Out of Time

by Shirlee McCoy

  “I know.”

  “Then you can’t hold back. We have to figure out who the guy on that security footage is, and we need to begin with the roses and with Aaron.”

  “Aaron is dead. He’s been dead for months. He has nothing to do with any of this.”

  “Then why the roses?”

  “Aaron used to leave them for me. On my porch. On my desk at work. In my house and car. He even left one on my pillow once.” She shuddered, remembering the feelings of violation and terror, the knowledge that her life was spinning out of control and that she had no way of stopping it.

  “Who knows that Aaron was leaving them for you?”

  “Anyone who knows me, I guess. I started getting them a month after I went to dinner with him. I didn’t connect the two things at first. Later—”

  “What?”

  “He called me. Asked if I’d been getting the roses and if I liked them. Said he hoped they proved how serious he was about our relationship. I think that was the first time I realized that I was in trouble.” And the first moment she’d really been afraid. There’d been something in his voice that had sent a chill up her spine and made her check the locks on the windows and doors. She still hadn’t believed he would hurt her. Or maybe she simply hadn’t wanted to believe it.

  “So, you were getting roses, and that stopped after Aaron died.”

  “Right. I haven’t touched a rose since…last summer.” She stumbled over the words, not wanting to mention the attack, not wanting to discuss it.

  “And then a rose appeared on your car.”

  “A rose without thorns. Just like the ones he left.”

  “There’s only one reason someone would do that. He wants to intimidate you. He probably planned to leave it on your desk, but realized he wasn’t alone on the compound and ran instead.”

  “Why would someone want to intimidate me?”

  “Maybe he wants you out of the way before the opening ceremony next weekend.”

  “For what purpose? Even if I was scared enough to quit my job, there’s still an entire security team to contend with. I’m just one small part of the security efforts.”

  “You’re a liaison between the Alamo and Texas Rangers. You said yourself that your boss has complete faith in you, and that you’re free to make decisions regarding the event. Maybe someone else would like to take your place. Maybe he’s hoping to create a security plan that will benefit his cause. Who’s in line for the position if you can’t fill it?”

  “I don’t know. It’s Chad’s decision to make.”

  “So, there’s no hierarchy?”

  “No. He’d make his decision based on who he thought was best qualified to take over. I don’t know who that would be.”

  “Could anyone else know?”

  “I doubt it.” She rubbed the bridge of her nose, willing herself to think. Someone had a key to the Alamo. That person had hidden a rose under his jacket and carried it into the compound. He’d meant to leave it for her to find. Levi was right. Susannah was certain of that.

  “Can you make a list of everyone who knows about Aaron and also works at the Alamo?”

  “That would be just about everyone who works there.”

  “That’s fine. We’ll be able to weed people down based on physical appearance. I’d also like to know who had access to your keys recently. Say, in the past two months.”

  “No one.”

  “You never left your keys unattended, didn’t ask anyone to house-sit or water your plants?” Levi pulled onto a long driveway that led to a sprawling ranch. Golden-brown fields stretched out to either side, and cattle grazed as far as the eye could see. Green Bluff Ranch. Hank Zarvy’s cattle operation. One that had made him a fortune.

  “My keys haven’t been out of my sight since I had the locks changed on all my doors. I even slept with them under my pillow when I was in the hospital. I knew Aaron was on the run from the police, and I was afraid he’d be waiting in my house when I was released. I’m still afraid that…”

  “What?”

  “I’m paranoid about my keys getting into the wrong hands. I worry that someone else will leave roses on my pillow or rifle through my things.”

  “I can understand that.” He parked in front of the ranch, turned off the car.

  “Can you? Because I’m having a hard time with it.” She tried to laugh, but it fell flat.

  “That’s understandable, too. What happened to you—”

  “Don’t.” She put a hand up, wanting to stop the words, refusing to hear his pity.

  “It shouldn’t have happened, Susannah. I’m sorry it did.” Levi’s expression was tight, his eyes glowed hot and bright. He reached for her hand, turned it over so he could see the scar, and she felt helpless to resist. Helpless to pull away.

