Lone Star Standoff

by Margaret Daley

  “I want a small place that can be locked down, easily defended. I want the location a secret. I know after the first day, people—including the cartel—will know where the trial is taking place, but at least Mrs. Fields will be ushered away and not have a second attempt made on her life because of her testimony. She’s already given up so much. I don’t want her life to be added to the list.”

  As Sean rejoined them, Sheriff Bailey nodded.

  “I want to get Aubrey to the safe house. Let me know any new details about what happened today.” Sean placed his hand at the small of her back and maneuvered them through the people in the hallway.

  Outside, the stench of a recent fire filled the air. Sean hurried Aubrey to his SUV and inside it. When he slid behind the steering wheel, he threw her a glance before pulling out of the parking space. In the side mirror she spied the Texas Ranger, assigned to protect her at the safe house, following Sean’s vehicle as planned.

  “Did you work out the details about the trial with the sheriff?”

  “Yes. I was surprised you would be back at the courthouse. Did you get anything from Cal?”

  “Yes. The identity of the guy in your hospital room.”

  Aubrey’s jaw dropped. She’d never expected something like that. “Who is he? Have you put a BOLO out on him?”

  “No, not yet. I was at the courthouse when the explosion occurred because I was looking up a possible piece of property where the guy might be hiding with Cal’s wife.”

  “His wife is gone? Kidnapped?”

  “According to Cal. He hasn’t said anything because he’s afraid his wife’s cousin from Houston will kill her. When he came home from the hospital, there was evidence that there had been a struggle.”

  “Did she ever go visit him at the hospital?”

  “Yes, the first day. I think her cousin is the one who shot him and is using her to keep Cal quiet.”

  “Do you trust Cal?” After all the things that had occurred recently, she was having a hard time trusting anyone, except for Sean.

  “Right before the electricity went out, I saw the address of the piece of property that belonged to Cal’s wife’s family. Apparently her cousin Mario Bravo was here at the time my brother went missing and Samuel was murdered.”

  “This guy could be the killer.”

  Sean pulled into the garage of the safe house, with the Texas Ranger who followed them doing the same. “It’s possible he’s the cleaner my informant told me about.”

  The other Texas Ranger exited his car and came around the SUV to the driver’s side. Sean rolled down the window. “I’m leaving to follow up on a lead that may answer a lot of questions. I’ll keep you informed of what’s happening.”

  Texas Ranger Jorge Conde, one of two who helped Sean to guard Aubrey, leaned in and said, “Don’t worry. I can always wake up Brett if I think he’s needed.”

  Sean grinned. “We’ll get to kid him about sleeping through all the action in the case.”

  Texas Ranger Conde tipped the brim of his hat and walked toward the house, waiting for her to exit.

  Aubrey looked at Sean and reached for his hand closest to her. The physical connection with him enfolded her in calmness. “If her cousin is the cleaner, he’ll kill her and finish what he started with Cal.”

  “I agree. That’s why I have Chief Perez watching Cal’s house while I find his wife.”

  “Just the police chief?”

  “Yes. I don’t know who else to trust, not after what your husband suspected. I’d rather leave the two Texas Rangers here protecting you. Perez wasn’t here when my brother and your husband were killed.”

  Aubrey put her hand on the door handle. “Be careful...” Her throat closed tight around the rest of the words she wanted to say.

  Instead she rushed toward the door into the kitchen, where Texas Ranger Conde stood waiting.

  The garage door went up, then down after she entered the house. Now all she could do was pray that Sean would return unharmed. She just couldn’t consider the other option.

  * * *

  Sean parked his car off the road behind tall vegetation to hide his SUV, then hiked toward the house in the middle of a grove of trees. He cased it for fifteen minutes, circling around it from a distance. It looked deserted. Maybe this wasn’t where Jana Adams was being kept. But he had to check it out, especially because this was his only lead.

  Sean drew his gun and crept toward the left side of the place. The curtains were open a few inches. He slowly made his way to the window, high off the ground, while constantly scanning the area around him. There was no vehicle in the vicinity.

  He started to peer into the house when his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He quickly stepped away and answered it. “I can’t talk now, Cal.”

  “I just remembered something. When Jana came to pick me up from work and we discussed her cousin and his likeness to the drawing of the fake nurse, there was a chance that Sergeant Vic Daniels overheard part of the conversation. He came around the corner of the police station.”

  “Right now, I’m at the house that belongs to your wife’s family. I don’t know if anyone is here.”

  “I’ve got to go. Someone is at my door.”

  “Call me back after you check who it is.”

  The connection went dead. Sean stuffed his phone into his pocket and moved back to the window to peek inside. His gaze zoomed in on the bed’s coverlet—with blood all over it.

  He proceeded to the front door. When he tried the knob, it turned. His gun drawn, he moved inside, his focus totally homed in on his surroundings. As he made his way toward the bedroom where he’d seen the bloody coverlet, he took in the indications that someone had been here recently—a glass on the coffee table, an ashtray filled with cigarette butts, a large sweatshirt hanging over a chair.

