And that meant one thing:
They were onto him.
Oh, they made an impressive showing of reading the eviction notice, shrugging their shoulders and walking away.
Just in case Steve was watching them, they wanted him to believe they’d bought into his ruse. They wanted him to think they accepted the house as being vacant. They wanted Steve to get a false sense of security and to think they’d given up on finding him there and would never return.
But Steve Peters was no sap.
No, Steve Peters was smarter than all of them.
Steve Peters was a damn genius.
At least in his own mind.
In Steve Peters’ mind, the Rangers were casing his place. Looking for a crack in his armor.
Trying to find the best way to break into his house, to overtake him and drag him off to some secret building, to some secret holding cell.
In Steve’s troubled mind they’d drag him out of his cell several times a day and push and shove him down the hall to an interrogation room.
There they’d deny him food and water, but not spare him the brutal beatings they’d dish out to make him confess.
In the foggy pool of paranoia and fear that was Steve’s thought process, he’d be beaten to within an inch of his life.
Then he’d finally break down and confess his sins. He’d admit to climbing atop that roof and killing their major.
Oh, he’d try to find a way to blame the boy, in the hopes they’d exact the revenge on the child that Steve himself was now unable to.
He still hated the boy with a seething passion for what he saw as a betrayal.
For even though the boy did exactly what he was told to do, he didn’t have the decency to hang around so Steve could finish his plan.
He had the nerve to leave before Steve could kill him too.
That was downright rude. And unacceptable.
He, the boy, needed to be punished.
Steve wondered if, during his investigation, he could somehow convince the Rangers the boy was involved.
Not as the mastermind of the assassination. No, the Rangers would never buy that.
But maybe he could convince them the boy had some other significant role to play in the cold-blooded murder of their friend.
Maybe he could convince them that the major had been mean to the boy. Had refused him a bottle of water when he was thirsty.
Or maybe played the traditional role as a grumpy neighbor, and had yelled at the boy to get out of his yard.
Maybe Steve could convince the Rangers it was all the boy’s idea. That Steve and the boy had decided between themselves they wanted to experience the thrill of the kill. They wanted the adrenaline rush they knew would come when they took the life of another human being.
Maybe Steve could convince them that they had no particular target in mind, at least at first.
That they didn’t care who they shot, necessarily. That it easily could have been another kid, or a little old lady…
But then, Steve could tell them, the kid had an epiphany of sorts.
The kid suddenly remembered a man who’d wronged him.
A man who therefore deserved to die.
The fact he was the highest ranking Texas Ranger in Lubbock was mere coincidence. It had absolutely no bearing on why they selected Shultz as the target.
If Steve was able to convince them that the boy was actually the one who’d condemned Shultz to a grizzly death it would go easier for him.
Perhaps by deflecting the blame the Rangers would save some of Steve’s beating and apply it to the boy instead.
In Steve’s warped mind it all made sense.
But then, in a rare moment of clarity, he decided they’d never believe it.
It was just too far-fetched, too fanciful.
It was pure unadulterated bullshit, and despite Steve’s being so much smarter than they were, they’d never buy it.
It was then and there, shortly after he’d watched Rangers Castro and Sondrini walk away from his front door, that Steve decided what he really had to do.
He had to go on the offensive.
He had to break away from his hidden fortress and go on the attack.
He’d already set in motion something he couldn’t take back.
His only option now was to kill them all.
Chapter 34
Brandy could tell there was something different about Randy when he and Trigger came walking through the campus common toward her. She left the rig and ran forward to meet them halfway.
Randy, on the other hand, thought there was something rather odd about the replica covered wagon, other than the fact the cover was missing.
It was a rather crisp early autumn day, with not a single cloud in the sky.
Apparently Brandy and the other members of her crew thought there was no chance of rain today, so they might as well leave the cover behind and use the sun to help them stay warm.
That was it… the crew. Somebody was missing. He should have noticed it sooner.
Before Brandy had a chance to ask why he was smiling so broadly, Randy said, “Good morning. We’re missing somebody. Is somebody sick?”
“No. Amanda decided she missed her parents too much to stay here. She joined a group of about a dozen other students from the Dallas area and they’re walking home. I tried to talk her out of it, but couldn’t. She asked me to tell you and the other Rangers goodbye for her.”
“Is that a good idea? Walking all the way to Dallas?”
“I don’t think so personally. But people do it all the time. I think the key is to do it in numbers. They’ve got some big burly guys to help with security. They’re camping out at night away from the highways and walking during the days. And living off abandoned tractor trailers along the way.”
“Have you found a replacement for her?”
“Yes, but he’s taking care of some personal business today, so you’re stuck with just us girls. Sorry.”
“I don’t mind. Girls are sweeter and smell prettier than guys. Especially these days.”
