by Becky McGraw
She had to get out of here today, or she was going to go stark raving crazy. They might as well take her to an insane asylum, because that is the only place she would belong, if she didn't bust out of here.
But first, she was going to finish every last bite of the slightly stale sandwich, because she sure didn't want to be hungry when she made her dash for freedom later. With purpose and determination, Leigh Ann sat back down at the table and finished her sandwich with more gusto than she'd ever eaten before, and washed it down with the rest of the soda.
Wes paced a circuit of his reception area for the third time in the last thirty minutes. It had been a week since Leigh Ann's accident, since the feds said they were going to find her. Susan Whitmore said she would call when they found Leigh Ann, but he hadn't heard a thing. At this point, he figured the woman had been feeding him bullshit to calm him down. Well, the rose scent covering the true smell had worn off now and calm was the last thing he was feeling. Leigh Ann's trail was probably cold and finding her now wouldn't be easy. Because he had believed that woman, trusted her.
On TV, he had heard that the authorities had picked up someone for questioning, and that they were looking for her. Hopefully it was Trace Rooks they had picked up. That would mean she wasn't with him anymore. But them picking him up didn't equal them finding her. It also didn't mean she was still alive.
His patience had held out for the entire week since she disappeared, giving the feds the time they asked for, but it ran out this morning. This morning he'd called off all his appointments to think, make plans on how he could find her. There was no way he could continue to treat animals and deal with their owners, or pretend everything was normal. His mother was keeping Trey for the weekend, so all Wes had was time. Now he just needed a plan and opportunity.
So far, he had nothing. Rocky didn't either, she was in the same frame of mind that he was today, pissed and worried. He had a call into Susan Whitmore, but didn't expect her to call him back. Rocky had called her yesterday, and still hadn't heard from the woman.
His patience with Susan Whitmore was running thin. That woman needed to remember this was the United States of America. The federal government answered to him, a tax-paying citizen, which meant she did too. He was going to get some answers if he had to call the big man in the white house to get them. The FBI could investigate any damned body they pleased, but that didn't mean they could railroad citizens. Leigh Ann hadn't committed a crime, and she was still missing, or if they'd found her, they sure hadn't let her family know. Something smelly was going on and Wes was going to get to the bottom of it.
Walking toward the door, Wes grabbed his hat off the hat stand by the door and jammed it down on his head. Sitting here wasn't getting him anywhere. He would go to the R & R Ranch and talk to Rocky. Between them, maybe they could come up with something, or at least they could console each other.
Wes pulled up in front of the R & R Ranch and all seemed normal. In the distance, ranch hands and guests walked around the big barn leading their horses into the riding arena. His hands tightened on the steering wheel, and Wes fought the urge to storm out there and create a commotion. He wanted to yell at every damned one of them that a woman was missing, and tell them to wake the hell up and help him find her.
But even though his world had stopped spinning, he knew theirs was still on its axis.
Roxanne Baker's world was probably in limbo too, she was the only one who could commiserate with how he felt right now. He got out of the truck, and shaded his eyes for a closer look at the barn. He didn't see her out where she would normally be teaching riding lessons, so he figured she must be in the house. If she wasn't, she was probably at the bunkhouse, he thought, as he pocketed the keys then stepped up on the front porch.
Since Joel and Terri had built a house of their own down by the creek, the big ranch house was a hotel of sorts, so he didn't knock, he just walked right inside. He heard the rumble of low conversation in the common room, so he headed that way. At the wide doorway, Wes stopped when he saw Joel and Terri Rhodes, with an attractive older woman he didn't know and Roxanne who was pacing a hole in the rug in front of the big stone fireplace.
"Any news?" he asked impatiently, as he joined the group.
Rocky stopped in her tracks and threw up her hands. "Not a single word. That woman from the FBI still hasn't returned my call! I'm about to go track her down and find out what the hell is going on. I've gotten more information from watching the TV than I have from them!"
