Texas Hunt (16 page)

She called the number.

Justin picked up on the first ring. After reminding him who she was, she asked about the land.

“It belongs to us,” he said. “Why?”

“Does Ryan know?” she asked.

“I guess not.”

She shook her head to let Dylan know, too.

“How come?” she asked.

“Because he didn't want anything to do with whatever Dad left behind. Said nothing good could ever come of anything connected to that man,” Justin said.

Ryan had that right.

“So he never knew about the land?” she asked again.

“I never told him. After our dad died, Ryan refused to come to the reading of the will. I tried to talk to him about it a few times, but he wouldn't have anything to do with the conversation. Refused to open any mail, either.”

“And what about your mother? Does she know about the land?” she hedged, following a hunch.

“I called to get her opinion,” Justin said. “Do me a favor, don't tell Ryan.”

“Why not?”

“He said he washed his hands of the whole situation after she walked out.”

“Did she? Walk out?” she asked, unable to stop herself. “I'd heard there was more to it than that.”

“I'd say. The day she left he'd beaten her within an inch of her life. She had a relative pick her up when he left to go to work and she disappeared to save her life.”

“But she never tried to get in touch with you two,” she pushed.

“No. For years she believed he'd find out.”

“Sounds like she was scared.”

“You have to understand. He broke her ribs, bashed in her face. She almost didn't make it,” he said defensively as though he'd been preparing her defense for years.

Maybe he had.

“I understand. I always believed it was something more than her just turning her back on her kids.”

“Much more. She wanted to come back for us, but she was scared to death he'd track us down and kill all three of us. The only way she could ensure our safety was to leave and not try to contact us,” he said. “What did you say was going on with my brother?”

“He's been taken in for questioning,” she said.

“For what?” Justin sounded as shocked as she still felt.

“Turns out someone's been making bombs on your land.”

“Does this have anything to do with the incident at the funeral parlor the other day?” he asked, and then it seemed to really dawn on him who she was. “That was your father.”

“Yes.”

“I'm really sorry to hear about that. He was a nice man.”

“Thank you.” Lisa was shocked to hear anyone talk about her father fondly. Most of the town seemed to want to forget he existed. “Do you mind if I ask when you first contacted your mother?”

“I hired a PI a few years ago, five to be exact. I needed to know what had happened to her and I wanted her to be able to meet her grandchild if she was interested,” he said.

“And you didn't tell Ryan?”

“No. He'd been through so much and he wasn't ready to forgive her for the past. I've thought about telling him a thousand times. Every time I mention anything about her, he shuts down the conversation. I wish he would talk to her.” The anguish in his voice was palpable.

“Me, too.”

“It would be good for him, right?”

“I think so,” Lisa said.

“Maybe you can talk to him, then,” Justin said. “He sure doesn't want to hear it from me.”

“Anything else about that land?” she asked.

“Charles Alcorn contacted me to buy it a few years ago.”

“And?”

“I told him no dice. First of all, I can't sell it without Ryan's signature. Second, my father refused to sell that man anything.”

“Is this the piece of property Alcorn had tried to buy from your father years ago?” she asked.

“It has to be. It's the only land my father ever owned. He inherited it from our grandfather, so he wanted to keep it in the family.” Justin paused. “With a family now, I could sure use the money if it sold. It's not doing anything but sitting there. Apparently being used for illegal activity. Speaking of which, no way has my brother done anything wrong. He's the most stand-up guy I know.”

“He is. I'm sure all this will be cleared up soon.”

“I can come today if you think it'll help,” Justin offered.

“No. Stay with your wife. I hear she's expecting any day now,” Lisa said.

“She is. And that's important. Believe me, I want to be here for her, but I wouldn't have anything if it weren't for my brother. I can be on the next plane—”

“How about this? I promise to keep you informed. If anything else develops I'll call you and you can still grab the next flight out,” she said.

A heavy sigh came across the line and she could tell how conflicted he was.

“Okay. Fine. If you promise to keep me up to date, I'll monitor the situation from here.”

Lisa thanked Justin for the information and promised she'd mention the land to Ryan as soon as the dust settled. In the meantime, she said that she'd keep Justin in the loop every step of the way.

“Everybody knows that my brother is a good guy,” Justin said again. “I can't believe anyone would suspect him of doing something illegal.”

