Miller took a deep breath. “Like you did?” There was sadness in his tone.
Martha understood immediately. “This isn’t about us or me or PJ. This is about them. We can talk about us later once you save my daughter.”
Miller looked at Martha. “The evidence speaks for itself. She knocked Wylie out cold and took off with Freddie after she killed Judy Jane.”
Martha’s rage showed on her red face. “First of all, Kennedy would never hurt Wylie. I have never seen anyone more in love. And as for Freddie. Kennedy despises that man. I have a feeling there’s good reason. She never would tell me, but I have always thought he tried to hurt her when she was a child.”
Wylie was filled with rage at this revelation. “Hurt her? How?”
Martha didn’t answer him, which was answer enough. He had his suspicions, but this confirmed them. Wylie swore he would kill the man with his bare hands.
“Tell me again why Kennedy would kill Judy Jane?” Martha continued.
“Martha, everyone in town knew what happened at the diner. The two of them hated each other.”
“Maybe, but Kennedy only hated Judy Jane because she was so mean. She constantly bullied Kennedy and made her life as difficult as possible. Kennedy is strong. She didn’t like it, but she took care of it in her way. She never would have killed her. It’s not in her to hurt anyone like that. Besides, what would she have to gain?”
“The detective from Abilene said the footprints leading from Judy Jane’s body were female. That means Freddie didn’t do it, even if I have reason to suspect him.”
“So you assume they were Kennedy’s?” Wylie questioned. “Can’t you see we were set up? No one with a brain in their head would leave such clear evidence unless they wanted someone to believe what they wanted them to. You know Kennedy is too smart to be so obvious. And I write about murder for a living. Don’t you think I’d be smarter than that if I was actually going to kill someone?”
“Who else was there?” Miller asked.
“Well, now there’s the real question, Sheriff. Who was in it with Freddie?” Wylie returned.
“Do you know?” Miller asked.
“No. But the list can’t be a long one. Who had to gain from the beginning?”
“What do you mean?” Miller asked.
“When there was money. From PJ Before anyone knew it didn’t exist.”
“Well, that narrows it down to Dolores,” Miller returned.
“Who is a woman about Kennedy’s size and the one with a motive?” Wylie asserted.
“No more than Kennedy. She thought there was money in the beginning too.”
“Stop it, George. Kennedy didn’t do it. She was with me the night PJ was killed, and she was with Wylie when Delie died. Don’t forget, Kennedy is in love. People in love don’t think about killing people. They’re engaged and planning a new life. What is wrong with you?”
“All right, all right. I’ll go looking for Kennedy and see if anyone knows anything. OK?”
“Hurry,” Martha and Wylie said together.
* * *
Miller was pretty sure where to start. It was four in the morning. He hated to drag people out of their beds, but this couldn’t wait. He headed right to Ruby and Freddie’s house.
As he pulled up, he saw Ruby slam the front door in Weir’s face. Weir looked up at Miller’s approach and walked toward him.
“What are you doing here?” Miller asked.
“Looking for Freddie.” Weir sounded disappointed. “I sure pissed off Miss Ruby, but I’m desperate.”
“Was he home?”
“No. But I need to see him. I have to go.”
“Go where?”
“To find him. I need some money by eight this morning. The bank is going to take my truck. I can’t lose my truck. Don’t nobody care?”
Not really. “Sure, I care. Where’s Freddie?”
“Not back yet.”
“From?”
Weir didn’t answer.
“Look, I need to find him too. So maybe we can help each other.”
Weir narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “How can I help you, Sheriff?”
“Tell me where Freddie went.”
“Why should I?”
“Because I just happen to have some cash in the office. I could give it to you.”
“OK…but I need the money first.”
“Let’s go. Get in my car.”
A few minutes later, they walked into the office. Weir glanced over and saw Wylie in a cell. “So Miller finally put you where you belong.”
Martha approached Weir.
“Morning, ma’am,” he said respectfully.
“Do you know where she is?” Martha asked.
“Who, ma’am?”
“Kennedy.”
“I thought you were looking for Freddie.” Weir was obviously confused.
Miller jumped in. “We are. How much money do you need this morning?”
"Two hundred dollars."
Miller reached into the bottom drawer of the desk and pulled out a metal box. He opened it, counted bills, and handed them to Weir.
“Freddie told me last night he was going to the mesa. He had urgent business. Said he’d give me money this morning as soon as he got back. Said he’d be home before dawn. I was waiting for him.”
“Where in the mesa?” Miller prodded.
“He has a favorite spot out there. Told me he likes to go there and think.”
“Where?” Miller’s patience was wearing thin.
“About fifteen miles out, due southwest, where them big rocks sit at the base of a hill. Yep, straight southwest.”
Miller was suspicious. “How do you know this?”
“His car broke down there once, and I had to go pick him up. That’s why he was going to help me out with the money. I was always doing little favors for him like that.”
“Was he alone?”
“Sure didn’t take Miss Ruby with him. I know I really pissed her off.”
“You said that. Did he go with anyone else?”
