On the Lam

by SUE FINEMAN

  Greg called, “Brady, Bo, Callie has breakfast ready.”

  Brady slid into a chair at the table and Bo grabbed another chair. Skeeter tapped on the door and walked in. Callie smiled. “Skeeter, find yourself a chair and sit down.” She put more cups on the table and poured the coffee. A minute later, Callie put plates in front of Greg and Dave and turned back to the stove. “I always wanted a big round table, so there’d always be room for one more, but it wouldn’t fit in this kitchen.”

  Bo poured milk for Brady and sat down. Callie put plates in front of Bo and Skeeter. Sausage, eggs, and grits. Bo smiled at the stricken look on Brady’s face, as if his mother had forgotten him. Fat chance of Callie forgetting to feed anyone. She brought a plate for Brady and one for herself and then put a big basket of muffins hot from the oven in the middle of the table.

  “My mother used to cook like this,” said Skeeter. “Always trying to fatten me up.”

  They talked through breakfast, but no one said anything about Tommy Ray until Brady finished eating and went back to make his bed. Bo knew he’d be listening.

  Dave sipped his second cup of coffee. “There’s a statewide search on for Tommy Ray Caldwell, but we believe he’s still here in the area. He’s lived here for twelve or thirteen years, so he should know the best places to hide. We have seven agents on the way. One will go out with each deputy to search.”

  Bo cocked his head. “I thought he only had six deputies left.”

  “The county council rehired Randy Woford,” said Greg.

  Callie refilled coffee cups. “What about Mary Bickley? Whatever happened with her?”

  Dave’s bright blue eyes twinkled. “Mary spent a good part of last night in a tiny room in the jailhouse, waiting to be interviewed.” He sipped his coffee and grinned like an ornery little kid. “We saved her for last.”

  A little giggle burst from Callie. “I’ll just bet the preacher’s wife loved that.”

  “Her husband told us to keep her, and I can see why,” said Greg. “That woman has an attitude problem.”

  While Callie cleaned up, the four men sat at the table talking about Tommy Ray. Dave said, “Tommy Ray Caldwell was involved in some trouble in Dallas before he came here.”

  “What kind of trouble?” asked Bo.

  “Someone shot and killed his partner. He blamed a hyped-up kid, but the kid he identified swore he didn’t have a gun and he didn’t even remember being there. Tommy Ray accused the kid of lying and they charged the kid with murder. The boy was only sixteen, but he had a rap sheet back to elementary school. Nothing violent, no weapons, mostly mischief and drugs.”

  Callie turned to the men and wiped her hands on a towel. “They convicted him on Tommy Ray’s say-so?”

  Dave twisted to face Callie. “I haven’t read the trial transcript yet, but it looks that way. The kid has been in prison for ten years now. According to the warden, he’s a model prisoner, earned a high school diploma and an associate degree, and is now working on a bachelor’s degree. Wants to be a veterinarian if he ever gets out.”

  “What’s his sentence?” asked Bo.

  “Life,” said Dave. “You don’t kill a cop and get away with a light sentence, especially in Texas. They tried him as an adult. He’s lucky he didn’t get the death sentence.”

  Callie slowly shook her head. “I’d bet anything that Tommy Ray’s partner caught him doing something illegal.”

  “We’re looking at the money connection. Tommy Ray has been sending a lot of money to someone in Dallas.”

  Bo sipped his coffee. “Somebody knows something.”

  “Or saw Tommy Ray shoot his partner,” said Callie.

  Later, Callie walked outside to find Bo standing by the porch steps. She wondered what he was thinking, but it wasn’t the best time to ask. Her mind buzzed with all the things she needed to do. Buy herself a car and renew her license. Get Brady’s books and lessons from school. Pay the property taxes. Buy car insurance and insurance on the house and barn. Tear down the old shed before it fell on Brady. Call Mr. Patterson about leasing out the grazing lands.

  Callie didn’t tell Bo about her phone call to the high school. The principal said he’d have to speak with the school board to get permission for Bo to use the pool, and that could take forever and a day. There was the matter of liability. They didn’t want to get sued if Bo drowned or hurt himself.

