Texas Heat (51 page)

“You're lying!” Maggie cried, and turned to Rand. “For God's sake, do something!”

“Deputy Pierson, ma'am,” a tall young officer said politely. “Stand back, Mr. Simms. I'll handle this.”

“Tell us what happened, Deputy,” Rand said quietly. “But first I'd appreciate it if you'd remove Mr. Simms from this kitchen.”

When Ben had been escorted away, Deputy Pierson turned back to Rand and Maggie. “Mrs. Tanner,” he said soberly, “Luana Mae Simms has accused your nephew of beating and raping her.”

“But it isn't true! Riley wouldn't do such a thing.”

“Mr. Simms says the boy is violent. Is it true that Riley Coleman attacked him in your dining room when he tried to break up a fight between your son and your nephew?

“No, Riley didn't attack him; he just didn't want the man to touch him....”

“That's not what Mr. Simms says. Have there been any other acts of violence between your nephew and your son, Mrs. Tanner?”

“What does that have to do with Luana?” Maggie asked, wringing her hands.

Riley sagged against Rand. “I didn't touch her. I didn't do it. I swear I didn't. I talked to her for a couple of minutes when I got home, but I didn't touch her!”

“That's true, what the boy says,” Martha interjected. The deputy took notes as she explained about being awakened by Riley's headlights. “I heard him come in. I heard the door close.”

“Thank God, Martha. Thank God you heard.”

Cole stepped forward. “I saw him come in. I heard him, too. I also saw Luana go back up the steps. I was watching from my window.”

Cole moved back until he was standing next to Riley. Maggie saw her son's hand touch Riley's shoulder. Any other time she would have been pleased; now she was frightened out of her wits.

“I want to call our lawyer,” she said, trying to speak calmly. “None of us will say one more word until she gets here.”

“Please have your lawyer meet us at the Crystal City Sheriff's Office. I'm sorry, Mrs. Tanner, but we have to take the boy in for questioning.”

Rand stepped forward. “Deputy Pierson, do you have to take Riley immediately? Why not let the lawyer come here? It would be much less disruptive to the family. How would you like a cup of coffee?” He turned to Martha without waiting for an answer. “Martha, how about some of that delicious coffee of yours. And would it be too much trouble to cook up some breakfast? We're all starving, and I'm sure the deputy and his men haven't eaten for hours.”

Martha hurried to the stove. “Yes sir, Mr. Nelson, a nice mess of grits and ham with eggs on the side. How's that sound?”

Maggie smiled weakly as she headed for the study to call Valentine Mitchell. They'd take Riley to the sheriff's office eventually, but not before they gorged on Martha's biscuits and ham.

 

Two uniformed officers stood outside the kitchen door, their hands on their holsters. Everyone else was seated at the table in the breakfast nook waiting for Valentine Mitchell when Maggie excused herself again and returned to the study. This time she called Amelia.

“I need you and Cary,” she said, then tersely explained what was going on.

As soon as she'd hung up, she called Ferris Armstrong. “Send Susan, please, Ferris. I want the family here.”

Her last call was to Billie. Thad answered and when Maggie explained, Thad was comforting. “Has anyone thought about calling the boy's grandfather?”

“I thought about it, but I don't want to alarm him. He's elderly and not well. Will you do it, Thad?”

“Of course, as soon as I hang up. Stand tough, Maggie. Don't let some smooth-talking pickup jockey railroad the boy.”

The ensuing hours were a nightmare.

When Valentine arrived, the police led Riley away. Cole watched in silence until the police car was out of sight; then he turned and kicked out at the kitchen chair, overturning it. Swearing savagely, he raced upstairs, nursing his injured foot. He ran straight to the bathroom and was violently sick. After he'd cleaned up and brushed his teeth, he went to his room and called Sawyer, explaining the situation in jerky sentences.

“I think you should come here,” he said harshly. “Grand is on her way. We need everyone. I'm the next one they're going to haul in.”

“Of course I'll come. I'll bring Adam with me. I don't know when we can get a flight, though.”

