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

by Margaret Daley

  “How did she get his number?”

  “I asked her that a little while ago. Information. My resourceful daughter.” She attempted a smile that didn’t stay on her face.

  “Do you want to talk about it? I can’t sleep either. The warehouse was empty. Nothing to even indicate there had been a party.”

  “You believe Lexie, don’t you?”

  “Yes, the place was spotless. The people who cleaned up should have thrown around some dirt and dust. Added a few cobwebs.”

  She stepped to the side. “Come in. I was heading to the kitchen to get some hot chamomile tea. My mother says it works to help you sleep. I hope she’s right.”

  “How are your parents getting along?”

  “Mom is fine. My dad—I don’t know.”

  “So he’s still not talking to you?”

  “I’ve never met a man so stubborn. I have to admit the men in my life haven’t been too supportive, except for Cord.” Sadie put a kettle of water on the stove. “I can fix you a cup, too.”

  “Think I’ll pass just in case your mother is right and it works. I have to drive home. I wouldn’t want to fall asleep on the way.”

  She laughed. “We can’t have that happening. Too much is going on in town. I know Cord appreciates your help.”

  Ethan removed his cowboy hat and set it on the counter, then plowed a hand through his hair. “I haven’t been back long, but there’s a definite feel that’s different. We did some stupid things growing up, but pill parties are over the top on any list. When I talked with Bradley, he was clueless Jared was taking prescription drugs. I get the same thing from Mary Lou.”

  “Kelly’s mom has her own problems. I doubt she spends much time thinking about her daughter. Sad. As a parent of two kids coming into their teenage years, I’m concerned. You think you’re doing the right thing and something happens to shoot that out of the water. Rock your world.”

  “Like Harris coming back?”

  “Partly, but if good kids like Jared are taking drugs, it makes you wonder about everyone, even my own. I know you have to keep the communication between you and your kids open, and I thought I was until Harris showed up. I never imagined Ashley would go behind my back and contact him. Actually, if I had to choose which of my children would want to know their dad, it would have been Steven.” The kettle whistled, and Sadie poured the hot water into a mug and dunked her tea bag into it.

  “Why Steven and not Ashley?” Ethan lounged against the counter across from Sadie. The tired lines about her eyes tugged at him. The worry in her gaze drew him to her. He could remember once when he was eighteen having to rescue her from a rattlesnake, then consoling her. She’d cried against him until he’d thought she had nothing left inside her. Her tears had shaken him, and all he could do was hold her until she’d calmed down.

  Sadie cupped her mug between her hands and took a sip. “I’ve worried about Steven not having a male figure in his life. I came back to Summerton for several reasons. One being that my son needed a good male influence in his life. Cord has been great and even my dad. He may not have anything to do with me, but he is establishing a relationship with my children.”

  “A lot has happened to us in the eighteen years since we last saw each other.”

  “Yeah, I got married, had two children, and became a teacher.”

  “I remember when you used to play teacher as a little girl. It was kind of cute seeing you try to get your dolls to do their schoolwork.”

  A flush infused her cheeks. She studied the contents of her mug, releasing a long sigh. “Ah, the good ole days with no worries. It wasn’t easy going to college with two small children, but I love teaching.”

  “What’s your opinion about certain students that go to Summerton High School?”

  “Who?”

  “Jared Montgomery. He was considered one of those good kids with a bright future. From your earlier comment you’re surprised he’d taken so many different drugs.”

  “Yes, I guess I am. He had everything going for him. He was part of the popular group at school. On the football team, charming, actually a nice kid, but teenagers take risks. They don’t think the rules apply to them. I didn’t growing up. I’m still paying for the stupid choice I made eloping with Harris Blackburn.” Her full lips tinged with a hint of pink lipstick formed a frown. Tiny lines made grooves between her eyebrows.

