by Joanna Wayne
Tague stood to walk the sheriff to the door. “Is that everything?”
“Pretty much.” Garcia kept talking, but he’d changed the subject to last night’s thunderstorm and the damage lightning had inflicted on a tree in a neighboring rancher’s pasture.
Tague’s mind had shifted gears as well, but not to the weather. Alexis turned to leave the room before the sheriff was out the door. Tague grabbed her wrist to stop her. This might be the only time they had alone for the rest of the day.
“I need to check on Tommy,” she said, once the sheriff was actually gone and the door closed behind him.
“That can wait a minute.”
“What now?” she asked.
“What do you know about Lena Fox Hayden’s murder?”
Alexis face registered shock. “Lena wasn’t murdered. She committed suicide. I told you that.”
“I know what you told me, but new evidence has been introduced. Her death had been reopened as a murder case.”
Alexis stared at him in shock—or anger. He wasn’t sure which.
“You’ve been named as a suspect in the murder,” he said.
“Me? That can’t be. You’d best check your source of information, Tague.”
“My source is accurate. If you’re still keeping secrets, now’s the time to level with me, Alexis. You owe me the truth.”
Fury darkened her eyes and tightened her muscles. “I owe you nothing. You’re as bad as the others, Tague Lambert. Worse. You engage my son. You talk of trust. But deep down you think I’m capable of murder.”
“I didn’t say that.” He reached for her hands, but she shoved them into his chest.
“I don’t need your kind of help, Tague. I want you out of my life.”
“You’re talking crazy now,” he said. “Be at the truck in fifteen minutes or I pull out without you.”
“Go to hell.” Tears rolled down her cheeks.
He grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. He hadn’t planned it, but all of a sudden their lips met. Passion ripped through him, sending blood rushing to his head until he was dizzy with desire.
She pushed away, but he could see that same need in her eyes and it frightened as much as pleased him.
“Please be at the truck in fifteen minutes, Alexis,” he whispered, requesting this time instead of demanding. “We need to get out of here before Hampton decides to show up in person.”
“I didn’t kill Lena.”
“I believe you.”
He prayed it was his brain that had come to that conclusion and not the need for her that was quickly surging out of control.
* * *
“LUNCH IN AUSTIN works great,” Jackson Phelps said. “I’ll meet you at the restaurant at 1:30. You can fill me in on a few details and we’ll decide if this works for both of us. In the meantime, I think Alexis should turn off her phone or at least take no calls from Hampton or anyone else with the Dallas Police Department. I’d avoid calls from Sheriff Garcia, as well.”
“I’ll give her that word,” Tague said.
By the time Jackson hung up the phone a few minutes later, his mind was reeling. Murder, kidnapping, mayhem and a Hollywood starlet with at least two aliases. If that wasn’t exciting, he’d be working with Tague Lambert and an unlimited expense account. This should be a hell of a case.
The call had been brief, but extremely informative. After playing phone tag, Tague had called while pumping gas at a service station about halfway between Dallas and Austin.
Alexis Beranger—aka Melinda Ryan—and her kidnapped stepson had been in the restroom leaving Tague free to summarize the situation unfiltered.
Jackson’s unofficial assessment was that the B-list actress was neck deep in crap and was counting on Tague Lambert using a gold-coated shovel to dig her out.
He’d know more when he talked to both of them at the Tex-Mex grill Jackson had suggested for lunch. The food was good and it was near his office in case they needed privacy. He wasn’t sure how much Tague wanted to say in front of the kid and Alexis.
Jackson typed in “Melinda Ryan” and pulled up pages of pertinent links. He checked out a few pictures first. Easy to see how she’d gotten Tague’s and Scott Hayden’s attention. She was hot enough to go on the danger list for melting the polar ice caps.
He quickly moved to links related to the kidnapping. The internet was always a good place to start, but most information gleaned from the web wasn’t sacrosanct.
Fortunately, Phelps had access to sites the average Joe didn’t. Police networks. FBI files. And a few sites his hacking skills could get him on.
But his real work was done in the field. He had friends in low and high places and an uncanny ability to tell when a person was lying to him, especially if he was looking them in the eye. He couldn’t wait to meet Alexis and talk to her in person.
He spent the next half hour on the phone collecting the inside scoop on the death of Lena Fox Hayden. Apparently, Lena’s sister had persuaded the D.A. to take a second look at the autopsy.
They’d discovered enough to change the cause of death from suicide to murder.
It was easy to see why Alexis had surfaced as the number one suspect. Lena Fox’s body was barely cold when Alexis had become the very wealthy director’s fourth wife.
But was Scott’s billions the draw for Alexis or had it always been the kid? Or perhaps Alexis had thought the legendary director could make her a star?
Whatever her motives, the honeymoon had ended early and badly.
Jackson searched another fifteen minutes before he stumbled onto a few bytes of information that stopped him in his tracks. He read it twice to make sure he’d read it correctly and then worked frantically to validate the claims.
