“No you don’t, you just think you do.”
“For instance Mr. Frank McGill began life in Tennessee a coal miner’s son. Got into some trouble running moonshine, which led him to hook up with Shawn Wiccam,who was Hank Wiccam’s son. Turns out Shawn isn’t quite the bank robber his daddy is. He and his pal got picked up when they fumbled an attempt. After a string of minor offences. Frank found himself a real criminal to emulate. Orin Kline.” Matt sat up straight and put his boots back on the floor. Now they were getting somewhere.
“Go on.”
“He is listed as a known associate in several reports. He was not picked up at the time of Kline’s alleged death though. Since then he has been Isaiah Madison and he has been squeaky clean.” Matt stood up and paced he always did his best thinking on his feet.
“What makes a career criminal go legit?”
“Not much.”
“Religion, family.” Matt held up a finger for each and looked at Jack.“Fear.” He ticked up the third finger.“Fear of being caught or fear of being killed. Given the two choices I think I would fear Kline more than the Rangers.”
“He’s hiding from Kline.” Jack said.
“He crossed him somehow and I would bet my teeth it was over the girl.”
“Ahh yes the girl… The last family that was killed, census records show their oldest child was a girl. Savannah Wallace, her body was not found. The records also show that the mother was born Melody Kline.” Matt slowly sank back down to the chair.“So it would seem that Kline followed his sister to Texas.”
“So why did he kill her? And her whole family?”
“Got me.” Jack shrugged.“I think the more important question is did McGill save her or follow her?”
“Oh damn.” Matt surged back to his feet.“He saved her last time but now he’s laying the ground work to be able to kill her. Trying to make it look like someone else. He might even be behind the killings of those other four that look like her. Kline may be dead after all. This may have all been McGill. I gotta go.”
Matt was uneasy when he reached the Saloon. It was quiet but it was always quiet. The front doors were still locked up so he went around to the back. He looked down the alley, Benji had died in this alley did Izzy kill him? Was it more important to him to find Benji’s killer or to protect Rose? He took a deep breath that was an easy answer. Rose might have been playing him for a fool but he was still sworn to serve and protect. She was alive. He had to keep her that way.
Izzy wasn’t in the office. Matt took a deep breath and walked into the saloon. Rose was sitting at a table with ledgers and papers carefully laid out around her.
“Have you seen Izzy?”
“Not today.” She responded not looking up.
“Any idea where I can find him?”
“He’ll turn up, he always does.” She was writing in one of the ledgers and he hated that he felt guilty for walking out. He walked up to the table and spun one of the chairs. He straddled it and to his surprise she actually looked up and met his eyes. “Is there something I can do for you?”
“No.”
“Alright.” She focused her attention back on the papers in front of her.
“Rose about last night…”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“I think I should explain.”
“Matt, you won. There are no explanations necessary.” She flipped the book closed and began gathering up the other papers.
“Won? Won what.”
“The ridiculous wager that you made.” She stood up taking the papers with her.
“Rose I was only teasing about that.”
“If you say so.” She walked into the store room and he rubbed his eyes. He couldn’t protect her if she kicked him out. He needed to be able to catch Izzy in the act because at this point he had no proof. He gritted his teeth and followed her into the store room.
“Rose, it wasn’t like that.”
“Matt, just let it go, it’s over.” He was surprised that the words stung. As angry as he was,he wasn’t ready to let go.
“Rose,” He stepped forward and put his hands on her arms.“I’m sorry I walked out. I was just surprised.” She looked as if she didn’t believe him.“That’s a lot of pressure to put on a guy.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I just mean that if it’s the first time it should be… right.” He could see her resolve starting to crumble and his guilt burned in his gut.
“It was… right.”
“Not right enough,” he whispered. He touched her face and she closed her eyes.“Rose, I never meant to hurt you.” As much as he hated to admit it,that was the truth. This whole operation had become about keeping her from being hurt, he didn’t want to be the one to do it.
