The Lawman Returns (13 page)

FOURTEEN

S
aturday morning, Lance stepped into the hospital room, and Sabrina looked up from the laptop Clay had brought to her first thing Thursday morning. She’d been able to get some work done when she realized her grandmother wasn’t going anywhere until the doctors discovered the reason for her fever. Between the stack of books on the end table, the computer and helping with her grandmother, she’d not had a boring moment.

“How’s she doing?” Lance asked.

“Better, I think. She hasn’t had a fever since yesterday afternoon, so I think we may be out of here soon. They were talking about getting her to the National Healthcare facility first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Excellent.”

Sabrina gave a wry smile. “I almost hate to leave. It’s been so quiet. No one trying to kill me, no one breaking in during the night...nothing.” She shrugged. “It’s been nice.”

“It’s because no one wants to mess with the guard at the door.”

Sabrina laughed. Lance, Clay and Leighann had all taken turns to ensure her and her grandmother’s safety. “I’m very thankful to you all.”

“Leighann and I are going to share the shift tonight so Clay can be at the barbecue. Aaron and Amber are coming home for it.”

Clay’s other brother and his sister. “Good. I think his mother needs them to be here.” She glanced at the window. “What will they do if it starts to snow?”

He shrugged. “Move it indoors, I suppose.”

“That’s a lot of people.”

“We’ll work around it. It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve done it in the snow.” He gave her a gentle smile. “Don’t worry. If it looks like it’s going to get bad, people will stay home.”

A knock on the door swung her attention from Lance to Clay as he stepped inside. “You ready?”

“Yes.” She patted her grandmother’s hand. “We had a good visit before the pain meds knocked her out.”

Clay took her hand. “Thanks for doing this, Lance. I appreciate it.”

“I’ll let Leighann enjoy hanging out with you all for a while. Then I’ll head over when she gets here.”

“Is Krissy coming?” Clay asked.

“Yes. Her brother is with her mom so she can come.”

“See you in a little while.”

“Save me some barbecue.”

Clay and Sabrina left the hospital. Sabrina settled into the passenger seat. “Do you think this is a good idea?”

“What?”

“Me coming to the barbecue.”

“I think it’s a fabulous idea.” He gave a short laugh. “In fact, I think you’ll be safer there than anywhere else in town. Every cop in Wrangler’s Corner will be there. On duty and off. The ones on duty will come in shifts.”

Sabrina nodded. “True. Okay. I’m looking forward to meeting Aaron and Amber.”

“They came in last night.”

She hesitated. “Is Abe going to be there?”

“I doubt it. He and my father haven’t spoken since Dad told him to leave.”

Sabrina dropped her head. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

And then he was pulling into the drive, and Sabrina’s eyes widened at the transformation. “Wow.”

Tables lined the front yard, and two large grills smoked delicious scents. Christmas lights and Christmas trees sparkled in multicolored profusion. Clay parked under a tree at the edge of the property. Sabrina climbed out and shivered. “It’s cold, but the sun feels good.”

“Still looks like it’s going to snow, but for now it’s a great day for a barbecue.” Sadness flickered in his eyes for a brief moment. Then he gave a strained smile. “Steven would love it.” He took her hand and led her to the house.

In the kitchen Clay introduced her to his brother Aaron. Sabrina gulped. He could be Steven’s twin. “Nice to meet you.”

“And you.”

“Aaron’s graduating from veterinarian school in about a week.”

“Congratulations.”

“Thanks.”

Next Clay turned to a beautiful dark-haired young woman with the Starke blue eyes. “This is Amber, my wayward sister.”

Amber gave her brother a light punch in the arm. “I’m not wayward—I just don’t get home very often.” She gave Sabrina a hug. “Glad to meet you.”

“She’s a writer for a travel magazine. Has the glamorous life and gets to travel all over the place looking for the next best vacation spot. At least that’s what she’s doing this month.”

“Right. Glamorous.” Amber wrinkled her nose and rolled her eyes. Sabrina loved the camaraderie between the siblings and felt a pang of loneliness. She’d always wanted a brother or a sister. Mostly a sister. Or a big brother to beat up the bullies. Either way, she felt as if she’d missed out.

Clay’s mother bustled into the kitchen followed by Tony and Maria. Sabrina hugged each child and listened to their excited chatter about living on the ranch. Amber moved to help her mother, and Aaron pushed open the storm door. “I’m going to check the grills.”

Clay tapped her arm. “Can you give me a bit? I want to help my dad with the horses.”

