by Carolina Mac
Annie ended the call before he could say anything else.
CHAPTER THREE
Wednesday, May 27th.
Morgue. Austin.
MRS. MILBURN’S autopsy was Doctor Simon’s first of the day and he exhibited annoyance that he hadn’t pinpointed the cause of death. If indeed, the woman had been murdered, a substance had been used that left no trace.
“Blaine, I’ve scrutinized every inch of her body for a needle mark, and although they are difficult to find—sometimes impossible—neither Tim nor I could find one. I have to say the cause of death is unknown. Nothing else I can do, sorry.”
“Hey, if you don’t know there’s nothing you can do. Could have been a sophisticated, off-beat poison administered by herself or someone else, or maybe it wasn’t murder or suicide at all and she died for an unknown reason.”
“Things like that happen,” said Mort, “and more often than you think.”
“Is the John Doe next?”
“Yep, but we know he was shot. We’re one step ahead.”
“I want to borrow a couple of articles that were on his person,” said Blaine. “See if I can conjure up an identity.”
Doctor Simon smiled. “Go for it.”
Quantrall Ranch. Giddings.
WITH JESSE hunkering down in the trailer, Tyler had no worries about his brother walking in on the nanny interviews and beating the living shit out of him for the very thought of it.
The first woman arrived at nine in the morning right after Molly cleared the breakfast dishes from the dining room table. Tyler had chosen the dining room as more suitable than the office because it was closer to the foyer and he wouldn’t have to come up with small talk as they walked all the way to the office. Details like that bothered him. A lot.
The first candidate was older, maybe fiftyish and she didn’t wait for Tyler to ask her questions, she bulldozed ahead and told him what she’d be expecting when she came to take care of Charity. Tyler didn’t like her. Got rid of her as quickly as possible and told a lie. He said he’d call.
Wendy, Ty’s sister-in-law, arrived from the other house on the ranch in time for the second applicant. She took off her wet jacket, hung it on a hook in the foyer and shook the rain out of her long red hair. “Sorry I missed the first one, Ty. How was she?”
“Horrible. I hated her.”
Wendy giggled. “There you go. One down.”
Nanny number two was a good looking blonde with a killer figure. She was about thirty and had a nice smile.
Wendy scrutinized her resume and nodded her head several times and Tyler took it as a good sign. When Wendy finished reading she stood up and said, “Let’s go up and see how Charity takes to Miss Alward, shall we?”
Tyler nodded, let the ladies go up ahead of him and brought up the rear. He couldn’t help but notice Miss Alward’s gorgeous ass.
Jeeze, that might take some getting used to.
Charity was wide awake, sitting up in her crib playing with her stuffed toys. She looked up, saw Ty and got to her feet. “Ty, me.” She held her arms up and Tyler picked her up.
“She is so adorable,” said Miss Alward. “I’ve never seen a more beautiful baby. How old is she now?”
“Nineteen months,” said Wendy. “Her birthday is in October.”
Miss Alward held out her arms towards Tyler and the baby and Charity responded. She stretched out her little arms and went without a fuss to the nanny. “Such a beautiful girl.” The nanny cuddled Charity, kissed her neck and tickled her and the baby was putty in her hands.
Tyler risked a glance at Wendy and his sister-in-law nodded. Charity liked this girl and that’s what mattered most.
The Blackmore Agency. Austin.
BLAINE returned home from the autopsies with the shirt and the watch the John Doe was wearing when he was gunned down. He sought out Misty and found her in the dining room doing a huge Tarot spread for Mary Polito who was waiting to work with him on an article about the John Doe.
“Sorry, Mary. Did you have coffee?”
Mary smiled. “I had coffee and Misty is treating me to a reading. Are you ready to start?”
“I’ll get myself a coffee and you two girls come into the office when the reading is finished. I want to talk to both of you together.”
Misty nodded, and Mary looked a little perplexed.
