Son of Texas (Count on a Cop) Page 14

  He knew he had to investigate this more deeply, and he had the resources. He intended to thoroughly check out the Becketts, but his laptop was in the Tahoe. He had to retrieve it. Calling his captain, he reported what had happened. After assuring the captain he was okay, Caleb was told since his car was state issued, a wrecker would tow it back to Austin for repairs.

  He then called Beau and Eli to let them know they were okay. Beau would tell the family and Eli would make sure all the rangers knew he was fine. He also phoned Chadwick, the ranger in the county, so he’d also know what was happening. The rangers were an extended family and Caleb assured Eli and Chadwick that he didn’t need any help.

  Taking a quick shower, he checked the bruise on his temple—a slight lump, tender and blue. He’d received worse playing ball. He dressed and called Eric, then he took a peep at Josie. She was still out. That’s what she needed now—rest.

  In the kitchen, he asked, “Lencha, may I borrow your truck?”

  “Sure. Keys are in it.”

  “Thanks. Tell Josie I’ve gone to get stuff out of the Tahoe. Eric will be by to watch things while I’m gone.”

  A gray eyebrow darted up. “Does Josie know this?”

  “No. She’s asleep, but I have some things I need to do and Eric will guard her. Plus there’s a guard outside.”

  Caleb went out the door, knowing he was doing the right thing by giving Eric and Josie a chance to talk. That’s what a nice man would do—back off. For the first time he wished he wasn’t so nice.

  As he headed for Lencha’s truck, a silver Z71 Chevy pickup pulled into the driveway. It was a new four-door cab and Caleb knew by the look that it was loaded. The windows were slightly tinted and he couldn’t see the driver.

  The door opened and a man got out. Caddo. Caleb did a double take. Caddo’s shirt was buttoned, and he wore a hat, his long hair in a ponytail. He looked like an ordinary cowboy. But Caddo was anything but ordinary.

  “Ranger,” he said as he walked toward Caleb. “Need wheels?” He jabbed a thumb toward the truck.

  Caleb scratched his head, realizing he still didn’t have his hat. “A good-looking truck,” he replied. “Should I ask where you got it?”

  Caddo grinned. “No steal. Mine. Hardly ever use it. Rather ride a horse.”

  Caleb wondered why Caddo would buy a truck like that if he wasn’t going to use it.

  As if he was psychic, Caddo added, “Gift from my Papa.”

  Caleb lifted an eyebrow. “Really?”

  “Sins of the father cost mucho. But Caddo no need nuthin’—not even the name of a Beckett.”

  The tone of his voice sent a shiver down Caleb’s spine and Caleb knew a day of reckoning was coming for the Becketts. Lies, secrets, denial and betrayal would destroy them and he didn’t want Josie caught in the cross fire.

  “You take.” Caddo handed him the keys.

  A white pickup stopped at the road with the Silver Spur logo on the door. A Mexican was driving, the windows were down and loud mariachi music played on the radio.

  Caddo shouted something in Spanish and the man immediately turned off the radio.

  “Caddo, I…” But Caleb was talking to thin air. Caddo was halfway to the truck and soon the white vehicle disappeared out of sight.

  Caleb let out a breath. He needed a vehicle and now he had one. Throwing the keys up, he caught them, then slid into the leather interior. He turned the key and it purred like a kitten and it drove like a luxury sedan. As he headed for the accident site, he tried to figure out why Mason would buy Caddo a fancy truck. It meant absolutely nothing to Caddo. Maybe it meant something to Mason, but for the life of him he couldn’t figure out what because he didn’t think the man had a conscience.

  As Caleb turned on the road leading to the Silver Spur, he drove slowly, trying to find the spot where they veered off the road. He missed it the first time, then finally found the break in the fence. He wondered why the searchers couldn’t find it last night, but the darkness could have impeded their efforts.

  The truck had four-wheel drive so he drove through the ditch and the broken fence and followed the torn-up grass. The vehicle was about a half a mile from the road. He got out to inspect the car once again, but he couldn’t tell much about the blown-out tires—there wasn’t much left.

