Severed Trust: The Men of the Texas Rangers | Book 4

by Margaret Daley

Considering what Lexie had held back, Ethan was in control, restrained. He used to be a hothead, taking on the world when he felt he needed to. She’d really liked Ethan back then. Sadie liked this version even more.

  Lexie placed a call to her mother and walked toward the foyer while talking to Beth. Ethan started to follow his niece.

  Sadie stopped him by moving into his path. “Give her some alone time to tell her mother what’s going on.”

  “Why didn’t she come to me about this?”

  The anger he’d held in check poured out in that question. Only a couple of feet from him, Sadie saw the tic in his jaw line and the tenseness in his neck as though he were clenching his teeth. But she also glimpsed the hurt in his eyes before he masked it.

  “Lexie is a kid. They don’t always make the best decisions.” She smiled, a fleeting one. “Neither do adults. Giving her word not to tell meant something to Lexie, and she didn’t want Kelly to start taking drugs—even the prescription kind.”

  “Prescription kinds kill just as easily as illegal ones, if not taken the way they’re intended. People can become addicted to prescription ones as well. She should have trusted me enough to come to me.”

  “She planned to, but first she wanted to talk to someone about it. I think she just needed me to give her the courage to face you after she’d lied. I was her softball coach last year, and we became close. I was thrilled when I got her as a student this year, and she hasn’t disappointed me.”

  “What changed her mind about saying something?”

  “As I mentioned earlier, Kelly’s behavior today at the Montgomerys, but also your talk with her on the way home from there. She hated lying to you. She couldn’t study tonight. She couldn’t do anything but think about how disappointed you would be in her if you knew she kept something from you. She doesn’t want to be a snitch, but she saw how important the truth was, especially with what happened to Jared. But she kept stressing to me Kelly couldn’t have killed him. She can’t see anyone doing it. She still thinks it must be some kind of accident, in spite of what you have said.”

  “I may go gentle on her, but my sister will go ballistic.”

  “She realizes that. Will you let me know what happens?”

  His gaze connected with hers, and he stepped closer. “Yes, and thank you for calling me. This party may be the key to what happened to Jared.”

  His look roped her to him, and she couldn’t move. “I’m concerned about what’s happening to some of my students. If this trend keeps up, more of them are going to die. Are they getting their prescription drugs from their parents’ medicine cabinets?”

  “Some, but there are also people out there who sell them. All we can do is educate parents and students about what’s going on. Parents need to dispose of prescriptions they’re no longer taking and to keep track of the ones they still are.”

  “Where are these prescription drugs coming from?”

  “There are various sources. People who aren’t taking their prescriptions, but selling them. People who have access to these drugs siphon them off to sell. Where there is money to be made, they find a way, and then something like what happened to Jared occurs. What if Jared left to get more drugs and something went wrong? He was killed instead. If he’d been taking drugs, he probably wasn’t in any condition to defend himself. Or the type he took made him go off on the wrong person. No telling what drugs were taken. I doubt any of the kids knew.”

  Sadie never wanted to let her children leave her house again. How could she protect them from something like what had occurred Saturday night? She’d start with educating herself and have a long talk with Cynthia at school.

  “What I’m really concerned about is if there’s an organized network forming in Summerton to supply these drugs to people—adults and children.”

  “Children, as in my twins?”

  “Yes. I’ve seen it in middle school, too.”

  Her fear multiplied. She felt as though she were at the top of a roller coaster and it suddenly plunged down a hundred feet in a couple of seconds—leaving her stomach at the top. “What can I do as a parent, teacher?”

  “Be aware of what’s going on around you. If there has been one pill party, there have been others. As I said, keep count of any medication you have.”

  “Uncle Ethan, Mom wants to talk to you,” Lexie shouted from the foyer.

  “I’d better go. It’s a school night, and I need to find this warehouse.”

  Sadie paused in the kitchen to give him some time to talk to Beth. It was a family issue. Goodness, she had enough going on in her own life that she didn’t want zipping around the gossip grapevine. Seeing Ethan again only made her realize what a mess everything was with Harris back in town. Ashley had informed her this morning she wanted to meet her father while Steven had told his sister she was crazy. That had triggered an argument between the two that was still unsettled tonight.

