Rafe devoured the chicken and dumplings, the fresh squash with onions, and the fried okra. He used the accompanying biscuit to sop up the broth left in his plate, and then wished he hadn’t eaten quite so much. His next thought was of Uci’s seven layer chocolate cake, and for once he was thankful that it wasn’t available at that exact moment in time. Sure, it would taste heavenly, but then he’d be totally miserable for at least two hours.
He spent some time catching up on the unending paperwork but found it hard to concentrate. Finally, he gave it up for a lost cause and headed back to the hospital, but only after Beth made him promise to go home from there and get some rest.
Mesa was sitting up in the bed talking on the phone and when he appeared, she motioned him over. “Your dad just walked in so I’ll let you talk to him before you go to bed. Yes, and I love you, too, sweetie. Goodnight.” She was smiling when she handed him the phone.
He grinned, knowing Raale was on the other end of the line. “Hey, baby girl.”
He listened for a minute, occasionally nodding and offering a word of regret for their separation. “It’ll still be a few days before it’s safe for y’all to come home, sugar, but now we know who some of the bad guys are. We’ve just gotta get them to tell us the names of the rest of them so we can lock them up.”
Mesa could see in those expressive brown eyes how much he missed their daughter.
“I know and I love you, too.” He chuckled. “When you go to bed, close your eyes and picture your mom and me there with you. That’s what I’ll do and I’m sure your mom will, too, and that way we can all be together for a little while.”
When he hung the phone up he struggled for a minute, trying to control an almost overwhelming fury because he’d been forced to send his child away to insure her safety. Slowly he relaxed and it wasn’t until then that he leaned down and kissed Mesa, taking one of her hands in his.
“So, when does the doctor think he might let you go home?” he asked, once he felt he had regained control of his sudden burst of anger at the present circumstances.
From the other side of the bed, Uci shot him a quick look. “She’s not going home to her house. I’m bringing her to our house so I can look after her.”
Squeezing his hand, Mesa smiled. “Jenny came by today and she and Uci and I will start planning the wedding while I’m there recuperating. And the doctor said I should be released tomorrow.” The instant tilt to his lips and the warming of his chocolate tinted eyes warmed her heart.
“Y’all just make sure you get it planned to take place as soon as possible. We’ve wasted enough time being apart.” Now that he’d accepted the fact that nothing in their pasts could be allowed to mar their future, he couldn’t wait to make her his wife. He wanted his family to be one unit, sealed with a love resilient enough to take it into the time to come, to make it strong enough to defeat the trials and troubles that all families face.
He lowered his head again and placed a tender, lingering kiss on Mesa’s lips, but then he stood up and cut his eyes to his grandmother’s face. “How’d you get up here this morning?”
“I drove,” she replied with an undisguised smirk on her wrinkled face.
“You know you aren’t supposed to drive, Uci. I’m the sheriff. I’d have to arrest you if I saw you driving. The people of Morgan County expect me to enforce the law the same for everyone!” It was an argument they’d had before when she refused to take the driver’s test and get her license.
“Relax Rafter,” a smile melted the smirk from her aged lips as she saw the surprise on his face. “I took the test last week and passed.”
“And that’s information you didn’t think you should share with me?” he said, sarcasm straining his voice.
Uci shrugged. “I just did, besides, you’ve had a busy week.”
“At any rate,” he continued. “You need to go home and rest. I’ll sit with Mesa tonight.”
From the bed, Mesa squirmed up a little higher on her pillow, sparking Rafe into action. He slipped one arm beneath her shoulders attempting to help her, but she pushed his arm away.
“I’m not helpless,” she snapped, aggravated by her, albeit temporary, debility. “You’re both going home tonight. Jenny is coming to sit with me, since it seems I can’t be left alone.”
As if on cue, the door opened and Jenny appeared, her arms laden with snacks and magazines.
“So,” Rafe drawled, “you two are having a party?”
