Texas Reckless

by Gerry Bartlett

  Rhett pulled out his gun, and the truck in front stopped just inches from hitting him. He walked to the driver’s side and leaned in to talk to whoever was behind the wheel.

  Sierra grabbed her robe from the foot of the bed and ran through the house. Her rifle sat next to the back door where she’d left it. Gravel bit into the soles of her bare feet when she stepped outside and raised the rifle, taking aim. The second truck was trying to pass the first one, driving over the muddy mess next to her burned-out barn.

  “Stop right now or I’ll put a bullet through your windshield. And I won’t be aiming at your sun visor.” She was shouting, and the second truck jerked to a stop. She walked over to see who Rhett was talking to in truck number one.

  * * * *

  “Well, hello, Sally Ann. You’re trespassing, you know.” Rhett looked between the two women. Sierra held that rifle like she wanted to use it. Tired of thinking about the past? Apparently it had all come roaring back. He should try to defuse this situation, but this might be a chance to get some information from a smirking Sally Ann.

  “Trespassing? I’ve been coming here with Mama since I was a kid, Sierra. So when Darrel asked me to pick up his truck, I said no problem. Marty drove me over to get it. You refusing to let me by?” Sally Ann looked too dressed up for driving a truck that had a pile of empty takeout coffee cups on the dash along with other litter. It was a wonder she could see over the trash.

  “I didn’t know you and Darrel were friends.” Sierra swung her rifle over to aim it at the other truck like she meant business. “You dragged Marty out here for this? She usually works at night.”

  “It’s her night off. She’s doing me a favor.” Sally Ann fluffed her hair. “Honestly, what’s with all the gunplay? It’s not as if this hunk of junk is worth stealing. I’m doing this for poor Darrel. He called me begging for it. Terrible accident right here on your property. You carry workmans’ compensation insurance for him, Sierra?”

  “You don’t have to worry about that. But how do you know Darrel, Sally Ann?” Sierra had the rifle aimed at Sally Ann again. “He doesn’t seem to be your type.”

  Sally Ann laughed. “You are so right. Never you mind about that. Just get out of my way.” She batted her obviously fake eyelashes and focused on Rhett. “Hey, big guy, I saw you at the dealership. You rented that Tahoe from us, didn’t you?”

  “Yes, I did. I’m Sierra’s houseguest, Rhett Hall.” Rhett suddenly wished he’d flung on a shirt. This woman had a predatory look that made him feel like a piece of meat. “I’m wondering why you didn’t let Sierra know you were coming. This is her ranch, you know. Seems like it would have been the polite thing to do.” He saw her hands with their sharp red nails grip the cracked plastic steering wheel. Darrel’s truck was old and in bad shape. The very sight of the polished and primped Sally Ann driving the hunk of junk, as Sierra had put it, made him wish for his camera. Another interesting piece of the puzzle.

  Why would a woman like this do anything for a sometime handyman like Darrel Lockhart? Darrel was missing a couple of front teeth and smelled like cigarettes and infrequent bathing. Sally Ann Jackson wore expensive perfume and had capped teeth that had been freshly whitened.

  “Rhett and I were talking about the bad luck I’ve been having.” Sierra propped her rifle on the edge of the open window.

  “Burned barn. Hurt ranch hand. I’d say it was a sign you should move on, Sierra. This ranch can be a dangerous place.” Sally Ann looked Sierra up and down after she carefully pushed the rifle away.

  “Funny that you should show up to get Darrel’s truck. You know, the more I think about it, the more I realize he could be our number one suspect in the barn fire. And now here you are, helping him out after urging me to sell. You got a reason you want me gone, Sally Ann? You got a stake in this new Oxcart development deal?” Sierra kept her gun so close it almost nudged Sally Ann’s shoulder. “You make it worth Darrel’s while to torch my barn?”

  “Get that damned gun away from me. What the hell, Sierra? You come up with this paranoid fantasy all by yourself? Or did the famous author write your script for you?” Sally Ann tried to roll up the window, but the glass stuck at an odd angle. “Fuck!”

  “I can think for myself, Sally Ann. I’ve known you a long time. Sometimes, I think, too long.” Sierra’s finger twitched on the trigger.