  When she entered the foyer, Ethan, with a frown on his face, said good-bye to his sister and put his cell phone away.

  “She’s gonna ground me for the rest of the month,” Lexie muttered.

  “I’m surprised it’s not the rest of the year. She was mad. Ready to go?” Ethan glanced over his shoulder at Sadie. “Thanks. I’ll call you later.”

  After she closed the door on the pair, Sadie looked around her house. Pulling her life together after Harris walked out on her with two three-month-old babies had been rough, but she’d made it on her own with no help. The Lord and her hard work got her here, and it would get her through this latest crisis with her ex-husband.

  With a sigh, she made her way toward the living room. Her cell rang. Ethan. She answered it, a smile coming from deep inside her. “Did you forget something?”

  “No, but I wanted to tell you I saw Harris getting out of a car at your house as I rounded the corner. Do you want me to come back?”

  The thought that Ethan would do that for her in the middle of tracking down the scene of the party where Jared had probably gotten the drugs infused her with a warmth she hadn’t experienced in a long time. “No, but thanks for offering.” The doorbell chimed. “He’s here. Gotta go.”

  Sadie hated disconnecting with Ethan, but it couldn’t be helped. She strode to the door. With a deep, fortifying breath she opened it. Harris stood there with his arms crossed, a smug look on his face.

  Sadie penned him with a penetrating glare. “You aren’t welcome here. Don’t come by, especially unannounced.”

  “You might not welcome me, but my daughter called and asked me to come. She wanted to meet me.”

  Blindfolded, Kelly stood between two males who gripped her arms. Her heart pounded erratically, skipping a beat, then racing. Her mind, still fuzzy from whatever Carrie had given her earlier, couldn’t focus on anything but the feeling of being trapped and a group surrounding her. She heard them whispering, making small noises. Someone giggled. Another snorted.

  So scared. What are they gonna do?

  All energy in her legs gave way, and she sank toward the floor. Halfway down, the two people who held her jerked her back up on her feet. Only by their strength did she remain upright. Her body quaked, her lungs burned from trying to breathe. She did manage to inhale short gasps every once in a while. Sweat coated her face and shirt, dripping off her.

  A door opened and footsteps approached.

  “We’ve been waiting for you,” Brendan said in a gruff voice that only added to her fear.

  Someone from behind her yanked off her blindfold, and she blinked at the light shining in her eyes. She stood in what looked like a cabin. She couldn’t tell for sure. The brightness nearly blinded her.

  Luke Adams moved in front of Kelly, blocking the light. “Sorry I’m late. Dad got a call from the police. They have a warrant to search the warehouse on Sixth Street where our last party was.” He glared at Kelly. “The Texas Ranger came by earlier to talk with me when I wasn’t there. Now I have to go down to the station tomorrow at eight. Dad wants me home
immediately.”

  Suddenly Luke stepped even closer and thrust his face into hers. Rat-a-tat. Rat-a-tat. Faster and faster the staccato of her heartbeat thundered through her dazed mind. Was one of them a murderer? That question froze Kelly in place even though her mind yelled to run.

  “Are you the reason the Texas Ranger wants to see me? Did you snitch? That’s unacceptable once you’re part of this group. You’ve broken the cardinal rule.”

  Bursts of his breath, with drops of spit, splattered her face. All she could focus on was the anger in his eyes. The trembling in her body increased. “I didn’t tell him anything. I swear I didn’t.”

  One of the teens behind her scooted a hardback chair up against her knees. Brendan and Kalvin forced her to sit.

  Then Brendan, along with the other two boys, hovered around her and said, “It could only be one of us who was there. And no one else has. That leaves you.”

  Three girls—Missy, Carrie, and Zoe—crowded in around the chair, too. As the others taunted and shouted at her, anger blasted her from all sides. Fear as she’d never experienced deluged her. She needed to think, to find a way out of this. Why can’t I?

