Thick as Thieves

by Sandra Brown

“Nothing? No explanation for the amateur sleuthing?” His eyes sawed back and forth between them, landing on Arden. “Does your big sis know about this recent hobby of yours?”

  “My father’s disappearance was a significant event in my life. I never got closure. Lisa understands that.”

  “Does she? Well, not me. I don’t see that any good can come from dredging up crimes with mothballs on them. That is unless the culprit’s kin turned up with the money he took.” He gave Arden a cold and calculating look. “In fact, the amateur detective work could backfire and prove damaging to a person’s health.”

  He paused to let all that sink in, before adding in a lower voice, “If I were you two, I’d leave well enough alone.”

  “Is that what you came to say?” Ledge asked.

  Rusty nodded. “Pretty much.”

  “Well, now that you’ve said it, get off my property.”

  Rusty mimed doffing a hat, turned and took several steps, then snapped his fingers and came back around. “Almost forgot. I heard y’all nearly got mauled by some vicious dogs last night. Right outside Crystal’s house. Close call. You were damned lucky to have escaped them.”

  Again, neither of them rose to the bait.

  “In light of that attack,” Rusty continued, “how’d you greet the news this morning?”

  A sense of foreboding spiraled through Arden, but it was Ledge who said, “What news?”

  “About Dwayne Hawkins. You remember. That piece of white trash I sent up for dogfighting? He was found dead this morning, slumped over the steering wheel of his pickup. Had a packed bag beside him on the seat. Looked like he was trying to make a quick getaway from that dump he lived in.”

  Arden leaned closer to Ledge. He shifted his shoulder to overlap hers.

  Rusty continued. “Last night somebody tipped a group of animal rights advocates to Dwayne’s maltreatment of his dogs. They descended en masse on his property at dawn. Got the shock of their lives. Dwayne had met with a bad end, like his sort usually do.”

  Arden asked hoarsely, “How did he die?”

  “Choke collar.”

  She took a swift breath.

  Rusty flashed a grin. “I know. Terrible, right? It was one of those with spikes, the kind trainers use to turn their dogs into mean sons of bitches.” He laughed at his play on words.

  “The last call on Dwayne’s cell phone only lasted a couple of minutes. They’ll try to trace the number to the caller, but I’m betting they’ll never discover who it was. What I think? Whoever talked to him scared Dwayne into hightailing it, and then ambushed him when he tried to leave.

  “The lead detective told me it looked like his killer was waiting for Dwayne in the back seat of his pickup, wrapped that collar around his neck, and squeezed it tight till he died. Said there were deep puncture wounds all around his scrawny neck.” He drew a line around his own.

  Arden felt ill. It was all she could do to keep her expression impassive and not reveal her revulsion, not only for the scene he described, but for him. She sensed similar disgust and sheer rage pulsing through Ledge.

  “Killed with a tool of his illegal trade. I call that poetic justice.” Rusty gave them a wink and a foxy smile. Again, he acted as though he were about to leave, then paused and held up his index finger.

  “Uh, one more thing. It might not go well for you two Nancy Drews if the detectives on Dwayne’s homicide put two and two together. Y’all were attacked by fighting dogs on the same night that a participant in that sport got choked to death. See where I’m going with this?

  “If you were of a mind to suggest to the authorities that an unknown third party had put Dwayne up to siccing his dogs on you, I would feel compelled to inform the detectives that shortly after that potentially fatal attack, you were seen in Dwayne’s neck of the woods.”

  “Seen by who?” Ledge asked.

  Rusty’s eyes glinted. “By someone who wishes to remain anonymous.”

  He let that settle before continuing. “But before I gave that info over to the sheriff’s office, I’d feel obligated to share it with Dwayne’s twin brothers. The pair don’t have a whole brain between them, but they’re meaner than sin, and, from what I understand from the poor deputy who had to break the news to them this morning, they’re brimming with wrath over their baby brother’s cruel demise.”