Blaine researched the Milburns while he waited in the office. There had to be some reason why Mrs. Milburn died. The husband had done a thorough search of the whole house and said nothing was taken. He was positive it wasn’t a robbery.
He’s positive it wasn’t a robbery, but he is positive she was murdered? Why is he so sure? What if he’s wrong and she just died from unknown natural causes?
Blaine dug into their personal files and they were solid citizens as far as he could see. Their mortgage was up to date. Money in the bank. Solid jobs at University of Texas. Not a hint of anything scandalous. Not a damn thing. They were dull and boring. Nobody killed dull, boring people.
MARY AND MISTY left the dining room after the reading was over. They were crossing through the foyer on the way to join Blaine in the office when Farrell came in the front door with Avery.
Mary turned and smiled at Farrell. She focused on Avery, put two and two together and the smile left her face along with all her color.
Farrell couldn’t speak, and it turned into an awkward moment. Mary spun around and ran into the powder room and locked the door.
Misty teared up and floated off to the office leaving Farrell flustered at the front door.
“WHO is that girl?” asked Avery. “I could feel a lot of emotion in the air when she saw me.”
“Mary Polito,” said Farrell. “She’s my ex from a while ago. I didn’t have a chance to tell her about us and I should have because she works for the Agency and we’ll see her from time to time.”
“Aw, she’s upset,” said Avery. “I’ll go upstairs, and you talk to her.”
Farrell nodded. “Okay, I’ll do it now and get it over with.” He strode down the hall with adrenaline pumping through his veins and knocked on the power room door. “Mary, let me in. I have to talk to you.”
Mary opened the door a crack and Farrell pushed his way in.
“I didn’t want you to find out this way, Mary. Honest, but I didn’t see you and I didn’t know how to tell you even if I had seen you. I’ve been worked up about it since the day I came back from Sonora.”
“Is that where she’s from? Out where the girls were murdered?”
“She and her sister were both abducted by the Golden twins.”
Mary nodded and dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. “It’s okay, Farrell. We’ve been broken up for a long time and you were bound to move on, I just wasn’t ready to see it happen.”
“I don’t want you to be sad, Mary. I feel like an asshole.”
“People break up, Farrell. It happens every day.”
“Yeah, well it doesn’t happen to me every day and I’m not over our relationship. Maybe I’ll never be over it.”
“There were reasons we broke up,” said Mary, “and the reasons are still out there. I’m too old for you, and then there’s the other reason that we can’t talk about.”
Farrell nodded. “That’s still a problem for me. It will come up and when it does, I…” He shrugged. “I don’t know how it will go.”
“I wish you the best, Farrell, because you are the best.” Mary brushed past him and ran across the hall to the office.
BLAINE glanced up as Mary barreled into the room crying. “What’s happening, Mary?” He jumped up, circled around the desk and took Mary’s hand. “Was it something Farrell did?”
“I wasn’t ready to see him with a new girlfriend, but it would have to happen sooner or later.”
“I was surprised,” said Blaine, “when I found out about Avery, and I think he was too. We’ll see how it goes.”
Mary wiped her eyes and took out her notebook. “I want to get to work and fo
rget about it.”
“Okay, let’s start. Misty, can you sit closer, sweetheart?”
Misty stopped throwing tiny twigs into the fireplace and turned her head slowly to look at Blaine when he spoke. She moved to a chair in front of the desk.
To Mary: “I brought clothes home from the John Doe in the morgue and before you write the article asking for people to recognize him, I thought Misty could give it a shot.”
“Okay, sure,” said Mary.
Misty nodded.
“This is the shirt he was wearing.” Blaine pulled it out of a plastic bag and handed it across the desk to Misty.
She held it loosely in her hands and closed her eyes. Blaine and Mary both watched intently waiting for something to happen and nothing did.
Misty put the shirt on the desk and shook her head. Blaine handed her the watch. She sat quietly then made a couple of noises in her throat. Her blue eyes opened, and she motioned for Blaine to pass her the notepad.