Wes glanced at the television and saw the mid-day news on. He had watched the morning edition and they hadn't mentioned former Miss Texas being missing again. "What did they say?"
"That my sister is missing and Trace Rooks, Senator Rooks son, is being held for questioning."
"Good god, the motorcycle-riding cowboy is Leland Rooks son?" Wes asked. That wasn't unbelievable to Wes, since the nut didn't usually fall far from the tree. One just wore a suit instead of a leather jacket. Now that he knew the guy was the Senator's son though, he couldn't help but ask, "You think this has anything to do with the incident with Mrs. Rooks?"
"I think there's more to it than that, but I don't know what," Joel said. "I have my attorney going to talk to him. They've met before, and trust me when I tell you Ronnie will get to the bottom of things."
"I believe it has something do with that, but I agree with Joel, there's more to it," the previously close-mouthed older woman announced.
"I don't mean to be rude, ma'am...but who are you?" Wes asked and took a step toward the curvy, well-dressed woman.
"Allison Rooks, formerly Mrs. Leland Rooks," she announced, then through pinch lips added, "Or I will be soon."
"If they think Senator Rooks is involved, why don't they question him?" Wes asked angrily.
"Those guys will make sure they have plenty of evidence, before they even breathe an accusation against Leland, or he will have them for lunch," Allison scoffed. "Everyone is scared of him."
"Do you think your son will give him up?" Wes asked hopefully.
"No, I don't think Trace will throw him under the bus, because he's afraid of Leland too. My son has too much to lose, he's on probation. After his daddy got him two years in the penitentiary, he learned his lesson about crossing him."
"He put his own son in jail?" Wes asked in amazement. If that was the case, that put Senator Rooks on another level of callousness. If he had the balls to put his own son in jail, he would not be above having Leigh Ann killed. A chill raced down Wes's spine. Trace Rooks may have already done the deed, if he was that afraid of his father.
"He did. Without a second thought. The man has no heart at all, which is why I'm finally divorcing the son-of-a-bitch," Allison told them angrily, crossing her arms over her chest.
"You're not scared of him?" Terri asked, stepping forward to close the circle they had unconsciously formed.
"I am terrified of him, but I'm more afraid of wasting another day of my life on him. Leigh Ann and Lou Ellen finally made me realize that is what I've been doing for thirty-four years. I'm thankful, and we're going to find her!"
"Do you have any idea where he might have taken her?" Roxanne asked.
"I've given Joel a few ideas, but the people he sent out to those places didn't find anything. I'm thinking about going to the jail to talk to Trace."
"That's not a bad idea," Joel inserted.
Wes didn't think it was a bad idea either. Usually, if there was one woman a man couldn't lie to, it was his mother. Even if they seemed to be estranged, like Allison and Trace Rooks. "I'll take you there, if you want," Wes offered, he would like to have a conversation with Trace Rooks himself. Or at least watch his face while he answered his mother's questions.
"Not a good idea, Wes," Rocky told him. "You're as upset as I am, and all we need is to have you in jail too."
"Yeah, you're probably right..." If he got within choking distance of the bastard, that's probably just what he would do. It didn't matter if he knew how
to fight or not, he was just mad enough to do the deed and not feel an ounce of guilt.
"I'll take her," Ethan offered, and Wes was surprised, because he hadn't even heard him enter the room. The tall dark-haired former firefighter stepped up and put his arm around Rocky's shoulders. She leaned her head into him and slipped her arm around his waist. Roxanne looked up into his eyes, and Wes had never seen such a soft look on his friend's face before. Ethan leaned down and gave her a chaste, but lingering kiss that left a goofy smile on her face.
Wes wanted a woman to look at him that way, that was the kind of relationship he needed. Someone who forgot every other man in the universe existed when she looked at him. Leigh Ann could be that woman, he had seen it. Even though every man in that restaurant had looked her way when he had taken her to dinner, she hadn't noticed them. She had held his arm and walked beside him proudly. Leigh Ann Baker is what he needed. What he and his son needed to make their lives complete.
