Serve and Protect (Heroes of Evers, Texas #3)

by Lori Ryan

  “Cora?”

  “Yes?” Her answer was slow and questioning, reflecting the fact that she wasn’t sure about answering a call from a blocked number.

  “My name is Detective Garret Hensley from the Branson Falls Police Department. I’m trying to reach your sister, Ashley, to follow up with her, and wondered if she was with you.”

  There was silence on the line. Okay, so the woman probably didn’t get calls from detectives trying to track her sister often. And really, when had he ever made a call like this on a case? He hadn’t. Because if he was honest with himself, he wasn’t calling for the case. He was calling because he wanted to see Ashley.

  He cleared his throat. “Ashley said she sometimes eats dinner at your parents’ house on Sundays, but her car is in the driveway, so I thought you might have picked her up? Or maybe one of your other siblings?” He knew he sounded stiff and forced, but he was trying to show her Ashley had trusted him with personal information. What he said had caught her attention, though.

  “Her car is there? But she isn’t answering the door?” There was a hint of suspicion in her tone. And something else. Maybe surprise? “Can I call you right back?”

  He rattled off his number and the line was disconnected. He looked at the phone, and if he had to guess, he’d bet Cora was trying to call Ashley. Within moments, he received a text from the number he’d just dialed to reach Cora. On my way there.

  Now he was concerned. Cora wouldn’t rush right over if she didn’t think something was wrong, would she? No, she wouldn’t. He was sure of it.

  Garret stepped from his car and crossed the yard to the porch. To hell with it. He pulled the small set of tools he kept in his wallet for “emergencies” and went to work. Damn. He’d almost forgotten he had put some pretty foolproof locks on the doors the other day. They weren’t as easy to jimmy as he’d like, but he was able to get in after a few minutes. The lights were off, but he called out.

  “Ashley! Are you here? It’s Garret. Cora’s on her way.” He flipped on the lights in the living room and looked around. He didn’t see anything out of place. Nothing out of the ordinary. So why the hell was his gut screaming at him so damned loudly? If there wasn’t anything wrong, he’d feel like a Peeping Tom, but he needed to know she was safe. Hopefully she wasn’t just an unusually heavy sleeper taking a nap in the next room. That would sure as hell suck. How would he live down the creepy stalker image that would imprint in her head?

  “Ashley?” he called out again. This time, he heard a whimper. It was small, but it was enough to chill his blood and send his hand to the holster at his side. His thumb remained on the grip of his firearm, ready to draw if needed. He cleared the kitchen and living room with a glance, and proceeded down the hallway toward Ashley’s room. The bedroom lights were on when he entered, but there was no sign of Ashley.

  He stood still and listened. A sob. The closet.

  Garret opened the closet door and took in the sight before him. Ashley curled in a ball on the floor in the far corner of the small walk-in closet. She was huddled, knees to chest, tears streaming down her face. His hand left his holster and he swept her frame as he moved to kneel in front of her.

  No sign of injury or assault. Clothing intact.

  “Ashley, are you okay?” Dumbass. Who asks a woman who’s so clearly not okay if they’re okay?

  He very slowly moved his hand to her arm. She had her eyes open, but he wasn’t sure she saw him, because she jumped and began to shake her head back and forth, squeezing her eyes shut. He’d had a lot of experience as a cop. Dealt with a lot. But he felt far out of his depth right now.

  He backed off but stayed close, watching, talking. “Cora is coming, Ashley. She’s on her way. I’ll stay here with you until she gets here. I’m not going to hurt you, but I also don’t want to leave you alone, okay? I’ll just stay right here. Cora’s coming.” He repeated his words over and over as she continued to shake her head.

  He’d never felt so useless or so relieved when he heard the front door open. “In here,” he called out as softly as he could. Cora and Laura, who he’d met with Ashley in front of the diner, rounded the corner into the room. He slowly backed out of the closet and stood to the side and watched, hands shoved in his pockets, as they helped Ashley to her feet and brought her to her bed.

