The Lockwood Legacy - Books 1-6: Plus Bonus Short Stories

by Juliette Harper

  No one said anything for several seconds, and then Kate, who had been staring out the window lost in thought, turned her head with a jerk.

  "Ah," Elizabeth said approvingly. "I believe Kate has just put it all together."

  "Rafe and Retta want Josh to find Simpson's body in the cave so they can pin the murder on our grandfather and use it as leverage to get the draw and the surrounding land away from us," she said. "The land on the river would command the highest prices. If they can get that land back and add Josh's riverfront on the Baxter place with it, they stand to make millions."

  "But if a murder was committed in 1937," Jenny said, "who could possibly care now?"

  "No one," Kate said, "but proving that the transfer of the draw was shady would give them a reason to start looking at every land deal that ever took place between the Lockwoods and the Baxters all the way back to the Republic. They could keep us tied up in court for years. They're counting on blackmailing us into a settlement of some kind."

  "Excellent," Elizabeth said approvingly. "You have a head for Texas land politics."

  "Don't praise me yet," Kate said. "I have no idea how to stop them."

  "I believe we have some time yet to help you answer that question," Elizabeth said. "Ida Belle and I can work together to determine if there is an effective countermove at your disposal. We are both quite skilled in historical research. In the meantime, perhaps you can enlist Dr. Martin's aid to determine if there is any sign of Uncle Simpson's presence in the cave."

  "That's a good idea," Kate said. "Jake has been finding artifacts from different eras. I'll tell him all this and maybe we can get a step ahead of Rafe and Retta."

  "I do not think they have what they need or they would have made a move already," Elizabeth said. "From what Mandy has told me, the cave is far larger than you originally believed it to be. I suggest you all go about leading your lives. Let us research the history of the land transactions. If Mr. Jackson and Ms. Thornton do take any sort of action, you can respond. Otherwise, I believe the operative strategy is to 'lay low.'"

  Kate eyed the old woman admiringly. "Elizabeth," she said, "you are good at this, and if I didn't know better, I'd swear you're enjoying yourself."

  Elizabeth rewarded her with a guileless smile. "What can I say?" she asked innocently. "I am my mother's daughter."

  128

  When Kate, Jenny, and Mandy recounted their conversation with Elizabeth and Ida Belle to Jake, he leaned back in his desk chair at the Institute and scratched his jaw. "This is good news," he said. "Finding a skeleton in that cave isn't as easy as you might think. Josh isn't going to just waltz in there and find Simpson Browning."

  "Why not?" Kate asked. "We found our way around in there after the cave in with no problem."

  "That was only because you smelled the river and felt an air current," he said. "We followed your instinct and got lucky. If we had taken a wrong turn, things might have turned out differently. Let me show you what I mean."

  He got up from his desk and led the three of them into the main lab. Swiveling one of the computer workstations around, Jake began typing on the keyboard. At the front of the room, the massive display screen was suddenly filled with an impressive three-dimensional model of the cave's interior.

  "You are not serious," Jenny said, walking closer to examine the image. "That's six levels and at least two dozen rooms."

  "Fast approaching three dozen," Jake said. "This isn't even the latest version of the model. We have an actual cavern on our hands. Some of the deepest rooms are stunning."

  His fingers worked over the keyboard and a series of images was displayed in a grid pattern on the screen.

  "Oh!" Mandy said. "It's full of crystals!"

  "Clear quartz crystals and some rose quartz on that level," Jake said. "And a fair smattering of amethyst, which is unusual for this part of the state. Amethyst is usually seen more around Alpine. We might even find some Texas topaz in there and that stuff is only supposed to occur in Mason County."

  Kate joined Jenny to study the images more closely. "How far does the cave go down before you hit bottom?" she asked.

  "When we hit bottom, I'll let you know," Jake replied. "But don't hold your breath to get an answer any time soon."

  "So if somebody knew that cave well enough and wanted to hide a body?" Kate asked.

  "It could be in a deep crevice we wouldn't find for years without the right equipment and lighting," Jake said. "Elizabeth is right. If Josh is in there hunting Simpson Browning's skeleton, let's let him do it. He could spend months wandering around on any one of those levels and not explore all the places a body could have been stashed in that cave."

