Lone Star Christmas Witness (Lone Star Justice Book 5)

by Margaret Daley

  He withdrew his pad where he jotted down impressions and information from each interview. The minute he read the description of the old man, he knew it was the real Clyde Zoller. No amount of slouching could have put Richardson down to the height of five feet six inches.

  Richardson hadn’t been impersonating Clyde at that time, but had he been in the house when Taylor talked to Clyde? Or did he come back and steal his neighbor’s car? Was Richardson at the man’s home now? Was Clyde still alive?

  The questions echoed in his mind, but Taylor had no answers. He should have gone back to the neighborhood and followed up with the people yesterday, but he couldn’t let Sierra attend the funeral without him. Instead he’d sent two police officers who didn’t find out any new information. He flipped through their report and noticed that no one answered at Clyde’s house. He didn’t have a good feeling about this.

  He snatched up his desk phone and called Nash. He told him what he’d discovered. “Richardson could be there. We need to check out Clyde’s place.”

  “He could be a hostage,” Nash said. “I still have two police officers at Richardson’s house. I’ll let them know and see if they remembered Clyde’s car leaving yesterday or coming back to his place.”

  “Let’s meet down at the end of the block where the road curves. Clyde’s home sits back from the houses around it. We might be able to use that to our advantage. We’ll have to be careful. I could see Richardson killing Clyde if we hit the place hard and heavy.”

  “Agreed. I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Tell the police officers to be circumspect. We don’t want Richardson to get suspicious, if he’s there.”

  “They can be our eyes. See you soon.”

  Taylor ended the call and quickly left his office. As he got into his SUV, returned to him after being fixed, he punched in Dallas’s number. “We have a lead on Richardson.” He filled in his fellow Texas Ranger about the neighbor.

  “I’ll let Sierra know.”

  “How is she? Has the doctor come by yet?”

  “She’s okay, but the doctor is running late. It won’t be for a while. She’s resting right now. She asked about you.”

  She’s in the hospital because I couldn’t stop her from getting hurt again.

  He swallowed down the guilt. “I’ll let you know what happens.” Taylor ended the call and started his car, more determined than ever to end this today.

  He arrived at the meeting place before Nash and called his dad. “How’s Ben doing?”

  “He drew a picture of you and Sierra, then he wrote a big question mark. I told him you and Sierra were working together and would be back soon. I’ve been keeping him busy trying to teach his puppy tricks.”

  “He’s talking?”

  “No, I’m giving the commands. I almost thought he would say something, but he didn’t.”

  Nash pulled up behind Taylor. “I’ve got to go, Dad. Bye.”

  Taylor exited the car, picturing Ben trying to train his puppy. He smiled. He could remember TJ, on one of his good days, doing the same thing with Oscar.

  “My guys at Richardson’s house confirmed that a car in Zoller’s garage left yesterday before the shooting. It never came back.”

  Taylor frowned. He didn’t have a good feeling about this. “How many were in the car?”

  “One. An older man.”

  “Which could fit Richardson in the disguise he used at the shooting.”

  “I have a bomb dog coming. If we go inside, Zoller’s house needs to be checked for explosives. We don’t know what Richardson is up to.”

  “He could have left the area. I sent the disguise and car he was driving yesterday to SAPD headquarters. Your captain is getting it out to all law enforcement agencies as well as the media. Maybe someone has spotted him.” Taylor went to the back of his SUV and removed his bulletproof vest and put it on while Nash did the same thing. “We’ll need at least one officer at Richardson’s house to cover the back of Zoller’s.”

  “I’ve got more backup coming. It should be here soon with our K-9 officer.” Nash unfolded a detailed map of the area. “Love satellite imagery.”

  Patience was important when planning a raid on a place, but it was hard for Taylor to restrain his urge to charge up to the house and see if Richardson was inside. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the killer was planning something else. If only he’d known that Richardson most likely was in the house when Clyde opened the door. This could have ended days ago. Instead Sierra was in the hospital and the killer, who was a gifted makeup artist when he went to college, was roaming around somewhere possibly trying to figure out how to get to someone else who he thought had crossed him.

