“Where can I find Mr. Stewart?”
“He was at the barn when we left half an hour ago. If you let me borrow your ride I can fetch him for you.”
Randy eyed her suspiciously.
She read his mind.
She pulled her student ID out of her pocket and handed it to him.
“You can keep this as collateral. Look at the photo. It’s me. Amy Slater. If I’m not back in twenty minutes with Jake, you can turn that into the campus cops. Have them put out an APR on me, or whatever you call it.”
“An APB?”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
Randy was still a bit hesitant.
“Okay, okay, I’ll give you my dorm room key too.” She pulled out a set of keys on a Hello Kitty key ring and handed them to him.
He looked at the ring and smiled.
“Cute.”
“Yeah, yeah. My little sister gave it to me, okay? I’m in Havens Hall, Room 303. Just in case I don’t get back in time and you want to start looking for me.”
The other girl spoke up.
“I have a better idea. I’m Hannah, by the way. How about I stay here while Amy goes to fetch Jake? If she’s not back in five minutes, you can have your way with me until she comes back.”
“Five minutes? I thought she said it would take twenty.”
“Exactly.”
He looked back at Amy and said, “Okay. But just a reminder, stealing a law enforcement vehicle is a felony.”
“I’m not gonna steal it. And hey, what’s your name, anyway?”
“Randy.”
“Ranger Randy. Has a nice ring to it. So, where can we find you when we come back?”
If I’m not finished and waiting out here for you I’ll be at the message boards.”
“What’s the pony’s name?”
“Trigger.”
She stroked Trigger’s neck and whispered in his ear.
“Hello, boy. I’m going to take you for a short ride, and I’ll be gentle with you if you promise not to buck me off and stomp on me. Deal?”
Trigger huffed.
“Good boy,” she said as she mounted up.
“You can still have your way with me if you want,” Hannah told Randy as they watched Amy ride away.
“Um… thanks, but I’ll have to pass, ma’am. I’m kinda busy at the moment.”
“Ma’am? I’m the same age you are. Who are you, Dudley Doo-Right or something?”
Randy smiled. Truth was, it wasn’t the first time he’d been called that.
She tried a new tactic.
“Hey, mind if I tag along? Those message boards can be pretty loaded down with messages. A second set of eyes might help.”
He pondered her offer and took her up on it.
“Sure, why not?”
She smiled. Her fish hadn’t gotten away yet.
“So,” she said as they arrived in front of the “S” board, “What exactly are we looking for?”
“I left a card on here for Sarah Anna Speer. I told her if she found it to write her address on the bottom of it for me. I left an identical card on the other ‘S’ board.”
“I know Sarah Anna Speer.”
“Do you really?”
“Yeah. I mean, not well. She worked at Sammie’s. My girlfriends and I ate there sometimes. Nice girl. How come you’re trying to find her?”
“We met the night before the blackout. I got her number and was going to call her, but never got the chance. I want to find her to make sure she’s okay.”
“Are you sure that’s all you want to make?”
“Pardon me?”
“Never mind. Well, let’s see… here’s your note. There’s nothing on the bottom. Wanna just give up on her and settle for me?”
He smiled, but couldn’t hide his disappointment.
“Okay, okay. Let’s go to the other board. Maybe we’ll have better luck there.”
But it wasn’t to be. Sarah hadn’t been to the message boards. Or she hadn’t wanted Randy to have her address.
He was dejected, but tried not to make it obvious.
She could see right through him.
“Cheer up, Cowboy. Maybe she hasn’t been told about the boards.”
“Yeah, maybe. I’m gonna run inside the admin office real quick. You can come along if you want.”
“Try to stop me.”
Chapter 33
The pair walked into the office and up to the customer service counter.
“Can I help you?”
The voice came from a man Randy could barely see, just forty feet away in the semi-darkened room. As he walked toward the counter Randy answered, “Yes. Is Amanda here? I’m sorry. I don’t recall her last name.”
“We have two Amandas here. Amanda Curry and Amanda Martinez.”
“Amanda Curry sounds familiar.”
“Well then, my friend, you’re out of luck. We finally convinced Amanda Curry she needed a day off. She’d worked every single day since the blackout, until today. We told her if she came in today we were going to have the football team carry her back home again. She’ll be back tomorrow, or perhaps there’s something I can help you with.”
“I met her a couple of weeks ago. She said she might be able to help me find my friend.”
“What’s your friend’s name?”
“Sarah. Sarah Anna Speer.”
“Hang on. I’ll look on her desk and see if she left any notes.”
While Randy waited for him to come back, he fended off Hannah’s further attempts to take him home with her.
“So, how come you don’t like me, cowboy? I mean, I know I haven’t been able to wash my hair or buy new makeup, but I’m not that bad, am I?”
“You’re very pretty. It’s just that, well, I was kinda hoping on starting a relationship with someone else. And I… well, I kinda got my heart set on her. And besides, you don’t know anything about me. You should get to know a guy before you offer to give him your virtue.”