  He looked Ledge up and down. “I don’t know their…inclinations. They may be too persnickety to take turns with you.” He shifted his gaze to Arden. “But I shudder to think about the good time they’d have sharing her.”

  Ledge grabbed him by his necktie and shoved him backward a full arm’s length before letting go with an added thrust. Rusty managed to stay on his feet but stumbled in order to regain his balance.

  When he had straightened up, he looked at them and laughed. “See y’all.” Then he turned and ambled toward his car.

  Chapter 36

  Ledge shut the door but kept his hand flat against it, watching through the window until Rusty had driven out of sight, then turned quickly to Arden. “Go get your purse. It’s on the—”

  “I know where it is. What are we going to do?”

  “You are going to leave. We’ll pick up your car at Crystal’s. I’ll follow you home, you can grab some things, secure your house, I’ll escort you as far as the interstate.”

  “I’m not leaving now.” She flung her hand toward the reports scattered across the table. “Not with this mess still—”

  “Rusty killed that guy, Arden.” He pushed his fingers through his hair. “Christ. I wanted to scare Hawkins because of what he did to us, but also to protect him from just this. I wanted to scare him into getting away from here, and out of Rusty’s reach. He didn’t run fast enough.”

  “Don’t assume the blame for what Rusty did.”

  He made an impatient gesture indicating to her that she was wasting her breath.

  “We’ve got to report Rusty to someone, Ledge.”

  “I am. I will. But, first, I’m getting you on your way.” She looked prepared to argue, but when he chinned toward the bedroom and told her to hurry, she left him.

  He called Crystal. She hadn’t even gotten out a hello before he asked if Rusty had stopped by her place that morning.

  “Where did you hear that?”

  “From him. He said you had told him—”

  “I haven’t told him a damn thing. I haven’t even seen him.”

  “I figured he was lying.”

  “When did you talk to him?”

  “Right before I called you.”

  “What is going on? Are you all right? What happened after you and Arden left here last night?”

  “I’ll fill you in later.”

  “Marty and I were worried. I wish you had called and—”

  “Crystal, stop. Listen.” He paused, took a breath. “Our interest in the night Foster died has made Rusty nervous. He may start hassling you again about that alibi business, remind you that you’re committed to covering for him.”

  “He’ll get nowhere with me. I can handle him.”

  “No, you can’t, Crystal. You can’t.”

  “Okay, calm down. Warning taken. I’ll be careful.”

  “Not good enough. This would be an excellent time for you and Marty to take a long weekend together.”

  “First of all, it’s not the weekend. Secondly, we can’t just—”

  “That dog attack last night? Rusty’s doing.” That silenced her. “Then he killed the guy who did it for him.”

  He heard her exhale. “Good God, Ledge.”

  “Yeah. So please don’t argue with me. Can Marty take off work?”

  “I suppose. If she told them she was sick or something.”

  “Impress on her that I don’t lose my shit easily, and I don’t cry wolf. Cancel your client appointments. Make up some excuse for having to close the shop for a few days. Then get out of town.”

  “For how long?”

  “Till I feel it’s safe for you to co
me back.”

  “Rusty would have to be dead.”

  When he didn’t respond to that, she said, “Ledge, that was supposed to be a joke.”

  “I’ll call you when things have settled.”

  “What about Arden?”

  “Right now she’s with me, but I’m sending her packing, too.” Sensing her hesitancy, he said, “Crystal, you know how Rusty works. He won’t come after me. He’ll hurt the people I care about.”

  Still sounding reluctant, she said, “I’ll text you where we are.”

  He told her to be careful; she told him the same. They said goodbye. He gave himself a few seconds, then called Don, who launched into him the instant he answered.

  “Ledge, what the devil? Dwayne Hawkins—”

  “I’ve heard. Swear to God I didn’t kill him. Rusty did. He drove all the way out here to my place to deliver the news in person.” Talking in a shorthand he knew Don would understand, he summarized Rusty’s visit.

  Don breathed in, breathed out. “Is Arden okay?”

