Texas Hellcat

by Shelley Stringer

  “You didn’t have to rent the penthouse, a room at the Holiday Inn would have been fine,” I snapped. Liam stood slowly and placed my shoes on the coffee table.

  “I know, Kel. My family owns this hotel. I’ve stayed here before and I know several people on the staff. I just thought it would make things easier.”

  “Of course you did. We could probably pay for daycare for twenty kids at the county day-care center where Dana worked for what it will cost to stay here one night,” I hissed.

  “Okay…I’m sorry. What do you want me to do, write them a check?” he asked, sounding a little exasperated.

  “No! I don’t want you to do anything for me, Covington! Just…forget it. Rich men and their money.” I popped up, grabbed my shoes, and darted into the bedroom. I struggled to reach the zipper on my dress as he followed me into the bedroom.

  “Here, let me help you,” he commanded, reaching for my shoulder. I turned, pulling out of his reach.

  “I know what you’re doing. Stop it. You don’t mean this. You’re hurting, and you’re lashing out at me,” Liam said softly. “I get it. Go ahead, get it all out,” he whispered, pulling me into his chest.

  I shoved against his embrace. “I hate money, Liam! I hate the power money buys. I hate Reeves for what he did to all of us--my mother, me, my sister. He brought the drugs into our lives. He introduced my mother to the dark things and he hooked her on them. She left us, Liam! The drugs were more important to her than we were! Dana wouldn’t do that, not to Masen! Damn your money. It can buy me things,” I paused, and yanked the diamond bracelet off my wrist, breaking the clasp in the process. I raised my eyes and looked at him. He had such a helpless look on his face, it just made me angrier. I threw the bracelet at his head, narrowly missing his face as he reached out and grabbed it. “Your damn money buys me whatever my heart desires, but it can’t buy Dana back. It can’t give Masen his mother back! It can’t bring my mother back, can it, Liam?”

  I was sobbing now. I sank down on the bedroom floor. Liam crossed the bedroom silently and knelt beside me, pulling me upright again.

  “Hellcat, you’re right. Money doesn’t buy happiness. Only people can make that happen. People who love you, and I love you more than life itself. I’m going to help you through this no matter how hard you push me away,” he murmured softly as he stroked my hair.

  I paused and looked up into his eyes, really seeing him for the first time since we’d arrived.

  “Oh, God…Liam, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” I whispered, shaking my head.

  He clutched the diamond bracelet I’d thrown at his head, kissed his fist and then placed it in the pocket of his pants. “I’ll fix it. It’s the one thing I can fix. You’re strong, Kelly. Hold on to your anger, Hellcat. We’re going to get through this,” he urged. I nodded at him. A knock at the suite door brought both of us back to the tasks at hand.

  “That will be the lieutenant,” he said as he cupped my cheek. “I’ll go.”

  After Liam left the room, I crossed to the mirror over the large dresser and stared at the girl who stared back at me. My hair was a mess, having wallowed in Liam’s lap on the ride from Austin. I ran my fingers through it, straightened my wrinkled dress, and then slipped back into my pumps. When I entered the living room, I saw two Houston policemen standing with Liam and a woman holding the baby.

  “Oh God…Masen!”

  I ran across the room and took him from the woman who I assumed was a social worker. He squealed and jumped as I reached for him, recognizing me instantly. I hugged him close to me as Liam crossed the room to the two of us. Folding us in his arms, he turned to the woman.

  “Do you have papers that need to be signed?”

  “Yes, but we don’t have to do it now, Mr. Covington. We’ll have them couriered over to you later,” she replied.

  “Mrs. Covington?” One of the policemen called to me.

  “Miss Sanger,” I corrected him. Liam tightened his grip on us.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Miss Sanger, I know this is hard, but we need for you to answer some questions for us, and although Mr. Miller gave us information at their apartment this morning as her next of kin, we need for you to positively ID your sister’s body,” he said.

  I tightened my grip on Masen. “I don’t want to leave him just now,” I replied, looking pleadingly up at Liam.

  “Kelly, I have someone coming to watch the baby for us while we do this. I’ll go with you,” he said as he continued to stroke my back.

