Texas Ranger Showdown

by Margaret Daley

  “But what about that creepy-sounding man? ‘Stop him’ from doing what?”

  Granny said a prayer, then poured iced tea in both Caitlyn’s and her glasses, while Emma stuck to her coffee. “You don’t have to take us to yoga.”

  “My grandson said he’d give us a ride. He should be here any minute.” Emma took a bite of her lunch.

  “Sean?” Caitlyn was asking about him because lately he’d been more a recluse than a rancher.

  “No, Ian. I can never get Sean to do anything lately.”

  “Ian? I thought he lived in El Paso.” Caitlyn remembered the times she, Sean and Ian used to play together as kids. Granny and Emma had been best friends for over sixty years, so it made sense that she’d be friends with Emma’s grandkids. Then later, she’d even gone out with Ian a couple of times after graduating from high school and before her life took a detour and they lost touch.

  Emma smiled. “Not since last week. A position opened up. He’s been transferred to Company B and will be working in the Longhorn area. I’ve sure missed him. He’s staying with me until he finds a house.”

  “Not at the family ranch outside town?”

  “No, Sean and Ian don’t get along.”

  Caitlyn hadn’t seen Ian in years. When he had been in Longhorn for his father’s funeral last year, she’d been gone. According to Emma, he was so busy with his job as a Texas Ranger that he’d had limited time to come home. What made Ian return now? A change of scenery? His older brother, who was supposed to be looking after Emma, rarely came by. Was that why, or was there something else?

  “That’s a shame. They used to be so close when we were growing up. I never see Sean anymore, and we live in the same town.”

  “That’s because you’re dedicated to your work like both my grandsons, Caitlyn. Since my son died, Sean’s been throwing all his energy into making the Pierce ranch the biggest one in the area. He’s carrying on the feud my son and his neighbor, Jack Shephard, had over whose ranch was the biggest and richest. He doesn’t have time for much else.” Emma drained the last of her coffee and set her mug on the table.

  The sadness in Emma’s voice told Caitlyn there was more to what was going on with Sean than working too much. From all she’d heard, Sean had changed a lot in the past few years—more bitter and angry. His father’s death had sent him in a downward spiral. She hated hearing he was continuing the feud between the ranches. “Let me refill your coffee.”

  Caitlyn rose and walked to the stove to grab the pot. As she turned to come back to the table, Emma shot Granny a be quiet look. Caitlyn would have a word with her grandmother when Emma wasn’t here. Something was going on. Maybe Caitlyn could help? Emma was like a second grandmother to her. Growing up, she’d been closer to Ian than she was to Sean.

  In fact, she’d hoped there could have been more between her and Ian, but she’d had to leave Longhorn suddenly. A relationship with him was never meant to be. Her job fulfilled her, and she was able to do what she loved—helping others.

  * * *

  As Ian parked in his grandma’s driveway, he noticed a retro Thunderbird with its top down parked at the curb in front of Sally’s home. He whistled. Beautiful car. Was that Caitlyn’s? The sports car had to be hers. It fit her personality. When he’d known her, she’d been serious but with a touch of mischief. How much had she changed? He certainly had, he reflected.

  He rang the bell and, not a half a minute later, Caitlyn Rhodes opened her grandmother’s front door. A smile dimpled her cheeks and brightened her green eyes.

  “It’s great to see you.” Caitlyn gave him a quick hug, then stepped to the side. “Come in. The dynamite duo will have someone to interrogate besides me now.”

  Ian chuckled, taking in how much Caitlyn had changed since he’d last seen her five years ago at Christmas. Her usually long brown hair was cut shorter, which framed her face, emphasizing her attractive features from a pert nose to the longest eyelashes to full lips.

  He realized he was staring and looked away, trying to tamp down his racing pulse. “Nana has done her share of drilling me for information long-distance.”

  Caitlyn shut the door, clasped his arm and started for the kitchen. “You’re late. Prepare yourself. Being late in Granny’s house is frowned upon.”

