Shotgun Sheriff--A Western Sheriff Romance of Intrigue

by Delores Fossen

  “It’d be safer if I have someone drive us,” Reed suggested.

  She looked at him as if he’d sprouted a third eye. “I won’t let this scare me. We’re both peace officers, and if we can’t walk down the street in broad daylight without being afraid, then that sends a message to the perp that I don’t want to send.”

  And with that, she started walking again. “Besides, I need a few minutes to clear my head,” Livvy added. “I don’t want to go storming into Jerry’s office like this.”

  Reed was on the same page with her. First, the footprints that were a match to Jerry, and then his bombshell comment about knowing who wanted to kill Livvy. Up to this point, Reed had hoped and believed that the incidents were meant to scare her off. Not kill her. But by God, if that was someone’s intention, then there’d be hell to pay.

  He didn’t curse himself or groan at that thought. Somewhere along the way, he’d crossed the line with Livvy, and cursing and groaning weren’t going to make him backtrack even if that was the sensible thing to do.

  “You said there was no gunshot residue anywhere on Shane?” she asked, pulling him out of a fit of temper that was building because of Jerry.

  “None. Why?”

  She lifted her shoulder. “I’ve just been trying to get the picture straight in my mind.”

  Yeah. He’d done that as well, and this was one picture that hadn’t fit right from the start. Well, unless Shane truly was a cold-blooded killer who’d set all of this up.

  “You make a fine-looking couple,” someone called out.

  Reed glanced across the street and spotted Billy Whitley, the county clerk, and his wife, Charla, who were just going into the diner, probably for an early lunch.

  “Careful,” Billy teased. “People will say you’re in love.”

  Reed stopped to set him straight, but Charla got in on the conversation.

  Charla nudged her elbow into Billy’s ribs. “I know you got better sense than that, Reed,” Charla countered. “That woman’s trying to tear this town apart.”

  “Actually, I’m just trying to do my job,” Livvy fired back.

  That earned Livvy a hmmmp from Charla, and the woman threw open the door of the diner and stormed inside. Billy gave an apologetic wave and followed her.

  Reed didn’t know which was worse—Billy’s innuendo or Charla’s obvious dislike of Livvy. “Sorry,” he mumbled to Livvy once they started walking again.

  “No need to apologize. Will this cause trouble for you?” she asked but didn’t wait for his answer. “Would it be better if we did separate investigations?”

  Reed didn’t even have to think about this. “It wouldn’t help. You’re a woman and I’m a man. We’re both single. If people don’t see us together, they’ll just say we’re staying apart so we don’t raise suspicions about a secret relationship.”

  And that was really all he wanted to say about that, especially since the gossip was really going to heat up because Reed planned to spend a lot more time with her at work and at the inn.

  Reed would break that news to Livvy later.

  “We were discussing the gun,” he prompted.

  “Yes.” She wiped the perspiration from her forehead and repeated it. “I think there’s a problem with the pressure points. The print isn’t that strong on the trigger.”

  Despite the heat, Reed slowed a bit so he could give that some thought. Now, he got that picture in his mind. “The person who hit Shane over the head could have used gloves when he shot Marcie. Then, he could have pressed Shane’s prints onto the weapon.”

  Hell. Why hadn’t he thought of that sooner? Probably because this case had come at him nonstop. It was almost as if someone wanted to make sure that his focus was disrupted. Maybe that was the real reason for all the diversions, like that snake.

  “I need to do some further testing,” Livvy added. Her forehead creased. “It could mean that Shane just has a light touch when it comes to his trigger finger. I’d like to compare this weapon to his service pistol, just to see how the grip pattern lines up.”

  That would give her information if Shane hadn’t recently cleaned his gun. For the first time in Reed’s law-enforcement career, he was hoping his deputy had been lax about that particular standard procedure. “You can do that as soon as we finish with Jerry because I have his gun locked up in the safe in my office.”

  Ahead of them on the steps to the county offices were three men and a woman, all Native Americans, and all carrying signs of protest.

