Heaviness weighed on her chest. A sob caught in her throat. She didn’t have to ask. The tone of Seth’s voice told her everything. But she forced the words out just the same. “Know what?”
“She didn’t make it, Melissa. I’m sorry.”
Melissa pushed back a flood of tears. She couldn’t afford to give in to her feelings over Essie and Jimmy. Not yet. All she could do for them was find the men who killed them. That was what she had to focus on now.
“Are you okay?”
She willed her voice to sound less shaken than she felt. Seth’s concern for her was sweet, but he would also use it as an excuse to take control. She’d always been careful not to show any weakness around him for just that reason. “I’m fine.”
“Marris has turned Essie’s life upside down and found nothing. The shooter’s target had to be Jimmy Bernard.”
Melissa nodded, although something illogical inside her still resisted the idea that someone would want to kill Jimmy. She cleared her throat. “Seth, five boxes were delivered here. Gayle Rodgers sent them the day she died.”
“You opened them.” Not a question, but a statement. Obviously he could read her voice despite her efforts.
“I know. I should have left them sealed, brought them back.” She could have blamed it all on Nick, saved herself, but she couldn’t bring herself to do that. When it came down to it, she wanted to see what was in those boxes as much as he had.
“What was inside?”
“Most of them contained toys and kids books. I think she might have planned to bring Jason back to the ranch. Maybe to get away from some threat she felt.”
“A threat?”
“It makes me doubt Sanchez’s motive was simple robbery. I wonder if she knew him, if she felt some kind of pressure from him that she was looking to escape.” The thought that Gayle might have gotten into drugs and Sanchez was her supplier had occurred to Melissa, even before this. But she had no real evidence.
“Interesting. But you found something else, too.”
Again, it was as if he’d read between the words she’d said, and added up the ones she hadn’t. “Papers. Financial stuff, credit card statements, that kind of thing.”
“And there was something that caught your eye?”
“Records for a cell phone I’ve never seen before.”
“And?”
“She made some calls, a lot of them, actually.”
“To?”
“Our office.”
Silence answered her.
“Why was Gayle Rodgers calling our office, Seth? And why didn’t I know about this before?”
The faint sound of a heavy exhale rasped over the phone. “I didn’t want you to find out this way.”
“Find out what?” She wished she could read Seth like he could read her. “Tell me.”
“Come back to Denver. Bring Raymond and the boy.”
“What were you referring to, Seth? What didn’t you want me to find out?”
“I can’t tell you this over the phone, Melissa.”
“Can’t tell me or won’t?”
“Won’t.”
She gripped the phone, hoping by holding on tight she could keep her hands from shaking along with her voice. “No good, Seth. I have to know what’s happening. I’m not going to drag Nick and Jason back to Denver without understanding what’s going on.”
“Knowing and understanding are two different things.”
“Tell me.”
“If I tell you, you’ll bring the cowboy and the boy back?”
“It depends. I have to be able to assure him they’ll be safe.” And convince Nick to do something he had insisted he wasn’t going to do.
“And you think they’re safe at Raymond’s ranch?”
“Aren’t they?” The tremor settled in her stomach.
“I don’t know.”
The fact that Seth would admit to not knowing something worried Melissa most of all. “Tell me what’s going on, and I’ll make sure they’re safe.”
“And?”
“And I’ll talk Nick into returning to Denver.”
“And if he refuses, you’ll arrest his ass and drag him back.”
She hesitated. Yesterday putting Nick and his son through that kind of trauma felt cruel and unnecessary. After the time they’d spent together today, it felt like a betrayal. “We’ve crossed state lines.”
“Find a way to make it work. Raymond is a witness. Just do your job.”
Her job. She nodded into the phone as if Seth could see her. Her job had shaped her life, made it possible for her to become who she wanted to be. Seth was right. She’d do her job and things would work out. Nick and Jason would stay safe. They would find Jimmy’s killers. Justice would be done in the end. “Okay. I’ll bring him back. We’ll leave tomorrow. Now tell me what’s going on.”
“Gayle Rodgers was working with our office.”
Melissa felt cold. Informants and witness worked with the district attorney’s office every day. But the way Seth had tried to hold the information back, the way he’d built up to the revelation, she knew she wasn’t going to like this one bit. “Working with us how? Why?”
“It was about Jimmy, Melissa.”
She shook her head. “Jimmy? What do you mean, it was about Jimmy? What was about Jimmy?”
“He’s been involved in some…things. Things we were looking into.”
“What are you saying?”
“Jimmy Bernard was being investigated for taking bribes from the Latin Devils.”
The name of José Sanchez’s gang shuddered through her like a physical force.
“I’m sorry, Melissa. Gayle Rodgers was one of our informants.”
“No. I don’t believe you.”
“I wouldn’t make up something like this. You know that. I liked Jimmy. The idea of this hurts me as much as it hurts you, but the law is the law. We can’t just turn our backs because we like someone. And cops have to be subject to the law the same as everyone else.”
She leaned forward and rubbed her forehead. This was ridiculous. An outrageous lie. “Gayle Rodgers worked in a private law office. How would she even know Jimmy, let alone have anything to inform about?”