“I must say I’m impressed that you’re so accommodating. You also seem to be in a very good mood. And if I read you as well as I think I do, I’m guessing you’re just chomping at the bits to share some good news with us.
“Can I venture a guess or two?”
“Sure. Go ahead and take your best shot.”
“You’ve found your partner’s killers and taken them into custody?”
“Sadly, no.”
“Then you’ve found the man who ambushed your commander and shot him dead?”
“Oh for two, sorry.”
“The only other thing I can think of that would put such a smile on your face is that you’ve found her.”
Randy’s smile turned into an ear-to-ear grin.
“That’s it! You’ve found her, haven’t you?”
“Yes. Two days ago. She’s living with some friends in southwest Lubbock.”
“What was her name again?”
“Sarah.”
“Well, good for you. And good for Sarah. So, now that you’ve reconciled, what are your plans? Is she moving in with you? You moving in with her? Should I pull out my date book and write your wedding date into it?”
“None of the above, actually. Although we did profess our love for one another, we’ve agreed to take it slow for now.”
“Wait a minute. You’ve expressed your love for one another? I thought you told me you only spent a couple of hours together the night before the blackout.”
“I know… kind of boggles the mind, doesn’t it?”
“I should say so. You old dog, you. I have to say I’m proud of you. And maybe just a bit jealous too.”
“Jealous? Jealous in what way?”
“Oh Randy, we’re all hoping for someone to love who will love us back and be there when we need them. The blackout hasn’t changed that. For those of us who have someone, it makes the blackout easier to deal with.
“But for those who have no one other than their friends, it’s a stark reminder that they’re going it alone. That they don’t have a twenty-four seven shoulder to lean on, someone who always has their back.
“Do me a favor, will you Randy?”
“Sure.”
“Don’t mention to the rest of the crew that you’ve found Sarah. At least not right now. They’ll eventually figure it out on their own, I know. But for now let them be blissful in thinking you’ve got more in common with them. That you can continue to commiserate with them as someone who’s going it alone.
“Trust me, it’ll make them a little less miserable.”
“I would have thought they’d be happy for me.”
“They would. And they will, when they do find out. But at the same time it’ll remind them that they still don’t have anyone of their own, and it’ll reinforce the feelings they likely already have that they’re somehow defective. That they’re less desirable than you are. That nobody wants them.”
“Wow! Your psych major training is really rearing its ugly head this morning, isn’t it?”
The words might have been interpreted as harsh, but were tempered by a friendly smile.
“No… well, maybe.
“Yesterday the dean of students called a gathering in the commons of all the students who haven’t left town. He announced that we all need to watch out for each other. That they’ve recorded over a hundred student suicides already.
“He read out a list of names. Some of them we knew about already. Many of them we didn’t.
“Some of them were our friends.
“The dean asked us to watch out for one another. To have each other’s backs.
“They’ve already got the suicide thing hanging heavy on their shoulders. Under the circumstances I think your finding Sarah might drive home some self-destructive thoughts they’re already flirting with.”
“Okay. I’ll honor your request, and thank you for explaining the reasons why. Mum’s the word on my finding Sarah. And maybe we can put our heads together and come up with a way to help the situation.”
“Doing what we’re doing will help a lot. Giving the crew a sense of accomplishment, a sense they’re helping the citizens of the city, will go a long way toward maintaining a healthy psyche.
“If you think of any other ways we can help them, I’d love to hear them.”
“Okay. I’ll see if I can come up with something. Now then, what’s on the agenda?”
They moved closer to the wagon, he on Trigger’s back and she walking alongside them. From his higher perspective he could see several crates already loaded into the bed of the wagon.
“And what on earth are we taking with us?”
Chapter 35
“Well, we’ve distributed all the tubs we could find to all the block leaders,” Brandy explained.
“That left us searching for something else to do.
“The other wagons are going to start gathering bathtubs, from the home improvement stores and from any abandoned houses they can find. Also the high-rise apartment buildings. Most apartments have been abandoned above the fourth floor since the elevators are no longer working.”
“Bathtubs, huh?”
“Yeah. But not the old fashioned heavy ones. They’re collecting the molded plastic ones. They’re lightweight and strong and hold a lot of water. And many of them are the same size and shape and stack quite nicely together on the back of the wagons.
“So the other teams are going to collect those and deliver them to the block leaders. Two tubs per house, with their drains plugged. Each tub will hold about eighty gallons or so of rainwater and will help the neighborhoods get their crops through the dry season.”
“You said the other teams will be moving bathtubs. What will we be moving, exactly?”
“Those twelve boxes on the floor of the wagon are water pumps, courtesy of the National Guard’s stockpile of war material. We’ve got over a hundred more in the back of the Ag barn they brought in on four big trucks the other day.”
“The National Guard got trucks running?”
“Yeah. They called them ‘deuce and a halfs’. They said they call them that because they carry two and a half tons of cargo or personnel. ‘Troop movers’ is what I would have called them.