“Virtue is highly overrated, cowboy. And besides, this is the end of the world, haven’t you heard? What difference does it make when we’re all gonna die anyway?”
Randy shook his head.
“No. This isn’t the end of the world. And you’re not going to die unless you give up or place yourself in a vulnerable position. Which is why you shouldn’t take me home. I might be a serial killer, for all you know.”
“I thought you were a Ranger.”
“I am. But who says a Ranger can’t be a serial killer also?”
“Highly unlikely.”
“My point is that a guy could look perfectly normal and still be dangerous. You shouldn’t give your virtue to just anybody.”
Randy turned at the sound of a laughing voice behind him.
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about Hannah. She never gives her virtue to anybody. She just loans it out. I’ve lost count. How many times, Hannah?”
Hannah stuck her tongue out at her friend.
“Oh, shut up, Amy.”
Amy introduced Randy to the man standing beside her.
“Ranger Randy, this is Jake. He’s the one who has the authority to loan you some of our horses, if you need any.”
The two men shook hands.
“We offered them to the local police, but they said they didn’t need them. Most of their officers are riding around on go-carts and don’t know how to ride or care for horses anyway.”
Amy stifled a laugh at the words, “go-carts.” Randy glared at her, but didn’t really blame her. It was indeed quite a spectacle to see the brightly colored and numbered machines whizzing by. Not to mention they sounded like mosquitoes.
Jake went on.
“We offered some to the Sheriff’s office as well. They took us up on it, and borrowed six for their deputies to use in the far reaches of the county. But we’ve still got a stable full of them. They need more exercise than our yard will provide, but we’re afraid to let our volunteers take them off campus for fear they’ll b
e beaten and the horses taken from them. How many do you need?”
“Our entire company is mounted. Eleven men. The problem is, the horses are our only transportation, and we have no spares. So we’re taking them out day in and day out. They’re being ridden ten to fifteen miles a day with no end in sight.”
“Yeah. Amy introduced me to Trigger. He looks well cared for but in need of a good rest. How about if you tell your officers to come by here every third day? We’ll swap out one of our horses for yours, and after three days they can trade out again. Our veterinarian students will care for their needs each time they come in.”
“Wow, Jake, that’s quite an offer.”
“It’s win/win. Our own horses can get the exercise they need without winding up in the hands of a thief who will mistreat them. I assume no one will dare try to take a horse from the Texas Rangers.”
Randy bit his tongue.
Then, “Do you mind if I fly it by my commander first?”
“Sure. Check with him next time you see him, and swing back by the stables and let me know.”
“Oh, I can ask him now if you give me five minutes.”
“Is he here?”
“No. But I have a radio in my saddlebag.”
Jake was surprised.
Or maybe incredulous was the word.
“You guys have radios?”
“Yeah. It wasn’t easy. But we have a handful.”
“And they actually work?”
“Yes. But we’re limited on batteries, so I keep mine off when I’m not working. This is my day off.”
The man behind the counter returned and told Randy, “I found an entry on Amanda’s desk. It says, “Sarah Anna Speer: waiting for word from Joe.”
“Who’s Joe?”
“He’s one of our volunteer searchers. It means she’s still looking, but hasn’t found her yet.”
“Okay. Thanks for your help.”
“You’re welcome. Check back again.”
“I will.”
Randy headed back out to his horse, followed closely by Hannah, Amy and Jake, in that order.
Hannah had a pouty look on her face.
Chapter 34
Randy took the radio from his saddlebag and turned it on, then called in.
“Ranger Company C, this is Ranger Maloney.”
“Go ahead, Randy. Aren’t you supposed to be off duty today?”
“Yes, sir. I am. I’m on the Texas Tech campus. I’ve been approached by some of the people on their rodeo team. They’ve offered some of their stock to trade out with ours every three days, so our horses can get some rest.”
“Really? Outstanding! How much do they want?”
Randy turned to Jake, who shook his head.
“They want nothing, except for our assurance we’ll take good care of their ponies.”
“Tell them they’re a godsend. I’ve been worried about what we were going to do when our own horses started wearing out. Who is your point of contact there?”
“His name is Jake. Jake Stewart.”
“And he’s at the rodeo complex?”
“Yes, sir. He says it’s on the west end of the campus.”
“I know where it is. Please tell him I’ll ride over today to work out the details if that’s acceptable to him.”
Jake nodded his head.
“I’ll be here until about seven p.m.”
“You’ll have to come before nineteen hundred, sir.”
“Tell him I’m headed to my mount now. I’ll be there in half an hour.”
Jake nodded.
“Okay, sir. Thank you.”
“You sure you’re not working, Randy?”
“Yes, sir. I’m over here on personal business.”
“Still looking for that girl?”
Randy felt a bit embarrassed. He wasn’t even aware the major knew about Sarah.
Tom must have told somebody before he died.
“Yes, sir.”
“Then get back to looking for her.”
“Yes, sir.”
Randy said goodbye to his new friends, shaking Jake’s hand and tipping his hat to Amy and Hannah.