“Matt I…”
“Do ya’ll know where this came from?” Matt looked up at the new voice it was Dixie in the doorway. She was holding something. Rose was thankful for the interruption she walked to Dixie to see what she was holding. It was a necklace. It was an ornate gold D on a long gold chain.
“It’s beautiful but I haven’t seen it before, why?”
“I found it on my door knob.”
“Looks like you have an admirer. D for Dixie.” Rose grinned and Dixie laughed. Matt stepped up and looked at the necklace.
“I didn’t think anyone was that taken with me.”
“Well wear the necklace tonight. I bet you’ll be able to tell who it came from by his reaction.” Rose suggested and Dixie grinned.
“You think I should?”
“Why not, what’s the worst that could happen?”
“I think I will.” Dixie grinned then turned and practically skipped out the door.
“Rose…”
“Matt do you believe in destiny?”
“I suppose so.”
“I don’t,” she said simply and he frowned.“Life is a series of events. Some of them random,some of them cause and effect. All you can do is take those events whatever they are and make the best of it.”
“What?”
“Matt. It is what it is. I’m not upset so don’t apologize just let it go.” She turned and walked out of the store room but he didn’t follow her this time. He couldn’t.
Rose shut the door and turned the lock. She squeezed her eyes shut as she slowly slid to the floor. It was better this way, she told herself. She had a carefully calculated plan for the rest of her life and it didn’t include him, it couldn’t include him. Besides he would be gone as soon as he finished his case.
Not even Katrina’s voice could lift his dark mood, it had settled in like fog. He stood in his usual spot watching the room. Katrina was really good tonight. She had the attention of the room. The pinstripe suit guy, who was actually wearing a brown suit tonight, was riveted Matt thought he might pass out from having forgotten to breathe. Even Walt Porter was still watching, he normally followed Raven upstairs by the second song.
“I’ve got it,” he said to Rose when she came close.
“What’s that?”
“Next time it looks like there is going to be trouble we’ll just get Katrina to sing. Look at them she is like the pied piper playing their tune. Even the Cannon boys are quiet.” Rose smiled but she turned away and the fog grew darker, more like a storm cloud. That was not his Rose. She was treating him like one of the regulars now. She was friendly and sweet and entirely false. He wanted the real Rose back, his Rose, the thorny one. He heard her laugh as some drunken cowboy propositioned her. He didn’t even look that way he just straightened up and began to walk slowly through the room. When he passed the door he couldn’t resist he stepped out into the cool night air. Someone standing beside the door startled him and he reached for his gun but he realized the man wasn’t a threat. It was Jonathan. He was standing there listening to Katrina sing. Matt stepped all the way out and let the door swing back.
“Why don’t you just go in?”
“I don’t need to cause a scene, I just want to listen.” Matt wasn�
��t sure what it was, maybe the fact that he could relate but he felt bad for the guy.
“If you still want to listen… why did you stop in the first place?”
“That’s subtle.” Jonathan grumbled.“What happened?”
“What do you mean?” Matt asked refusing to believe Jonathan could be aware of what had transpired between him and Rose.
“Why is she upset?” Matt hesitated, maybe he did know.“She only sounds like that when she’s been crying.” Matt relaxed slightly he was talking about Katrina.
“I honestly couldn’t tell you. The most she has ever said to me is to warn me off Rose.” Jonathan sighed and pushed off the wall and walked away from the building without looking back. Matt fell into step beside him purely out of curiosity.
“So back to my not so subtle question. Clearly you still care about her so why did you leave?”
“She is better off without me.”
“Did she tell you that?”
“What would you know about it?” Jonathan stopped abruptly and looked at him.“You think you can just walk in here and act like you know us? You don’t know anything!” He started walking again and Matt walked with him.
“So enlighten me.” Jonathan didn’t say anything at first they just walked. Then he began to speak.