  “Sheriff Hardin,” the woman called out, and her tone wasn’t friendly, either. Not that Reed expected it to be, since she was carrying a big poster that demanded justice for her people.

  “Ellie,” Reed greeted her. He caught onto Livvy’s arm and tried to maneuver her around the protesters, but the trim Comanche woman, Ellie Penateka, stepped in front of them.

  Reed had known Ellie all his life, and though she was passionate about her beliefs, she could also toe the line of the law.

  “When will you do your job and arrest Jonah Becker and his cronies?” Ellie demanded.

  “When I have some evidence that warrants an arrest.” Reed wasn’t unsympathetic to her demand. After all, Jonah probably had participated in a dirty deal to get land that belonged to the Native American community. Jerry might have helped him, too, but he couldn’t arrest anyone without probable cause.

  Since it was obvious that Ellie didn’t intend to move, Reed met her eye-to-eye. “If and when I get proof, any proof, that Jonah’s done something wrong, I’ll arrest him. You have my word on that.”

  Ellie stared at him and then turned her dark eyes on Livvy. “Help us,” she said, her voice still laced with anger. “This land deal has to be undone.”

  Livvy opened her mouth, looking as if she were about to say she was there to solve a murder, not get involved with community issues, but she must have rethought that because she nodded. “If I find anything, the sheriff will be the first to know.”

  That seemed to soothe Ellie enough to get her to move to the side, and Livvy and Reed continued up the steps to the county offices.

  “How long has the protest been going on?” Livvy asked under her breath.

  “On and off since the land deal over two years ago.” And what Reed had said to Ellie hadn’t been lip service. He would arrest Jonah if he could, and that arrest might go a long way to soothing the split that was happening in Comanche Creek.

  He opened the door to the office building, and the cool air-conditioning spilled over him. Inside, there were some curious folks who eyed Livvy and him and then did some behind-the-hand whispers. Reed doled out some warning scowls and made his way down the hall. Jerry’s office door was wide open, and he was seated at his desk, apparently waiting for them.

  They stepped inside, and Reed shut the door. Not that they would have much privacy since the glass insert in the door allowed anyone and everyone to see in.

  Livvy and he took the seats across from Jerry’s desk. “Start talking,” Reed insisted.

  But Jerry didn’t. Instead, he pulled out a manila file and slid it toward them. Reed opened it and saw that it was case notes from a murder that had happened over twenty years ago. The name on the file was Sandra Hutton.

  Livvy’s mother.

  He aimed a raised eyebrow at Jerry and passed the file to Livvy. “What does this have to do with anything?” Reed asked.

  “Sandra Hutton’s killer has been hiding out in Mexico,” Jerry explained with a tinge of smugness. “Maybe he’s decided to return to Texas and create some havoc with Sandra’s daughter. He could be the person who set fire to that cabin.”

  Livvy’s reaction was slight. Just a small change in her breathing pattern. She moistened her lips, closed the file and tossed it back on Jerry’s desk. “How did you get this information?” she asked.

  “I requested it from the county sheriff’s office. I told them it could be relevant to the investigation into the land deal that’s got the Comanches so riled
up.”

  In other words, Jerry had pulled strings so he could pry into Livvy’s past.

  “My mother’s killer has no part in this,” Livvy insisted.

  “You’re sure?” Jerry challenged.

  “Positive.”

  Reed only hoped she was, but he’d do some checking when he got back to his office. For now though, he wanted answers and not a possible smokescreen.

  “Were you at the cabin around the time Marcie was killed?” he asked Jerry.

  There was no quick denial. Jerry studied Reed’s expression and then nodded. “Why?”

  “Because we found your tracks there.” Reed studied Jerry as well, and the man certainly didn’t seem particularly rattled by all of this. Of course, maybe that’s because Jerry always seemed on edge about something. Like a pressure cooker ready to start spewing steam.

