“Everything.” He put his arms around her and she buried her face in his chest.
“I won’t let anything happen to you. I will protect you. I promise.” She cried against his chest and it burned all the way through him. He didn’t know what had had happened to her but it must have been bad. The fainting, the disguise, the locked door… it should not have taken paralyzing fear for him see it. He didn’t move at all he just held her until the tears subsided. When she finally lifted her head he gave her a handkerchief and she laughed.
“You do have all dozen in your pocket!”
“Down to nine now.”
“What is your sister in law going to say when she finds out you don’t have them anymore?”
“I think she would say they went to a good cause.” She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest. She took a deep breath and sighed and he relaxed a fraction.
“Are you ready to go back to your room?” She shook her head.“Why not, it’s cold in here?”
“You‘re warm.” He stood up holding her securely around the waist and lifting her with him. She kept her head on his chest as he walked her back to the bedroom. He pulled back the blankets and waited while she slid in then covered her. He locked the door before he went to the sofa and made his own bed.
“There is something I need to do.” She said into the darkness.
“What’s that?”
“I need to go away for a few days.”
“Alright,” he said not really following what she was saying.
“The girls… they think when I go… it’s to see… well you I guess.”
“Oh I see. Where do you go really?” Hisquestion was met with only silence so he withdrew it.“That’s okay, we’ll tell them we are going together this time.”
“You don’t mind? I don’t want to stall your investigation.”
“I don’t mind. I need to check in with my captain anyway.” The truth was,the investigation wasn’t really going all that well anyway. He hadn’t uncovered anything that led him towards the killer.
“Matt.”
“Hmm?”
“Thank you.”
Chapter 8
Matt led as they rode out of town. Rose wouldn't tell him where she was going but she did say it was towards Austin. So they rode together until they were well out of town then he stopped.
"So I will meet you right here in say 4 days?"
"Alright." she smiled.
"See you in a few days." he kicked the horse into a gallop up the road. As soon as he was out of her sight he veered of the road and doubled back. She was still in the same place. He was surprised to see she had dismounted she had already taken off her wig and her curly hair was tamed into a long braid down her back. Now he was really curious. He'd never seen her even leave her bedroom without it. He hadn't paid attention when they left but now he realized that she was wearing a very conservative dress buttoned to her chin. She never wore the makeup that the other girls did but as she tied bonnet strings under her chin he realized that she looked like someone who would never be caught in a saloon.
He followed at a far enough distance that she wouldn't notice him. He had done this a number of times but he had never been this interested in what his quarry was up to. It was almost midday when she reached her destination. It was actually quite a bit closer to Austin then she had let on. She traveled down a long narrow road that he realized was a driveway when she stopped in front of a white house. He dismounted and quickly made his way forward on foot so he could get closer without being seen. He saw the door open and an older woman stepped out with a small child on her hip. Rose rushed up the porch steps and retrieved the child. He was close enough to see her smile. He had seen that look before, the way a mother looked at her child. The look of unconditional love that couldn't be duplicated or explained. It was like seeing a different person. He had never seen her look quite so happy as when she was hugging the child. The baby had blond hair more like the wig she wore than the deep chestnut of her real hair. He, if he was a he, didn't look very old. Maybe a year. She disappeared into the house and he found himself rooted to his hiding place. So Rose was a mother. He hadn’t guessed that. Clearly no one knew. Her life was a carefully woven fabric of lies. So far he hadn’t been able to find his way through to the truth. Every time he thought he had it figured out she threw him another curve ball. He returned to his horse and backtracked back to the main road.
Following her hadn’t satisfied his curiosity if anything it only raised more questions. Who was the father? If he was in her life she wouldn’t be letting everyone believe he was her husband would she? Who was the woman caring for the child? Was that her mother? She looked old enough to be. Maybe that was the key, her mother cared for the baby and she and Izzy ran the saloon to support everyone… wouldn’t it be easier to let her raise her own child? He sighed and shook his head to clear it. At this point none of this mattered. She could have as many alter-egos as she wanted as long as none of them had murdered Benji it had nothing to do with him. But there was still the question of Orin Kline. How was she involved with him? Was he the father? If he was, it certainly proved he was still alive.
Rose’s heart was pounding with anticipation as she approached the house. She had only just dismounted when Martha opened the door. Somehow she always knew.
“I thought I would be seeing you soon.” The older woman smiled. Rose rushed forward and held her hands out to the baby and Martha transferred him over.
“Oh Clay I missed you so much.” She said and hugged the baby. He squealed and then stuck his drool covered fingers back in his mouth and continued to chew on them. She followed Martha back into the house. Just holding the baby made her feel better.“He’s gotten bigger.” She said softly.“It’s only been a month.”
“He cut two teeth.”
“You did?” She cocked her head trying to see around the fingers.
“Harrison, it’s about damn time you showed up. I got a case a week cold waiting for your tail to get back here.”
