A Cowboy To Keep: A Contemporary Western Romance Collection

by Hebby Roman

"So you don't know what time he left exactly then?"

  "He always left about the same time. Seven-thirty." Her hand shook just a bit when she took a puff of nicotine. "Was he tested for drugs? He smoked a joint every once in a while, but not on work nights."

  Mark couldn't keep quiet. "Eddie didn't defend himself. It was as if he were asleep when it happened."

  "Well, if he was cut to death, he wouldn't have moved anyway would he?" she snapped. "I don't know what this has to do with me. I just want you to stop dragging your feet so I can give my husband a proper burial. It's supposed to be this Saturday, you know?"

  She looked around and picked up an empty soda can. She flicked the ashes towards the top. Most of them missed. "I just want this to be over."

  "Do you keep any Benadryl in the house, Mrs. Mason?" Scott asked, pad and pen in hand.

  Shelly paled. Her eyes darted toward the hallway. "Uh...yeah, I think so."

  "Is it possible Eddie took some that morning for a headache or something?" Mark asked and took a step blocking the hallway. "Maybe he took too many by mistake."

  "You know, I bet he did," Shelly told them her face brightening. "He was complaining of a headache that morning."

  "So you did speak to him that morning?" Scott clarified.

  Color began to rise to her sunken cheeks. "Well, I think so. I mean I was in bed and all, but I might remember him saying he had a headache. Drank too much the night before."

  Mark cocked his head to the side. "So he didn't smoke marijuana on work nights, but he did drink too much?"

  "Hell, I don't know." Shelly got to her feet and began to pace. "Y'all are getting me all confused."

  "It might be easier if you come with us to the station and we can discuss the events of that morning in a calmer manner."

  She threw her hand up. "Oh no. I ain't about to go nowhere."

  "You know what I think?" Mark said removing the handcuffs from his belt. "I think there's a lot you aren't telling us. You don't have a choice in this, Shelly Mason."

  She eyed the cuffs. "All right I'll go, but you better not fuck with me too long. I have things to do."

  * * *

  The interrogation room was a small space with barely enough room for a square table and three chairs. The door had a window to it, but other than that, there wasn't any way to observe whoever was inside through a one way or anything close to that. The town's budget did not come close to giving them enough for much more than the necessities.

  They left Shelly in the room and Scott followed Mark to the front office. "We don't have enough to hold her for long. What's the plan?"

  "You question her. I have a hunch to follow. Do me a favor. Try to get her on what happened that morning. She's had time to stew and has probably come up with a different version by now. Let her tell it, then ask her questions based on where she contradicts herself. Record it all."

  The young deputy shook his head. "Not sure I want to be here alone with her."

  "You have a point. Don't go in yet. Give me a minute."

  He walked out of the office and half a block to the insurance office. Misty looked up and must have seen a certain expression on his face because she stood. "Something up?"

  "Need to know if you'd mind helping us out with a female witness. Neither of us can be alone to interrogate her."

  "I suppose I can help out. Not much going on here." She shrugged. "Sure, I'll do it."

  "I'll have to deputize you and get you to sign a couple confidentiality forms."

  "Not a problem."

  * * *

  Once Misty was ensconced in the interrogation room with Scott and Shelly, Mark got into his overheated cruiser. He let the windows down to allow for cooler air, although the air outside was almost as hot.

  His phone rang again. Eliza. "Hey."

  "Can you stop by my house for a moment? Someone left a note." She sounded shaken.

  "I'll be there in a minute."

  The car already in motion, he drove the block and a half to her place, left the cruiser running and ran up the stairs. Eliza stood at the door waiting. She pointed to the cabinets. "The neighbor found my door wide open this morning and when I got up I saw that."

  The note was stuck to the cabinet with blue painter's tape. The message written in messy block lettering was short and to the point.

  Stay out of this. Forget what you saw or you're next.

  Mark took a breath to keep the boiling anger at bay. "I assume you didn't hear anything last night or early this morning then?"

