A Texas Child

by Linda Warren

  “Oh, Myra.” Jessie placed her hands over her mouth. “You didn’t sign it, did you?”

  “No.” It came out as a moan. She rested her head on the sofa and covered her face with her hands. “The D.A. hadn’t signed it and I didn’t know what my position was supposed to be. Can you believe that? I was afraid of losing my job and, in the end, I lost something much more important. When Levi saw my name wasn’t on the petition, he came to my office and said, ‘You didn’t sign it,’ and I had to say no. He walked out without another word. His things were gone from my apartment that afternoon and I never spoke to him again...until today.”

  “My—”

  “Wait, that’s not quite true. I met him in the hall a couple of times and told him how sorry I was. He walked away without a word.” She drew a long breath. “Now you can tell me what a horrible self-centered bitch I am.”

  “I will do no such thing.” Jessie scooted closer and hugged her. “I’m sorry, sweetie, but no one is perfect and—”

  Myra sprang to her feet. “Don’t do that, Jessie.”

  “What?”

  “Be understanding and nice. I need you to be angry with me.”

  Jessie shrugged. “Sorry. Not gonna happen.”

  Myra paced. “When he walked into my office looking so hurt and disillusioned, I knew I’d screwed up so bad I could never make it right. I don’t understand why I let him down so badly. I’ve never been afraid to speak up for what I believe in, and that day, it seemed like another person had taken over my body and my thoughts.”

  “It was your first big job and you had to go through several interviews before they hired you. Since you’re a Mexican-American woman, you were afraid they wouldn’t hire you. Which was totally ridiculous, I have to say. But they did and you worked hard to prove yourself, learning all you could to be part of the team. You were very young and that job was important to you.”

  “But it shouldn’t have been as important as Levi.”

  “Maybe. But, in my opinion, you were trying to follow the rules for your department and you weren’t sure what those were concerning a signed petition to support a cop whom you were dating. Why would you need to sign it?”

  “What?”

  “What weight would your signature carry? After all, your support should be understood and they shouldn’t have asked you to sign in the first place. So, please, stop beating yourself up. If Levi was the man for you, you’d be together. Just let it go, My. And now how about some chocolate? I got chocolate. That cures everything.”

  Myra smiled. “I knew I needed to see you. You always make me feel better.” Arm in arm, they walked into the kitchen. They sat at the large island eating Truman Chocolates and Myra felt as if the world had been lifted off her shoulders.

  Almost. There was something Myra had left out, but she just might keep that secret forever. No need to bare her soul. In her heart, she knew Jessie would understand, as always.

  “Where’s Merry?” Merry was a dog Jessie had rescued. Someone had brutally abused her, stabbing her and cutting off her ears and tail. But Jessie had nursed her back to health, and she was usually under Jessie’s feet, along with two little boys.

  “She’s under our bed, probably asleep by now. She’s getting older and the kids sometimes tire her out.”

  Jessie had a loving heart and a goodness that went all the way to her soul. Myra could only hope that through the years a little bit of that goodness had rubbed off on her.

  * * *

  LEVI TOOK TIME to cool off before he went to the house. Pop could zero in on his moods like a rifle aimed at a target. Sometimes he hit the bull’s-eye, and other times he veered so far off it wasn’t worth the effort to endure the questions that would be fired at him.

  Pop followed him into the house. “What did that fancy lady want?”

  “She wanted to hire me.” Levi washed his hands at the kitchen sink and dried them with a paper towel.

  “I knew it.” Pop slid into a chair at the kitchen table. “She wants you to find out if her husband is cheating?”

  “What?” Levi threw the paper towel in the trash can. “No. I don’t even know if she’s married.” And it didn’t matter if she was. Myra meant nothing to him. But it might take a while to get her out of his head again.

  “What did she want you to do, then?”

  “Find a missing child.”

  “I guess you’re packing. I did laundry this morning and your tighty-whities and socks are in your drawer.”