  “How’d you know—”

  “According to several of Crystal’s neighbors who witnessed the whole thing, ‘the Maxwell girl’ saved the day by blasting the horn. You two were seen leaving together, and her car spent the night at the curb in front of Crystal’s house. What else do you want to know?”

  “Goddamn it,” Ledge muttered.

  “It’s been circulating so fast, the cell tower’s smoking. Folks don’t know what to make of it, considering you and Crystal and all.”

  “I’ve got more important things than gossip to worry about. Arden is all right, but she was here when Rusty practically boasted of murdering Hawkins, which makes her vulnerable. I’m going to see her safely out of town.”

  “Ledge,” Don said slowly, “sooner or later, even the dumbest detective will piece together that on the night you were attacked by a pack of fighting dogs, their trainer got choked to death.”

  Ledge huffed a dry laugh. “Rusty got that across to me, too. As soon as I get Arden on her way, I’ll go see Uncle Henry. Just in case I’m unavailable for an unspecified period of time.”

  “You really think Rusty will lay this on you?”

  “Likely. I did go out there to Hawkins’s place.”

  “Against my advice.”

  “Don’t piss me off by saying you told me so.”

  Don sighed. “We’ll take it up later. What do you need me to do?”

  “Top priority, take care of yourself. Carry on like it’s any other day, but round up some longtime customers you trust. Good ol’ boys.”

  “The ones who pack.”

  Ledge appreciated that Don didn’t need it spelled out for him. “Nobody who has any ties or loyalty to Rusty or the late sheriff.”

  “There are a few retired Texas Rangers around, any of which would’ve loved to have had a crack at the both of them.”

  “Good. But no rough stuff unless it becomes necessary. Just have them hang around for a couple of days and nights, and keep their eyes and ears open. Have them covering your back and discreetly patrolling the property.”

  “I understand.”

  “Sleep with that shotgun.”

  “Even with the scattergun, I can’t hit the broad side of a barn, you know.”

  “I know, but whoever you point it at won’t.”

  “What’s the plan after you’ve seen Henry?”

  “To put Rusty out of commission.”

  “How do you plan—”

  “Gotta go.” He hung up before Don could ask how he intended to do that.

  But Arden did. From behind him, she asked, “Are you going to do that by fair means or foul?”

  “I don’t know yet. I’ll have to see how it plays out. You ready?”

  She gave him a mutinous look as she shouldered past him and went out through the back door. He set the security alarm but, as he left, he wondered if his house and workshop would still be standing when he returned. Rusty might make good on his threat, except burn his house down rather than the bar.

  By the time he got to his pickup, Arden had already climbed in. She sat as rigid as an I-beam, staring through the windshield, which was being speckled with fresh rain.

  Ledge left her to stew and placed another call.

  George answered with a cheerful, “Hey, Cap’n. How’s—”

  “Cutting to the chase this morning, George.”

  He reacted to Ledge’s tone immediately. “What’s up?”

  “The dude?”

  “With the boots?”

  “I’ve got a situation with him.”

  “Tell me where. Give me an hour.”

  That was a friend. Ledge felt a tug on the inside. “Thanks, but I need you where you are. This asshole and I have a long history. He could soon drop a lot of shit on me, but he’ll do it in a roundabout way. His practice is to prey on the defenseless.”

  “Like your uncle Henry.”

  “I’m coming to see him as soon as I can. I’ll give you the background details then, but, George, I need you to keep a hawk’s eye on him. When duty calls, please assign a staffer you know and trust to sit with him. Nobody who isn’t authorized goes into his room.”

  “On it. What else?”

  “Let me know if the dude, or anybody who doesn’t belong there, shows up. I need to know immediately.”

  “Copy that.”

  “Thanks, man. Later.” He clicked off.

  “George is also former military?” Arden said.

  He nodded. “Hard core.”

  “I could tell by the way you talk to each other.”

  “How’s that?”

  “Like combat soldiers.” She motioned to his cell phone, which he’d placed in the cup holder. “I believe you’ve covered everyone.”