  There was no way around it. Bo would have to go back home, but he’d have to go without her. If she wanted to keep the ranch, she had to get to work. Whether Tommy Ray was out there somewhere or not, this couldn’t wait. First, a new barn, and then she and Skeeter would start going to the horse auctions to find the best breeding stock she could afford.

  Dave came by, and he sat with Bo and Greg and Callie at the kitchen table, sipping iced tea. “The investigation into the murder in Dallas has been reopened. If Tommy Ray Caldwell has any sense at all, he’s in Mexico by now.”

  Callie shook her head. “He’s a vengeful man, and he’ll blame me for the trouble he’s in. That means he’s hiding nearby, biding his time.”

  “His truck is still parked on Main Street in downtown Caledonia,” said Greg.

  “Someone is hiding him.”

  “Maybe,” said Dave.

  Probably Mary Bickley. The preacher’s wife thought Tommy Ray could do no wrong.

  After Dave and Greg left, Callie gave Brady his lessons to work on and then wandered out toward the barn. She heard Bo swearing up a storm. Standing back out of sight, she heard him say, “I hate this place.”

  Callie felt his frustration. He couldn’t handle the physical work, but his angry words hurt all the way to the bone. She loved the ranch.

  And Bo hated it.

  <>

  Bo bought Callie a new cell phone and took her shopping for a car. They found a used pickup at the Chevy dealership outside town. “I’ll need something to haul feed and hay, and it’s big enough for me and Brady.”

  The engine was sound, the price was right, and Callie had transportation.

  When they returned to the ranch, Greg spoke to Bo about the sale of The Brothel.

  “I spoke with the buyer by phone, and we came to a verbal agreement on the terms. The buyer’s attorney will draw up the purchase and sale agreement,” said Greg. “One of us has to go back and, since you need to move out of the building and I’m filling in as sheriff here—”

  “Yeah, okay, I’ll go back and take care of business.”

  Greg handed him a legal document. “This is my power of attorney, so you can handle the paperwork.” He handed Bo a piece of paper with his flight information. “You can pick up your ticket at the airport. You leave late this afternoon. Neen’s doctor said she’s too far along to be flying a plane, so she plans to deliver the baby here in the Caledonia Community Hospital.”

  Bo nodded. “I’ll be back as soon as I get things settled there.” He hated to leave Callie even for a few days, but she and Brady should be safe here on the ranch. Greg and Skeeter would be around to keep an eye on them.

  Saying goodbye to Callie and Brady, leaving them behind, tore at him, especially when Brady cried and clung to him. “I’ll be back soon, Brady.”

  “Will you bring Katie with you?”

  “Katie is in school. Maybe she can come to visit on Christmas break. Would that be all right?” Brady wanted a big sister and Katie wanted a new family. Katie and Brady were years apart in age, yet the two kids had connected. They’d both suffered abuse at the hands of the adults in their lives. Their closeness reminded Bo of him and Greg after they lost their mother.

  Bo walked out to the car with Callie. As he wrapped his arms around her, he looked around the ranch, knowing if anyone could make a go of the place, it was Callie. And she wouldn’t have to sell off pieces of land to do it, either. Could he live here in this desolate place? The stark beauty of the hills drew him in, but the moldy old house ruined it.

  He hugged Callie tightly. If she wanted to live here, he’d
live here with her. But first, he had to figure out how to exercise his arm and complete the business transaction in Tacoma. “It’ll take me a few weeks to take care of the business in Tacoma, but I’ll be back.”

  Callie pulled back and gazed into his eyes. “I’ll miss you, Bo. I love you with all my heart, but I don’t want you here if you don’t want to be here. Do you understand what I’m saying? I don’t want you to grow to hate me because you hate the ranch, so if you don’t want to be here, you don’t have to come back.”

  He stepped back as if stung.

  “If you don’t love me enough to live here with me and Brady, then we’d best end it now.” Her voice quavered with emotion.