  He was so much of what she remembered—kind, charming, funny. But he was more, and she wanted to move closer, rest her head against his shoulder like she had when they were kids, let herself feel the easy rhythm of his breathing, the comforting thrum of his heart.

  Surprised, she tugged her hand away, her cheeks hot. “We better get moving. It’s eight.”

  Levi nodded, but he didn’t move, just watched her silently, his gaze stripping away the facade she worked so hard to keep in place. Professional, successful, happy—they were the faces she put on for the world, but when she was alone, when she was on her knees before God in the darkest hours of the night, she was a coward, so scared of what the next moment would bring that she almost couldn’t breathe.

  She turned away, fumbling with the door handle.

  “It’s okay to be afraid, Susannah. Anyone who’s lived through what you have would be.” He spoke quietly, his tone gentle. That same gentleness was in his eyes when she met his gaze.

  “It isn’t okay, Levi. I’m a security guard. I’m supposed to have enough confidence to handle any situation that arises, but I have to make myself walk out of the house every morning. I’m terrified of walking to my car alone at night.”

  “There are plenty of other jobs—”

  “I don’t want another job. Do you remember my obsession with the Alamo when we were kids?”

  “How could I forget? You used to insist that your brothers and I help defend a cardboard recreation of the chapel.”

  “I’ve wanted to be an Alamo Ranger since the first time my parents brought me to visit it. I won’t let Aaron steal it away from me. He’s already taken enough.” The words slipped out, and she wanted to shove them back in, hide them in the deepest part of her heart.

  “Sus—”

  “We need to go.” She opened the door, refusing to stop this time, refusing to do anything but walk to the ranch and the glowering bear of a man who stepped out onto the porch to greet them.

  “You’re late.” Hank Zarvy didn’t waste time with niceties, but Susannah hadn’t expected him to. A hotshot in San Antonio, he’d made his money off cattle ranching and furthered his fortune buying and selling real estate. He had interests in many of the small businesses in town, and his charitable contributions to local homeless shelters and boys’ and girls’ clubs had garnered him the deep respect of the community. For the most part, he was an amiable guy, but Susannah had heard whispers about his temper and had seen it in play during a banquet he’d hosted at the Alamo when the short-staffed caterer served dinner late.

  “We had a meeting at six and had to visit the San Antonio Police Department when it was over. We got here as soon as we could.” Levi seemed unperturbed, his crisp white shirt and white broad-brimmed hat giving him a look of authority that most people would have acknowledged.

  Zarvy wasn’t most people.

  He scowled, leaning his shoulder against the doorjamb and blocking their entrance to the house. “You could have called, Ranger. When you’re on my time, it’s what I expect.”

  “Good to know.” Levi smiled, but the hardness in his eyes was unmistakable. “But I’m not on your time, I’m not on your payroll, and I have a job to do
that involves a lot more than breakfast meetings.”

  Susannah braced herself for an explosion of rage, but Zarvy frowned, then nodded. “Sorry. I tend to get crabby when I haven’t had my breakfast.” He offered his hand, shaking Levi’s with a vigor that might have taken a lesser man’s arm off.

  “No apology necessary. I just wanted to clarify who I work for and where my loyalties lie.”

  “Glad you did. I like a man who stands up for himself and stands up to me. I can be a little difficult to deal with. At least, that’s what the wife says.” He smiled, his broad face collapsing into a sea of sun-carved wrinkles as he turned his attention to Susannah.

  “I know you, don’t I?” It was more a statement than a question, but Susannah answered anyway.

  “I work at the Alamo. I’m a Ranger there.”

  “I know you’re a Ranger there, girl. You’ve got the uniform on. Don’t you think I would have said it, if I’d thought that’s where I’d seen you?”

  “I stopped being a girl a decade ago, Mr. Zarvy, and I don’t know you well enough to know what you’d say or what you wouldn’t.”

  “Guess McDonall isn’t the only one with steel in his spine. Seems like we grow ’em tough here in San Antonio. What’s your name, Ranger?” He chuckled, offering Susannah a handshake that was just short of jarring.