  “I was at the cabin the morning of the murder.” But then, Jerry hesitated. He had a pen in his hand, and he began rolling it between his fingers. “I got a call, telling me Marcie would be there, and I wanted to talk to her, to ask if she intended to go through with her testimony against Jonah Becker.”

  “And you,” Livvy supplied. “Because if she’d testified against Jonah, you also would have been implicated.”

  Jerry bobbed his head, and rolled the pen faster. “At the time I put it together, I didn’t know the land deal could be construed as illegal. I’m still not convinced it is. But I understand why the Native American community is upset. That’s why they’re protesting outside. I also understand they want someone to blame, but I wanted to make sure Marcie was going to get me a fair shake when she was on the witness stand.”

  “And did Marcie agree?” Reed asked.

  “I didn’t see her. She wasn’t at the cabin when I got there so I left. That following morning, I heard about her murder. I swear, I had nothing to do with her death.”

  Reed wasn’t sure he believed that. “So who called you to tell you about Marcie being at the cabin?”

  This hesitation was a lot longer than the first, and the pen just started to fly over his fingers.

  “Billy Whitley,” Jerry finally said.

  “Billy,” Reed repeated, not that surprised but riled that he hadn’t been given this information sooner. “How did he know Marcie was going to the cabin?”

  Jerry picked up his phone. “I don’t know, but you can ask him yourself.” He pressed some numbers. “Billy, could you come over here a minute? Reed and the lady Ranger want to know why I was at the cabin that morning.” He hung up. “He’ll be here in a couple of minutes.”

  Reed wasn’t going to wait for Billy to continue this interrogation. “When Billy called to tell you about Marcie being at the cabin, you didn’t ask him how he’d come by that information? Because Marcie hadn’t exactly announced her whereabouts.”

  Jerry shook his head, tossed the pen on his desk and grabbed a Texas Longhorns mug near where the pen had landed. He gulped down enough coffee to choke himself. “I didn’t ask. I was just thankful to finally have a chance to talk to her.”

  “And you’re positive she wasn’t there when you arrived?” Livvy asked.

  “No sign of her. I didn’t go in, but I looked in the windows. No one was in that cabin.”

  Livvy made a sound of disagreement. “She could have been hiding. I can’t imagine that Marcie would have been happy to see her former boss, especially when she was scared to death of you.”

  Jerry couldn’t and didn’t deny that. It was common knowledge around town that Marcie had been afraid of him, so maybe she had indeed been wary enough to hide when she saw him skulking around the place.

  “Did you happen to notice Shane while you were there?” Reed wanted to know.

  “No.” His answer was fast and prompted him to drink yet more coffee. “I told you, there was no one at that cabin.”

  Still, it was possible that both Shane and Marcie had come later. Jerry could be telling the truth.

  Or not.

  Reed wasn’t ready to buy the man’s story when Jerry had so much to lose from this situation.

  There was a knock at the door, one sharp rap on the glass insert, before it opened and Billy strolled in. “You wanted to see me,” he said, aiming the not-too-friendly comment at Jerry. Charla was there, too, but she stood back in the doorway and didn’t come in. “Charla and I were in the middle of eating lunch.”

  “I told them you were the one who called me about Marcie being at the cabin,” Jerry volunteered.

  “And we want to know how you came by that information,” Reed added.

  “I see.” Billy pulled in a long weary breath and sat on the edge of Jerry’s desk. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather not divulge that information.”

  Reed stopped his mouth from dropping open, but that comment was a shocker. “I do mind.” He got to his feet. “And if you don’t tell me, I’ll arrest you on the spot for obstruction of justice.”

  The usually friendly Billy suddenly didn’t seem so friendly, and he tossed a glare at Jerry, probably because he wasn’t pleased that the man had given Reed what Billy would have thought was private information.

  Charla obviously ignored Billy’s glare. “Ben Tolbert told Billy that Marcie was going to be at the cabin,” the woman confessed.

  Livvy and Reed exchanged glances, and he was certain neither was able to keep the surprise out of their eyes. “How did Ben know?”

  Billy wearily shook his head and sighed. “He said he found out from Jeff Marquez.”