  “I haven’t covered anybody. But at least I’ve put them on guard until I settle this with Rusty.”

  “What this, Ledge?”

  Feeling the weightiness of her stare, he said, “I’ll tell you when we get to your house.”

  The rain held off, but bluish, potbellied clouds made for a low ceiling and mistimed twilight. Arden unlocked her back door and went inside, but she didn’t switch on the overhead kitchen light, leaving the room appropriately gloomy.

  She set her purse on the table and turned to face him.

  “Do you want to sit?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “Well, I do.” He pulled out a chair, rotated it, and straddled it backward. He clasped his hands on the back of it and addressed them rather than looking at her. “I was in on the Welch’s burglary.”

  A gust of breath escaped her, but she didn’t speak.

  “Along with Rusty. It was his idea. He recruited the rest of us to help him execute his plan. That’s why our digging into the crimes has him off the rails.”

  He looked up at her then, and she appeared to be on the verge of boiling over. Her chest was swelling and collapsing like a bellows. She had shut her eyes tightly. When she reopened them, they were shiny with tears of the furious kind.

  “You…you—”

  “I’m no hero. I told you that.”

  “It’s the only truth you’ve told me.”

  She turned away from him and went over to the sink. Bracing her hands on the rim, she bent at the waist. He feared she was about to throw up, but her silence attested to a forced containment of emotions, and that was almost worse than retching or ranting would have been.

  A drum roll of thunder shook the house. Fat raindrops began to slap against the window above the sink. His wristwatch ticked loudly, reminding him that he should be well on his way to Marshall. But he couldn’t just drop this on her and bail. She deserved time to absorb his revelation and grasp the pervasive dishonesty it represented. She deserved an opportunity to vent her rage.

  Whatever form it took would be lighter than he deserved.

  Eventually she turned on the faucet and scooped several handfuls of cold water into her mouth. Her movements angry and a
brupt, she ripped a paper towel off the roll, blotted her mouth, and dried her hands. She left the towel balled up on the counter, came over and dragged a chair from beneath the table, and sat down across from him.

  “You ingratiated yourself into my life.”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “To protect you from Rusty.”

  She spurted a harsh laugh. “When you were the one I needed protection from.”

  He shook his head. “Rusty’s been a monkey on my back for decades, and vice versa. We could have rocked along forever with our issues unresolved, and probably would have. That changed when you came back.”

  “So this is on me?”

  “Not intentionally, but circumstantially. You showed up out of the clear blue, and it reminded Rusty that he still had a bone to pick with your dad. Joe had outsmarted him. Big time. It was like you were thumbing your nose—”

  “I didn’t even know—”

  “Doesn’t matter. That’s how Rusty saw it. He doesn’t let things like that slide.”

  She digested that but continued to simmer. “What about you? What did you think when I moved back?”

  “When I first heard, I wondered what had prompted it, but I intended to keep my distance.”

  “You’ve admitted that you followed me into the supermarket.”

  “Yeah. That was bizarre. Fate dumped on both of us that day. But you didn’t know me, so I thought no harm had been done. Two months pass, and then I get a freaking voice mail from you. I couldn’t believe it, but I wasn’t going to call you back.

  “The next day, you’re in my workshop. God, you looked great. Knocked me for a loop, but…Like I told you last night, I couldn’t let it lead anywhere. I figured that if I acted like enough of an asshole, you for sure wouldn’t want anything to do with me.”

  He paused, sighed. “Later that evening, Rusty came into the bar. He’d sought me out there.” He gave her a bullet-point briefing of that conversation. “He’d been keeping tabs on you. I was afraid you would be a soft target for his retribution on Joe. Turns out, I was right.”

  She turned her head aside, rolled her lips inward as she thought on everything he’d told her. When she came back to him, she said, “You were here the following morning. When I told you about the car driving past, why didn’t you warn me of Rusty? Why didn’t you come clean then? Afraid I would turn you in as a thief?”