Their lawyer was real and one that Mendez had met before. She had a reputation for getting clients out of difficult situations. That reputation was going to stay intact.
“Reduced charges?” Mendez said.
“And they’re being released on bail too, once I’ve spoken to a judge,” the lawyer said while smiling. Her name was Jeania Gaynor.
Gaynor was a former Miss Texas runner-up who looked much younger than her true age, which had to be at least sixty. Her last appearance in a beauty pageant had been nearly forty years earlier.
“Mr. Peterson and I have come to an agreement,” the lawyer said.
Mr. Petersen was County DA, Keith Peterson. The man had often been a thorn in Mendez’s side. Mendez suspected that Peterson was bribed. He suspected the same thing when charges were dropped on Royce Whitaker. Whitaker and his men had taken over a town council meeting at gunpoint. Royce Whitaker had also ordered men to harm the chief’s wife. Mendez dealt with Whitaker in a way that had nothing to do with the law. It had been pure vengeance.
“What’s the DA’s going rate these days, Miss Gaynor?” Mendez asked.
Gaynor sent him a sour look. “Are you insinuating something, Chief?”
Mendez smiled. “Just gathering information, that’s all.”
“The DA recognized that my clients have no previous offenses and took that into consideration.”
“Your clients were firing stolen weapons in a public setting with the intent to kill.”
“They were defending themselves against the men who fled in the van.”
“Self-defense? Really?”
“That’s right. As for the weapons charges, the guns they used were not theirs. They simply found them.”
“And the ski masks they had on, how do you explain that?”
“It was a brisk fall day and they felt chilled.” Gaynor said those words with a straight face.
Mendez scowled, but then broke out in laughter a moment later.
“What do you find so funny, Chief?” Gaynor asked.
“I’m laughing because of how happy I am. In a few weeks I’ll no longer have to deal with crap like this.”
“That’s right. You’re running for mayor, aren’t you?”
“I am.”
“I thought the polls had Jimmy Kyle in the lead?”
“They do sometimes. At other times I’m winning. We’ll see how it shakes out soon.”
“I wish you luck. Maybe your replacement won’t have such a suspicious nature.”
“I just call them as I see them, Miss Gaynor.”
“You can see that my clients are released once the paperwork from the court comes in, yes?”
“It’s not like I have a choice, do I?”
Gaynor smiled. “No, you do not.”
Mendez stopped by the Parker Ranch after work and explained what was happening to Cody. They were settled across from each other with a chessboard between them but weren’t playing. Instead, they sipped on whiskey.
Mendez also gave Cody a copy of the sketch that contained the likeness of the phony lawyer Chief Harding had seen.
Cody listened to his friend quietly before asking questions.
“Have you located any friends or family of the dead man who wore the black mask?”
“His name was Marco Deering. He grew up an orphan in Kansas and most of his known associates are in several different prisons scattered around the country. We’ll keep looking for someone to tie him to, but I don’t hold out much hope.”
“His partners who got away in the van are connected to him somehow. And judging by the way the woman broke down on that video the drone took, I’m guessing that they were close.”
“That’s true, but they could have met anywhere. We don’t even know where Deering was staying. He and his friends could have driven here from anywhere.”
“You do know why the man in the hospital was tortured, don’t you?”
Mendez nodded. “His torturer wanted to know who the man’s partners were. Now that they’re being released from jail tomorrow morning, he’ll have a clear shot at them.”
“If you stick close to them, there’s a good chance you’ll capture your phony lawyer. It’s possible that he’s the same bearded man who was seen in the drone video.”
“I’d love to place surveillance on them. The problem is that the Carrawell brothers live in McAllen. Even if I had jurisdiction there, I wouldn’t have the resources to dedicate to something like that.”
“So, you came to see me. I’ve already handed in my badge, remember?”
“I was hoping you might find this mystery intriguing.”
“It is intriguing. Like you said, thieves like these wouldn’t be interested in a score that was only worth thousands.”
“There’s also the bearded man to consider. He killed the man you wounded. I thought that might make you mad.”
Cody cocked his head as he stared at his friend. “Why would I care about that?”
“Um, professional pride maybe. The guy is going around killing people. That’s your job, isn’t it?”
“Only when I’m being paid to do it; otherwise, it’s a hobby.”
Mendez leaned forward in his seat. “Seriously, Cody. I was hoping you might want to get to the bottom of this. It wouldn’t hurt my chances at being elected mayor if I could say I solved this and got the town’s money back.”
“You’re worried that you’ll lose?”
“There was a telephone survey of undecided voters taken this afternoon. They were asked if the robbery of the festival had swayed them against voting for me. Eighty-one percent said that it wouldn’t matter as long as I found the crooks and got the money back. I can indicate from that that the same percentage will hold it against me if I don’t get the money back.”
“And you need the undecided vote to win?”
“I need most of them.” Mendez shook his head. “I never thought this race would be so close. I could lose. If it happens, I’m not sure what I’ll do instead. And I’ll admit it, I really want to be mayor.”
