by Joanna Wayne
“I don’t remember the Wallace spread,” Tucker said. “How would you rate it?”
“Excellent water sources and great grazing land. You and Riley should take a look at it. Consider going in together and buying it. You have to settle down somewhere one day.”
“I might consider that,” Tucker said. “Bull riding is not a job you can grow old in.”
Not surprisingly, Riley didn’t comment.
Dani was passing the bacon to Pierce when she saw him reach for his phone. He checked the screen, nodded to Riley and silently mouthed the name Andy.
Pierce left the room with Riley at his heels. She stood and hurried to follow them to the family den. This was her fight and she wasn’t sitting it out.
Chapter Seventeen
“Riley and Dani Boatman are here with me.”
“Then put your phone on speaker. Nothing I have to tell you is classified.”
“Ready on this end,” Pierce said.
Dani scooted closer to the phone, not wanting to miss anything the FBI agent had to say.
“James Haggard has an arrest record that is miles long, though he’s never served much time and hasn’t been arrested in over five years. His crimes range from online scamming to unarmed robberies.”
“Seems he’s picked up his old habits,” Riley said. “What’s the possibility he could escalate to more violent crimes?”
“Not great, but you can never rule that out with a man like Haggard, especially with this amount of money involved. He’s been a petty thief for the most part.”
“It may sound like a lot of money,” Dani reminded him. “But it’s not as if someone can just write a check for it. It’s in a trust fund.”
“If you’re a legal parent, there are always ways around that if you try hard enough,” Andy offered. “The real danger is that the trust-fund money might lure James’s older brother into the mix if it hasn’t already. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s behind Haggard’s scam.”
“What do you know about him?” Pierce asked.
“Have you ever heard of Cecil Molina?”
“Sounds familiar,” Riley said.
“He runs the most profitable smuggling operation the Western Hemisphere has ever seen. Guns. Illegal drugs. Humans. An underage sex ring. He’s active across South and Central America and on our southern border.”
“Sounds like he spreads himself thin,” Riley said.
“Which is why he’s still at large. If he gets close to being caught in one area, he moves somewhere else.”
“I’m not following this train of thought,” Dani said. “What does Cecil Molina have to do with James Haggard or his brother?”
“Sorry,” Andy said. “We FBI agents tend to get caught up in the big picture. Lenny Haggard was Molina’s top hit man. Lenny is wanted for murder in Texas, Arizona and California. His last hit was a judge’s family of five in south Texas.”
“Sounds like he’s probably pulling down his share of money on his own,” Pierce said.
“He was, but we hear through very reliable sources that he crossed Molina and now Lenny is on Molina’s hit list. He may have split the country by now, but there’s a chance he’s looking for funds to get him far away from Molina’s large base of operations.”
“Which would explain the desperation and the rush to settle with cash,” Riley said. “And up the likelihood for violence.”
“Let’s just say Lenny has killed for a lot less,” Andy said.
“Do you have a picture of Lenny?” Riley asked.
“On my computer, which is right here.”
“Start the transfer anytime.” In a matter of seconds, the pictures started popping up on the phone’s screen.
“Son of a bitch,” Riley muttered.
“Does that mean you recognize him?” Andy asked.
“Let’s just say that if there’s a price on his head, I’m ready to collect.”
Riley explained the fact that Lenny was in Winding Creek and posing as James’s attorney. “Do you want me to call the local sheriff?”
“Not unless you feel you’re in immediate danger. Winding Creek will be crawling with FBI agents by the end of the day. Someone will call you back within the next half hour to find out everything you know. In the meantime, be careful and don’t go near Dani’s house until I give you the all-clear.”
“I own a bakery,” Dani protested. “I open for business at seven tomorrow morning and I have to be there at least three hours before that to start baking.”
“If all goes well, that won’t be a problem. We hope to have both James and Lenny in custody by then. If not, we’ll get back with you on how to handle the situation with the bakery.”
“You guys are damn serious,” Pierce said.
“You got that right, especially when the suspects may lead us to Cecil Molina.”
“Just think,” Pierce said when they’d finished the call. “You beat up a real badass today, Riley. This may even replace your grizzly story for an attention grabber.”
“And to think I could have held him until the FBI got there and really earned hero status.”
Dani knew that they weren’t taking this lightly, that it was just the way men handled things when they couldn’t admit fear. She was afraid and didn’t mind admitting it.
“No rodeo for Constance this afternoon,” she said.
“Not a problem,” Riley said. “There will be no rodeo for the others, either. We’ll all stay here where you’ve got three bodyguards until the FBI makes an arrest. I don’t expect that to take long.”
Dani whispered a prayer as she went back to the kitchen, where she could be close to her precious niece.
Please don’t ever let either of the Haggards touch Constance’s life. And please keep everyone safe.