  “Put that fucking gun away! You’re crazy. Where would I get money to invest in anything, much less in this new development that you’re determined to ruin for everyone who lives here? Will keeps me on a budget ever since I went wild at the Galleria in Houston last Christmas.” She almost snarled, her red lipstick smeared on one perfect tooth.

  “Yes, everyone in Muellerville heard about that shopping spree.” Sierra actually laughed, but she didn’t lower her rifle. “You do love your designer footwear.”

  Sally Ann’s eyes sparkled with something like tears. “I swear to God, Sierra, you’ve always acted like an entitled bitch and you never change.” She put the car in gear and it rolled forward. “Unless you’ve got something you plan to take to the sheriff, I think you’d better shut the hell up about conspiracy theories. You hear me?” She gunned the truck, gravel spewing out behind her as she drove on down the driveway.

  “That bitch! I think she did have something to do with my barn burning.” Sierra moved as if to go after her.

  “Look out, here comes Marty.” Rhett put his arms around Sierra and dragged her back out of the way.

  “We should ask Marty about it. Maybe she knows—”

  “Sierra, honey, she’s still hopping to Sally Ann’s tune. Why else would she be here on her night off to help Sally Ann get Darrel’s truck? There’s something fishy about that, I think. Neither of those women should be having any dealings with a hand like Darrel.”

  “What do you mean? I have dealings with him.” Sierra pulled her robe tight. She called Tramp, who made a short run after the trucks then followed them into the house.

  “He works for you. It seems strange to me that a woman like Sally Ann would come all the way out here to get his truck. Now what is she going to do, take it to the hospital in Austin for him? Why? She sure as hell wouldn’t let him take her to bed.”

  “No, he’s a good ranch hand, but I stay upwind of him.” Sierra sniffed as she sat down to look at her feet. “Damned rocks. I’ll really be limping now.”

  “Don’t change the subject.” Though Rhett did bring her a wet paper towel to clean her feet. “Sally Ann and Darrel. Does she owe him a favor? Seems unlikely. What could possibly be their connection? Unless you’re right.” He was thinking hard.

  “Seriously? You think she could have paid him to burn down my barn? That was a wild guess.” Sierra stood and moaned. “Never run barefoot on gravel. Lesson learned.” She glanced at him. “You did it too. I guess I’m the tenderfoot here.”

  “I’m being stoic. It did hurt. But I’m sucking it up.” He grinned. “Let’s eat, then I’ll tell you why you may be right about Darrel and Sally Ann’s connection.”

  “I agree that Darrel is not Sally Ann’s type. She goes for tall guys who are built like football players and have plenty of money.” Sierra ran her hands over his chest. “I saw how she looked at you. She goes for guys like you.”

  “I think that was a compliment. But she’s certainly not my type. Too cold. Too polished.” Rhett pulled her in and peeled open her robe. “Now here’s what I like. You were a badass out there. I was afraid I was going to have to bury a body.”

  “Speaking of that.” She stepped back and tied her robe again. “Did you notice the shovel in the back of Darrel’s pickup?”

  “No! You should have said something. That’s probably your shovel.” Rhett opened the oven, found a towel and carefully pulled out their two plates. “This is still good and hot.”

  “It is my shovel. But my point is, that must be how that strange hol
e got next to the fence. The one Darrel fell into.” Sierra disappeared into the den then reappeared with their wineglasses and the bottle.

  “I don’t know. If he dug it himself and kept the evidence, that makes him a dumbass. Doubly a dumbass if he made the hole, forgot it was there and broke his leg falling into it.” Rhett grabbed silverware and napkins and looked at Sierra with a gesture. “Can we eat while we discuss this?”

  “I get it. Crime solving makes you hungry.” Sierra sat and put a napkin in her lap. “What if he dug that hole so I could fall into it?” Sierra stared at him. “Rhett, if Darrel was working for Oxcart or Sally Ann, it would be a good way to persuade me to give up and sell. A fall like that would put me down for a long time. This leg is still very vulnerable. It’s held together with rods and pins. I’d end up in a hospital in Houston again and my family would have a fit if I tried to go it alone here after that.”