Sabrina smiled. “Sure, I’m fine. Take your time.”

“Good. Thanks.” He placed a kiss on her cheek. “Stay inside and hibernate. Okay?”

“The kids want to show me the barn.”

He frowned, then looked outside. “That’s fine, I suppose. We’re going to turn a few of the horses out and muck a couple of stalls.” His frown faded. “Wanna help?”

Sabrina laughed. “Sure, let me just put my purse up.” Clay and the children waited for her. Then they all walked to the barn together. Once inside, she gave a start of surprise. “It’s warm in here. I mean, it’s not toasty like inside your cottage, but it’s not cold, either.”

Clay smiled. “When it gets below freezing, Dad uses the heat. He turned it on last night. Don’t want the horses getting cold.”

“They’re spoiled animals.”

“We’ve got some high-dollar boarders.” He shrugged. “The temperature-controlled barn is one of the perks. Can’t be too warm though, or the horses’ body temperatures can’t adjust to being in the cold.”

She reached for the pitchfork, and he stopped her. “I was just kidding about helping. Your arm’s still healing.”

She moved it. “It’s sore, but I can deal with it.”

For the next thirty minutes, Clay and his father turned horses out. The children got bored with the mucking and decided to head inside for some cookies. Sabrina wasn’t ready to leave, so she started forking fresh hay back in for when the horses returned. She had to admit, the arm hurt. A lot. But the exercise felt good.

Sabrina jabbed the pitchfork into the next bale of hay and winced. A slight shuffle in the loft above caught her attention.

A barn cat?

Hay rained down on her. She jumped out of the way. Something landed beside her with a thud.

She stared. A pitchfork stuck up out of the dirt. Right where she’d been standing only a second before.

“Sabrina?” She spun to see Clay standing in the door.

She pointed to the pitchfork with a shaky finger. “That just fell from the loft.”

Clay strode over and looked up. He slapped a hand against the wall of the barn. “That didn’t just fall.” He bolted out of the barn and Sabrina followed him. They stopped and stared at the growing crowd. “It could be anyone,” he muttered. “No one looks out of place.”

“You know everyone here?”

“Yes.”

She swallowed. “Then if the pitchfork didn’t fall by itself, someone threw it at me.”

“I thought you would be safe here.”

Sabrina’s knees refused to hold her. She grabbed his arm so she wouldn’t fall over. “I don’t think I’m going to be safe anywhere until this person is caught.”

* * *

Clay had to agree. She wasn’t safe until the person was caught. And that person was someone he knew. Someone who blended in with his family.

Someone he trusted.

A cold ball formed in his belly. Which meant now he trusted no one.

To his right he saw Ned and motioned him over.

“Great tribute to Steven,” Ned said.

“Yes, it is. Unfortunately, someone just tried to kill Sabrina again.”

Ned jerked and frowned. “What?”

Clay told him what had happened in the barn. “It’s someone we know, Ned. It’s someone here.”

“Who?”

He shot him an exasperated look. “If I knew that, I would have arrested him by now.”

Lance Goode drove up and his wife, Krissy, walked over to greet him. “Their body language say anything to you, Ned?”

Ned shook his head. “They’re having issues.”

“I kind of got that feeling, but I just thought it was from all the stress Krissy’s under with her mother.”

“That and she’s just not happy.”

“Shame.”

“Yeah. I gave Lance the name of a good counselor. I hope they’ll use it.”

“How’s Prescott doing?”

Ned blew out a sigh and held up his phone. “That’s one of the reasons I wanted to get you alone. Prescott escaped.”

“You’re kidding me.”

“I wish.” Ned massaged his temple. “I made a bad call on him. I hate that.”

Clay ran a hand through his hair and blew out a sigh. “All right, then. Look around and see if you spot him. It might have been him who tossed that pitchfork at Sabrina.”

They split up. Clay headed straight for Sabrina. She didn’t want to hibernate, but with a killer in his backyard, she might not have a choice.

FIFTEEN

S
abrina let Clay usher her into the house. Amber was playing checkers with the children, but otherwise the home was empty. “Stay in the house, okay?” Clay said. “If the person who’s trying to kill you is around here somewhere, I don’t want to give him another chance to get at you. Ned’s going to keep an eye on one side of the house, and Lance will watch the other.”

Sabrina sighed and sank into one of the kitchen chairs with a slow nod. “You’re right. The children were in the barn with me for a little while. If that person had thrown the pitchfork with them in there...” She shook her head. “Fine. I agree. I don’t want to put anyone else in danger. I’ll stay inside.”