  “I’m not taking the case.” He leaned against the cabinet.

  “Why not? You just finished a case and you’re always eager to help find a child.”

  “I’m busy.” He walked into the dining room and sat down at his laptop.

  Pop immediately followed. “That’s a truckload of bullshit. What’s wrong with you?”

  Hurt feelings. Hurt pride. Hurt until he didn’t want to feel it anymore. But, of course, Levi didn’t say that to his grandfather.

  “Nothing. Some cases I take. Some I don’t. It’s my choice.”

  “Mmm-hmm.” Pop pulled out a chair and sat facing him. “Do you know how old you were when I could tell you were hiding something?”

  Levi didn’t reply, just kept checking his in-box.

  “You were about seven, I think. I was called to the school about you, Ethan and Carson fighting with the Wilcott boys. Your dad was at a cattle auction and your mom worked in Austin, so I had to go. I asked you who started the fight and you stonewalled. You know what that is?”

  “Pop, I’m not seven years old anymore, and if I don’t want to talk about it, I’m not. And yes, I know what stonewalling is.” He clamped his jaw tight and stared at his grandfather.

  “Yep, that’s it. When you do that, I know you’re hiding something.”

  Levi leaned back in his chair. “Pop, don’t you have something to do? Check on your cows? Or visit Walt?”

  “Aw, I’m not going over to Walt’s no more. He’s keeping the baby and you can’t make any noise. Hell, I’m old. I make noise. What’s Ethan and Abby thinking, letting Walt keep that baby?”

  Levi, Ethan and Carson had grown up like brothers in the small town. Walt, Ethan’s dad, and Pop were best friends but sometimes it was hard to tell that by talking to them. Carson’s dad had passed away last year, but not before wreaking havoc with Carson’s life. Through it all, Carson had managed to find happiness with Jena. Both his friends were married with families. He was the lone bachelor.

  “Do you know Abby milks herself?”

  “What?” That grabbed Levi’s attention.

  “Yeah. Walt has it in his refrigerator. I almost drank it. He said Abby leaves it for the baby. Beats me why she’d want to do that. I don’t understand young women.”

  “It’s called a breast pump, Pop, and women have been using it for years. One of these days, you’re going to have to start living in the twenty-first century.”

  “Like hell. I’m not using that cell phone you got me, either. If I want to talk to someone, I’ll use the phone in the house.”

  “I bet Walt uses his.”

  “Hell, yeah. Abby calls ten times a day to check on the baby and so does Ethan. If the baby farts, they want to know about it.”

  Levi wanted to laugh and he wasn’t in a laughing mood. “Did you take your blood pressure pill this morning? You’re grouchier than usual.”

  “You’re changing the subject.”

  “Well, you’re rambling. I don’t know what the subject is anymore.”

  His grandfather nailed him with one of those I-know-you-boy looks. “Who’s the fancy lady?”

  “Someone I knew a long time ago.” He didn’t bother to stonewall or lie.

  “Thought so. Someone took her child?”

  “No.” He gave hi
m a short version of the story Myra had told him because he knew Pop would keep jabbing until he drew blood.

  “That bastard beat his girlfriend into a coma and took her baby? And it’s Stuart Stevens’s daughter?”

  “That’s about it.”

  Pop tapped the table with his arthritic knuckles. “You can be packed and on the road in ten minutes.”

  “I told you I’m not taking the case.”

  “Why not? It’s Stu’s grandson and his life is in danger.”

  “I’m not the only P.I. around.”

  “You’re the only one who can find him in less than twenty-four hours and it looks like that little boy doesn’t have much time.”

  “Pop...”

  “Wait a minute. How do you know this woman?”

  Levi tried hard not to grit his teeth. “I met her when I was a cop.”

  “Is she the woman you were holed up with for about six months?”

  “We weren’t holed up. I moved into her apartment.”