  He gathered his things out of the vehicle and found his hat. A grin spread across his face. He felt naked without it. Placing it on his head, he noticed the jackets and Josie’s purse were back inside. Caddo. He’d come back and rescued the items because they’d left them under the tree this morning. Caddo was quite a personality.

  Caleb climbed into the Chevy truck thinking he could identify with Caddo’s pain. They both had fathers who wouldn’t claim them and Caleb’s never would. He was dead. In some strange way he didn’t need that anymore. Maybe it was looking at the situation from another point of view. In any case, when he got home to Waco he was going to make sure Andrew knew how much he loved him.

  For Caddo, his life was here on the Silver Spur seeing his father every day, knowing the line of father and son would never be crossed. He would never be claimed as a Beckett.

  When he reached the road, he turned toward the ranch. In the closest corral, he noticed a piped enclosure with a galvanized walking wheel to exercise horses. Boone stood inside looking over a horse. Caleb drove in that direction. Stopping the truck a few feet away, he climbed the fence to look at the horse. Two men were inside with Boone and the horse, one Mexican, the other white. Caleb had seen neither before.

  “What do you think, ranger man?” Boone asked, stroking the animal. The short, thin Mexican held the horse by the reins.

  “Good-looking horse.” The magnificent gray mare had black markings, a long slim neck and graceful lines.

  “Arabian. What do you think she cost?”

  “Wouldn’t even hazard a guess.”

  “More than you make in a year.”

  That was a little dig to let Caleb know that Boone had the money to make his life very miserable. Boone was used to buying people or destroying them. Caleb wondered why the man saw him as a threat, as someone who needed to be bought or destroyed.

  “May I speak with you?”

  Boone paused for a second, then replied, “Sure.” Then he said something to the Mexican who led the horse into the stables. There was a breezeway between the stables and corrals with tables and chairs and a bar. Obviously a place where Boone could sit with guests and watch the horses being given a workout. Caleb met him there, as did the other man. Cool air wafted around him and he looked up at the large fans that circulated some kind of air-conditioning. Only the best for Boone Beckett.

  “This is Hal Garver, my ranch manager.” Boone introduced the other man and they shook hands. In his forties, his hair slightly thinning, Hal wore a starched shirt and Dockers with boots.

  “I’m glad to hear Josie’s okay,” Hal said. “She’s a sweet girl.”

  “I’ll tell her.” But Caleb had no idea if Josie remembered this man.

  “Don’t you have work to do?” Boone interrupted with his usual tactlessness.

  “Yes, sir.” Hal headed for the stairs on the side, which evidently housed Silver Spur offices.

  “Drink?” Boone asked Caleb from the built-in bar.

  “No, thanks.” There was ice water on the table. “Water’s fine.” He poured a glass and sat down, placing his hat on the table.

  Boone brought a bottle of bourbon and two shot glasses. “Just in case you change your mind,” he said, sinking into a padded chair. He proceeded to light a cigar and blew puffs of smoke into the air. “Nothin’ like good whiskey and a Cuban cigar.” He picked up the shot glass with a sly grin. “Unless it’s a willing woman.”

  Caleb let that good ol’ boy humor slide, trying to gauge how to start this conversation. “You ever play poker, Mr. Beckett?”

  “Sure.”

  “I’ve played a time or two myself and one of the first things I learned is how to read
people, their body language, facial expressions and voices. Can learn a lot just by the inflection of a word.”

  “What’s your point, Ranger?”

  Caleb took a drink of water and set the glass very carefully on the table, then lifted his eyes to Boone’s. “You knew Brett wasn’t Ashley’s father.”

  “Really?” Boone didn’t move a muscle.

  “From what I’ve learned about Brett Beckett he wouldn’t have left here without telling you why.”

  Boone laid the cigar in an ashtray and downed the whiskey in the shot glass with one swallow. “Yeah. He told me, but I didn’t believe him. I thought he’d found an easy way to get out of the marriage and that didn’t wash with me. He’d married Lorna and he now had responsibilities. I told him to stop making up lies and mooning over that Mexican girl and live up to those responsibilities like a man.”

  “What did he say?”

  “He said he couldn’t do that. I told him he’d better or he could kiss his inheritance goodbye. He walked out the door and he never came back.” Boone poured another drink of whiskey.

