by Carolina Mac
Damien Longbow’s Residence. West Kyle.
FARRELL drove along the dirt road that followed the Little Guadalupe River. Dense bush on both sides of the road hid most of the fishing shacks people in need of shelter had turned into permanent homes.
“What’s the address?” asked Jack from the back seat.
“One eleven Oak Street.”
“There ain’t any streets here,” said Farrell. “this is a river road and that’s all it is. That’s a bullshit address.”
“The GPS lady can’t find it,” said Blaine staring at the little screen, “maybe Farrell’s right and Longbow made it up.”
“We can look for the Harley,” said Farrell, “that’s about the only clue we have.”
“Let me get the tag.” Blaine called DMV on his cell as Farrell pulled in and out of dirt tracks looking for the bike.
“Shit, this is monotonous,” said Farrell, as he backed out of another muddy trail. “Mostly pickups. In the spring, I bet they need four-wheel drives to get through the fuckin muck down here.”
“Low land near the river,” said Jack. “Uh huh.”
Farrell kept going. Driving close enough to one shack after the other to see what they were driving, then backing out to the road.
Greg hollered from the back seat. “There’s a bike.”
Blaine checked the tag number on his phone. “Nope. That ain’t it. Keep going.”
For the next hour, Farrell worked his way around the lake not missing a single mucky two-track. He drove through a narrow opening, weeds brushing both sides of his Silverado and came out in a tiny clearing. A square weather-beaten shack sat next to the water and parked beside it was a Sportster. “There it is.”
All four doors of the truck opened at once and the boys ran to surround the shack. Farrell and Jack ran around the back. Blaine, Greg and Rick took the front.
“Police,” hollered Blaine. “Open the door.”
Damien Longbow pulled the door open and let them in without a word. He plunked down at the small wooden table in the center of the room and took another drag on his joint. Beer cans littered the table and the floor around the table. Within reach, the lid was open on an empty blue cooler a third filled with water—beer gone, and ice melted. The far wall of the shack supported a set of bunks. No room for anything else.
Both boys were drunk and stoned. No Lovell.
Farrell and Jack came in from the back and blocked the exit, but the Longbow brothers were in no shape to run.
“Where’s Benson Lovell?” asked Blaine.
Mike Longbow grinned. “Who?”
“Y’all are under arrest for aiding and abetting a fugitive,” said Blaine. He snapped cuffs on Mike Longbow, while Farrell cuffed his brother. Neither resisted.
“Make the boys comfortable in the load bed of the truck,” said Blaine to Greg and Rick. To Farrell: “Do a thorough search, bro.”
“No boat moored to the dock,” said Jack, “but there’s rope around the post. Lovell might have heard us coming.”
Blaine called the local sheriff and requested a patrol.
Misty’s Bungalow. Austin.
RICK and Lily drove to Misty’s house to assess the damage Brad Mulligan had done. Rick went in first and scoped it out before he allowed Lily to see it.
“It’s a bloody shame, Lil. A new house like this. I feel bad for Misty, for everything that jerk did to her.”
“He’s done his worst,” said Lily, “He won’t be doing anything else.”
“I’ve never seen Farrell shoot,” said Rick. “Rumor has it, the kid is amazing.”
“Almost as amazing as the boss,” said Lil. “Annie Powell taught them both and taught them well.”
Lily pulled a notebook out of her purse and started in the front room. “Jeeze, he cut her curtains to ribbons. We’re going to need garbage bags.”
“I’ll check the kitchen.” Rick came back with a box in his hand and Lil was standing on a chair reaching for the curtain rod.
“I can do that. It’s too high for you.” He reached up to help her down and she slid off the chair and into his arms. Not one to waste an opportunity, Rick covered her mouth with his own and pulled Lily’s athletic body close to him.
“Mmm… nice,” said Lily, “but we’re working.”
Rick grinned. “What about when we’re not working?”
“Try me then,” said Lil, and went on to her next task.
Ranger Headquarters. Austin.