  “Okay, then…yes,” I whispered.

  I sat down on the couch, cuddling Masen close to my body. Liam showed the police out of the suite. He came back moments later with a diaper bag, a suitcase and Dana’s purse I’d given to her the month before.

  “This is all of Dana’s belongings,” Liam said as I nodded numbly. “They said Rick was being very cooperative.”

  My head snapped up. “Do they suspect foul play? Did they say anything?”

  Liam sighed and sat down on the sofa next to me. “They didn’t say for sure, they want to speak to you first. When they wouldn’t give me any details about what they’d found so far, I ordered a private autopsy.”

  I glanced back down at Masen, who’d fallen asleep on my shoulder, obviously worn out. As I looked back up at Liam, I noted tears gathering in his eyes.

  “Thank you, Liam. Thank you so much,” I breathed out and kissed the top of Masen’s head.

  “It’s a small thing, but it’s all my money can buy,” he murmured as he stood and went into the bedroom. My heart contracted hard in my chest. I’d hurt Liam with my comments about his money.

  I curled up on the sofa with the baby on my chest. Moments later, my eyes snapped open, a knock on the door waking me. Liam had covered me and Masen up with a blanket.

  I sat up as Liam ushered a young woman into the suite. “Kelly, this is Ann, the baby nurse the hotel recommended to look after Masen.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss. I’ll take good care of him for you, Miss Sanger.”

  “Please, call me Kelly,” I answered hoarsely. All of the crying and screaming had taken a toll on my voice.

  “The hotel sent a crib up, and I put it in our room,” Liam said, moving to take Masen from me. He cradled him on his shoulder as Masen stirred, and then sank back down in slumber.

  “I’ll put him in his crib,” Liam whispered.

  “Are there any special instructions? Does Masen have any allergies I need to be aware of?” Ann asked as I shook my head. “No, none I’m aware of. I think Dana had him on powdered formula or something,” I began to panic, realizing for the first time I had nothing to take care of Masen with.

  “Relax, Kelly. The police gathered everything up, and all his bottles and formula are in his diaper bag. I already checked and had Scott go and get some more,” Liam said as he sank down on the sofa beside me.

  I nodded, realizing he had gone to great lengths to take care of every detail before it even occurred to me.

  “Masen will be fine. Chelsea arranged for a pediatrician who is a friend of hers from medical school to come over and give him a thorough check-up, just to give you peace of mind. She’ll be here sometime this afternoon,” he finished, holding his hand out to me. “Ready to get this over with?” He pulled me up into his arms.

  “No, but I have to do this,” I replied as he nodded. He retrieved my purse for me and placed the strap on my shoulder, ushering me out the door.

  * * *

  “I know this is hard, Miss Sanger. But we have to ask you to do this,” The detective spoke to us while we walked down the long sterile hallway of the Harris County Morgue.

  I shuddered when he pushed through a set of double doors. They sealed behind us. We walked past a row of the large steel drawers. I felt like I was watching a movie in progress instead of living this actual nightmare.

  Stopping at the next to the last drawer on the end, he turned and looked at me. “Ready?”

  I nodded. Liam placed his arm around
my waist from behind me, pulling me against his chest as he braced my body with his.

  The detective jerked the large drawer out, and it banged as it locked into place. As he reached over to pull the white sheet back, I watched his face instead of looking down. Once he made eye contact with me, I slowly looked down onto the face I knew so well--the same face covered with a smattering of freckles when we were little girls romping on our grandparents’ farm in Fredericksburg. The same face which lit up every time Aunt Deb made us homemade ice cream. The same face that had smiled at me last month when I’d given her my car. It was my sister’s face. I drew my breath in as I reached out and stroked her cheek. She was so cold.

  “Kelly,” Liam urged, trying to pull me away.

  “No! Officer, pull the sheet down further,” my voice shook with the command. He looked up at Liam, who nodded to him. He pulled the sheet down to the top of her breasts. I leaned over, inspecting her neck. I stood up and looked at him directly.

  “You’ve ordered a private autopsy?” the officer asked.