“She used to be so bright, like the sun, I’m not just saying she was beautiful, she was, but so much more than that. I was just a kid the first time I saw her but I knew,it hit me just like a revelation, an epiphany. She was it.”
“You loved her?” Matt asked and Jonathan laughed.
“Yeah I loved her, like air.”
“So what happened?”
“I put her out. I smothered her light.”
“She loves you.”
“That just made it easier. Who better to destroy your life than the person you trust the most. So I left, I thought it would help. I thought the light would comeback but it didn’t it’s gone. I just made it worse.”
“So why not just go back.”
“I can’t, it’s too late now.”
“Why?” Matt pressed. Jonathan stopped and looked at him.
“You married?”
“No.”
“Been in love?”
“Once.”
“Ever hurt the person you love? Have that person hurt you?” Matt couldn’t answer so he just nodded.“Then you know why. It’s like an infection it spreads if you don’t cut it out quick it festers and it spreads until it consumes you. Until you are just a shell of a person with gangrene where your heart used to be. That’s what love is. It’s not about devotion, respect or even lust. It’s giving someone your heart and trusting them not to rip it out then forgiving them when they ultimately do.”
“That’s… ah… poetic.”
“Yeah.”
“So… why didn’t you cut it out?”
“Because it wasn’t something I could fix. It wasn’t some careless words. The two women, the only two people in the world that I loved and I broke both their hearts. I killed one of them and the other one… I never want to see that look in her eyes again.”
“Two.”
“See I told you, you don’t know anything.” Jonathan walked away again this time Matt didn’t follow. Two he thought to himself. Two… two… two… Matt stopped walking when it hit him. Pam. His sister, of course he loved her. Rose had told him. What else had she said that night? Pam and Jonathan had a fight then Pam died. He had left because of the guilt, that’s what Rose had said. Jonathan said he had gangrene in his soul, no his heart. He had a decision to make. Did he love Rose? Because if he didn’t he needed to walk away now. Turn the whole investigation over to Jack or to another Ranger. She had hurt him, it probably wouldn’t be the last time but if he wasn’t willing to endure that, to face the possibility of gangrene then he didn’t deserve her.
Rose walked slowly around the room, retrieving stray glasses. Absently she wondered if Dixie had found her admirer. She turned back toward the bar and stopped short when she saw a figure standing there.
“You startled me.”
“You lied.”
“I beg your pardon. I don’t think I did.” She carried the glasses to the bar and set them down.
“You said you don’t believe in destiny.” She lifted her chin as if she was waiting for him to deliver a blow. “You said when you met Pam it was preordained. Preordained that means it was planned ahead of time, just like destiny.” He saw her throat bob as she swallowed. “I can’t for the life of me figure out what brought my partner here but I know what brought me here. What keeps me here.” He leaned forward and kissed her softly. She was surprised her lips parted automatically and he took advantage. He had stopped short of confessing his love for her. She had expressed her aversion to the concept a number of times so he didn’t use the word. He didn’t use the word but he demonstrated it. He tenderly pulled her into his arms he lightly cupped her cheek. He swept his tongue over hers each time a little deeper drawing her out until she was meeting him, even following him.
“I don’t want there to be gangrene,” he whispered breathless.
“What?”
“It’s a long story. Come on.” He led her toward the hallway but she stopped him.
“Wait I wasn’t finished.”
“The door is locked everything else will keep till morning.” She looked up into his eyes and nodded once. When they stepped into her room he locked the door and immediately began pulling the pins from her wig. He didn’t bother to light a lamp. Once he had freed it he buried his face in her hair. He sat down and put his hands on her waist he pulled her closer. He looked up into her eyes.
“Am I still invited?” She smiled and began unbuttoning her blouse when she dropped it to the floor he pulled her down onto his lap. She slid her hand down his whisker covered cheek.
“You need a shave.”
“I always do.” She kissed him and he carefully laid them both over on the bed. His hands were warm in the cool air and she could feel the heat resonance where ever he touched. She pulled his shirt over his head and pressed herself closer.“Where’s that line?” He whispered.
