Lone Star Christmas Witness

by Margaret Daley

  Sierra leaned toward Taylor. “That’s a great idea, but would it be safe for him?”

  “With Dad and me guarding him, he should be all right. If we can make him feel as normal as possible, that will help him recover faster. Boys like to be outside when they can.”

  “I’m glad you’ll be out there with him. Soccer isn’t one of my strong suits.”

  With his head still pounding, Taylor smiled. “I should be better tomorrow. If I tried to run around today and kick a ball, I’d probably miss every time.”

  “You’re still dizzy?”

  He winked. “A wee bit, but don’t tell anyone.”

  She put her forefinger up against her lips, drawing Taylor’s full attention to her mouth. He’d dated occasionally after his wife died, but no one intrigued him like Sierra. She was not only beautiful but strong and resilient. Considering all she’d gone through in the past few days, she was holding up well, and he admired that about her.

  Taylor pulled his focus away from her lips. “When he’s finished, I need to talk to Dallas before he leaves.”

  “I’ll entertain Ben. I’m going to ask him to draw a picture for me.”

  When Ben finished putting the decorations on the tree, Taylor slowly rose. “Now the tree is perfect. Did you feed Oscar and make sure his water bowl was full?”

  Ben nodded.

  As Taylor left the living room, he heard Sierra ask him to go get his drawing pad and pencils. When Taylor entered the den, where his dad and Dallas were, the sound of pounding footsteps going up the staircase echoed through the house.

  His dad crossed the room. “I need to go start dinner. I’ll shut the door as I leave.”

  The minute he did so, Dallas turned to Taylor. “Your father filled me in on what happened. He told me it was by the grace of God that you two made it out alive and in good condition.”

  Taylor sank into a lounge chair near Dallas because his hearing still wasn’t right. “Dad isn’t feeling the aches and pains I am. But I agree that I’m alive because of the grace of our Lord. If Sierra hadn’t pulled the drawer out all the way, I’d never have seen the bomb in time.”

  “And your reflexes are quick.”

  “That, too.”

  “How was Ben with John today?”

  “John asked Ben several questions about how he felt, if he had any concerns. The boy remained silent, staring at his lap. John changed tactics, asking specific questions and ones Ben could answer with a nod or shake of his head. The only thing Ben did was draw a picture of a shadowy figure looking inside the window with Oscar staring at it. Before John could say anything, Ben tore the paper up and threw it away.”

  Taylor leaned back in the chair, laying his head against the cushion. “Did you see it?”

  Dallas nodded.

  “Could you tell where Oscar and Ben were in the picture? Any particular place?”

  “I think it’s in the room he’s sleeping in upstairs. Oscar was in front of the bed looking at the figure peeking in the window. There wasn’t a lot of details of the bed except a lump as if Ben was sleeping in it, but he drew Oscar meticulously. He’s a good artist, especially for a seven-year-old.” Dallas stood. “I gathered up the pieces of paper from the trash, and while John continued the session, I put them together with tape.”

  “You still have it?”

  “I’ll be right back. I didn’t want Ben to see what I did. I figured Sierra and you needed to see it.”

  “Did John see it?”

  “Yes, while Ben was drawing it.”

  While Dallas was gone, Taylor closed his eyes, the throbbing pain in his head intensifying, partly because of the concussion but also the tension that had a locked hold on him. When he heard Dallas return to the room, he opened his eyes.

  Dallas gave him the piece of paper, then eased into a chair. “What do you think?”

  Taylor studied the drawing, trying to assess the setting. “It might be where Ben’s staying, although Oscar would have barked if anyone was really looking into the window. Besides, his room’s on the second floor with no easy access from outside. What did John think it means?”

  “He thinks it’s Ben’s way of indicating how scared he is. Ben thinks the guy who killed his mother will come for him.”

  “Maybe he’s overheard Sierra and me talking about the possibility of the killer coming after both of them.”