  “Yes, we did,” Liam answered

  “I want to know what, or who caused these bruises on the back of her neck and shoulders. I want to know exactly what drugs were in her system, and the exact cause and time of death,” I barked out, anger welling up inside me again.

  “I assure you, Miss Sanger, we’re already on it. I have some questions for you, if you’re up to it.”

  I nodded as I reached out to touch my sister’s cheek one last time.

  “Bye, baby girl. I love you,” I whispered. Liam pulled me away. We turned, and Liam placed his arm around my shoulders, guiding me back down the row of drawers and through the double doors into the hallway. I could hear the drawer shutting on my sister as the doors closed behind us.

  “Kel, we don’t have to do this now,” Liam said. I turned in his arms.

  Determination flooded my body as I shook my head to clear it. “No, I’m angry. Anger is good. I want answers, and anything I can tell them that will help…I want to,” I said forcefully as he nodded.

  “Okay, Hellcat. Let’s do this,” he said as the detective joined us. We walked down the hallway together, Liam’s hand clasped tightly in mine. The detective led us into a conference room.

  “There are two more officers who are working on this case. The two of you met them earlier in your hotel room. I’m sorry for the inconvenience, but if we can wait a moment, they should be here quickly.”

  I nodded. “Of course. We have nowhere else to go.”

  “Could we get some coffee or something? We haven’t eaten all day, and I think some caffeine might help me. Kelly?” Liam repeated, watching me closely.

  “Yeah, coffee sounds great,” I whispered. The detective nodded and placed his hand on my shoulder, showing his support as he left the room.

  “Kel, you were one brave girl back there. I’m in awe of you,” Liam murmured as he pressed a kiss on my forehead. I leaned into him, taking in his scent for the first time today. He smelled really good, and I found the familiar scent of his cologne beyond comforting.

  “I had to be. This is the last chance I’ll ever have to take care of her,” I whispered, determined not to lose hold of my anger.

  A few moments later, the detective came back in the room with our coffee, followed by the two officers. After everyone was seated, I spoke first.

  “Is Rick Miller a suspect in my sister’s death?”

  “Well, Miss Sanger. You get right to the point. Can you give us any insight into their relationship? How long had they been dating?” The detective fired the first question, with the other two officers following.

  “Um, I don’t know. About five months, maybe? What did Rick say?”

  The male policeman answered me. “He told us the same thing. He said he wasn’t the baby’s father.”

  “No. I don’t think my sister knew who Masen’s father was. She was pretty messed up around the time.” I looked down at my hands.

  “Did you know she used drugs, Miss Sanger?” The female officer chimed in.

  I felt Liam stiffen beside me. With a sideways glance at him, I could tell he bristled at their cold line of questioning. I reached out and covered his hand with mine.

  “Yes, I knew. But she’s been clean since she had Masen. She never used around him,” I replied adamantly.

  “Until this morning,” the male policeman remarked snidely.

  “Yes, it would seem,” I murmured, shooting him a glance.

  “Did you have any knowledge of Mr. Miller beating your sister in the past?” The female police officer asked, making notes as we talked.

  “She had some bruises on her the last time we saw her, but she swore he didn’t do it and he was clean. She told us he’d just gotten his job back at the refinery, and things were looking up for them. She seemed so happy,” I whispered. The officers looked at each other.

  “That’s much the same story we heard from him. He tested negative for drugs, by the way,” the detective offered as I nodded.

  “I know you have your doubts, officer,” I addressed the officer who’d made the snide remark earlier, “but it wasn’t like Dana to use drugs while she was taking sole care of Masen. She had her faults, but she loved that baby. I’d stake my life on it,” I swore as Liam pulled my hand into his.

  “Miss Sanger, is there anyone else who might have had issues with your sister?” the female detective asked.

  “No, no one I can think of. I didn’t know any of Dana’s friends. You might ask her neighbor downstairs from their apartment. She helped Dana get the job at the County Day-Care,” I replied.

  “When we interviewed Mr. Miller, he mentioned a man in a business suit who visited Miss Sanger on two different occasions. He said the first time the man was there asking about you. Do you know who it might have been?”

  “Oh, God,” I whispered, thinking of my conversation with Dana the last time I saw her. Senator Reeves had visited Dana to ask where I was. And evidently he’d been back.