  “Darrel and Oxcart. Any other evidence of that connection?” Rhett tried to follow her logic. He had wondered about the placement of that fresh hole since he’d first seen it.

  “The feed bags we used the night of the fire. You remember how Darrel grabbed them from right inside the barn door?” She stabbed a green bean.

  “Yes, I was glad they were there.”

  “So was I. But that’s not where I usually keep them. We put them in the back of the barn, in the tack room. Darrel must have moved them up there so they’d be handy. He wanted to save the horses. He’s not a cold-blooded killer. At least not of horses. So I think he started the fire. There’s a can of gasoline in the outbuilding where I keep the tractors. We can check to see if it’s still full. I forgot to mention it to the sheriff. Darrel could have used it, then, when the alarm went off, called 9-1-1 and started bringing out the horses. He was trying to make himself look innocent. Covering his butt.” Sierra ate the green bean then waited. “Make sense?”

  “It does. Unfortunately.” Rhett grabbed her hand. “Maybe we should call the sheriff right now. Tell her your theory.”

  “I don’t think Darrel is going anywhere. We can call Myra in the morning. If she presses him, I’ll bet he’ll confess. She already has his fingerprints on the fence posts that were down. Combined with the hole and maybe some investigation into his cell phone records, I bet she can break him.”

  “Good work, detective.” Rhett leaned across and kissed her. “You’re hired. Maybe you can help me with my next book.”

  “Maybe I can.” She smiled and dug into the chicken on her plate. “I’m still thinking about Sally Ann. You won’t break her, not in a million years.”

  “I agree. She’s tough. And, with food like this, I’d hate for you to risk your relationship with her mother.” Rhett was deep into the corn bread dressing. “Delicious.”

  “Rachel is a treasure, but if she knew what Sally Ann did and kept quiet about it, then she’s gone.” Sierra put down her fork. “I’d have to learn to cook.”

  “Don’t be hasty. My gut tells me she had no idea.” Rhett popped a green bean into his mouth.

  “Your gut is a selfish bastard.” Sierra smiled and sipped wine.

  “I’m not denying that. Eat. You’ll feel better. And slip Tramp some chicken. That boy was a better alarm system tonight than all of that expensive tech you have here.” Rhett dropped a piece of chicken too, but it never hit the floor.

  “You’re right. Good boy, Tramp. Your nose for skanks is still young and unbeatable.” Sierra sighed. “I said I was ready to forget the past but I’m a freaking liar. When someone does a horrible thing like what was done to me, they should be punished, Rhett.”

  He stopped eating and sat back. “You’re right. We may not get Sally Ann for that crime, but what if we get her for something else?” He paused when he heard chimes from down the hall. “That’s your phone and mine. I think that brother of yours is sending us the information he’s gathered. Let me send it to my computer and we can print it out.”

  “Fine. Go get it and start the process. We can look at it after dinner.” Sierra kept eating. “Let me know if it’s something else.”

  “You want to tell me where your printer is? It’s not in the den.”

  “My real office is across from my bedroom. Let me know if you need help figuring things out.” She smiled as she refilled her wineglass.

  Rhett hobbled down the hall. A real office. Sierra had a desktop computer system, two printers and a filing cabinet. Some of it was clearly for ranch work, but there was a full bookcase with an interesting variety of literature that convinced him Sierra had depths he’d yet to plumb. Not the time for that, but he put it on his mental list, then got to work. Sure enough, there were attachments from Dylan labeled Investors and Contracts. Rhett sent them from his phone to his laptop and set up a printer connection. It didn’t take long. Pages were printing by the time he joined Sierra at the table again.

  “Your dinner was getting cold.” She sat in front of her empty plate, sipping wine.

  “I stopped to rinse off my feet.” He dug into his meal. “Even cold, Rachel’s food is delicious. We have to figure out a way to keep her here.”

  “I’d like that, but only if she isn’t involved in her daughter’s schemes.” Sierra finished her wine. “I’m going after those printouts. Take your time.”

  “I like your office. Want to explain what exactly you do in there?” Rhett stopped her with a hand on her arm.

  “This and that.” She smiled mysteriously.