“It came as a shock to all of us,” she said. “We're doing everything we can to get this straightened out.”

“If you need any paperwork about the land, just let me know.” Justin paused. “I'm more than happy to testify that Ryan didn't even know that land was ours.”

“I'll make sure his lawyer knows,” she said before thanking him one more time. “Would you mind texting me your mother's number? I'd like to give it to Ryan.”

He agreed before they ended the call.

“I think I have a pretty good handle on the conversation,” Dylan said. “I need to call Ryan's lawyer and give him the update. I don't think he's going to like the fact that Justin knew they owned the land.”

“Hold on a sec,” she said. “Didn't the feud between Alcorn and Ryan's dad happen because Alcorn couldn't get that land? Makes you wonder why he was so set on getting it in the first place, doesn't it?”

“I'll dig around and see if I can find anything there.” Dylan poured himself another cup of coffee to take out to his office with him. “Stay inside and let's keep the doors locked. Call if you need anything.”

“Okay.” She didn't want to say that she knew why he'd make such a request. Because with Ryan temporarily out of the picture, Beckett could plan an attack. “Mrs. Anderson took Maribel to the playground. Said she'd bring her back in time for lunch.”

He nodded as he left, locking the door behind him.

“It'll all work out,” Samantha reassured her. “Look at us. I never would've thought in a million years that I'd be planning a wedding with Dylan and becoming someone's mom all at the same time. Especially after what happened. These guys are tough. If it wasn't for Ryan's help, we never would've gotten to Alcorn in the first place.”

Lisa thought about another reason Alcorn might target Ryan.

“Maybe he wants revenge.”

Chapter Seventeen

Ryan had answered the same half dozen questions until he thought his brains might fall out. “I've already told you everything I know.”

“Then, where were you with your friends out in the middle of the night?” Deputy Adams asked.

“We were scouting places to set up camp for hog hunting,” Ryan said. Again.

With the deputy's sour look, Ryan was about to lose it.

“Are you planning to arrest me?” he finally asked.

“I didn't say that exactly.”

“Then, if you don't start asking different questions I'm going home.” Ryan made a move to get up.

The deputy's hand came up to stop him.

“Home to your property?” Adams asked.

“I already told you that I don't own any property other than the land my house sits on.”

“I've got a deed here that says otherwise.” He waved the piece of paper in front of Ryan's face. Again.

Wave it one more time and see what happens
, Ryan thought bitterly. He was tired, worried about Lisa, and being separated from her was making him cranky.

The deputy had better get on with it if he knew what was good for him.

“I'm Mr. Hunt's attorney. I'd like a moment alone with my client.” Higby Stern's face popped into the room.

Now this really was getting interesting. Dylan must've hired him.

The deputy looked none too thrilled to see Stern. And that made Ryan like the man even more.

Stern was five foot eleven, middle-aged and with a body that looked as though he stayed on top of his game at the gym. He was the best lawyer in town, heck, in the whole county. Ryan didn't think about calling, because he didn't think he needed an attorney.

He guessed Dylan felt otherwise.

He was probably right.

The system didn't always work. Innocent people went to jail. Ryan had read about several cases.

“Fine,” Adams relented. He stood, gave a stern look toward Ryan and closed the door behind him.

“I already know you're not a terrorist, so let's get you out of here so we can talk about your case.” Stern wasted no time. “They don't have any real evidence against you, so my guess is that they're hoping you'll confess. What have you told them so far?”

“I had no idea I owned the land. I still think they're sipping some crazy tea on that one for starters,” Ryan said.

“Is there another party involved or are you the sole owner?” Stern already had a notebook out and he was scribbling notes.

“According to the deed, I'm co-owner with my brother.” Ryan didn't like the way Stern's eyebrow went up. “Don't get too excited. He doesn't even live in town. He got out of here a long time ago. He's a family man and sure as hell isn't a terrorist.”

“The sheriff's office is asserting that the materials found in the warehouse on your land are consistent with the bomb at the funeral home,” Stern said.

“I'm not surprised.” Ryan was about to punch a wall.

Stern's eyebrow went up.

“Not because I know what the bomb was made out of, but because I was at the funeral. Beckett Alcorn dropped by with a few of his henchmen. Not twenty minutes later a bomb exploded. Almost killing me, by the way. You really think I'd be stupid enough to kill myself or my friends?”