“A sleep over,” his baby sister shot back at him with a grin, “And, as always, you aren’t invited, although you will be the subject of major discussions throughout the night.”
He grinned. “I’ll just bet.”
“Okay,” her look took in her grandmother and her big brother. “Outa here, both of you. Mesa and I are ready to kick this party off, so we’re kicking y’all out.”
Dutifully Rafe walked Uci to the small second hand car he’d purchased a few years ago, hoping at the time that Uci would see it as a means of independence. And she had. She drove it regularly to the mailbox at the end of the quarter mile driveway, down to the hay barn to deliver drinks to the men working there, and anywhere else around the ranch she needed to go, but she had steadfastly refused to get her license and drive it out on the highway.
He slipped one arm around her thin shoulders, realizing as he did, that in spite of the appearance of frailty, he could feel the strength that he’d always known was there. “I’m real proud of you.” His voice was deep with emotion.
“I know. I should have done it long ago, but with you and Mesa getting married, I decided I needed to become more independent.”
His eyes sparked with warmth. “But I didn’t ask Mesa to marry me until last night. You took the test last week.”
Uci shrugged. “I’ve always told you that I know you better than you know yourself.”
He chuckled, recognizing the truth in her statement. He followed her home, making a mental note to tell her again how proud he was of her and to compliment her on the careful way she handled the car.
Chapter 18
When he finally rested his head on his pillow a little later and closed his eyes, Rafe was instantly asleep. He slept deeply and the sounding of his alarm snatched him awake. His brain was still muzzy and if he hadn’t known better, he’d have suspected that he’d been drugged. He rolled out of bed and staggered into the shower, hoping that would revive him, and it did.
When he walked down the steps, dressed for work, Uci was just setting a plate on the table for him. He smiled as he kissed her cheek. “I love waffles.”
Her ebony eyes sparked with life. “Yes, you do.”
The familiar scratching at the back door drew his attention. “How’d Spur get home? I completely forgot about him last night.” He walked over pulled the door open and bent to greet his enthusiastic four legged friend.
“Krystal dropped him off right after we got in last night. He walked this house several times looking for you and I finally had to make him sleep in my room because I was worried that he’d scratch on your door and wake you up. He wouldn’t even eat this morning. I think he’s pouting because you left him at the office.”
Rafe laughed softly, patting the big bulldog on the heavily muscled shoulder affectionately. “I apologize for forgetting you, buddy. I’ll try not to do that again.”
Having his family restored, his morning patrol done and his marking spots marked, the animal walked over to his food dish and began to gobble up the food Uci had placed there for him earlier.
While Rafe consumed his waffles and sausage, Uci joined him, a cup of coffee in her hand.
“You’ll need to get in a supply of Cokes for Mesa,” the big man announced casually. “She doesn’t drink coffee.”
The old woman nodded her head. “Any other suggestions?”
He shrugged his broad shoulders. “Nothing I can think of.”
“Jenny called before you got up. She thinks the doctor will release Mesa before lunch and
she’s planning to stick around and bring her out here. That way you won’t have to worry about anything but getting this strange mess wrapped up.” Uci lifted her cup and sipped the steaming liquid. “We want Raale and the others home and that can’t happen until you find everyone involved.”
He nodded. “I really appreciate you and Jenny pitching in to bring Mesa here.”
“She’s always been family to us.” Mischief lit her twinkling eyes. “And we’re anxious for you to make it legal.”
One side of his lips lifted. “No more than I am.” Then he frowned. “I wasn’t sure I could ever forgive Mesa for keeping Raale from me, but Jory got me thinking by asking me what I’d miss if I didn’t forgive her. I couldn’t stop imagining that and it made me crazy.” He lifted his eyes and looked at his grandmother, and the smile that melted across his features owned his whole face. “I think I’ve loved her forever.”
The old woman got up and carried her cup to the sink. “Alright, then. Get this evil locked up and peace restored to our town so we can get this wedding planned.”