  “Miss Sanger?” The detective pressed as the two officers sat upright in their chairs.

  “I think it might be better if we talk off the record with the detective alone,” Liam urged as I turned to him. “And I think it might be in your best interest if we give him some background information.”

  I nodded slowly, wondering if Liam’s family’s connections to Reeves were the cause for his caution in airing our suspicions. When he gazed down into my eyes my wonder ceased. His only worry was me. I trusted Liam with my life.

  “Please, can you have the officers leave the room?” Liam asked again. The detective nodded, and motioned for the two officers to leave us. After the door was closed, Liam cleared his throat.

  “Detective, the only reason I want to talk to you off the record is to protect Kelly. This is a delicate situation, and I’m afraid for her safety if this guy in the suit was involved,” he said as the detective became more perplexed.

  “I’m sorry, but how does her sister’s overdose affect Miss Sanger?”

  “This might not be an accidental overdose, detective,” I answered forcefully. “Do you know about our mother?”

  “No. Who is your mother?”

  “It was in the news recently. Pictures plastered all over the news, about an affair a certain senator had with his secretary party girl in Houston. She was found dead in an apartment about eight years ago,” I said, my voice wavering.

  “In a bathtub full of water, cocaine overdose. Miss Sanger, I never connected the two. Are you alleging the man in the suit who visited your sister was Senator Reeves?”

  “I’m not alleging anything. I’m telling you he visited her last month, looking for me.”

  “Dana told us as much, when we visited her the last time,” Liam added. “She warned Kelly that Reeves was looking for her.”

  “Why was he looking for you?” The detective paused, and then looked up at Liam. “Why would he kill Dana?”

  “Because we knew his secrets. Dana sa
w him leave a bag of drugs in my mother’s apartment the day she died. Dana knew what he’d done to me. And now he will want to keep me quiet. He’ll never sit in the Governor’s chair if the world knows what he’s done,” I whispered. “I think he could have made my mother’s death look like an overdose…to get rid of the girlfriend he couldn’t have and hold an office. My sister’s death is chillingly similar. But he won’t silence me,” I swore, gritting my teeth.

  “What did he do to you, Ms. Sanger?” The detective pressed as Liam’s arm slid around my waist, pulling me to him. Liam’s show of support gave me the voice I’d been missing for the past eight years.

  “He raped me when I was fourteen. He raped me repeatedly, swearing if I told anyone, he would hurt my mother and do the same to my little sister,” I whispered. I felt Liam press his lips into my hair.

  “Miss Sanger, these are very serious allegations,” the detective said. My head snapped up at him.

  “You don’t think I know that? My sister is dead,” I said flatly as Liam pushed to his feet angrily.

  “Detective, you do what you have to with this information, but be warned. Before you use my girlfriend’s name and Senator Reeves in the same sentence during this investigation to anyone, you notify us and our lawyer first. I think an autopsy of Dana’s body is what is needed next. If anything you say or do causes any harm to one hair on Kelly’s head, you’ll answer to me and my family. I’m not one to throw my family’s name around, but I will for her sake. You may not know the name Covington, but my grandfather is Tex Whelan.”

  “I understand completely, Mr. Covington. I’ll be in touch tomorrow.”

  Twenty-Four

  We rode in total silence back to the hotel. Liam just held my hand, thrumming his thumb back and forth across my skin as he stared out the window. I knew he had to be worried about all of the political implications and the entanglement of his own family, but he’d defended me and urged me to tell the truth. I loved him so much in that moment. I wanted to tell him, but my head was a tangle of emotions too complex to sort through. I uncrossed my legs, kicking something under the seat in the floorboard. Thinking something had tumbled from my purse, I leaned over to inspect it. The edge of a roll of silver duct-tape was showing out from under the driver’s seat. My eyes shot quickly to the back of Scott’s head. Memories of the night at the spa came tumbling back…my unease when I’d realized I recognized Scott’s cologne, locking the door between my room and the living area of the suite. After Liam had returned, I hadn’t thought of it again. Could Scott be involved in the attacks? My gaze shot to Liam. He turned to me and raised his eyebrow.