Scorned Justice: The Men of Texas Rangers Series #3 (Men of the Texas Rangers)

by Margaret Daley

  Maybe when it gets dark, I can get away.

  Maybe . . .

  The screen door banged open. Tory or Rob?

  I don’t want to look. I don’t want to know.

  The sound of footsteps pounding down the steps of the porch teased her curiosity. Kim opened one eye halfway and saw Tory race to her car, hop in, and drive off.

  Where’s Rob? Should I go back inside?

  Kim eased partway up to peer over the bushes. There were a few other houses on the street, but they were set back from the road and looked scary—dark, rundown. One had four old cars in different stages of disrepair parked in the driveway and at the curb. Another had tall weeds in the front yard. The last house had broken windowpanes, and the porch leaned to the right. No cars there, or any other sign of someone home.

  Should I go to one of them? What if Tory comes back?

  Where’s Rob? Hurt, dead, or waiting for me? To do what Tory wanted.

  She burrowed deeper into the green foliage until it surrounded her. But even then, a sense of safety eluded her.

  Outside Mrs. Peabody’s apartment, away from earshot, Brody answered his phone. “What’s up? I hope some good news.”

  “We couldn’t find a driver’s license in our database for Linda Watson with the parameters you gave me,” Charlie replied on the other end of the phone.

  Thinking back to what Mrs. Peabody had said about the sports car, Brody started for his SUV. “Check with Kentucky’s DMV. Maybe she didn’t live in Texas until recently and has a driver’s license from another state.”

  “Why Kentucky?”

  “Call it a hunch. If that doesn’t get a hit, try the surrounding states.”

  “That’s a long shot.”

  “I’m desperate. I have lots of questions but few answers. Actually no answers.”

  “So you think everything is connected to Daniel Watson?”

  “Maybe. Actually, probably, unless we haven’t even considered the real person this revolves around. Also check for an L. W. Larson.” A beep indicated another call coming in. “I’ve got another call. Talk to you later.” He switched over to the unknown number, saying, “Calhoun here.”

  “This is Susan. I found it. I have a picture of both Linda and J. R. The one of Linda is blurry, but J. R.’s is good. He hasn’t changed that much since it was taken.”

  “I’ll be back over. Fifteen minutes away.”

  An urgency prodded him to move fast.

  With the deputy leading, Rebecca held Aubrey’s hand as they entered the hospital from the parking lot on the lower level. Sean and Hattie followed.

  While riding the escalator to the first floor, Aubrey looked up at Rebecca and asked, “Can I get Daddy something in the gift shop? Something extra special?”

  Perfect. Rebecca wanted to talk to Thomas first, before everyone else, and this would be a good opportunity to do that. “Yes.” At the top of the escalator, Rebecca shifted around to face Hattie. “Will you take Aubrey to the gift shop? I’m going on up to see Thomas.”

  The older woman’s forehead creased. “Sure,” she answered slowly as if she didn’t quite understand what Rebecca was doing.

  Rebecca released Aubrey’s hand and stepped closer to Hattie. Sean moved away to entertain Aubrey while Rebecca whispered, “I want to tell Thomas what’s going on without everyone else there.”

  “Oh, that’s a good idea. We’ll take our time. Aubrey doesn’t need to see him upset.”

  “Exactly.” She gave Hattie her purse. “Use whatever money you need. Aubrey especially likes ice cream, and I know they have some bars in the shop.”

  “Gotcha. But I can pay for it.”

  “No, my treat. You do so much for us.”

  Hattie covered the short distance to Aubrey. “Let’s go find your daddy something extra special.”

  Aubrey took the housekeeper’s hand. “Daddy loves chocolate. Maybe a big box of it will make him feel better.”

  “And maybe some for you. I know a little girl who takes after her daddy.” Hattie walked toward the shop with Aubrey.

  “Also I’d like to find something for Kim.”

  Hattie threw a glance over her shoulder. “Sure, baby.”

  “Sean, you go with them. You, too, deputy.”

