"Where're you hit?"
"Back shoulder--must've hit a lung."
Link felt the man's shoulder. His probing fingers found the wound in back. He found no front exit wound. Under these conditions, who could tell?
Help, if it came at all, was a long ways away.
With his handkerchief, Link made a makeshift bandage pad to staunch the blood's flow. He tore a strip from his shirt to tie the handkerchief in place. In the rain and dark, there was no way to tell how badly Ricky bled.
"Sling your good arm over my shoulder. We can make it to the river."
It took all his strength to pull the smaller man to a standing position. Link and Ricky found a dragging gait that allowed them to proceed. When Link thought his lungs and legs would give out, he saw the river shining through the trees.
No more shouts came from their pursuers but they could be anywhere. Link stopped to get his bearings and listen for noises. He heard only distant thunder and rain dripping through the trees. And the pounding beat of his heart.
He whispered to Ricky, "Rest here while I make sure we don't have company."
There, not ten yards away, the boat waited. The river had risen several feet, but the boat was still accessible. If they were not stopped by Boo or Al.
As Link was about to step out of the trees, he sensed movement from the side.
He froze. Lightning flashed. He saw Boo walking in a crouch not three yards ahead. Even in the dark, Link saw the massive man silhouetted against the river. Boo hurried to the boat and laughed. With a swift tug, he slashed the mooring line and set the small craft free in the racing waters.
Chapter Thirty
Jason saw Maggie look at the clock. Almost one. Eddy Wells had called twice. And still no word from his dad. She held the envelope as if it would burst into flames at any moment.
Jason remembered exactly what his father said. If he wasn't home by noon, they needed to open the envelope and call the number inside. When someone answered, they should repeat the message written there.
He was real worried. He could tell Maggie was too. Something bad must have happened to Dad. Maybe like happened to Mom.
"Open it, Maggie. Please. That's what Dad said." Jason looked up at the woman.
With shaking fingers, Maggie ripped open the envelope. A small piece of paper fluttered out as she pulled the paper from the envelope. She scanned the page.
"What's it say? Read it to me. Please."
Maggie adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat.
"If I haven't returned home by noon on Saturday, call Travis at the DEA number below. Tell him I'm in trouble, then read Eddy Wells the contents of the second envelope."
She adjusted her glasses again. "Oh, dear, I tore the number when I opened the envelope."
Jason dropped to his knees. "That must have been the little piece of paper that fell. I'll look around on the floor."
"If Lincoln's in trouble, he can't wait for us to look for a piece of a puzzle. We'd better call the Sheriff's office right away."
"But, Maggie, Dad didn't say anything about calling the Sheriff. We'd better call Eddy Wells first."
"Jason Lamar Dixon, you leave decisions like this to adults." Maggie hurried to phone the Sheriff's office while Jason crawled on all fours in search of the missing piece of paper.
After several minutes of searching, he stood. There on the knee of his jeans, a tiny slip of paper was stuck in place.
"It's the piece of the note," he called to the housekeeper. "Hey, Maggie, I found it."
Maggie returned the phone receiver to its cradle and turned to him. Her voice came in a rush of relief.
"Sheriff Clayton said he would take care of it, Jason. He said he knows this Mr. Travis and will contact him for us. He'll call that nice Eddy Wells, too. He's sending a car over to pick up the envelope for Eddy."
She put the note and the second envelope on the table by the front door.
When Maggie returned to her cleaning, Jason carefully placed the torn piece of paper on the center of the note from his father. Precisely and slowly, he folded the note around the small piece of paper. With a glance over his shoulder, he stuffed the note into his jeans pocket and slipped out the door.
As he rounded the corner of the house, he saw the Sheriff's car turn into the front drive.
Chapter Thirty-One
Anna stretched her arms upward. "What a glorious Saturday morning. Vince, you were smart to wait until you found this place. It really is perfect."
Vince Bertolli looked smug. "Exactly what I've always dreamed of." He carried a bundle of stakes and a large hammer. "Now remember, Anna, you're here to help me find the place for the house. The architect’s coming out next week. Quit rubbernecking."