  Did one of them kill Jared?

  “I didn’t say anything to anyone but . . .” She snapped her mouth closed.

  Brendan’s large, rough hands squeezed her face as he filled her vision. “But who? Who did you tell?”

  “Lexie,” she spat out. “You all left me at the warehouse. She came and picked me up. I didn’t know about Jared then, I swear.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us that?” Carrie moved in front of the guys. “We’re your friends now. We’ll take care of you. Lexie isn’t one of us. You are.”

  As Carrie spoke, in a soft voice that chilled Kelly more than a loud one, Brendan, Luke, and Kalvin backed away. Carrie and Missy dominated Kelly’s view, everyone else fading into the background. Her muscles ached from holding them so taut.

  Zoe joined the other two girls, a smile on her face. “We didn’t mean to scare you. We wanted you to tell us the truth. Don’t you feel better now?”

  Mouth dry, Kelly nodded.

  “We thought we would celebrate Jared’s life. Pay tribute to him. He wouldn’t want us to be sad, but happy,” Missy said, helping Kelly to her feet.

  “I wish I could stay. Gotta go. Celebrate for me, too.” Luke gave Missy a quick kiss then left the cabin.

  Now that Kelly wasn’t so scared, she tried to relax but couldn’t. Adrenaline pumped through her body. She wanted to ask about what had happened after she’d passed out, but she wouldn’t. If she acted like she knew nothing, which was true, they might leave her alone.

  “You did good. Remember when you want to talk, come to us. Lexie betrayed you today, and we have a way for you to get back at her.” Missy guided Kelly to the couch at the other end of the cabin.

  Yeah, why did Lexie do that? She promised me. Anger began to replace her fear. Anger at Lexie. Anger at Jared for dying.

  Sadie faced her ex-husband, blocking him from coming into her house. “No, you don’t get to decide when you can come over to see my children. You lost that when you walked away from your children.”

  “Mom, I called him and asked him to come over. I want to hear what he wants to say.”

  Sadie glanced over her shoulder, her body still perched in the doorway as if that would stop Harris from coming inside. Ashley stood on the staircase, gripping the banister, her expression neutral.

  “I’m thirteen and want to know about my father. I think I have a right to, especially since you didn’t tell us much of anything.”

  “Then I’ll tell you and Steven without him here.” Sadie turned toward Ashley, whose gaze had locked onto her dad.

  “No, I want to hear from my father.”

  Harris leaned toward Sadie and whispered, “What are you afraid of? That she’ll love me more than you? If your bond is strong, then you have nothing to fear.”

  Sadie stiffened and moved away from Harris. Her few steps into the house allowed him to enter.

  Harris cocked a grin. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. I’ll take you to court if I have to.”

  “Mom, please. You can stay.”

  Sadie looked from Harris’s smug expression to Ashley’s pleading one. “Fine. This is a school night, so this will be a brief meeting.” She fixed her gaze on Harris, challenging him to protest.

  His smile grew. “That’s all I ask. It’s a start.”

  “Let’s go into the living room then.” Sadie waited until Ashley and Harris made their move before closing the front door. Lord, what do I do? I can’t let him in my daughter’s life. He uses people. He’ll chew her up and spit her out—just like he did me.

  Ashley sat on the couch while Harris took a chair across from his daughter. Surprised he didn’t take the seat next to Ashley, Sadie did.

  She checked her watch. “It’s eight, so no more than fifteen or twenty minutes.”

  Her daughter pulled out a sheet of paper from her pocket. “Why did you come back to Summerton?” Ashley asked in a matter-of-fact voice.

  “I was offered a job with Mr. Livingston. I did some work for him in Dallas. He liked it. When I heard you all were here, I decided it was a sign to come back.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’ve regretted not being involved in your life. When I left, I was just a kid who didn’t know what he wanted. Frankly, I was immature and searching for thrills and fun. I’ve grown up since then.”