FARRELL dropped the junkers off at Blacky’s house before he and Blaine took the Longbow brothers to the station to book them.
The Chief caught up with them while the brothers were posing for new glamor shots. “No sign of Lovell?”
Blaine shook his head. “He wasn’t there, but if they had a boat, it wasn’t at the dock either. I put the local sheriff on the shack.”
“Good, but we’ve got to get him,” said the Chief, “and wrap up the murder cases for the DA’s office.”
“Are you getting pressure?” asked Blaine.
“Some.”
“I hear you, Chief, and we’ve got more to work with now.” said Blaine. “I’m hoping Jesse can come in the morning and get something out of these boys.”
“I’ll make sure the Longbow brothers get a good night’s sleep.”
Saint David’s Hospital. Austin.
BLAINE stopped at the nurse’s station outside of intensive care and inquired if Travis was awake. Head nurse, Franka Molinari, said he was. She also said Doctor Rodriguez had gone to the cafeteria and they could have Travis all to themselves for five minutes.
She walked them past a row of silent patients, machines and monitors beeping and hissing, and stopped beside Travis’ bed. “You have visitors, Mr. Bristol.” She beamed a smile down on him. “These guys have been here more than me.”
Travis tried to smile. “Hey, you get him yet?”
“Got his buddies,” said Farrell. “Chief is watching them for us.”
“Techs get anything from his place?”
Blaine shook his head.
“I saw…” Travis squinted his eyes shut and then opened them again. “Sister.”
“You saw his sister?” asked Farrell.
Travis shook his head then shut his eyes.
The nurse was watching and called it. “Okay. That’s it for now. Let him rest.”
“Thanks,” said Blaine.
They walked towards the glass doors and Blaine was still thinking. “I didn’t see a sister when I checked for family connections.”
“Better check again,” said Farrell. “Trav thinks it’s important.”
Blackmore Agency. Austin.
BEFORE settling in to some serious HGTV time with Misty and Carm, Blaine grabbed himself a Corona out of the Sub-Zero and shut himself in his office to check his emails. He figured he was hundreds behind the way he’d neglected them lately.
One from Larry Appleton was marked ‘urgent’ and he read it first.
Hey, boss, I read in the paper where you were investigating a suspicious death and I thought I better touch base. Max and Renee Endicott are clients of ours—always have been—so are half the people in Austin. This morning a strange thing happened, I received an email from Renee and maybe you should read it. It’s attached. Let me know what I should do about answering her.
Regards, Larry.
Blaine clicked on the attachment and read Renee’s note to Larry.
“Holy fuckin dentists. She’s not coming back. Where the hell is she?” Blaine grabbed his cell and called Larry.
“Hey, Larry, this is Blaine. Are you still at the office?”
“At the restaurant around the corner, McGuire’s. I stepped out for some dinner but I’m going back to finish up a real estate contract.”
“I need to dig a bit into your computer.”
“I figured you’d be interested.”
“Good call, Larry. Meet me at the office in an hour.”
Before he left to meet Larry Appleto
n, Blaine called Annie’s cell. “Hey, Mom.”
“Hi, sweetheart, how goes it?”
“Progress today, Mom. Lots of progress.”
“And you want to talk to Jesse?”
“Uh huh, but before I do, I want to know your opinion. Is he up to interrogating two guys tomorrow?”
“He’s much better after resting for a couple of days. I think he’ll be all right. I know he’ll be happy if you ask him.”
Coulter-Ross Ranch. La Grange.
JESSE sat in the great room after Charity was in bed. He and Annie were set to watch a movie when his cell rang.
“Hey, kiddo, how did today go?”
“Good, Jesse. I’m sending you jackets on the Longbow brothers. I charged them with aiding Lovell and I wondered how you felt about quizzing them tomorrow?”
“Sure, love to do it. And while I’m in the city, I want to see Travis too. Is he awake?”
“He is. We’ll go together. Annie too if she drives you.”
“What time do you want us?”
“Meet us at DPS at around nine-thirty.”