  There would be no asking her anything tonight, but he still felt like he needed to do something, anything, for her. Only what could he do? What he wanted to do was head for his car, drive straight to Bill Franks’ house, and put a bullet through the man’s head. Because he had no doubt that whatever had caused this incredibly strong woman to melt before him had begun with that man.

  “Thank you, detective. We’ll take it from here,” Cora said, not sparing him a glance as she wrapped Ashley in a quilt. Laura had climbed right up onto the bed with Ashley and had her arms wrapped around her, talking quietly in her ear.

  Garret warred with himself. He wanted to stay. To do something to help. But he also knew in his heart Ashley would hate for him to be here. Hate for him to see her like this.

  “It’s all right, Detective. We’ve got it,” Cora prompted again.

  He nodded. “Can I call you later to check on her?”

  Cora offered him a small smile and a nod. “Sure. Thank you. You can let yourself out?” She phrased it as a question, but he recognized it for the dismissal it was. He took one last look at the tiny woman on the bed, still curled on her side, her breath hitching in big gulps as she stared sightlessly at the wall beside her. Then he walked away, determined to figure out the secret that had killed Alice and was tearing the woman he had begun to feel some pretty strong things for apart. There was something out there, and he needed to uncover it.

  15

  Ashley didn’t know how long she slept. When she woke, Cora and Laura were on either side of her. They smiled down at her, but she could see the worry in their eyes. If there were ever two women who knew what she was going through, it was them. There wasn’t any judgment. They didn’t look at her like she was a freak. They were simply concerned. And she got that. It had been a hell of a meltdown.

  And then she remembered someone else’s concerned eyes. Garret’s. Oh God. Garret had seen her. So much for pretending she was a normal, sane person. Ashley pressed her lips tightly together and blinked. She wouldn’t cry again. She was cried out. But damn, it sucked to feel the hard-fought life she’d built slipping away from her. She felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff, with the rock face crumbling beneath her bit by bit. No matter how far she backpedaled, the crumbling earth would sweep her away in its wake. It would always be faster than she was.

  She took a deep breath and rolled her eyes. “I bet I look gorgeous,” she said with a watery smile. “It’s my new look. I’m calling it swollen puffy girl.”

  Laura laughed. “You forgot about your hair. It’s more like swollen puffy girl with hair standing on end.” She tilted her head. “Somehow you’re making it work for you. Pretty disgusting, if you ask me.”

  Cora groaned. “Ash could look gorgeous in a hurricane with clown makeup on. It’s just not fair.”

  “I had to chase away the hot detective somehow. I’m pretty sure I got the job done with this scene, huh?” She all but flinched as she thought again about him witnessing this meltdown. It was mortifying. Talk about damaged goods.

  “Now, why would you want to chase away that hot man? Besides, he wanted to hang around and help, so I’m pretty sure you haven’t succeeded yet. I thought I was going to have to shove him out the door,” Cora said.

  “Ha! I’m sure it was like watching a train wreck. Who could look away?”

  Laura spoke gently. “Why would you want to chase him away, Ashley? Seems to me, the man would be a pretty great catch. You sure you want to push him out of your life before you’ve given him a chance?”

  Ashley didn’t answer. What was there to say? She was having flashbacks of epic proportions. And even before that, she hadn’t been s
ure she would be able to build a life with someone. Now? It seemed out of the question. She’d been on her closet floor huddled in a ball, pretty much catatonic. Who would want that?

  Never mind if he found out why. No man would want a relationship with a woman like her.

  Sure, she’d had relationships with guys. But they were sexual relationships. When she’d realized she couldn’t force intimacy and closeness through sex, she’d also begun to believe she might never be able to find the real thing. Because once a guy found out the truth about her, how could he possibly want to be with her in any way other than sexually? He couldn’t. It was as simple as that.

  But she didn’t say any of that to Laura and Cora.

  Laura narrowed eyes that saw too much and looked at Ashley.

  “Do you remember when you told me that maybe it was time for me to stop running? To give this place a chance?”

  Ashley nodded, not sure where Laura was going with this. She’d stopped running a long time ago. It was why she had her family and her friends and her career. Because she’d given Evers and the Walkers a chance. Despite everything she’d been through, she had stopped running.