  “There’s something else I think that might have led to Ben drawing that picture. There’s a chance Ben eavesdropped on my conversation with your father about the bombing.”

  Taylor blew out a frustrated breath.

  “Are you going to say anything to Ben about what happened?” Dallas asked.

  “Sierra and I agreed not to unless he asks if something is wrong with us. He’s dealing with so much right now. We don’t want to add to his fear. But if he heard about the bombing, that changes everything.”

  “Coupled with Ben not talking so he isn’t asking questions. That’s a dilemma.”

  “When there was bad news about TJ’s illness, I tried to keep it from him. But my son knew something was wrong.” Taylor pushed to his feet. “Maybe what we decided isn’t right. Sierra and I might need to talk to him—a conversation I won’t look forward to.”

  “I’m going to the clinic. I’ll call you with the latest.”

  “I appreciate the help. I wish I could be in two places at once.” Taylor walked with his colleague to the foyer and opened the front door. “See you tomorrow.”

  Now to find Sierra.

  * * *

  Sierra climbed the stairs to the second floor. Earlier, Taylor had mentioned he needed to talk to her alone. She hadn’t had any time by herself yet, but now that she was putting Ben to bed she would. At dinner she’d noticed Taylor had hardly said much. Either his concussion was really bothering him, or he was worried about something.

  When Sierra entered the room to tuck Ben in, he was already in bed with Oscar stretched out beside him. Her nephew’s eyes were wide open as he stared at the ceiling. She sat next to Ben. “We need to work on your schoolwork tomorrow.”

  He grimaced.

  Right after dinner tonight, she’d talked with his teacher and explained what was going on. She’d always helped Ben with school projects and had listened to him read, but that wouldn’t work right now. Ben might not want to do his schoolwork, but he needed normalcy back in his life, although she didn’t see that happening anytime soon. “Your teacher said your classmates miss you.”

  He dropped his head and clenched his hands together.

  “Do you miss them?” He’d always loved to go to school.

  He nodded.

  “I love you.” Sierra leaned over and kissed his forehead. When she sensed a presence behind her, she looked back at Taylor a couple of feet away. He could move so quietly.

  “I had to come say good night. I understand you love soccer. I’ve got a ball in the shed. We can kick it around tomorrow. Okay?”

  Ben grinned and nodded again.

  “Sleep tight.” Taylor smiled and ruffled Ben’s hair.

  “I’ll leave your door ajar. I’m just across the hall.” Sierra rose.

  Taylor left with Sierra, took her hand and they went downstairs.

  At the bottom of the stairs, Taylor glanced up to the second floor, then leaned close and whispered, “I think Ben has been overhearing some of the conversations about what’s going on. Let’s talk in the kitchen.”

  “I should have thought of that. Ben is a curious kid. He used to listen to my conversations with his mom.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up about it. You have a lot to deal with right now.”

  “Where’s your dad?”

  “He went to bed earlier. He insists that I sleep in my room tonight. He’s going to move downstairs at midnight to take watch. He told me he didn’t
want to see me until I got eight hours of sleep.”

  “Being a parent is a lifetime job.”

  “No matter how we feel about it.” Taylor pushed open the door into the kitchen. “Do you want something to drink?”

  “Water. If I had coffee, I’d be up with your dad.”

  “Me, too. No caffeine three or four hours before I go to sleep.” After Taylor filled two glasses with cold water, he took a chair across from Sierra at the table and slid a drink to her.

  “What do we need to talk about? I got the impression it was important.”

  “We might have been wrong about not saying anything to Ben concerning what happened to us today.”

  “Why do you feel that way?”

  Taylor removed a folded piece of paper from his pocket. “I didn’t want to leave this lying around. Ben drew this earlier today for John but tore it into pieces before giving it to him. Dallas took it from the garbage can and taped it together.” He passed the sheet to her.

  Sierra stared at it, folding her arms across her chest as a chill overtook her. “This looks like a bedroom. Is it possible the killer was looking in his window?” Her quavering words ended in a whisper.