Rafe pushed away from the table, crossed the space and slipped his arms around the slight form of the woman who’d raised him. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll take care of that as quickly as I can.” He hugged her and then slipped out the back door, the big dog right on his heels.
There had to be a way to get the mayor to tell him who else was involved in the meth ring. He’d known Ralph Shiver for years and when he really thought about it, he had a hard time giving Shiver credit for putting the ring together. Hell, he had a hard time running city council meetings.
As he slipped behind the wheel, looking forward to a quick visit with Mesa before going to the office, his cell phone alert caught his attention. He opened it. “Storm Horse,” he said.
“Rafe, we need you at the office as soon as you can get here. Shiver’s lawyer showed up, demanding a bail hearing and just generally raising hell. He met with Shiver for a few minutes and came out of the meeting like a swarm of killer bees.” The tone of Levi’s voice sent a warning chill across the back of Rafe’s neck. “After I got him settled down some, he left, and when I went in the cell block a little later to take Ralph his breakfast, he was laying in the floor as dead as a door nail.”
“Oh, crap!” Rafe gunned the SUV out of his driveway, flipped on his lights and siren and headed to his office as fast as his vehicle would go. What a nightmare this whole mess was becoming.
“What lawyer was he using?” he asked, putting the phone on speaker so he could continue the conversation.
“Trey Cunningham,” Levi replied.
Trey---you mean Walter Cunningham the third?” Rafe couldn’t believe his ears.
“Yeah,” Levi shot back quickly. “You remember him from school?”
“Not really. I remember him because he dated Jenny before she and Russ got together. He’s a jerk. He doesn’t have an office in down does he?”
“No. His office is in Liberty and that’s where he lives now. He’s a big shot over there, from what I hear.”
Rafe shook his head in disbelief. “I didn’t even know he still had connections around here. Who’d have ever put the two of them together,” Rafe growled. His thoughts churned for a minute before he spoke again. “That’s a hell of a coincidence, him visiting Shiver and now Shiver’s dead.”
“Yeah, that’s kinda what I thought, as well, and…never mind. I hear your siren and the rest can wait until you’re here.” Levi said as Rafe roared up to the office and broke the phone connection.
Within seconds he and Spur entered the door at a rapid pace. He cut the dispatcher a quick look. “We need a BOLO out on Cunningham. Not just locally but statewide. Find out what he drives and alert every law enforcement agency to be on the lookout for him. I’ve got some questions for Mr. Cunningham.”
After closing Spur in his office, Rafe let Levi lead the way through the building to the cell where the mayor’s lifeless body lay on the bare floor.
“I already called for some forensic people and the coroner. He said he’s too busy and we need to stop calling him,” Levi snickered. “But he said he’d be here as soon as he could get here.”
Rafe frowned, his head shaking negatively as he studied the mayor’s lifeless body. “I hope to hell he doesn’t think we enjoy calling him.”
Lowering his frame until he was squatting next to the body, Levi cut a quick glance up at his boss. “He was just being a smart-ass. You know he’s got a warped sense of humor.”
Hunkering down beside his head deputy, Rafe nodded. “You didn’t hear anything when the lawyer was back here with him?”
“No, and it was quiet after he left. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary except for Cunningham raising hell all over the place until I could get him out of the building.”
“You think maybe he was doing that to keep your attention away from back here?” Rafe asked.
Levi shrugged. “It’s possible. That’s how it worked out.”
^^^
The nurse bustled in and collected Mesa’s breakfast tray and disappeared again. Jenny was folding the blanket she’d covered herself with during the wee hours of the morning, when the building became so cold she was sure freshly butchered meat could have been hung from the ceiling.
“What time does your doctor usually come around?” she asked Mesa, already anticipating an early release.
“I’m not sure, but probably not as early as we’d like.” She sat up on the bed and swung her heavily bandaged leg around to the side.
“Wait!” Jenny exclaimed, hurrying to the side of the bed. “It’ll hurt like a son-of-a-gun if you just let that leg drop off the side of the bed. Let me ease it down and then I’ll get those crutches the nurse brought you.”
