Laying Down the Law

by Delores Fossen

  If Harley was telling the truth, that is.

  She reminded herself that Harley did indeed hate her, and he could want her out of the way so she couldn’t testify against him at his trial. Somehow, that was easier to accept than Rocky choosing her as some random victim to copycat the Moonlight Strangler.

  “We need to find Rocky,” she said under her breath.

  Until she heard her own words spoken aloud, Karina hadn’t realized just how shaky she was. But Cord must have because he took hold of her arm and led her back toward Jericho’s office.

  “That’s it?” Harley called out to her. “I give you picture proof, and you just walk away?”

  Karina stopped. “Thank you,” she managed to say, but it was hollow. Maybe not even deserved. Harley could be playing some kind of sick game with her. “But you broke into Willie Lee’s cabin. Someone who does that isn’t exactly trustworthy.”

  “Willie Lee would want me to have those pictures,” Harley insisted. Something he’d said, and repeated, right from the start.

  And he didn’t stop there.

  “Just pictures,” he added. “I wasn’t after anything of value. I only wanted mementos from an old friend. And now I’m facing charges for that. Any idea what this is doing to my wife and her family?”

  She nodded. Karina did know. Harley’s wife, Miriam, was a socialite. An apparently beloved one. And people had praised her for marrying a disfigured man. Well, Karina wasn’t going to let Harley’s wife, or his scars, keep her from getting to the truth.

  Harley demanded that she come back and talk to him face-to-face and was still essentially calling her out when Cord and she went into the office. Cord shut the door, and Harley instantly went quiet. It was possible Jericho had threatened the man, or perhaps it wasn’t any fun to torment her if she wasn’t around to listen.

  “I don’t even know what Harley was really looking for in Willie Lee’s cabin,” she admitted. “And yes, I searched the place. No pictures. I’m talking zero. In fact, Willie Lee had nothing personal in there.”

  That had to interest a lawman, and Cord no doubt believed that meant Willie Lee was leading some kind of secret life.

  The life of a serial killer.

  “Let’s assume for a second that Harley was indeed an old friend,” Cord mused. “Maybe he’s looking for something Willie Lee hid away. Nothing to do with the Moonlight Strangler,” Cord quickly added when she opened her mouth to object. “But maybe they committed some other crime. Something that Harley wanted to make sure didn’t come back to bite him.”

  “Like what?” she asked, caution in her voice.

  Cord lifted his shoulder. “There was a big money-laundering operation going on at the time the murders started over thirty years ago. Willie Lee and Harley would have been in their midtwenties then. Someone died as a result of that operation. Again, I’m not saying that Willie Lee did it, but there’s no statute of limitations on murder. That would be a good reason for Harley to break into the cabin.”

  It would be. And she wasn’t naive enough to believe Willie Lee had a perfect past. Still, it was hard to think of him as a criminal. Any kind of criminal.

  “We’ll leave as soon as Harley’s out of here,” Cord added, checking his watch. “I just want to make sure neither he nor DeWayne follows us.”

  Mercy, she hadn’t even thought of that, but she wouldn’t put it past either of them. Plus, she wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea of going back to the Appaloosa Pass Ranch.

  Cord went to Jericho’s computer, and after he pulled up the results of his search, he showed it to her. “That’s Scott Chaplin’s DMV photo. Do you recognize him?”

  Karina shook her head. That was something at least. She wasn’t sure she could have stomached knowing that both Rocky and Scott had somehow insinuated themselves into her life.

  She leaned against the back of the door, looked at Cord and saw something she didn’t usually see in his eyes. Sympathy. As someone who’d always had to stand on her own two feet, it stung to have someone feel sorry for her.

  Karina tried to put on a much stronger face. “I need a place to stay. And it’s not as if I have a lot of options. I’m guessing my ranch in Comal County is out.” She didn’t wait for Cord to confirm that.

  It was out.

  All three of their suspects would look for her there. And besides, going there could endanger the six ranch hands who worked for her. No way did she want to bring this to their doorstep.

  “I’m not exactly close to my friends these days,” she went on. “Because of Willie Lee. They think I’m crazy to believe he’s innocent.”

  And mercy, could she sound any more miserable?

  She wouldn’t have been surprised if Cord had just groaned and walked out. But he didn’t. He just stood there, staring at her, as if he was waiting for her to quit whining and do something.

  So she did do something.

  Karina kissed him.

  It was barely a brush of her mouth to his, but she still felt it in every inch of her. She snapped away from him, ready to apologize and promise that it wouldn’t happen again. But the words died on her lips when Cord slid his hand around the back of her neck.

  “If we’re going to make a mistake, it might as well be a good one,” he drawled.

  And he kissed her.

  Not some brief little peck, either. This was a real kiss, and Karina could have sworn she lost every bit of her breath. It just vanished, and for those moments he was kissing her, all the pain and the flashbacks vanished, too.

  She heard herself make a sound, a mixture of relief and pleasure. Mostly pleasure. From practically the moment Karina had first laid eyes on Cord, she’d wondered what it would be like to kiss him.

  And now she knew.