  Reed was very familiar with the name. Jeff Marquez was the EMT who’d helped Marcie fake her own death. “He’s in county jail on obstruction of justice charges, and he won’t be getting out anytime soon.”

  Billy nodded. “But he told Ben before he was arrested. Why, I don’t know. Maybe Ben bribed him.”

  Ben didn’t have the money for that, but Jonah sure did. Which brought them back full circle without eliminating any of the suspects. Jerry, Billy, Ben and Jonah all had the means, motives and opportunities to kill Marcie, but Reed was having a hard time believing that Ben would have allowed his son to take the blame for something he’d done.

  That meant, he could focus more on the two men in the room, and the one rancher friend they had in common: Jonah. He wouldn’t take Ben off his suspect list, but he did mentally move him to the bottom.

  “I’ve done nothing illegal,” Billy reiterated. “Neither has Jerry. And you’re barking up the wrong tree, Reed. You already have the killer in custody.”

  “Maybe,” Livvy mumbled. She got to her feet and stood next to Reed. Reed followed.

  “Maybe?” Jerry challenged, and Reed didn’t think it was his imagination that the man suddenly seemed very uncomfortable. Also, that wasn’t a benign glance he aimed at Billy. And then Charla.

  “Maybe,” Livvy repeated, keeping a poker face. She walked out past Charla and into the hall.

  Since there were lots of people milling around, too many, Reed didn’t want to say anything that would be overheard and reported to Charla and the men. He waited until they were outside and away from the protestors.

  “Smart move,” he said under his breath, “to let them think you might have some evidence to prove Shane’s innocence. And maybe their guilt.”

  “Well, I wanted to say something to shake them up a bit.”

  Mission accomplished. Now, they would have to wait to see who would react, and how, to the possibility that the charges against Shane weren’t a done deal.

  “I’m sorry Jerry brought up your mother,” Reed told her.

  “Not your fault. And this has nothing to do with her. That was an attempt to muddy the waters on his part. Makes you wonder just how deep he is into this. After all, other than Jonah, Jerry has the strongest motive because Marcie could have sent him to jail for years.”

  “Yeah, and he doesn’t have Jonah’s big bankroll to fight a long legal battle.”

  Livvy stayed quiet a moment. “So, of all our suspects who would be most l
ikely to kill a woman and set up her former lover to take the blame?”

  “Jerry,” Reed said without hesitation. Still, that didn’t mean Jonah or someone else hadn’t put him up to it or even assisted. “While you’re reexamining the gun, I want to talk to Shane again. Maybe he remembers something that’ll help us unravel all of this.”

  He heard Livvy respond, but he didn’t actually grasp what she said. That was because Reed saw something that got his complete attention.

  The black rental car parked just up the street less than a block from his office.

  “That’s the vehicle that nearly ran me down,” he told Livvy.

  She put her hand over the butt of her service pistol. Reed did the same and tried to walk ahead of her so he could place himself between the car and her. Of course, Livvy wouldn’t have any part of that. She fell in step beside him, and they made their way to the car.

  “Can you see if anyone’s inside?” she asked.

  “No. The windows are too dark.” And with the sunlight spewing in that direction, there was also a glare.

  With each step they took, Reed’s heart rate kicked up. It certainly couldn’t be Billy, Charla or Jerry in that car since he’d just left them in Jerry’s office, but it could be someone who’d been hired to intimidate Livvy and him.

  Reed and Livvy were only a few yards away when the engine roared to life.

  Livvy stopped and drew her weapon. Reed was about to push her out of harm’s way, but it was already too late. The driver slammed on the accelerator, the tires squealing against the hot asphalt.

  Reed cursed as the car sped past them. He cursed again when he got a glimpse of the driver.

  This time it was Shane’s father, Ben Tolbert.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Livvy stepped from the claw-footed tub and wrapped the thick terry-cloth towel around her. The hot bath had helped soothe some of her tight back and shoulder muscles, but it hadn’t soothed her mind.