Sweet Talking Lawman

by M. B. Buckner

  Jory, Raale, and Uncle Rance sat at the breakfast table eyeing her with shocked expressions.

  “Mesa?” Uncle Rance started.

  Jory jumped up from the chair and grabbed her by the shoulders. “What’s happened?”

  Almost hyperventilating, she gasped at him. “Call my mom and tell her to lock her doors and do not leave the house. Someone just tried to shoot me. Rafe’s almost here.”

  Jory released her as Raale grabbed her around the waist. Mesa bent to comfort her child as Jory pushed in the numbers to the big house.

  When Shirley answered, he relayed the message and assured her that Mesa was alright, but it was too dangerous for her to come to the cabin. He’d come get her as soon as it was safe.

  As Rafe’s truck lurched to a stop outside, Mesa scooped Raale up and hurried to pull the door open. He crossed the porch in two steps and pulled the two of them into his arms. The big bulldog followed him, a little nervous because of the tension in the air.

  “What were you thinking? I told you not to go out anywhere alone!” His voice scolded her, but his arms reminded her that she was important to him.

  With her face buried against the warmth of his neck and his arms holding her close, she felt herself beginning to tremble. “I’m sorry. I just didn’t think.”

  Rafe pulled her over to the couch and made room for Raale to snuggle in between them. “Did you see anything?”

  She shook her head negatively. “Nothing.” Her voice hiccupped as she continued. “I was just riding along the old logging road when I realized how quiet everything had gotten. Then something blew a hole in a tree next to me and To shied. Something hit the tree again and he rolled back in the direction we’d come from and was dancing around like crazy. When the third shot hit another tree near me, I thought I’d heard a bee buzz past and I realized someone was shooting at me. That colt ran all the way back to the barn.”

  Raale climbed into her lap. “Mom, I’m a’scared. Can the bad man gets you here?”

  Rafe rubbed his daughter’s back comfortingly. “He won’t come here, baby girl. But if he did, he wouldn’t hurt you or your mom. I’ll make sure of that.”

  Jory crossed the room with the keys to the SUV in his hand.

  “I’m going to get Shirley and bring her here,” he explained, going out the back door. In only a second he popped back in. “Rafe, I just saw movement along the edge of the lake, on the back side. I think it was someone in camo.”

  “Call Shirley and make her stay put. Y’all lock the doors and stay in here. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He hustled out the front door, Spur on his heels and his truck sped around the side of the lake as far as he could drive. When the road ended, he hopped out and continued on foot. Taking his time, following his dog’s lead, he searched the shoreline of the small lake thoroughly, finally finding a spot where someone had hunkered down in a thicket and watched the house and barns. Whoever it was had moved, paralleling Mesa’s ride, taken the three shots at her, before returning for some reason and then high tailing it out of there. Rafe and the dog tracked the intruder through the woods until he found where the man had gotten on a dirt bike, and now he was long gone.

  It was almost two hours before Rafe returned to the house, and by then Levi was there along with Shirley, Jenny, Russ, both their kids, John and Krystal Montgomery and two more deputies.

  “What the hell is going on?” he asked. “I told everyone to stay locked in and wait ‘til I got back. This looks like a damn convention.”

  Levi grinned at him. “We’re putting together a search party. Our sheriff went out after an armed suspect without backup and we’re going to retrieve his body.”

  Rafe shook his head silently, his face taking on a shamed look. “Alright, I know I should have called for backup, but it would have taken y’all too long to get here.”

  “Not if you’d called us when you left your house,” Krystal Montgomery shot back at him.

  Hobbling on crutches, John joined her. “You’re setting a poor example for our younger officers, Sheriff,” he scolded. “You know you expect us to stick to proper procedure and you know better than to take off like that without backup.”

  Rafe threw his hands in surrender and nodded. “Alright. Y’all’re right. It won’t happen again.”

  He found Mesa still sitting on the couch, but Rance and Shirley had taken the kids into the small den and found a cartoon channel on the television. Jory was busy at the stove and with Jenny’s help was fixing breakfast for everyone.