  It seemed an eternity later that the rest of the officers arrived. The sight of the team converging on him and Nash calmed Taylor. He had to be calm in order to do his job. He had to put everything else out of his mind but the mission. Even if Richardson wasn’t there, Clyde could be, along with some clue to where the killer was going next.

  Please, God, let Clyde be alive. Let no one else be harmed by Richardson.

  As Nash filled in the officers, Taylor called Nanny Bee’s number. He had one more thing to check. When she answered, he said, “Ms. Bee, I’m the Texas Ranger who came by and talked to you a couple of days before about Max Richardson. Have you seen him since then?”

  “No.”

  “Have you seen anything unusual at Clyde Zoller’s house in the past two days?”

  “This morning I didn’t see him drinking his coffee on his porch.”

  “But he did Sunday and Saturday?”

  “I don’t know. I sleep late on the weekend. Is that all? I’ve got a show I want to watch.”

  “I appreciate your help. I just need to tell you the police and I will be crossing your backyard. Stay in the house, on the far side, until a police officer tells you it’s okay.”

  “I...” Her voice faded.

  “Ms. Bee?”

  “What’s going on?”

  “We believe Clyde is in danger, and we don’t want anything happening to you.” Taylor glanced at Nash, who tapped the face of his watch. Taylor held up his palm.

  “Does this have anything to do with Max Richardson?”

  He started to say he wasn’t at liberty to tell her, but he nixed that. “Yes,” he said before he disconnected the call.

  As he led the officers, they remained stealthy so as not to alert their shooter. As before at Richardson’s house, Taylor, Nash, the police officer with the battering ram and the K-9 handler with his bomb-sniffing dog went to the front of Clyde’s place while the last two covered the back exit. After the German shepherd checked the entrance for possible explosives, it took two strikes with the ram to burst open the door. The K-9 team went in first, heading toward the left. Taylor and the rest followed.

  Three steps into the living room he came to an abrupt stop. His gaze fixed on Clyde Zoller tied to a chair, his head dropped forward.

  * * *

  Sierra lay on her hospital bed, eyes closed. Her whole body ached, as though a herd of cattle trampled over her. Anxiety filled her. She wanted to be home. She wanted her life back. And she wanted to remember what she was forgetting.

  Something nagged at her, vague and indistinct, and try as she might to bring the memory into focus, she couldn’t. Going back through all the patient files in her mind didn’t give her the answer to the question that had been pestering her since she woke up this morning.

  Her hands grabbed the bed sheet and fisted around the cotton, the muscles in her arms tightening, causing pain to radiate from her wound. She relaxed the tension in her body and took in deep, calming breaths. Forcing herself to remember wasn’t helping her.

  The door swished open. She opened her eyes to see Dallas returning to her room after checking in with the police officer relieving the previous guard. “When is
the doctor coming?” she asked him.

  “He’s running late. The nurse said probably another hour or so.”

  “I need to get home to Ben. This has to affect his recovery.”

  “John’s at the house. And Robert said the puppy is really helping to take Ben’s mind off what’s going on.”

  “I need to hold Ben. I need to see he’s all right.” And Taylor.

  “I know what you mean. I feel that way about my daughter, Michelle, and my soon-to-be one. When Katie was stolen, I did anything I could to bring her home safely. With Taylor’s help I did bring her back to Rachel. She isn’t my daughter biologically, but I love her as much as Michelle.”

  “That’s how I feel about Ben. He’s everything to me. And there’s nothing I can do to help him. He’s so afraid he isn’t talking, a kid who loved to talk. How are we going to get through this?”

  “One day at a time. Not always easy to do.”

  “Have you heard anything from Taylor? What if something happened when they went back to the neighbor across the street? I don’t want anyone else to end up here in the hospi—” Sierra snapped her fingers. “I remember!”