If this turned out to be true, it proved that everything Alexis had told Tague was based on a colossal lie.
This just kept getting better and better.
* * *
TAGUE PUSHED THE last bite of his loaded beef fajita into his mouth. His attention had already wandered from the conversation Jackson Phelps and Alexis were having about raising kids.
Tommy had instigated the topic with his first meltdown of the day, bawling like he was in dire pain when Alexis wouldn’t let him play with the colorful saltshaker.
Alexis took Tommy’s little tantrums all in stride, or at least she seemed to. Tague was still trying to figure her out.
He’d known her for less than twenty-four hours, yet he’d spent more consecutive time with her than any other woman in his life, except for his family. With her he’d known more angst, more frustration, more irritation and far more trepidation than any other.
Even more disturbing were the sensual urges she stirred in him. The attraction persisted and grew stronger as the tension between them intensified.
And the kiss that should never have happened had knocked him totally off-kilter. Durk may have called it right. There was no way to maintain strict objectivity when dealing with a gorgeous, sexy woman like Alexis.
The sanest option for both him and Alexis might be for him to step aside and put her solely in the hands of Meghan Sinclair. She was smart. She had a reputation for knowing her stuff. She was a professional. And she was a woman.
Temptation wouldn’t blur her view of a situation that became more convoluted with each new development.
“I’m not sure how much longer I can keep Tommy occupied in the high chair,” Alexis said. “If you guys want to talk in private, maybe you should grab another table now that some of the lunch crowd has left.”
“I have another suggestion,” Jackson said. “My office is only a ten-minute drive from here. I have a TV, a sofa and a desk in the reception office. Nothing fancy, but Tommy and you can wait there in relative comfort while Tague and I go over a few details of the case.
”
“Good idea,” Tague said. “We’ll follow you.”
“I have an even better idea,” Alexis said. “Why don’t I ride with Jackson? That way he and I can have a few minutes to discuss my case without Tommy around.”
Suspicion struck with the speed of light. If Tague discovered this was some kind of shifty maneuver to persuade Jackson to keep something from Tague, it would be the last straw. He’d fund the investigation for a week, as promised, but he’d cut any personal attachments right now.
He motioned to the waiter for the bill and paid the tab while Alexis wiped jelly from Tommy’s sticky hands. She’d brought his sandwich with her. Whatever else she might be, she was a good mother to Tommy, the only mother he knew. If worst came to worst, the trauma of losing her would be a big blow to the kid’s development process.
Jackson led the way out of the restaurant and into the parking lot. Alexis walked beside Tague.
“You don’t mind my riding with Jackson, do you? I mean it’s not like I’m going to convince him to drive me across the border during a ten-minute ride.”
“Don’t you think Tommy is going to scream when you ride off and leave him with me?”
“I doubt it. You’re the yee-haw horsey man. But if you’re uncomfortable with this, just say so. It’s not that big of a deal.”
He was uncomfortable with it, but it was hard to preach trust to her when he demonstrated none.
But he was through playing games. If he found out she was lying to him about Lena or anything else, he would call this whole thing off. He might be a sucker for an actress in distress but he refused to play the role of fool.
* * *
JACKSON STARTED THE engine in his gray Mercedes and backed out of his parking space. He trusted the beautiful woman sitting next to him about as much as he trusted a politician at reelection time. That didn’t mean he wasn’t interested in what she had to say or why she was so eager to talk to him alone.
He decided to wait and let her start the conversation. The wait was less than thirty seconds.
She buckled her seat belt and then shifted in her seat so that she faced him. “How long have you known Tague?”
“Almost as long as you have. Today’s lunch was our first meeting. You must have done quite a number on him to elicit this level of monetary and personal involvement in just twenty-four hours.”
“Is that what he told you, that I’d ‘done a number on him’?” Indignation sharpened her tone.
“No. That was strictly an assumption on my part.”
“It’s obvious you don’t care for me, Jackson. That’s fine. I don’t care that much for your attitude, either. But I’m not the one hiring you.”
“I don’t let my personal feelings for a subject affect my job performance. So what’s on your mind?”
“What kind of trouble can Tague get into for helping me?”
That wasn’t the question he was expecting. “Harboring a known fugitive from the law is a felony. He could face jail time.”
“Why would anyone risk that for a person he barely knows?”
“Tague believes in you, or at least he desperately wants to. Apparently, he’s the kind of guy who believes in doing the right thing, no matter the cost. Not many men like that around these days.”
“You obviously think he’s making a mistake by helping me.”
“I don’t question my client’s motives. I’m a detective, not a judge. But I never coddle a client. I will give Tague the straight scoop on everything I discover, whether it’s what he wants to hear or not.”
“Then do Tague and me both a favor. Convince Tague to drop the investigation and to pretend he never met me. I’ll take Tommy and get out of his life. He’ll never see or hear from me again. No one will ever know that he was aware of my true identity.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Alexis.”
“Why not?”