  Her arms wrapped around her waist, her worried eyes looked to him. "No. I'm a heavy sleeper. Not that I'll sleep much after this."

  "I'm going to speak to Scott to see if he saw anyone out and about earlier. I am going to dust for fingerprints and take the note." He wanted to hold her, but this was not the time. It was best to keep a clear head. "Did you touch the note or that cabinet this morning?"

  Eliza shook her head. "No, I haven't gone near it. I haven't closed the door either, decided not to touch anything until you got here."

  "I'm sorry I didn't take your call earlier. I was working the case."

  "No need to explain." She closed her eyes and inhaled. "This is crazy. I'm not sure what to think."

  He neared and placed his hand on her shoulder. Had to touch her and give her some sort of steadying support. "Eddie was killed within view of your kitchen window. Then you caught sight of someone when you were leaving your place that morning. Lastly, you were the first witness. The killer must think you saw something."

  "I didn't." Her eyes glistened. "If I did I would have said something to you."

  "I know."

  An hour later, Mark walked Eliza to the diner. He left after Phil assured that he or one of the other guys would make sure she got home safely. Mark decided to hire Jerry Pike to change the locks on her door and install a deadbolt. It would help her feel safer.

  * * *

  Later that day he drove the two miles to the garage and pulled up alongside the front entrance. There were plenty of parking spaces, seemed the town folks were beginning to settle down and not seeking an oil change in exchange for information about Eddie.

  Just as he was about to exit the vehicle Leroy Malone walked out. He wiped at his face with a large handkerchief and narrowed his eyes towards him. "Hey there, Deputy. Is there something I can do for you? I was about to go over to Newton to get some parts."

  Mark walked to the older man who donned a pair of dark sunglasses. "I came to ask you a couple questions. Having a heck of a time narrowing down times and such from everyone."

  "Yeah. Sure. What can I do?" Malone was a stout man, about five-six. There was no question he'd spent too much time behind his desk or at the supper table. His shirt was tight around his round belly and the sleeves to his suit jacket looked about to burst at the seams.

  “What time did you say Jay Garrett arrived to work on the day Eddie was murdered?”

  Leroy scratched his head and frowned. "He was late. I'd say about nine forty-five or so."

  "Was everyone else at the shop on time?" Mark held his pad and pen up and studied the man before him who'd taken his keys out of his pocket and seemed impatient to leave.

  "Uh...I think so. Can't recall anyone else being late."

  "Did you see Jay Garrett arrive?"

  "I can't swear it." Leroy let out a frustrated breath. "I can't see the bay from my office. But they have to clock in, so a timecard report would show you what time he came in for sure."

  "Great, thanks. Can someone get that day's timecard for me?"

  "Yeah. Yeah." Leroy opened his car door. "I'll have them dropped it off at your office by the end of the day."

  "Thanks." Mark watched Leroy's truck back up and glide down the street in the direction of Newton.

  When he entered the garage, only a couple guys were milling about. Another man he recognized ran the register giving a customer a slip and pen to sign a receipt. He wanted until the customer left and neared the guy.
>
  "Is Jay Garrett here? I don't see him."

  The guy shrugged. "Nah, he called in today. Said he needed to take care of some personal stuff."

  Mark's gut clenched. He'd not had time to check on Eliza since dropping her off at work. He hoped someone had walked her home. "Thanks."

  He hurried to the cruiser and motored to the diner. It was still early in the evening. If she wasn't at work. She'd be at her apartment. Maybe. Hell, what did he know? Hadn't had a chance to get to know her yet. Her routines, hobbies, and daily activities were things he planned to become familiar with.

  The diner wasn't busy that time of day. Only a smattering of tables had people. Mark walked through the room and straight into the kitchen.

  Eliza's eyes widened at seeing him. She held some sort of utensil in one hand and with the other she pushed her hair back behind her ear. It was endearing to watch her blush at his scrutiny and look around to see if anyone noticed her reaction to him.

  "Hey, Mark." Phil neared and slapped him on the shoulder. "What's new?"