“How should I know? Look, Sheriff, I cooperated. Can I go now?”
At Miller’s nod, Weir sprinted out the door.
“We need to go,” Wylie said urgently.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Miller said.
“You can cuff me or hold a gun on me or whatever you need to do, but I’m going.”
“Who are you to give orders?” Miller asked.
“He’s going, George. Let him out.”
Miller thought about this for a minute. “I suppose you want to go too.”
“Yes,” Martha said. “Of course.”
“OK, I’ll make you a deal. I’ll take him if you stay here. I can’t take the chance we might run into some trouble and have you getting hurt.”
Before she could agree, Wylie jumped in. “He’s right. You stay here, so we won’t have to worry about you.”
“OK,” Martha said. “But hurry. Find Kennedy and bring her back.”
From a cabinet, Miller withdrew a shotgun and checked that it was loaded. Then he went to unlock Wylie’s cell. “If you so much as breathe out of line, I will shoot you.”
“Agreed. Now can we go?”
They jumped in the car, and the dust sprayed out behind the wheels. Miller pushed the car as hard as he could. Driving through the rutted, unpaved roads of the mesa slowed them down, but Miller still managed to hold at sixty. His hands gripped the wheel until his knuckles showed white.
* * *
Wylie sat in the front seat of the patrol car. Miller drove with the shotgun across his hips, the muzzle pointed at Wylie.
“I still don’t know that you’re both innocent. She could have knocked you cold and then taken off. For all I know, Freddie is out there alone, and I’ll have some fast explaining to do.”
“That’s your problem? You’re worried about offending Freddie? I wouldn’t concern myself with that if I were you. Can this thing go any faster?”
; “The mayor is my boss. I can’t just go accusing him of murder without evidence.”
“And if he kidnapped Kennedy? Would that be evidence enough for you?”
“Yes. But it makes no sense. No, more like I can make sense of it seven ways from Sunday. I just can’t prove anything, yet.”
“We’re not guilty, and you know it.”
“He would have needed an accomplice. And that could only be Dolores. Which I guess makes sense.”
“Isn’t he some kind of child abuser?”
“Rumor has it that he and Dolores like each other, if you know what I mean.”
“Oh my God, that’s disgusting.”
“If it was the plan to set you and Kennedy up to take the fall…well, it certainly wouldn’t hurt Dolores any to get Kennedy out of the way.”
“Why does she hate Kennedy so much? What did Kennedy ever do to her sister?”
“She was better.”
“What? Better than who, what?”
“Better than all of them. Smarter, prettier, more talented. So far above her sisters. She is just like her mother.”
“Martha?”
“Yep. Martha was always the prettiest, the most athletic. She excelled in everything.”
“Then why didn’t everyone in this town hate Martha?”
“Because of PJ."
Wylie shook his head, not understanding.
“PJ was a loser. Oh, he was a charmer, but he was a loser. He broke her heart when she was so young, people felt sorry for her. Left her pregnant and alone. No fun kicking a downed dog unless you’re a sadist. Most of the people in my town are decent. They mind their business and keep to themselves.”
Wylie heard something in Miller’s tone that spoke volumes, and part of the conversation Miller had with Martha earlier came back to him. “How long?” Wylie asked.
“How long what?”
“How long have you been in love with Martha?”
Miller shot him a look, then smiled. “All my life, I guess. From the first day I laid eyes on her. We were in kindergarten. I got lost in her gray eyes, and I’ve been drowning in them ever since.”
“What happened?”
“PJ happened. She was crazy about him. She could have been anything she wanted, but she gave it all up for that two-bit loser. She had a scholarship to college, but he ruined everything. She could just never see what he really was. I guess love can do that. Make you blind.”
“Is that why you think I’m defending Kennedy?”
“Partly. You should stand up for the one you love. They should be right in your eyes.”
They were quiet for a few minutes, Wylie a little embarrassed by the sheriff’s show of vulnerability.
“So what now with you and Martha? Now that PJ’s dead?”
Miller smiled. “I suppose I finally may have my shot.”
“She knows how you feel, doesn’t she?”
“Yes. I told her the other day. Broke into a sweat doing it.”
“Is that why we’re here? Why you trusted me and why we’re looking for Kennedy now? Because Martha is right in your eyes, so Kennedy is too?”
“Does it matter?”
“No. I’m just glad we’re doing it.”
“I can’t even imagine what I’ll tell Martha if I find Kennedy is involved in this mess. She’ll never forgive me.”
“Well, Miller, I give you my word, that is the least of your worries. Let’s just find her and bring her home, and we can both be heroes.”
Wylie was trying to stay calm, but he was crawling out of his skin. “How much further?” he asked.
“About five miles.”
“Can’t you hurry?”
“It doesn’t make sense to kick up a lot of dust and warn ’em we’re coming, now does it? And it might take a while to find ’em.”
“We haven’t got a while,” Wylie said.
“Just keep your eyes open for a campsite or anything that looks like it doesn’t belong.”
“What do you think I’ve been doing?”