  She used to hook her arm through his in the past. Her touch felt familiar and yet...something much more. If only Caitlyn hadn’t left that summer, things would have been different between them.

  “I’m glad you’re here finally. I have a patient at one, so I can’t stay as long as I wish.”

  “I have unusual hours. Crime doesn’t work on a schedule.”

  She laughed. “Neither does a patient’s crisis. I understand.”

  When they approached the kitchen, he let Caitlyn go ahead of him, her arm slipping away from him. He missed the connection. She had always made him feel better and, after the morning he’d had, he needed that. After lunch, he’d talk to her about Jane.

  He paused in the doorway. A place waited for him at the table, food already on his plate. He went to his grandmother, kissed her on the cheek and sat down across from her. Nana and Sally were two people who probably knew more than most what was going on in Longhorn. They had lived here their whole lives and were always involved in the church and town. Maybe they’d know something to help with his latest case. “Sorry I was late. I got delayed with a new case.”

  Sally waved her hand. “Some things can’t be helped. I certainly understand.”

  Caitlyn’s eyes grew wide. “He’s half an hour late and you don’t care, while I was only five minutes late and I got—”

  Nana patted Caitlyn’s hand. “Honey, I understand. I’d be late if I had a creepy man call me on-air like you did.”

  Creepy man? Ian shifted his attention to Caitlyn. “On your radio show?”

  “You know I’m on the radio?”

  He nodded. “I’ve even listened.”

  Color flooded Caitlyn’s cheeks. “In El Paso?”

  “Yep, we have a station that runs Share with Caitlyn. It’s always nice to hear a voice from my past.” He’d felt connected to his hometown—and her—while listening to her on the radio. He could have used her insight on the woman he’d been engaged to, who’d stolen his identity and money, then disappeared. But Caitlyn hadn’t been a therapist at that time. Thankfully, after years of being a law enforcement officer, he wasn’t as gullible as he’d been when he was in his midtwenties, but the incident wasn’t something he’d shared with anyone. “What did this guy say?”

  “‘Stop me!’” Emma said before Caitlyn could. “But the worse part was the silence.”

  “Nana, if I was on the radio, I’d have long silences too.” Ian caught Caitlyn’s gaze and held it. “I admire how you deal with all the different problems people call about.” When he’d been growing up, he’d often come to her for advice, so her career choice hadn’t surprised him.

  She grinned. “Talking has always come easily to me. But I’ve had many people freeze up when they go live on the radio. Some I never hear from again. Others get over it and ask me to help them.”

  “I hope that guy isn’t one that calls again.” Sally took a drink of her iced tea.

  “You said you have a new case. What is it?” Caitlyn asked him.

  “Now that the family has been notified, I can tell you. Jane Shephard was found murdered outside of town in a ditch.”

  His grandma’s jaw dropped. “Jack is in Austin. Poor Ruth’s all by herself.”

  “The senator is on his way home.”

  Nana looked at Sally. “We’ll need to go to the church and organize some support for them. Jane was their only child. They will be devastated.” She rose and took her plate and mug to the sink.

  “Yeah, we can’t go to yoga. We need to call the people on the church’s phone tree.” Sally joined her friend at
the counter.

  When they headed toward the hallway, Ian asked, “Do you want me to take you to the church later?”

  “Yes,” Nana said as she and Sally began making plans.

  Ian swiveled toward Caitlyn, who stared at a spot on the table between them, color drained from her face. “Jane was younger than me in school, but you were closer in age. Did you know her very well as adults?”

  “Yes,” she said and lifted her gaze to his. “She’s—was one of my patients. When did this happen?”

  “Based on her lividity when I saw her, she was probably killed between 8:00 and 10:00 a.m.”

  “Make that between nine and ten. I had an appointment with her at eight this morning. She left my office a few minutes before nine.” Caitlyn shook her head. “I can’t believe this.”

