Man of the west, p.30
Man of the West, page 30
She gave a low laugh. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I’ve called you a couple of times today.”
“I just now saw your messages. I’ve had my phone off all day.”
“Jolie, a fax BOLO on Billy came into my office today out of Dallas County.”
Her heart began a quick tattoo. “BOLO?”
“It means be on the lookout. He’s out of jail on probation, but he’s accused of stealing some money and he’s in violation of his probation.”
Jolie closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. “I was afraid it meant something like that. Did it say where he is?”
“They don’t know. If they did, they’d pick him up.”
“Right,” Jolie said, feeling as if a band had tightened around her chest.
“Jolie, does Billy have a gun?”
“A gun? N-no. I mean he never has. Does he have one now?”
“I just asked because I hadn’t heard you say if he has one. Did you tell Jude and Brady your circumstances?”
“No. Everyone has been so busy, including me. I haven’t had a chance.”
“What time do you go home?”
“Usually by nine. I don’t like for Danni to get to bed later than that on a school night.”
“Are you afraid to stay alone?”
“I wasn’t, but I might be now. If Billy’s got money, he’s probably smoking meth.”
“How would you feel about me talking to Brady and telling him you need to sleep in the ranch house until we resolve this?”
“I don’t think I can do that. Danni has to get ready for school tomorrow and I have to get ready for work, too. I’ve been through a lot with Billy, Jake, but I’ve always tried to not let it affect Danni’s routine. I don’t want to change that. Besides, I’m not sure I’d be comfortable sleeping here in this house. “
“Well, keep your cell phone close by. When you get home, call me and let me know you’re there. Be sure to lock your doors. I’ll be waiting for your call.”
“If I have a problem, can’t I call 9-1-1?”
Jake chuckled softly. “Sweetheart, I am 9-1-1.”
“Oh,” she said. “I hadn’t thought of that.” She heard Reuben come into the kitchen and begin speaking to Irene in Spanish. “I—I guess I should get off the phone. I’m in the pantry and I need to help Irene finish up.”
“Be sure to tell Jude and Brady what’s going on.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll be thinking about you. If I don’t hear from you by ten o’clock, I’ll assume something’s not right.”
“Okay,” she repeated.
And then what? she wondered.
They disconnected. She stood in the pantry a few minutes, organizing her thoughts. Stay calm, she told herself. After all, she had known the day was coming when Billy would show up, hadn’t she? And hadn’t she dealt with him and his antics for years?
She went through the motions of finishing supper, left the serving of it up to Irene and Reuben. She was so rattled she might spill something on someone. After supper, Mr. Strayhorn went to his room, as he always did. Jude and Brady sat at the table talking, which wasn’t unusual. They rarely watched the huge TV in the family room or used the study, she had noticed. She couldn’t imagine having so many wonderful things and never using them.
Irene went to the family room and brought Danni in to eat supper with them at the round breakfast room table, but Jolie had no appetite. She walked into the dining room and said to Jude and Brady, “Can I speak to the two of you for a minute?”
“Of course,” Jude said.
“Is something wrong?” Brady asked.
In a matter of a few minutes, Jolie blurted the sorry tale of her life with Billy Jensen, including the fact that he might be on his way to Willard County. And if he was stoned enough, a simple barrier like a barbed-wire fence would do nothing to keep him from coming onto the Circle C. She even told them about exchanging her license plates with another car’s.
Brady laughed. “Jude wondered what happened to your license plates.”
“Have you talked to Jake?” Jude asked.
She nodded. “He’s keeping an eye out. But I understand he can’t be everywhere at once.”
“You and Danni are welcome to stay in the ranch house,” Jude said.
Jolie shook her head. “I don’t want to disrupt Danni’s life any more. I’ve always gone out of my way to make sure everything for her is as normal as possible. Billy doesn’t know where we live. I don’t think he’d start knocking on the door of every house on this ranch....And besides, we don’t know for sure if he’ll come here.”