* * *
DANI WAS STRETCHED out in a yard chair next to Grace and Esther, a few yards away from where the girls were playing on the tire swing and a bit farther away from where the men were drinking beer and tending their pots of chili simmering over outdoor propane cookers.
The ringing of her cell phone startled her and a wave of anxiety coursed through her. She checked the ID. Sheriff Cavazos. As far as she knew, the FBI hadn’t contacted him, so she was surprised at his call.
“Hello.”
“Don’t have the best of news for you, but hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.”
“Just trying to relax. What’s the news?”
“Cory Boxer is no longer a suspect in the vandalism of your shop.”
No surprise there, at least not for her.
“He has an airtight alibi for the time of the break-in,” the sheriff continued. “Turns out he didn’t even actually break into Joe Clark’s trunk.”
That was a surprise. “I thought he was caught in the act.”
“Caught in the act of snooping but apparently nothing worse. The lock on the truck wasn’t broken and Joe Clark finally admitted that he might have accidentally left it open since he was planning on coming right back. Cory said he only ran off because Joe started yelling curses at him. At any rate, he’s not your suspect.”
She didn’t tell him that she felt certain her vandal would be officially identified soon.
Another call came in only seconds after she broke the connection with the sheriff. This time it was the FBI with instructions as to how they wanted her to handle her end of the situation.
The shop and that entire block of Main Street would be under tight scrutiny tomorrow and they requested she open the bakery as usual. They didn’t want the Haggards to suspect a thing if they approached Dani’s Delights.
They assured her that neither Lenny nor James would be allowed to enter the bakery and that her customers would not be put in danger. She had no choice but to ta
ke them at their word.
“Good news, I hope,” Grace said when Dani slipped her phone back into her pocket.
“As good as can be expected until I hear they’ve arrested both of the Haggards. I can open my bakery as usual tomorrow with the assurance the FBI has everything under control.”
“Too bad we didn’t think to call them sooner,” Esther said.
“Even if we had, we wouldn’t have gotten this kind of response before Lenny entered the picture, and that was only yesterday. I guess I should go and give Riley the latest news, though I hate to interrupt all that stirring and boisterous bragging he’s doing over his big iron chili pot.”
“I admit Riley’s surprised me,” Grace said. “I kept hearing about his rambling ways and I mistakenly interpreted that to be an unwillingness to grow up and take on responsibility. But he’s really come through for you and Constance.”
“All my boys have good hearts,” Esther said. “I never want to see a one of them ride off in the sunset, as Charlie used to say. He also used to vow that the Double K Ranch was never more alive than when the three of them were here.”
She reached up and wiped an unexpected tear from her eye.
“You must still miss your husband very much,” Dani said.
“Too much. Don’t ever waste a minute of the time you can share with the man you love. Once he’s gone, you can never get him back. All you have left to cherish is the memories.”
Dani agreed. She walked over to the cooking area and gave Riley a hug around the waist, burying her face beneath his broad shoulders.
“Guess the odor of my chili is making you crave my body.”
“No. I just have a thing for men with big iron pots.”
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah. I’m okay. Who can worry with you and the FBI in charge?”
When she got her next call she was taking a walk alone, trying to come to terms with all that happened over the last few days. This time it was the lab.
Chapter Eighteen
“I’m calling for Dani Boatman.”
“Speaking.”
“This is Courtney Graves with Corinthian Court Laboratories. I talked to you when you were in Monday morning.”
“I remember. Is there a problem?”
“No. We’re open late on Wednesday evenings and I was just handed your finished report. You signed the permission form that you wanted to be notified by phone as soon as the report was finished.”
“I remember.”
“Are you ready for the results?”
“Yes. I didn’t expect to hear before tomorrow, but I’m ready.”
“The test came back negative for paternity.”
The breath she’d been holding came out in a gush. “That was so what I wanted to hear.”
“There’s more.”
“Like what?”
“The results are negative for paternity but positive for a familial relationship.”
“What are you saying exactly?”
“The man whose blood was sampled is the uncle of the child.”
“That can’t be.”
“I’m sorry the results are not what you were hoping for, but all we can do is give you the findings. You’ll receive a written copy of this via FedEx possibly in the morning, but Friday morning by the latest.”
So it was likely Lenny Haggard was Constance’s biological father. The thought made her sick. But Constance was no more like Lenny than Dani was like what her sister, Amber, had been.
The news she had to hold on to was that this would all be over soon. She had the FBI’s word on that. If she couldn’t trust the FBI, who could she trust?
Dani hurried back to join Riley and the men. Perplexed and sick at heart, she just needed to be near him.
* * *
“TRY THIS,” RILEY SAID, pushing a spoon of chili at Dani. She parted her lips for the tiniest taste.
Her mouth exploded in peppery fire.