  “When he didn’t come back, didn’t that tell you that he wasn’t lying?”

  “Well, Ranger, Lorna’s father was a congressman in Austin with a lot of clout and I had a lot of business irons in the fire and I needed that clout. And how was I supposed to tell the man that his daughter was less than perfect. Get my drift?”

  Caleb nodded.

  “When the girl was born with Beckett blue eyes, I figured Brett was lying. He just wanted out of the marriage. Didn’t have a clue she was sleeping with both my boys.”

  “Didn’t you?”

  The loaded question hung between them and the two men eyed each other. Finally Boone laughed out loud and downed the drink with one swallow. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Damn, ranger man, you just keep pushing your luck.”

  “It’s hard for me to believe that Lorna and Mason could be sleeping together in your house and you not know about it. It’s been going on over thirty years.”

  “It’s family business, ranger man, so I suggest you keep your nose out of it.” The words were spoken with a warning, but Caleb ignored it.

  He leaned back in his chair. “I’m just wondering why you haven’t insisted on them getting married. They’re both single.”

  “Well, now, that’s hard to explain.” Boone rubbed his jaw. “And I don’t feel I owe you an explanation. Or anyone for that matter.”

  “Playing tough isn’t going to help, sir.” Caleb kept going, pushing as far as he could to get answers. “This family is falling apart and only the truth will save it.” He paused. “Why haven’t you insisted on them getting married?”

  Boone picked up his cigar and took a puff. “Mason’s a womanizer and wouldn’t give up his women. Lorna had standards for him to live by and he refused. Didn’t keep the sexual attraction from surfacing now and then. Hell, she’s a woman and he’s a man. What else can I say?”

  As Caleb started to speak, Boone held up his hand. “Before you ask, I didn’t know Mason was Ashley’s father.” Their eyes locked and Boone’s turned to a color of steel. “Are you calling my bluff, Ranger?”

  “Nah.” Caleb leaned forward. “The cards are on the table and there’s not much left to lie about.” He twisted the glass, focusing on it for a second, then slowly raised his eyes. “Except who shot Josie.”

  “Look at my face, Ranger, and listen to my voice. I don’t have a clue. If I did, he wouldn’t be breathing.”

  “Maybe it’s not a he.”

  Boone poured another shot of whiskey. “Now I think we’re getting to the crux of what you want to talk about.”

  “Do you know where Ashley went?”

  “Nope. Never thought she had that much guts, but she was seeing this guy in Switzerland.” Boone studied his cigar. “She doesn’t have it in her to kill anyone.”

  “Jealousy makes people do crazy things.”

  “Yeah.” Boone took a puff on the cigar. “When you find her, bring her back to Silver Spur, but leave the boyfriend behind.”

  Caleb got to his feet. “I just want to question her. If she’s innocent, what she does with her life is up to her.”

  Boone’s eyes narrowed through the smoke. “I don’t guess you heard me, ranger man.”

  “I heard you, Mr. Beckett, but Ashley has enough problems to face without me or anyone forcing her to do anything.”

  Boone chewed on his cigar. “You and I see life a little differently.”

  Caleb placed his hat on his head. “Everyone sees life different than you.”

  A robust laugh erupted from Boone’s throat. “You got that right, Ranger. What are you doing with Caddo’s truck?” He slipped the last part in while he was still smiling.

  He knows, Caleb thought. He knows Caddo is Mason’s son. And like the sly devil he was, no one would ever know that.

  “He loaned it to me.”

  “Mmm.” He poured another drink and Caleb walked away wondering why Boone wasn’t drunk on his ass. The man could hold his liquor. He took everything Boone had said with a grain of salt, but he had a feeling it was as close to the truth as he was going to get.

  Life was a game to the man and he had to win at all costs, even at the loss of a son. Caleb pitied him. He had so much, yet so little.

  Before he could reach the truck, Mason rode up on a light brown sorrel and dismounted, frowning at the truck and Caleb. He stormed toward Caleb, his spurs jangling.

  “What the hell are you doing with Caddo’s truck?”