  Cora took Ashley’s hand in hers and held it as Laura spoke.

  “I wouldn’t have the life I’ve been able to build here if I hadn’t listened to you. I wouldn’t have a husband who loves me and treasures me, and a beautiful child to love; a family and friends.”

  Ashley didn’t answer, but that didn’t stop Laura. “You might think you stopped running when you arrived here. When your family took you in, when they adopted you. You think you stopped running and gave them a chance.”

  Now Ashley opened her mouth to speak, but Laura held up her hand. Her eyes were soft but she was shaking her head at Ashley. “Let me finish, Ash. You stopped running to some extent. But you’ve held a part of you locked away for a long time. There’s a piece of you that never faced what happened. I’m willing to bet you’ve never even told your mom or Cora what it is. And that piece of you is still running. You won’t ever be whole until you truly stop and face it head-on with open eyes. And I think you deserve to be whole. To live a full life with someone you love, who you allow to love you back. You deserve that in your world, Ashley.”

  But Ashley didn’t answer. She closed her eyes, because she knew the truth. She didn’t deserve that. And if any of them knew the truth about what happened years ago, they would know she didn’t deserve that. She couldn’t ever have love and children of her own, the way that Laura had. The way her parents had. That was something she’d given up the right to years ago. And there was no going back and undoing what she’d done.

  *

  Garret texted Doug to let him know he hadn’t been able to talk to Ashley yet, but he’d follow up again tomorrow. He needed to do something, though. He couldn’t just sit and twiddle his damned thumbs while he waited for something to turn up in this case. He needed to dig up a witness to talk to, a thread to pull, some small trail or lead to follow. Alice’s case was quickly turning cold, and he owed her a hell of a lot more than that.

  His mind was on Alice and all the times she’d made him iced tea as he sat at her kitchen table while his mom worked. She’d always talked to him like he was a grown up, even when he’d been eight or nine or ten. She’d talked to him as though he were intelligent, worthy of her attention. As though he could be or do anything.

  He played back the memories of her talks as he steered his car back toward the one lead he had in the case. Bill Franks’ house. Pulling over, he cut the engine and watched the house from down the street. He’d sit here all day if he had to. Until Ashley was in any kind of shape to tell him what he needed to know, he’d watch and wait.

  The night passed by and Garret sat, watching silently, without the urge to sleep. He got this way on cases when things began to come to a boil. As morning broke and the neighborhood started to come to life with people headed to work or school or places unknown, he spotted them. The woman he’d met at Franks’ place the other day came out of the house and headed to a car. Only this time, she wasn’t alone. She had a young girl in tow. A girl with a backpack almost as big as her tiny frame, and clothes that looked to be a size too small. As Garret watched, the two left the house and drove away. Away from the home of Bill Franks. A man Garret very strongly suspected had a taste for young girls.

  He let out a string of curses and started the car. He knew in his gut this was what Alice had died doing. She died trying to get that kid out of that home. He’d not only finish the job, he’d bring her killer down.

  Ready or not, Ashley had to talk to him. It was time.

  16

  Cora answered the door when Garret arrived at Ashley’s house an hour and a half later. He hadn’t showered or shaved, and he was sure his clothes were rumpled. Based on the look on Cora’s face, she was gearing up to fend him off, to try to convince him to leave her sister alone. God, how he’d give anything to do just that. But that wasn’t going to happen. Couldn’t happen. Not now that he knew there was a child in the home with Bill Franks.

  He’d called Doug to report in, but convinced his partner to let him come see Ashley alone. To give her that much privacy while she told him what he needed to know. He’d get one shot at this and one shot only. If he didn’t get answers now, Doug wouldn’t give him any more slack. And Garret wouldn’t blame him.

  He spoke before Cora could. “It’s time, Cora. I need to speak with her. Now.”