“Because at his point I think you’re guilty as hell and if I persuade him to let you walk away, that would mean I’m aiding and abetting a fugitive.”
“You’re wrong about my being guilty of anything except bad judgment, Jackson Phelps. Dead wrong. But don’t let that stop you from condemning me. It’s never stopped anyone else.”
“If I’m wrong, and you’re innocent, then I’ll prove that, too. But we’re jumping the gun here. Tague hasn’t officially hired me yet.”
“If he asks, what will you tell him about me?”
“That either you’re lying to him or he’s lying to me.”
“Tague won’t lie to you.”
“I agree.”
“What is it you think I’ve lied about?”
“Your relationship to Tommy.”
He pulled into his reserved parking spot in front of his office. Tague parked right behind him. Conversation with Alexis ceased.
But if her stare could kill, Jackson would be drawing his last breath about now.
* * *
TO TAGUE’S SURPRISE, not only did Tommy not scream as they left without his mother, but he was asleep before they’d gone two blocks.
Fifteen minutes later, Tommy was continuing his nap on a worn green sofa in Jackson’s reception room with Alexis watching over him. Tague was sitting in an uncomfortable chair facing Jackson, who was propped against the back side of a large and extremely cluttered desk.
“Alexis looks upset,” Tague said. “Did you two get into an argument on the way over?”
“We talked, but there was no argument. Just a meeting of the minds. I have dug up some significant information to add to what you already know, though.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“Maybe you should sit down first.”
Chapter Ten
“Lena Fox is not Tommy’s birth mother.”
“Here we go again.” Tague leaned back in his chair and prepared for the worst. “Did Alexis tell you that?”
“No, and I haven’t had the chance to fully verify the veracity of the statement, but I’m almost certain it’s factual.”
“How certain is almost certain?”
“According to her medical records, Lena had a dirty abortion when she was sixteen. Complications developed and she ended up requiring surgery that left her unable to bear children.”
“But that was years ago. What with all the changes modern science has made in the field, isn’t it possible that the prognosis changed?”
“Lena’s womb was removed.”
“So if Lena didn’t give birth to Tommy, who did?”
“I don’t have that information as yet, but I suggest you talk to Alexis about that.”
“I guess she would be the obvious one to go to for answers about Scott Hayden’s son, isn’t she?” It was a rhetorical question and he didn’t expect an answer. Nor did he try to hide his irritation and cynicism.
But he had to take some of the blame. He’d stared into Alexis’s beautiful, lying eyes and licked up the deceit the same way Tommy had gone after that lollipop yesterday.
“I’ll sit with the kid if you and Alexis want to talk in my office,” Jackson offered.
“No. The conversation can wait until we get to the hunting camp.”
“Are you still interested in pursuing the investigation?” Jackson asked.
“I’ll fund it, but as soon as I can make arrangements for paid security to stay with Alexis, I’m going back to the ranch.”
“Do you think she’s in danger?”
“Frankly, I don’t know what to think anymore. She claims she received a call from Scott Hayden the night of the carjacking.”
“Whoa. I must be missing something here. She’s wanted by the police for suspicion of murdering Scott’s third wife and for kidnapping his child. Yet they keep in touch and he doesn’t
bother to tell the police how to find her?”
“Sounds bizarre, I know. It did to me, too. But give Alexis a few minutes and she can come up with an explanation for anything.”
“If she can explain that and make it sound rational, she should be a shoo-in for an Oscar.”
“I have to admit she looked terrified after the call and was ready to bolt,” Tague said. “That’s what prompted her to finally agree to my offer to spend the night at the ranch.”
Jackson steepled his fingers. “So spending the night at the ranch was your idea?”
“Right. Alexis did her best to get rid of me. She still is, for that matter.”
“I noticed. She wanted me to convince you to let her take the kid and head for Mexico.”
“So that’s why she wanted to ride over with you?”
“And she wanted to know how much trouble you can get in for protecting her.”
“The truth is, I’m not surprised at either of those things.”
“But back to the phone call from Scott,” Jackson said. “What was that about?”
“Reportedly all he said was that she knew what he wanted. She figured he’d located her and would burst through the door at any second.”
“And that was it?” Jackson asked. “Just a phone call out of the blue from the man she allegedly tried to kill?”
“Like I said, it was bizarre, especially following on the heels of the carjacking.”
“If he didn’t give his name, I’d be more inclined to think Alexis was mistaken and that it was the carjacker who called.”
“She seemed sure it was Scott, said she’d know his voice anywhere.”
“Panic can play strange tricks with the mind. But if it was Scott who called, you’d best be prepared for trouble, Tague. My motto is that when you can’t figure out someone’s motives, it’s time to worry.”
Tague agreed. “That’s why I’m anxious to get the investigation going at full speed. As I told you, I already have Meghan Sinclair on board. Do you have any objections to working with another private investigator?”
“Not if it’s Meghan. She and I have never worked together but we’ve met. She’s top-notch. We may prefer different methods for getting to the bottom of things, but I think we’d be compatible.”