  “Your father just asked the same question.” Caleb wasn’t deterred by Mason’s anger. He was actually shocked by it. The man had a big interest in Caddo, whether he wanted to believe that or not. “Since my vehicle is out of commission, Caddo loaned this one to me.”

  “Oh.” The wind seemed to ooze right out of his chest.

  “Very nice gesture in my opinion.”

  Mason’s frown deepened. “Is there some hidden meaning behind that?”

  “No. Just that Caddo comes off as a bit radical, but he has a good heart.”

  “He is radical and Josie keeps trying to see him for someone he isn’t.”

  “Oh, I think Josie sees him for who he is.”

  The eyes darkened. “Just watch your back around him.”

  “I always watch my back when I’m on the Silver Spur.”

  “Listen, Ranger.” Mason got into his face and Caleb stood his ground, unblinking, unmoving. “Take Josie and get the hell out of Beckett.”

  “Why are you so afraid of Josie?”

  “I’m not afraid of her.” He all but spat the words into Caleb’s face. “Her coming here has caused nothing but pain.”

  “Yeah. It’s hell when secrets get exposed.”

  “Ashley doesn’t need to know about the past,” Mason shouted. “And now she’s gone, God knows where.”

  “And you blame Josie for that?” He couldn’t conceal the disgust in his voice.

  “Brett made his choice years ago and his kid has no right coming back here.” Mason turned toward his horse.

  “This isn’t about Josie. It’s about Brett,” Caleb said, and Mason stopped in his tracks. “The favorite son. He had everything, even the woman you loved.”

  Mason swung around, his face creased with resentment. “I wasn’t good enough for her or her father, but it didn’t stop her from trying to tame the bad boy. Sleeping with me didn’t change her mind about Brett, though. She didn’t know she was pregnant when she married him. When Lorna found out, she tried to pass the baby off as Brett’s. But big brother wasn’t stupid. I didn’t know it was mine until after Ashley was born and I figured out the dates.”

  So much heartache and deception, and it only seemed to get worse. The Becketts took dysfunctional to a new level.

  “Why didn’t you marry her then?” was all Caleb could say.

  “Because she wanted to make me into Brett. She wanted me to change. Mason, the bad boy, wasn’t
good enough to be a husband or a father to Ashley, but I’m good enough to sleep with. Now ain’t that a kick in the pants?”

  Mason was in love with Lorna. Probably had been since he’d met her and love had certainly made a fool of him. But he didn’t seem inclined to change that.

  Caleb tipped his hat back slightly. “You have the perfect motive to kill Josie. That would end all your problems and keep the secrets intact.”

  “But I didn’t do it.”

  “No.” Caleb looked into blue eyes as cold as anything he’d ever felt, but the coldness couldn’t hide the truth. He’d been a lawman for a few years and his instincts told him Mason hadn’t tried to kill Josie. “But I’m wondering why.”

  Mason’s hard expression changed and Caleb suddenly knew. “Because she’s Brett’s daughter. You couldn’t kill your brother’s child.”

  Mason didn’t deny it. “Doesn’t mean I didn’t want to. Someone just beat me to it.”

  The Becketts took stubborn to a new level. Mason wasn’t going to admit there was any good in him and probably most people would agree.

  “Now Ashley’s gone,” Mason added, “and Lorna’s never going to forgive me. So take your investigation somewhere else and stay the hell out of our lives.” With that, Mason stormed to his horse and rode away in a cloud of dust.

  Caleb squinted against the sun toward the corral and saw that Boone had watched the whole exchange. He tipped his hat and got into the truck and headed toward town feeling as if he was leaving another world. A world where Boone ruled and nothing was what it seemed.

  His goal now was to keep Josie safe and to find Ashley. From the start he’d told himself that this case didn’t make sense. And he wasn’t sure Ashley could help shed any light on the situation. When Ashley had talked to Josie, she seemed more concerned about her freedom than anything else. If she’d been planning anything nefarious, she was a very good actress. But he’d still check her out.

  As he reached Lencha’s, darkness was once again throwing a blanket over the land, cooling and comforting in its own way. He opened the door and stopped short. Josie and Eric were at the table, talking and laughing.