Lone Star Standoff

by Margaret Daley

  “What are you doing down here?” Sean peered at the clock on the wall. “It’s five o’clock in the morning. You aren’t a morning person.”

  “That’s changed since I was assigned to the day shift at the police headquarters. Now Thomas and I both work on the same shift.” His sister stood at the end of the table. “What are y’all doing, Sean?”

  “Trying to figure out a message in code and running into a brick wall—twenty feet high.”

  Claire chuckled. “I’d say it’s time for a long break. Then you might have the energy to leap over that barrier.”

  “I’m not sure that’s possible.” Aubrey gathered the papers into a stack. “But it’s good advice. Sometimes thinking about something for a long time can actually hamper us. Let’s get some sleep and work on this later today.”

  Sean picked up the books. “Good suggestion, sis. I’ll try. See you later today.”

  As Aubrey mounted the stairs, she kept thinking she was missing something. But no matter how hard she tried to figure out what that could be, she came up blank. “I definitely need a break. I just hope I can sleep, or I’m going to be worthless.” She stopped at the door into her bedroom and turned toward Sean behind her. “Surely two brilliant minds like ours can break this code,” she said with a chuckle.

  “We will. It’s time to close the cold cases. This may be the key to your husband’s murder.”

  The best decision she’d made last week was calling Sean for help with her situation. This past week could have gone much worse if she hadn’t. “Thank you for coming to my rescue last Friday.” She stood on tiptoes and was only going to give him a peck on the cheek for his help. At the last second, she turned slightly and kissed him on the lips. Again, her intention was for a brief connection, but his arms went around her, and he held her closer while deepening the kiss. She relished every second in his embrace.

  He finally leaned back, his eyes smoky. “See you later.”

  “Good night.”

  He swung around and backpedaled. “Don’t you mean good morning? The sun will be up in an hour.”

  She grinned and quickly went into her bedroom before she did something else foolish. What was she thinking when she kissed him?

  When she caught sight of her bed, the exhaustion she’d held at bay swamped her all at once. She moved to it and collapsed onto it. Weariness won out, and sleep descended...

  * * *

  “Mama. Mama. Get up. I want to go swimming again.”

  Aubrey slowly opened her eyes to find Sammy’s face only inches from hers. What time was it? She rolled her head toward the window. Dim light streamed through the gaps.

  “It’s a little early to swim.”

  Sammy lifted his arm and plopped a toy car on the bed beside Aubrey. “It’s backward.” He stuck out his lower lip. “Won’t work.”

  She sat up. “Honey, wheels roll both ways. You know tha—”

  That’s it! I think I can solve the code.

  She hoped anyway.

  NINE

  In the den, the sunlight streaked a path toward the game table where Sean sat, trying to figure out the code. He used a technique he did when he solved cipher quotes in the newspaper. He looked at frequent patterns of letters. All single letters were either an a or i. He thought he discovered the word the. He took a page he’d written out and started filling in those letters above the symbol to see what he came up with.

  The door opened. He looked up. Aubrey scurried into the room with a big grin on her face. “I figured out how to solve the code.”

  “How?”

  She took the chair next to him. “Once Samuel reversed the alphabet on top of starting in a different place.” She drew the first grid and started with the letter r. “He still used the pattern of dots and lines as he always did but in a different order. Then he went backward. In the first tic-tac-toe grid it starts with r, then q, p, o, n, m, l, k and j. Then you do the next grid starting with i and repeat the process.”

  Sean set aside the sheet he’d been working on and started fitting the letters into the grids Samuel used. “Did you get any sleep?”

  “Three hours, until Sammy came into my bedroom and woke me up. He wanted to go swimming. But he said something that triggered a memory.”

  “If this works, I’ll take him swimming anytime he wants.”

  She laughed. “Don’t say that to him. He’ll wake you up in the middle of the night.” She looked at him. “How about you? It looks like you’ve been down here for a while.”

  “A couple of hours. If we solve it, I’ll crash later.” When he finished plugging in the letters and put dots where Samuel used to, he pulled over the sheet he’d been working on.

  “You’ve already got some letters over the symbols.”

  “Instead of doing crossword puzzles, I used to decipher coded quotes by famous people in the newspaper.” Sean began putting letters down on the sheet. “It looks like this might be it.”

  “Your the fits where this one does.”

  When he’d decoded the first paragraph, he slanted a glance at Aubrey. Her face paled as she stared at the words her husband had written.

  “‘If you are reading this, that means I am dead. I was working with Jack McNair, who has been missing for the past two days. I am sure he is dead,’” Sean read, then lifted his gaze to link with hers.

  “We have a lot of work to do. I can help you for a little while, but once Sammy and Camy finish their breakfast, I promised I would take them swimming again. If they had their way, they would turn into raisins.”

  “We have time. We can work, then take them swimming. We’ll be able to finish this today. There’s not a lot I can do from here anyway. When we go back to Port Bliss tomorrow, I’ll dive into anything that your husband had concerns about.” Sean turned the page in the notebook. “You take the left side and decode it. I’ll do the one on the right.”