  He ignored them all and settled beside Mesa, slipping one arm protectively around her shoulders. “We’ve gotta come up with a plan, sugar.”

  She nodded. “I’m going to ask Jory to take Uncle Rance, Raale and my mom back to his house in Memphis. Not a handful of people know he still owns it, and we haven’t been there in several years. They should be safe there. I’m going to insist that the hands all start carrying guns, and I plan to as well.”

  “You should go with Jory, also. At least, until I can get to the bottom of this mess,” he said, but didn’t go further when she began to shake her head negatively.

  “I ran from here once, Rafe, but I won’t run again. This is my home, and no one is going to make me leave.” Her voice was firm.

  He saw the stubborn set of her chin and knew arguing would be useless, so he nodded. “We’ll put them on a plane to Atlanta, they can catch another to Memphis, and they can rent a car from there. That should make them harder to trace, so they should be safe. When they’re safe, we’ll work out a plan to keep you safe.”

  With something to do, she felt better and rested her head on his shoulder for a few minutes. It just felt right to rest against him, and in spite of the morning’s turmoil, she smiled.

  He was content, feeling her relax against him. How could this not be right? He dropped his head and brushed a kiss against the top of her head, and when he looked up his sister was standing there looking down at him.

  Jenny smiled. “I owe you an apology, Rafe, and I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to make it. I’m sorry for keeping secrets from you and I need you to forgive me.”

  Mesa lifted her head and looked up at her best friend before she turned and looked at Rafe. “That’s my fault. I made her promise not to tell you.” Tears of regret pooled in her green eyes.

  He pulled his arm from around her and stood, cutting his eyes between the two of them. Mesa read the hurt and anger that tinged the coffee brown of his eyes for a second, then he shook his head and looked at Jenny. “I accept your apology,” his eyes darted back to Mesa’s. “But this is not somethin’ I want to deal with right now. I’ve got other things to think about.”

  Mesa nodded and pushed to her feet. “I’m going to talk to Jory.”

  It didn’t take long to convince Jory that it was the right thing to do and within an hour reservations were made and Mesa was upstairs with Raale packing for the trip to Memphis.

  The child was teary eyed that her mother wouldn’t be going with them. “I’ve neber been gone off for a long time,” she sniffled. “With me and Papa J gone, who’s gonna take care of you, Mom?”

  “I will,” Rafe assured the child, slipping in the door just in time to field the question. “I will not let anything happen to your mom, Raale. I promise.”

  Her liquid brown eyes looked at him steadily for a few seconds. “Who’s gonna take care of you?”

  Mesa smiled at her daughter. “I will. I promise, and he has all those deputies downstairs and Uci and Spur.”

  “And they’re all gonna help me take care of your mom. It’ll be alright, baby girl.” Rafe crossed the room and lifted the child into his arms. “We’ll be better able to look after each other if we know you and G’ma and Uncle Rance are safe with Papa J, someplace else, where the bad guys can’t find you.”

  Raale nodded, another sniffle shaking her small body as she hugged him tightly. “I’m gonna be a’scared for you and my mom.”

  He nodded. “We know,
but when the bad guy is in jail, you’ll be back here with us. That’ll be something good to think about when you’re missing us. I know it’s what I’m gonna be thinkin’ about when I get lonely for you.” He brushed away another tear that rolled down her cheek with the pad of one thumb. “We’ll be able to talk on the phone and that’ll help time pass faster.”

  “Eber day?” she eyed him steadily.

  He shrugged. “I’m not sure it’ll be every day, but sometimes it might be twice in one day. Okay?”

  She nodded. “I really don’t like dat bad guy dat shot at Mom. He needs to be in jail.”

  “And your dad will put him there as soon as we can find out who he is,” Mesa had closed the bag she’d packed and crossed the room to stand next to the man and child.

  They left in the SUV about an hour later, with Raale’s head turned as long as she could see Mesa and Rafe on the front porch of the cabin, waving until the vehicle disappeared from sight.

  Krystal and John Montgomery followed them, providing some unofficial law enforcement escort to the nearest airport while Levi and the other two deputies patrolled the nearby roads for any sign of a dirt bike or someone acting out of place.