  He eased back from her, slowly, meeting her eye to eye. “Was that a big enough mistake for you?”

  She couldn’t help it. Karina smiled.

  Cord didn’t smile, though. He apparently wasn’t feeling any relief, but she was certain that she saw the heat in his eyes that was mirrored in her own. He stepped away, turning his back to her for a moment as if he was trying to regain control. Or maybe he was just cursing himself for that lapse in judgment.

  “I need you to stay at the Appaloosa Pass Ranch just one more day,” he said.

  Karina hadn’t been sure what he was about to tell her, but she certainly hadn’t expected that. And then something occurred to her.

  “You didn’t kiss me just so I’d cooperate with you, did you?” she asked.

  He angled his head, looking back at her, and she had her answer with just that one glance.

  No.

  That wasn’t the reason he’d kissed her.

  Well, good. Her state of mind was already eggshell-thin, and she didn’t want another hit. Especially since she wasn’t so sure that kiss was indeed a mistake.

  “The Appaloosa Pass Ranch has security already in place,” Cord said a few seconds later. “A day will give Jericho and his deputies time to find Rocky, and it’ll give me time to figure out where to take you.”

  “I’m staying in your protective custody?” she asked. Karina hadn’t added after that kiss, but she figured Cord understood the full question.

  “Yeah. For the time being anyway. I’ll work on that, too.”

  But he might not be able to get everything in place in twenty-four hours. And Jericho certainly might not be able to find Rocky by then.

  “I need some things at my rental house. Clothes, for one thing,” she said, motioning toward the borrowed items Addie had lent her. “Plus, I take meds for my thyroid. When will I be able to get back into the house to get those things?”

  Cord took out his phone, sent a text and thankfully got a response almost right away. “Jax said you can stop by now,” he answered after
reading the text. “The CSIs are still there, but they can escort us in and out.”

  He got her moving out of the office, and Karina braced herself for another round with Harley.

  “He’s gone,” Jericho volunteered. “I had nothing I could use to hold him.”

  Karina had been afraid of that. Yes, Harley hadn’t shown them that picture sooner, but it would be hard to pin withholding-evidence charges on him when they weren’t even sure Rocky was the one who’d tried to kill her.

  “But I did just get an interesting phone call,” Jericho added. “A woman named Taryn Wellman.”

  “I know her. She’s DeWayne’s current girlfriend.” Karina had to shake her head. “But why would she call you?”

  “Because she’s apparently worried about lover boy. She says he’s been acting suspicious and that she’s afraid someone’s blackmailing him or something.”

  “Blackmail?” Cord questioned.

  “She didn’t have a lick of proof. No other details, either. Hell, maybe because there aren’t any details to have. I’ll check it out, of course, but DeWayne could just be fooling around with another woman, that’s all.”

  Yes. That sounded like DeWayne. According to the rumor mill, he’d had several lovers in the short time since he’d moved near her, one during the same time as Taryn.

  “I’m taking Karina to her place and then back to the ranch,” Cord told Jericho. “I’ll work from there with the SAPD on contacting the members of the Bloody Murder club. One of them has to know where Rocky is.”

  Jericho nodded, and Cord and she headed out toward his truck. As he’d done earlier, he got her inside fast, and they sped away from the sheriff’s office. Karina glanced around to make sure no one was following them. Cord did the same.

  “I’ve been thinking about Harley just showing up at your ranch,” Cord said. “Jericho and I discussed it earlier, but I forgot to ask Harley about this particular point. Did Harley happen to tell you how he knew Willie Lee and your mother?”

  It took her a moment to switch mental gears. Partly because her mind was still hazy from that kiss. And also because there seemed to be some kind of accusation in his tone. Probably because she’d said Harley gave her the creeps.

  “Harley was short on specifics, but he said Willie Lee and he were old army buddies.” She paused. “And that he’d met my mother after my father died.”

  Cord didn’t say anything. Probably because he was waiting for more. But Karina figured this wasn’t going to make sense to him.

  “I don’t know if my mother and Harley actually met,” she went on. “I certainly never saw him around the ranch. But my mother suffered from depression, and Harley knew all about that. He said he was trying to help her, but that clearly didn’t work. She finally overdosed on pills one night.”

  Of course, Harley could have gotten those details from the same gossip mill where she’d gotten dirt about DeWayne’s affair.

  “Did Harley talk to you about your mother’s suicide?” Cord asked.

  Karina had to shake her head. “No, only that he knew my mother was dead and that he was sorry about that because he loved her.”

  And she could say the same for herself. Karina had indeed loved her mother. Once. But after the woman had fallen apart and quit living, she had become a hard woman to love.

  There was a lesson in that for Karina.

  She couldn’t let all of what happened break her. She had to keep fighting, not only to find the person who’d attacked her, but also to figure out a way to prove Willie Lee’s innocence.

  Cord didn’t ask her anything else. He drove in silence, but it wasn’t a peaceful drive. He kept watch all around them, and he didn’t seem to relax one bit when he finally pulled up in front of her rental place. But then neither did she.

  There was yellow crime-scene tape on the barn and the area around it, and a CSI van was parked next to the house. Both reminders of the attack.