"I'll take myself," Allison told them confidently. "Ya'll need to stay here and think about finding Leigh Ann, and be ready to go if I get any information you can use." Allison Rooks turned on her heel and walked purposefully toward the front door. Ethan followed her though, and Wes was sure he was going to make sure she got there.
"Yes ma'am," Joel said with a grin and a salute, before he dropped his arm around his very pregnant wife. Terri looked about twelve months pregnant, like she was gonna pop any day. Terri surely didn't need this stress in her delicate condition. All they needed to add to this situation was a woman in active labor to make it a complete cluster fuck.
"Maybe you should go get off your feet, Terri," Wes recommended.
"Yeah, that's a great idea," Joel seconded. "Curly is coming over here in a little while and if she sees you trotting around here, you know she's going to force you to go to bed." Joel laughed and squeezed her shoulders.
Terri snorted and swatted his chest. "Your mama is going to drive me crazy before this baby is born. Pretty soon she'll have me cushioned in pillows on strict bed rest, with a guard posted outside the door, if I let her."
"You knew how she was when you married me, darlin'," Joel reminded her with a chuckle and a wink. "You saw what she did to Jenny."
"I married you in spite of your mother," Terri shot back with a grin. "What I need to do is go shopping, eat some Italian food, go for a jog or something. Anything to get this show on the road, so she'll have the baby to focus on instead of me." Terri shook her head then put her hand on Joel's chest. "Hey, maybe Curly could call some of the people she knows to dig around about Leigh Ann's whereabouts? That will distract her. Maybe you could call Beau Bowman too, he has some connections with the feds. Remember?"
Wes had no idea who those people were or who their connections were. This whole mess was as out of his league, as Leigh Ann Baker was. "Who is Beau Bowman?"
"A Texas Ranger, who might be able to help us. I bought this ranch from his daddy. Beau used to date Terri's best friend, Jenny, before she married my brother."
Wes's head was spinning. He still didn't know these people, and had no idea if he could trust them to help him find Leigh Ann. He did trust Joel, though. "So you think this Bowman guy can help us find Leigh Ann?"
"It's worth a try. Between him and mama they should be able to stir up something. I'll call them," Joel replied then turned to walk toward the hallway at the rear of the house.
It looked like all Wes was going to be able to do was wait. Again. That wasn't something he was good at. Rocky was even more impatient than he was, she had started pacing again. Wes sat down on the sofa to wait, but he saw Terri put her hand to her back and flinch, which made Wes flinch too. He repeated his earlier request, "Terri, go take a break, honey. None of us can do anything right now."
"Good idea, my back is hurting. Stupid Braxton-Hicks contractions are driving me crazy," she said with a grunt. "Wake me up, if ya'll hear anything."
Wes nodded and leaned forward to put his forearms on his thighs and watch Rocky pace. After five minutes of it, he couldn't stand it anymore. "You're making me nervous, Rox. You're wearing a hole in that floor."
"You know I can't sit still. I'm worried as hell about my sister, and this is the only thing I can do. It's frustrating. I'm just glad my mama is in Dallas, or she'd be driving me even crazier."
"You haven't told her? Surely she's seen the news." If it was his son that was missing, Wes would be turning every corner of the Earth to find him.
"She's called a couple of times, but I haven't talked to her. I'm on pins and needles expecting her to show up here any minute then all hell will break loose. Joel kind of put her in her place when she was here last time, so hopefully she took the hint."
"Have you heard from Susan Whitmore yet?"
Rocky stopped pacing to look at him. "No, that stupid woman hasn't called me back yet. Have you?"
"No."
The word echoed off of the walls and vibrated in Wes's ears. Pulling out his cell phone, he dialed the woman's number again. "You call her too. We'll call bomb her, and maybe she'll eventually get the message that we are out of patience."
It was stupid, childish, but it was all they had. Maybe if they bugged the crap out of the woman, she would call them back and let them know what the hell was going on. They didn't know where Susan was, if she was in her office in Dallas, or still in Amarillo. Sitting on her doorstep would require a six-hour drive to Dallas, not knowing if she was even there.
