OUTLAW LAWMAN

by Delores Fossen

  “You believe him?” Caitlyn asked before they were even out of earshot.

  Harlan had to shake his head. Billy was the obvious suspect in his father’s death, and that made him the obvious suspect in any cover-up.

  If that was what was going on.

  But Billy wasn’t the one who’d confessed to any wrongdoing. That honor fell to Jay Farris.

  “I’m going in there,” Caitlyn said before Harlan could offer to do the interview alone. She leaned in, lowered her voice to a whisper. “I can’t let him know how much he still scares me.”

  Oh, man. Harlan gave her arm a rub as Declan had done, but when that didn’t work, he dropped a kiss on her cheek. The fear was in her eyes again, probably because she hadn’t had time to recover from the last attack. Now here she was about to face down someone who’d tried to kill her.

  Maybe more than once.

  “Besides,” she added, “if Farris tries to strangle me again, I fully expect you to beat the living daylights out of him. Yes, I know that sounds sexist, but you’re bigger than I am and can do a lot more damage. Promise me, if it comes down to it, you’ll do damage.”

  He couldn’t help it. He smiled. “I promise.” In fact, Harlan almost welcomed it. He had a lot of dangerous energy boiling inside him, and he figured Farris better not push any of his buttons or he’d be on the receiving end of that energy.

  Harlan opened the interview-room door, and unlike Billy, Farris didn’t jump to his feet. He sat there, his face buried in his hands. “I’m so sorry, Caitlyn.”

  Harlan wasn’t interested in an apology, and apparently neither was Caitlyn. She folded her arms over her chest. “Start talking, and explain the threatening notes and how you were able to discredit that so-called evidence.”

  Taking his time, Farris lowered his hands. “You should probably sit down.”

  “Start talking,” she repeated. It wasn’t a suggestion either.

  Farris reached inside his pants pocket and pulled out a handful of paper. Not neatly folded—it looked as if he’d crammed it in there.

  “My instructions,” Farris explained, which didn’t explain anything.

  Harlan went closer and looked at the first note, which was handwritten in block letters. Leave this for Caitlyn to find.

  “There was a note attached to it,” Farris went on, “the one that warned her if she talked to the Rangers she’d be sorry.” He fished out another note. “This one was attached to the one that said she’d die if she talked to them.”

  Harlan riffled through the others. If he followed Farris’s explanation, then one of them would have been attached to the note that included the very private sentence—you’ll always be my first.

  “I didn’t know where Caitlyn was, but this person knew—one of the notes had her address. Still, I didn’t want to leave those threats for her to find,” Farris went on. “I knew they’d upset her.”

  Caitlyn gave him a flat look. “And you expect me to believe that my being upset would bother you?”

  Farris opened his mouth, but then his attention landed on Harlan, specifically how close he was standing to Caitlyn. Farris’s gaze darted away but not before he swallowed hard. “It would have bothered me. Whether you believe it or not, I didn’t want to torment you.”

  “But you did,” she fired back.

  “Only because I got that note.” Farris jabbed his index finger at the papers.

  Harlan didn’t need to ask for clarification as to which note Farris meant, because it had already caught Harlan’s attention. “‘Do as I say, or you and Caitlyn will both die.’”

  Farris nodded. “And with everything else going on, I didn’t think it was a bluff.”

  “Who sent these to you?” Harlan didn’t bother to sound as if he believed Farris. Because he didn’t. Farris could have written all the notes himself and could have hired someone to find Caitlyn.

  “I don’t know who sent them, but whoever it was killed my dog, slashed my tires and vandalized my place. Then I got this note.” He plucked another one from the stash. “It said if I didn’t do as I was told, then the order releasing me from the institution would be revoked and I’d have to go back in. He—or she—said that’s where they’d kill me.”

  Harlan studied his body language. It was right for someone who was genuinely upset, but Farris was likely a nutcase, which meant he could probably lie and not have any of the telltale signs.