  His chest felt so tight he could barely breathe. “You’re giving me an ultimatum?”

  She swallowed hard before speaking again. “I don’t want you to be unhappy, and I don’t want or need any more heartache. If you don’t want to be here with me, I won’t like it, but I’ll understand.”

  Still stunned by Callie’s words, Bo sat in the car beside his brother. Brady came over to say goodbye, and Bo hugged him close. Callie stood by the front porch, her eyes swimming in tears.

  As they drove away, Greg said, “I think she overheard us in the barn yesterday.”

  “Aw, shit. Why didn’t you say something?”

  “I didn’t know until now. Look, Bo, you need to make a decision. Her divorce is a done deal. She’s available and so are you. You need each other.”

  “She needs a whole man, not one who can’t move a damn bale of hay without help. She wants to raise horses, Greg. What the hell good am I to her?”

  “She loves you, bro. Brady needs a father, someone to be there for him, like Dad was there for us. And there’s a hell of a lot more to raising horses than doing the grunt work. Hire Dwayne and Leroy to do that. They’re willing and they worship Callie. She needs someone to get her organized, set up the books, and help her plan the steps to take to accomplish her goal.”

  “I hate ultimatums.”

  “It sounded more like she was giving you a way out.”

  Greg glanced at Bo, but Bo couldn’t look at him. Was she giving him a way out or telling him to get lost? Did he want out? No, but he didn’t want things to continue like they were. He could work in the bar with a gimpy arm because instead of carrying whole cases, he carried a few bottles at a time. It was different on the ranch. A bale of hay came in one size, and he couldn’t move the damn thing.

  “Look at it from her side, Bo. Every man in her life has let her down except her grandfather. Hell, even the pastor of her church stood by and let his wife lay into her. And since she’s the best-looking woman around, the women in town are afraid she’ll try to steal their husbands now that she’s single again. Who does that leave? Who does she have on her side besides Dumb and Dumber?”

  “Skeeter.”

  “Yeah, she has Skeeter. Is he going to keep her warm at night? Is that what you want? Because if you stay away too long, you know damn well that’s what’s going to happen.”

  “Skeeter is—”

  “He’s a man, dammit,” he yelled. “And it’s lonesome out there. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Bo. Be thankful for what you have.”

  Three years ago, Greg went through a crisis of his own. “You had a different attitude after you got stabbed, or don’t you remember?”

  “Oh, yeah, I remember. They said I’d never be able to walk again, but I fought my way back and proved the doctors wrong. And that’s what you have to do. Prove the doctors wrong. Until we get a pool in at the ranch, you can drive to Austin and work out in the health club there. Neen checked around and there’s one on this side of town. I know it’s a long drive, but it’s temporary.”

  “I wanted to build Callie a new house, but I’m not sure I can afford it. And I know damn well I can’t afford a pool.”

  “Neen and I will give you a pool as a wedding present. Of course, we’ll expect to use it ourselves on occasion.”

  “You don’t have to take care of me,” snapped Bo.

  “Yeah, well, somebody does. You’ve been taking care of the rest of the family since Dad died. I figure it’s payback time.”

  “Who’s going to take care of Mom if you and I both move here? Mia? She’s never home, and Katie... Brady wants her to be his sister.”

  “Yeah, I know. Neen and I talked about adopting her after her mother died, but Katie has always liked you better. And we’ll see if Mom wants to stay there or move to the Texas Hill Country.”

  Bo felt pushed into a corner, first by Callie and her if-you-don’t-love-me-enough-end-it, and now by Greg.

  “Lay off, Greg.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  After Bo left, Skeeter moved into the spare bedroom in the ranch house. Callie liked having him there, but she missed Bo something fierce. Greg and Dave came around during the day, and Neen visited often, but Callie’s heart hurt so bad she wanted to die. Bo was gone and she might never see him again.

  Three days after Bo left, Callie’s bank statement came in the mail. Her savings account showed she had a whole bunch of money, and she knew it had to be a mistake, so she called the bank, and they put her through to Conrad Butler.