She drew a picture and Blaine tried to figure it out upside down as she moved the pen swiftly across the page.
Mary watched with her dark eyes wide in amazement.
Misty let out a breath when she was finished. She pushed the picture across the desk to Blaine.
He studied the drawing and wrote down what he saw. “Okay, he’s in front of the Capitol and he’s with a group of protesters.” Blaine squinted to see what it said on the signs the protesters were holding up. “These are anti-gun people.”
“Was he a lobbyist?” asked Mary.
“He was well dressed, and he needed to see the Governor about something urgent. He went to see her at her residence and that’s where he died. But Cat said she didn’t know him.”
“You can pursue that angle, Blaine,” said Mary. “See if any of the anti-gun groups are missing a spokesperson or something like that.”
Blaine smiled at Misty. “You are so fantastic, I’m taking you out for dinner.”
Misty smiled and blew him a kiss.
FARRELL tore up the stairs after his talk with Mary in the powder room. Avery would be upset, and he’d have two women crying at the same time. Jesus in a hand cart. He couldn’t do it. He’d be better off with no girlfriend at all. He opened the door to his room and Avery wasn’t there. He reefed open the drawers he’d given her, and all her stuff was gone.
He tore down the stairs, across the front porch and down the driveway where her truck had been parked and it was gone.
Holy fuck, I can’t do it. I’m not a babysitter.
He walked slowly back to the front steps, plunked down and lit up a smoke.
Let her go.
He’d been sitting there smoking for about half an hour when Blaine came out walking Mary to her car.
“I’m sorry about before,” said Mary.
“It’s okay, babe,” said Farrell. “Not your fault. Just another one of my bonehead moves.”
“I’ll be ready the next time I see her,” said Mary. She walked down the drive and hopped in her Mini-Cooper.
“Where’s Avery? I told Misty we’d go out to dinner and I want you guys to come.”
“She took all her shit and left,” said Farrell. He snapped his fingers. “Just like that and she’s gone.”
“What? Because she saw Mary?”
“I don’t know why. No note or a goddam thing. I can’t figure women out and I ain’t gonna try. Too fuckin stressful. No more for me. Finished. Done.”
“I don’t know what to say, bro. No words.”
“I’ve got four words,” said Farrell. “Let’s have a beer.”
Quantrall Ranch. Giddings.
TYLER FIGURED dinner time was as good as any to tell his brothers about the nanny he hired for Charity. Brian would be the brute. He always was. The oldest of the five brothers he figured it was his right to have the last say in every discussion. Well this time he didn’t. Charity needed somebody twenty-four seven and Jesse wasn’t cutting it. Tyler couldn’t take care of Charity, do his own work and do all Jesse’s work at the barn too.
“Wendy and I hired a nanny for Charity today.” Tyler spit it out and helped himself to a scoop of scalloped potatoes.
“What?” Bobby stared across the table. “I thought we decided we’d cover Jesse off and not do that.”
“Uh huh. But Jesse needs a time-out and there’s a girl starting in the morning.”
“You don’t get a time-out from being a dad,” said Brian. “That’s ridiculous, Tyler.”
“Don’t matter what you think, Brian, we’re giving her a try. End of discussion.”
“Does Jesse know about this person?” asked Bobby.
“Nope. He’s holed up in his trailer doing one of his ‘poor old Jesse’ things and whenever he comes back to the house he’ll find out.”
“We better tell him before he just runs into her in the nursery, don’t you think?” asked Brian. “Think about his heart.”
“He’s acting like such a jerk,” said Tyler, “I had to do something.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Thursday, May 28th.
Austin.
LAURA MAY put a glass of orange juice and a bowl of porridge in front of Todd and next to his napkin she placed a yellow post-it note with a name and address on it.
Todd shook his head. “I think it’s too soon, Aunt Laura. Remember when we talked about one a month being ideal?”
Laura smiled. “I do remember that vaguely, but the list gets longer every day and people get lazier. There’s no end to it.”