  He didn’t want to talk about Harris. The guy was a fool to have left her. He hadn’t run into him yet, and maybe that was a good thing or he might have given him a piece of his mind for what he’d done to Sadie. “Were you surprised Jared was dating Kelly? She’s not from the rich crowd.”

  “She’s stunning and what guy doesn’t like a pretty girl? But yes, to a certain extent I was. Kelly didn’t run around with his group of friends until she started dating Jared.”

  “Brendan Livingston.”

  “He’s a senior, and I’m sure you know, co-captain of the football team with Jared. He’s dating Carrie. I often see them with Luke Adams and Missy Collins. If I had to pick the leaders of the popular kids it would be Brendan and Carrie.”

  “Have you heard any kids talking about pill parties?”

  “No, but I’ve heard about them taking place in certain parts of the country. You think we’ve got that kind of problem at Summerton High School, or is this what happens when some rich kids get bored and look for a thrill?” She took a long sip of her drink then placed her mug on the counter next to her.

  “I don’t know how deep this goes or exactly what went down in the warehouse and later at the lake, but I intend to find out. I don’t want anything to happen to my niece.”

  “Lexie is a wonderful kid to have in class. She’s one of the students I don’t have to worry about. Good head on her shoulders. Mature beyond her age.”

  “She lied to me.”

  “Not for long, because even though she’d promised Kelly, she knew she had to break that promise. That isn’t easy for a person like Lexie. Her word is important to her.”

  “You seem to know my niece better than me.”

  “When I coached her in softball, I got to know her well. She’s a leader. She’ll go far.” She smiled, dark brown eyes shining, as if only for him. “Give her time. You just returned to Summerton not long ago.”

  “I know. But I didn’t realize how much I have missed in her life. I never had kids, and I think of her as one of mine, especially since her dad died a few years ago.”

  “And why didn’t you marry?”

  Surprised by the question, he chuckled. “Always straightforward. I’d forgotten that about you. It’s one of the things I liked about you.”

  “You did?”

  “I remember the time when I was going on a date and you told me I looked like a dork. You were twelve and I was sure you didn’t know what you were talking about. I only had one date with the girl.”

  “Ah, yes. That was when you were wearing your hair a bit wild like you’d just gotten out of bed. You always looked best in jeans, cowboy boots and a hat with a solid-colored shirt. Dress pants didn’t fit you, especially with bed head.”

  He grinned. “As much as I would like to continue down memory lane, I’d better go home and try to catch some sleep.” He shoved away from the counter, picked up his tan cowboy hat and set it on his head.

  Sadie walked with him to the front door and opened it. Her faint scent of vanilla teased his senses. He liked her clean, fresh smell. He liked her—a lot. That thought caused him to pause for a few seconds. She turned to him, a question in her eyes.

  She was a friend, one he had known for a long time. Nothing more. He passed her and swung around. “Goodnight. If you ever want to talk, you know how to get in touch with me.”

  “Information?” she said with a twinkle in her eyes.

  He chuckled.

  “You know I’ve been thinking—why don’t you come to dinner Friday night? Over the years, I’ve developed into a pretty good cook. If you’re anything lik
e my brother, your eating habits are horrible.”

  “Guilty, and yes to Friday night. I get one home-cooked meal a week from Beth and another from my mom, but otherwise I’m on my own and it isn’t a pretty picture.”

  Laughter bubbled from her, a sweet sound after all that had gone on lately. “I’ve been to Cord’s house. It could be declared a disaster zone.”

  “Mine’s not that bad. My house is neat, and so is the kitchen because I have little in it. I usually eat out.”

  “I’ll have to add my house as one of your stops during the week.”

  He snared her gaze, pleased by the offer but—

  A loud crash sounded from above. Sadie glanced back then faced him. “I’d better go see what one of my kids broke this time. It’s probably Steven. He’s growing so fast he can’t control his limbs sometimes.”

  “Mom, come here,” Ashley shouted.

  “Gotta go.” Sadie shut the door.