  “Ranger Morris will want to see all those notes,” Harlan reminded Farris. If the man objected to that, he didn’t show it either. “For now, talk to us about the evidence that you supposedly refuted.”

  “I disproved it,” Farris corrected. Another gaze dodge. In Harlan’s experience, that wasn’t a good sign. “One of the notes said to hack into Sherry’s computer and make it appear that Caitlyn and you had done it.”

  Caitlyn made a sound of surprise. “How’d you do that?”

  “I’m good with computers.” Farris’s tone was somewhat defensive now, but he still didn’t make direct eye contact. “Good at hacking,” he mumbled. “My family owns a software business, and I’ve always helped. And as for setting you up, I just used your own personal computers.”

  “How?” Harlan demanded. “And if you say you broke into my house—”

  “I didn’t. Not yours anyway, but I did break into Caitlyn’s once I had her address, and I used her computer so it could be traced back to her.”

  Harlan saw the goose bumps riffled over her arms. Yeah, that was a major creep factor to have her stalker, the SOB who’d tried to strangle her, break into her home.

  “I didn’t think it’d be easy or wise to get into your place.” Farris glanced at Harlan. “So I made it look as if I’d used your computer. It was good enough to fool the Rangers anyway.”

  Caitlyn muttered some profanity and shifted her position so that she was even closer to him. Harlan figured it would just rile Farris even further or set him off, but after all the violations Farris had just confessed to, that seemed like a plus. So Harlan slid his arm around Caitlyn’s waist and eased her to him. Until they were side by side, facing down this SOB who’d made their lives miserable.

  “If I hadn’t told the Rangers what I’d done, they’d still be after you.” And Farris’s eyes narrowed when he said that.

  “If you hadn’t lied in the first place, the Rangers would have had no reason to suspect us.” Harlan didn’t intend to give this guy any credit for clearing up something he’d helped set up.

  “Did this note writer ever contact you personally?” Harlan asked.

  “No. Just through the notes.” Farris hesitated. “But I figured it was one of you. Or maybe Devin or Curtis. I don’t have a motive to kill Tiffany in a fake car accident.”

  “You didn’t have a motive to set me up,” Harlan reminded him. “Other than the so-called threats you received. But you did it anyway.”

  “Wait a minute.” Farris jumped to his feet. “You think I killed Tiffany? I didn’t,” he insisted before Harlan could answer. “I figure she was a pawn, just like I was.”

  Harlan gave that pawn theory some thought. Not Farris as a pawn but Tiffany as one. Maybe she had been if her fiancé, Devin, had murdered her and then tried to fix it so that it appeared connected to Rocky Creek.

  “What about Sherry?” Caitlyn pressed. “Is she a pawn, too?”

  “I don’t know.” With his mini fit of temper apparently exhausted, Farris sank back onto the chair. “But I found some strange things when I hacked into her computer.”

  “Like what?” And Harlan hoped whatever it was, Farris had kept copies, because Curtis had already told them that Sherry’s hard drive had been wiped clean.

  “She had notes, like a computer diary or something.” Eyes still narrowed, he looked at Caitlyn. “Sherry wrote that she’d overheard you
and Harlan that night in the basement.”

  Harlan felt the muscles in her body jerk. His probably did, too. “That night?” But he already knew what Farris meant.

  “She said she was looking for a place to have a smoke, and she heard what you said to Caitlyn. Afterward. The line you said about her being your first.”

  Not a line, but Harlan had no intention of correcting him. At least now they knew who at Rocky Creek had overheard them. So did that mean Sherry had written those threatening notes? Harlan glanced at Caitlyn and saw the same question in her eyes.

  “What else was in Sherry’s files?” Caitlyn asked.

  “That’s just it—nothing that I would expect to find there. No files about her business or anyone else personal in her life. It was all about Tiffany’s car accident and how she wondered if it was connected to Webb’s murder.”