Cody leaned back in his chair and thought things over.
Mendez took his silence for reluctance to help. “I’m asking too much. I know you’re busy with the ranch and all and I—”
Cody held up a hand as he smiled. “I’ll help you. You think I want Jimmy to remain mayor? No, I was just thinking about Henry. This could be a good opportunity to train him on how to track down people. Sometimes you have to find a target before you can fulfill the contract. I’ll treat the bearded man as if he’s a target I’m looking for. Henry can also help me keep watch over those twins you told me about.”
“I saw that video of how Henry saved that girl’s life. The boy has guts. By the way, that little girl is Jimmy Kyle’s niece.”
“Yeah, Henry said that Kent Kyle blamed him for hurting her wrist. I see that he and Jimmy are a lot alike.”
“You mean that they’re both self-centered idiots?”
“Yeah.”
Mendez stood and released a sigh. “You’ve taken a load off me, Cody. If anyone can get that money back, it’s you.”
“How much was it?”
Mendez named a number, then added that the thieves had also robbed the people who had booths and tables inside the barn.
“They made them hand over their cell phones and wallets. They also robbed a couple of the booths that had valuables.”
“What sort of valuables?”
“Collectible comic books, baseball cards, and a few old coins and stamps.”
“Maybe that was worth more than the money? Some of that stuff sells for a lot.”
“I thought that too and checked with the vendors. The comics were worth about six grand and the same is true for the baseball cards and stamps. The men killed at the festival and the man you shot wouldn’t normally get out of bed for that kind of cash. I suspect the same is true for the men who are locked up. That means that there has to be something else going on.”
“
I’ll find out whatever it is.”
“Thanks, pardner. I’ll owe you one if you get that money back.”
“I will, and I’ll do it my way. That means there may be less people breathing when I’m done.”
“I’ve got nothing against that if they’re the right people. I also hope you figure out what was behind all this.”
“I’m curious about that too.”
Cody walked the chief to his truck and watched him head for home. He gave Henry a call while on his way back into the house.
“What’s up, Cody?”
“Do you have classes tomorrow?”
“Two in the morning, but I should be done by eleven.”
“Good. I have something I’d like you to do. It will be part of your training.”
“Cool. Is it a… the usual?”
“No. It involves learning a new skill.”
“I’m always up for that.”
“That’s what I want to hear,” Cody said, before telling Henry what they were going to do.
4
A New Player Enters The Game
Tanner was there when the Carrawell brothers were released from the Stark Jail. Tanner and not Cody. He considered what he was doing as work since he was training Henry, and when he was working, he was Tanner.
The twin brothers were grinning as they tasted freedom for the first time in two days. They were sure that they had gotten away with something that could have seen them serving hard time for years. The judge hadn’t been as lenient as the DA. He accepted the reduced charges but insisted that the brothers be confined to their home until their sentencing hearing. That involved the use of ankle bracelets that would sound an alarm if they went farther than a thousand feet from their home without permission. Tanner was glad to learn of that restriction from Mendez. It would make it easier to keep watch over the men.
After their initial joy at being freed from jail subsided, the brothers looked around warily, as if they were expecting trouble. They had heard that their driver, David Gonzalez, had been killed in his hospital room. Mendez offered to protect them if they talked, but they had ignored him.
The bearded man killed Gonzalez as an act of revenge for his dead partner. He’d also tortured the driver for information. It was a safe bet that he would target the Carrawell brothers too. Tanner hoped so. If not, it would make it much more difficult to track down the bearded man.
He thought of the blonde woman seen in Crash’s video. Mendez had received enhanced still shots from the state police that had been taken from the video. It remained difficult to identify the people’s faces, but the enhancement had clarified what the shiny object had been in the woman’s hair. It was a large silver barrette in the shape of a heart.
The Carrawells went home to McAllen, followed by a corrections officer who would set the perimeters of their ankle bracelets and reiterate the restrictions that were placed on the pair. The officer was dressed in plain clothes and had a no-nonsense face. Alden Carrawell gave the man the finger when his back was turned.
McAllen was about an hour’s drive away from Stark. The brothers lived together in a four-bedroom house with a picket fence and a flower garden in the front yard. Tanner was sure that their neighbors didn’t have a clue that they made their living as thieves. It was a nice middle-class area. With school back in session there were no kids in sight other than the occasional baby being pushed around in a stroller.
Tanner sipped on coffee as he waited for the bearded man to show. Before settling in, he had gone onto the property and set up a hidden camera at the rear. The camera only came on if it detected motion. If that happened, it would send a message to Tanner’s phone and start recording. So far, it had captured the antics of a pair of squirrels and Joshua Carrawell taking out the trash. Carrawell looked nervous and had a gun tucked in his belt. The brothers knew that they were on someone’s list.
Around noon they had a pizza delivered. Tanner took out a sandwich that Franny had packed for him and ate lunch at the same time. Franny thought he was off at a cattle auction and made him a snack for the drive.
