To Save a Child--A Clean Romance Page 9

  The car was like new, without a speck of dirt in it, or at least none she could see. It was blue on the outside and blue on the inside with bucket seats that looked barely worn. There was a slight musty smell from being closed up, but it was big and roomy.

  With Mr. Walt on the passenger side, she turned the key and the car purred to life. Her hands were steady and her mind was clear. She was ready to go.

  “Listen to that motor,” Mr. Walt said. “They don’t make ’em like that anymore.”

  “I’ll have to take your word for that.”

  The car drove great, and she expected Mr. Walt to give her driving lessons, but he didn’t. He seemed okay with Bertha on the highway.

  “You’ll have to give me directions.”

  “This county road goes straight into Horseshoe.”

  “Got it.”

  Zoe made gurgling sounds in the back seat.

  “She’s happy,” Mr. Walt said. “Cora’s happy, too. I talked to her before we left.”

  “What did she say?” Grace asked without a second thought.

  “She said I was a crazy old fool. Can you believe that? What good is a car sitting in the garage?”

  “I’m glad she’s okay with it,” Grace replied like an insane person. But if it made Mr. Walt feel better, then she was all for it.

  She made it to the small town of Horseshoe, Texas. An old limestone courthouse sat in the middle of a town square. Big oak trees surrounded it, and she was sure they’d been there for at least a hundred years. Two elderly men huddled in winter coats sat on a bench beneath the trees. People milled around the quaint country-style stores that surrounded the courthouse. This was small-town Texas, just as she’d heard about. A place some people called home. It had that feel to it, as if you’d want to return again and again.

  She pulled up to Gabe Garrison’s law office, which was located on the square across from the courthouse, and parked at the curb. She got the stroller out of the trunk and put Zoe in it.

  “I don’t see why you brought that thing,” Mr. Walt complained. “I can carry her. She weighs nothing.”

  “She gets heavy after a while, and you can push her around while I talk to the lawyer.”

  The lawyer was tall with dark hair that was graying at the temples. He was quite handsome. A picture of his wife and kids took pride of place on his desk. She introduced herself, and he invited her to sit.

  “I’m going to push Zoe down the street,” Mr. Walt said.

  “No. She doesn’t know anybody, and she might get scared.” She trusted Mr. Walt, but she didn’t want to be too far away from Zoe.

  “I’ll bring her back if she gets scared.” He opened the door before she could stop him.

  “Where would you take her?”

  “I’m going to show her off and take her down to the bakery to meet Margie and I’ll stop at the cake shop to see Anamarie and then look in on Lacey, Gabe’s wife, who runs the floral shop. Then we’ll mosey down to Maribel’s diner and wait for you. Maybe we’ll eat lunch there. Yeah, we’ll eat lunch there. It’s good food.”

  “Mr. Walt...”

  Her words fell on deaf ears. Mr. Walt pushed Zoe out the door, and Zoe didn’t even cry for her.

  “She’ll be fine,” Gabe told her.

  For the next thirty minutes, she told Gabe her story and about what had happened to her sister. He said he would draw up the custody papers as soon as possible and he would check in with Cole to see about developments in the case. He was nice and said all the things Grace wanted to hear.

  There was hope.

  * * *

  COLE HEADED FOR I-35, and even though it was early, the traffic was congested. Everyone was going to work. But he knew shortcuts and he made it to the station without incident. On the way he thought about the right way to go about talking to Parker. It wouldn’t be easy, but Cole wanted in on the case. First thing he had to do was speak to his lieutenant and be as persuasive as possible.

  As he walked toward the lieutenant’s office, he thought about his and Bo’s journey and where they were today. At eighteen they’d yearned for adventure and had found themselves on the front lines fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan. The experience wasn’t quite what they’d envisioned. Then intelligence needed someone to infiltrate the insurgents to get information. And without a single thought to their safety, they’d volunteered and found themselves in more danger than they could’ve ever imagined.

  Intelligence trained them and they learned how to protect themselves and how to lay it all on the line without any thought for their own lives. Bo had the gift of gab and could pretty much lie his way out of any situation. Cole always had his back. But they got valuable information that saved soldiers’ lives. Their captain said they had a death wish. After that, they decided if they were going to die, they wanted to do it on American soil. After four years, they came home and joined the police academy. They knew if they wanted to move up the line, they needed a criminal justice degree. They were patrol cops and went to school at night. They were busy, which was what they wanted—to avoid their families.

  * * *

  BEFORE HE KNOCKED on the lieutenant’s door, Cole thought he should call Grace and see how things were going at home, but she was a strong person and he trusted her. If anything happened, she would call him.

  “Come in.” The lieutenant’s booming voice came through the door.

  “Lieutenant...”

  “What is it, Chisholm? Aren’t you supposed to be home helping your grandfather? I mean, you took time off, so I assume that’s what you’re doing.” The man was on his computer, and he never looked up.

  “Something’s come up that I’d like to talk to you about.”

  “Go ahead.”

