Son of Texas (Count on a Cop) Page 8

  “Sit down, you two, and I’ll dish up the pancakes,” Lencha ordered. “I made yours plain, Ranger.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate that.” Caleb straddled a chair.

  “Coward,” Josie whispered, and laughed.

  It was so easy with Caleb. She loved teasing him, laughing with him and just sitting quietly by his side. That easy peacefulness would soon be shattered, the moment they stepped out of this house to face the people of Beckett and the Beckett family. Her nerves tingled with a premonition of uncertainty and peril.

  By the end of this day she might know the person who hated her so much.

  WHEN THEY WALKED into the police station, everything became deadly quiet. The phone ringing sounded like a gun being fired. Eric was the first to respond.

  “My God, Josie! It’s you.” He hurried to her side, but she backed away holding her hands up.

  Seeing she was having difficulty, Caleb took over. Dennis stood in his doorway, a shocked look on his face. “Could we speak in your office, please?” Caleb asked.

  “Sure, sure. Come in.”

  As the door closed, Eric begged, “Josie, please talk to me.”

  “Josie’s lost her memory, so you’ll have to be patient.”

  “What?” Eric looked from one to the other in confusion.

  Caleb told them what had happened to Josie. Dennis and Eric stared back at him as if they couldn’t believe what they were hearing.

  His gaze centered on Dennis. “You said a missing person’s report had been filed, but there’s nothing in the system. The FBI searched and so did the Texas Rangers. Someone is lying.”

  “I’ll get to the bottom of this,” Dennis promised.

  “So will I,” Caleb replied.

  Dennis paused briefly, not missing that note of warning in Caleb’s voice. “My office is an open book and we’ll help you all we can.”

  “Josie,” Eric spoke to her, “you don’t remember me?”

  She looked at him, tall, blond and handsome just as Lencha had said. But there was no connection, no feeling of recognition. “No. I’m sorry. I don’t.”

  His face paled. “Who would do this to you?”

  “That’s what I’d like to know.”

  “When you called you told me about the argument you had at the Silver Spur and said you were packing and going home to Corpus.”

  “Did I tell you what the argument was about?”

  “No, you said you’d explain later and that you couldn’t stay here one more minute. It was about six-fifteen and I waited for Carl to come in to relieve me then I hurried to Lencha’s to try and talk you out of going. You’d already left. I tried your cell phone repeatedly, but you never answered. Someone had to have shot you about that time.” He took a step toward her. “Josie…”

  She stepped back. “Please, don’t. My focus now is trying to regain my memory. Don’t pressure me.”

  “Of course. Just let me help.”

  She looked him square in the eyes. “Find out what happened to the missing person’s report.”

  “I’m on it. I’ll turn this office upside down until I get to the truth.”

  “Lencha said Josie was working on a case involving a missing girl,” Caleb intervened. “Any idea who that was?”

  Eric shook his head.

  “Gosh, man, that was a long time ago.” Dennis sank into his chair. “But I’ll turn over all the files she was working on at the time, but it will take time to pull those cases.” He paused. “Does Boone know Josie’s back?”

  “No, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t alert him. Josie needs to do that herself.”

  “Yes, yes. I understand.”

  “Who would have handled the missing person’s report in this office?” Caleb asked.

  “That’s Teri Fields, an officer. She does most of the paperwork.”

  “May I speak with her, please?”

  “Sure.” Dennis touched a button on his desk and soon Teri walked in—a tall, attractive brunette with hazel eyes.

  Dennis made the introductions.

  “Josie,” Teri exclaimed, staring openly at her. “You’re back.”

  “Yes,” Josie answered quietly.

  “Ms. Fields, did you handle a missing person’s report on Josie’s disappearance?” Caleb came straight to the point.

  “Yes. About a month after she’d left.” She glanced from Caleb to Dennis. “Is something wrong?”

  “No missing person’s report has been filed on Josie. She’s not in the system.”

  “That’s ridiculous. I did it myself.” Her hand shook slightly as she brushed back her hair and Caleb knew she was lying. The first kink in unraveling the truth.