  “What?”

  “I’ve been racking my memory to come up with something I read in Richardson’s daughter’s file ever since I was brought in last night. At first, I thought maybe his daughter was brought here that last time when she died, and that consequence bothered me yesterday. But it wasn’t this hospital. Now I remember this is the same place where the trial treatment she didn’t qualify for is being run. If Richardson has another target, I would say this hospital is it.”

  “And you are here, too.” Dallas frowned and pulled out his cell phone. “I’m calling Taylor to let him know.”

  Sierra needed to get out of here. She sat straight up and swung her legs over the side of the bed but paused when she spied Dallas’s deepening scowl. “What’s wrong?”

  “Taylor isn’t answering his cell phone.”

  TWELVE

  Taylor hurried to Clyde and put his fingers against his neck. When he found a pulse, he untied the gag around his mouth and shook the older man while scanning his body for any wounds. “Call 911.”

  Clyde rallied, his eyes saucer round when he looked into Taylor’s face. The neighbor blinked and panned the living room full of law enforcement officers. “Where’s Richardson?”

  “That’s what I want to know.” Taylor began untying the ropes around his chest, arms and legs while the rest of the officers searched the premises.

  Clyde stared at the curtains over the window, a slit of light peeking through. “What time is it?”

  “Twelve noon. How long have you been tied up?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Taylor released the last rope around the older man and stood. “Was Richardson in your house when I came by to see you on Friday afternoon?”

  Clyde nodded. “I tried to tell you, but with Max right next to me and his gun pointing at me, I couldn’t say anything to alert you that something was wrong. The only thing I could say was Nanny Bee was a nice lady. As you no doubt found out, she isn’t.”

  Taylor berated himself for missing that clue. He should have realized the cranky, self-absorbed woman he met was different from the talkative, friendly neighbor Clyde had described.

  Nash returned to the living room. “His car isn’t in the garage.”

  “Tell me what happened.” Taylor offered Clyde a hand and helped him stand.

  Clyde wobbled and held on to Taylor. “I’m used to walking as much as I can to keep these legs moving.”

  Taylor saw his cane on the floor nearby, grabbed it and handed it to Clyde.

  He walked a few steps, then turned toward Taylor. “He made himself up to look like me, so he could leave here undetected. He even took one of my canes. I saw what he had in his duffel bag. Several guns and what looked like a bomb about the size of a shoe box. I asked him what he was going to do with that. He told me to shut up.”

  “Just one bomb?” Nash asked.

  “Yes. Max didn’t say much, but after he tied me up and took my car keys, he looked me in the eye and said he was going to settle a score. ‘They can’t walk around while my Charlie is dead.’ Those were his exact words. Then he left. I knew he wasn’t coming back. I could read it in his eyes. After he left, the first few hours I struggled to get loose. Finally, exhaustion took over, and I left it in the Lord’s hands and look, y’all showed up.”

  “Did he talk about where he was going? Like the River Walk or a funeral?”

  “No,” Clyde said when the paramedics showed up.

  While the EMTs were checking to make sure Clyde was all right, Taylor stepped out onto the porch with Nash. “So now we know there’s another target. We’ve got to figure where he’s striking next.”

  “Do you think Sierra might know a connection concerning Richardson’s daughter?”

  Taylor pulled out his cell phone. “I’ll get in touch with Dallas. You alert the police.” When he looked at his screen, he noticed a missed call from his friend. He punched the button to return the call. “Sorry. I was in the middle of a raid on Richardson’s neighbor.” He’d silenced his phone so if it rang the sound wouldn’t give him away. He quickly filled Dallas in on what they discovered.

  “Sierra thinks she knows where Richardson is going next. Lone Star Hospital. It’s where the drug trial is taking place that his daughter didn’t get into.”