  Ethan made his way to his SUV. He’d never answered her about why he hadn’t married. He’d come close a couple of times, but something always stopped him. Something had been missing. Maybe he felt he couldn’t totally commit to another person. He’d seen so many of his colleagues over the years struggle in a marriage that ended with a divorce. Any woman he dated had to understand the kind of job he had and that wasn’t always easy to find. What he dealt with in his work left its mark on him.

  “Mom, Steven fell and hit his head. It’s bleeding,” Ashley shouted as Sadie ran up the stairs and toward her son’s bedroom.

  When she entered the room, Steven sat on the floor, his eyes dazed. Ashley held a dirty T-shirt against his head, but blood quickly saturated the cloth. Beside her son laid a bottle of cough syrup.

  Sadie knelt next to Steven. “We need to get you to the hospital. Go get a clean towel, Ashley.” She eased the T-shirt off the wound to see how bad it was. A gash a couple of inches long graced the hairline at his left temple. “What happened?” she asked to see how coherent her son was.

  He blinked. “I tripped over my guitar.” He slurred his words, his tongue tripping over them.

  Ashley rushed into the room with a towel.

  Sadie took it and pressed it against his injury. “Maybe you should keep your room cleaner. This might not happen then.” She glanced at Ashley. “Get my purse and meet me in the kitchen. I’m walking Steven down the stairs.”

  Her son batted at her hand holding the towel. “I can walk by myself.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Instead of answering her, he struggled to his feet, swayed and fell back on the bed.

  7

  I got here as soon as I could. What happened to Steven?” Cord asked the second he appeared in the waiting room.

  Sadie had debated whether to try getting Ethan back to help with her son or calling an ambulance. She was so used to doing everything herself that she chose the latter. “I called an ambulance when I couldn’t get him down the stairs after he fell and hit his head on the bedpost. The doctor is with him now.”

  “Where’s Ashley?”

  “Mom came and got her. I promised them I would call when I heard anything. I could be here for a while, especially if they keep him overnight.” The image of the cough syrup on the floor intruded into her mind. She wanted to shove it away, to deny what it might mean.

  “If it’s a concussion, they probably will.”

  “That’s what I was thinking. Mom is staying with Ashley at home and will make sure she gets to school.” She twisted her hands together over and over.

  “How did he fall?”

  “Over his guitar. Actually he stepped on it. It’s busted.”

  “Stepped on it? That’s pretty hard to miss.”

  “I think—”

  The doctor’s appearance in the waiting room cut off Sadie’s next words. The solemn expression on his face told her that what she suspected was right.

  “We checked and yes, Ms. Thompson, your son ingested a large amount of cough syrup with codeine in it. We gave him activated charcoal and pumped his stomach.”

  Sadie closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. “That’s what I thought when I saw the bottle on the floor. The last time I took the cough syrup, I opened a new bottle, and I only had a couple of doses. But now the bottle is empty, and I didn’t see much spilled on the carpet.”

  “Sadly, this is something we see with kids. They think it’s a cheap, safe high for them because it’s just cough syrup. We had some teens come in who are high from taking the over-the-counter cough syrup with dextromethorphan, also known as DXM.”

  Cord put his arm around Sadie. She leaned against her brother, glad he was here, but wishing Ethan was, too. Her world was collapsing around her. First, Harris, and now this.

  “Are you keeping him overnight?”

  “Yes, for observation. Then I would recommend counseling and intervention for your son. This can become quite a problem. A form of escape, if allowed to continue. An escape that can lead to overdosing and death. An opiate like codeine can suppress the respiratory system.”

  A knifelike pain sliced through her chest. She couldn’t get enough air. She leaned even more against Cord. Not her baby. What was Steven thinking? Until recently he usually told her everything.

  “We’re transferring him to room 215. I imagine you’ll want to stay the night.”

  Sadie nodded, her throat jammed with emotions she couldn’t express.

  “Give them a few minutes to get him upstairs, then you can see him. He’s pretty out of it. I gave him something for the pain.”