  “Let’s make this fast,” he insisted. Cord reached to open his door, but then stopped. He stopped her, too.

  Karina wasn’t sure why he’d done that, but she followed his gaze. He was looking at the barn, specifically at the opened door, where the wind was rattling the yellow tape.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  He only shook his head and kept his attention pinned there.

  She wasn’t touching Cord, but Karina knew the exact moment that his muscles tightened. And he pulled his gun.

  That put her heart in her throat, and she was about to ask him again what was going on. But she saw it for herself.

  Someone was moving inside the barn.

  “It’s probably one of the CSIs,” she said, hoping that was true.

  It wasn’t.

  The person moved again, and for just a split second, Karina got a good look at him.

  It was Rocky.

  * * *

  CORD COULDN’T TELL if Rocky had a gun, but he couldn’t risk it. Nor could he take the chance of having Karina run into the house with the CSIs.

  “Get down on the seat,” Cord told Karina, and he threw open the door.

  “You can’t go out there.” She caught on to his arm.

  Cord shook off her grip and maneuvered himself into a position to take aim while still using the door as cover. Not that it would be much cover if Rocky did indeed have a weapon, but it was better than nothing.

  He tossed Karina his phone. “Text Jax and tell him what’s going on. I don’t want the CSIs walking out of the house and getting caught in gunfire. I also want somebody out here to take Rocky into custody.” Cord didn’t want to do that himself, not with Karina with him.

  She nodded, and despite the fact that Karina had to be shaken up by this, she got busy with the text. And Cord got busy with their suspect.

  “Rocky?” Cord called out. “I need you to come out of the barn with your hands up.”

  No answer.

  Damn.

  Cord was hoping Rocky would make this easy. But apparently no such luck.

  “We know about the Bloody Murder club,” Cord tried again. “We also know you discussed a copycat killing so you could clear Willie Lee. I’m not just going to let you walk away from this.”

  Especially since he could return to have another go at Karina.

  If that’s what he’d done.

  The seconds crawled by and Cord glanced at the house when he saw some movement there. One of the CSIs was looking out the window. He didn’t recognize the guy, but he had his creds clipped to his shirt pocket. Cord motioned for him to move back. The county CSIs weren’t issued guns as part of their jobs, but many carried their personal weapons. He hoped that was the case here because he might need backup before this was over.

  Thankfully, Cord could see both of the barn doors, so it would be easy to spot Rocky if he tried to escape. However, there were trees, fences and watering troughs nearby. Plenty of places for someone to hide and wait for an ambush. That was even more reason to hurry this along.

  “Rocky, get out here now!” Cord shouted, though he didn’t hold out much hope the man would answer. That’s why Cord was so surprised when he did.

  “I can’t do this,” Rocky said. Not a shout like Cord’s. He seemed to be arguing with someone. Or maybe himself.

  “Yes, you can come out,” Cord insisted. “Because if you don’t, I have to come in there after you.”

  It wasn’t a bluff. Not exactly. Eventually, Cord would have to go inside the barn, but that wouldn’t happen until he had backup in place and someone to help him protect Karina.

  “I need to end this,” Rocky added. Cord couldn’t be sure, but it sounded as if he was crying. Or else pretending to cry.

  “Maybe I should try?” Karina asked. “I might be able to talk him into surrendering.”

&n
bsp; Cord was about to tell her no, that he wanted her down on the seat. However, before he could even get out a single word, there was a sound. A really bad one.

  A shot blasted through the air.

  And it was quickly followed by another one. Both bullets slammed into the bed of his truck, just inches from where Cord was standing.

  Cord jumped back in the truck, slamming the door and trying to position himself in front of Karina. The sides of the truck were reinforced—a modification he’d made after being attacked by the Moonlight Strangler—but the bullets could still tear their way through.

  “Backup will be here soon,” she told him.

  That was good, but soon might not be soon enough, though.

  The bullets just kept coming, and Cord tried to pinpoint Rocky’s position. But the shots weren’t coming from the barn. They were coming from the direction of the bunkhouse.

  Hell.

  Rocky wasn’t alone.

  “It’s Scott Chaplin,” Karina said. “I recognize him from the photo you showed me.”

  And that’s when Cord realized she was peering over the dash and at the doorway of the bunkhouse, where the man was standing. Cord pushed her back down on the seat and hoped she would stay put so he could figure out what the devil was going on.

  He looked at the man again. Yeah, it was Scott.

  But something wasn’t right.

  Cord didn’t actually see a gun in Scott’s hand, and the man darted out of sight before he could get a better look. He couldn’t see Rocky any longer, either.

  However, the shots continued.

  All coming from the side of the bunkhouse. Did that mean Scott and Rocky had brought another member of the group with them?

  The CSI that Cord had spotted from the window opened the front door of the house. He was armed, and even though he took aim in the direction of the bunkhouse, he didn’t fire. Probably because he didn’t know if this was a hostage situation or not.

  Cord didn’t know, either.

  But he had to put a stop to the shooter. Cord hit the button to lower the window, and he levered himself up so he could get the guy in his sights.