  “What can you tell me about her? Was anyone threatening her? Harassing her?”

  Caitlyn stood and gathered up her dishes. “I need to talk to her parents first. I don’t think what we talked about had anything to do with her death.”

  “I need to re-create her steps. Did she mention going anywhere after her session?”

  “She was meeting a couple of her Dallas friends for lunch and shopping afterward.”

  “Who was she meeting?”

  “Terri Hudson and Zoe Adams.”

  “Was she dating anyone?”

  “The last serious relationship she had was Max Collins, but that ended months ago. Come to think of it, they got into a big fight at Longhorn Café right before Christmas. Max accused her of seeing someone else.”

  “Who?”

  “Frankly, I’m not sure. She didn’t discuss it, so I’m not sure she was dating another guy at the same time.” She took the dishes to the sink. “I’d better leave now if I’m going to make my appointment.”

  “I’ll walk you out to your car.”

  “You don’t have to. As far as what she was going to do right after seeing me, I don’t know anything more. She was dressed casually, as though she might be going back home until she met her friends for lunch. What was she wearing when you saw her?”

  “Jeans, boots and a blue blouse.”

  “That’s what she had on for her appointment.” Caitlyn grabbed her purse on the counter. “I can tell you that what she was seeing me for wouldn’t have made her a target for a murderer.”

  “People murder for all kinds of reasons. Any insight into Jane would be welcomed.” Ian followed Caitlyn from the kitchen. “Having been away from Longhorn for years makes me realize I don’t know the town like I used to. Considering your occupation, I’m thinking you do.” A woman had been discovered killed with no obvious reason in a town where murder was very rare. He opened the front door and let Caitlyn go outside first. “If that caller hassles you, please let me know.”

  “I’ll help you any way I can. Just like old times.” She strolled beside him down the sidewalk toward her car. “But I won’t need your help. For all I know, the caller doesn’t even live in Longhorn.”

  He gestured toward her Thunderbird. “When did you get this baby? I’m jealous.”

  “Nine months ago, when my program was syndicated across the country. It’s my one extravagance. I live in a two-bedroom town house. Nothing fancy.”

  He put his hand on the door handle and glanced at her. “And I’m sure you’re going to let a good friend like me drive it soon.”

  She laughed. “Not until I see how good a driver you are now. When we were growing up, speed was all you thought about when you got behind the wheel.”

  “I’m older and wiser now. Plus, I’ve taken a driving course to teach me the finer points of a high-speed chase.”

  “And that’s supposed to make me feel better?”

  Ian smiled as he opened the driver’s-side door.

  Caitlyn started to slip into her seat but halted halfway, her stare fixed on something in the car.

  Ian looked in the same direction.

  On the white leather driver’s seat lay a photo of Jane in the ditch, dead. Written across the top were the words Stop me!

  TWO

  Caitlyn couldn’t take her eyes off the same words she’d heard from the caller.

  Stop me!

  All the feelings of the morning began to overwhelm her, leaving her shivering despite the sunlight beating down on her shoulders.

  A hand touched her arm. She gasped and jerked away, nearly falling on top of the picture of Jane.

  Ian gripped her upper arm and kept her upright. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I wanted you to step away from your car. Besides the photograph, there may be other pieces of evidence left behind.”

  She scanned the interior of her Thunderbird. “What?”

  “Fingerprints. Maybe something else. This is clearly connected to Jane’s murder.”

  Jane’s killer had not only called her show but had approached her car and placed the picture on her seat in the past forty-five minutes. Brazen. Another chill shimmied down her body. She would never again leave the top of the car down while not sitting in it. Longhorn had its crime, but generally it was a peaceful town.

  “I have a client coming to my office in—” she checked her watch “—fifteen minutes. I try to always be on time, especially with this patient.”

  “I’ll call the chief and have an officer stand guard while I take you to work. Do you know if any of the neighbors have security cameras that might show your car or the street?”