Henry joined Tanner a short time later. He wore jeans, had brought his own thermos of coffee with him, and had stubble on his cheeks from having not shaved. He also carried a duffle bag with a change of clothing. They were on watch until the bearded man showed.
Tanner remembered the boy Henry had been when he’d met him. It seemed like too short a time ago for Henry to have turned into the young man that was seated beside him.
“What did I miss?”
“Nothing,” Tanner said. He passed Henry copies of the enhanced drone photos along with the police artist sketch of the bearded man Chief Harding had met.
Henry compared the sketch to the blurry photo of the bearded man in Crash’s video. “They look like they could be the same man, but I don’t think they are. The guy in the sketch has a bigger nose.”
“Maybe Harding got the nose wrong.”
“Maybe. And you think he’ll come here?”
“It makes sense if he’s looking for revenge. Why settle for killing one of the other crew that murdered your friend when you can get all three of them?”
“What do we do when he shows up?”
“We follow him when he leaves.”
Henry raised an eyebrow. “That will be after he kills the guys inside the house.”
“It will be. I don’t care what happens to them. They’re only useful as bait to attract the bearded man. Those two were firing weapons off in our town when our families, friends, and neighbors were nearby. If the bearded man doesn’t show to kill them, I’ll take care of it myself.”
“I don’t have a problem with that. And following the bearded man may lead us to the bastard that was driving that van. He almost killed Chrissy Kyle and it was no accident. He was aiming for her.”
Tanner gestured at the photos. There were two other men besides the one with the beard. One looked much younger than the other.
“Any idea which one of those two might be the driver?”
Henry studied the photos, then pointed to the shorter of the men.
“This guy. Other than the sick smile he wore, I never saw his face, but he had some hairy knuckles. As bushy as this guy’s eyebrows look, I’m guessing that’s him.”
“I hope to see him soon,” Tanner said.
Henry smiled as he pointed at a photo of the woman. “I’d like to see her soon. Even in this blurry photo you can tell that she’s hot.”
“We’re not doing this to find you a date. Remember, we may have to kill her.”
“I get that. If she threatens us, I’ll put her down. That goes for the rest of them too.”
“We need one of them to get the money back and explain why they went after such a small target.”
“Any idea why they did?”
“Just that there must be something else behind it. And whatever that is, it’s worth more than the money that was stolen.”
“And these two heist crews found out about it?”
“Yeah, then they went to war over it when they discovered they had competition.”
Henry settled back in his seat. Twenty minutes later he made an observation.
“This is boring.”
“It is. But being an assassin is more than pulling a trigger.”
“I know, and I’m not complaining. Like you said on the phone last night, this is something I need to experience.”
After another uneventful hour passed, Henry asked Tanner what was the longest that he’d ever staked out a place or person.
“It was weeks, a lot of weeks, then I had to wait for the perfect shot to come along.”
“I hope it paid well.”
“It did, and I had Romeo helping me.”
“I like Romeo.”
“He likes you too. I want you to spend more time with him the next time he visits. He can teach you a lot. He never had the title, but he’s a Tanner.”
“Because he passed all the training?”
>
“He did. It’s one reason why he’s such a deadly assassin.”
“Crash told me that you and Romeo saved Caroline when she was just a baby.”
“Yeah, we were your age and knew less than you do.”
“How long do I have to train before I take the tests you told me about?”
“That depends, but I’d say at least another year.”
“Will you test me at the ranch?”
“No. We’ll be going to Mexico. I own land down there that used to belong to Spenser. When you take my place as Tanner, that land will become yours. Tanners have taken the test there since it was first started.”
Henry took in a breath and blew it out in a soft whistle. “I have some legacy to live up to. I hope to God that I’m good enough.”
“You are, Henry. You have what it takes inside. There are thousands of men who can shoot well and are willing and able to kill, but being a Tanner is more than that. You have the heart needed to be one. You proved that again the other day when you risked yourself to save that girl.”
“I had to do that.”
“I know, it’s what makes you special. Most people would have hesitated or been unwilling to risk their own lives. You simply did what needed doing and never let fear stop you. It’s a quality that every Tanner has had. Don’t worry about the test. By the time I give it to you, I’ll have no doubt that you can pass it.”
The bearded man didn’t show that day, and the Carrawell twins never left the house. Tanner took the watch until four a.m. while Henry slept, then he got some sleep while Henry stayed awake. The second day was much of the same. When they got hungry, Henry took his car to pick up fast food to bring back.
So that they wouldn’t stick out so much, they alternated between watching from one of several spots near the home. Tanner rented a different vehicle every day in order to avoid someone becoming aware of the same strange car in the neighborhood. When he went to trade each vehicle in, Henry took the watch alone in his own car. They didn’t use Henry’s car any more than they had to. The classic Chevy Camaro was memorable. Tanner rented a van or some other large vehicle. They would need the room for the bearded man once they had him.
To Serve And Protect (A Tanner Novel Book 39) Page 3