  Yeah, that was suspicious. Unless Sherry really was guilty and had done that to cover her tracks.

  Harlan heard the rapidly approaching footsteps and automatically stepped in front of Caitlyn. He also put his hand over his weapon. But it was a false alarm of sorts.

  “We’re Jay Farris’s attorneys,” the man in the lead said. “And this interview ends now.”

  Farris only shrugged and tipped his head to the camera mounted in the corner. “That’ll need to be turned off, too.” His eyes were certainly no longer narrowed, and he seemed in complete control. In fact, he had the smug look of a man who’d accomplished his mission.

  Whatever the hell that was.

  Had all of this been some kind of act?

  “Harlan can’t protect you, you know.” Farris had his attention pinned to Caitlyn now. “That’s why I told you all about the notes and everything this person has made me do. I believe him when he says he’ll kill you. And if you stay with Harlan, you’ll both end up dead.”

  Harlan walked closer, stared down at Farris. “Is that a threat?”

  “A warning.” Farris lowered his voice to a whisper. “Whoever’s behind this is smart, and if he or she can’t use me to deliver threats and hack into computers, then they’ll find someone else. Probably already has.”

  Harlan would have liked to dispute that, but he was afraid it was the truth. And that meant he had to get to the bottom of this fast—especially if Farris couldn’t be connected to any of the violent things that had happened. If the Rangers could tie him only to the notes and the computer hacking, then he’d be released on bond. Soon.

  One of the lawyers made an impatient sound and motioned for Caitlyn and him to leave. Harlan obliged. Caitlyn was trembling, and the sooner he got her away from Farris, the better. He didn’t want her to have to face the sheriff and the others while she was still composing herself, so Harlan led her into the now empty interview room where they’d talked with Billy.

  “I’m a mess.” Caitlyn swiped away a tear that slid down her cheek. “I’m scared. I can’t think straight.” Her gaze whipped to his. “And I really wanted an excuse for you to beat Farris to a pulp.”

  “The day’s not over.” He meant that to try to move things in a lighter direction, but it didn’t work.

  Harlan made a mental note to pick a fight with Farris first chance he got. No, it wasn’t very lawman-like, but he hated seeing Caitlyn like this and wanted to do whatever it took to ease that tension from her body and face.

  That caused him to freeze.

  Oh, hell. He wasn’t thinking straight either, and he knew exactly what was to blame. “Maybe we should just have sex and get it over with.”

  Okay. He clearly hadn’t thought that through and should have kept that little suggestion to himself. Caitlyn stared at him. Blinked.

  Then she smiled.

  So maybe it had been worth sticking his foot in his mouth after all.

  “We should have sex here?” Her mouth quivered again, and she slipped into his arms.

  He made a show of looking at the hard tiled floor and table. It was to be part of the joke, but Harlan felt his body tense. Oh, man. Sexual jokes were never a good idea when it came to Caitlyn.

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt...anything,” Declan said.

  Harlan and she practically flew apart, and both cursed. No doubt because neither of them had heard anyone step into the doorway of the room. A big reminder that he should be thinking with his head.

  “What do you want?” Harlan snapped.

  “Probably not the same thing you do.” Declan winked at Caitlyn. “Just have to tell you that I’m heading back to Maverick Springs.” He tipped his fingers to the brim of his Stetson in a mock salute and strolled away.

  That dangerous energy inside him hadn’t lessened much, and for reasons he didn’t want to explore, this whole winking and whispering with Declan was getting to him.

  Okay, he did want to explore it.

  “What’s going on between Declan and you?” Yet another thing he should have thought through before opening his mouth.

  “What do you mean?” And it sounded like a genuine question.

  Too bad, because Harlan figured it’d make him sound like a jealous fool when he clarified it. “The whispering in the hospital parking lot.”

  “Oh, that.” She shrugged but generally looked uncomfortable. “It’s just an old bad joke.”

  And again she didn’t offer to share it.