  “Same thing. It was like you were in heat or something. You couldn’t come home. You had to be with her and then all of a sudden it just fizzled out.”

  “Yep.” He wasn’t talking about this with his grandfather.

  “So what happened to all that heat?”

  “Like you said, it fizzled out.”

  “Mmm. So what’s the problem?”

  “I’m not getting involved with her again.”

  Pop scratched his gray head. “Some of my brain cells nap, some of them have just plain dried up, but the ones that are working are confused as hell. The woman is just asking you to take the case. I don’t see a problem. Oh, is this about Valerie? You sure as hell don’t want to mess that up. She’s making pork chops, mashed potatoes and gravy tonight. I’m not eating all day.”

  Levi closed his computer and got to his feet. While Pop was on another subject, he decided to make his escape. “I’m going into the office.”

  Pop frowned so deep his forehead looked like road ruts. “Wait a minute. We’re not through talking.”

  “I am.”

  Pop pointed a gnarled finger at him. “If something happens to that boy, you’ll never forgive yourself. I know you just as well as I know myself. You’re a P.I. It’s a job. Valerie will understand because she loves you, and if she don’t trust you, well, then, son, you ain’t got a thing.” Pop pushed to his feet. “Now I’m gonna go drive my tractor and push some dirt around just for the hell of it, and if I feel like it, I might plant some winter coastal for my pain-in-the-ass cows.”

  It’s not about Valerie. But explaining that to Pop would take more patience than he had right now.

  Levi took a quick shower, pushing Myra to the back of his mind. She wouldn’t stay there, though. Yanking on jeans, he tried to figure out what he was so angry about. She had some gall coming out here and destroying his peace. Grabbing a shirt out of the closet, he paused.

  He was overreacting.

  This wasn’t about Valerie. This wasn’t about Myra. It was about him and his damn pride. Myra had taken a strip of it and crushed his heart. It wasn’t easy to trust again and let a woman back into his life. He loved Valerie and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, so his anger was out of place.

  Slipping his arms into a white shirt, he thought about his parents. They’d had a crappy marriage. His father had been a cowboy rancher and his mom was a city girl. They’d fought all the time. It had come to an end when his father was killed in a car/truck accident when Levi was nine. His mom had moved them from the ranch to Austin. Levi hated the city and had begged to live with his grandfather. That hadn’t happened until his mom met someone else, a short six months later. They’d moved to Virginia and Levi refused to go, so his mother relented and allowed him to stay with his grandfather. After that, Levi had minimal contact with his mom and his sister. They visited every now and then, but they felt like strangers.

  He was well aware he had a trust issue with women. He blew out a breath and admitted that maybe a part of him was never going to get over Myra. That was a long way from doing her a favor, though.

  But what about Stu?

  Opening his sock drawer, he pulled out a pair. Unable to stop himself, he reached into the back corner where he had a single sock stored. He sat on the bed with it in his hand and dumped out the object that was inside—a ring box. Flipping open the top, he stared at the solitary diamond he’d planned to give Myra that weekend long ago.

  He wasn’t sure why he’d kept the ring. Maybe as a reminder of the pain she’d caused him. Putting it back in the drawer, the anger left him. He’d learned from his affair with Myra. No one was perfect. Certainly not him. He didn’t hate Myra. He’d hated what she’d done to his pride. It was a man thing. But he was tough and she’d made him tougher. It reinforced his decision not to get involved with her again—even if it was business.

  As he headed for his truck, he couldn’t help but think of what Pop had said. Could he live with himself if something happened to that little boy?

  CHAPTER THREE

  MYRA DROVE TO the Westwood Nursing Facility to visit with Stu and to let him know Levi wasn’t taking the case. On the way, she called Mick Travers, another P.I., and left a message on his cell. She’d worked with him before and she knew he’d call her back.