Chapter 29
As Jake worked at his desk early Saturday morning, a loud voice he didn’t immediately recognize. startled him. “Goddammit, Chuck, don’t tell me to calm down. I been robbed. How would you feel if it happened to you?”
Jake sprang to his feet and dropped his glasses on his desk. He strode to the outer office and saw Lucky Henson, the owner of Lucky’s Grocery, pacing and ranting at Chuck.
“What’s going on?” Jake asked.
Lucky turned to him, his square face vivid and shiny with perspiration. Everything about Lucky Henson was square, even his Hawaiian-print shirt.
“Goddammit, Jake, some bastard broke in my back door. Got my week’s take and all my extra cash.” Lucky threw a hammy hand in the air and began to pace again. “Jimmied the lock, tore up the door, trashed my office.”
“Let’s go take a look. Gimmee a minute.” Jake returned to his office for his hat and glasses; then he and Chuck followed Lucky out of the sheriff’s office.
Lucky’s building backed up to a large caliche parking lot that eventually merged with an open grassy pasture. The back door, which opened into the storeroom, was a weathered three-panel wooden door with an aged knob tarnished to brown and a flimsy lock. The wooden frame and jamb were splintered and separated from the brick wall. The door had been forced open by a powerful blow.
“Look at this shit,” Lucky shouted. “It’ll cost me five hundred dollars to get that door fixed.”
Jake didn’t disagree. He could see that an entire new door and door frame would have to be installed.
Lucky went on to explain that the door was always dead-bolted from the inside and at the end of the workday, he and his employees left through the front door.
Jake examined the door and the area around it, but found nothing but wood splinters and pieces. He walked around inside the storeroom. Boxes of merchandise had been opened, the contents scattered. Various display items were strewn over the floor.
“Just look at this,” Lucky growled, only slightly calmer than he had been in Jake’s office. He pointed at a desk with nothing on it but a mug of pens and pencils, a box of tissues and a few overstuffed file folders. “Assholes even took my friggin’ computer.” He clasped his head with both hands. “This is a fuckin’ disaster. That computer’s got my whole damned inventory in it and my bank account numbers.”
“Lordy, Lordy,” Chuck said, obviously awed by the damage.
“Where did you keep the cashl ?” Jake asked.
Lucky gestured toward a closed door. “In my office.”
“Who knows where you kept it?”
“Suzanne Breedlove. Nobody else.”
“How much did they get?”
“I figure they got a thousand in cash out of my deposit bag. And all the change I keep around in case we run short. About five hundred dollars.”
“So we’re talking fifteen hundred dollars total cash?” Jake said.
“About that,” Lucky replied.
“Let’s take a look,” Jake said. He walked through the chaotic store room, glancing in all directions. Lucky trailed behind him, still ranting. Inside the office, Jake saw no safe. “Where was the money?”
“In that drawer.” Lucky pointed to a massive wooden cabinet.
Jake observed a drawer with a splintered front, as if something heavy had hit it a hard blow. The drawer’s lock looked to be strong, but it had been no match for some heavy tool. A crowbar, he surmised.
Lucky walked over and gestured toward the ruined drawer. “This is where I keep what I’m gonna deposit. I take it to the bank in Lubbock every Monday. This is Saturday. That means they got every friggin’ dime in cash from this whole week. Thank God for credit cards and checks.”
“They didn’t take the checks?”
“Nope. Just the cash.”
“If you bank out of town and don’t go every day, why don’t you have a safe?” Jake asked, frowning.
“’Cause this is Lockett. Who’s gonna break into my store? Everybody knows I ain’t got any money.”
Jake squatted to more closely examine the drawer. “If you’re going to keep money in here, Lucky, you need to get a safe. A heavy one.”
“This drawer didn’t have my cash stash in it,” Lucky said from behind him.
Jake got to his feet, dusting his palms on his jeans. “Where was it?”
Lucky pointed to a heavy steel file cabinet, saying the locked top drawer was where he kept extra bills and coins for emergency change. The drawer had been caved in by a blow and the lock destroyed. While Lucky babbled to Chuck, Jake examined the file cabinet drawer. “Who’s around here at night?” he asked.