“There is no line.” She was surprised by how breathy she sounded. His mouth was warm on her breast but when he pulled away the cold air rushed in and she gasped.
“Oh that’s cold!” She whispered furiously and he laughed then breathed hot air down on it. She reached out and touched his nipple with her fingertips and it tightened. She smiled at the discovery and then leaned forward and put her mouth over it. He groaned and she grinned.“Where else?” She asked and smiled, there was a wicked gleam in his eye. She liked it. It felt like she was seeing something no one else ever saw. He pulled her ear lobe into his mouth and she in turn did the same to him.
“Oh sweetheart this could be a very dangerous game of follow the leader.” She thrilled at the idea.
“I’m not afraid, I’ll go where you lead me.” His chest tightened until he couldn’t breathe. She trusted him, she was careful and wary in every aspect of her life and for some reason she had chosen to let him past her locked door. He bent and kissed her deeply afraid the emotion might overtake him if he didn’t give in to the passion first. He slid his hand up under her skirt. Slowly he moved his hand up her thigh. Just as he reached the apex he heard a shrill scream.
Chapter 14
Matt’s head snapped up and he listened. The first scream was followed immediately by another. He jumped up and grabbed his gun from where he had dropped the holster. He hesitated just for a second at the door.
“Stay here and lock this door.” he barked, before he went out. He could still hear screaming, it was joined by more voices now. He ran toward the back stairs. The back door was open again banging lightly in the breeze. He pushed it open and swept the alley gun drawn. He didn’t see anyone the air was quiet all the noise was coming from inside. He pulled the door shut and locked it then ran up the stairs two at a time. The top of the stairs and surrounding hallway was f
illed with hysterical women in various states of dress. Then he saw why. Lying on the floor just inside her bedroom in a pool of her own blood was Dixie. Her throat was cut so deeply that it was oddly gapped open her eyes were open wide, staring but unseeing. She was wearing a peach colored peignoir that was stained crimson from the blood pooled around her. It looked as if her entire blood volume had drained out around her. There was blood spray across the wall. He heard shuffling behind him then heard Izzy gasp.
“Oh my god! I’ll get the Sheriff.” Matt heard someone on the stairs and he knew who was coming. He met her on the stairs and barred her path.
“What happened? Let me by.”
“No,” he said roughly.
“What happened? Is someone hurt? Let me through,” she insisted.
“Rose,” he said softly.“It’s Dixie, she’s been murdered.” Rose gasped and instinctively wrapped her arms around herself.
“No, she can’t be, let me by!”
“I’m not going to let you by, come on let’s go back down stairs.”
“No!” she yelled at him and pounded on his chest with the sides of her fists.“Let me through.” He pulled her tightly against his chest and she began to cry. He turned and bellowed to the other women.
“No one touch anything. Go back to your room or down to the saloon and wait for the Sheriff.” He didn’t wait to see if they obeyed his orders he just escorted Rose down the stairs. He led her into the bedroom and sat her down on the bed. She looked dazed as tears silently streamed down her cheeks. He pressed a handkerchief into her hand.“Stay with me sweetheart,” he said softly. Fearing where her mind was going.
“What happened?” He was tempted to refuse to answer but he knew she wouldn’t let him get away with that.
“Her throat was cut.”
“So there was blood, you wouldn’t let me up there because I can’t handle the blood.” The bitterness was clear in her tone.
“No.” She looked up at him finally. “I wouldn’t let you up there because you don’t need that image in your head. No one should ever see anyone like that but you definitely shouldn’t see your friend that way.” He saw understanding and even relief in her eyes as she nodded. She started wiping her eyes with the handkerchief. Satisfied that she wasn’t going into shock, he quickly and completely dressed. Rose had put her shirt back on before she came out so she was presentable enough he pushed her shoes onto her feet and led her out into the saloon. All the women were grouped together, all were crying.
Whiskey Rose (Fallen) Page 12