  “And you just got more fascinating.” He scooped up the last bite. “I’m done. I’ll load the dishwasher while you get the papers.” Rhett didn’t want Rachel to be the only person Sierra kept when this was over. And wasn’t that a kick in the pants? He mulled over that shocker while he scraped plates and rinsed everything before he got the kitchen in shape. He heard Sierra exclaim, then hurried to join her in the den.

  “You won’t believe this.” She held out a page. “Look at this list of names. Most of them you won’t recognize, though I certainly do. But fourth from the bottom. Tres Amigas. I know who that is.”

  “That’s Spanish. It means—”

  “Three friends. Girlfriends. What do you bet that’s our three pals—Sally Ann, Marty and Ellie?” Sierra sat on the couch. “It has to be. They called themselves that in high school. Like they were a special little clique. They probably used it thinking no one would remember all these years later.” She thumped herself on the thigh. “But I sure do. It pissed me off. I was always left out. I had a bad case of teenage jealousy when they called themselves that.”

  “So you think they invested as tres amigas?” Rhett studied the names on the list. Sierra was right; most of them meant nothing to him. “Then I have a theory.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Oh, really? What’s this theory?” Sierra dropped the rest of the papers on the coffee table then stuck her bad leg into Rhett’s lap. “While you’re telling it to me, would you mind rubbing my leg? I got a lot of exercise today.”

  “You did. You work too hard. Let me know if I’m doing it wrong.” He began to stroke her calf gently.

  “You can be a little more serious than that.” She wiggled her toes. “Yes, my leg is vulnerable, but not delicate.” She sighed as he massaged the sore muscles. “That feels good.”

  “You get physical therapy for it?”

  “I used to. Not for a while now. This is as good as it gets.” She put her other leg in his lap. “Don’t think I’m getting distracted. I want to hear this theory you’ve come up with. Involving Sally Ann?”

  “The connection between her and Darrel has been bugging me. Why would she drive over here and involve Marty to get his truck? In fact, how did she even hear about the accident?”

  “That’s easy. You’ve seen the small-town grapevine at work already. Wouldn’t take five minutes for someone at the dealership to hear about it. In fact, the paramedic who drove
Darrel’s truck here works in the body shop at Will’s place.” Sierra dropped her feet to the floor. “Stop massaging. I can’t think. You have great hands and I didn’t ask you to massage that.”

  “Does Sally Ann talk to those guys? The body shop personnel?” Rhett got up to fetch his laptop.

  “Sally Ann talks to any man with a muscular build.” Sierra couldn’t help admiring Rhett’s when he stopped to open the computer and get it going. “Come back here.”

  “I am.” He grinned at her. “I thought we were working.”

  “We are, but that doesn’t mean we can’t work side by side. You started something with that massage.”

  “I’ll finish that something later.” He set the laptop on the coffee table, then turned and kissed her, his mouth hot on hers in a way that had her leaning in, wanting more. Then he pulled back, ran his hand down her arm and opened the computer. “What about Darrel? You said he didn’t have family here that you know of. Was he raised in this town? Go to high school with the girls?”

  Sierra took a moment to catch her breath. Really? He could just do that and act like he hadn’t… She rubbed her hands on her jeans, determined to stay just as cool as he seemed to be.

  “Darrel isn’t a hometown guy. I have his employment application in a file.” She got up to get it. That kiss had moved her more than it should. She was way too vulnerable to Rhett Hall and his casual kisses. She concentrated on the business at hand as she pulled out the file.

  “Not much in it. Ranch hands don’t need many qualifications. He’d worked at another ranch for a man I knew. I had Dylan’s guy in Houston run a background check for my own safety. Darrel had a bar fight on his record, a few speeding tickets and a DUI. I didn’t let him drive a ranch truck for that reason. But there weren’t any other red flags. You can’t be too choosey when you hire someone for the kind of work I needed, especially since I couldn’t afford to pay top dollar. Luckily I could offer benefits. I have a deal with Texas Star. Their group policy covers me and any of my employees. I took Darrel on three years ago and he’s done a good job. I kept an eye out for drinking on the job but he told me the DUI got him sober and I believed him.”