“He’s investigating Axle’s murder.”
Jorge stopped right outside the hospital’s sliding glass doors. “And you called him?”
“Yes, I think this wreck is connected.” At that moment Daniel pulled up and hopped out of his truck to help her and Kaitlyn get in.
Before she could climb in, Jorge stopped her. “What’s going on?”
The worry in his expression battered at her composure. She didn’t need to fall apart right now. Not with Kaitlyn looking to her for strength. “Don’t worry. We’ll be fine now that Ranger Riley is here.”
As Daniel pulled up to her house, Melora caught sight of her uncle’s restored 1956 Thunderbird and moaned.
“Who’s visiting?” Daniel slowed his truck.
“Uncle Tyler. Jorge must have called him. I wish he hadn’t.”
“Uncle Tyler is here,” Kaitlyn said from the backseat, excitement in her voice.
Melora glanced at her. “Yes. He’s driving his latest toy.”
Kaitlyn scrunched up her battle-scarred face. “Toy?” She sat up and looked out the front windshield. “Cool car and my favorite color—red.”
“Yeah, Uncle Tyler’s partial to red.” A memory of Kaitlyn’s face with bleeding cuts on it flooded her with fear all over again. Somehow she had to keep it from her uncle. She didn’t want him pulled into her problems. She wasn’t even sure what she was going to do—other than tell Daniel what was going on. She was in way over her head, fighting for her and Kaitlyn’s lives.
A minute later when Melora let herself into her house, Uncle Tyler was striding across the large foyer toward her. She went into his embrace and battled to keep the tears that clogged her throat from spilling. Thankfully, at that moment Kaitlyn wedged herself between them.
He bent down and picked her up. “Hi, princess. I heard you had quite a day.”
Although his voice was light and his expression showed only love for Kaitlyn, Melora glimpsed the tension in his eyes. She knew she would have some serious explaining to do—before she talked with Daniel.
“I was scared. Mommy and me were leaving on an adventure when that bad man hit us with a truck.”
“What adventure?” Uncle Tyler swung his sharpened gaze to Melora.
“Don’t know. It was a surprise.” Kaitlyn threw her arms around her uncle’s neck and kissed his cheek. “I’m glad to be home.”
Juanita scurried into the foyer. “Oh, my baby, what happened to you?”
As Kaitlyn launched into an explanation about the wreck, Uncle Tyler’s expression turned stony. There were only a few times when Melora had received that look—only when he was very displeased with her. She needed to talk with him before Kaitlyn said something about the cat disappearing. She didn’t want the situation to get any worse than it already was.
Melora laid her hand on her daughter’s back. “Juanita, I think Kaitlyn should have some of her favorite ice cream. That will make her feel better.”
Daniel stepped forward. “That sounds great. Can I share some ice cream with you?”
“Yeah,” Kaitlyn said. Her daughter took Daniel’s hand and tugged him toward the kitchen.
Daniel was giving her the time to talk with her uncle, which she appreciated. Through all her dealings with Daniel lately, she realized one thing. He was a very perceptive man. Which meant she couldn’t keep anything from him anymore. It took too much energy—energy she didn’t have. But first she had to deal with Uncle Tyler.
“Let’s go into Axle’s office.” A fitting place to have this conversation, she thought as she followed her uncle into the room and shut the door, preparing herself for the onslaught of questions.
“Are you really all right?”
His first query threw her off for a few seconds. She nodded.
“What were you doing in a cab?”
“How did you know about that?”
“I have connections. I checked with the police about the wreck. A hit and run.”
“Yeah, the man fled the scene. Probably didn’t have insurance.”
“What’s going on?”
Still achy and mentally exhausted, Melora crossed the office to a grouping of chairs and sat. “I was in a wreck. It happens. But I’m okay now and so is Kaitlyn.”
Uncle Tyler took a seat across from her. “Why were you in a cab? What’s this about an adventure?”
“With all that has happened lately, I thought it would be nice to get out of town for a while. Just Kaitlyn and me.”