  “Short of getting a big ladder, no, especially because Oscar would have barked. I’ll check the ground under the window tomorrow, but it’s been dry for the past few weeks, so I don’t think anything would show.”

  “True about Oscar. A great alarm and he’s protective with Ben.”

  “I’m glad you’re thinking about getting Ben a dog for Christmas. He’s so good with Oscar. With that in mind, if the bull terriers are all gone, I can talk to Dallas about getting a dog from his soon-to-be father-in-law if you want me to. His ranch is a haven for neglected and abandoned animals.”

  “Yes. I’d love to get one that needs a home. And Ben would enjoy seeing a place like that.”

  Sierra’s whole face changed. Her expression of anxiety and concern turned to one of love and excitement—despite what happened earlier—when she talked about Ben and animals. That attracted Taylor. She didn’t try to hide her emotions.

  “Then I’ll see if we can set something up in the next day or two,” he told her. “I think it would be good for Ben to get out of this house, but we won’t do it if I think it’ll jeopardize y’all.”

  “I trust you. You’re the reason I’m alive today. I prayed for help. You were the answer.”

  Protecting people like Sierra and Ben was one of the reasons he became a law enforcement officer. He knew what it was like to have his whole life turned upside down in a blink of the eye. But he had his doubts he was an instrument of the Lord. When TJ became ill, his pleas weren’t answered. “What if you pray for something that doesn’t happen?”

  “TJ’s death?”

  His throat tightened. He nodded and took a drink of water before answering. “He was six when he died. He should have had a full life. I’d have given mine for him.”

  “Death isn’t the end of TJ. He’s gone home to the Lord. So has my sister. For years I was angry at God for taking my mother away. I’d have nothing to do with the church. Kat is the one who rescued me from a destructive path I was going down in high school.” Tears glistened in her eyes. “She refused to let me self-destruct. She dragged me to church with her when she caught me going out after curfew. She was trying to become a doctor, and I was making her life difficult. But she wouldn’t give up. I owe her everything. I started to listen to God’s words.”

  Taylor stared at the table. He couldn’t think of anything to say. He’d stopped listening to the Lord.

  Sierra reached across the table and covered his hand. “Anger drove me to disrespect authority every chance I got. Love brought me back—Kat’s and God’s. You’ll see TJ again in Heaven.”

  He labored to drag several deep breaths into his lungs. He had a lot to think about, but right now he needed to focus on keeping Sierra and Ben safe. “The reason I wanted to talk to you is that I think we should have Ben ask us any questions he’s been thinking about. I know he won’t speak, but we can encourage him to write his questions on paper or draw the word if he can’t spell it. Just because he isn’t talking doesn’t mean there aren’t questions he has, especially with us being gone a good part of the day.”

  “As much as I didn’t want to tell him about the bomb at the clinic, I found myself wishing he would come right out and ask us why we were gone so long. Or why Robert had to go pick us up.”

  “We’ll have time to talk to him tomorrow. You also have to get the files from the cloud and check the list of people who were in that drawer and the other two below that one. That bomb had a big punch. It was meant to destroy the whole office. And I’m hoping the bomb squad will have more on the bomb tomorrow, especially something they could run down.”

  Sierra finished her water. “I need to go to bed. We have a lot to do in the morning. I also need to work with Ben on his schoolwork if I can get him to do any. Normally he loves to learn, but this is different.”

  Taylor stood and took both glasses to the dishwasher. “You’re right. I’m going to lie down on the couch in the living room until Dad gets up. The day is catching up with me. I need to get my pillow. I’ll walk with you.”

  Sierra joined him, and they left the kitchen. She wished she had the right to smooth the lines of weariness from his face. How was she ever going to repay Taylor for going beyond the call of duty?