  Cole told him about Grace and Zoe. He didn’t say Grace was in hiding, which was probably the first time he’d lied to a superior officer. But because she was trying to keep Zoe safe, he figured it was okay. As that thought ran through his mind, he realized he was crossing lines for Grace. Lines he never would’ve crossed on his own.

  Slowly, the lieutenant raised his eyes and leaned back. “Homicide handled the case, but as soon as the coroner’s report comes in, Parker will close it. Do you have evidence to prove otherwise?”

  “No, sir. But after talking to Ms. Bennett, my instincts say something else is going on. I’d like the opportunity to join Parker and his team.”

  “It doesn’t work like that, Chisholm. You have to give me something before I can give you something.”

  Cole took out his phone and tapped it a couple of times and placed it in front of the lieutenant. “That’s Brooke Bennett. She was being abused by Briggs. He denies it, but...” Cole tapped the screen and showed more pictures. “These photos tell a different story. I got them from Grace Bennett, her sister. And then there’s this.” He tapped the phone again. “This is nine-month-old Zoe. Ms. Bennett has raised her almost from the day she was born. Now that Brooke Bennett is dead, Briggs will get his daughter. I want to make sure it’s the right home for that little girl. If he’s abusive, it’s not.”

  “What is it with you and kids?”

  His gut tightened. “I can’t answer that, sir.”

  “You know, you’re in missing children because of your instincts, and I’m going to trust you on this one.” The lieutenant pointed a finger at him. “But if this is about a pretty face getting you all tangled up, then you and I will have a long conversation and you’ll find yourself sitting at a desk.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I’ll talk to Parker.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  While he waited for the call, he went to his truck and called Grace.

  “How are things going there? Did the car drive okay?”

  “Yes, much better than that truck. And Mr. Walt seems fine with it. I’m just leaving the lawyer’s office,
and I’m looking for him.”

  “Isn’t he with you?”

  “Well, he was, and then he insisted on pushing Zoe around to show her off to other people. He told me to meet him at the diner, and I have no idea where that is.”

  “If you’re standing outside Gabe’s office, look to your right and across the street and you’ll see a big sign that says The Diner.”

  “I see it. I’m heading there now. Cole, we really need to talk about Mr. Walt and Zoe. He’s getting attached and so is Zoe, and I don’t know what’s going to happen when we have to go back to Austin.”

  “I’ll talk to him and make him understand that Zoe will soon go home.” The thought gave him a jolt. Grace and Zoe had just dropped in to their lives, like from heaven. They had been almost like a gift for Grandpa, to ease his grieving. It was almost a miracle.

  Grace had him talking about his childhood, something he never talked about to anyone but Bo. No one had uncorked that bottle but Grace. And he was beginning to wonder if his lieutenant’s words were right. Could his instincts be turned by a pretty face?

  CHAPTER NINE

  COLE SAT IN his truck with his brain on overload. He always did the right thing. He was known for that. He and Stephanie had a good arrangement, and now Grace filled his head with images he didn’t want. That wasn’t him. If Stephanie knew he was in Austin...

  He picked up his phone and called her. She had a right to know he was in town.

  “Cole, what a nice surprise. I wasn’t expecting you to call today. Are we still on for Thanksgiving?”

  “Yes. I’ll be there. What time?”

  “We usually eat around one, but I’d like for you to get there around ten and visit with my family.”

  Ask about my grandpa. Just ask about Grandpa so I can feel better about this relationship.

  She didn’t.

  “I’ll try, but it’ll probably be closer to eleven. I don’t want to leave my grandpa too long on a holiday.”

  Invite my grandpa.

  She didn’t.

  “Cole, really? This is getting aggravating.”

  “Maybe it’s best if I don’t come.”

  “Cole, please. I didn’t mean it that way, but what kind of life can we have if you’re constantly running back to that small town?”

  He didn’t have an answer for that. “Listen, Steph, I have to go. I had to come into Austin to work on a case, and I don’t have much time.”

  “You’re in Austin?”

  “Yes. And I’m returning to Horseshoe just as soon as I interview someone.”

  “Why didn’t you call me? We could’ve done lunch.”

  “Stephanie, I don’t have time for lunch.”

  “Where’s your grandfather?”

  Cole’s hand gripped the steering wheel. “The lady who ran off the road is still there, so I know he’s okay.”

  “She’s still at your house?”

  “Yes. She’s waiting on her car to be fixed.”

  “Couldn’t she have called someone?”

  “I don’t know, but it helps for someone to be there. That way I can work. Listen, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you later.”

  “Okay, and Cole, I’d like for you not to wear your boots to dinner on Thanksgiving.”

  “What? What’s wrong with my boots?”

  “My mother likes for Thanksgiving to be formal, and boots would not fit in.”

  He took a deep breath. “I wear boots all the time, Stephanie, and if you want me to come to Thanksgiving, I will be wearing my boots. That’s just who I am. I can’t be someone I’m not. And if you feel that way, we need to talk about this relationship.”

  “I knew you were going to be this way. Sometimes boots are not appropriate.”

  “I’m not having this conversation. I’ll talk to you later.”