  “Ms. Fields, there are records and if you’re lying, it will be easy to find.” He didn’t pull any punches.

  “Teri, what happened to that report?” This was Dennis. Obviously he wanted the truth as badly as they did.

  “I filed it. With Lencha and Boone in here every day, why wouldn’t I? You told me to. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

  Dennis nodded. “Go back to your job.”

  “She’s lying, Fry, and you know it,” Caleb said as the door closed.

  “I’ll handle this, Ranger McCain, and I’ll have answers by the end of the day.” He looked at Josie. “I’m sorry for all you’ve been through and you have my full cooperation in apprehending this person.”

  “I’d like to have the files as soon as possible,” she replied.

  “Sure. I’ll put Raylene on it right away. Should have them by the end of the day.”

  They walked into the outer office and no one spoke.

  Eric followed them. “Can I come by later and talk to you?”

  Josie turned to him and his eyes were eager. For a brief moment an elusive memory floated across her mind then dissipated. “I don’t remember you, so please give me time.”

  “Talking might help to regain your memory.”

  She clenched her jaw and she knew exactly what she was doing. Suppressing her memories because of Caleb. She was still clinging to that security, that safety. Damn. Did Dr. Oliver have to be right about everything? “I have to do this on my own. I hope you understand that.”

  “Not really, but I’m glad you’re back. And I can wait.”

  “Thank you.”

  They walked out into the bright sunshine and Caleb unlocked the Tahoe. As they sat in total silence, bubbles of memories floated in her head and quickly vanished. Desperately she tried to snatch them back but they disappeared into the blankness of her mind.

  “Belle…Josie, are you okay?”

  “I should know these people, but I don’t. Flashes of Dennis pinning a badge on my shirt, of Eric smiling at me dart through my mind, but I can’t connect them with any feelings. And don’t say it will come,” she said with a spurt of anger. “I’m tired of hearing that.”

  Caleb ran his hand over the steering wheel. “Do you feel up to paying the Becketts a visit?”

  Her eyes clashed with his. “Nothing can stop me.”

  He started the engine with a smile. “Just wanted to make sure that fighting spirit was still intact.”

  “The memory loss gets to me, but I’ll connect the dots and soon. You can count on that.”

  She wasn’t looking forward to seeing the people who’d driven her out of Beckett. That didn’t keep her from going, though.

  Nothing would.

  CHAPTER SIX

  TRAVELING DOWN a county road Caleb asked, “Do you remember any of this?” Miles and miles of barbed wire fences, mesquite, cacti and scrub oaks flashed by.

  Her face softened. “The first day I came here I saw it all through my father’s eyes. He said you either loved this land or you hated it. The dust gets in your hair, your clothes and coats your skin. The wind, you know by name. Some days you curse her and others you say a prayer for the cool breeze that gets you through the searing heat. The loneliness seeps into your soul and becomes a part of you. The vaqueros, the cowboys, are
family and they’ll die for you. Some people don’t understand the pull, the mystique, of the land. Dad said you had to be born here to fully comprehend it.” She took a breath. “As I looked at this land that goes on forever with a fascination I didn’t understand, I could feel his presence and knew I was doing the right thing in visiting Silver Spur.”

  “And now?”

  “I’m wishing for one of Lencha’s spells.” Her lips twitched.

  He smiled and admired her sense of humor. After she’d recovered from her ordeal at the hands of the cult, that was one of the first things he’d discovered about her personality. She teased, joked and laughed and it was a wonderful thing to watch unfold.

  Parking on the circular drive, he turned to her, “Ready?”

  She nodded, gazing at the large hacienda and some vaqueros herding cattle in the distance. The first time she’d come here she’d been overwhelmed with emotions. Today was no different.

  “Just be prepared for some nastiness from Lorna and Mason.”

  “Oh, I can handle a little nastiness. I might even retaliate with some of my own.”

  They walked up the sidewalk to the front door and the wind blew with an eerie calm. Caleb rang the doorbell. A maid opened the door.