“We just have to be grateful he told Weir where he was going. That might be the only thing in our favor right now.” Miller paused. “Are you a praying man, Nichols?”
“I am today.”
“What’s that? Over there?” Wylie wanted to sprint out of the speeding car, but he controlled the urge.
In the distance, the early-morning light glinted off the metal outline of a vehicle. “That’s gotta be them.” Wylie was beyond excited. They had been driving forever and seen nothing before now.
“Looks to be about two miles, I would guess. But I have to go slow, or they’ll see us coming. Just be patient. We’ll get there. It’s going to be all right.”
“Do you have a plan?” Wylie asked.
“You have to understand, Nichols. The man is the mayor, and I’m still not convinced he’s the guilty one here.”
“Well, let’s just pretend then. What should we do?”
“I think it might be a good idea if we aren’t so visible. The problem with the mesa is there aren’t many places to hide. The big rocks near his car will work to hide our approach, but we’re going to have to get behind them. We’ll have to make a pretty wide arc so we don’t attract their attention.”
“How long will that take?”
“As long as it does. It’s our only hope to surprise him if he has Kennedy. It is also my only hope of an excuse if we’re wrong.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Well, it won’t look as if I sneaked up on them if they can’t see me coming. I can think up something to explain why I was coming from the other direction.”
“Do you really believe Freddie is innocent?”
Miller hesitated for a minute. “No. I guess not. I never like him. Always thought he was sleazy. But as much as I love Martha, I have to do the right thing. I have ethics.”
“I know. So do I. So when I tell you I am innocent and so is Kennedy, you should believe it.”
“Son, if I didn’t believe it, you wouldn’t be in this car with me now.”
“Thanks for that. So what do we do when we get there?”
“We don’t. You will stay in this car until I figure out what’s going on. I am hoping by taking the roundabout route we can see them before they see us. If Kennedy’s there with Freddie, I will drive up as close as I can. Then…well, we’ll just have to see.”
“If I’m right and he has her, will you shoot him?” Wylie heard the hope in his voice.
“No, I won’t shoot him, unless I have to.”
“Can I shoot him?”
Miller laughed. “No, you can’t shoot him. Oh yeah, bringing you along was a great idea.”
Wylie hoped they could make it in time. He closed his eyes, trying desperately to control his roiling emotions. If anything happened to Kennedy, he didn’t know what he would do. The thought of losing her seemed a real possibility; he couldn’t breathe. The mere suggestion brought with it visceral pain. He finally understood what it was to love someone so completely they became a part of you. If anything happened to her, his revenge would know no bounds.
He also knew that he couldn’t lose hope. He had to remain strong. If there was any chance to save her, he needed to be able to take it. He desperately wanted to be her hero.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“Did you remember the coffee?” Freddie asked.
“Of course. Don’t I always take care of you?” Dolores preened.
“Yes, sweet girl. Now get me some.”
“Are you sorry you said those mean things earlier and hurt my feelings?”
“Dolores, we both know you have no feelings. That’s why we get on so good. Now get me some coffee.”
Dolores walked to the car and withdrew a thermos, which she gave to Freddie. “Just the way you like it, Daddy. And I brought along some of those doughnuts you like. The really sugary ones.” She reached into a white paper bag and pulled out a soggy-looking pastry. Freddie took it and sank his teeth into it. The
sight made Kennedy want to gag. She was hungry, but food like that could make her never want to eat again.
He licked the white powder from his full lips. “Good girl.” He poured a cup of coffee and sipped it. “Hot.” Without warning, he threw the contents of the cup at Kennedy. The steaming brew burned as it soaked through her blouse. Involuntarily, she cried out. She hated giving him any satisfaction.
“My, my… I’d say she thinks it’s too hot,” Freddie cackled.
Dolores joined in, appearing very happy that Freddie was inflicting pain on Kennedy. Kennedy lifted her chin to regain her pride. She wouldn’t give these two anymore pleasure than she was forced to. The burn had actually given her increased focus. She had felt disconnected from reality. The thought of actually losing her life out here, at the hands of these two sick monsters, had simply not penetrated. Kennedy knew if she let it in, it would destroy any hope, and she desperately needed hope. She had to believe that life hadn’t turned around for her and brought her love, true love, only to take it away. Or maybe life was one sick joke. Maybe it was now that she was supposed to die—at the heights. That would be beyond cruel. No, her mind screamed. Wylie will save me. He will come for me.
A niggling thought wormed its way into her faith. What if Wylie was like PJ? What if he was incapable of true commitment and love? What if it was a relief to him that she was gone? He could tell himself she was guilty after all and be done with it. With her.
She refused to accept that. This was not over. She would fight with whatever means she could. She would have her love and her happy life. Life may not be fair, but she was going to hold on to the good with everything in her.
The other two started to talk again and broke into her reverie.
“Dolores, you are such a good cook. But now I think I need some entertainment,” Freddie said.
“Sure, Daddy. What did you have in mind?” She winked at him knowingly. “I could get naked and touch you.”
“Ummm, well, I actually was thinking of something else.”
Texas Summer Page 19
