by Linda Warren
“We’re not paying you a dime, Izzy, but you’re going to pay for the baby calves your dogs killed on Rebel Ranch.”
“Izzy’s dogs are not killing your calves,” Ira said.
“I tracked them to your fence line and there were no other dogs in the area. That’s eight calves at five hundred dollars a head.”
“You can’t prove that.”
“Maybe not, but now we know where the danger lies.”
“Ira, I need to talk to Izzy in here.” Wyatt motioned for them to come into the room, and surprisingly, the McCrays did as asked.
Kate Rebel had turned a shade of white Egan had never seen before, not even when their father died. For the first time, he realized how much his mother had aged in the past few years. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen her smile or heard her laugh. The weight of her sons’ futures and of Rebel Ranch weighed heavily upon her shoulders.
“Mom, are you okay?”
“It’s just seeing the McCrays and remembering what they have done to my family.”
Egan glanced at his older brother. “Falcon, take Mom home. I got this. It’s my problem, my battle, and there’s no need to interrupt everyone’s workday.”
“You heard the man.” Falcon took her elbow, but she pulled away.
“Egan...”
“I got it. No help needed.” His voice was strong and determined, so she’d get the message. She didn’t need another worry in her life. And for once, Egan knew he could handle the McCrays any day of the week. Or anything else that came his way.
His mother glanced at Gabe.
“I’ll stay on it, sis, so don’t worry.”
Kate Rebel followed her other sons out the door. Even Grandpa left without a word. Jericho lingered in the doorway and Egan knew he wouldn’t go far. He was used to that. Somehow he’d gotten a sidekick, like Tonto in The Lone Ranger. But that was fictional. This was real life. That secure feeling of knowing someone was always there was the same, though.
Egan took a seat in front of the sheriff’s desk and waited. He thought of Rachel and wondered how she was. Hopefully, she was okay and would have a good visit with her family if she told them the truth. He had his doubts about that.
Stuart came in and sat at his desk. “You want a cup of coffee?” he asked.
“No, thanks. I’m good.”
“The sheriff talking to the McCrays?”
Egan rested an ankle across his knee and brushed dirt from his boot. “Yeah. I hope it doesn’t take too long. I have work waiting for me.”
“Nah. The sheriff is fast. Won’t take him long to get to the truth.”
Wyatt came out and went to his desk. “I’m getting conflicting stories and I really need to talk to Rachel.” He picked up his phone and spoke to Hardy. Hanging up, he said, “Rachel is still out, so we keep waiting.”
“Did he say how she was?” Egan asked.
Wyatt leaned forward, a gleam in his eyes. “Did you know Rachel before this incident?”
“No, not really. I was well acquainted with her father, though.”
Wyatt tapped the desk. “I think we’ve established that.”
“Can I go now?”
Wyatt shook his head. “Sorry, Egan. You have to stay here until I hear Rachel’s story. That’s just the way it is.”
“That stinks.”
“Yep, but that’s the law business.”
Two hours later, with still no word from Hardy, Egan knew Wyatt had to make a decision. He couldn’t keep them sitting here forever. Sadly, it was not in Egan’s favor. The sheriff let the McCrays go and faced him.
“Sorry, Egan, looks as if Rachel’s going to be out for the night. And Judge Hollister has asked for testing to make sure the scratches on Rachel are not human. The judge doesn’t buy the dog story.”
Egan was flabbergasted. “What about the rabies? Isn’t the man worried about rabies?”
“Rachel was immediately given rabies shots and the public health officials are at the McCray property checking the dogs. It’s under control.”
“I doubt if it’s under control. Sounds to me like the judge is more concerned with putting me in jail than the welfare of his daughter.”
Wyatt looked at his phone as if willing it to ring. “I’ll admit the judge is jumping to conclusions, but he’s worried about Rachel.”
“So he figures I’ve done something to her for revenge.”
“Yes, that’s my guess.”
“Revenge is for weak men, Wyatt. The judge will get his one day, but it won’t be from me.”