  “Susannah Jorgenson. I’m working as a liaison, helping coordinate Alamo security.”

  “Jorgenson?” He said it slowly, his gaze dropping from her face down to her scuffed cowboy boots, then back up to her face, and she willed him not to say what she saw in his eyes.

  “You’re the one who was in the news last summer. They didn’t mention your name, but my wife works as a volunteer at the hospital, and she visited you during your recovery. Brought her silly little dog, Buddy.”

  Susannah vaguely remembered a woman bringing in a little white dog that had licked her face and made her smile.

  “That crazy son of a gun tried to kill you, right? Attacked you in your own home. Nearly cut your guts out, but you managed to fight him off anyway.”

  “That’s a slight exaggeration.”

  “It was you. Wait till my wife hears about this. She was talking about you for weeks. Come on in. Let me reintroduce you.”

  He walked into the house and motioned for them to follow. Susannah went quickly, feeling the weight of Levi’s stare as she stepped into a large foyer.

  A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting sparks of light as the sun streamed in through oversize windows. White marble tiles led deeper into the house.

  “Edith! Come on out here. Wait’ll you see who’s come for breakfast.”

  “Mr. Zarvy.” Susannah wanted to tell him that she wasn’t a celebrity and that she’d prefer to keep her identity quiet, but Levi nudged her arm, shaking his head when she met his eyes.

  He had a reason for asking her to keep quiet, but Susannah couldn’t imagine what it was. She kept silent anyway, moving forward to greet Edith Zarvy as she entered the room, and wishing desperately that she were anywhere other than there.

  SEVEN

  Short and athletic-looking, platinum hair cut in a sleek bob, Edith Zarvy had an easy smile and sparkling eyes that belied her sedate approach.

  “What is it, Hank? The way you’re hollering, I thought the president might have stopped by for a visit.” Her smile took the sting out of the words, her smooth skin and flawless complexion placing her at a few decades younger than her husband.

  “Even better than the president. Bet you don’t know who this is.” He grabbed Susannah’s arm, tugged her closer to his wife. Susannah’s skin crawled where his fingers rested, and she shifted away.

  “Susannah Jorgenson?” Edith looked surprised, and Susannah knew she remembered the hospital, the beeping machines, the weak and defeated woman who’d lain in bed and let her face be licked by a stranger’s dog.

  “Yes.”

  “You look wonderful! I can’t believe it’s really you.” Edith pulled her into a hug. “How have you been?”

  “I’m back at work, feeling good.” Susannah shot a look in Levi’s direction, hoping he’d read her unspoken words.

  Get me out of here, now!

  If he did, he ignored it, leaning his shoulder against a doorjamb and studying Zarvy through veiled eyes.

  What was he thinking?

  What did he hope to accomplish?

  “I’m so glad. I’ve prayed for you often since the day I brought Buddy to visit you.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Zarvy. Those prayers are truly appreciated.”

  “Call me Edith. Or Eddie. That’s what my friends call me.”

  “Eddie is a man’s name, and you most definitely are not a man.” Hank threw an arm around Edith’s waist and tugged her close to his side. She went willingly, but she seemed tense and somehow diminished, as if being so close to her husband had drained the life out of her.

  “So you keep telling me.” She offered a quick smile before turning her attention back to Susannah. “You work at the Alamo?”

  “She’s a Ranger, Edith. Can’t you see the uniform?”

  “I guess you’re putting in extra hours, what with the 175th anniversary celebration looming.” She ignored her husband, and Susannah shot Levi another look.

  Another desperate plea.

  Do something!

  She did not want to be caught between a bickering married couple.

  This time he seemed to get it.

  “Sorry to interrupt the reunion, but we are busy planning for the celebration. If you’ll excuse us, Mrs. Zarvy, we need to go ahead with our scheduled meeting.” He offered a charming smile, and Edith nodded.

  “Of course. I’ve got a breakfast spread out on the back patio. Please, enjoy yourselves.” She hurried away, and Hank lumbered toward French doors.