“And I’m going to start snooping around and asking questions.”

“Oh, Clay, I’m sorry. This is supposed to be a time for you to enjoy your family.”

“I can’t enjoy it while we’ve still got a missing kid and Steven’s killer is running free. Sit tight. I’m going to look for whoever could have possibly tossed that pitchfork at you. I’ll be back.”

He went out the door, and Sabrina looked around. The least she could do was help clean up. She rose and went to the sink, filling it with sudsy hot water to hand-wash the larger pots and pans. The smaller items went into the dishwasher.

As she scrubbed, her brain spun. What could she have that these people knew about but she didn’t?

The very idea was crazy.

Amber and the children tired of their checkers and headed back outside to enjoy the barbecue while the snow was holding off, leaving Sabrina to finish cleaning. Soon she had the area spotless.

The door opened, and Clay’s mother stepped inside. She blinked. “Did the cleaning fairies come?”

Sabrina laughed and raised her hand. “Just one.”

The woman engulfed her in a tight hug. “I want to adopt you.” Sabrina hugged her back. Mrs. Starke shook her head. “Christmas came early.”

“I’m afraid there will be plenty to do when the party ends.”

“Oh, yes, true enough, but at least I don’t have to worry about this.” She shook her head. “I think we’re going to have to end it early. The sun’s disappeared, and I think the snow is getting ready to fall.” Her gaze landed on the family picture she had taped to the refrigerator. Her eyes teared up. “Steven should have been here.”

“I know,” Sabrina whispered.

“I miss him something awful.”

She rubbed the grieving mother’s shoulder. “I’m sure you do. Everyone who knew him loved him.”

Mrs. Starke looked at her. “He talked about you, you know.”

“He did?” That surprised her.

She nodded. “He said if he wasn’t still grieving his wife, he might be interested in pursuing something more than a friendship with you. He said you were special.”

Sabrina gave her a sad smile. “What an honor.”

“I see what he meant now.” She patted Sabrina’s cheek, then swiped her eyes. “I need a moment.”

“Of course.”

The woman disappeared down the hall.

The door opened again and Krissy Goode entered. “Oh. I didn’t realize anyone was in here. Lance said I could come in and get warm.”

“It’s just me and Mrs. Starke.”

“I’ll come back later.”

“Did you need something?”

“No. Just wanted to get warm.”

Sabrina smiled. “Have a seat.”

Krissy hesitated, then lowered herself into the nearest chair. Sabrina sat opposite her. If she couldn’t be outside, she could at least visit with those who came in. “It is a bit chilly, isn’t it?”

“It’s not too bad as long as you have a place to warm up. The bonfire’s doing a pretty good job, but those clouds look like they’re getting ready to drop a few inches of snow at any moment.” She twisted her fingers together and jiggled her leg. Her gaze flitted from the corner of the kitchen to the door, then back to the table.

“Is everything all right?” Sabrina asked.

Krissy smiled. A tight thin one that looked forced. “Of course. What could possibly be wrong?”

“You seem a little stressed.”

“No more than usual.” Her shoulders drooped. “It’s just my life right now. My mom has Alzheimer’s, you know.”

“I know. Clay told me.”

Krissy shrugged. “And I hate living in this dead-end town, but I’m stuck because Lance has no ambition. He just wants to be a small-town cop for the rest of his life, and what I want doesn’t matter.”

Sabrina flinched at the anger emanating from the woman. “I’m so sorry.”

The anger faded and Krissy straightened. “No, I’m sorry for dumping on you.”

The door opened and Clay stepped inside. When he saw them, he nodded. “Hi, Krissy.”

“Hi, Clay.”

Clay’s gaze shot to Sabrina’s. “You all right?”

“I’m fine. Staying inside like a good girl.”

Krissy yawned and stood. “Guess I’ll go back outside and join Lance.” She paused at the door. “Since when did you invite Stan Prescott to this thing?”

Clay went still. Sabrina froze. “What? You saw him? Here?”

“Where?” Clay demanded at the same time.

Krissy’s eyes widened. “Uh...not too long ago. Out near the barn and then by the trees on the other side of the pond.”

“You’re sure it was him?”

Krissy rolled her eyes. “How long have I known Stan? Of course I’m sure.”

And then she was gone, pushing past Clay and out through the back door.