“Well hurry,” Mesa laughed. “I’ve gotta go pee.”
Hobbling around on the crutches was a new experience for Mesa and maneuvering into and, when she was finished, out of the small bathroom took her several minutes. Finally she collapsed into a sitting position on the side of the bed.
“I certainly hope that I don’t have to climb stairs using those blasted crutches. Just going to the bathroom was brutal,” she groused.
Jenny giggled. “You’ll build up those chest muscles in a hurry using them.” A guffaw burst from her. “You’ll be needing a bigger bra! Rafe is gonna love that.”
Mesa’s face turned pink, but she laughed, too. “He’s more of a leg man.”
Jenny’s laugh gurgled out stronger. “Don’t kid yourself, sister. All men are boob men.”
They were both surprised when the door of the room opened without the customary polite knock that the nurses used to announce their arrival. However, they were even more surprised when Trey Cunningham entered the room, a smile spreading his lips across his startling white teeth.
“Morning, ladies. I’m happy to see you up and apparently moving around so well this morning, Mesa.”
A frown dropped Jenny’s brows into a vee above her nose. “Trey? What are you doing here?”
“You sure look good, Jenny. Russ must make you happy.” A note of sarcasm leaked into Cunningham’s voice in spite of his smile.
“He does,” she assured him quickly, “but you didn’t answer my question. What are you doing here?”
He turned his attention to Mesa. “I heard you were probably going home this morning and thought I’d drop by and offer an old classmate a ride home.”
“Thank you, Trey,” Mesa said trying to be polite. “That’s very thoughtful of you, but I already have a ride home.”
He shook his head negatively. “I understand the sheriff is being delayed by an unpleasant incident over at the jail. He’ll probably be tied up there for hours.”
“What happened?” Mesa’s question was automatic.
Jenny moved to her friend’s side. “Then I’m her ride home.” Her voice was emphatic.
Cunningham ignored her. “I believe someone said they thought the mayor had been murdered over there,” he
directed his words to Mesa. “We can stop by and get an update if you like,” he added, hoping his lie would encourage Mesa to accept his offer of a ride.
Jenny heard Mesa’s gasp and eased between the two of them. “That’s enough, Trey. I’m taking Mesa home, and as a lawyer you know you shouldn’t be tossing that kind of information around, whether it’s true or not.”
His smile melted and almost like magic, a small pistol appeared in his hand.
“I wanted to do this the easy way, but just like that damn brother of yours, you can’t mind your own business.” His chilling voice was harsh.
Both women experienced a flush of ice sweeping through them at the sight of the weapon in his hand.
Using the barrel of the pistol, he motioned for Jenny to move to the side. “Get out of my way, Jenny,” he ordered.
“You go to hell,” she snarled as she stepped toward him and swung a tightly fisted uppercut at his jaw. She regretted not having boxing gloves on because she knew her hand would hurt like blazes later, but she wouldn’t let that stop her.
The blow connected and staggered the much bigger man causing him to fall back a step, but he quickly recovered and brought the side of the gun up in a fierce, stunning blow. As it turned out, the defensive move was a lucky one and connected soundly with Jenny’s head.
Mesa watched helplessly as her best friend crumpled to the floor.
“Now, get those crutches. You’re coming with me.”
“Where are you taking me?” she asked, reaching for the crutches she’d propped against the side of the bed within easy reach.
“Just do what I tell you and it won’t be necessary for me to involve that old Storm Horse woman in any of this,” his snarled words chilled Mesa, knowing how close Mesa was with Rafe’s entire family.
“I need to put some clothes on. Leaving the hospital in a gown that’s open down the back will attract a lot of attention.” She was desperately hoping to stall him long enough for help to arrive.
Stalking over to the tiny closet, Cunningham jerked the door open. He snatched a shirt off the hanger and flung it at her, followed closely by a pair of big legged pants that Jenny had brought with her last night. “Put those on.”
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