“Anyway, it seems they have hundreds of such vehicles in their war reserves, and they were able to find enough working parts on them to get twenty one of them running. They’re using them to disperse their MREs and working equipment to cities around the state to help them out.
“They just showed up with four trucks full of water pumps out of the blue and asked the mayor where he wanted them.
“The mayor said to bring them here, to Texas Tech, and that we would find good homes for them.”
“And they work?”
“Yeah. They’re brand new and heavy duty. They’re gas powered, but they have nothing electronic on them. They start with a pull cord, like lawnmowers and most chain saws. And, the Army says, they pump a lot of water fairly quickly.”
“So what are we going to do with them exactly?”
“First, we’re going to bury them.”
Randy cocked an eyebrow and looked at her suspiciously.
“Methinks when that drug dealer came by and offered you those drugs you shoulda just said no.”
“Oh, shut up and let me finish.
“We’re going by all the hardware and home improvement stores, then the nurseries and the Walmarts, and we’re going to collect all the water hoses we can find. We’re going to bury the water pumps beneath the hoses and stack the wagon high with both.
“Then we’re going to visit the blocks that are directly adjacent to the playa lakes.
“Do you know how many parks there are in Lubbock, Randy? The number might surprise you.”
“No. To be honest I’ve never taken the time to go around and count them.”
“I haven’t either. But I met a member of the parks department a couple of days ago and he told me the city has more than forty parks. Roughly one park for every square mile of land.”
“Pretty impressive. And pardon me for asking, but so?”
“Not all the parks have playa lakes on them, but a large number of them do. Do you know what a playa lake is, Randy?”
“Yes. I do know the answer to that one. A playa lake is one with no natural spring or river to feed it. It relies strictly on rain water. They typically go way down during dry periods and go way up during the spring rains.”
“Precisely. And in the city of Lubbock, city parks are often built around the playa lakes so the residents can go there to play and have picnics, and even catch fish at those lakes the parks department stocks.”
“Okay. I’m with you so far, but you sure are taking a long time to explain what we’re gonna do with all those water hoses and pumps.”
“Like I said, not all the parks in Lubbock have a playa lake in them. But a surprising number do.
“Thirty three, in fact. And every one of those playa lake parks is in the middle of a subdivision.”
“Again, so?”
“So many of the blocks of residential houses don’t need garbage cans, or storage tubs, or even bath tubs, to catch and retain rainwater.
“Many of the blocks, over two hundred in fact, surround the playa lake parks and are within a hundred yards of the water in those lakes.”
“So our plan is to distribute the hoses and pumps to those blocks so when they need water they can just pump it out of the lakes?”
“Precisely.”
“Why didn’t you say so?”
“I told you to be patient. I was just trying to explain it in a way that you’d understand it. I heard a rumor you were a criminal justice major, so I knew I couldn’t use big words or talk too fast.”
“Well I appreciate that, Brandy, I really do. But I could have saved you the trouble.”
“How so?”
“I knew what the plan was all along.”
&nb
sp; “What? How?”
“The mayor’s office sends a representative to each of our musters to keep us posted on various city projects.”
“You scoundrel! You could have saved me the trouble of explaining it.”
“Nah. I like hearing you rattle on and on incessantly. You remind me of the teacher in the Charlie Brown cartoons. The one that says, ‘wah, wah wah… wah wah wah wah.’
“As a matter of fact, you look remarkably like her as well.”
He smiled his trademark smile, and she couldn’t be mad at him even if she’d wanted to be.
“To tell you the truth,” he finished, “I’d rather be hauling water hoses than bathtubs.”
Chapter 36
Two hours later the heavily laden wagon pulled up in front of a single story ranch home in the center of the city.
Brandy checked her written notes in a green spiral notebook before dismounting to make sure she was at the right house.
The numbers in her notebook matched the ones on the front of the house: 2020 40th Street.
She marched up to the porch with Randy close behind her.
If the tall cowboy standing on the porch was intimidating to anyone inside the house, the petite brunette might counter him. For Brandy was ninety pounds soaking wet, and only made five feet by standing on her tip toes.
Her favorite saying was that the best things in life came in small packages.
“Jewelry, car keys… and me.”
A curtain moved in the front window, then the door opened.
A tall man of about forty years stepped onto the porch, along with a woman a couple of years younger.
“Mr. and Mrs. McMillan?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I’m Brandy Martinez. I’m here on behalf of Texas Tech University and the City of Lubbock. My partner here is Randy Maloney of the Texas Rangers.”
“Yes. Someone from the city came by the other day and said you’d be dropping by.”
“So you’ve agreed to be the block leader for this block?”
“Yes. And for the next block due east of us. We’ve joined forces to make it easier to protect ourselves from the marauders.”
Death Comes Calling (Ranger Book 3) Page 11