  Sean started writing the letters down. As he worked, myriad emotions flittered through him, from surprise to sadness to anger. According to what Samuel had written, Jack had been caught up in the cartel by accident. His roommate began working for the cartel and witnessed some of the transactions. His younger brother had never said anything about having a roommate.

  The door flew open and both Camy and Sammy, wearing their swimsuits, ran into the den. “We’re ready,” they said at the same time.

  Sean and Aubrey looked at each other and laughed.

  Wearing her life jacket, Camy took Aubrey’s hand and pulled on it. “C’mon, Mama.”

  Sammy did the same to Sean, tugging him out of his seat.

  “We don’t have our swimsuits on.”

  “Okay.” Sammy continued dragging Sean forward into the hallway and toward the stairs.

  At the bottom of the steps, Sean stopped and held his ground while Aubrey’s son kept trying to budge him. “Are you finished, buddy?”

  Sammy nodded and dropped Sean’s hand.

  He scooped the little boy up into his arms and mounted the staircase. On the second floor, he put Sammy down. “While I’m getting changed, you need your life jacket.”

  He ran by Aubrey into his room. “Be right back.”

  She approached Sean. “Has anyone told you that you would make a good father?”

  He’d let his little brother down. He’d let his father down. He hadn’t been able to protect Jack in the end. “Does my older sister count?”

  “Of course. I’m looking forward to meeting her this afternoon. I wish her children were coming, too.”

  “They’re five, seven and nine and don’t know how to keep a secret. At least Ella can.”

  As Sammy came flying out of his bedroom with his vest on, Aubrey moved in front of Sean. “Slow down. The pool isn’t going anywhere. We’re going to change while you go downstairs and sit on the bottom step with Camy.”

&
nbsp; Sammy hurried toward the steps.

  “Slowly, young man.” Aubrey shook her head as she walked to her bedroom and Sean escaped into his. In the past he’d wanted a family, but his wife hadn’t. Then Jack got caught up with the wrong people, and no matter what he’d said to his little brother, it didn’t change anything. Instead, they argued, and finally Jack had left Amarillo and moved to the Port Bliss area.

  As long as Jack had been missing, he’d hoped that his brother would change and that Sean could mend the rift between them. But now that he was dead, that wasn’t possible.

  His track record wasn’t stellar.

  Maybe if he found his brother’s killer, he could move on. At the moment, his only hope was hidden in Samuel’s notebook. But after two years, the case was cold and more difficult to solve than ever.

  * * *

  Sunday morning, an hour before Sean and Aubrey would be leaving, her mother insisted everyone at the house sit down to a big breakfast in the dining room. As soon as Camy and Sammy had stuffed their pancakes into their mouths, they wanted to go swimming.

  Texas Ranger Pierce Claiborne came into the room after making his rounds and said, “I can take y’all if it’s okay with your mother.”

  Aubrey breathed a sigh of relief. If her twins were enjoying the pool, she and Sean might be able to slip away without a lot of dramatics from them. “That would be great. They have to wear their life preservers, though.”

  Sammy jumped to his feet, followed by Camy, and they rushed toward the staircase.

  Claire and Thomas looked at each other then stood. “We’ll be waiting outside to take you to the airport.”

  Her mama gathered the dishes and stacked them on the tray she’d used to bring them into the dining room. “I’m going to start cleaning up.” She came around and hugged Aubrey. “We’ll be all right. Please take care of yourself.”

  Emotions jammed Aubrey’s throat. In response, she nodded.

  After her mama left, Pierce sat in a chair across from her and Sean. “I have some news from Port Bliss. Early this morning, there was a fire at the jail where Villa is. It was put out quickly and no prisoners were hurt badly. A few had smoke inhalation problems, along with one guard, but otherwise the fast action of a couple of the deputies on duty prevented it from being a much worse situation. They are considering moving Villa to the holding cell at the courthouse and adding extra guards from the US Marshals’ office.”

  “Thanks for letting us know. It shouldn’t delay the trial tomorrow.” Hopefully what was going on in Port Bliss would end when she was no longer attached to Villa. She would especially be glad when the main witness testified.

  “I appreciate the update.” Sean shook his head. “Another attempt at interrupting the trial. Law enforcement officers have been stretched thin since all this began. Whoever is behind this is getting desperate.”

  Pierce rose. “That might be to your advantage in the long run. Desperation can lead to mistakes.”

  “That’s what I’m counting on.” Sean rose and shook his friend’s hand. “I hear the kids coming down the stairs. We’ll say goodbye in here, then you can take them swimming.”

  “We’re ready,” Sammy announced in a loud voice as he came to a halt in the dining room.

  “Yeah!” Camy said right next to her brother.

  Aubrey loved seeing her children with huge smiles on their faces. She’d realized in the past day that the twins loved swimming. One of the memories she wouldn’t forget was when Sean started teaching both of them how to swim. Sammy even went across the pool without a life preserver, while Camy swam a couple of yards before clinging to Sean.

  Aubrey stopped in front of her children. “Sean and I are leaving, but we’ll see you soon. Abuela thought it would be fun to go on a little mini vacation. You both need to do what she says, and listen to the other adults, as well.”