One of his bushy eyebrows rose. “Without telling me?”
“It was a spur of the moment decision. I was going to call you later.”
“Is something going on you should let me know about? Why did you call Daniel Riley?”
“He’s been looking into Axle’s death, and we’ve renewed our acquaintance.”
“I didn’t realize you knew him.”
“Casually. He’s been working with the Alamo planning committee concerning the security.”
Her uncle’s gaze bore into her. “If something is wrong, you know I can protect you. You are my only family, Melora. You and Kaitlyn.”
Love filled each of his words, and for a second she considered telling him everything. But looking into his dear features, she couldn’t. Not yet. He’d given her a home when she’d lost her parents. He’d become like a father to her. She couldn’t put him in the middle of this. She would never forgive herself if something happened to him because she’d involved him. Daniel was better equipped to protect her and Kaitlyn. She had to put her trust in him.
Melora pasted a smile on her mouth. “I love you, Uncle Tyler, and I’m going to be fine. Wrecks happen all the time in San Antonio. The police will find the driver.” She hoped.
Two hours later in her living room Melora eased onto the couch, so tired all she wanted to do was stretch out and sleep like Kaitlyn was. After spending most of the previous night going over her plan to escape, Melora was exhausted both mentally and physically. Then her visit with her uncle had only added to that, but he’d left a half hour ago.
Daniel swiveled around from staring out the window that overlooked the several acres of backyard. His features firmed in a determined look, he moved toward the sitting area and took a wingback chair across from her.
“Thanks for waiting for your answers until Uncle Tyler left and I got Kaitlyn settled down for a nap. She went right to sleep.” This time when she attempted to smile, the corners of her mouth lifted—slightly for a few seconds before collapsing.
“I’m glad. I was worried. She chattered for a while when she was eating her ice cream, then she became quiet. No amount of coaxing could get her to say much until you and Tyler came into the kitchen.”
“Even then she was quieter than usual. I think everything was sinking in.”
He removed his hat and placed it on the coffee table then lounged back. “Tell me what happened. Why were you in a cab?”
She prayed Daniel was the right person to trust. She looked him in the eye and before she lost her nerve said, “I was leaving San Antonio.”
“Leaving? A vacation?”
“No, getting as far away from here as I could.”
A shutter dropped into place over his expression. He straightened, leaning forward, his elbows on his thighs. “Why? Who has you scared?”
“I don’t know who. The man who broke in was delivering a message to me to keep quiet or I would end up like Axle.”
“Quiet about what?”
“That’s just it. I don’t know. He talked about a flash drive that Axle had, but I’ve looked in the house and can’t find it.”
Daniel clasped his hands together, his gaze zeroing in on her. “Do you think your husband was messed up in something illegal?”
The word yes stuck in her throat. She swallowed several times but still couldn’t get it out. Finally she nodded, sliding her eyes closed. She didn’t want to see the disappointment that she’d kept quiet for so long in his face.
The next thing s
he realized was that Daniel was sitting down beside her on the couch, dangerously close, his lime-scented aftershave teasing her nostrils. “What did your husband do?”
“I don’t know, but I think it involves his restaurants.” She tilted her head around to peer at him, the dark orbs of his eyes mesmerizing. “When I became suspicious something wasn’t right, I tried to discover what, but he found out and threatened me.”
His expression softened. “Why do you think his restaurants were involved in something illegal?”
“I overheard him telling a man that nothing better go wrong with the shipment to the Riverwalk restaurant and that it better be turned around and out of there before the employees showed up the next day for work.” She shuddered when she remembered Axle’s lethal tone. “I’d never heard him talk like that.”
“This man came to the house?”
“Yes. Axle wasn’t too happy about that. The next time I saw the man was a week later. He and Axle were talking late one evening right before dark at the stable where we have a couple of horses. I never saw that man here again.”
“Could you describe him for a sketch artist?”
“I could but I think it’s the man who’s been in a coma since September.”