Wyatt stood and reached for a piece of paper. “This is a warrant signed by Judge Henley, and I have to serve it. Until Rachel can tell her side of the story, that’s the way it has to be.”
“Come on, Wyatt.” Gabe had been on his phone and chimed in when he heard that.
“I have a warrant, Gabe. I can’t ignore it.”
“On the word of crazy Izzy McCray. You’re getting soft, Wyatt.”
The sheriff stiffened. “I’ve taken enough crap from the Rebels today. I’m just doing my job.”
“And I’m going to do mine,” Gabe said. “When Egan’s story checks out, I’m going to be filing charges on a lot of people for letting a retired judge manipulate the justice system. You included, Wyatt.”
Egan got to his feet before things got really heated. He surprised himself at the calmness that settled over him. Judge Hollister was not going to break his spirit—not ever again.
“Do what you have to do, Sheriff,” Egan told him.
“Empty your pockets and take off your belt.”
“I’m going to Temple to check on Rachel Hollister myself.” Gabe headed for the door. “I don’t trust the judge and his manipulations. Egan, hang in there. I’ll get you out one way or another.”
As the door closed, Wyatt cleared his throat and quoted, “Egan Rebel, you’re under arrest for the kidnapping of Rachel Hollister. You have the right to...”
The words echoed through Egan’s head. For years he’d been avoiding this, hiding out on the ranch, staying out of trouble, keeping his nose clean and avoiding people who could tempt him as they had in college. Until this moment he’d never realized what he’d been doing—avoiding life. Avoiding this situation where once again he would be placed in a cell for something he didn’t do.
One thing about prison was it toughened a man. Egan wasn’t shaking in his boots. His nerves were steady, because he was older and knew justice could not be blind a second time. Rachel would set him free. That might make him a little naive, but he felt he knew the woman pretty well. It was her father who gave him pause.
He removed his belt, wallet and change from his pockets and laid them on Wyatt’s desk.
His boots thudded on the concrete floor as he walked to the cell. Wyatt inserted a key and opened the steel door. It clanged with a well-remembered sound that made Egan sick to his stomach, but Wyatt would never see that on his face. Run, was the thought blasting through his mind. But he didn’t. He sat on the bottom bunk with a resignation that came from growing up.
“Again, I’m sorry, Egan,” Wyatt said. “I’m going home for a little while, but I’ll be back, and I’ll continue to check with the hospital.”
Egan nodded and scooted back on the hard mattress. As he did, he noticed Elias, who had been jailed several times for fighting, had written his name on a cinder block. Beneath it was Paxton’s name. Egan felt right at home.
Wyatt turned and then swung back. “Your friend Jericho is outside. Do you think you could get him to go home?”
“Are you afraid of him, Wyatt?”
“I’m afraid of what he will do. I’d hate for something stupid to happen when all this could be straightened out in a few hours.”
Egan knew Jericho would do anything to keep him from going back to prison. His friend had been there when Egan had been beaten and tormented by other inmates. If there was one thing he didn’t want, it was for both of them to go through that again.
“Send him i
n and I’ll talk to him.”
Jericho came inside and stood in front of the cell door like a big imposing wall, but half his attention was on Wyatt at his desk.
“Don’t worry. I got it covered,” Jericho whispered in his deep growl of a voice. “The sheriff will leave soon and I can handle Stuart. My truck is waiting outside and we can be gone in less than thirty seconds.”
Egan got up and walked to his friend. “Listen to me. I didn’t kidnap Rachel Hollister and I’m not breaking out of jail to risk spending the rest of my life in prison. You don’t want that, either, so go home. By morning I should be there, too.”
The hard-life creases on Jericho’s face intensified. “I’m not leaving until you do.”
“Go home, Rico. There’s a load of heifers that need to go to Abilene in the morning. You’re supposed to ride shotgun.”
“I already told Miss Kate and Falcon that I was staying here. They said okay.”