  Sammy vigorously nodded his head.

  Camy frowned, tears shining in her eyes. “Why can’t you stay?”

  “I have to go to work tomorrow. But after this trial, I plan on taking you on another vacation to the beach, so practice your swimming.”

  Sammy put his arm around Camy. “We’ll be okay.”

  The knot in Aubrey’s throat swelled. She hugged Camy, then Sammy. “I’ll call you every night.”

  Aubrey watched her children take Pierce’s hand and leave. Tears blurred her vision. When they disappeared from view, she dipped her head and stared at the floor where they had been a few seconds before. One tear fell from her eye.

  Sean put his arm around her and pressed her against his side. “Samuel’s notebook has given me a couple of leads. Two years ago, there was a mole in the police department in Port Bliss. I should be able to get a list of who was employed. It’s a start. Samuel had a few suspicions, which might help me narrow down the identity of the mole. That’s what I’ll be working on when we get back.”

  “But it’s been two years. That person may be long gone.”

  “That’s possible, but the cartel would most likely put pressure on the mole to stay. I’ll check on anyone who’s left, too. Let’s go. The plane will be landing in fifteen minutes.”

  Aubrey started walking toward the entry hall where their luggage was. “It was nice to get away from Port Bliss.”

  Sean heaved both suitcases and stepped outside first. Thomas had pulled the car up to the front of the house. After Sean set the bags on the ground by the rear side fender, he opened the door for Aubrey and whispered into her ear, “This mole was behind my brother’s death. I have more than one reason to find him. I won’t rest until I figure out who it is.”

  “Then we’ll have some closure on Samuel and Jack’s murders. The mole might not be the henchman who killed them, but he was behind it—that and the cartel lieutenant in this area. Too bad it wasn’t Villa. He didn’t come to Port Bliss until about twenty months ago.” The one before him had disappeared. “Was the prior lieutenant one of the bodies found at the burial grounds?”

  “Maybe. They’re still trying to ID them.” Sean waited until Aubrey climbed into the back seat, then he put the suitcases in the trunk and slid into the car next to her.

  Aubrey reclined back against the seat and closed her eyes. Her husband’s last comment in the notebook was that he was afraid more than one law enforcement officer might be involved. Was that why Samuel had felt he had to keep this all secret—even from her?

  * * *

  After escorting Aubrey to the courthouse Monday morning, Sean crossed the street to talk with Juan Perez, who had a list of employees who worked for the police when Samuel was murdered.

  This wasn’t going to be an easy conversation with the police chief, who had been hired eighteen months ago when the last one retired and moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where his son and family now lived. Juan couldn’t be the mole that Samuel referred to in his notebook because he’d come from Fort Worth after Samuel was killed. Sean had a good working relationship with Juan, but what if he had become recruited by the cartel as a mole, too, after he arrived? It was even possible the retired police chief had been working for the cartel and had been the one who killed Samuel.

  As he entered the police station, Sean remembered how the last drug raid he participated in nearly two weeks ago failed when it shouldn’t have. He’d thought someone had tipped off the people in the operation. Since Sean had only worked with the Port Bliss Police on the raid, that meant the informer was possibly someone in this building. The mole could lead Sean to the killer of Samuel and Jack. But also, the cartel spy could be responsible for what was happening now with the current trial and Aubrey. He would investigate the former police chief, but he didn’t think it was him.

  Sergeant Vic Daniels approached Sean. “We finally think we’ve found the white car with the partial license number you wanted. A couple, Mr. and Mrs. Kirkland, returned from visiting their family and discove
red it in their driveway. It doesn’t belong to them. They have no idea where it came from.”

  “Where is it now?”

  “Still at their house. They live outside town on a few acres off Bayshore Drive.”

  “Write their name and address down, and I’ll pick it up after I talk with Chief Perez.”

  “Will do.”

  Sean continued his trek to Juan’s office, where his secretary waved him through. Sean knocked once, then opened the door. The police chief sat at his desk, staring at a paper before him. He lifted his head, his expression sober.

  “Another missing case has been solved. Paul Davis, one of the older bodies at the burial ground, has been ID’d with dental records. Your brother reported him missing about six months before Jack disappeared.”

  Sean slipped into the chair in front of Juan’s desk. “Do you have the missing-person report on Davis?”

  “Yes.” The police chief passed the folder to Sean.

  He scanned it. “He was my brother’s roommate.”

  “At the time Davis disappeared, Jack was on the oil rig. We didn’t take it too seriously, because Davis had moved around several times. Jack insisted he would have let him know. When your brother returned to the apartment, it was a mess. Again, he said that wasn’t like Davis. That he was a neat freak.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me about this guy?”

  “Because I’m just finding out about the Davis missing-person case. I wasn’t here at the time it happened. I was still in Fort Worth. The only reason I know now is because he was one of the bodies found.”

  “Who worked on the case?”

  “Officer Cal Adams answered the call from your brother. Later Sergeant Daniels took over investigating the missing-person case. His notes are in this file. Jack never said anything to you about a roommate?”

  Sean shook his head. “My brother and I weren’t on great speaking terms.”

  “I’m sorry about that.”