  Probably for the best, especially since his phone buzzed. He didn’t want to talk to anyone right now. Not until he saw the name on the screen.

  Billy.

  Harlan immediately got a bad feeling about this. “Anything wrong?” he greeted Billy. He didn’t put the call on speaker, but Caitlyn moved her ear close enough to hear.

  “Plenty. You need to get out to the Rocky Creek facility now.” Billy’s words raced together. “There’s been another murder.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Caitlyn hadn’t thought this day could possibly get any worse, but she’d obviously been wrong.

  “Who’s been murdered?” Harlan asked Billy.

  No answer.

  Harlan got the same result when he tried again. Either Billy had hung up or the call had dropped. Of course, there was a third possibility. The worst of the scenarios.

  Maybe Billy wasn’t in any shape to answer.

  Harlan hung up and jabbed the redial button. Caitlyn moved even closer to him, until they were breath to breath, but there was nothing to hear except for the call going to voice mail.

  Mercy. She hoped Billy was okay, and while she was hoping, she added the hope that the man wasn’t lying. She didn’t know why he would, but with all the other crazy things happening, anything was possible.

  Harlan hurried back into the main area of the sheriff’s office. “Billy Webb just called and said someone was murdered out at Rocky Creek.”

  “You can ride out with me,” Slade offered, and then headed outside, toward his truck that was parked just ahead of Harlan’s. This one didn’t have any bullet damage, so Slade must have traded out vehicles after the attack.

  Declan had already left, but the sheriff and one of the deputies grabbed their hats and hurried to a cruiser in the side parking lot.

  Harlan opened the passenger door of Slade’s truck, but then stopped and looked at her. “This could be dangerous.”

  “I know.” She climbed onto the seat anyway. “But I’d rather risk going to Rocky Creek with you than stay here at the sheriff’s office with Farris.”

  No way could he argue with that. Besides, from what she could tell, there was only one deputy left to keep watch over Farris.

  Yeah, the odds were much better with Harlan.

  She slid over, and Harlan got in so that Slade could start the engine and speed away. Harlan tried Billy’s number again but still no answer.

  The sun had already st
arted to dip low in the sky, and the twilight and darkness wouldn’t make this trip easier—especially if the lawmen had to chase down a killer.

  Slade sped over the country road, the sheriff’s cruiser with the lights and siren going right behind them. Caitlyn was so caught up in the tenseness of the moment that she nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt someone touch her.

  But it was Harlan.

  A reassuring touch, too. He slid his hand over hers. It instantly made things better. And worse. Because this attraction going on between them was getting just as complicated as the investigation.

  Caitlyn groaned. “You asked what the whispering between Declan and me was about. Well, I told you it was nothing, and it was. But I don’t think you believed me.”

  Harlan looked at her if she’d lost it. Heck, maybe she had, but telling him that embarrassing inside joke was better than thinking about all the other things that were making her crazy. Like wondering who’d been murdered and why Billy wasn’t answering his phone.

  “Declan knew how I felt about you and used to tease me,” she continued before Harlan said anything. “He’d come up to me at random places and times and whisper in my ear, ‘Are you still crushing on Harlan?’ My answer was always the same—‘Am I still breathing?’”

  Harlan’s wide eyes took on a poleaxed expression that even the meager light couldn’t cover.

  Slade cleared his throat. “I can’t exactly step out while you two talk,” he complained. “And I really don’t want to hear this.”

  Fair enough. It was on the personal side, even if it happened to be the silly musings of a teenage girl. It was right up there with the boy-band magazines she’d read so many times she’d memorized them.

  “Why are you telling me this now?” Harlan demanded. “Do you think we’re about to die or something?”

  “Maybe,” she admitted. That wasn’t something they could totally dismiss. After all, someone had already tried to kill them twice, and as Harlan had pointed out, the day wasn’t quite over yet. “But I also didn’t want you to think I was keeping secrets.”