Texas Outlaw (Rory Yates #2)(50)

“Under ordinary circumstances,” I say, “I would arrest her. This is enough evidence to keep her in jail while we try to fill in the gaps in the investigation.”

If Ariana is arrested, it’s not as if the work on the case would be finished. We would need to look for witnesses, conduct interviews, continue looking for evidence. Ariana said she went for a run that morning. We would need to find witnesses who could contradict her statement—or verify it. This is a small town. Someone probably saw her running. Or, if she did drive out to McCormack’s ranch, then someone probably saw her in a vehicle.

If this was anyone but Ariana, I would assume the person is guilty based on the evidence we already have. I would continue to work to make sure the case is as solid as possible. But I would like to think that if I found holes in the case, if witnesses did claim to see her running on the arroyo, I wouldn’t ignore the possibility that Ariana might be innocent. I wouldn’t cherry-pick my facts and use only the ones that support a case against a suspect.

I explain all this to Harris as clearly as I can, how I would ordinarily arrest the suspect at this point because I would be confident that our continued investigation would not weaken our case, only make it stronger.

“In this case,” I say to Harris, “I feel certain that once we really dig into this thing, we’ll find holes. We’ll find problems. We’ll get to the bottom of the setup. We’re going to end up letting her go. So let’s just skip the part where we look like jackasses a week from now or a month from now. Let’s refrain from making a bad arrest.”

To Harris’s credit, he doesn’t get angry with me. We talk about this like two professionals, weighing the pros and cons, discussing what the best next step is. In the end, he finds the flaw in my argument. Essentially, I’m saying that if this was anyone else, I would arrest the person, and the only reason I don’t want to arrest Ariana is that I know, in my heart, that she didn’t do it, despite all evidence to the contrary.

“Do you hear yourself, Rory?” he says. “We can’t just ignore the facts and say, ‘Oh, but I know her. She would never do this.’ I don’t like the idea of arresting her any more than you do. She’s my detective, for Christ’s sake. But we can’t let her walk around free when everything points to her being a murderer.”

“All right,” I say. “But before we go arrest her, Chief, let me make a promise to you. I know this is a setup. You’re either a pawn or a participant. If it turns out you’re a pawn, that’s forgivable, I guess, but it means you’re inept as a police chief. If it turns out she’s innocent—and it will turn out she’s innocent—then you’re signing your own fate. When the smoke clears on this thing, no one in Rio Lobo will ever trust you again.”

He’s simmering mad, but I don’t stop. All amiability between us is gone.

“That’s the best you can hope for,” I say. “If you turn out to be a participant—and therefore corrupt—I’ll make sure you live in prison until you’re a very old man.”

He glares at me.

“A month from now,” I say, “you’re going to be either out of a job or in jail.”

“You Texas Rangers,” he snarls. “You don’t know what it’s like to maintain the peace in a town like this, to earn the respect of the people. You bounce from place to place, acting like you’re better than everyone. But this is my town, not yours. I was here long before you showed up, and I’ll be chief of police here long after you’re gone.”

“We’ll see,” I say.

“Yes, we will.”

We sit in silence, the hostility between us heating the room like a furnace.

“Okay,” I say finally, rising out of my seat, “let’s go arrest our girl. We’ll do it together.”

This was an argument I was never going to win. But I knew that going in. It wasn’t my real intention to persuade Harris. What I was really doing was stalling.

Giving Tom and Ariana some time.

Hopefully it was enough.





Chapter 65



ARIANA PEEKS BETWEEN the blinds at the police car sitting in front of her house. The officer behind the wheel is Hank Humphreys, a young kid and nice enough guy. He and Ariana have always been friendly to each other, but he’ll arrest her in a heartbeat if that’s what John Grady Harris wants.

If she snuck out the back door, she might be able to make it, but she doubts it. Hank has his window rolled down, and even if he couldn’t see her, he might hear her. Her back door always squeaks, and the fence gate at the rear of the lot is even worse.

Rory told her to wait for the distraction.

Whatever that is going to be.

She spots Tom Aaron walking up the street with a reporter’s notebook in hand. He heads toward the police car, and Hank Humphreys steps out. Tom holds his notebook in front of him, ready to write. Ariana can’t tell what’s being said, but she can get the gist from their actions. Tom is asking Hank questions, which the officer is refusing to answer.

This is it, she thinks. This is the distraction.

She heads toward the back of the house and eases out the door. It squeaks, but she doesn’t think Hank notices—she can hear him in a heated discussion with Tom. At the back of her property is a short wooden fence, separating her yard from the arroyo. She’s afraid to open the gate—it’s even more noisy—so she puts one hand on a post and vaults over it, landing deftly in the dirt path on the other side.