  When he pushed open the door to the bedroom, he swept through it, checking the closet and any place a person could hide before he turned his full attention on the coverlet. The stench of the blood filled his nostrils. The wetness of the blood indicated that whatever caused this had happened recently.

  He quickly checked the rest of the house and then placed a call to Cal. He didn’t think he would answer, but he hoped he would call him back. When Cal didn’t, Sean left a message then punched in the police chief’s number to report the scene of a possible crime. “I won’t be here. One of my contacts is in trouble.” After giving Juan the location of the house, Sean ended the conversation and took photos of the coverlet and each room, then a swab of the blood that hadn’t dried yet. As he left, he also snapped a few pictures of the footprints that weren’t his in the dirt outside the house.

  The drive to Cal’s home on the other side of Port Bliss took fifteen minutes. He parked in the driveway and hastened to the front entrance. He rang the bell and even knocked on the door.

  He didn’t have a good feeling about this.

  He put his gloves on and turned the knob. Like at the house in the woods, the door was unlocked, which meant something was wrong, because Cal kept his house locked. Sean started counterclockwise, clearing each room as he progressed through the place. When he walked down the hall leading to the bedrooms, he stopped at the only closed door in the corridor. Stepping to the side, he gripped the knob and shoved the door open. As he moved into the bathroom, he saw a leg draped over the side of a bathtub. As he went farther into the room, he shifted his attention between the tub and the hallway.

  When his gaze fell on Cal, dressed as he’d been the last time Sean saw him, he felt for the police officer’s pulse.

  ELEVEN

  Aubrey paced the living room at the safe house, wishing she could hold her children. She missed them so much, and she hadn’t even been away from them for long.

  And now she was worried about Sean. He should be back here by now. He’d called earlier to tell her Cal Adams had bee
n murdered and he’d be away for a couple more hours. They didn’t talk long, to keep someone from tracing the call, but his statement left her with so many questions—and concerns.

  She glanced around the room, taking in her prison. Since Villa’s trial started, she’d felt like a prisoner. She wasn’t even sure she’d be able to complete the trial anytime soon. She wanted it over for everyone involved. Many had put their lives on hold because of Villa. Poor Mrs. Fields would have to come back so the defense could question her. That was the law. Would today at the courthouse change the woman’s mind?

  The sound of the garage door going up sent a ripple of relief—and fear—down Aubrey’s spine. She headed for the kitchen. Texas Ranger Jorge Conde was already entering the utility room when Sean came into the house.

  “It’s about time you arrived,” Jorge said with a chuckle. “I was beginning to think the judge was going to wear a path in the carpet.” He stepped back into the kitchen.

  Sean followed, deep lines of exhaustion carved into his face. “Is everything all right here?”

  “Now it is.” Jorge turned and left the kitchen.

  Sean’s gaze latched onto Aubrey’s and held it. “I’m sorry I couldn’t keep you more informed, but things were happening fast. And I don’t want anyone to find this safe house. I had to take extra precautions with all that’s going down.”

  “I want to know everything, because I’m tired of running all the different scenarios through my mind.” She started for the living room.

  Sean grasped her arm and stopped her. “I’m sorry it took so long. I know this is hard on you, but I’m making progress, albeit slower than I want.”

  The tension in her body melted, her shoulders sagging.

  Sean stepped closer and encircled his arms around her. “This will pass. We’ll find out who’s doing this.”

  She closed her eyes, relishing the safety and comfort of his embrace. When she finally leaned back and looked up into his face, she wanted to kiss him. But this wasn’t the time or the place. Too much was going on in their lives. She had to halt the growing feelings she had for Sean. She wasn’t going to put her family in harm’s way ever again, which meant she would be stepping down as a judge after this trial.

  She pulled back from him and walked toward the living room. When she sat down, he took a seat in a chair across from the couch. Sean’s nearness was hard to resist. It would be so easy to give in to her emotions concerning Sean and be right where she’d been with Samuel, with a man whose job was dangerous.

  “As you know, I found Cal murdered in the bathroom at his house. His throat was slit. Either he was surprised, or he knew his killer. He didn’t put up much of a struggle. Even with his injury, he would have put up a fight.”

  “Why was he shot and then later finished off at his house?”

  “His wife was kidnapped by the nurse impostor, who happens to be Jana Adams’s cousin from Houston. The killer used her to keep Cal quiet. I found out something was going on, and Cal confessed. Using that information about the cousin and the family house, I went to it today. I discovered a coverlet soaked with blood in the bedroom. I think Jana was killed, and her cousin went to Cal’s to finish cleaning up the loose ends. The police are canvassing the neighbors to see if anyone had a surveillance camera that might have caught who arrived at Cal’s place right before he was killed.”

  “Where’s Jana?”

  “Probably already buried or in the car the guy was driving. On a neighbor’s video footage, we got a break. A black truck with an enclosed back where a body could be hidden was captured, along with a partial license plate. Juan is running it down. He’s the only one working on that. He’ll call me with any updates. In the meantime, a BOLO has been put out on Mario Bravo and the description of the black pickup the authorities have. Hopefully we’ll get a break.”

  Aubrey clasped her hands and kept rubbing them together. “So this Mario Bravo is the cleaner sent here a couple of years ago and now?”