Todd inhaled a calming breath. “I think we should stop. You said it yourself, there’s no end to it and what are we accomplishing?”
“Just do this one dear, and then we’ll take a long break. I promise.”
You’re lying, Aunt Laura. You said that last time.
The Blackmore Agency. Austin.
FARRELL staggered into the kitchen searching for caffeine. He hadn’t slept well after Avery left him without an explanation. He’d tried her cell twenty times and she wasn’t answering. Begging wasn’t his style. If she was gone, she was gone.
It doesn’t hurt as much as I thought it might.
He slumped down at the kitchen table and waited for Blacky. He heard his brother come down the stairs with the dogs and head for the back door.
“Hey, are you up already?”
“Couldn’t sleep,” said Farrell. “I started the coffee.”
“Yahoo. I can use a cup.”
“What are we working on today, bro?” asked Farrell.
“I’m going to see Cat about the dead guy on her lawn. I spent a couple hours last night Googling all the anti-gun groups and getting their contact information. I have a list for Lil to start on. She can call all the groups on the list and see if a guy is missing. Once we have an ID we’re on our way.”
“Closer than we were,” said Farrell. “Thanks to Misty.”
“Yeah, we have something as opposed to nothing.”
Quantrall Ranch. Giddings.
JESSE woke before dawn wondering why he hadn’t heard Charity calling for him, then remembered he was sleeping in the trailer. Should he go to the main house to see her or was Tyler still on the warpath? Maybe he’d wait until later in the day when Ty was at the barn. Since when was he afraid of a confrontation with his younger brother?
He started a pot of coffee and called Blacky. “What are we working on today?”
“As soon as Lil gets us some names and addresses, we’re going to be busy. We can use you.”
“I’ll shower and be there in an hour.”
TYLER was finishing breakfast when the doorbell chimed. The nanny had arrived. He hopped up from his chair and greeted her in the foyer. He picked up her two pieces of matching luggage and strode down the hall ahead of her. “I’ll show you where your room is upstairs, and you can get settled in.”
She beamed a smiled at him and he had to admit she looked pretty damned good at eight thirty in the morning.
The last thing I’m doing is g
etting involved with someone who lives in the same house as me.
He carried her suitcases up the curved staircase to the second level while Molly watched Charity in the kitchen. “Molly wrote up a kind of a loose schedule for Charity,” said Tyler, “She’s not a little baby anymore but we still stick to a routine to keep her healthy. That’s the way Jesse and I like it.”
“Will I meet her father?”
“Uh huh. He’s just away for a couple days. He’ll show up and he might not be too happy to see you, but he’ll get over it.”
“I take it he didn’t want Charity to have a nanny?”
“Jesse thinks he can do it all, but he can’t. He has a heart condition and he can’t work two jobs and give Charity all the time she needs. It’s impossible.”
“It would be.”
Tyler opened the door at the end of the hall and let Miss Alward go in ahead of him.
“This is a nice big room,” she said. She stuck her head in the bathroom and nodded. “Everything I’ll need. Thank you.”
“No problem. When you’re ready, come down to the kitchen and Molly will get you started. I’ll be at the barn.”
“Thank you, Tyler.”
Ty left the nanny upstairs and wondered if he’d made a mistake or not. She seemed nice on the surface but was that it? Only on the surface? How the hell should he know. He popped his head into the kitchen and filled Molly in. “The nanny, I forget her name, she’ll be down in a few and you can get her rolling.”
Molly smiled. “Hope this works. I’m a little iffy about Jesse.”
Ty chuckled. “Me too. Hold your breath until that storm blows over.”
“I will,” said Molly.
The Blackmore Agency. Austin.
LILY did some fast phoning while the boys had a coffee and waited for her to give them some direction. She found a lobbyist named McLean Cornish who was actively working on behalf of new gun control legislation, and Blaine had to admit his picture did resemble the dead guy. “We can’t just phone up his wife and ask, ‘Hey, is your husband missing?’ said Lil. “It will have to be more discrete than that.”