“I didn't say you were,” Stern said quickly. “I have to know the answers to these questions so I can speak on your behalf. I don't trust any one of the Alcorns and not just because of this latest round of accusations against them. I know how they operate.” The look of disdain on his dark features said more than enough. “I also know they hire the best. Alcorn has already managed to find a way to get out on bail. Word on the street is that he wasn't even in town during the kidnappings fifteen years ago and can prove it.”

“Why didn't he come forward before?”

“Says he was having an affair and didn't want to ruin his marriage. He's provided an ironclad alibi. His wife is standing by him, of course.”

“I would expect nothing less from a woman like her,” Ryan interjected. “Her son is a scumbag who deserves to be locked away forever.”

“You won't get an argument out of me on that,” Stern said. “My job is to get you out of here and keep you out. It's clear to me that you've gotten on the bad side of a family with the power to squash just about anything or anyone they want. How did you get yourself in such a position?”

“Good question.” Ryan didn't think it was his place to say what Beckett had done to Lisa. “Suffice it to say I'm taking care of someone Beckett is trying to erase.”

“I take it this someone is a woman.”

“Yes.”

“Has she filed charges against him?”

“Afraid not.” Ryan shook his head. “He's after her because of something that he did to her a long time ago.”

Stern seemed to catch the undertone of what Ryan was saying. He nodded with a sympathetic look and made a couple more notes, mumbling something that sounded a lot like the word
bastard
under his breath.

Ryan liked Stern even more.

“Are they planning on arresting me?” Ryan asked.

“They haven't yet. And that's good. My guess is they were trying to sweat you. Get you to tell them something they could use. Doesn't sound like you fell for it.”

Ryan shook his head. “Can't say what you don't know. When it comes to that property, I honestly had no idea what they were talking about.”

He had every intention of calling his brother to find out as soon as he got the heck out of there and made sure Lisa was safe.

“I'll want to launch my own investigation into your case,” Stern said.

“Be my guest. You let me know if you need anything from me to get started.”

“Let me see about getting you home.” Stern stood and extended his hand.

Ryan shook it, sizing Stern up one last time. He had that honest but tough look about him. He'd have a jury eating out of his hands with his sharp wit and good-old-fashioned looks.

“I'll be back in a few minutes. Hang tight, okay?” Stern winked before walking out the door. His dark jeans and button-down shirt gave him a surprisingly professional look. He carried himself well and that would come in handy should a trial become necessary.

Damn. Ryan still hadn't figured out when and how he'd gotten himself pinned with a possible terrorist charge.

The door opened and Stern filed in, flashing a quick smile at Ryan, with the deputy close behind him.

“You're free to go,” Adams said. “Contact this office if you plan to leave town any time soon.”

Ryan agreed.

The sun hit him in the face full force as he followed Stern to the parking lot.

“You need a ride?” Stern asked. “We can talk a little more about our next move on the way.”

“Sure.” Stern seemed to have personal feelings toward the Alcorns. Ryan wanted to know more about that.

“Dylan asked me to tell you that Lisa is fine. He and Brody have been at the house the whole time,” Stern said as they secured their seat belts.

That Ryan felt relief was an understatement. He needed to talk to Lisa to tell her how he really felt about her. He had no idea if she would be game for giving a relationship with him a go, but he had no plans to go to his grave without finding out. The only thing he knew for certain was that he loved her. And maybe that was all he needed to know for now.

But there was something else on his mind that he needed to address with Stern.

“Can I ask you a personal question?”

“Yes.”

“During our earlier discussion, I picked up on the fact that you have strong feelings toward the Alcorns in general but Beckett more specifically. Why?”

“Other than the fact that early in my career his father's lawyers used to eat me for breakfast?” Stern said, and Ryan appreciated the honesty.

“Yeah. This feels deeper than that.”

“You don't know many good lawyers, then, do you?” Stern said. “We build our business on our reputation. We build our reputation off winning cases. Alcorn's attorneys never played fair. I'm honest. I believe in justice, in the law, in the system. You should know that about me up front.”

“Good. Then it sounds like we'll get along just fine,” Ryan said, and meant it.

“But you're a good judge of body language. I have personal reasons for not liking that family.”

Ryan waited for Stern to decide if he was going to share more than that.

“There was an incident with my niece about five years ago.” Stern stopped long enough to navigate his sedan onto the highway. “She never would discuss the details with her family or with me.”