This was as close as they could get.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Bide your time took on new meaning when related to waiting for the guard to bring her supper. Her little ruse with the guard earlier hadn't worked. He had left her in the room, blocked the door and called a doctor to come and see her. The older gray-haired man who examined her an hour later had proclaimed it to be indigestion, and gave her antacids.
Leigh Ann knew it wasn't indigestion, but anticipation, this time that had her stomach in knots. When she finally heard a key scrape at the door, before the knob turned and it opened, she held her breath to keep from giving away her position behind the curtain by the door. Peeking, Leigh Ann saw the shorter man who was her night guard was in his shirt sleeves, but the ever present gun was tucked in the holster under his arm.
He wouldn't shoot her, would he? God, she hadn't even considered that. Surely not, she hadn't done anything. But her heart rate kicked up a few notches anyway, as he opened the door wider and paused there to look around.
"Miss Baker?" he said loudly. Like she hoped, he thought she was in the bathroom. Leaving the door open, he walked to the small round table and put the bag down then walked toward the bathroom. She had locked the door and turned on the water in the shower. When he lifted his hand to knock, she knew it was now or never.
Blood pounded in her ears as she slipped from behind the curtain, and quietly crept out of the door then looked up and down the corridor for more agents. She saw another guy in a black suit down at the end of the concrete corridor, leaning against the wall and talking on his phone. She had taken off the slippers and stuffed them into her pocket, so she could run, so that is exactly what she did. Without looking back to see if anyone saw her, she rounded the corner, and kept running.
Cars zoomed up and down the road in front of the hotel, but she didn't stop running. She turned left and ran down the sidewalk, scanning the area for somewhere to hide, or a phone. In this getup, everyone would notice her, and it would make finding her entirely too easy, but it was all she had to wear when she fled. Maybe that's why they had chosen such an obnoxious outfit to give her to replace clothes.
Across the street, she saw a convenience store right next to a laundry mat. After a second of waiting for a break in the traffic, Leigh Ann darted across the double highway and waited on the median. Once the other side was clear, she ran for the laundry mat. If she was lucky, someone had left their laundry unattended in there, and maybe dropped a quarter or two.
Leigh Ann didn't breath a sigh
of relief, until she sprinted through the door of the laundry mat, and found it empty. She scanned the row of dryers, until her eyes snagged on two machines at the end spinning. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself.
Guilt shot through her at the thought of stealing, but necessity overruled it as she walked to the last machine and opened the door. Watching the door, she punched at the clothes to keep them from spilling out all over the floor at her feet. They settled at the bottom of the barrel, and she rifled through them, until she found a pair of jean shorts and a white t-shirt. Both were a little big for her and damp, but a lot better than what she had on for sure. At least she wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb wearing them. She would be able to blend in and not be noticed.
She also found a baseball cap at the back of the dryer, and grabbed it, before shutting the door again and pushing the button to restart it. A glance at the quarter slot of the machine sent her heart racing again. Three quarters were sitting in the slots like someone left them there to keep the dryer going when it stopped. She poked her finger under them and pulled them out, then looked around for somewhere to change. On the other side of the room, at the end of the row of washers she saw a door that looked to be a broom closet.
Jogging over there, she tried the knob and relief poured through her when it opened. She stepped inside and closed it behind her then changed in the dark. The overwhelming smell of pine cleaner made her dizzy, so she hurried. She still tasted the stuff, when she opened the door again, and glanced around to make sure the coast was clear. Fear shot through her when she saw the owner of the clothes in the dryer had returned. She eased the door closed again and refrained from taking the deep breath she wanted to take.
The big-boned woman whose saggy shorts she had lifted looked like she could take Leigh Ann out without trying. She wasn't going to give the woman that chance. Even if it meant getting high on pine cleaner, she was going to stay in this room until the woman was gone. Then she would sneak out and find a telephone.