“You’re going to have to put someone else on it.I am working on something.” Captain Henning gave him a shrewd look. He had been a hell of a Ranger in his time. Now he ran the D company. He’d gained a good thirty pounds, lost most of his hair and maintained the carefully cultivated moustache of a bureaucrat. But he still had the intuition of a Ranger.
“Close the door.” Matt did as he was asked then sat down in the chair.“Sergeant I expressly told you not to investigate Ben’s murder. So why do you look like a man on a personal mission?”
“Because I am investigating Ben’s murder.”
“Damn it Matt, give me one good reason why I don’t throw you out of my company right now?”
“Because I am the best you’ve got especially now that Benji is gone.”
“You’ve got the skill but it takes more than that to make a good Ranger. You have to be able follow orders or you might as well be a two bit bounty hunter.”
“That’s not a bad idea, with the men I have brought in I could be a rich man off the bounties alone.”
“You’ve taken your share of the bounties. You don’t do this job for the money none of us does.”
“No I used to do this job for the honor, for the pride of being a Texas Ranger. I though it meant something. Turns out I could be lying dead in an alley and my Captain isn’t going to lift a finger to find my killer. But you can be damn sure my partner would have. Fire me if you have too but I will find Benji’s killer.” Matt’s was nearly yelling, not something he would have normally done to the Captain, he had too much respect for the man. But this was too important.
“Have you found any leads that show Benji’s murder was anything other than a random act of violence?”
“Not yet.” Matt said deflating somewhat.
“Then we have no Jurisdiction.” The captain’s voice was almost apologetic.
“What if I told you Orin Kline is still alive. That I might have a lead on him.” The Capt
ain perked up sitting up in his chair.
“You think that butcher is still alive?”
“I have a reason to think so.” The Captain stood up and walked to the window. He was quiet for a long time. Matt could almost see the memories filling him.
“I was there that day. We had the place surrounded. Thought we had him for sure. He was holed up in a little sod shack down by the gulf. It caught fire, started on the inside. We expected him to run out but he didn’t. They said it was suicide. That he would rather die his way then swing from the gallows. But after the fire was out there was no sign of a body. They still declared him dead, guess that was better than the public panic that was getting stirred up. But I never believed he was really dead.” Captain Henning turned back and looked at him. “What have you got? Is it solid?” Matt hesitated. He almost wished he hadn’t said anything.
“A woman, claims she knows him that she knows he’s not dead. Truthfully she is terrified of him, hiding from him.”
“Well if she knows him she has a right to be terrified. You believe her?” Did he believe her? Matt had to think about that. Everything she projected was false but she hadn’t directly lied to him and if she hadn’t been intoxicated she never would have told him about Kline in the first place.
“Yes, I believe her.”
“Well if a woman is the key I would say you are the best one for the job.” Captain Henning walked to a file cabinet in the corner and took out a file. He sat back down. “I’ve been keeping tabs. Kline is a sick sucker. He kills without regard. Obliterates entire families, killed every person in a church once. Since he supposedly died there have been a few incidents that reeked of him.” He handed the file to Matt and he began reading through it. “The first came about six months after his alleged death. It was a whole family again. Mother, father and two boys. Ten and twelve I think. I don’t know why he targeted this particular family. According to the neighbors they were new to the area and kept to themselves.”
“How do you know it was him?”
“The blood. He has a thing for blood. Douses everything it. The walls the furniture. He drains every drop from the bodies and… well I don’t know how to explain what he does but suffice it to say the places he visits are uninhabitable when he leaves.”
“What are these other ones? More families?” Matt flipped to the pages in the back of the file.
“No they are women. There have been four in the last four years. Again it’s the blood that makes me think it’s him.” Matt read the descriptions of the murdered women and it felt like ice in his chest.“Brown curly hair.” One said,“Frizzy dark hair.” Another said. All were in their late teens or early twenties, taller than average height and average body type. All were mutilated beyond recognition.
“These women sound very similar.” Matt said keeping his voice even.
“Yes it would appear that his has developed a type. Which is why I am not certain it’s him. He’s never had a type before it was his methods that were his signature.”
“What if it’s not a type? What if he is looking for one woman in particular? What if he is searching for her?” Matt said staring at the words in front of him. The Captain leaned forward onto his desk.
“You’re woman matches this description doesn’t she?”
“Yes.” Matt said simply. The Captain leaned back again.
“You think she can give you enough to find him before he finds her?”
“I don’t know, maybe.”
Chapter 9
Rose had been crying. He could tell the moment he saw her. But she smiled at him. She had beaten him to the meeting location. But then she had to reassemble her look. The wig was back in place. She looked just as he expected her too except for the red rimmed eyes.
"How was your time off?" he asked.
"Rejuvenating. How is your Captain?"
"Cantankerous as always." she laughed at that and he realized he had missed the sound. He had missed her.
"Shall we?"
"You sure?" he asked, "We don't have to, we could just run away. Ride off in to the sunset." her expression slipped just for a second and he realized she was tempted. She really did want a new life. Even more disturbing was the fact that he was tempted. He could just walk away from everything. It wouldn't even be a difficult decision.