“Water,” she called, fanning her open mouth with her hand. “Water to put out the fire.”
“She likes it hot,” Riley announced loudly. “One vote for me.”
She’d break the news about the test results after they had their chili. She’d already stolen too much of the brief time Riley could have spent with his brothers. She’d give him this reprieve and then they’d contact the FBI with the news that Lenny Haggard was Constance’s biological father.
* * *
THE BAKERY OPENED as usual on Thursday morning.
“Such a shame about the break-in. I head they had to let that Boxer fellow go. Have they arrested anyone else?”
“Not that I’ve heard,” Dani answered as she handed Mrs. Dupree her change.
“I hope they do soon. We can’t stand for this kind of senseless crime in Winding Creek. We’re all neighbors and we stick together.”
“I agree. I’m sure the sheriff will arrest a credible suspect soon.”
Her next customer, Jenny, another of her regulars, stepped up to the counter. “One of your delicious cinnamon rolls and a caramel latte.”
“For here?”
“Yes. I’m meeting Sara Pendleton, but she’s always late. If I order for her, it’s never what she wants.”
“Sara does like variety,” Dani agreed.
“I can’t tell you how disgusted I was when I heard about your break-in. The whole town is. I’m probably not supposed to mention this, but Sara’s Bible study group is collecting money to help you recover your losses.”
“That’s extremely thoughtful, but really, I’m fine.”
“It’s the principle of the thing. We stand together just like we always have in this town. Let the criminals move in and first thing you know, the shops start moving out and Main Street becomes a ghost town.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Dani assured Jenny as she topped off the latte with one dollop of whipped cream, just the way she liked it.
It had been like this ever since she opened the door at seven. A steady stream of customers. A steady stream of empathetic comments.
Everyone in town seemed to know about the vandalism. So far no one seemed privy to the fact that an infamous criminal was hanging out in their area or that the FBI had invaded Winding Creek.
Dani was almost certain the two men drinking their second cups of coffee at one of the back tables were agents. And there would be others observing the shop from locations on Main Street and the alley behind her shop.
Riley had spent the night. He’d been as shocked as she was by the news that Lenny was Constance’s biological father. But even knowing that, he’d felt enough confidence in the FBI’s protection that he’d left a few minutes ago to drop off Constance at school. Then he was making a quick stop at one of Dani’s local suppliers to pick the freshest carrots for the carrot-cake muffins she’d be making later.
The bell above the door rang. This time it was Angela who strode in, wearing a clingy knit pullover, denim shorts that barely covered her behind and a pair of red Western boots.
She yawned and came over to the counter. “Sorry I’m late. My alarm didn’t go off.”
Improper attire. Not punctual. Zero motivation. Dani would have to fire her, but the last thing she needed this morning was a scene with Angela.
“You can start by clearing and cleaning the vacated tables,” Dani said as she poured an espresso. “Make sure you don’t leave them sticky and get all the crumbs from under the table or chairs.”
“What do I wipe the tables with?”
“Clean white bar towels are on the wire shelves just inside the kitchen. The lobby sweeper for the floors is behind the far end of the counter.”
Angela looked as if Dani had just asked her to scrub the floor with a toothbrush, but she did s
tart clearing the tables. Dani went back to waiting on her customers.
The first break in business came just after Riley returned. That was also when she noticed that half of the tables in the shop still needed to be cleared. She looked around. Angela was nowhere to be seen.
Dani poked her head into the kitchen, where Riley was pulling bunches of carrots from reusable bags. “Can you watch the shop for a second?”
“No problem.”
Dani marched to the back door, assuming Angela was taking a cigarette break. She opened the door and scanned the area. No Angela. No cigarette odor. No sign of FBI agents, but that didn’t mean they weren’t watching from somewhere.
As she stepped back inside, she heard what sounded like a door banging upstairs. She walked halfway up to the second floor. “Angela.”
“Yeah. Up here.”
Where she had no business being. Patience stretched to just past its limit, Dani took the rest of the stairs two at a time.
She heard the commode flush and found Angela at the open bathroom door. This time the smell of smoke was stifling. “This area is private and off-limits at all times.”
“The bathroom downstairs was in use and I had to go bad. I didn’t think you’d get all bent out of shape about that.”
Maybe Dani was overreacting. Her nerves were ragged and strained.
Angela walked toward the staircase. Dani had started to follow when she noticed the door to her bedroom was open. She hadn’t left it that way. She glanced inside and saw that half the drawers in her tall chest were open.
Her temper exploded. She raced down the stairs and grabbed Angela’s right wrist. “I suppose you also have a reason for rummaging through my private belongings.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I’m talking about invasion of privacy. I want you out of Dani’s Delights and I never want to see you in here again. Never.”
“You can’t fire me over nothing.”
“Get out, Angela. Now.”
“Bitch.”