“Charter one! If ever there was a time to use all that Coleman money everyone brags about, this is it.”

“I'll be there, little brother,” Sawyer promised. “Just hang on.”

Cole hung up and made a second trip to the bathroom, retching till his stomach muscles ached.

It was after two when Luana was brought back to the house. The ambulance driver handed Deputy Pierson an envelope. He handed it to Maggie, who read what was inside and then passed it to Rand.

From her seat in the breakfast nook, Maggie could see the ambulance drivers helping Luana up the steps. She'd been raped; it was on paper now, a fact, not something Ben Simms made up.

By three o'clock the Cougar and the Berlinetta were impounded. Riley and Valentine were still at the sheriff's office. Maggie chewed off three of her fingernails.

Thad and Billie arrived at four-thirty that afternoon, Saw
yer and Adam shortly after. The sheriff's deputies arrived at six with a warrant for Cole's arrest. Cole's face was grim and frightened when he kissed his mother and then Sawyer. “I didn't do anything and neither did Riley. You've got to believe us!”

“We do!” Maggie and Sawyer cried in unison, then watched helplessly as he was led away.

Just after midnight Shadaharu Hasegawa arrived in a limousine. He embraced Billie and Thad and bowed low to the others. “Now, tell me.”

The old Japanese gentleman listened as Thad explained the situation. “My grandson would not bring dishonor on his family,” he said calmly. “And I do not believe my good friends' other grandson would do such a thing. There is a truth here beyond what we see. We must find it.”

At around twelve-thirty Valentine Mitchell called with a status report. Riley and Cole were to be brought into court for arraignment in the morning.

“What's an arraignment?” Maggie asked Rand, who had taken Valentine's call.

“She says it's to go before the court to see if there's enough evidence to set bail and put the wheels in motion for a trial. Valentine says not to worry; the boys will be released to our custody. They're to appear in court at nine o'clock tomorrow morning.”

Appearing before the judge was a sobering experience for Riley and Cole. Up until then, everything that happened the day before had seemed like a bad dream. Now it was a reality. They had been accused; the grounds of suspicion had been weighed and found substantial. Both boys had been implicated, but only Riley had been charged with rape. Cole, they believed due to evidence found in his car, had aided and abetted the crime.

Riley was still dazed from his appearance before the judge when he entered the anteroom outside the court. The first person he saw was his grandfather. Tears sprang to his eyes. “Old One, I did nothing to disgrace our family.”

Cole, who had entered the anteroom behind his cousin, felt a lump in his throat. His mother was crying; they were all crying except Thad and Rand. The old Japanese gentleman reached out his arms, and Riley, two heads taller, walked into them. Words were unnecessary.

“Where do we go from here, Valentine?” Rand asked in a muted voice.

“We wait,” she answered, stuffing papers into her briefcase. “I want you to take the boys into Austin General Hospital for semen sampling. It would be easier on them if you didn't bring Maggie. We're waiting for the results of the slides made from cervical smears taken from Luana Simms. If we're lucky, the two tests won't compare and Riley and Cole will be off the hook. I'm not taking any chances, though; the test work will be done by two independent laboratories as well as the hospital. Tell Maggie that was Dudley's quick thinking, and thanks to the Coleman sway, we managed to get the D.A.'s office to agree.”

“We'll leave in a while,” Rand assured Valentine. He turned in time to see Cole walk out the front door, Riley following behind.

“Where're you going, Cole?” Riley asked.

Something in his tone caught Cole's curiosity. “What's it to ya?”

“Because I want to talk to you.”

“So talk.”

“Not here. Out back.”

Cole shrugged and walked around to the back, Riley dogging his steps. From the way Riley was acting, Cole sensed there was going to be trouble. He wasn't surprised when Riley's arm shot out and turned him roughly around.

“You bastard,” Riley hissed. “It was you who attacked Luana, because I-know it wasn't me. You were the one, and you're going to let me take the rap! I heard the evidence this morning, and if no one else is asking you questions, I am. How did Luana's fingerprints get all over your car? How did her blood get there? She wouldn't let you into her pants, so you roughed her up and then raped her!”