  “Mr. Butler, I think there’s been some mistake on my bank account. You see, I’m sure I deposited just under one hundred and twenty thousand dollars in my savings account, and according to my bank statement, there’s almost three times that amount in there. Not that I mind the extra money, you understand, since I’m trying to start a new business, but I think someone made a mistake.”

  “No, it’s correct. The town figured how much they needed to clean the statue and build a new gazebo and fix up the landscaping, but people started volunteering to do the work for free. Pinky’s Landscaping came through with some new trees and bushes, and Warren Mitts bought himself a new pressure washer last week, and he said he’d clean the statue. Boreman’s Lumber offered material for the gazebo and several men from the church offered to build it next weekend, so they didn’t need the money after all.”

  “But that doesn’t explain—”

  “Well, you see, the church figured you tithed too much and so they kept enough to finish the new Sunday School rooms and fix up the parking lot, and gave the rest back. Leroy and Dwayne put some in, and the hospital in Tampa said you only owed two hundred dollars and the ingot was worth seventeen hundred or so. Your landlady in Tampa said you were the best tenant she ever had, and she enjoyed keeping Brady, so—”

  “Are you saying all those people gave money back to me?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Your property taxes weren’t as bad as we thought, but we’ll have to save some of what’s in your account for income taxes. Stan Houser said his wife would help you with that come next spring. He also said you paid him too much, so he put some back, and so did Albert and Junior. Albert said to use it to build a swimming pool for Bo and get him back here where he belongs.”

  Callie was stunned speechless, and that just never happened. She’d expected some back from the hospital and the property taxes, but not from the church and the good people of Caledonia.

  “Callie, if you need a loan on the business, I’ll help you out. If it wasn’t for your daddy, I wouldn’t own the bank. The least I can do is help his daughter.”

  Wiping her eyes, Callie said, “Thank you, Mr. Butler. I do appreciate it. I’ll let you know if I need the money, and I thank you kindly for all your help.”

  She wanted to call Bo and tell him about the money, but he’d been gone for three days and he’d never once called her. She couldn’t count the number of times she’d picked up the phone to call him and set it back in the cradle.

  Skeeter tapped on the kitchen door and walked in. “Callie, are you all right?”

  She stood and swiped at her eyes. “Fine,” she lied. “We have enough money to build that new barn. I just don’t know how to go about it. How big does it need to be? How many horses do we need to start off with?”

  �
�I figure we need room for sixteen in the main barn, and we’ll need a second barn at some point. We’ll also need to build some other buildings.”

  “I know, but where are we going to put it all?”

  “I don’t know. Callie, we need Bo’s help with this. He knows about construction and he’s got a mind for business. Before we build anything, we need to lay out the ranch, corrals, stables, and you want to put in a pool. We need an overall plan, because as this business grows, I expect we’ll have to add on. We need to plan for that before we do anything. And I hate to tell you, but this old house is not going to last much longer.”

  Pouring them both a tall glass of iced tea, she said, “If Bo wanted to talk to me, he would have called by now.”

  “I don’t think it’s you, Callie. Greg said he’s having some trouble at the business, and he’s swimming twice a day, trying to build up the muscles in his arm. Call him. Maybe he can come back for a weekend and show us how to get started. We need to get the new barn in before winter, and if we don’t get a move on, we’ll run out of time.”

  She stared out the window and when she looked around, Skeeter was halfway back to the barn. Call Bo? Yes, she’d call him. There was no one else on God’s green earth she’d trust with this. Or with her heart.

  Callie wondered if Bo would even want to speak to her. Asking for help didn’t come easy for her, especially from Bo, but she picked up the phone and dialed the number. After several rings, his answering machine came on.

  An hour later, Callie tried again, but Bo didn’t answer.

  She didn’t leave a message.

  <>

  Bo sat in the buyer’s attorney’s office reading the papers. The buyer, Donald Dimpley, kept glancing at his watch. Finally, Bo put the papers on the desk and said, “If you have someplace else you need to be, I won’t hold you up, but I’m not signing anything I haven’t read.”