  “Miss Josie,” she exclaimed, her hand against her chest. “Ya a sight for sore eyes.”

  “Thank you, Consuelo.” She knew this woman, her name, but that was all. “Is my grandfather home?”

  “In his den. He be so happy.”

  They followed Consuelo to the large room. The whole family was gathered, having coffee. They didn’t even pause the conversation when the door opened.

  Josie glanced around the room at the animal heads, the animal rugs, the silver and leather and the sheer showiness. This room epitomized her grandfather. She’d thought that the first time she’d come here and she remembered that feeling of not belonging, of not being part of the Beckett family. She wondered if she’d felt differently later.

  “You do something about that boy,” Boone was saying to Mason. “He’s starting to get under my skin with his arrogance.”

  “That’s just Caddo. The vaqueros work well under him and he can tame a horse better than anyone I’ve ever seen with just his voice and his hands. He has an attitude, but he’s invaluable on this ranch.”

  “No one’s invaluable out here but me.” Boone snorted. “And what’s all that chanting and dancing in front of the vaqueros. He ain’t no Indian. He’s a damn half-breed Mexican.”

  Suddenly she knew who Caddo was and why they were friends, but she pushed it to the back of her mind, concentrating on the Becketts in front of her.

  “Josie,” Ashley shouted, finally noticing her. She sprinted across the room to Josie and hugged her.

  “Well, I’ll be a sonofabitch.” Boone rose to his feet, his teeth clamped around a cigar. “Girlie, you got some explaining to do.”

  “Why did you bring her back here?” Lorna hissed, her eyes on Caleb.

  Caleb calmly removed his hat. “Ms. Beckett, yesterday you asked if a crime had been committed and I didn’t answer you. Now I can. Yes, a crime has been committed. Someone tried to kill Josie and I’m here to find out who.”

  Her eyes turned to a frosty green. “Are you saying that someone here would do such a thing?”

  “You tell me, ma’am. From our conversation yesterday, you seemed to have a strong motive.”

  “You bastard, get out of this house.” Lorna trembled visibly.

  “Consuelo,” Boone shouted so loud the chandelier shook.

  Consuelo scurried in. “Si, señor.”

  “Take Mrs. Beckett upstairs and give her something to make her more mellow.”

  “Si, señor.” Consuelo took Lorna’s arm and tried to lead her from the room, but Lorna jerked away, confronting Josie.

  “Why did you have to come back?” Lorna screamed. “You’re not welcome here, but you’re just like your mother clinging on when you’re not wanted.”

  Familiar scents and sights were triggering Josie’s memory and so many feelings swirled around her. But at Lorna’s offensive voice, she disengaged from the past and stepped close, restraining herself from slapping her. “I’m never going away, Lorna, so get used to it. If you mention my mother again in that tone of voice, I will slap you.”

  “You bitch. You bitch,” Lorna screeched and a Mexican man hurried into the room to help Consuelo. She jerked and fought, but they managed to control her.

  “Mother, please,” Ashley begged, following the trio out of the room.

  “She’s gettin’ worse,” Boone snapped. “Those doctors ain’t helpin’.”

  “That’s because she’s continually confronted with the past.” Mason’s eyes centered on Josie.

  She moved toward him, not backing down an inch. “Are you talking about me, Mason?”

  “You know how she feels about you.”

  “Yes. I know how all the Becketts feel about me, and I came back for a reason. Sit down and I’ll tell you a story.”

  No one moved or resumed their seats. In a calm, clear voice she told them the ordeal she’d been through. As she talked, Boone’s cigar rolled from one end of his mouth to the other.

  When she finished, Boone collapsed onto the sofa muttering, “Dammit. I thought you were just angry and stubborn like your father. I never dreamed you were in any kind of danger.”

  “She was,” Caleb said. “Fry said there was a missing person’s report filed, but nothing was in the system and the FBI and the Texas Rangers ran ads in all the big newspapers hoping someone could identify Josie.” He twisted the rim of his hat. “Now I’m wondering why no one saw the ads.”