  She shook her head. “However, there are a few older couples who are at home during the day. Someone might have seen the person.”

  “I hope so.” Ian retrieved his cell phone from his pocket and walked a few steps away while talking to the police chief of Longhorn’s small force.

  Could she be the next victim? Why would the killer call her at the station? Did he take Jane when she left Caitlyn’s office this morning? The desperate ring to his words replayed in her mind. Did he genuinely want help to stop him from murdering again or doing something even more sinister? She clasped her hands to keep them from shaking. She wanted to help others, but she didn’t have the answer for everyone. She’d found that out the hard way, especially six months ago with a patient, not long after syndication.

  “An officer will be here shortly. We need to let our grandmothers know what happened.”

  “I’ll go in and talk to them while you wait.”

  As she left Ian, she quickly called her practice and told the receptionist she might be a few minutes late and to let Charles Thorne know. She hated not being there on time because Charles was one of her clients who was obsessive-compulsive. He detested change in any form. It would take half his session to calm him down.

  Caitlyn entered her grandma’s house. “Granny, where are you?”

  “In the den.”

  She hurried toward the back of the house and found both ladies sitting near the desk as Emma hung up the phone. “Ian has to take me to work.” She paused, fortifying herself with a composing breath. “Because he needs to process my car for fingerprints.”

  Before Caitlyn could explain why, Granny’s eyes grew huge and she asked, “Whatever for?”

  “Someone left a photo on my front seat.”

  Her grandmother pushed to her feet using the desk and chair to steady herself. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “It’s a photo of Jane’s body.”

  Emma splayed her hand over her chest. “Oh, my! Why?”

  This part she wished she didn’t have to tell the ladies, but it would come out eventually and Granny would be mad at her for not sharing it with her right away. “The words Stop me! were on the picture.”

  Her grandmother collapsed onto the chair, her hand going to her mouth. Stunned into silence, she simply stared at Caitlyn.

  “What’s my grandson doing about it?”

 
; Caitlyn shifted her gaze to Emma. “Everything he can.”

  “Tell him not to worry about taking us to church. We’ll continue to organize help for the Shephards from here.”

  “Thanks, Emma. I’ll let him know.” Caitlyn turned to her grandmother, who still hadn’t said a word. “Granny, I’ll call you later from the office. Don’t worry. Ian is on the case.” She heard the front door open and the soft sound of footsteps coming down the hall.

  Emma took her friend’s hand. “And, Sally, he’s the best. He’ll find the killer.”

  Finally, Granny straightened her slumped shoulders and stared right at Caitlyn. “Make him stay with you. Protect you.”

  Ian stopped behind Caitlyn. “Sally, I’ll do just that. Caitlyn and I have been friends for a long time. I won’t let anything happen to her.”

  “You’d better not, young man.”

  Caitlyn could see her grandmother was recovering from the news and was working herself up. “We’ve got to go.” She spun around, grabbed Ian’s hand and rushed toward the exit before Granny came after her. She didn’t stop until she was sitting in Ian’s SUV, while he rounded the hood and hopped into the driver’s seat.

  “I take it she wasn’t too happy with the turn of events.” He started the vehicle and pulled out of his grandmother’s driveway.

  “It’s not often Granny is speechless.”

  Ian whistled. “You should consider staying with your grandmother until the killer is caught.”

  “I can’t do that. It could put her in danger.”

  “He called you after he killed Jane. Did it sound like he was bragging about murdering her?”

  “No, not at all.”

  “I don’t think he’s targeting you. I think he wants help. By putting the photo in your car, he’s again telling you to stop him.”

  “Like he’s desperate? Or he’s taunting me?” She’d fought to put her life back together years ago and had—or so she’d thought. Now a killer wanted her to stop him. How?

  “Both are possible.” Ian pulled into the parking lot next to the clinic where she worked. “I’ll walk you in.”