  As she mounted the stairs to the second floor, she felt the drill of his gaze into her back. She thought back to their conversation earlier. Maybe she was part of his life now to help him deal with the death of his son. He held on to remnants of grief as though they were his lifelines. She needed to help him through the grieving process at the same time she started her own path with Kat’s death.

  Sierra peeked into Ben’s room, and in the faint light from the hallway, she saw him lying in bed with Oscar right beside him. The curtains over the window were drawn, which she had done each night. That, too, was the reason the picture he drew wasn’t about something real—just his imagination and fear manifesting itself. She drew the door toward her, leaving an opening of about eighteen inches.

  When she crossed to the other guest bedroom, Taylor followed. She swung around and looked into the beautiful dark green of his eyes. The anguish of his son’s passing still lingered in them.

  He cut the space between them and cradled her face. “Thanks for those words earlier. I don’t usually cling to something I can’t change. I do need to move on.”

  “It’s easier to say than to do, but anytime you want to talk, I’m here to listen.”

  He dipped his head toward her and touched her lips softly with his—almost like a breath against her mouth. The anticipation of his kiss deepening heightened all her senses. Until she heard a shout.

  “This is for Charlie!” came from Ben’s bedroom.

  SEVEN

  Taylor spun around and raced across the hall into Ben’s room with Sierra right behind him. He flipped on the overhead light, illuminating the young boy sitting straight up on his bed, stiff. What drew Taylor’s attention were the child’s eyes open so wide they dominated his face. When he reached Ben, Sierra rushed around him and gathered her nephew against her.

  “Ben, you’re all right. You’re safe.”

  The child began to shake so much that Sierra did, too.

  Taylor quickly scanned the whole room, then made his way to the window on the other side of the bed. He pushed the curtains back and looked outside. His dad had several security motion-sensor lamps in the front and back that came on when someone was in the vicinity, but all Taylor saw was darkness below.

  “Honey, what happened? A bad dream?”

  At the sound of Sierra’s voice, Taylor pivoted toward the pair on the bed. Sierra held Ben, who was tense, unresponsive. His eyes remained open, but there was no indication he realized they
were in the room.

  Suddenly Ben jerked back, his gaze widening even more. Then the boy collapsed against Sierra as though all his muscles had turned to liquid. She held him against her.

  Taylor glimpsed his father in the entrance, clasping a revolver. He pointed toward the stairs, then disappeared. Taylor needed to help his dad make sure the house was secured. Taylor thought it was, but he needed to be sure.

  Still wearing his weapon, he rounded the bed and bent close to Sierra’s ear. “I’m checking downstairs, then I’ll come back.”

  She nodded.

  As he left, he glanced back at Sierra and Ben. Her nephew stirred, recognition in his eyes now. Sierra’s eyes remained closed, her face pale. He wanted to stay to comfort both of them, but first he had to make sure no one was around. In the hallway he withdrew his gun and went from room to room upstairs before making his way to the first floor. He met his father in the kitchen.

  “Nothing. I even looked out the back and front.” His dad set his pistol on the counter.

  “I didn’t find anything either. I’m going back upstairs and see how Ben and Sierra are.”

  “She looked scared. So did Ben. See to them, then get some sleep. It’s nearly midnight, and I’m wide awake now. I don’t think I could go back to bed after that shout.”

  “I’m not sure I can either, but I’ll try after I see them settled.” Taylor started for the exit.

  “Son, y’all will solve this case, and life will return to normal.”

  Taylor laughed, no humor in the sound. “What is that?” He left before his father replied because he didn’t really want an answer.

  When he returned to Ben’s room, the boy sat up in the bed, holding Oscar as though the black Lab was his safety net. Taylor remembered how he felt right after TJ died. His life had seemed desolate and hopeless. Oscar was still a puppy, bought to help TJ. But his son died after Oscar was a part of the family for only two months. Taylor ended up clinging to the dog rather than his son. Seeing Ben do the same brought all those memories to the surface again. A knot of emotions stuck in his throat.