“Why?” Lucky said, a hopeful expression on his face.
“Heavy blows did this damage. There had to have been some noise.”
“Hell, there ain’t nobody around Lockett at night. You know that. The only person there ever was in town at night was Maisie, but she’s gone. You know that, too, right?”
“Yeah, I heard.”
Chuck came in with a fingerprint kit and began dusting for prints.
Jake had already concluded that Lucky’s thief was experienced at breaking and entering and had likely worn gloves. Not seeing a heavy tool lying loose, he suspected the bad actor had brought one with him. But none of the obvious evidence was what had Jake preoccupied. The earlier theft at AmDril Exploration Company had taken on new significance. He tried to remember when, if ever, he had known of two robberies in one week in Lockett, or for that matter, in one month or even one year. In Lockett, two burglaries in a week was a crime wave. “Anything missing besides your computer and money?” he asked Lucky.
“Well, I ain’t sure, but I think there could be a few groceries missing.”
A hungry burglar. Jake nodded. “You got any new people working for you?”
“Lord, no. I only got three people total. You know ’em all. They’ve been with me for years. The newest employee I got is Suzanne Breedlove. And hell, she’s been here more than two years.”
“When will your employees be in?”
“Probably be here any time.”
“We’ll need to talk to them.”
Jake’s mind began to churn. A strong suspicion had been building inside him, one of those eerie hunches. Instinctively he knew the identity of Lockett’s serial thief. Riding a high, Billy Jensen needed quick cash to keep it going. At some point he would flame out and crash, but where the hell was he at the moment?
Jake gestured for Chuck to follow him outside. “I’m going back to the office,” he told him. “I’ve got an idea who did this. Finish up here and wait for the employees to show up. Take their statements.”
Back at the sheriff’s office, Brady Fallon’s truck was parked in front. Jake walked inside and found Brady himself sitting beside Amanda’s empty desk.
Brady rose and put out his right hand. “Hey, Jake.”
Jake grinned and shook his hand. “Long time no see. How’s the ranching life?”
The guy looked different. He looked older and more serious somehow, even had a few gray hairs. Talk around town was that J.D. Strayhorn’s new son-in-law was assuming more responsibility daily for the operation of the Circle C. Brady wore authority and influence well.
Brady grinned, too. “Fine. Just fine. Had a good calf crop this year. Getting ready for branding.”
“Jude?”
“She’s good, too. Starting to get a little round. You must have heard she’s expecting. October, the doc says.”
Jake hadn’t seen Jude in weeks, but the local grapevine had been abuzz. He couldn’t imagine his tomboyish cousin pregnant. “I did hear. Congratulations,” he said. “Come on back to the office.” He headed up the hall. Without breaking stride, he stepped behind his desk.
Brady followed and closed the door behind him, took a seat in front of Jake’s desk.
“Haven’t seen you in a while,” Jake said. “What’s up?”
“I’ll get right to the point, Jake. Last night our new kitchen manager, Jolie Jensen, told Jude and me about her ex-husband. I got the impression you’re aware that he’s some kind of hoodlum.”
“Small-time criminal. In and out of jail. There’s a hot warrant on him out of Dallas for probation violation.” Jake had no reason to mention the theft allegation to Brady.
“Jolie’s pretty shaken up. She’s afraid of the guy. Jude’s worried, too. I told her I’d come to town this morning and discuss it with you. So level with me, buddy. Is this something we need to be concerned about? You think this low-life will come to Lockett?”
Jake didn’t doubt Jolie was upset. She knew her ex-husband better than anybody. But Jake also knew Jolie was tough. She had been surviving life with Billy for years. “I don’t know much. His name’s Billy Dean Jensen. We don’t know where he is at the moment. It’s purely suspicion, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s headed for Lockett. He might be here already.”
“Intending to do what?”