  She looked at him for a long time, and he debated pulling his badge and forcing the issue. He heard the soft murmur of Ashley’s voice behind her. With a relenting sigh, Cora let the door swing open and stepped aside. Ashley sat in sweatpants and a worn tee on the couch. Her hands hugged a mug of something hot and her face was scrubbed clean of makeup and tears. She looked…not refreshed…but a bit rested. Like she’d had time to get her bearings.

  He didn’t waste any time. He sat on the coffee table in front of her, assuming a familiarity not normally taken in this kind of situation, but one he would take with Ashley. She didn’t object. He just hoped after all this was over, she’d give him a shot with her. He liked this woman a lot. He respected the hell out of her. She was intelligent and strong and so damned sexy he felt like he needed a cold shower every time he got within a few yards of her. Touching distance. Smelling distance. Those were the things that doomed him with this woman.

  “There’s a child in his house, Ashley. I don’t know who she is yet. I suspect his girlfriend’s daughter.”

  Ashley went sheet-white in an instant and Cora sat by her side. Ashley began to scratch at her arms, and for the first time Garret noticed thin white scars like train tracks on her forearms. Cutting. They were old scars, but they told the story of someone trying to outrun pain. A lot of it.

  Cora took Ashley’s hand in hers and held tight while Garret went on.

  “She’s not much younger than you were when you were taken out of the home. I suspect Alice thought she had a little time until she reached Bill Franks’ preferred age. She’s nine, maybe ten. But there isn’t much time, Ashley. I need the story. I need something to give me the leverage I need to get in there and get that kid out. If my instincts are right, when Alice showed up asking questions, Bill Franks got nervous and fought back.”

  Ashley lowered her head, her eyes squeezing shut for the briefest of moments. When she raised her head again and looked him in the eye, he saw nothing but steel. Steely determination to do what had to be done. And God, he wanted to pull her close and tell her she didn’t need to do it. She didn’t have to go through this. But he couldn’t do that. Couldn’t protect her, because protecting her—letting her off the hook—might leave that little girl in danger.

  The words that came out of her mouth rocked him to the core. And that was something he never thought could happen. In a shaking voice, she told him what he needed to know.

  “Behind the garage, on the left side, there’s a small carving of an angel. Dig there. Test the DNA. You�
��ll find mine and his. That’s all you’ll need.” Tears began to stream down her face, and God help him, he wanted to pull her into his arms and hold her. He wanted to make this go away for her.

  He inhaled a steadying breath. He and Cora both looked at Ashley, and from the look on Cora’s face, she was struggling to process what she had said just as much as he was.

  She couldn’t possibly mean…

  “Ashley,” he said, swallowing hard. “You were fourteen when you were taken out of that home.”

  “Yes.”

  Cora’s eyes met his. “Ashley, do you mean—”

  His mind reeled. What could she mean? Had she buried evidence of sexual assault? Clothing or bedding with bodily fluids? The thought made his stomach lurch. What came next hit him even harder. He never saw it coming.

  Ashley averted her eyes like she couldn’t face him. “A baby. I hid it for a long time. Baggy shirts and sweatpants,” she whispered, eyes on the floor.

  Garret had to force himself to listen. Her arms came up as if to cradle herself, or maybe the baby she was remembering.

  “I hid it for five months, but that night, I told him. I couldn’t fight him off. I tried.” She turned her head to Cora. “I tried to protect the baby, Cora. I tried so hard.”

  Cora nodded at her and he saw she was crying as much as Ashley.

  “He left after kicking me in the stomach over and over. So many times.” Ashley’s whole body was wracked with shivers as she spoke. “I had the baby on the floor in the bathroom, but she didn’t breathe. Didn’t move. I held her and rocked her. I sang to her and wrapped her in towels. He didn’t come back. I buried my baby girl and took off. Eventually, I went to Alice. Told her I was ready to leave.”

  “You would have needed medical care, Ash. Right?” Cora asked as if she could poke holes in this story and make it go away somehow. He almost hoped she succeeded.

  Cora looked to him as if he could back her up and fix this.

  “Yes,” Ashley said. “I took a bus to Austin that night, thinking I would just disappear. I grabbed a backpack and a few things and ran. But when I got to Austin, I was bleeding a lot more than I thought I would be.”