  Boone’s eyes narrowed. “I read the Corpus and Houston papers and I never saw any ads.”

  “Sometimes you’re away and the papers pile up and you don’t go through them all,” Mason pointed out.

  “Yeah. I could’ve missed it.”

  “How could everyone miss it?” Caleb directed the question at Mason.

  “Hell, man, I don’t have time to read papers. I’m busy running this ranch.”

  Boone took a drag on the cigar. “What does Fry say about all this?”

  “He’s trying to find out what happened to the missing person’s report.”

  “He’d better or his ass won’t be worth squat around here.” He glanced at Josie. “Girl, you don’t remember nothin’?”

  “My memory is slowly coming back. I remember planning to come out and visit with you, but everything after that is a blank.” Her eyes met his. “I remember us arguing all the time about my father’s body. Did you do anything while I was gone?”

  He slowly removed the cigar from his mouth and she saw the tips of his fingers were brown from all the smoking. That was one of the first things she’d noticed about him that day in her parents’ living room. That and his abrasive personality, so unlike her father’s.

  “Well, girlie, when I couldn’t find you, I did what I thought was best for my son. His body now rests in the Beckett family cemetery.”

  The words were like a blow to her chest and she fought to breathe. “How could you? You knew how I felt about that. How could you separate him from my mother?”

  “Marie Cortez took him away from his heritage.”

  “You took him away!” Josie shouted, feeling the tremors that shook her body. “With your controlling, manipulative ways! And I’ll never forgive you for this. And I’ll never rest until his body is back by my mother’s.”

  Boone stood, his eyes hard and unyielding. “I don’t need your forgiveness, girlie, nor do I ask for it. Brett’s body is in the family plot south of the house if you want to visit it. Your choice.”

  “You…you…” Words choked her at his blatant arrogance, then she realized they’d be wasted on him anyway. She swung around and ran from the room.

  Caleb stared directly at Boone. “This isn’t over. I’ll be back later for a statement from everyone in this house. I’ll keep digging until I find out
what really happened here that day.”

  “Don’t give me orders, ranger man.”

  Caleb didn’t blink, his eyes never leaving Boone’s face. “We can bounce insults off each other all day, Mr. Beckett, but you can rest assured I will be back and I’ll get answers. I would expect, for your granddaughter, that you would want them, too.”

  Boone shoved the cigar back into his mouth. “Ranger man, once you get to know me you’ll be surprised how offensive and nice I can be all at the same time.”

  “Looking forward to it.” Caleb placed his hat on his head. “Mason,” he acknowledged, walking out.

  CALEB HURRIED to his vehicle. Josie was inside, crying, and his heart wrenched. He knew how much she wanted her parents’ bodies to stay together.

  He gave her a few minutes, then asked, “What do you want to do?”

  She brushed tears away with the back of her hand. “I have to see his grave. I don’t want to, but I need to feel my father’s presence.”

  He started the engine. “Exactly where is this cemetery?”

  “Take a right at the end of the drive.” Caleb followed her instruction. “Now a left.” And there it was enclosed with an eight-foot wrought-iron fence. The big double gates had the Silver Spur logo on it and Beckett in large letters. He parked in front and they got out.

  To the left was a small country church. Caleb stared at the white clapboard building with a steeple. A wrought-iron fence also enclosed it and the yard was neatly maintained, with no weeds or cactus inside the fence. Several bushes were planted at the entrance.

  “Boone’s great-grandfather built the church so the vaqueros could have a place to worship. Now they go to the large Catholic Church in town,” Josie explained.

  “It’s well taken care of,” Caleb commented.

  “A little piece of Beckett history.”

  “Mmm.” After opening the gate, he sensed her disquiet and looked into her troubled eyes. “Are you okay?”

  “No. I don’t think I can handle this.”

  He reached for her hand and closed his fingers around hers. She trembled and at that moment Caleb wanted to strangle Boone Beckett. Josie had been through enough and she didn’t need to see her father separated from her mother.