  While Sean started toward the pair, the deputy stayed behind. “Mrs. Morgan, I can’t do that. Ranger Calhoun gave me specific instructions to stay by your side.”

  Nodding, she headed for the elevators. Her keeper could stay outside while she went in to talk to Thomas. It had been over twenty-four hours since Kim was kidnapped, with no ransom demand and no leads to speak of. The news wasn’t good, and she wanted Thomas to hear it from her privately.

  When the doors swished open on Thomas’s floor, Tory was handing the officer on guard duty a cup of coffee before going into the room. Her sister-in-law looked haggard, and her clothes did not have their usual crisp neat appearance. Tory glanced to each side and noticed Rebecca right before the door closed behind her. Actually, she looked more distraught than haggard. Clearly upset.

  Has something happened to Thomas? Has he slipped back into a coma?

  Rebecca increased her pace, nodding toward the officer as she entered the room, the deputy trailing after her.

  Thomas lay in his bed asleep. At least that was what she thought. Moving further inside, she scanned the area.

  Where’s Tory?

  A sound behind her, the bathroom door creaking open, made her turn around. Tory lifted the gun in her hand and brought it down on the back of the deputy’s head. He crumpled to the floor.

  Rebecca faced her sister-in-law, the gun now pointed at her chest.

  19

  Will they find me before Tory comes back?

  Kim pushed some of the branches aside to peer out into the front yard. No one was outside. Not Rob. Not a neighbor. And Tory hadn’t returned.

  What if Rob is hurt? He tried to save me.

  She backed out of her green cave and rose inch by inch, ready to duck down if she needed to. But quiet reigned, until a dog started barking in the distance.

  Finally, she straightened to her full height and crept toward the corner of the house to check out the part of the yard that had been blocked from her view earlier.

  Nothing.

  She scooted a few feet forward, her gaze sweeping the area.

  Still no one.

  Taking a deep breath that burned her lungs, she scurried up the porch steps. The front door was open. She pressed her face against the screen to see if she could make out anything inside. Her gaze honed in on a phone sitting on a table in the living room, hidden by the couch. She hadn’t seen that earlier when she fled the house.

  If she could get to it, she could call Aunt Becky for help. She looked around, trying to figure out where she was. She had no idea. In the distance, she could see some tall buildings, but at the end of the block there was a field. She didn’t even know if she was in Dry Gulch or—no, not Dry Gulch. It didn’t have any tall buildings like she saw. Then, San Antonio?

  When she woke up after the accident, she was already here at this house. She could be anywhere.

  Her heart raced at the thought.

  911!

  That was it. She eased the door open. Her chest felt like it was on fire.

  One step into the house.

  A glance back—still nothing.

  She tiptoed toward the phone, her hand trembling as she reached out to make the call. Bringing the receiver to her ear, she started to press the nine, then paused.

  No dial tone.

  She punched the button up and down several times.

  But still no dial tone.

  Slamming the receiver down, she examined the phone, only to find there was no cord attached.

  She looked around. That was when she heard the sound coming from the kitchen. Panic held her immobile.

  Out on the porch of her mother’s house, Susan handed Brody a grainy, out-of-focus photograph. “Here’s a picture of Lin
da. See what I mean? It’s not a very good one. I think that one is about ten years old, taken right before Daniel went away.”

  “Blonde hair? I thought you said she was a brunette.”

  “She is, but she would color her hair blonde.” Susan shrugged. “So sometimes she was. Sometimes not.”

  “How about the last time you saw her?”

  “It was streaked, so it was both at that time. But growing up she was a brunette.”

  “Where’s J. R.’s picture?”

  “Here.” She laid it in his palm.

  When he examined it, his muscles tensed. He’d seen this person—recently. “How old was he here?”

  “I’m guessing this was taken a couple of years after Daniel went to prison.”

  “So about seven or eight years ago. What does J. R. stand for?”

  “Junior. His real name is Robert Watson.”

  “Rob,” Brody whispered to himself.