Powell and Associates. Downtown Austin.
THE OFFICE was dark, and the double front doors locked when Blaine arrived at his building. He rarely dropped by anymore. No time and not too much interest in what his law firm was doing. He had a dandy manager in place in the person of Mike Wannacott and things for the most part ran as smooth as silk.
He let himself in with his key and Larry met him halfway down the carpeted corridor. “I made a pot of coffee,” said Larry, a tall, gangly red-haired attorney who specialized in estates and real estate. Larry had always had the hots for Lily, but she wasn’t buying.
“Thanks, Larry. I hope I’m not kicking you off your computer when you need it for something important.”
“I finished up and printed a copy of the contract I’m working on, so I can manage.” Larry ushered Blaine into his office. “What do you think is really going on with Renee Endicott?”
“I think she killed her husband,” said Blaine, “pre-meditated—she borrowed her father’s gun and took it with her. But with all the evidence burned in the cabin fire, all I got was a suspicious death ruling. I pushed for more but didn’t get it from the Medical Examiner.”
“Hard to believe,” said Larry. “He wiped his nose with a tissue. He always seemed to have a cold. “I’ve known them since Max first set up his dental practice and came in to draft a will.”
“You don’t have to stick around, Larry. This is going to take me hours.”
“I’ll hang out for a few,” he said with a grin. “I’ve never seen a real live hacker at work.”
Blackmore Agency. Austin.
BLAINE didn’t get home until three and he was dead beat. He was under the mistaken impression that everyone in the house would be sleeping, but he was wrong.
Misty and the two dogs met him in the foyer and all three of them seemed wide awake. Misty pulled him into an embrace and kissed him. “I waited up for you because I had such a fantastic idea, I couldn’t wait to tell you.”
Blaine dragged himself to the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the fridge. He twisted the top and chugged half straight down. With so much on his mind, he felt his head would explode. “What kind of idea?”
Misty was smiling at him and she looked so happy.
What the hell? I can’t deal with it no matter what it is.
“I thought now that we were living together it would be the perfect time to start a family. I want to have a baby.”
Blaine couldn’t believe what he was hearing. They were miles from baby talk in their relationship. He wasn’t even sure they were good for the long term. He shook his head and blurted out the words. “Nope. Absolutely not. Can’t talk about this now.” He chugged the rest of his beer and went upstairs.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Tuesday, September 18th.
Blackmore Agency. Austin.
BLAINE woke to Lexi’s whining and realized there was no Misty in bed beside him. He’d crashed the night before as soon as his head hit the pillow and never heard a thing. Too much work and not enough sleep had given him a headache to start the day and dealing with a tearful Misty was not something he relished.
A baby was out of the question. I’m not sure of her. I think I love her, but do I love her enough to spend a lifetime being a caretaker?
“I’m getting up, Lex. Hold on for a couple of minutes.” He groaned, threw back the covers and a bolt of pain shot up into his shoulder from the knife wound in his arm. He carefully pulled off the tape stuck to the tender skin on his upper arm, then lifted the gauze pad that should have been changed before he sacked out.
Green pus oozed out of a couple of cracks and the whole fuckin mess was tomato red. “Jesus, Lexi, it’s infected.” He sat on the side of the bed and hollered, “Carm, mi Corazon, come and help me.”
Farrell, in his boxers, came running from the room next door, his straw-colored hair sticking out in six directions. “What the fuck is up?”
Blaine pointed.
Farrell screwed up his face and looked like he might gag. “Jesus in a handcart. Get dressed. You’ve got to go to the hospital and get that looked at.”
Carm rushed in, her olive complexion showing pink. She fired off a ream of questions in Spanish and Blaine just pointed. Carm squealed and ran into the ensuite. She came back with three cloths rinsed in warm water and cleaned up the mess. “You have to see the doctor,” she said in Spanish.
Blaine nodded, then said to Farrell, “Call Mom and tell her to bring Jesse here. The two of you can go to headquarters and start interrogating the Longbow brothers and Mom can take me to the clinic.”