  Confident that her family would be safe, Mesa felt better as she put To in his stall and settled him in for the day while Rafe kept a lookout for trouble, but she was still keyed up from the morning’s attack.

  She accompanied Rafe back to the office in town simply because he refused to leave without her, and spent the rest of the morning visiting with Beth and Heather while he and Spur returned to the Rocking H to make a closer inspection of the woods.

  With the help of his dog he found the spot where the assailant was hidden when he fired the gun. Keeping Spur close so as not to disturb evidence, he used a stick to move the leaf litter around and found a spent shell casing. Wearing gloves, he slipped it into an evidence bag. It appeared to be the same caliber that had knocked Rance’s horse over the edge of the sink hole. Now he’d have something to compare with the casing he’d found at that site.

  His stomach knotted with rage when he studied the tracks left by the horse and the places where the bullets impacted the trees. It was so close it chilled his blood. Just a few inches ahead of where the horse shied, and if Mesa hadn’t sensed something was wrong and slowed the horse, it could easily have hit her right in the head. The other two shots missed because the horse was moving erratically, and then the frightened pair had simply out run the shooter.

  He returned to the spot where the assailant had mounted the dirt bike and found Levi leaning against a tree.

  “You were right. I found the old logging road and drove up it a good ways. I found the place where he parked a truck while he used the dirt bike and I tracked it here. This guy is smart and careful.” The deputy walked over and joined Rafe where he was squatted looking at the wheel print of the dirt bike. “Did you find anything?”

  Rafe nodded. “He probably took the other shell casings with him, but he missed one and he seems to like to snack on granola bars while he waits for his victim. I found a wrapper and I’m hopin’ the lab in Liberty can lift a print off it.”

  Levi’s stomach rumbled hungrily and he grinned when Rafe looked at him. “It’s been a long time since Jory fed us breakfast.”

  Rafe nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. Come on. I’ll drive you back to your car and we’ll go to town for lunch.”

  Levi grinned. “I’ll bet Mesa is ready to carve you up, leaving her sitting in the office all this time.”

  His dark brows arched as he shrugged but mused softly as he led the way through the woods to where he’d left his truck parked. “At least while she’s there, I know she’s safe.” He said nothing else until they were buckled into the front of the truck. His dark eyes were stormy when he turned and looked at his deputy and friend. “Levi, this scares the hell out of me. I don’t understand why anyone would be after the people of the Rockin’ H.”

  Levi nodded. “It’s strange.” He sat for a minute looking straight ahead. “Maybe it’s not about the people. What if it’s about the ranch itself?” He let his thoughts expand. “The land? The location? The terrain? What’s on the land? What can be done with or on the land? Damn, that really expands the possibilities, don’t it?” His talent for brainstorming was one of the things that made him Rafe’s next in command.

  Rafe nodded. “I wonder how big the place is. Ever heard anybody say?”

  “No,” the deputy answered. “I know it’s the biggest place in the area and, backing up to the national forest like it does, makes it huge. I’m not sure anybody knows where the Rocking H ends and the forest begins, except the survey company. I’ve heard Rance talk about making sure the back part of the ranch remains like it’s always been, a safe place for wildlife. Never heard anyone mention the actual acreage though.”

  “After lunch, why don’t you visit the courthouse and find out. That survey has to be recorded. I’m gonna see if I can borrow a helicopter. It might pay to get a bird’s eye view of the place. See what’s back there.” Rafe started the truck and carefully navigated through the trees to the small two track road Mesa had been riding earlier in the day. From there it didn’t take long to get back to the highway.

  Mesa insisted on accompanying Rafe when a helicopter, borrowed from the state highway patrol, arrived just after lunch to fly him over the forested area behind the Rocking H headquarters. She found the experience totally different from flying in a plane, even a small plane. The turns were much more dramatic and she punched Rafe in the arm when he chuckled at her white knuckled grip on the seatbelt that held her in her seat.

  It was obvious that some traffic had been moving along the logging road from the state forest into the back side of the Rocking H, but the hardwood trees grew so large and thick on the ranch that the road was sheltered and hopeless to keep track of.

