Texas Outlaw (Rory Yates #2)(55)

“I’m sorry to get you two involved in this,” I say, “but there’s something rotten in this town, and I’m going to find out what it is.”

“You better,” Jessica says. “We’re in it now, too. There’s a lot more on the line than just your badge, Rory.”





Chapter 70



“YOU’RE LATE,” HARRIS says when I walk into the police station.

He’s standing at the front counter, waiting for me. When I open my mouth to make an excuse as to why I’m arriving to work at almost noon, he cuts me off.

“You’re out, Rory. Pack up your things and get out of my police station.”

“What?”

All of the employees in the station are staring at us. Harris is relishing this. If he was going to try to kick me off the case, he could have done it in his office. He wanted an audience.

“I talked to the Rangers,” Harris says. “You’re off the case. They’re sending in someone to replace you.”

My stomach sinks. So this is how McCormack—or whoever is behind all this—is going to take me out of the equation. They killed Skip Barnes. They framed Ariana for murder. But me? They simply had Harris call the Rangers and complain.

It makes the most sense, actually. If they killed me, the full power of the Texas Rangers would descend onto this little town. But now they will only have to contend with one Ranger, someone who might wrap up the case quicker.

“You’re making a mistake, Chief.”

“The only mistake I made was ever allowing you into my town in the first place. You’ve been stirring up trouble since you got here.”

I shouldn’t say what I’m about to, but I want everyone in this station to hear it.

“I wasn’t sure if you were in on it, Chief. Not until now. You should be in that jail cell over there instead of wearing a badge.”

“Listen here, Yates,” Harris says, approaching me and staring me down. His muscles bulge in his tight uniform. “I want you out of this town by sundown. I don’t ever want to see you again.”

I say nothing, just let my stare do the talking for me. But it’s not working. He’s not intimidated. He’s got me. Or at least he thinks he does.

“And if I find out you’re aiding and abetting Ariana,” he says, “I’ll make sure you never wear this again.” With that, he flicks the tin star on my chest.

I turn to leave. When I’m at the door, I stop and ask, “Who are they sending to replace me, Chief? Tell me that much.”

“They’re sending in the big guns,” Harris says. “Your lieutenant, Hendricks, volunteered to come clean up your mess.”

I should have known. Kyle sent me on this fool’s errand in the first place. Now he’s going to make sure I play the fool. He’ll declare Susan Snyder’s death an accident, and he’ll put his stamp of approval on Harris’s decision to arrest Ariana for the murder of Skip Barnes.

End of story.

Kyle Hendricks isn’t corrupt, but he’s the perfect puppet to bring in to put an end to this investigation. He won’t be in town twenty-four hours before he declares the cases closed and heads home. And life in Rio Lobo will be back to normal.

Which is just what the person—or people—who killed Susan Snyder and Skip Barnes want.

“Oh, and Rory,” Harris says as I’m about to leave, “if I see you in Rio Lobo after sunset tonight, I’m going to arrest you for interfering with a police investigation. I’ll put the cuffs on you myself. You’ll never wear that tin star again.”





Chapter 71



ARIANA HEARS THE whine of four-wheelers making their way through the desert hills.

Those are McCormack’s men, she thinks. Looking for me.

She spent most of the morning trying to hide the Land Cruiser by throwing tumbleweed and other kinds of brush on top of it. The camouflage wouldn’t bear close inspection, but from the vantage point of an ATV cruising by, the vehicle might be pretty well hidden.

Now she does the same with her possessions, tucking her sleeping bag and canned goods into a hiding spot in a clump of sagebrush. She hides behind the oak tree next to the river as she hears the four-wheelers get closer. They are so near she can make out voices.

“Where to now?” someone calls, shouting to be heard over the idling motors.

“Let’s go down by the river.”

“Shit,” Ariana whispers.

She’s hidden from view where she is, but if they come closer, she doubts she can stay out of sight. She looks around, frantic to find a hiding spot.

The only place she can think of is the river itself.

She creeps to the water’s edge. Fully clothed, she lowers herself over the cut bank that she and Rory jumped off a few days ago. The cold water embraces her, and she drops down out of sight just as the ATVs pull up next to the tree.

The cut bank creates an overhang, and she backs as far into its shadow as she can. Tree roots twine into the water around her and she grabs one to stay afloat without kicking her feet. The smell of moist earth fills her nostrils. A spider crawls through her hair, and she fights the urge to brush it away. She can’t afford to make any sudden movements.

“These tire tracks look pretty fresh,” a man says.