“Yep.” Farrell turned and left.
After a quick shower, Blaine dressed and headed downstairs for coffee and a bite of breakfast. With so much pain from his infected arm clogging his brain he hadn’t realized that Misty was missing—not only from his bed, but from the house. Hoodoo was gone too.
He blew out a breath, sat down at the table and drank half his coffee before going someplace he had no time to go—into the Mystic. “Carm, where’s Misty?”
“Se fue a casa.”
Blaine thumped the table with his fist. “Jesus Christ, could I have one day where women wouldn’t fuck me crazy?”
Carm giggled as she plopped a plate of bacon and eggs in front of him. “No se.” She leaned down and kissed his neck and made him smile. “Comer.”
Ranger Headquarters. Austin.
JESSE and Farrell had a coffee and a short chat with Chief Calhoun before starting the interviews and the Chief was quick to stress the importance of getting something from the Longbow brothers they could use to find Lovell. Calhoun’s foul mood was the result of pressure coming down on him from higher up the food chain. He made no secret of hating the squeeze being put on him.
With a scowl on his face he escorted them down the corridor and pointed. “Mike Longbow is in room two, and the brother, Damien, is in four.”
“Thanks, Chief,” said Jesse. “I’ll take Mike.”
Jesse walked into the room, his demeanor relaxed and friendly. He faced Mike Longbow with a smile on his face as he set his note pad down and placed the recorder on the corner of the table. He sat down and took a pen out of his shirt pocket. “Morning, Mr. Longbow. How was your overnight stay?”
“Not bad,” Longbow mumbled. He was dressed in orange, unshaven and his long dark hair tangled around his face. “Don’t even remember how I got here.”
Jesse tapped the report with the end of his pen. “Says right here in front of me, you and your brother were arrested for aiding and abetting a fugitive. You know, Mr. Longbow, it would help your case a lot if you told me where Benson Lovell was. He’s been charged with four counts of murder, and you don’t want to end up on death row in Huntsville for helping your buddy, do you?”
“I never killed anybody.”
Jesse nodded. “Exactly. So why should you get the death penalty? That’
s the question I’m asking.”
“I know cop bullshit when I hear it, Ranger… I forget your name.”
“Quantrall.”
“Yeah, Quantrall… I won’t end up in Huntsville for helping a buddy. No way you can convince me of that crap.”
“Ten years in Travis County suit you better?”
“Hey, I owed Ben for a couple of things and I let him sleep at my trailer. So what? I never knew why he couldn’t stay in his apartment. He never told me.”
“Besides murdering the girls, Mr. Lovell tried to kill one of my men,” said Jesse. “That’s something that don’t sit well with me.”
“He shot a cop?”
He sounds surprised.
“Can you get me one of those free lawyers?” asked Longbow. “I need to ask him some questions.”
“Sure thing, Mike. Wise move on your part. I think you need an attorney badly.”
Saint David’s Emergency Clinic. Austin.
BLAINE and Annie sat for half an hour before it was Blaine’s turn to have his arm examined. They’d caught up on everything including Misty’s baby idea, that he’d so bluntly rejected. Annie had agreed neither one of them was ready for a big step like parenthood and Blaine had felt a little less guilty. Slightly less.
The nurse called Blaine’s name and he went into the examination room alone. Before he had time to make a call or check his emails, the doctor came in and shut the door behind him. “Mr. Blackmore, is it time to check the wound?”
Blaine shook his head. “Nope, but the pain is killing me and judging by the mess of it, I have to guess I have infection.”
“Let’s see if your diagnosis is correct.” He removed the clean bandage that Carm had put on an hour before and nodded his head. “You might be one hundred percent right. “It looks infected, and mighty sore all around the stitches.”
“Hurts like hell,” Blaine mumbled.
“I bet.” “I’ll change the antiseptic cream to something stronger and bump up your antibiotic. You’ll have to take the one I’m prescribing with food, or you’ll have a problem with your stomach.”