Daniel shot to his feet. “It is? Why didn’t you come forward? The day of Captain Pike’s murder, the man in the coma was found at the captain’s house, shot and close to death himself. He may be the only one who can tell us what happened to Gregory, and we haven’t been able to identify him.” Anger slashed across his face as he glared down at her.
She opened her mouth to answer him when a scream curdled her blood.
SIX
“Kaitlyn!” Melora leaped to her feet and raced to her daughter’s bedroom.
She heard Daniel right behind her. Silence came from Kaitlyn’s room, which only heightened her fear. Had someone gotten to her?
It seemed to take forever to get to her daughter’s doorway at the far end of the hallway on the second floor. Before she could charge into the bedroom, Daniel grabbed her arm and halted her.
“Let me,” he whispered and withdrew his gun.
He peered inside, and the tension that gripped him melted as he holstered his weapon. Melora didn’t wait for his go-ahead. She surged past him and hurried to Kaitlyn sitting straight up in her bed, tears coursing down her cheeks, her lower lip quivering.
“Honey, what’s wrong?” She sat next to Kaitlyn and drew her against her.
“I dreamt…” The little girl swallowed the rest of her words and threw her arms around Melora.
“You’re okay. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” Her daughter hugged her so tightly it was hard to breathe. Melora ran her hand down Kaitlyn’s back over and over, trying to calm the fear the dream had unearthed. For the past few years she’d had her own share of nightmares.
When Kaitlyn leaned back several minutes later, her eyes still glistened with tears, but none ran down her face. She inhaled a deep breath and released it slowly. “Why did that bad man keep hitting our car?”
Melora combed her daughter’s long hair back then cradled her head between her hands. “I don’t know, but Ranger Riley is here to help me figure it out.”
Daniel came to the bed and knelt near Kaitlyn. “I won’t let anything happen to you and your mommy. We’ll find the bad man.”
“Promise?” Kaitlyn murmured, her arms still loosely about Melora.
He looked at Melora for a long moment then at Kaitlyn, a fierce resolve in his expression. “Promise.”
In that second Melora knew she’d done the right thing by confiding in him. Staring at his commanding features, rugged, tan, she felt safe for the first time in years.
“Melora, is everything okay?” Juanita asked from the doorway.
With her coat still on, her housekeeper took a step into the room, clutching her purse and a small sack from the drugstore. Melora gave her a reassuring smile. “Yes, Kaitlyn had a bad dream and woke up scared.”
Juanita’s dark eyes clouded. “Do you need me to help with anything?”
“No, I know you have dinner to start. We’re fine.” Or we will be when we find the person threatening us. Again, another look at Daniel bolstered the feeling she’d done the right thing in telling him what was going on.
“Okay. Kaitlyn, there’s some more of your favorite ice cream and I know how much you love it.”
Her daughter’s eyes bugged out. “Two bowls in one day?”
Juanita nodded. “If it’s okay with your mom.”
“Mommy, can I have some? I think it will make me feel better,” Kaitlyn said in all seriousness.
The sight of her child’s cuts hammered home how serious a situation they were in. She forced a light tone and a smile as she said, “Sure, honey. I need to talk with Ranger Riley.”
Kaitlyn hopped off the bed. “Great.”
Before she ran from the room, Melora added, “Don’t forget to feed Patches in a little while.”
“I won’t,” Kaitlyn said as she hurried out the door right behind Juanita.
“So strawberry ice cream will make things all better with Kaitlyn. I wish real life was that easy.” Daniel moved closer to her. “Why didn’t you come forward when we splashed the sketch all over the news asking if anyone knew the man’s identity?”
Melora rose. “Because I’m not sure it is him and I had other problems—like staying alive. The last thing I wanted to do was talk to the authorities.”
“Staying alive?”