That wasn’t enough for Hannah. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss Randy on the cheek.
“Oh, brother,” Amy said.
“Oh, shut up,” Hannah replied.
Randy mounted up, and thanked them again for their generosity.
Then he headed west, following 19th Street to the supermarket near his apartment.
He filled his saddlebags with bottled water and canned meats, then headed for home.
Something was troubling him, but he couldn’t for the life of him figure out what it was. He got the sense he’d missed something. Dropped the ball. Forgotten to do something very important.
It was driving him crazy.
As he left the supermarket and headed home to rest, he could smell the sickening stench of decaying flesh on the afternoon breeze.
It wasn’t coming from any specific place, from what he could tell. It wasn’t even constant. When the breeze died down, he lost the scent.
It saddened him. For as much as he hated the stench of a rotting corpse, he had to remember it was once a human being. Somebody’s daughter or son.
Somebody’s mother or father.
Someone, somewhere, was going to miss them. Someone, somewhere, was praying for their soul. Someone, somewhere, was wishing their loved one would receive a proper burial.
And if not Randy, then who?
He waited until the breeze picked up again, and made note of its general direction. It was coming from almost due north.
He turned his pony and headed into the breeze.
What he did for the city of Lubbock and the State of Texas was limited. After all, he was only one man.
But what he could do for one particular person, and the loved ones he or she left behind, was monumental.
Chapter 35
The following morning Randy was awakened by the first rays of the sun peeking in through his bedroom window.
It had been unbearably hot the previous evening as he tried to sleep. He’d opened all the windows in his apartment, to allow a breeze to flow through, but the wind had died down to nothing.
He’d resorted to holding a t-shirt beneath his kitchen faucet and soaking it about midnight, then holding his breath and putting it on.
It was frigid and almost painful. But once his body adjusted it kept him cool while he finally drifted off to sleep.
Still, he slept fitfully, tossing and turning through the night.
At one point, Tom came to him in a dream and said, “I love you, partner. You were a good partner and a good friend. But you let me down.”
That was it. Nothing more to give Randy a hint regarding how he failed his friend. Did Tom blame Randy for his death? Should Randy have been there?
Should Randy have insisted they stay together, to work as a team? It was Ranger policy to send two men out into the field every time they had a case. Yet it was Randy who suggested otherwise.
Was that why Tom was angry with him?
Randy’s head was spinning. He wasn’t sure how much of the words Tom spoke in his dream reflected Tom’s feelings.
And how much came directly from the guilt Randy felt.
He took a shower in a bathroom that was almost pitch black. The apartments on the other side of his complex were newer and of a different design. They had windows. Randy’s older apartment had no window in the bathroom. Why in the world would anyone design a bathroom without a window?
His mind was wandering, as it frequently did when he was stressed.
As he lit a candle before the bathroom mirror and began to shave, he looked at the darkened figure in the mirror.
He looked like he’d aged ten years in the previous month. He was haggard and beat.
Randy felt inadequate for the first time in a very long time. He’d failed thus far in finding Tom’s killer and bringing him to justice.
He’d fail
ed also in finding Sarah. And he still wasn’t completely sure in his mind why finding her was so important to him.
He tried to convince himself it was just concern for her. He wanted to make sure she was okay.
But part of him, the little devil who’d recently taken up permanent residence on his shoulder to remind him what a screw-up he was, had other ideas.
“You should have just given up on her,” the little devil was telling him. “All you want is a girlfriend, so you won’t be alone in the world. If you weren’t so distracted by your search for Sarah, maybe you’d have been there when Tom needed you.”
Randy knew, deep down inside, that he wasn’t to blame for Tom’s death.
Splitting up so the two could cover more ground was the logical thing to do. Major Shultz thought so too, when he directed the rest of the company to split up as well. He reinforced that thinking when he told them to stay divided even after Tom’s death.
Splitting up meant they could visit twice as many citizens. Tell twice as many people they had permission to take food and water from local supermarkets.
Warn twice as many people not to drink the water from their faucets until after they’d flushed the pipes.
Splitting up saved lives. It kept more people from giving up. It gave more people the hope they desperately needed. It kept some of them from killing themselves in despair.
Randy knew all that. But still, the devil on his shoulder tried to convince him otherwise.
To make Tom’s death Randy’s fault.
As Randy shaved, he wondered if he were going insane.
There had been several times in recent days when Randy stopped dead in his tracks, forgetting what he was doing or where he was going.
It wasn’t like him, not at all.
Of course, it was possible it was caused by exhaustion. He hadn’t had a good night’s sleep since the blackout. And his nights had gotten worse since Tom’s death.
He wondered, though, if it was something more than lack of sleep.
It certainly wouldn’t be the first time an extremely stressful situation caused someone to go mad.
He’d found the rotting corpse the day before. It turned out to be three corpses, not just one.
One of them was a young girl, perhaps four years old.
A Whole New World: Ranger: Book 2 Page 10