  Jake's assurances, combined with the knowledge that two very smart, very determined old women were working on their behalf, allowed the sisters to take Elizabeth's advice and get on with life. In the short term, that meant preparing for the fall street dance and running all the last minute errands Mandy had for each of them.

  The weather cooperated beautifully the next night. Although the air was crisp as the sun began to set, the outdoor heaters Mandy rented and donated for the event did an excellent job of keeping everyone warm. The street on the west side of the courthouse was roped off for the party, with non-participants enjoying the scene from a line of parked cars at either end.

  Stalls selling everything from crafts to baked goods ringed the area. Early in the evening, attendees stood in line to fill their plates with a full barbecue supper from tables set up along the sidewalk. For the remainder of the evening, vendors in food carts dispensed drinks and snacks.

  The band, which occupied a flat-bed trailer parked in the vacant lot next to the flower shop, played a good mix of old and new country. The dance "floor" stayed well filled, and knots of people milled happily among the round tables set up on the courthouse lawn.

  The courthouse itself was open to provide restroom facilities for the night. Just inside the lobby, the committee had a fully outfitted coffee lounge for anyone who needed to get away from the crowd for awhile. There, Mandy was in hot demand, using her own machine to turn out a steady stream of beautifully frothed beverages to patrons for whom a monthly trip to a Starbucks was still a major treat.

  The Lockwoods had reserved a table for the whole family just off the walk leading into the side door of the building. From that vantage point, it was easy to see everyone who was in attendance, and to talk with the people who stopped by the table or leaned over the adjacent fence rail to say hello.

  When the music started, those visits included plentiful invitations to dance. At the first intermission, however, Kate and Jenny happened to be sitting alone when Kate saw Jenny stiffen. Following her sister's line of sight, Kate spotted Josh Baxter standing on the far side of the street staring right at them.

  Without moving to indicate she had noticed him, Kate said, "You knew he was bound to be here tonight."

  "I know," Jenny said, copying her sister's apparent nonchalance. "I just don't want him coming over here."

  "Just act like you don't see him," Kate advised. "If he walks over here, we'll deal with it."

  At that moment, Joe Bob joined them, his face flushed from the exertion of his last dance.

  "You okay there Joe Bob?" Kate asked. "You're looking a little winded."

  "Politicking is hard enough without having to push a 300 lb. woman around the dance floor," he said, dabbing at his forehead with his handkerchief.

  "Isn't Etta Lou Spruell the head of some kind of citizen's committee?" Jenny asked.

  "The Committee for the Ethical Education of Our Children," Joe Bob said.

  "Dear God," Kate moaned. "That has the smell of book burning about it."

  "Which is why I try to keep her happy so she will listen to me when she gets on a peck — yet again — over some book the high school is using," Joe Bob said.

  "Isn't that business for the school board?" Kate asked.

  "Etta Lou is an equal opportunity rabble rouser," Joe Bob an
swered sorrowfully.

  As they were talking, the people standing on the dance floor waiting for the music to resume parted as if Moses himself were walking in their midst, revealing Rafe Jackson and Retta Thornton heading straight for their table.

  "Oh God," Joe Bob muttered under his breath. "I don't need this tonight."

  "You'll be fine," Kate said, and then raising her voice, greeted Retta. "Well, look who the cat dragged in. Hello, Cousin Loretta."

  Retta fixed Kate with an icy smile. "I prefer Retta now," she said stiffly. "How are you, Katherine? It must be such a trial for you now that you are a disabled person."

  "I manage, Loretta," Kate said placidly. "Evening, Rafe. Been awhile."

  "Not long enough," Rafe answered, flashing her a snarl masquerading as a smile.

  "Is there something we can do for you, Ms. Thornton?" Joe Bob asked.

  "Actually, yes, Mr. Mayor," Retta said, turning toward him with an almost feral purr. "I just wanted to take this opportunity to assure you that nothing I said in my newspaper article was meant personally in any way."