“Come on let’s get going.” She turned her horse and headed up the road shattering the indecision for both of them.
“So, how often do you make the great escape?”
“Why?”
“Just wondering how often I get to see my wife?” He grinned, she arched a brow at him but she smiled too.
“About once a month.”
“Oh that is not nearly often enough.”
“Well maybe you should make more time for your wife.”
“Maybe I should. The Calvary can survive without me. Can the Whiskey Rose survive without its Rose?”
“Guess we’ll find out soon enough.”
“Wait. Are you serious?” Matt was certain that he had heard a plan to leave under the thinly veiled comment.
“It was never my goal to run the Saloon forever. It is simply a means to an end.”
“So… the end is near?”
“The end is very near.”
“How near?”
“A couple of months.”
“What about your father? Is Izzy going to run the Saloon?” She looked at him and felt like the worst detective ever.“He’s not your father at all is he?”
“Nope.” Matt sighed and rubbed his eyes. He should have seen that, it only proved that he had been blind where she was concerned all along.
“So he is what to you?”
“A friend,a business partner I guess you could say.”
“How did you hook up with him?”
“It’s a long story but suffice it to say that he saved my life and he’s been looking after me ever since.”
“So how does he feel about you walking away?”
“He is not very happy about it.” Unhappy enough to vandalize the front of the saloon? He wondered but didn’t voice the question.
“Why are you telling me all this now?”
“I don’t know.” She smiled. “The girls always tease me that I am in a much better mood after a few days of…” She looked at him and he saw her cheeks pinken slightly. “Rest.” She finished and he smiled. “Don’t worry, your investigation should be over before I go. You won’t need me anymore.” He might not need her for that investigation but now he had a new mandate. He would have to work quickly to earn her trust, if this conversation was any indication he had made good strides toward that goal but he needed her to tell him about Kline and he knew that wouldn’t be an easily divulged secret.
The Saloon was in an upheaval of activity when they returned. He didn’t see anyone but he could certainly hear them. With everything that had happened he had completely forgotten that the girls were planning room swaps for today.
“Do not go up there.” Rose said, as if she could tell he was noting the activity.
“Why not?” He frowned wondering if she thought he would get in the way or if she was just banning him from the second floor altogether.
“Because they are what they are, and you are what you are.” He was slightly stung by the explanation. It seemed that she thought he would be overcome with lust just by being up there.
“Can I have that in English please?” She turned around and he stopped his progress down the narrow hallway. She approached him and he stood his ground determined not to back away as she approached. She stopped so close to him that they were almost touching. She looked up at him through partially lowered lashes and he had the overwhelming desire to kiss her.
“Matt,” She reached up and touched the line of buttons on the front of his shirt. “I was wonderin’ could you be a doll and give me a hand?” Her voice had the soft Texas drawl that he had forgotten she did so well. “You see I been tryin’ but I just can’t manage it and with you bein’
so big and strong and all.” She ran her hand over his bicep and gave it a slight squeeze, “Oh my, that’s bigger than it looks isn’t it.” She said her tone breathy. “Do you recon you could move this little ol’ dresser into that room across the hall for me? Please?” She pouted her lips slightly and blinked twice.
“Yeah,” he said softly,“I recon I would move just about anything you wanted just about anywhere you want it.” She laughed and patted his chest lightly before she tuned and continued up the hall.
“And they would gladly take advantage. You would move every single piece of furniture up there. So save yourself the grief and the soreness and just don’t go up there.” She laughed.“In fact…” She stopped in the doorway.“Are you hungry?”
“I could eat.”
“What time is it? Come on, let’s get out of here.” She didn’t wait for the answer to her first question.“Maggie has fried chicken on Sundays.” She slipped past him back down the hall and he turned and followed her. His heart was still pounding from her demonstration. He had been extremely susceptible to her and it highlighted one thing, she could have manipulated him into doing anything she wanted at any time and she knew it but she hadn’t.
“Hey, what does, you are you, mean?” He followed her back out the door and walked beside her up the boardwalk.
“It means that they have skills for getting what they want from men and you are a…” She left the sentence hanging for him to fill in the blank.
“Alright fine point taken.” He laughed. He held her chair as she sat down in the little dining room.
“Maggie makes the best chicken.” Rose smiled as the woman approached.
“Ah Rose, flattery will get you everywhere.” Maggie smiled.“What can I get you?”
“The chicken for me.”
“And for you handsome?”
“Whatever the lady recommends.” Matt looked into Rose’s smiling eyes.
“Chicken,” she said at once and he chuckled. She was different tonight, like the girl she should be, carefree and unguarded. As he listened to her talk and laughed at her random observations he wondered when he had stopped noticing that he was surrounded by beautiful women. He had only been staying at the saloon for a couple of weeks. He could remember a time when the attention of six women compared to the attention of one would have been an easy choice. He wouldn’t have minded moving furniture. He would have enjoyed the flirtation. Yet here he was, somehow he had determined that the attention of this one woman was preferable to half a dozen at the same time.
Whiskey Rose (Fallen) Page 8