  “Yes. Sheriff Bailey is digging into that.”

  “But no rank and file?”

  “Right now, I’m keeping this quiet except for a few people in the Texas Rangers as well as Juan and Don. If Villa is convicted, it’ll be a blow to the cartel.”

  When? The past couple of weeks have been a nightmare. “Did Don say anything about finding a place to have the trial tomorrow?”

  “Yes, at the sheriff’s office. They have a large enough room that can hold the essential people for the trial. The security is normally tight and will be even more so. The building is much smaller than the courthouse and will be easier to protect. He said you want to do it as quickly as possible, so it will start tomorrow at ten. He let the US Marshals who are guarding Mrs. Fields know.”

  Aubrey blew out a long breath. “Good. When will the courthouse be opened again?”

  “Not before Thursday, but it could be even longer than that. The whole building is a crime scene, and it will take them a while to process it.”

  “I need to get back into the building before the trial for items tied to it.”

  “Give me a list, and I’ll do it and bring it to the sheriff’s office.” He rose and bridged the distance between them. “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to get some sleep.” He held out his hand to her.

  She shouldn’t take it. Instead she should distance herself from him. But the logical part of her didn’t win out. She touched his hand, and his fingers closed around hers. He tugged her to her feet, inches away from him. Her heartbeat increased. Her throat went dry. He tilted her head back, so he could look into her eyes. The warmth of his eyes embraced her and left her feeling cherished.

  “We’ll get through this and get answers for the murders of my brother and your husband. I won’t rest until we do.”

  “I want answers, but not if it’s going to put others in danger. How am I going to be able to live with all this?”

  “As long as the murderer is out there, he’s a danger to others. Not to mention he’s part of the cartel.” Sean brushed the back of his hand over her cheek. “We both need rest. Tomorrow will be a big day. C’mon. I’ll walk you to your room.”

  At the door to her bedroom, she twisted around and touched his face. “I don’t know what I would have done without you. Thanks for coming that day I called you for help.”

  “Anytime. Good night.” He gave her a smile then backed away, waiting for her to go inside.

  She did and locked her door, as well as checked each window with bars over them. She sank onto her bed, missing her children—missing Sean. But soon, she would have to walk away from him when their lives returned to normal. Sammy and Camy deserved that.

  * * *

  After escorting Aubrey to the sheriff’s office, Sean met Juan at Cal’s home, going through the place to find the bugs that Cal said were there. Yesterday they had processed the crime scene. Sean had sent all the evidence they found to the lab the Texas Rangers used, putting a rush on matching the DNA on the bloody coverlet to the DNA from a hairbrush holding long black hair in the master bedroom. Cal’s wife, Jana, had long black hair. If the DNA was the same, then with the amount of blood on the coverlet, it was most likely that Jana Adams was already dead. A cadaver dog had been brought in to check the woods around the house where the coverlet was. The dog didn’t find anything.

  Sean met Juan in the living room. “I found two bugs. How about you?”

  “The same.” Juan moved to the front door and left the house.

  Sean followed. “Cal was right about the listening devices. Which leaves us with the question of who the mole is for the cartel Samuel was looking for. Cal thought the sketch looked like his wife’s cousin. The photo of Mario Bravo had similarities to the drawing of the fake nurse. Not long after Cal voiced his concerns, he was shot at. Was that just a coincidence, or was it what led to his ultimate death?”

  Sea
n’s cell phone rang—it was the sheriff. “How’s it going with the trial so far?”

  Don chuckled. “I knew that would be the first thing you’d ask. Aubrey is fine, and except for a mob of reporters outside the station, everything is going as planned.”

  “Good. Has Mrs. Fields left yet?”

  “No, the defense is still questioning her, trying everything to tear down her testimony, but Mrs. Fields is a sharp lady. The reason I called is to let you know that the black truck has been found on the side of a county road.” Don gave Sean the location where the truck was parked. “I can spare two deputies with a dog to search for whoever was driving the truck. With the trial at the sheriff’s office, I need to stay here. I thought you might want to go search for the person in the truck.”

  “We don’t know how long the vehicle has been there?”

  “No. So it could be any time from when it was caught on the neighbor’s security camera at two yesterday afternoon to when it was found just thirty minutes ago by a highway patrol officer.”

  “I’m leaving Cal’s house and will go there. Do you think the guy has fled on foot?” Sean started for his SUV.

  “Don’t know. That’s why I’m sending the dog.”

  “Let your deputies know I’m on my way. Thanks for telling me.” Sean disconnected the call and opened the driver’s-side door.

  Juan quickened his pace to his squad car. “I’m following you. It would be nice to find Cal’s murderer right away.”

  Juan followed Sean to the location of the black truck. Two other deputy sheriffs’ cars were parked behind the pickup that was off the road in the dirt. Sean inspected the unknown vehicle that had been seen on the neighbor’s video footage at the time of Cal’s death. Then he walked around it, to the rear. Behind the pickup were single tire tracks, like a motorcycle would make. Maybe he had the bike in the back of his truck bed. Had the killer left the vehicle here knowing that the police had it on tape? The information had gone out to law enforcement departments but not the public.