“Hold it, Riley. That's not the whole story; you don't know what happened!”

“Don't I? I sure as hell do, and I'm not going down with you. Damned if I am!” The anger Riley had been struggling to control since early that morning erupted. Cole never saw the blow coming and took it full on the chin. Another kick from Riley's foot hit him square in the gut, bending him over double.

“Fight! Stand up and fight!” Riley shouted, already bracing himself against attack.

Cole lashed out, his knuckles grazing Riley's cheeks and then returning for a closer aim at his nose.

“Rand! Thad!” Billie shouted. “Stop them! Stop them!” They had all followed behind Rand when he'd hurried out after the boys. He'd sensed trouble coming, seen it in the bearing of Riley's shoulders, in the clenching of his fists as he'd followed Cole out the door.

Rand held Riley back; Thad kept Cole's arms pinned behind him. Blood was dripping from Riley's nose; Cole's lip was split and swelling.

“Let me go!” Cole struggled. “Let me go. I've gotta tell him something.”

“Not now,” Maggie said. “Just be quiet. There's been enough damage done.” She reached into Riley's pocket for a handkerchief to wipe his nose.

“Let him speak,” Mr. Hasegawa said firmly. “It's time we all knew what they know. Let us all hear, Cole. Riley, only a fool refuses to hear.”

“Riley,” Cole began, sputtering through his swollen mouth, “it isn't what you think. I didn't touch her. I met her on the road; she was hitching a ride.” He looked guiltily at his mother. “Anyways, you know how it is with Luana. One thing led to another and I took her to that old line shack. But nothing happened! I didn't touch her. I told her to get dressed. I saw that her back was bleeding from the crackly split leather on that old couch in the line shack.
That's
how her blood got in my car.
That's
why her fingerprints were all over the place!”

Riley's shoulders relaxed. Rand felt the tension leave the boy's body.

“Believe me, Riley. I'm no more guilty than you are.”

“I do believe you,” Riley muttered. “And I know what it cost you to tell me all this in front of the family. I'm sorry, Cole.”

“So it is East meets West,” Mr. Hasegawa said sagely.

“Sir.” Cole smiled shyly. “Just for once, could we make that West meets East? It'd be nice to get top billing.”

Riley laughed, the first joyful sound they had heard in what seemed an eternity.

 

The following days were an agony of waiting. The tests had been taken on both boys. Ben Simms had packed up his daughter and their belongings and moved into town. What had happened to Luana was no secret, and Ben aired his hatred of the Colemans at every opportunity.

It was the old Japanese gentleman who put the man's actions into perspective. “There is no prouder man in the world than the man who can claim an injustice. Mr. Simms is pleased with the attention he is receiving, even for these few days, by being the center of a community's sympathy. And the more he cries and grieves his daughter's lost virtue, the more praise he will receive and the purer she is thought to have been. And for his grief, Mr. Simms receives praise from his neighbors for being the perfect father.”

 

Sunbridge seethed with hostility, directed and misdirected. As Maggie tried to describe it to her mother, “It's like we're an accident waiting to happen. Everyone's temper is short. Everyone has an idea, but no one knows what to do about it.”

“Darling, the ‘accident' already happened,” Billie said. “Thad and I both believe it's a question of money. Has Miss Mitchell come up with anything from the private detectives the firm hired?”

“Only that Simms is exactly what he is—a drifter who does handyman work and who goes to church, when he's in the mood, and who can recite the Bible from one end to the other. They've never, ever been in trouble. He has no record anywhere. Not so much as a traffic or parking ticket. The girl is behind in school, but that's because they move around so much. She's pretty big on reciting the Bible herself.” She hesitated. “Valentine tells me the psychologist who is treating Luana told her, or sent her a report—I don't remember which—that said Cole forced Luana to have sex with him. But they aren't classifying Cole's actions as rape. Because”—Maggie drew in a deep breath—“he gave her things and money in return for... for her favors. But she's sticking to the rape story.”