  “Sierra needs to get out of there now. I’m on my way. Nash is letting his superiors know about the risk. The hospital will be locked down, but we may be too late. He could already be inside.” After Taylor disconnected with Dallas, he filled in Nash, who was already on the phone with SAPD headquarters.

  The K-9 officer and his dog were right behind them, but more than one would be needed to cover the whole hospital. Nash requested more for the hospital.

  They were fifteen minutes away, and to Taylor that seemed as though it was clear across Texas.

  * * *

  “What’s wrong?” Sierra stood next to the bed, holding on to it to keep her balance. For a few seconds light-headedness made her unsteady.

  Dallas told her what Taylor had said to him. “There’s a good chance Richardson will come to the hospital or is already here.”

  “He’s going to set off another bomb?” She remembered the last time she’d been at the clinic when one had exploded. Now she was on the third floor and outrunning an explosion was highly unlikely, especially with her equilibrium being off.

  “He had a duffel bag with several guns and a bomb in it when he left Clyde’s house yesterday. In spite of two bomb threats at the hotel and funeral home, we didn’t find one, so he must still have it with him.”

  “To use at the hospital.” Sierra gathered her clothes and made her way toward the bathroom as quickly as she could.

  “I’m sure there are security guards now at each entrance.”

  “Then I’ll pray he isn’t inside.” Sierra hurried as fast as she could, considering her aches, bruises and bandaged arm restricted any quick movements. She caught a look at herself in the mirror. The woman who stared back at her had a big goose egg on her forehead above her right eyebrow where she hit the cement. Dark circles under her eyes added to her haggard look.

  Lord, I’m in Your hands. Ben needs me. Please get me out of here safely. He’s already lost his mother. Protect everyone here, especially Taylor. Help the police find Max Richardson before he kills again.

  When she exited the bathroom, Dallas was already standing by the door into the hallway. She knew that Dallas was Taylor’s friend and he would protect her, but she wished Taylor was here. She always felt safe around him, even when they were running out of the clinic right before the bomb went off.

  As she and Dallas left the room, the officer standing guard, who’d introduced himself as Officer B
ailey, followed behind them. She knew he had seen a photo of what Richardson looked like without his disguise and how he’d looked yesterday. But Richardson most likely was masquerading as someone different today, and Taylor told her how he was studying the shooter’s mannerism and the way he walked.

  “Ms. Walker, where are you going?” a nurse asked at the counter they passed.

  “Home.”

  “But the doctor hasn’t signed the release papers.”

  “If I have a problem, I’ll go to my physician. Thanks for taking such good care of me.” Sierra began moving toward the elevator, slower than she would have liked.

  Dallas punched the lobby button while Sierra and Officer Bailey entered and leaned against the wall. As the elevator opened on the second floor, and a couple with a young girl entered, the alarm system went off followed by an announcement to evacuate the building immediately. Dallas held the door open to allow as many people as they could into the elevator before it continued its descent.

  Sierra studied the faces of everyone around her. She would never feel safe until the shooter was captured. She told herself her nemesis wasn’t interested in her but was probably heading for the area where the medical trial was being conducted.

  The doors opened, and everyone flooded out into the lobby. Sierra, Dallas and Officer Bailey waited until the elevator was cleared, then left. People jammed the lobby as they funneled toward the front entrance. A big man jostled against her. Dallas and her police guard crowded closer, forming a barrier between her and the others trying to leave. In the mob Richardson could be anywhere. The thought sent her heart racing twice as fast.

  * * *

  While staff, visitors and patients were being evacuated from the hospital, Taylor, Nash and the K-9 officer with his dog pushed their way through the throng toward the first-floor labs where the bomb most likely would be planted. Taylor wished he knew how big the bomb was in Richardson’s duffel bag. They joined other SAPD officers with three K-9 teams starting with the rooms that were part of the medical trial. Taylor accompanied a canine team assigned to search the office of the head of the study. If he were Richardson, he would go after the person who made the decisions about who participated in the drug trial.