  It took a great effort for Sadie to keep her mouth from dropping open. The Harris she’d known would never have admitted that. For a second, she wondered if maybe he had changed, but quickly shut down that train of thought. Not possible. Her teeth clamped together to keep from laughing at his remark.

  Ashley looked at her sheet. “Why haven’t you contacted us before this?”

  “Because your mother and I didn’t end on a good note. I didn’t do right by her, and I felt guilty. I shouldn’t have let that affect my decision to stay away, but I did. You and your brother are old enough now to make up your own minds.”

  No. No, you can’t come in here and be reasonable. Tomorrow after work, she would go see Colleen Stover. She needed advice from a lawyer.

  “How do you want to be a part of my life?” her daughter asked another well thought out question, which made Sadie realize she was serious about getting to know her father.

  “I’d like to spend time with you. Do things with you. For us to get to know each other. I have thirteen years to make up in child support,” Harris threw Sadie a look full of appeal, “and being here for all of you.”

  Glancing at her watch, Sadie bolted to her feet. “It’s time for Ashley to finish her homework. Remember school is tomorrow.”

  Ashley rose. “I have just one more question. When can you come back?”

  Harris pinned his attention on her. “Sadie, when?”

  She couldn’t think of anything to say but, “I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it. I’ll call you.”

  “Mom?”

  “Really. A lot has happened lately, with one of my students dying. I attended his funeral today.” She leveled a searing gaze at Harris, daring him to make her look bad in Ashley’s eyes.

  He bowed his head. “I look forward to hearing from you.” His charming smile that melted Sadie’s heart in the past, graced his mouth when he turned to Ashley. “Thanks for calling.” Sadie followed him and Ashley to the front door. He laid his hand on her daughter’s shoulder and told her goodnight.

  After her father left, Ashley rotated toward Sadie. “Thanks, Mom. Everyone deserves a second chance.”

  As her daughter ran up the stairs, beaming with a smile, Sadie wilted into the nearest chair, burying her face in her hands to keep her scream inside. Harris doesn’t deserve a second chance.

  Massaging her fingertips into her forehead, she pulled herself together. She needed to talk with Steven. As she stood, she glimpsed an envelope on the table in
the foyer. She snatched it up and opened it. Inside was a check from Harris for a thousand dollars marked for child support.

  After processing the scene at the warehouse, Ethan stood with Cord by the back door where Lexie had said she’d come into the abandoned building. He’d taken his niece home to an angry Beth after the teenager had described what she had seen. None of the debris was evident. Clean—too clean for an unused warehouse.

  Ethan folded his arms across his chest, trying to picture the pill party. “I’m not surprised it’s been cleared of any evidence. So all we have is Lexie’s statement about what she saw Sunday morning after the fact.”

  Cord removed his toothpick from his mouth. “We need to talk to Kelly again. I think we can break her.”

  “I agree. Let’s pick her up first thing tomorrow morning before school. Take her to the station. Interview her first, then Luke. His father owns this warehouse. Maybe he’ll put some pressure on Luke to tell the truth.”

  “We can only hope, but we don’t have much physical evidence to go on. Jared’s dad wants to know exactly what happened to his son. He’s offered a reward for any information that leads to the killer.”

  “Let’s keep this scene sealed. I want to come back in the daylight and have another look around. Another perspective might help. Also, have your officers search the dumpsters in the area.”

  Cord started for the door. “It’s been a long day, and it doesn’t look like tomorrow will be any better. I’m bushed.”

  Ethan left the warehouse and decided to swing by Sadie’s house and make sure Harris’s car was gone. He was going to ask around about the man. He didn’t like how he had strolled back into Sadie’s life, using the children against her.

  He turned onto her street. Good. The car was gone. As he drove by her house, he glanced at the dashboard clock. Almost ten and he needed to go home and hit the sack. He slowed his SUV. The lights were on downstairs. Before he realized it, he parked in her driveway and headed for her porch.

  “How did it go with Harris?” he asked when she opened the front door.

  “Not good, but I appreciated the heads up. I should be getting ready for bed, but I can’t sleep. All I can think about is his conversation with Ashley. She invited him here to talk to her.”