  “What?”

  “Does he go by Rob some of the time?”

  “No, never that I know of. It’s always been J. R. But he hasn’t been in the area for a few years. He was up in Dallas, so I guess he could have started using his first name.”

  “And you don’t know where he is now?”

  “No. We haven’t heard from him in three years, since he moved to Dallas. He never contacted us. He was upset with Mama. Do these help?”

  “Yes. Thanks.” He descended the steps to the sidewalk and hurried toward his SUV.

  Minus the goatee and sunglasses, J. R. Watson could be Rob Clark. Now to find the man who had saved Rebecca. Had he set up the hit-and-run and changed his mind at the last minute? He shook his head. He still thought that Alexandrov was responsible for that attempt.

  He placed another call to Charlie with the new information about J. R. “Look for Robert Watson Jr. He was in the Dallas area for a while. I know for a fact he isn’t there now. He’s the guy who saved Rebecca from being run down.”

  “I’m still running down Linda Watson in Kentucky.”

  “Call me the second you get anything on either one. I’m convinced the Watsons are behind everything.”

  After hanging up with Charlie, he called Rebecca to tell her he was coming to the hospital. He didn’t have any more leads to run down—at least not until he got a line on Linda and J. R. Once he got Rebecca back to the ranch, he’d feel better. There was more than one person after Rebecca. The sister and brother had come back to San Antonio around the same time. Both had a reason to go after her.

  On the fourth ring, Hattie answered.

  “Where’s Rebecca?”

  “We’re at the hospital. Aubrey, Sean, and I are getting something for Thomas in the gift shop. Just a second.” There was along silence then Hattie continued. “I didn’t want Aubrey to overhear, but Rebecca wanted some time alone with Thomas to tell him about the progress of the investigation or rather the lack of any.”

  “She went up by herself?” He tensed, his hand clamping the cellphone.

  “No, the deputy went with her.”

  He sighed. “Good. I don’t want any of you to be alone. I believe it is a brother-and-sister team doing this.”

  “Who?”

  “Linda and J. R. Watson. I think the Rob Clark who came to the ranch is J. R. I’m not 100 percent sure, but the man in the photo I’ve got looks very similar to the man we met.” He held the picture up, and the more he studied it the more convinced he was that it was the same person. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

  “We’ll probably be upstairs by then. I’ve delayed Aubrey as long as I can.”

  Another moan sounded from the kitchen, followed by a chair scraping across the tile. Then a loud crash.

  Kim backed up against the end table.

  Rob?

  A noise like a body hitting the floor reverberated through the house. Another moan.

  Kim edged closer to the kitchen and peeked in. On the floor lay Rob, blood everywhere, like in a horror movie she’d seen at a friend’s house late one night. She hadn’t slept well for days after that. She scrunched her eyes closed for a few seconds until another groan came.

  She started to back away when Rob rolled his head toward her and fastened his gaze on her.

  “Help me.” He struggled with something in his pocket, sliding it out. “Help . . .”

  Rob’s eyes closed, and his hand slipped to the blood-covered floor, still clutching a cellphone.

  Her teeth dug into her lower lip. Shudder after shudder rocked her. Cold, so cold. She wanted the phone, but how could she get it?

  I’d have to touch him.

  I can’t . . .

  Remember, sweetie, God is always with us. Giving us strength to do what we need to do. Aunt Becky’s words poured into her mind, enveloping her like a heavy coat during a winter storm. Just thinking about her aunt and God gave her the courage she needed to take a step toward Rob.

  Then another and another.

  An awful smell filled her nose. She held her breath. She grabbed a towel off the counter, bent over, and plucked the cellphone from his cupped palm. The sight of blood everywhere sent her flying back to the safety of the living room. Forcing air into her lungs, she repeatedly wiped the cellphone until it was clean, then threw the towel away from her.

  She punched 911 and inhaled a calming breath. Her hand trembled as she brought the phone up to ear. When the 911 operator came on the line, she said in a breathless rush, “I was kidnapped. Rob has been shot. Help!”