Egan looked into Jericho’s eyes, and like every time he did, it was a bit of a shock. His eyes were dark, sometimes almost blank, but underneath all the darkness was a glimpse of warmth that only a few people witnessed. Egan was one of them.
“Are you my friend?”
“Till death.”
“Then I want you to trust me when I say I can handle this with my eyes closed. These people can’t hurt me, and if by some slim chance I’m wrong, you’ll be the first person I’ll ask for help. Go home, Rico. I’ll call when I want you to pick me up.”
He didn’t move or respond.
“I’m good, man. It’s just a waiting game.”
Rico looked toward Wyatt, who was shuffling through some papers. “I can get you out of here in seconds and they’ll never find you.”
“Come on, man, don’t talk crazy.”
“They’ll railroad you again.”
“If that happens, then you can break me out of jail. How does that sound?” There was laughter in Egan’s voice, because this time he had faith in the system. He had faith in Wyatt.
Rico nodded. “I’ll just hang around a little longer.”
“No, Rico. You have a job on Rebel Ranch and you need to do it. Got it?”
He tipped his hat. “Got it.”
Egan watched until he disappeared around the corner. He’d never had a friend like Jericho. The man would die for him. That was more than anyone needed in a lifetime. But they’d been in the trenches together. When two inmates, both at least three hundred pounds, had held Egan’s head down in a toilet, Jericho had thrown them against a wall as if they weighed no more than rag dolls.
With his dark, forbidding presence, inmates feared Rico. At first Egan had, too. He’d been a skinny twenty-year-old witnessing things he’d seen only in movies. Having brothers, he knew how to fight. But he didn’t know how to fight mean. Jericho had taught him that, and he’d taught him how to survive. Why he chose to be Egan’s protector, Egan would never know. And Rico would never tell him. They had an understanding that went beyond anything Egan had ever experienced, even with his brothers. They’d connected at a time when they’d both desperately needed a friend.
Egan walked back to the bunk, suddenly feeling very tired.
“You know he’s not leaving.” Wyatt stood at the cell door.
“Yep.” Egan stretched out and folded his hands behind his head. For the first time he realized he didn’t have his hat. He’d lost it at the chopper and it was probably flying around somewhere on the ranch. It was his favorite hat and he’d find it just as soon as this bizarre situation was over.
“Jericho’s a scary character. I never can tell if he’s good or bad, and I’m not eager to find out which.”
“Good idea.”
“Stuart’s on duty and the diner will send over supper.”
Egan hadn’t eaten in two days, but he wasn’t hungry, just thirsty. He had to eat to maintain his strength for the next few hours, however.
“I’ll be back later.” Wyatt strolled to his office and soon Egan heard the front door close. Silence settled around him like a tomb, enclosing him in a six-by-eight-foot cell. He was locked in once again.
“Welcome back,” he whispered to himself.
* * *
VOICES PENETRATED RACHEL’S CONSCIOUSNESS. Angie’s, Hardy’s and her father’s. They were talking about her. She wanted to say something, but her mouth was dry and her eyelids heavy.
Another voice joined the conversation. It wasn’t familiar to her and it was definitely male.
“I hated to call you here so early in the morning, but Ms. Hollister has been waking up on and off and I felt her family needed to be here. In the meantime, I’d like to share the results of the tests. I have a good idea of what happened to your daughter.”
“The scratches are human, aren’t they? She tried to fight off that man, but he’s not going to get away with it. He’s in jail and he’s going to stay there.”
“I’m not sure who you mean when you say ‘that man.’ My colleagues and I agree that the scratches on Ms. Hollister were made by the claws of a dog, several in fact. As are the bites on her neck. That’s the reason we immediately gave her the rabies shots. We still haven’t heard from the health department, but at this point it really doesn’t matter, because we started the treatment. The infected spot on her right calf did not come from a dog. We extracted a broken-off mesquite thorn from it. Since it wasn’t cleaned like the scratches and bites, it became infected.”
“What do you mean, wasn’t cleaned?” Hardy asked.
