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

by Margaret Daley

  One of the officers reported to Cord the house was clear. No one else was in it.

  “Which means Oliver must have taken Lexie hostage.” A vision of Kelly hanging from the rafter still haunted Ethan and gripped him with fear.

  “We’ll find him, and he’ll pay for what he has done,” Cord said between gritted teeth.

  As the paramedics came into the kitchen with a gurney, Ethan and Cord stood back to let them work on Sadie and prepare her for transport.

  “I’m going back to the uncle’s and find out everything I can about this kid. Where his favorite places are? Relatives or friends nearby? Anything to help us find out where he went with Lexie.”

  “Go. If I hear anything, I’ll give you a call. I’ll let Beth know about Lexie. You focus on finding Oliver and Lexie. I’m calling in every cop I can get hold of. I’m flooding the streets with people looking for the white Chevy, and I’ll alert the radio and TV stations. He won’t be able to show his face anywhere without being recognized.”

  Ethan followed the paramedics taking Sadie to the ambulance. The sight of her being put into the back of the vehicle, then one of the EMTs shutting the doors closed scared him more than when he was ten and watched them take his father away. Back then, he’d thought his dad would be okay and come back to him after the doctors fixed him up. Now he knew that wasn’t always the case.

  Lexie opened her eyes halfway, her cheek pressed into the softness of a pillow. What happened? Her brain foggy, she lifted her head a few inches and looked around. Where was she? Not Ms. Thompson’s house? Or her home? A cabin? She moved to get up and realized he had handcuffed her to a bed. Panic bolted through her as she pushed to a sitting position, one arm stretched out toward the post on the headboard. Handcuffs secured her wrist to the post.

  She yanked her arm with all her strength and only succeeded in making noise and chafing her wrist.

  The door banged opened. Oliver came into the rustic bedroom. He smiled. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. You aren’t going anywhere.”

  “What have you done? Why?”

  “I’ve taken you hostage. I’d hoped to get out of town but couldn’t, so we’re staying here until things die down.”

  “Why?”

  “Because your uncle forced me to hurt a police officer.” He took the chair a few feet from her, laying a gun in his lap and relaxing back as though what he was doing he did everyday.

  “I don’t understand. What does my uncle have to do with this?” With her free hand, she rubbed her eyes, trying to get them to focus clearer. “We were doing math. You gave me a Coke . . .” Her gaze shot to Oliver. “What did you put in it? Did you put something in my water bottle at school, too? I almost died.” She tried to stamp down the fury rising within her, but as it slowly dawned on her what kind of trouble she was in because of this boy, she fluctuated between anger and fear.

  “I wouldn’t do that to you. No, that little stunt was Luke. I saw him take the water bottle from your backpack and throw it away when Ms. Thompson left the room to go to the restroom before she left school that day. He tossed it in the trashcan. But he paid for trying to kill you. I couldn’t let him get away with it.”

  “What did you do?”

  “What he did to you. I’m quite good in science. It wasn’t hard to figure out what pills he put in your water.”

  “You killed him!” Rage momentarily surpassed all caution in Lexie. She shuddered. A chill encased her from head to toe. She crossed her free arm over her middle, trying to stop the quaking.

  “Not really. He killed himself by getting behind the wheel of a car when he was drowsy. He should have known better.”

  Who are you, she wanted to shout at Oliver, but she had to calm down and think. Not make him mad at her. “How about Jared?”

  “I’d heard about these pill parties happening at school. I couldn’t believe kids were so stupid to do something like that. Our leaders at school. They were taunting death. They thought that was fun. I decided to show them the consequences of taking different pills for fun.”

  “And Kelly?” Her throat swelled around her friend’s name. She missed her so much.

  “She spread false rumors about you. Kids were shunning you. I saw how sad you were. Besides, she took drugs like her boyfriend. I tried to warn her about what she was doing, but she ignored my emails.

  “So you wiped her computer clean.”

  “Had to. No sense leaving a trail to my doorstep.”