  As she spoke, Dusty walked up with Buck Miller and interrupted in a dangerously pleasant tone of voice. "The hell it wasn't, Loretta. Everything you do is meant personally." Then, turning to Rafe, Dusty added, "Hello, brother. Getting a little thick through the middle there, aren't you?"

  Rafe's neck started to turn red, but he kept his mouth shut. Retta regarded Dusty with a cool stare. "My heavens, Lauren. I wouldn't have known you. What is that quaint rodeo phrase for women of your sort? Rode hard and put up wet?"

  At that, Buck Miller waded in. "Alright, sheath your claws ladies," he said.

  Kate looked up at him. "You better not be getting ready to characterize a conversation between a group of grown women as a cat fight, Buck," she said in a warning tone, "because that might not go well for you."

  Buck shifted nervously. "Now, Katie, that's not what I meant. The whole town is watching. Why doesn't everybody just go on back to their neutral corners and let's all have a good time tonight?"

  "Oh," Dusty said, "I'm having myself a fine time right now."

  Buck fixed her with a pointed look. "You are not helping," he said, before appealing to them all again. "Come on now. Really. You all don't want to do this in public."

  "Indeed we do not," Retta said. "I will be making my point at the ballot box where your harem of Lockwood women won't be able to save you, Joe Bob. I'm so glad you have the hardware store to fall back on. That is assuming that sorting nuts and bolts is not beyond your skill set. Good evening."

  "Good evening," Kate said with apparent good humor. "And, Loretta? You might want to loosen up that girdle. You're already enough of a tight . . ."

  Her words were drowned out by the sound of the band breaking into a spirited rendition of San Antonio Rose. Retta and Rafe turned on their heels and marched away. Joe Bob took a gulp of his beer, and Jenny laughed.

  Buck Miller shook his head. "You all enjoyed that, did you?" he asked.

  "I did," Dusty assured him. "What about you, Katie?"

  "Yep," she said.

  "Jenny?" Dusty asked.

  "Don't include me in this!" Jenny protested. "I was just an innocent bystander."

  "Well, fine," Buck groused. "If you grown women are done conversing, how about another dance, Dusty?"

  As they left to thread their way toward the dance floor, Joe Bob stood up. "I'm gonna go inside and find Mandy," he said.

  "I'm sorry if I upset you, Joe Bob," Kate said. "I figured it was better for Loretta to spar with me than take in after you."

  "No, no," he said. "I appreciate it. I just need to see Mandy."

  As they watched him hurry up the sidewalk, Jenny said, "We are going to have to do something about Loretta. Joe Bob is no match for her."

  "Tell me about it," Kate said. "She'll shred him to pieces with that tongue of hers before he even knows it's happening."

  "And," Jenny said with a slight nod of her head, "we still have our audience."

  Kate reached for her drink and allowed her eyes to pass over the area where Josh was standing. "You want me to talk to him?"

  "And say what?" Jenny asked. "'Stop looking at my sister?' Let's try not to revert to grade school if we can possibly help it."

  Laughing in spite of Jenny's tension, Kate turned as Jake walked up. "Dance with my sister," she commanded with good humor as the band started playing White Lightning.

  "Gladly," Jake said. "But is there any particular reason we're being ordered to the dance floor?"

  "Josh is standing over there trying to stare her down," Kate answered.

  "Oh," Jake said, "that we are not having. I assume you know how to jitterbug?" he asked Jenny, holding out his hand.

  "I do," she said, allowing herself to be pulled out of her chair. "But I haven't done it in years."

  "The feet don't forget," Jake declared as he led her away.

  Stepping onto the dance floor and catching the beat, Jake spun Jenny around, passing her behind him and around to the side. Kate had known exactly what she was doing. Jake was a strong lead and Jenny was an excellent dancer. A jitterbug was exactly the distraction she needed.

  As Kate watched, Jenny twirled back into Jake's arms. She threw her head back and laughed, a happy flush rising to her cheeks. "Mission accomplished," Kate thought.

  Shifting her gaze just slightly, her eyes found Josh. Not realizing anyone was observing his actions, he crushed the beer can in his hand, sending a geyser of liquid up and over his fist. Cursing, he pitched the mangled aluminum into the nearest trash can and stalked off into the night.