“Do you mind if I ask her age?” This sounded all too familiar. Ryan fisted his hands at the thought of any little girl being hurt by Beckett.

“She's eighteen now, getting ready to start her first semester at Duke, but she was thirteen at the time. The only thing we know for certain is that she went to a birthday sleepover at her girlfriend's house. She came back the next morning traumatized. All we could get out of her was that her friend's much older stepbrother had a few friends over that night. She was terrified to talk about it. She'd called her mother to pick her up at six o'clock the next morning. At first, it didn't register with my sister that anything sexual could've happened. My niece was shy and she'd tried a few sleepovers in the past only to call her mom to have her pick her up early.”

“And you know for sure Beckett was there?” Ryan asked.

“I can't prove it and she won't talk. My sister didn't think we should press the issue. I disagreed then and I still do. But I do understand that she was trying to do what she thought was best for her daughter by giving her time and space to speak up about it. Carolina never did. She just retreated from her friends and didn't want to leave the house for weeks.”

“So how do you know he was involved?” Ryan asked.

“Every time my niece was within earshot of his voice, she tensed up. It took me two years to finally fit the pieces together. I went to my sister with what I believed to be true. Carolina was doing better and my sister didn't want to dredge up the past by forcing her to talk about it,” he said. “I didn't agree with the decision. I'm convinced Katy was in denial that something horrible could've happened to her daughter on her watch. We had terrific parents and Katy always had a hard time feeling like she measured up.”

His voice had a wistful quality to it.

“You think your sister would let me talk to Carolina now?” Ryan asked.

“I doubt it. However, I might be able to arrange something if you give me more to go on.”

“Your niece isn't alone. He's done this before. I suspect there are many others, too,” Ryan said, trying to keep his voice steady through the anger. “One of my friends was a victim of his when she was twelve. That bastard can't be allowed to prey on girls.”

“My niece most likely won't talk to you about what happened,” Stern said. “I wish she'd speak to someone. It isn't healthy for her to hold this inside.”

Ryan wondered if he could ask Lisa to speak to her. The young woman might be more comfortable speaking to another woman. “There might be another way to come at this.”

“I appreciate your concern and I would like to see all of the Alcorns behind bars. Right now, though, I've got to focus on keeping you out of jail. You can't help anyone there.”

True.

“How bad does it look for me?”

“Right now? It's not that horrible. But they're trying to put together a case against you and I don't like that one bit. This tells me that they're listening to someone else and I believe that someone is Charles Alcorn.”

“With enough money, I guess you can get away with just about anything.” Ryan didn't mask his contempt. “We're almost there. You're going to want to take a right onto that gravel road.”

“It's my job to prove you had no prior knowledge of owning the property. Have you been there?” Stern cut the wheel and turned.

Ryan didn't immediately answer.

“Let me ask that question another way, then. Will investigators find any traces of your DNA on the scene?”

“No,” Ryan said emphatically. Although he couldn't guarantee someone wouldn't place his DNA there or lie about it.

“Good. It'll be tempting to go there. Don't.”

“Not a problem.”

“They'll mark the place off as a crime scene, anyway. Then they're going to try to link you to the scene while they're proving that the bomb at the funeral home came from the materials there.” Stern parked the sedan.

Lisa bolted out the door as the two men exited the vehicle.

Dylan was already on his way to greet them from his office out back.

“Thank heavens you're okay,” she said to Ryan.

He introduced her to Stern.

Then, not really caring who was watching, Ryan hauled her against his chest and pulled her in close. “I'm here. I promise that I'm not going anywhere. We have a lot to talk about when this is over.”

He kissed her, a quick peck on the lips. He couldn't help himself. She felt like home and he had every intention of telling her. They could decide what to do from there.

Now was not the time. Besides, his situation didn't look promising. After talking to Stern, Ryan realized how easy it would be for a tainted deputy or the sheriff to plant evidence linking him to the scene. If Alcorn could see to it that Ryan spent some time behind bars, it would be easier to get to Lisa. All he'd have to do would be to create another “accident.”

It looked as though Charles Alcorn was going to walk. That family was about to get away with another crime.

“I'll be in the house in a minute. Think you can rest?” Clearly, she hadn't slept all night.

She nodded. She had to be dead on her feet by now.