Silence answered on the other end.
“Seth?”
“We’ll talk about that when you get here.”
“Just tell me.”
“We’re still investigating. I’ll fill you in when you get back to Denver.”
“Investigating…” She closed her eyes. It was her job to further investigate the case against Sanchez, to shore up the weak spots. Although they had two pieces of physical evidence that tied him to the crime, both his fingerprints on the murder weapon—a heavy, brass statuette—and the victim’s personal belongings in his possession, the case was weak when it came to motive. The court didn’t require a motive for a conviction, but juries tended to like knowing why the crime was committed. And Sanchez never struck Melissa as the robbery type. “Are you revisiting Gayle’s murder?”
“We’re looking at everything.”
“You’re not. You can’t be.”
“Can’t be what?”
“You can’t be thinking that Jimmy killed Gayle to keep her quiet.” The words sounded so preposterous she had to stifle a giggle. She felt like she was teetering on the edge of a stress-fueled laughing jag.
“No, we’re thinking Sanchez killed Gayle to protect the arrangement with Jimmy.”
“You’re not kidding.” She’d known he wasn’t, but somewhere in the back of her mind, she’d still held out hope that all this was some kind of tasteless joke.
“Like I said, I don’t want to believe it, either. And I’m not saying it’s fact. That’s why we’re looking into it, being thorough, even now.”
Even now that Jimmy was dead, he meant. “And who killed Jimmy?”
“He arrested Sanchez. Their deal was that he look the other way.”
“The Latin Devils.” And if the Devils killed Jimmy… �
��You think the gang is after Nick.”
“Now you understand why I’m worried about keeping him safe?”
She understood. The gang had a reputation for brutality against anyone who crossed them. They might just follow Nick out of Denver to get rid of an eyewitness. But the rest? No way. Not for a second. “You’ll show me the case against Jimmy in detail when I get back?”
“If it’s what you want.”
“It is.” She wouldn’t believe Jimmy Bernard was dirty. She never would, no matter what the evidence. But if she could get a look at what they had against him, she could work on taking their case apart brick by brick.
She could clear Jimmy’s name and give him the justice he deserved.
Chapter Seven
The sky outside was dark and Nick and Jason had already eaten a small supper and helped the ranch hands feed the horses by the time Melissa emerged from her room, his satellite phone in hand. “We need to go back to Denver.”
He was afraid she’d say that. “You know my answer.”
“Things have changed.”
“How?”
She glanced in Jason’s direction.
A Hot Wheels car in each hand, he made motor sounds with his lips, alternately driving the cars on their tracks and over the table’s edge.
“How have things changed?” Nick repeated.
“It seems she was an informant.”
Melissa hadn’t specified who the she referred to, but she didn’t have to. An informant. That was a new twist. “For the D.A.’s office?”
“Seth says they were looking into police corruption.” She paused. Just as Nick was about to prod, she took a breath. “The D.A.’s office was investigating Jimmy.”
She’d stated the name with little emotion, but Nick wasn’t fooled. He’d seen how broken up she’d been when Detective Barnard died. He’d sensed there was more between them than the fact that they worked together on a case here and there. “I’m sorry.”
She waved his words away, but instead of continuing, she turned her head to the side.
Was she crying? It appeared so. He didn’t want to pry into something so painful. And he wouldn’t—if his and his son’s lives weren’t connected to this—but as it was, he needed to know. “This Jimmy, he was special to you, wasn’t he?”
“Yes.” She kept her face turned to the side and tilted her chin toward the ceiling, as if using gravity to keep the tears from breaking free.
“A lover?” His voice hung in the air, awkward and inappropriate even to his own ears. “I’m sorry. I know it’s not my business. It’s just—”
She shook her head. “It’s okay. We weren’t lovers. Nothing like that. Jimmy was more like the father I never had.”
Nick had no reason to feel relieved, but he did all the same. He nodded in what he hoped was an understanding way. “I’m doubly sorry, then.”
“Thanks.” She dropped her gaze to the contents of the box. “Jimmy’s the reason I got into police work.”
A cop. She’d originally been a cop. He couldn’t say he was surprised. The way she’d handled the shooting on the street and took out the car that was gunning for them on the mountain road seemed like the work of a cop. “How did you end up with the district attorney’s office?”
She looked away from him, as if she was uncomfortable talking about herself. Or at least uncomfortable with his question. “I started as a police officer for the city. There were more opportunities for advancement working for the county, at least at that time, so I switched.”
Opportunity for advancement. The unease he’d felt earlier clamped down on the back of his neck. Ambition. Another uncomfortable parallel with Gayle. This attraction of his…he really was replaying the past. At least now that he recognized it, he could steer clear. “I’m sorry you had to find this out about your mentor, but I don’t understand what it has to do with us returning to Denver.”
“He wasn’t taking bribes. Jimmy would never do that, and I’m going to prove it.”
He nodded. Fine with him. “I’ll drive you to Jackson for that rental car.”
“No.” She finally turned back and looked him in the eye. “You have to go with me. Jason, too. I’m sorry.”
Seemed like they were all sorry. But he had one up on her. He was good and confused, as well. “Did the authorities find the car in the ravine?”