  Chills flashed down Lexie’s spine at the sensible sounding voice spewing from Oliver as though he were discussing the weather, not people’s lives. “She was my best friend. She was confused and trying to figure things out. We made up. You didn’t have a right.”

  “I didn’t mean to hurt you like that. I thought you were angry at her.”

  “What are you doing now?” She rattled the handcuffs. “This is hurting me.” She glared at him. “You drugged me like Luke. I hate taking anything. I’ve seen what it does.”

  “I do, too, and I didn’t plan on doing that. Everything has gotten out of control. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  “But you are.”

  “Not for long.”

  His words struck terror in her heart.

  After talking again with Oliver’s uncle and aunt, Ethan headed back to the police station to coordinate with Cord. The chords of “The Eyes of Texas” sliced through the quiet in the SUV. He clicked his cell on. “Stone here.”

  “Missy’s grandparents who own a cabin by the lake said the silent alarm has been tripped. Someone who shouldn’t be there is in their place,” Cord said.

  Ethan gripped the steering wheel tighter. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

  “Oliver might have gone there to hide with Lexie. It’s off the beaten track, tucked back from the road. If he’d been watching those kids, he might know about the cabin.”

  Ethan turned left at the next stop sign and made his way toward the east end of Summerton Lake. “I’ll meet you there. I know the approximate location. Can you give me specific directions?”

  After Cord did, Ethan hung up and stepped on the gas. Knowing what Oliver was capable of, he felt Lexie’s time slipping away. He would not go to Beth and tell his sister her daughter was murdered.

  Lord, all things are possible through You.

  Tears came to Lexie’s eyes as she watched Oliver pace the bedroom at the cabin. He carried a gun, his arm straight at his side, the barrel pointed toward the floor. But the sight of the weapon emphasized how grave the situation was. Oliver had killed—three times. As he prowled, his movements became more agitated. He hadn’t said a word for the past fifteen minutes and Lexie was afraid to say anything to him.

  One tear after another began to fall onto her lap. She couldn’t stop them. She tried to cry quietly, but a sob escaped her mouth.

  Oliver stopped.

  Her breath trapped in her lungs, she furiously wiped the wet tracks from her face.

  He whirled toward her. “Don’t cry. Please.”

  “I’m—I’m try—ing not to. I’m scared.”

  He lifted the gun and tapped his chest with its barrel. “Of me? I won’t hurt you. I care about you. Have for a long time.”

  “Then why am I handcuffed? Why did you take me from Ms. Thompson’s house? Is she okay?”

  Oliver blinked, his shoulders drooping. “I don’t know. I hit her with a frying pan. I just reacted.”

  Lexie gasped, the tears renewed.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know what else to do. They were coming after me. I had to get away.” He scanned the room. “But this isn’t what I planned.”

  Lord, help me. Oliver frightens me. I don’t want to die like the others.

  With the weapon in his hand, he combed his hair back from his face. “I’ve got to figure out what to do.”

  Lexie sucked in a shaky breath and said, “Sit. Talk to me about what you’re thinking.” Somewhere on TV, she’d seen where a hostage connecting with his k
idnapper could decrease the likelihood of being killed by the criminal. She didn’t know what else to do.

  Oliver plopped into the chair he’d occupied earlier. “All I wanted to do was let teens know how deadly taking drugs can be.”

  So he killed Jared to show them? “I agree with you. My mother is a nurse and has told me about cases where people get hooked on a medication and can’t get off it. Like taking heroin, except their doctor gave it to them for pain. For some that can become an addiction if they aren’t careful.”

  “Yes. You’re so right. But it isn’t just pain meds. It can be tranquilizers or sleeping pills. Some people become dependent on them and can’t stop. My mother was like that. She killed herself when I was ten. She just kept taking more and more until she didn’t wake up.”

  “I’m so sorry, Oliver.” Through her blurry vision, she watched him fix his gaze on her and tilt his head to the side.

  “You do understand. You care. My father didn’t. Right after the funeral he killed himself. He left me alone. And now I’m in trouble. I don’t have . . .” His voice faded into the silence, and he hung his head.