  Stu was lucky to have good health insurance that included extended care. He’d lived in a condo, but was so weak from the cancer treatments, Natalie had talked him into moving here, where he had constant care. The place was very nice and it brought Natalie peace of mind.

  Stu and Myra went way back. Fresh out of law school, Myra had been searching for a job for weeks and had an interview with the D.A. of Travis County in Austin. She’d been sitting in the secretary’s office when Stu walked in. She had no idea he was the assistant chief of police. He was dressed in ordinary street clothes. They struck up a conversation and she told him she had little hope of getting the job but she was a damn good attorney. He told her she had guts and that would see her through and he wished her luck.

  After the interview, she was called back. The D.A. told her Stu Stevens had put in a recommendation for her and the job was hers. She was stunned, having no idea who Stu Stevens was. But it didn’t take long to find out. Ever since then, they’d had a connection.

  When he was offered the chief of police job in Houston, Stu moved on and she soon followed. He was the reason she had a job in the D.A.’s office in Houston. The relationship seemed to go on, too. She found him to be one of those trustworthy men she could count on...like Levi.

  Stu had been one of the officers to start the petition to support Levi when he’d disobeyed the direct order. So she and Levi owed Stu a lot and she didn’t understand Levi not helping the man who’d always been there for him. This wasn’t about her and Levi. Couldn’t he see that?

  She stopped at the nurses’ desk. “How’s Stu?”

  “Sad.” Barbara, an R.N., shook her head. “We just called his daughter and the nurse held the phone to Natalie’s ear so she could hear her father’s voice. But she’s still in a coma. I hope you have some good news for him.”

  Myra’s heart sank. Too much heartache and there was nothing she could do about it, except curse Levi under her breath. That didn’t help, either, though.

  “Not really, but the police are still trying to find the baby,” she replied, and walked off down the hall. At Stu’s room, she knocked on the door.

  At a faint “come in,” she went inside. Stu had a private room and sat in his recliner with oxygen tubing in his nose. He was painfully thin. His dull, tired eyes lit up when he saw Myra.

  “Is Levi coming?”

  “No. I’m sorry, Stu. He’s not taking the case. You should have called him. Seeing me only made him more bullheaded to never work with me again.”

/>   “That surprises me.”

  At the thoughtful light in his eyes, she asked, “Why did you want me to see him in person? A phone call from you would have been more effective.”

  “Because, to get my grandson back, I need both of you on my team. I thought the two of you would have grown up enough to let the past go.”

  “If I didn’t love you so much, I’d really be pissed.”

  A slight smile touched his face. “I’ve always liked your spirit. Don’t worry, kid, Levi will come around.” “Kid” was his nickname for her and she found it hard to stay mad at him.

  “Just in case your instincts are off, I called another P.I. and I’ll have him on it just as soon as he calls me back. The cops are still searching, too. I’m doing everything I can.”

  “I know. You’ve been a good friend to Natalie and to me, but as each hour passes we’re losing time.”

  Myra didn’t know what to say. Nothing was going to comfort Stu until Natalie woke up. Until Daniel was back with his mother.

  “The nurse said you spoke to Natalie.”

  “I couldn’t visit yesterday because I was so sick from the chemo. I had to do something. I was hoping my voice would trigger something and she would wake up.”

  Myra chewed on the inside of her lip, wanting to give him some hope. “Would you like to see Natalie today? I’ll arrange it. Maybe in person your voice will be more effective.”

  “Let’s do it.” His voice sounded stronger.

  “Well, then, I’ll talk to the nurse and let you know what the other P.I. says.”

  “Thanks, kid.”

  “I’m making this my top priority.”

  It took Myra ten minutes to set everything up. The home had a wheelchair-accessible van and it was available for the afternoon. She drove over to the hospital to be there when Stu arrived in case he needed someone.

  On the way, she got a call from the FBI agent and made an appointment to meet him in two hours in her office. Things were starting to happen now and Myra hoped Daniel could be found soon.