  “Not a narcotic one, I hope.” Thinking about Jared sent a bolt of panic through Sadie. That would be all she needed, her son becoming addicted to painkillers.

  “No, especially in light of what he was doing. But he’s going to have one nasty hangover when he wakes up.”

  After the doctor left, Sadie finally released the tears cramming her throat. They ran down her face. “What have I done wrong, Cord?”

  “Nothing. You’re a great mother. But I’ll tell you I don’t like what has been going on in this town lately. I know we’ve had drug issues in the past, but it seems worse now. Like someone has moved in and is behind this rise in use.”

  Could it be Harris? That made her even more determined not to let him alone with her kids. She could see Harris doing something like selling prescription drugs to make money. Having a wad of cash had always been so important to him. She worshiped the Lord. Harris worshiped money.

  “What can I say? Lexie is lying. She’s upset with me because I’ve made new friends.” With her eyes puffy and a pallor to her cheeks, Kelly sat next to her mother in an interview room at the police station. “I know she’s your niece, but she isn’t who you think she is.”

  Ethan gripped his pen so tight he was afraid it would snap in two. “Who is she then?”

  “Jealous. Envious of others, especially the kids I’m friends with. She wants what they have. We were together on Sunday morning. That much is true, but only because she came by my house to talk. We went driving. She ranted the whole time about how Jared wasn’t good for me, and then she had the nerve to go to his funeral like she cared about him.”

  “So you know nothing about the warehouse? Or a pill party?”

  “Why in the world would anyone do something that dumb?” Kelly’s gaze darted to Mary Lou.

  “I don’t know. That’s a good question. Why?”

  Kelly shrugged, but the gesture wasn’t as casual as she probably wanted to convey. There was a stiffness to her movement, betraying her inner turmoil.

  Mary Lou rose slowly, putting her hand at the small of her back. “Next time, let’s chat at a decent hour. My daughter has told you everything she knows. None of my medicine is missing, so if she had gone to this so-called pill party, what did she take?”

  “We’re not through here.” Ethan said, grinding his teeth to keep from saying something he would regret.

  “Yes, we are. We have cooperated. I even allo
wed Kelly’s finger-prints to be taken because she is innocent. Unless you’re gonna charge Kelly, I’m taking her to school. Late, by the way because you insisted on talking to her this morning. C’mon, honey. Let’s go.”

  Kelly pushed to her feet.

  Standing, Ethan caught her gaze. “I will find out the truth. I won’t give up until I do.”

  “All you have is Lexie’s word against Kelly’s. My daughter has a group of the top students in school ready to support what she said. Do you want your niece’s name dragged through the mud?” Mary Lou’s voice increased several decibels as she tossed out her threat.

  “Remember how I was in high school, Mary Lou? I never gave up until I succeeded. I still have that same determination. Actually, even more so because what I do is important. I catch criminals who think they can get away with breaking the law.”

  The color washed from Mary Lou’s face as she stared at Ethan for a long moment before averting her gaze. She slung her arm around her daughter and tilted up her chin, returning her glance to his face. “Good. You might want to look close to home.”

  He watched the two leave, Kelly leaning into her mother who kept her posture straight, shoulders back. What happened to Mary Lou? She used to be a friend in high school. She’d cared about others back then, but now he didn’t know what she cared about other than drinking. He recalled once when they had been talking, how she’d cried about a boy in one of her classes who was being bullied. She’d begged him to step in and help her classmate. He did and became friends with Jeffrey Livingston.

  Cord paused in the doorway. “I just got here. I caught most of the interview. I never thought I would hear Kelly say something like that about Lexie. They’ve been friends since grade school.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Ethan half sat, half lounged against the table. “I don’t like what’s happening on so many levels. I meant every word to Mary Lou. I’m going to find out what’s going on in Summerton.” He studied Cord who appeared to have combed his hair with his fingers. “What delayed you this morning? Your officer only told me you would be late because of a family problem.”