“Yes.”
“And the men who were shooting at us? Are they dead?”
“Yes.”
“Then it seems my role in this should be over.”
“There were only two bodies in the car.”
A heaviness bore down on his chest. “You know that for sure?”
“That’s how many they recovered. Two.” She held up her fingers, in case he needed to count. “I need you to come back with me.”
Not, “Seth Wallace wants” or, “the system needs” or even his presence was required for justice’s sake. She needed him.
The fact that her personal plea felt different made him more than a little uncomfortable. “I suppose you’ll get a promotion out of the deal?”
She frowned at him as if he didn’t understand a thing. “The charges against Jimmy aren’t true. I have to prove it. And the only way Seth will agree to give me a look at the case against Jimmy is to bring you back to Denver.”
Loyalty, not ambition.
He shook his head. No matter how good her reason, his hadn’t changed. And his resolve hadn’t weakened, not one bit. “I’ll take you to Jackson. If that isn’t enough for you, you can walk.”
“Stop.” The little voice ripped through the tension between them.
They both turned toward Jason. Tears pooled in blue eyes and streaked round cheeks. “No fighting.”
His small voice hit Nick with the wallop of a thousand-pound kick to the gut. Jason had been so young when he and Gayle had last been together. He couldn’t remember all the arguing, could he? Or had he been exposed to arguing since? Not that it mattered. Although his argument with Melissa was different than the ones he’d had with Gayle over…everything…he was replaying the discord just as he was replaying the attraction. Wasn’t he? Or did it just make things easier to think so?
He focused on Jason, trying to push his questions to the back of his mind. His son was the most important person in the world. He needed to focus on making him feel comfortable and safe and at home on the ranch. Arguing with Melissa certainly wasn’t going to accomplish that, and neither was obsessing over the similarities and differences between her and Gayle.
He reached out a hand and awkwardly patted his son on the shoulder. “I’m sorry, Buddy. We won’t fight anymore.”
Melissa gathered Jason into her arms. “No more fighting. We promise.”
Jason burrowed his face into her shoulder, his free hand finding her hair and tangling it in his fingers.
She glanced up at Nick.
Nick gave her a nod, careful not to meet her eyes. He hoped she realized agreeing to stop arguing didn’t mean he’d given in. Jason was safe at the Circle J, and that wasn’t something Nick would risk. Not for anyone.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Melissa tilt her wrist, giving her watch a glance. “Looks like it’s about that time,” she said.
Nick glanced at the wall clock. He hadn’t realized it was getting so late. “Okay, Buddy. Why don’t we head in to bed?”
Jason frowned and shook his head. “Don’t want to.”
“I’ll read you a story.” He fished a book from one of the boxes and held it up. “How about this one?”
The little guy shook his head and went back to playing with cars.
Nick could feel Melissa watching him. So now what did he do? No kid liked to go to bed, right?
“Maybe you should take a little of your own horseback riding advice.”
He glanced up at Melissa. “What’s that?”
“Take control. Focus on what you want to have happen.”
He brought his attention back to his son. Served
him right to have his words thrown back at him. Still, she might have a point. He supposed he should just pick the little guy up and go.
He stepped through the jumble of boxes and zeroed in on Jason. Bending down, he held out his hands to scoop the little boy up.
Something inside made him hesitate.
“No.”
Nick wasn’t sure when he’d ever heard such a piercing scream. He slipped his hands under Jason’s armpits.
“No, no, no.” Jason thrashed, screaming as if he was sure Nick was going to kill him. “I don’t got to. You’re not my mommy! You’re not my mommy! I hate you! I want to go home!”
Nick knew little kids had tantrums, especially ones who had been through as much emotional upheaval as Jason in the past few days. The child psychologist at the hospital had warned him about just this thing. He knew he should hold his ground. Be firm and patient, just like he’d be with a stubborn horse. But somehow his son’s screams stunned the will right out of him.
He released the squirming little body and glanced at Melissa. “You want to try?”
She smiled at Jason. “Choose some toys to sleep with you, Buddy.” She stood and grasped his hand.
Like flipping a switch, the little guy’s screaming stopped. Hand in hand with Melissa, he scurried around the den, gathering cars and action figures. Finally he and Nick exchanged stiff good-nights, and Jason followed Melissa into his bedroom.
Nick watched them go, his arms hanging useless by his sides. It was stupid to feel rejected by a four-year-old who didn’t want to go to bed. He knew that. But that’s how he felt all the same. It was as if everything Gayle said had been right all along.
He shook his head. When he’d thought about bringing his son home, he’d had visions of tucking him in bed and watching over him while he slept, knowing he was safe. The thing he’d yearned for most these past three years.
Things weren’t working out remotely as he’d planned.
He lifted his hat from his head and ran his fingers through his hair before replacing it. He could sit here and feel sorry for himself all night, but what would that get him? It wouldn’t convince Melissa and her boss that they didn’t need him to go back to Denver. It wouldn’t find out where the other two drive-by shooters disappeared to. And it wouldn’t make Jason fall in love with the ranch and his father.
A Rancher’s Brand of Justice Page 6