking down all the tunnels. It’s a big score.”
His son took the earplugs out. “And you’re the one who found it.”
“Just following a hunch.”
“I’m going riding with Al in the afternoon. When you get off work, can we go back to the apartment? I’m helping someone train for a race in a week.”
“Where are you going to run?”
“Not running. Serena is in a wheelchair. I’m working with her to build up her arm muscles in the workout room in the apartment complex.”
“Sure. I think everything will be okay tomorrow. I got the guy who was in our place.”
“Yeah, Al told me.”
Cody studied his son, not sure what had changed but something had. “This morning when I let you out at school you got mad at me because Al might pick you up after class. I got the impression you didn’t like him. What’s changed?”
“I got to know him. He’s done a lot of cool things. He used to ride in the rodeo. Bulls. You have to be tough to do that.”
“Or crazy. That can be the longest eight seconds of your life.”
“You sound like you’ve done it.”
“I did in my youth.”
“Why didn’t you ever tell me that?”
“I guess because the subject never came up. There are a lot of things we don’t talk about each other. I hope we change that, son. I know I can work crazy hours, but I want us to become a family. It won’t be that long before you’ll graduate from high school and strike out on your own.”
“Don’t pack my bags just yet.” Kyle stuck his earplugs back in. “I might be one of these kids that never leaves home.”
Cody laughed. “That’s a fair warning.”
He left Kyle for the first time in a long while
feeling hope they might actually have a father/son relationship. Al’s advice came back to him. He had the caring part down, but he needed to work on the listening. And when their relationship was on firmer ground, he wanted to tell Kyle about the authorities’ suspicions concerning Nate.
“Anna Medina. Finally, we have a name to give our Jane Doe. I’ve always hated referring to a victim as John or Jane Doe.” Liliana stuck the fax they had received from ICE into a folder. It concerned the woman who had been the first murder in the death spree of the past week.
“Our contact in Chihuahua is interviewing people she worked with and her neighbors to see if they can discover anything that will help our case.” Cody turned down Miguel Salazar’s street.
“She was pregnant. Who is the father? Someone in Mexico? Why was she coming to the U.S. if that were the case?”
“Maybe they’ll find out some of those answers.”
“Anna Medina has to be the woman who wrote Carlos. We need to see if Carlos went to Chihuahua to see his relatives recently. When the DNA comes in on the baby, we should compare it with Carlos’s.”
“That will all take time. Time we may not have.” Cody parked in the driveway behind Miguel’s pickup, the man’s small adobe house neat and well maintained.
“I know. I wish testing wasn’t so backlogged. For some reason I feel she’s the key to all of this. Everything happened right after she was killed.”
“Now that we have a possible connection between Carlos and Anna, I agree. Did Ruiz bring Anna into this country? If so, then that’s the connection between all three.”
Liliana exited Cody’s SUV at the same time as he did and rounded the front. “Miguel probably knew about Anna and didn’t say anything to us about her or the fact Miguel was in this country illegally.”
“That’s why I decided to come and personally escort him to the station. Make him feel like he’s done something wrong.”
“If he withheld information, he has. What else is he holding back from us?”
Cody knocked. A good minute passed before Miguel opened the door, his hair wet, wearing only a white T-shirt and old jeans with scuffed brown boots.
Shattered Silence: Men of the Texas Rangers Series #2 Page 20