  “Hope you don’t mind eating outside. I believe in a healthy dose of fresh air in the morning. Rodney Tanner, one of the other committee members, will be joining us shortly.” He was all business now, his steps brisk as he led the way outside.

  “Hank?” Edith appeared in the doorway, and he frowned.

  “This is business, Edith. You know I don’t like to be interrupted.”

  “I’m leaving for the doctor, and I wanted to say goodbye.”

  “Goodbye, then.” His abrupt dismissal made Susannah cringe for his wife, but Edith didn’t seem fazed.

  “Susannah, it really has been great seeing you again.” Edith’s gaze was so intense, so focused, the hair on the back of Susannah’s neck stood on end.

  “I feel the same.”

  “Do me a favor, will you?”

  “What’s that?”

  “Watch your back.” She shot a look at her husband, then disappeared again.

  If Hank was perturbed by his wife’s strange comment, he didn’t show it. Just scooped food out of warming trays and onto an oversize plate. “Don’t be shy. Come on and get some food. Coffee and juice are at the wet bar. You want something else, just go into the kitchen and dig through the fridge.”

  “This looks great,” Levi said, motioning for Susannah to go ahead of him, and then dishing up a mountain of golden eggs and a pile of crispy hash browns.

  Susannah knew she should be tempted by the colors and textures and variety of food, but all she felt was tired, Edith’s words ringing in her ears.

  Watch your back.

  Why? Who did Edith think was coming up behind her?

  She scooped up fresh fruit, dropped a slice of whole-wheat toast onto her plate and then joined Levi and Hank at a canopied table.

  “You one of those women who’s afraid to eat?” Zarvy frowned and gestured at her plate.

  “I love to eat, but breakfast isn’t something I usually eat a lot of.” That was the truth, though it wasn’t the reason why she’d taken so little food. She felt raw, her emotions too close to the surface, and she wasn’t sure she could swallow much more than a few bites.

  “Glad to hear it. See
ing as how you’re heading the Alamo security team, I thought I’d invite you to attend the luncheon at the River Walk Hotel after the ceremony. ’Course, I wouldn’t want to do that if you’re going to eat like a mouse.” Zarvy shoveled eggs into his mouth, then took a sip of coffee, eyeing her over the rim of the mug. There was something calculating in his gaze, a sharpness that seemed in direct contrast to his jovial tone.

  Before she could comment, he continued, turning his attention to Levi. “I’m sure your day is as busy as mine, so how about we get down to business?”

  “Sounds good.”

  “You’ve walked through the Alamo?”

  “I was at the site. I’ll do a complete walk-through this afternoon, but the Alamo Rangers have been thorough in their plans for this event. I don’t expect there to be any trouble.”

  “Good, because we want everything to go off as planned. Smooth, easy. No interruptions.”

  “We’ll do everything we can to make sure that happens.”

  “Just make sure what you do is enough.” Zarvy’s tone was sharp, but Levi didn’t seem bothered by it.

  “We’re prepared, but things can happen. As I’m sure you know, even the best plans can be flawed.”

  “I don’t want to hear about flaws, Ranger. I want to hear that the vice president and governor are going to get in and out of the Alamo alive.”

  “We’ve got no reason to think they won’t.”

  “We’ve had threats. That’s enough to keep me worrying until after the ceremony.”

  “The Alamo is secure and will be the day of the opening ceremony,” Susannah cut in, hoping to move the conversation along. She had to be at work at noon, and it seemed as if Zarvy was talking in circles, reiterating the same points over and over again.

  “Secure? You had a trespasser last night. Were you planning to tell me about that?”

  “Nothing was taken or harmed, and we’re still investigating.” Levi’s response was vague. Did he not want Zarvy to know about the surveillance tape and the rose, or was he keeping things close to the cuff until they knew more? “Investigating? Investigating! The ceremony is in eight days. You don’t have time for anything but resolution. Who was the trespasser? How did he get in? That’s what I want to know. It’s what you should already have discovered.”