  "One time temper tantrum, eh, Josh?" Kate muttered under her breath. "That's not what it looks like to me."

  Josh walked rapidly away from the lights and the crowd until he found himself alone in the alley behind the five-and-dime. Breathing deeply, he leaned his forehead against the cold brick as tears trickled down his cheeks.

  "Damn it," he said. "Damn it all to hell. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it."

  He wasn't jealous of Jake Martin. The professor had eyes for Katie only. Josh was jealous of the fact that Jake had just made Jenny laugh. That she could laugh with anyone but him. That in just a few short weeks she could be so completely over what they had been building together. So over it she could be here, in public, at this dance, laughing like she didn't have a care in the world while he lived with the constant pain of her absence.

  Here he was, completely caught between his past sins and the virtues he'd tried with all his heart to cultivate. It would be so easy, so damned easy to just go along with what Rafe and Retta wanted; take the Rocking L, sell all the land and live easy.

  But no matter how hard he tried, no matter how much whiskey he poured down his throat, Josh couldn't stop loving Jenny Lockwood.

  If he couldn't have her, if he couldn't be with her, then at least he could know he'd saved her world for her as his own imploded.

  Turning and putting his back up against the wall, Josh looked up at the night sky. Even in town, with the streetlights creating a glare, the heavens above him were ablaze with stars.

  "I don't know if You're up there," he said in a strangled voice, "and if You are, I don't know if You'll even listen to a man like me, but please show me the way out of this. Please show me how to fix what I can fix and not do any more harm. And, please, dear God, don't let me feel it so damned much."

  He stood there for several minutes, just staring at the stars, before scrubbing the tears off his face and blowing his nose into his bandana. Glancing at his watch, Josh saw it was only 9 o'clock. Plenty of time to get to the Bucket and get blessedly, stinking drunk. Sadie wouldn't have to ask this time. Josh already knew he was looking at a straight-whiskey night.

  129

  Mandy and Joe Bob stayed in town after the dance to help with the clean up. The group endured a long negotiation with Sissy and Missy, who insisted they wanted to stay as well. Finally Mandy agreed, but only if the girls bedded down on th
e sofa in Joe Bob's office. The idea of a slumber party in the courthouse thrilled the twins, who assured Mandy they'd be wide awake when it was time to go home.

  "Do you believe that?" Joe Bob asked as he tied up a heavy green trash bag in the makeshift coffee lounge where all the inhabitants of the Rocking L were gathered.

  "Of course not," she said. "They were asleep before I even made it out the door."

  "You sure you don't want us to stay and help?" Kate asked.

  "I'm sure," Mandy said. "You all go on back to the ranch."

  Jake went to retrieve Jenny's SUV, which was parked a block and a half away. Dusty waited for him to get out of earshot before she said to Kate, "Damn girl. Think you could have been any more subtle with ole Loretta?"

  "Huh," Kate scoffed. "I was a model of restraint. I don't like that woman and I never have."

  Jenny shook her head. "When I went to the ladies room with Mandy after that little encounter you two had at the table, Mandy told me Loretta upset Joe Bob so much he chewed antacid tablets for the rest of the night. He's a good mayor, but he's no cutthroat politician."

  "That boy isn't a cutthroat anything," Dusty said, "and Miss Loretta is a straight-razor-carrying woman. I think my brother may have finally met his match with that ole gal."

  Jake interrupted their conversation when he pulled the SUV to a stop at the curb. They all climbed in and were still getting settled as their vehicle approached the South Llano bridge. From the back seat, Jenny swore under her breath.

  "What?" Kate asked.

  Pointing toward the Bloody Bucket, Jenny said, "That's Josh's pickup. Looks like he left the dance and went straight to the beer joint. How much longer are you going to let this go on before you agree to let me talk to him?”

  Kate shifted in the passenger seat to look back at Jenny. "I know you don't like this," she said, "but we have to wait for them to make a move. We can't let them know we suspect anything or they'll just change their strategy and we'll be back at square one. At least now we have a pretty good idea what they're looking for."