  Ethan pulled up to the cabin and parked back behind a hedge of wild bushes. He took out his binoculars and panned the area. He saw the back end of a white car behind the cabin. He called Cord.

  “How far are you away from the Collins’s place?”

  “Ten minutes with several others behind me.”

  “I believe they’re in there. I’m going to try and get closer. All the blinds on this side of the cabin are closed. I’ll check the other sides. If I can see in, I might know what’s going on.”

  “Be careful. On a good note, I got a call from the Highway Patrol. They caught Sam heading for Oklahoma. They found a lot of drugs in his car. They’re escorting him back here for us.”

  “See you in ten.”

  Ethan put his cell phone on vibrate and stuck it in his pocket. If he could work his way up closer, he didn’t want it ringing and alerting the teen he was outside. Soon enough Oliver would know.

  Running low to the ground, he hurried across an open space and ducked behind some thick brush. He had a different view of the cabin and noted the blinds were drawn on the left side of the cabin as well as the front.

  When his cell phone vibrated in his pocket, he quickly retrieved it. The call came from a Ned Collins. “Stone here.”

  “Stay back, if you know what’s good for your niece.”

  “Is this Oliver?”

  “Yes, but you already knew that. Don’t come any closer. Stay back by the road. Remember, I have Lexie with me.”

  “Ms. Thompson and the officer will recover, Oliver.” At least, Ethan prayed they would. Thoughts of Sadie started to intrude, and he pushed them away. He had to focus on the situation before him. “This won’t end well if you don’t give yourself up. I know you care about Lexie. Let her—”

  Oliver hung up.

  Ethan tried the number, but it kept ringing until it went dead.

  Through the open door, Lexie watched Oliver. He yanked the phone from its jack, picked up his glass of water, and marched into the bedroom. “Was that my uncle?”

  “Yes. He wants me to turn myself in.”

  “What do you want?”

  “Peace. This over with.” He sat on the other side of the bed.

  Lexie twisted around, her movements limited by the handcuffs. When he popped something into his mouth and washed it down with water, she asked, “What are you doing?”

  “I don’t want to live anymore.” He opened his hand to reveal a fistful of pills, two different colors and sizes.

  As he proceeded sticking a couple more into his mouth and taking a long drink, Lexie cried out, “Don’t. That isn’t the answer. You need help.”

  He ignored her and finished the rest of the pills, one quickly after another. “Maybe my mother was right after all.”

  “No, Oliver. What did you take?”

  “A nice mixture of tranquilizers and painkillers. Not something you should combine, but then the kids at the pill party could have done that and not even known it.” Oliver put the weapon from his waistband on the nightstand near him, then lay down on the bed.

  Lexie jerked and pulled on her handcuff. She needed to get him help. She had to do something.

  “Don’t be upset, Lexie. I’m going to see my mom and dad again.” He closed his eyes.

  What can I do?

  She frantically searched the room for something to help her. She tried to make her hand smaller so she could slip it out of the steel ring. She couldn’t.

  Gripping with both hands on the bedpost, she used all her strength to yank it loose. After five minutes of losing the battle with the headboard, she turned back to Oliver and felt for a pulse. A faint one beating beneath her fingertips urged her to do something else.

  Her gaze focused on the window a few feet from the bed. If she could reach it and open it, she could yell for her uncle. From what Oliver said on the phone, Uncle Ethan was outside by the road. Maybe he’d see her break the glass or hear her shout.

  But as she tugged on the bed, it only budged a little, the frame heavy and made of solid wood. Why hadn’t she lifted weights or something? She was so weak.

  Inch by inch she dragged the bed toward the window. Exhausted, the effects of the sleeping pill he’d given her still making her groggy, Lexie made it to the side of the blinds and opened them. She still had some more to go to raise the window up, but every part of her protested. Weary to the bone, she sank on the mattress and glanced at Oliver.

  His face evened out into a peaceful countenance. Is he dead? No, it’s too soon.