  It was obvious Phil thought he came back to see him, so he let Eliza, who's face had become completely flushed off the hook. He winked at her and turned to Phil. "Came to see if you were able to get me any four-one-one from the other day."

  The burly man laughed and led him back to the dining area. "That Mason woman is a basket case. One minute she was ranting about not getting Eddie's body and the next planning some sort of vacation in Gatlinburg." The man shook his head. "She did mention something about how just that morning they'd fought and how guilty she felt about it."

  "Did she say what they fought about?"

  "Something about Eddie wanting her to drive him to work so she could go get groceries. She said she didn't feel like leaving the house."

  "Anything else?"

  "Nope. After that, it was how the plans for the funeral were being ruined by you and Dr. Wilkes."

  "Do you mind if I speak to Eliza Brock for a minute?"

  "No, not at all."

  "What time does she get off, I'll escort her home."

  "She should be done for the day. Let me tell her to go to save you the trip." The older man's brows furrowed. "Is she in some kind of danger?"

  "I'm not sure, Phil," Mark replied honestly. "I think there's a possibility, but I'd rather be safe than sorry."

  "I got ya. I'll send her out." Phil stopped at a table to talk to a patron and then disappeared through the double doors into the kitchen.

  Eliza walked out with a questioning look toward him. Her shoulder length waves were pulled back into a ponytail. It would be great to be the one to remove the fastener and let it down. "Phil said you're taking me home. I thought we'd agreed that one of the guys here would. You don't have time for this right now."

  He cocked a brow. She huffed. "Fine, okay, let me get my things, I'll be right back." Eliza's large brown eyes met his. The woman had no idea how beautiful she was, a couple of men sitting in a booth had tracked her since she appeared.

  "I'll wait right here," Mark replied eyeballing the men. "Take your time."

  A few moments later, she met him at the entrance with a small duffle in her hand. Her hair was brushed now and back up into another higher ponytail. She wore jeans and a plain white tank top that unfortunately hugged her curves just right. His jaw clenched at the men, who didn't try to pretend not to stare at her.

  "You look nice." His voice was hoarse.

  "Thank you." Once again her lips pressed together and eyebrows lowered. "What's going on? Why are you here?"

  He took her elbow and led her outside to the cruiser. "Can't a guy pick up his girl from work?"

  Her head snapped up and she gave him an incredulous look. "That's not what this is about and you know it. Phil was worried after you talked to him. He tried to play it off, but I could tell. You think the killer is going to come after me don't you?"

  "I don't think so, if he wanted to hurt you, he would have done it last night while you slept. He wants you to stay quiet." At least that's what he hoped. Once again he glared toward the restaurant. The damn men were looking out the window.

  "Your jaw is so tense, I'm surprised your teeth are not cracking. And the dark mood has more to do than with the guys who were staring at me." She cocked her head to the side. "I'm not your girl. You haven't asked me yet."

  All right, so she was beautiful and intelligent. Lucky him. Mark wasn't sure how much to tell her. If he told her the truth, she'd probably be mad at him for being over-protective. But then again, she seemed quite frightened the night Jay came to her apartment and even more shaken this morning.

  Once they were in the car and the air conditioner going, he turned to her. "Jay called in today. Said he was taking care of something personal. I got worried."

  She let out a breath and looked straight ahead. "You have enough on your plate without worrying about me, right now. Deputy Scott dropped off the new set of keys. Thank you." Eliza's voice was low, but didn't hold an angry edge to it. Once again he hated not knowing her better to gauge her mood.

  "Jay Garrett is on the murder suspect list. I can't take a chance he'll hurt you."

  The men who'd been looking at her walked out and continued down the street. Eliza looked to the front door of the restaurant. "I don't believe Jay killed Eddie. I know he can be rash and drinks too much, but murder seems so out of his realm."

  "Did you think he was capable of stalking you before he started?"

  The slight flinch made him want to drag the words back.

  "No. I didn't."

  "How about I take you home and then I'll go check to see if everything is all right with Jay. Did you need anything before going home?"