  “Get over there with your brother,” Tory said, waving the revolver in Thomas’s direction.

  “Tory, what are you doing? Why do you have a gun?”

  Fury twisted her sister-in-law’s face, her eyes full of hate as they seared into Rebecca. “You’ve robbed me of everything, even my little brother now. It ends today. I’m taking your brother away from you and leaving you with the knowledge that your actions caused it.”

  What does she mean? Rebecca tried to think of a time she had done anything to Tory other than try to support her and be a friend. “My actions?”

  “You might not remember Daniel Watson, but he was my brother. You sent him to prison. He was murdered in there, and no one cared. Oh, there was an investigation that lasted a day, but no one was brought to trial. My mother committed suicide when she lost him. My family fell apart because of you.”

  “He kidnapped and killed a young girl, then tried to do the same thing to another.”

  “He was sick, not a killer. But no one cared about that.” Again Tory pointed with the gun where she wanted Rebecca to stand. “Get over there. I want you to watch as I kill your brother.”

  “I’ll scream before I let you do that. The officer will be in here before you know it.”

  “By that time, I’ll have killed both you and Thomas and be ready to take the deputy out, and anyone else who comes through the door. Do you want to be responsible for that, too? I’m an excellent shot and have no problem pulling this trigger.”

  Rebecca moved closer to Thomas. Why didn’t I see Tory’s true nature? Because I’d tried to leave Thomas, his new wife, and his two daughters alone to bond as a family. Or have I been so involved in my life that I have missed what’s really going on around me? “You won’t get away with this. The officer will stop you before you leave.”

  “He won’t be able to react fast enough. I gave him something to slow his reactions and his mental processes, but not put him totally out. Now, that might raise suspicion. And knowing his love of coffee, he has finished the whole cup by now.”

  Rebecca scanned the hospital room, trying to figure out a way to stop Tory. But there was nothing she could think of short of throwing herself across the bed at Tory.

  “Have you found anything out about Linda in Kentucky?” Brody asked Charlie, who had called him as he drove toward Mercy Memorial Hospital.

  “That’s not why I called. There’s been a 911 call from Kim. She’s talking with the 911 operator. We have triangulated her locat
ion. I’m heading there. She told 911 there’s a man who has been shot. That’s all I know.”

  When Brody received the address, he made a U-turn. “I’m five minutes away. I’ll be there.”

  Switching off his cell, he floored his SUV, intent on getting there in under five minutes.

  Four minutes later Brody was running toward the house, whose front door stood open. Withdrawing his weapon as he mounted the porch, he scanned the area. As he entered, he heard Kim talking somewhere to his right. He moved in that direction, his gaze tracking every inch of the room, his gun up and ready to use if he need be.

  He eased around the corner into the living room, following the sound of Kim’s voice, telling someone she was all right but scared. He thought about calling out to her, but just in case there was someone else in the house with her, he kept quiet and crept forward.

  Kim’s alive. That’s what’s important. Thank You, Lord.

  When he swung around in the doorway leading into the kitchen, the little girl turned toward him, cellphone to her ear. A body covered in blood lay behind her. Her eyes widened. She dropped the phone and flung herself at him.

  “You came.” She hugged him so tightly, she squeezed his stomach.

  “Are you alone?”

  She nodded. “Except Rob.”

  That was when Brody’s gaze fell on the young man who’d saved Rebecca. His dark blue eyes were fixed on the ceiling. Brody knew a death stare when he saw it, but just to be sure, he disengaged from Kim and said, “Go into the living room. I’ll be right there.”

  After she left the room, he leaned over and felt for a pulse. Nothing. There wasn’t anything he could do for Rob now.

  He strode into the living room to find Kim standing a few feet away, biting her fingernail. The relief he’d seen earlier was gone, replaced by a look of fear.

  Kneeling in front of her, he clasped her arms. “You’re safe now, Kim. More police are on the way.” In the distance, sirens pierced the air.