  She launched herself off the bed and stretched as far as her body would allow. A hand length away was the latch to open the window.

  Please, Lord, I need Your strength.

  Her hands clasped around the post, she hauled the bed a few more inches. Then some more. Until her fingers clasped the knob and twisted it. When she tried to lift the wooden sill, it wouldn’t budge. Frustration put a stranglehold on her. She wanted to pound her fists into the glass. The thought spurred another, and she peered around her for something to use.

  Her gaze riveted on the pillow. Maybe she could use that. She snatched it up and put it against the pane, then smashed her fists into the pillow until she heard the glass shatter. She kept doing it until a large ragged hole appeared.

  “Help! Uncle Ethan, help!”

  Cord and three other officers arrived at the cabin. Ethan headed back toward the cluster of cars at the end of the road to the cabin.

  “Help,” he heard when the sound of the engines went silent.

  Ethan stood straight, waved his arms at Cord, and yelled, “Quiet.”

  “Uncle Ethan, Oliver is passed out.”

  Ethan rushed toward the noise, rounding the back of the cabin to find a window broken and Lexie standing at the side of it. “Where’s Oliver?” he asked as he moved closer and peeked into the bedroom.

  “On the bed. He took a lot of pills. He wanted to commit suicide. Please get him help.”

  “I’m coming around to the door. Be right there.” Ethan raced back toward the front and met Cord halfway there. “Oliver has overdosed. He’s out.”

  Cord shouted at one of his officers, “Call 911,” while he rushed with Ethan to the entrance into the cabin.

  Kicking at the sturdy door didn’t budge it. But one of the officers brought a battering ram, and they used it to break into the cabin.

  Ethan was first into the bedroom, embracing Lexie, while Cord went to see about Oliver.

  “He’s still alive,” he said to Ethan.

  Lexie sobbed against Ethan’s chest. “You’re okay, Kiddo. Your mom will be glad to see you.” She was shaken but safe. He thanked the Lord.

  But what about Sadie?

  Sadie’s father leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I’ll leave you alone to get some rest, but your mom insists on staying.”

  Sadie smiled. “I know.
I’ve been trying to talk her into going home. I’m going to be fine.”

  “Mom. I want to stay,” Ashley said from the small couch. “I can sleep on this.”

  Sadie scanned the faces of everyone in the room. Where’s Ethan? Sadie lay in the hospital bed, pain tap dancing against the sides of her skull. “I want you and Steven to go with Grandpa. The doctor said I’ll be able to go home tomorrow.” She then turned to her mother. “I want you to go with Dad. Really I’m fine.”

  “But I should—”

  “No, Mom. Go.”

  Her mother grumbled something under her breath but squeezed Sadie’s hand. “I’ll be back first thing tomorrow morning.”

  As she followed the rest to the door, it opened. For a second, Sadie’s breath caught in her throat. Ethan? Instead, her brother came into the room.

  When Cord stood by her bed, she asked, “Where have you been? Mom and Dad couldn’t tell me much of anything with the kids here. How’s Lexie?” Where’s Ethan?

  “She’ll be okay. She was checked out by the doctor and is now home with Beth. I’m going over there after I see you.”

  “Is that where Ethan is?”

  “Yes, then he’s coming here.”

  “Tell me what happened.”

  “We have closed a couple of big cases today. Patti Shea along with her husband who was selling the extra drugs from the nursing home on the street will go away for a long time. The nursing home is going to institute random blood tests on employees and patients in the future to keep this kind of situation from happening again.”

  “I can’t believe Oliver hit me with a frying pan.” Although the pain in her head made it very real.

  “Oliver didn’t make it. He died on the way to the hospital, but he told Lexie he killed Jared, Luke, and Kelly because they were involved with drugs. Rather, that’s the reason he did Jared, but Luke was in retaliation for spiking Lexie’s drink, and Kelly was because she turned against Lexie. It seems he had a crush on Lexie.”

  “I never knew it.”

  “Neither did she. But we found out he bought some flowers from the grocery store around the time she received a bouquet from a secret admirer.”