Bantering back and forth about the merits of one part of the bluff over another, the two finally found a site that met Vince's specifications. Placing the stakes would take longer than deciding on a location.
"While you stake your claim, I think I'll walk around a bit."
"Yeah, well don't fall off the edge of the bluff," he warned without looking up from the wooden stake he hammered into the ground.
Anna strolled along for several minutes before she saw two men with dogs across the river. She wondered what they hunted so intently. Sunlight glinted on the barrel of a rifle and sent a chill down her spine. She hated guns.
Not being a hunter herself, she had no idea what kind of game might be in season now. She couldn't explain the feeling of dread that swept over her, but she found the men with their guns and dogs ominous.
She turned, retreated a few steps, and called softly to her brother, "Vince, come see what you think of this."
The tone of her voice must have caught his attention, because he put down his hammer and walked toward her. She motioned for him to follow her beneath a large oak tree.
Pointing to the men across the river, she asked, "What do you think they're looking for?"
He watched them for a few minutes. "I think the question might be who are they looking for?"
Shock and denial ricocheted through her. "Oh, no. Surely not here. I told you that looked like a meth lab."
He slung his arm across her shoulders and gave her a hug. "An old friend had me checking on that land. Some bad things that have been going on in Spencer County may be connected."
Disappointment flooded her and she turned away. That was when she saw the flash of color below.
"Look down there," Anna pointed to the rolling meadow below them. "No, not the grassy area," she said following his gaze. "Look at the plum thicket by the bank. See, back a few feet from that big log. That patch of red. It looks like a man. No, maybe two men."
"Damn, you're right. Wonder if that's who those guys across the way are looking for?"
She hugged her arms. "We'd better find them before those men with guns do."
"Yeah. And we'd better move fast. Look, I'll take that trail down the side of the hill. You get the car and drive around to that road at the meadow's edge." Vince moved toward the trail. "If it's not too muddy from last night's rain, maybe you can drive right up to the thicket. You remember how to switch into 4-wheel drive, don't you?"
She nodded and rushed away.
While Anna drove the longer route by road, Vince scrambled across rocks and negotiated the narrow trail someone had cut into the bluff. The last thing he wanted was to fall or attract the attention of those across the river. The thicket was easily within rifle range of the men. He moved cautiously out to the meadow.
When he reached the thicket, he stopped, stunned at the sorry sight. He didn't recognize the man in the red shirt, but he recognized Link Dixon--barely.
Vince gently nudged Link. A moan escaped his lips.
"Dixon, Dixon? It's Vince Bertolli. What happened to you? Can you talk to me?"
The swollen eyes opened a slit and the brow furrowed. Blood caked his face and mouth. His lips wouldn’t meet.
He croaked, "Vis? Caw Tras. Tell 'em."
"Listen, Dixon, I can't understand you. Hold on. My sister's bringing the car."
Vince moved to check on the other man. His face was as pale as death but not battered. A makeshift bandage across his shoulder was soaked with both fresh and dried blood. At least he was breathing. Vince squatted between Link and the other man.
"Don't worry. You're both safe now. We'll drive you to Spencer County Hospital."
Link tried to raise his body, but couldn't move. Hospital, no. No, not a hospital. Especially not in Spencer County. He had to call Travis and keep out of sight. He tried to speak, but no words came. His last conscious thought was of sunlight, the glorious sunlight of heaven and a red-haired angel bending over him.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Anna looked at her watch again and back at the pale face of the man beside her. It seemed to her the few miles to Spencer County General Hospital took hours. At the hospital, emergency personnel swarmed around the injured men. She and Vince soon found themselves superfluous.
Anna said, "I'm calling Kathy. She can get in touch with her family and let them know her brother’s here."
The call completed, Anna sat in one of the lobby chairs to await her friend's arrival.