  She shook her head. "No, I don't need anything." Eyes lowered and head down, he hated causing Eliza any distress. He drove the block to her apartment and parked, then walked around and opened the door for her. At her doorstep, he lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. "Don't be mad at me."

  "I'm not. Just frustrated." She lifted her hand and dropped it back to her side.

  "I can bring pizza over later. We can watch bad television again."

  She shook her head and held her duffle bag close. "You don't have time for that. I know it would deter from your work. I'll be okay. How about you call me when you're getting ready for bed?"

  "All right." He didn't give her a chance to stop him. Mark kissed her, his lips over hers in a possessive way that left no room for argument as to how much he wanted her. She relaxed against him, and slid her free arm around his neck.

  Her half closed eyes met his. "I love the way you kiss."

  Mark felt like a hero when she gave him one last longing look before closing the door. "Lock the door and keep your phone with you at all times." Once he heard the clicks of her locks, Mark went down the stairs and to his car.

  His mind back on the investigation, he closed his eyes for a moment and let out a long breath. Something was not right, if only he could put his finger on it.

  Jay was home when he arrived at the singlewide a couple miles from town. He lay on the ground under his truck with country music playing from the speaker he'd place at an open window. There were beer cans strewn around him.

  "Jay?" Mark bent at the waist and spoke to him. "Got a minute?"

  "What now?" Jay pushed from under the vehicle and glared at him. The smudges of grease on his face gave his scowl more credibility. The smell of beer on his breath, took it away.

  "I want to ask you about the morning Eddie was killed."

  The guy didn't try to stand, he sat on the ground and slumped forward. "What about it?"

  "Do you remember who was at the garage when you got there?"

  "Not really." He scratched his head. "Well, then again, everyone was, except one person."

  Chapter Eight

  "I knew it!" Cassie giggled and brought the glass of wine to her lips. "That man was looking at you like he would rather have you than the chocolate cupcake."

  Eliza coul
dn't help but grin. "We've only gotten together a couple of times. But enough to tell you he's a great kisser."

  "Stop!" Cassie held her hand up. "I haven't had sex in almost two years. Last thing I need is to hear about other people's sex lives."

  It was a welcome surprise when Cassie stopped by that evening. Between living with her grandmother and the shop, Cassie kept too busy. She had come over excited and not sure what to do with an evening of freedom. Her grandmother had suddenly announced a trip to Florida and left with friends.

  Eliza shook her head. "We haven't had sex. It's doesn't feel right, the timing is off with Eddie's murder and all."

  "I get that." Cassie became somber. "Can't help but wonder who could have done it. I mean in the daytime too."

  "It must have been planned, or maybe it was a thief who got spooked and ran off."

  "The crack thug," Cassie agreed. "That Shelly is one strange woman."

  The knock at the door made them both jump and they began to laugh. "I hope it's not the crack thug." Eliza looked through the peephole and smiled. "It's Mrs. Miller."

  The older woman walked in with a large bottle of Diet Coke. She was immediately seated on the couch, a glass of soda poured over ice. "Anyone hear about a certain deputy picking up a certain cook from Lovely Diner today?"

  Eliza blushed and Cassie let out a bark of laughter. "Oh, yeah? Eliza tell us about that."

  The women lingered for a couple of hours before they finally left. Eliza was glad they'd come, for a few hours her mind was on something besides the murder and her intruder.

  Now the emptiness of the apartment loomed. "Maybe I should get a dog," she mumbled as she trudged from the front door after locking it. She put the glasses into the sink. She'd load them in the dishwasher in the morning.

  Just as she settled into bed with a book, her cell phone rang. Mark sounded tired, but he tried to hide it by lowering his voice to almost a whisper.

  "Called to say good night." He cleared his throat. "I guess I can't do the deep voice thing too well."

  Eliza was grinning so wide her cheeks hurt. "You already have a deep voice. Long day, huh?"

  "Yeah. I had to drive to Knoxville to get some stuff. I'm going to grab a few hours sleep and head out early before Scott gets off to do some things."