“Yes. The break-in last week wasn’t the first. Right after my husband disappeared, there was one. Two men wearing ski masks just like last week. I was upstairs and had just finished putting Kaitlyn down for the night after being at Uncle Tyler’s all day for Thanksgiving. I heard a noise downstairs, and I knew it wasn’t Juanita. She’d gone to one of her sisters’ for the long holiday weekend.” She glanced around at her child’s possessions and realized this wasn’t the place to tell Daniel about what happened. “Let’s go into Axle’s office. I wouldn’t want Kaitlyn to overhear. She doesn’t know anything about this.”
Melora left her daughter’s bedroom and descended the stairs. She hated moving to the office, but it was the most private room and one that Kaitlyn didn’t come into much.
“Let me make sure she’s okay in the kitchen with Juanita.” With a gesture toward the door to the office, Melora strode to the kitchen and peered in. Kaitlyn was helping Juanita put away some groceries and telling her about what happened at the hospital. She backed away and headed for the meeting with Daniel.
Inside the office she found Daniel staring out the window. “I see the stable from here.”
“Axle always liked to look out that window at the horses and stable. He loved to ride and planned to teach Kaitlyn when she was old enough.” At one time she’d thought that at least Axle loved his daughter, but in the six months before he disappeared, she’d come to think that he’d only considered Kaitlyn another possession—one he’d used to threaten Melora with.
Daniel pivoted. “Is Kaitlyn okay?”
She nodded and took the chair nearest her. The emotional roller coaster she’d been on the past couple of days had caught up with her. And from the frown that settled on Daniel’s face, she knew this meeting would be difficult at best.
He fit his long length into the chair across from her. “You were telling me about the first time your house was broken into. How did they get in?”
“I don’t know. I suppose they could have come in when I took Kaitlyn up to her room. She’d fallen asleep in the car. I shut the door from the garage but didn’t lock it. It took all I could do to turn the alarm off without waking Kaitlyn. She hadn’t been sleeping well so I didn’t want her to wake up.”
“So you went downstairs to investigate a noise? You didn’t call the police?”
“Truthfully, I wasn’t really thinking. Like Kaitlyn, I hadn’t been sleeping well, either. I thought it was Patches. He can get into things he shouldn�
�t.”
“So what happened when you confronted the two men?” Tension laced every word in Daniel’s voice.
“I came into the office to find it trashed and one man standing by Axle’s desk. The other was behind the door. I started to run out of the room when he caught me. I thought I was dead. Instead, they told me what they would do if I said anything to the police about the break-in or Axle. They made it very clear I would suffer the same fate as Axle if I didn’t keep quiet and stay put in San Antonio.”
“You mean to tell me that you knew Axle was dead and that something was going on with his business?” He gripped the arms of the chair. “If you had come forward two years ago, maybe Captain Pike wouldn’t have been murdered.”
His tightly spoken statement stunned her. For a moment she couldn’t draw in a decent breath. Her lungs burned as did her thoughts. Had her silence caused Captain Pike to be murdered? What did Axle’s death have to do with his? “That’s a low blow.” She bolted to her feet. “How can you say that?”
“Because somehow the captain’s murder is tied to your husband’s. I’m here to find the connection and the people responsible.”
“I don’t know anything about it. Axle has been gone for two years so he wasn’t the one.”
“You’re involved somehow. There is a tie to both murders. Don’t you want to find out who killed your husband?”
No, she wanted to shout. “They—the intruders from two years ago and the one last week—said I had more than myself to think about. That’s all they needed to say to keep me quiet. I’m all Kaitlyn has. And I also have to consider Uncle Tyler who has done so much for me. I couldn’t let anything happen to them.”
“You said they were looking for a flash drive. Where is it?”
She rounded the back of the chair and clasped it, leaning against it. “I don’t know. A few months before Axle went missing, he started wearing one around his neck. I guess that was the one they were looking for. I assumed it was on Axle when he was murdered. I told the men that.”
“Nothing like that was found with the body. So either whoever killed him took the flash drive or he put it somewhere before he was murdered. Does your husband have a safety deposit box or something like that?”
Trail of Lies Page 7