Within thirty minutes, the lobby filled with uniformed sheriff's deputies. The sheriff followed them. As usual, that odd Buel Watson was only a few steps behind the sheriff, his beady eyes glistening with excitement.
Excitement also lighted the sheriff’s porcine face. "Well, you folks found yourselves a heap of trouble this morning, didn't you? Can't thank you enough for risking your lives to bring these dangerous men in."
Vince and Anna exchanged glances before Vince spoke up. "Risking our lives? Dangerous men? What are you talking about, Gary Don?"
Anna had heard the use of his name instead of his title irked the sheriff. But the smile which left his eyes remained on his mouth.
"These two men are wanted for murder and involved in a drug ring. Surely you heard the bulletin on the radio about them?"
Kathy Dixon burst into the lobby. Evidently she heard the last of Gary Don's speech, because she interrupted before Vince or Anna had to respond. Hands on her hips and fire in her eyes, Kathy said, "Gary Don Clayton, have you gone crazy? You know very well my brother has never been involved in anything dishonest in his life."
The sheriff patted Kathy on the shoulder, "Now, now, little lady. I know you don't want to think anything bad of your big brother, but we got proof. I'm real sorry, but we got to put a guard on his door and place him under arrest."
By this time, all the adults of the Dixon family with their related Phifer family members had arrived and gathered around Kathy. Incredulous shock registered on each face followed by varying degrees of anger.
Lamar Dixon spoke for his family, "Gary Don, my son never did anything wrong."
Sheriff Clayton turned to the elder Dixon, a sober and sorrowful expression on his face. "It pains me real bad, Mr. Dixon, but facts are facts. I'm afraid y'all will have to wait until things are straightened out before you can see him. We'll let you know just how he's doing, though."
Vince stepped forward. "I'm Lincoln Dixon's counsel, Sheriff. I expect to talk with him as soon as he's conscious."
The sheriff scowled. "Well, now. Were you helpin' him to escape arrest, Bertolli? That makes you an accessory in my book."
Vince stepped forward to meet the challenge. "Watch your step, Clayton. If I were helping him escape, I wouldn't have brought him to the county hospital.” He took another step to peer up into the sheriff’s florid face. “The man's entitled to representation whenever you talk to him, and you’d better see he gets it."
Sheriff Gary Don Clayton scratched his several chins and stepped back. He regarded the attorney with speculative eyes. "Yeah, well, we'll let you know when he's gonna be questioned."
The doctor came out to speak with the family and advised them of the serious condition of both men. Eddy Wells bustled in at the end of the doctor's words and had to be updated by Vince. The two men strode to a far corner of the room to speak privately.
Anna drifted over to listen.
Eddy blamed himself for the situation. "If only I'd gone with him last night. I couldn't even keep Martinez at Papa Jacks."
Vince pulled Eddy further away from the others in the waiting room and Anna moved with them. In a hushed voice, Vince asked, "What do you mean?"
Eddy recounted the instructions of the evening before, then his surprise when he called Maggie the third time to find she had called the Sheriff. She told him of the Sheriff's promise to call him and Travis.
"And the Sheriff didn't call you?" When the young man shook his head, Vince asked, "This Martinez, is he a small Hispanic man with tattoos, and a gold tooth? Wearing a bright red western shirt when you saw him last night?"
"Yeah. How'd you know?" Eddy asked, surprise and suspicion in his eyes.
"That's the other guy with Link. We found them both unconscious in a clump of wild plum at my place on the Brazos this morning.”
"How'd they get there?" Eddy asked
"Don't know. Link had been beaten close to death by someone who meant business. He has a bullet hole in his right arm, but it looked superficial. It’s the battering that really put him out of commission. The other guy has a bullet in his shoulder, but no other marks on him."
Anna added, "He was in a bad way, though. He'd lost a lot of blood. Neither man could move without help."
Eddy scratched his head. "I don't understand any of this. I'd be willing to bet a year's salary Link is honest through and through--and just as sure Martinez is a crook."