  He sat there fuming. He thought he knew her, but evidently he didn’t. When she’d told him she was a defense attorney and her father, Harlan Myers, was also a defense attorney, a very well-known one, that’s when he should have questioned the relationship. But they had a good time together, and never once had she mentioned his boots. What was wrong with his boots?

  His phone buzzed. The lieutenant. He had a meeting with Parker.

  He went into the meeting with a little more vigor than he’d planned. He wanted to be calm and cordial and not to ruffle any feathers. But right now he felt like taking on the world.

  Parker sat at his desk, not looking up, much like the lieutenant, typing information into a computer. Tenney sat at another desk next to Parker’s. Cole pulled up a chair.

  Parker was a veteran cop in his late fifties, and he was known for his take-no-prisoners style. He leaned back in his chair. It creaked from his weight, and it was the only sound Cole heard in a room full of detectives, computers and electronic devices. His attention was solely on Parker and the scowl on his face.

  “What’s your interest in this case, Chisholm?”

  Cole pulled out his phone, tapped it a couple of times and placed it in front of him. “That little girl.”

  Parker frowned. “Who is she? I didn’t realize the case was connected to a missing child.”

  “That’s Brooke Bennett’s daughter, and I would like to see her get the home she deserves.”

  “Where did you get this?”

  “Grace Bennett.”

  The scowl deepened. “You talked to her? She’s a nutcase. She’s on and on about how she wants Joel in jail. And how he hit her sister and caused her to fall. Yet we have no evidence to prove that. She doesn’t seem to understand plain English. We need evidence. No one saw Joel hit her. And no one heard Brooke Bennett say Joel hit her, except for her sister, and then she comes up with this scheme about Joel trying to sell his daughter. Again, no evidence. Joel wants his kid back, and I promised to help him get her.”

  That news hit Cole’s stomach like a sledgehammer, but he remained calm. He didn’t miss that Parker was calling Briggs by his first name like they were old friends.

  “Why?”

  “Joel Briggs is a hometown boy and made it in the NFL. I talked to him several times, and I’m impressed with the young man he’s become. He busted up his leg in a game and had to retire, but he spends a lot of his time in schools trying to steer kids in the right direction. The people we interviewed were impressed by him and so was I. We found no evidence that Joel abused Brooke Bennett, as her sister insisted he did.”

  Cole reached over and tapped his phone again. “That looks like abuse to me.”

  “The sister showed me those, too. But we have no evidence that proves Joel put those bruises on her. Anyone could’ve hit her. She worked in a gentlemen’s club, for crying out loud, and Joel said she saw other men behind his back. I believed him.”

  “Without evidence?”

  Parker stood up in a quick move. “Okay, Chisholm. Tenney and I will be out the rest of the afternoon working another case.” He waved his hand across the desk. “The Bennett case is all here. Knock yourself out. If you find something that proves otherwise, I’ll buy you a beer. If you don’t, I’ll report you for misconduct.” After saying that, he charged out of the room with Tenney at his heels.

  Cole took a long breath and moved around the desk to take Parker’s seat. He wasn’t worried about Parker writing him up because he knew somewhere in this case there were a whole lot of lies told by Briggs. Now he had to prove it.

  For the next four hours, he went over everything from written notes by Parker and Tenney to lab results to witnesses’ statements and the ME’s preliminary findings. The witnesses said they didn’t see anything. Every statement was almost verbatim. There were no drugs in Brooke’s system. He studied the ME’s report. The fractured ribs, broken leg, broken arm and bruise on her head were consistent with the fall. The ME noted that the bruising around her neck and her righ
t wrist were not. Then he saw Parker’s note:

  During the altercation between Briggs and Bennett, Bennett slapped Briggs and he caught her right hand to keep her from slapping him again. Then she slapped him with her left hand and he put his hand around her neck to push her away.

  He mulled that over—something about it bothered him. Briggs was a defensive end and stood six feet four inches tall and weighed 275 pounds. He was a big man. If he grabbed Brooke’s wrist hard enough to bruise it, Cole didn’t figure she had enough strength left to slap him again. But there was no way to prove that. Brooke was dead, and Briggs was the only living participant.

  Something else that bothered him was Briggs telling Parker that he had met Brooke in the ER when he’d hurt his wrist playing football with kids in the park. Grace had said he had injured his wrist in a bar fight. He believed Grace.

  He read more on Parker’s notes, and another one caught his attention.

  Briggs stated Brooke was nice but he didn’t plan on calling her. Then she started calling him and asking him out for a drink. He finally accepted and they got along well at first and then she became jealous and everything was an issue with her. He broke it off. He was tired of the drama. But then she started calling him again, and they got back together. He wasn’t happy about the pregnancy but accepted it. Then she saw him looking at another woman and she took the kid to her sister’s and wouldn’t let him see her. Brooke always agreed with the sister.

  This was all one-sided. Briggs’s side. The only voice Brooke had was Grace.

  At four o’clock, Parker and Tenney returned to the office. Cole stood and stretched his shoulders. He’d been sitting too long.

  “Find anything?” Parker asked with a touch of a sneer.

  “Not much.” Cole would keep his concerns to himself for now.