Billie sighed. “There isn't anything we can do, then?”

“Nothing. If we could just get to the girl, I think one of us could talk some sense into her. The last I heard, and that was in the
Crystal City Times
yesterday, was that Luana is being watched by some woman, a friend of Simms. I don't know if she's a housekeeper or what her function is, exactly,” Maggie said dejectedly. “If only those tests would come in; I know the boys would be cleared.”

“The press has been very unkind. If Seth were alive, this wouldn't have gotten off the ground.”

“In those days
we
were the good guys. Today it's a whole new ball game. They're raking up all that old stuff on me. I just want to sit down and cry my eyes out. But I have to be strong and take everything they throw at us. I'm dreading the day the other side comes up with the dirt Valentine dug up on Cranston. If she has it, it's a matter of public record.”

“No it isn't. Those records are sealed. That's one good thing about being a Coleman. Seth always had that agreement with the law firm. He paid handsomely to whoever it was in charge. I know that for a fact, Maggie,” Billie added quietly.

“They're really out to get us, Mam. You must have noticed the phone hasn't rung once since you've been here for anything but crank calls. We're off everyone's list. It's hitting Cary hard. Some of the men actually walked off the job. The real big investors are nervous. If they decide to pull out, he loses everything.”

“I know just the person to step in and help out.” Billie grinned. “Riley's grandfather. He helped us once before; he'll do it again. Don't even think about it. As far as the workers go, all Cary has to do is up the wages and other men will come running from out-of-state.” Billie hesitated, then asked, “Where is ... everyone?”

Maggie knew who she meant. “Sawyer's down at the barn with the boys.” She smiled. “Adam is over in your old studio, working up a storm. He decided to take on the state of Texas. The muckrakers may be getting in their shots, but he's retaliating. And the papers are printing his stuff. He's made quite a name for himself, and he does have some powerful friends in the media.
And
he's from Texas, a native son, so they have to pay attention. For now, it's our only plus. You went to bed early last night, so you didn't see the eleven-o'clock news. We made it—the wire services, the whole bit. We're news, Mam.” She shook her head. “I can't believe this is happening to us.”

“I can. The Colemans have always been news.”

“Let's talk about something else,” Maggie said. “More coffee?”

“Half a cup. I'm jittery enough without caffeine.”

“How do you think Sawyer looks?”

“Like she's held together with spit and glue. Dry spit and old glue,” Billie said sadly.

“We've had some fairly civil conversations,” Maggie told her. “Of course, they had to do with the boys. It was a little awkward at first with Rand being here, and Adam and all. But I think we've managed to put those feelings aside for now. Maybe some good will come of all this.”

“What do the three of them
do
down in the barn?” Billie asked curiously.

“Talk, I guess. I really don't know.”

“They're up to something. Sawyer always was a planner, a master one at that.”

“Maybe that's what we need, a plan. Action. This sitting around is driving me insane. We should be doing something.”

“There's nothing to do. Drink your coffee, Maggie. I think I'm going to take a walk.”

“To the cemetery?”

“Yes. Would you like to join me?”

“Yes. Yes, I would.”

 

Sawyer stared at the boys. They stared back. Her head pounded, but she did her best to ignore the pain. From where she was sitting on a bale of hay, she could see them clearly. They looked so hopeful, so expectant. “Okay,” she said, “let's go over it one more time. I know you've said it three hundred times. Humor me. Once more.” She listened carefully. When they were finished, the only thing it seemed they were in agreement on was that Luana had been a virgin.

“If she was a virgin when you left her at home around ten, Cole, and when Riley left her at one-forty-five or so, that gives us some time to play with. Simms says he got home at three. That gives us one hour and fifteen minutes. Whoever it was had to have raped the girl in that span of time. Simms says—and this is just his word—that he didn't find out about Luana until the deputies came to take him to see Luana at the hospital. But he's lying; we all know that. We also know why. Big bucks. Right now, the only thing you have going for you is the hospital test. So, what we have here is one hour and fifteen minutes or five hours, give or take a few minutes.”