With a glance over her shoulder, Anna said, "Kathy’s other sister Fran and her husband just came in.” She went to greet them and speak to Kathy, then came back. “Vince, I'm going to stay with Kathy and her family for a little while. They're moving to a waiting room upstairs, third floor. I'll get a briefing from you later."
Vince started to object, but knew he would be overruled. "All right, Anna." He turned to Eddy. "What about you? You working on this?"
"I have the weekend off, unless they pull everyone in on emergency overtime."
In his mind, Vince went over the information he had accumulated so far. "Who is this guy Travis?"
"According to Maggie, the note said to call this Travis at the DIA. She was terribly upset, so I think she means the DEA. She said the sheriff knows the man and promised to take care of it."
Vince looked at the sheriff strutting about. What a jackass. The man looked like a character from a grade B movie. "Sure. Just like he called you."
Eddy shook his head. "This had a real bad feeling, right from yesterday. Why was Link working without the sheriff's or Goddard's knowledge? Maybe the sheriff forgot to call me in his haste to get to the hospital."
"Yeah, right. Maybe." Vince doubted it.
"What if he never intended to call me?" Eddy looked horror struck. "What if he never called this Travis at DEA?"
Eddy clapped his Stetson on his head. "Maggie said the sheriff took the note Link left for me. I think I'll stroll over and see if I can get it from him."
Vince lengthened his stride to keep up with the lanky deputy. "I think I'll just go with you to see what that note says."
The two stood at the side of the crowd until the sheriff finished his announcement. "I understand Link left a note for me, sheriff. Maggie said you have it." Heads of news people swiveled to regard the Deputy.
"Sure thing, Wells." The Sheriff made a great show of patting his pockets before he brought forth an envelope. "Maggie Sparkman, Dixon's housekeeper, said she had instructions to see you got this. It's a photocopy, of course. Have to keep the original for evidence."
The mob crushed in around Eddy, each person hoping to get the first view of the note. Vince stood at one side, his bottom lip between his teeth.
"Read it out loud," someone shouted.
Eddy tucked the note into his pocket. "No, thanks, folks. It's personal."
E
ddy motioned to Vince and the two of them went to join the Dixon family. In the elevator, Eddy opened the note and read it.
"Damned if I believe this." He handed the note to Vince. "What about you?"
Vince scanned the note and snorted in anger.
"If you are reading this, then I am either dead or wounded and close to death. I want to confess my guilt for dealing in drugs and for the death of agent Jenkins and Mitzi Dunaway. I hope my family and friends can forgive me. The death of my beloved wife has played heavily on my mind. I guess her death affected my judgement."
Vince returned the note. "Doesn't fit together, does it? Let's get his family to look at it."
When they got to the waiting room, Vince motioned to Gwen. "Check this and tell me if it's your brother's writing." Anna and Kathy joined them.
Gwen pointed to the paper. "It’s a bit like his writing, but it couldn't be. For one thing, see here where it says 'beloved wife?' He and his wife were close to divorce."
Gwen looked guilty, then shrugged. "I shouldn't have told that, but you get what I mean."
Eddy said, "And he always called this Mitzi by her maiden name, Morrison, not Dunaway, cause that's how he knew her in high school."
"So someone forged this to make him look guilty." Gwen's eyes narrowed in thought. "My first and last guess would be that big blob, Gary Don Clayton."
Lamar Dixon scanned the letter. “This isn’t Link’s writing or the way he phrases things. No way in hell has Link done what that blowhard sheriff accuses him of. I’m calling my brother Mick.”
“Say, that’s a good idea, Dad Dixon,” Forrest said. “Mick will be able to tell us how best to help Link from the law enforcement angle with Deputy Wells while Vince here handles the defense side.”
Fran and her husband came up to the group. Fran spoke to Vince and Eddy, "You know, Link had borrowed Rob's boat last night. He said he needed it to work on a case."
Rob added, "The boat was found this morning halfway to Granbury. Lucky for me it was rescued by an honest fisherman who looked in the glove box and found my insurance papers. Someone had cut the mooring rope."
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