“I don’t know. He’s a meth user. If he’s high, he’s probably paranoid and unpredictable. If he’s like most of those folks, his muddled mind’s probably got Jolie all mixed up with the reasons for his problems.”
“So he’s dangerous, then?”
“Hard to tell. Anybody’s potentially dangerous when he’s hopped up and out of his head. I recommended to Jolie that she ask you to let her stay in the ranch house, just until we get this straightened out.”
“We offered her that,” Brady said, “but she didn’t want to. She’s putting up a brave front, but I think she’s scared to death.”
“Like I said, Jensen is probably unpredictable and I’m sure she knows it. Chuck and I’ll be patrolling the highway along the ranch’s gate. I don’t want to disrupt your operation or your life. I’m going to alert the DPS and our Ranger, although I don’t know if the Rangers will enter into it. Jensen isn’t the kind of criminal they typically pursue. However, since he’s wanted by Dallas PD, they might. Don’t worry, Brady. We’ll get him.”
Brady sat forward, his elbow propped on Jake’s desk. “Jake, don’t BS me. That ranch covers more than four hundred square miles. Randomly watching the front gate looking for one guy is like looking for a flea on a dog.”
“I know it looks that way. But we’ll get him. Jolie just needs to be sure she keeps an eye out and watches what she and her daughter are doing.”
Brady drew a deep breath and sat back in his chair. “Tell me what you want me to do.”
“You do the same.” Jake picked up a piece of paper on which Amanda had typed a description of Jensen’s truck and handed it across his desk. “Here’s a description of the rig he’s most likely driving. If you see it anywhere, call me at once. Chuck and I’ll be doing some double duty to make sure the phone’s covered twenty-four hours.”
Brady sighed. “Too bad we don’t have a nine-one-one service here.”
“Got to have the money to put it in place and hire the people to man it,” Jake replied.
“I’m gonna give that some thought. After this is over, let’s get together and come up with some figures. I’ll take it up with J.D.”
Jake shrugged. He didn’t doubt the Circle C could buy a 9-1-1 system, but the long-term maintenance was another matter, another strain on the county’s overstretched budget.
“Jude said something to me last night that raised a question in my mind, Jake.”
“What?”
“She said she had often wondered, given how you feel about the Circle C, what you’d do if the need for a cop should surface out there. I gotta ask you, Jake, what if this Billy Jensen somehow finds his way to the ranch? Will you be able...or willing...to do anything about it?”
Jake sat forward, his forearms resting on the desk, and looked his friend in the eye. “I was elected to serve the people, Brady. All the people. You don’t have to worry. I’ll do what has to be done.”
Brady nodded. “I told Jude that. And that’s all I need to know.” He got to his feet. “I gotta get going. Jude and Jolie both will be mad at me if I hold up dinner.” Brady put out his right hand. “I trust you, Jake.”
Jake shook Brady’s hand. “Thanks, Brady. Take care.”
As soon as Brady left, Jake sat back in his chair, thinking of Jolie and deciding what to do next. He wasn’t fond of the idea of going onto the Circle C to deal with Billy should things come to that. So that meant he had to arrest the bastard before he ever got to the Circle C Ranch.
He plucked his cell phone from his belt and keyed in Jolie’s number, hoping she wasn’t in the middle of preparing dinner. She answered at once.
“Hey,” Jake said. “I didn’t think I’d get you.”
“Irene’s about to serve dinner. We’re waiting for Brady.”
“He just left here. Should be home in ten or fifteen minutes.”
“Brady was at your office? What was he doing there?”
“He came to talk about Billy.”
“Has something happened?”
“Not yet.”
“I’m going to town soon to pick up some things at the grocery store. I could come by and say hello and you could tell me what you talked about.”
“Good. Oh, and you don’t have to worry about Amanda. She doesn’t work on Saturday. I’ll be waiting for you.”
As soon as Jake disconnected, his thoughts returned to robbery. Now believing a connection existed between the drilling company theft and the grocery store burglary, he drove back to the drilling company, intending to take another look around their premises.