Clay slapped the door frame. “Sit tight. I’m going to get a search party together, and we’re going to find this guy. Don’t worry—I’ll have Lance watch the house just in case Stan decides he wants to sneak back over this way.”

Then he, too, was gone.

Sabrina sat still for a minute, her mind processing the conversation with Krissy and the fact that she’d spotted Stan Prescott nearby.

She registered a noise coming from the hallway. She rose and followed the sound until she stood just outside the doorway of the master bedroom.

She hesitated, then peeked around the corner. And her heart broke.

Mrs. Starke sat on the king-size bed, hugging a picture frame to her chest. Sabrina had no doubt it was a picture of Steven.

She started to turn to leave the mother alone with her grief when a box caught her eye. Other items rested on the comforter as though they’d been looked at and set aside. Sabrina recognized a few of the items as having belonged to Steven. She stepped into the room, sat beside Mrs. Starke on the bed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I’m so sorry.”

Mrs. Starke sniffed and held out the picture. “I am, too. Sometimes it just overwhelms me.”

“Of course it does.”

“I think it would help if his murderer was caught. I think then I could find some closure.”

“I know that Clay is doing everything he can to make that happen.”

Mrs. Starke smiled and patted her hand. She reached into the box and pulled out a picture. “He had this tucked into one of his books.”

Sabrina looked at the picture. She and Steven had their heads together. Their expressions were identical. Satisfaction at saving another child. Sabrina blinked back the tears that wanted to surface. “We had gone to pick up a child and take him to an emergency shelter. We stopped at that little diner on Twenty-Sixth and took a selfie.” She sighed. “He was determined to save every abused and neglected child he could. We made a great team.”

“And now you and Clay have teamed up.”

Sabrina gave a soft laugh and handed the picture back to Mrs. Starke. “Yes, I suppose so. He’s a lot like Steven, yet very different, too. He’s even more driven in some ways.”

“Clay’s always been that way. He loves his family and this ranch, but he’s never wanted to settle here. Steven did.”

She wiped her eyes with a crumpled tissue and started to pack up the items. Sabrina stopped her. “Do you mind if I look through them?”

Mrs. Starke shook her head. “Of course not. I want him to be remembered. But I’d better go put in an appearance or I’ll have the whole family in here fussing at me for being maudlin.”

“I don’t think they’d fuss.”

“No, probably not.”

“I’ll be out in a minute. I promise I’ll pack everything back up.”

Mrs. Starke ran a hand over Sabrina’s hair. “You’re a sweet child.”

Child? Sabrina nearly laughed but supposed she was a child in the woman’s eyes. “Thanks.”

Mrs. Starke left and Sabrina went through the items one by one, remembering Steven through a haze of tears. Oh, the good times they’d had. Nothing romantic, just good friends. Steven had never indicated he was interested in anything more, but apparently he’d been on the path to healing from the death of his wife. Sabrina knew even had Steven lived, there wouldn’t have been anything between them. What she felt for Steven paled in comparison to her growing feelings for his brother.

Clay. What was she going to do about him?

He wanted a life in Nashville. She had no intention of leaving Wrangler’s Corner.

Not to mention the whole his-uncle-hated-her thing. If she didn’t go away, he was going to withhold his financial help.

Yeah. That was a biggie.

She replaced the items, and her hand hovered over the book. A paperback that she’d loaned Steven. She smiled as she remembered. Steven had had it with him the day he’d died and it had been stuck in the bag with his belongings.

Should she ask for it back or just leave it with his family? She flipped through it and jumped when several photos fell from the pages and into her lap.

She picked one up and gasped. It was fuzzy, as if it had been taken through a dirty window. But two people stood at a stove cooking. She moved to the next picture. Empty boxes, ammonia bottles, empty two liter bottles with plastic hoses. Meth-making materials.

Cold dread settled into the pit of her stomach. She had to talk to Clay immediately. She stood with the box of the rest of the mementos in her hand. Should she take the pictures out to him? Or leave them hidden in the book?

She shoved the pictures back into the box and tucked the book into the back pocket of her jeans. She’d find Mrs. Starke and ask her permission to keep the book. But first she’d find Clay and tell him about the pictures. It was probably better to leave them hidden. She started to place the box on the shelf in the closet, changed her mind and took one of the photos and stuck it in the book. Just in case she needed proof when she talked to Ned and Clay. The rest of the pictures she hid at the bottom of the box. A noise behind her caught her attention.

She whirled and found herself staring into the face of Steven’s killer.