  Once or twice they saw what could be some type of building, but without landing, it was impossible to be sure, and there was nowhere to set the helicopter down within walking distance.

  They joined Levi and the Montgomerys at the café for a quick supper. Levi reported what he’d found at the courthouse, and even Mesa was amazed to learn just how big the Rocking H was.

  Before they finished eating, Rafe noticed how quiet she had become and how often she covered her mouth to conceal a yawn. She’d had a long, busy day.

  Pushing his chair back he stood up. “Come on, let’s get you home. It’s been a hard day and you’re exhausted.” He took one of her hands and pulled her to her feet.

  She smiled and nodded. “When we get there, I need to call and make sure everyone is safe at Jory’s house.”

  They said their goodnights and in only a few minutes they were in his truck headed out of town.

  “I hope you don’t mind me swingin’ by Uci’s and pickin’ up some clothes and Spur. I’m not leavin’ you at your house alone, and I’d like to keep Uci as far from this as I can,” he explained as he turned toward the small ranch where he lived. Knowing he’d be out in the helicopter for hours, he’d asked Uci to stop by the office and pick the dog up so he could relax at home.

  Mesa nodded. “I just don’t understand any of this. I wish I knew what’s going on.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, me too, babe. But you can bet you’re last dollar that tomorrow, I’m gonna have deputies combin’ the woods on the back side of your place to find out.”

  His mind was swirling and before it was a complete thought, he picked his cell phone and called Levi. “Hey,” he said when the call was answered. “I just had a thought. Whoever might be involved in whatever’s going on probably knows we flew over there today. It might make them nervous enough to try to move to a different location. Maybe we should spend tonight watchin’ some of the roads that lead into the back of the Rocking H and see what happens tonight.”

  Levi laughed. “Good thinking. What time?”

  Rafe looked at his watch. “Let’s get a couple of hours sleep, maybe around ten
. Who else knows how to ride? I’m thinkin’ we can borrow horses from Mesa and ride back in there along the logging road.”

  Levi thought for a second before he spoke. “Murphy Anderson and Ronnie Clark are good cowboys. You want us to come to the barn at the Rocking H?”

  “Yeah,” Rafe replied. “Stop by the station and pick up some hand held radios so we can keep in touch. Who has duty tonight?”

  “Krystal switched with Mark so he’ll be pulling nights until John gets around a little better, and Justin Red Tree is the other officer on call.” Levi replied. “Krystal’ll have a hissy if something goes down and she’s not part of it.”

  “Better she’s with John,” Rafe said, looking at Mesa. “I want to make sure night shift is available in case we need a chase vehicle. Have them patrolling the area around the park from about eight o’clock until they hear from me. That way they’ll be in the neighborhood if we need them. We know these people shoot first and can’t count on them wantin’ to ask questions later, so we’re wearin’ Kevlar. Pick a vest up for Mesa when you stop by the station.”

  With the plan made, they ended the conversation.

  “Don’t you think the horses might be too noisy?” Mesa asked him.

  He shrugged. “Anything we use will be noisy and if we hike in, we can’t move fast enough if we have to. On those roads, a horse can travel as fast as a truck, ‘til you get to the highway.”

  “Do you think they shot at Uncle Rance because he was too close to whatever they’re hiding?” she asked.

  “Could be. Or maybe he saw something he shouldn’t have seen. Either way, I figure that sink hole might be a good place to start our search. When we get there, we’ll start takin’ long breaks to listen. Maybe we can hear them before they hear us.”

  “Let’s hope so. I want all this over and done with,” Mesa’s voice was almost a whisper.

  Uci wanted them to stay at the house, but after collecting a couple of changes of clothes and a couple of scoops of dry dog food for Spur he kissed her weathered cheek and gave her a long hug.

  “I’ve been thinkin’ about what you said and decided you’re right,” he said looking down into her sepia eyes. “I’m goin’ to be staying at Mesa’s until this mess is straightened out again, but I promise you, I’ll be very respectful of her and of the way you raised me.”