“The scratches were thoroughly cleaned, especially the bites on her neck, which prevented any type of infection.”
“Who would do that?” her father asked.
Egan. Rachel tried to force her eyes open, and failed. Why couldn’t she wake up? She twisted restlessly, fighting the drugging effect.
“Ms. Hollister, are you awake?” Rachel realized the strange male voice belonged to the doctor.
“Sweetheart, can you hear me?” her father asked.
Finally, her eyes opened and she stared at her family. She quickly searched for the one person who wasn’t there. Egan. Why wasn’t he here?
“Where’s Egan?” She pushed the question through dry lips.
“Don’t worry.” Her father patted her arm. “He’s not going to hurt you anymore. I made sure he was locked up.”
What? She blinked, trying to understand what her father was saying, but her head throbbed and her body ached. Still, she had to focus.
“Ms. Hollister, do you feel like talking?” It was the doctor again.
“Y-yes.”
“Do you know what happened to you?”
She nodded. “I got lost and then my car broke down. I didn’t know what I was going to do until this very nice man showed up. He couldn’t fix my car and he told me to keep walking down the road and someone would eventually find me.” She swallowed. “It was getting late and I didn’t want to walk alone in the dark, so I asked if he’d help me get home.”
“What happened after that?” Hardy asked, and she stared into his concerned eyes.
“Hey, big brother, long time no see.”
“You look terrible, do you know that?”
“Ah, jeez, kick a girl when she’s down.”
Hardy kissed her forehead. “We’ve been so worried about you. Why didn’t you tell us you were coming home?”
“I wanted to surprise everyone.”
“You sure did. Do you feel up to telling me everything that happened?”
“Yes, but first I’d love something to drink.”
Angie poured Rachel a glass of water and handed it to her.”
“Thanks.” Rachel scooted up in the bed and took several sips, wincing as pain shot through her leg. Determined to tell her story, she ignored the aching. It didn’t take her long to explain what had happened.
When she finished, Hardy looked at their father. “Let me get this straight. Egan Rebel rescued you, and after the dogs attacked you, he cleaned your wounds and then ca
rried you out of there when you had a high fever.”
“Yes.”
“Sweetheart, are you sure about this?” Her father moved closer to the bed. “You’ve been through a traumatic experience.”
“Yes, Daddy, I’m sure.”
There was silence for a moment as her brother and father continued to exchange glances. By their lowered brows she knew something wasn’t right.
She glanced toward the door. “Where’s Egan? I want to thank him for saving my life.”
Hardy swiped a hand through his hair. “Sis, we’ve had some conflicting stories.”
“What kind?”
“We have a witness who said he saw Egan Rebel drag you from the car into the woods.”
“What?” Startled, she coughed, then couldn’t seem to stop. Once she caught her breath, she took a swallow of water and said, “You’re kidding, right?”
“No.”
“Who was this witness?” she asked, placing the glass on the nightstand.
“Isadore McCray.”
A chilly foreboding gripped Rachel. She glanced at Hardy and then at her father. “You didn’t believe him, did you?” Hardy’s face paled, something Rachel rarely saw. He was always in control. “What did you do?”
“Now, sweetheart.” Her father rubbed her arm again, taking over the conversation, as he was always known to do. “I was very upset and I did the only thing I could. Under the circumstances, I feared Mr. Rebel was out for revenge and had found a way to get even with me. I called Judge Henley and got a warrant for his arrest. Egan Rebel is in jail.”
Chapter Seven
“What?” Rachel sat up quickly, making her head spin. She lay back and tried to calm herself. But the thought of Egan in jail was more than she could bear. She took a deep breath. “How could you do that to him again? He did nothing but help me.”
“Sweetheart, we had a witness.”
Her hands curled into tight fists against the sheet. “Your so-called witness sicced his dogs on me. They knocked me to the ground and would have killed me if it hadn’t been for Egan. He saved my life, and for that you put him in jail. I will never forgive you.”
“Rachel, I understand you’re a little upset, but I was looking out for your welfare.”