Rodeo ranch, p.16
Rodeo Ranch, page 16
part #4 of Broken Spur Series
“Yeah, it’s hard to believe, Ivan, and it’s not something I want to do, but Sheriff Tucker asked me to fill in.”
“Uh huh.”
“So…I talked it over with Bonnie Sue and we figured you’d be the best person to write up all the reports and do all of my paperwork, because we both know I won’t be doing any.”
“Me?”
“You, Ivan. Desk duty. Reports and phone only. That’s all you’re allowed to do. No outside calls and no contact with the prisoners. I ran it by Sheriff Tucker and he said you could come back on those conditions.”
“He wants me back?”
Not really.
Jack thought Ivan was beginning to tear up.
“I’m not saying this is permanent. My job is temporary and so is yours. The sheriff will come back as soon as he can and he’ll sort everything out. Do you want the job or not?”
“Sure do, Jack. I’m just sitting around the house driving my mom crazy. She’ll be glad to get rid of me during the day.”
“You can start right away. As soon as you can. Tomorrow morning would be ideal.”
Ivan smiled. “Thanks, Jack. I need my job back.”
Broken Spur Service Center.
ON his way back to the sheriff’s office, Jack received a call from Ronnie Palmer.
“Might have something for you, Jack. Can you drop by the garage?”
“I’m on the road now, Ronnie. I can be there in twenty minutes or less.”
Jack drove from Preston to Broken Spur and parked the sheriff’s Jimmy in front of the garage. He felt weird driving the sheriff’s vehicle, but he had to do it. No choice.
Inside the garage, Ronnie looked the same as he always did—dirty, greasy and unshaven. He was working on Fiona Lonnigan’s red Bronco.
“What’s wrong with the doc’s Bronco?”
“Oil change and tune up. Not much wrong with it.”
Jack was about to lean on the workbench but noticed how filthy it was and stopped himself in time. “What did you hear? Anything on Paisley?”
“I keep hearing weird stuff like his mother is hiding him on their ranch, but I also heard that you guys searched the Paisley house and he wasn’t there.”
“What’s the weird stuff?”
Ronnie leaned closer and lowered his voice like somebody might overhear him in the empty garage. “I heard guys talking at the pumps. One of them mentioned Paisley’s name, so I perked up my ears and listened.”
“And?” Jack wished Ronnie would get to the point.
“Most I heard that could be useful was there’s a trap door in the barn.”
Jack raised a dark eyebrow. “Good work, Ronnie. That’s worth twenty bucks.” He opened his wallet and handed Ron a bill. “I’ll get Bonnie Sue to give me a hand and we’ll search the barn again. I’ve already been in there a few times but I never noticed anything like that. I guess you didn’t happen to hear what part of the barn this trap door is in, did you?”
“Nope, sorry, Jack. That’s all I got. I’ll keep my ears open for you.”
“If we catch him on this information, I’ll owe you a bonus, Ronnie.”
Ronnie grinned. “That true?”
“Yep. Beer and wings for a week. True story.”
Sheriff’s Office. Preston.
JACK got back to the shop and called Bonnie Sue into the sheriff’s office. “Close the door.”
Bonnie Sue closed the door and sat down in the one guest chair. “What? Did you talk to Ivan?”
“Yep. He’s coming in the morning and you can load him up with paperwork.”
Bonnie Sue smiled. “Great. I hate reports.”
“Ronnie Palmer heard something.”
She leaned closer to the desk. “Why are you whispering?”
“He heard a couple guys at the gas pumps talking about a trap door in Paisley’s barn and Mrs. Paisley hiding her son.”
“Trap door? I never saw any sign of one. We’ve been through that barn a couple times already, and I don’t think we missed much.”
“We have to look harder. Spur tonight, then you and I are going to Paisley’s place to look again.”
“Ooh, can’t wait.”
Spinner Ranch.
JACK couldn’t wait to get out of the office and get home to his own ranch to see how the fence was coming along. He parked his truck at the porch steps and jogged down the lane past the corral. The horses nickered when they saw him and he stopped to stroke a couple of their noses.
Cesar was gone for the day but he’d made good progress and Jack was pleased. The horses would be so happy when they had a whole field to run in. Cesar and his crew were hard workers and you could depend on them. That’s what Daddy always said.
After admiring the work done on the fence, Jack sat on the porch steps beside his cat and lit up a smoke. His cell rang and he smiled. “Lauren is checking up on us, Kitty.”
“How’s your head?”
“Not bad, as long as I take the pain killers.”
“Are you lying down?”
Jack leaned back on the steps and held his phone up in the air. “Yep, I’m lying down.”
Broken Spur Roadhouse.
EVERYONE met at the Spur at seven o’clock for dinner. On a Monday night it wasn’t busy and they had their pick of the booths.
“My whole family is here tonight,” said Miss Jane. “Is this a special occasion?”
“Kind of,” said Logan. “We’re celebrating Jack being the new temporary sheriff of Preston County.”
“Oh, my. Be still my heart,” said Miss Jane. “I never expected that. I heard about the shoot-out, of course. Who didn’t? Everybody who came to the roadhouse was talking about it. And poor old Wade, shot in the groin by that wild girl. Seems ironic, doesn’t it?” Miss Jane smiled a funny little smile. “But, Jacky being sheriff? That’s something I never pictured.”
“I don’t want the job, Miss Jane. It’s only temporary, and as soon as I’m replaced, I’m a full-time rancher.”
“And full-time husband,” said Lauren.
“Uh huh. That too.” Jack leaned over and kissed Lauren.
Miss Jane teared up. “My boys are growing up so fast, and now they’re getting married.” She grabbed a cocktail napkin off the bar and dabbed at her eyes.
Paisley Ranch.
AFTER Lauren and Darla left the roadhouse and went home to Preston, and Clay and Logan went home to the ranch, Jack and Bonnie Sue headed out of town to the Paisley ranch.
Clay and Logan had volunteered for the search, but Jack thought better of getting his brothers involved. It had been a close call for Logan the day before, and Jack didn’t want that happening again. Close was too close.
They were a couple of miles from the Paisley place when Jack got an emergency call. When there was no one in the small office at night or on Sundays, the calls came directly to him.
At first, Jack couldn’t hear the caller. “Speak up, I can’t hear you. What’s your emergency?”
“Jack, me Ronnie. Help me.”
“You at home?”
“At the trailer.”
Jack wheeled around and headed back towards Broken Spur.
“What’s wrong? Who was that?”
“Ronnie Palmer. Sounds like he’s in bad shape.”
Jack turned on the siren and broke the speed limit on his way to Ronnie’s trailer out in the middle of nowhere.
“Should you call an ambulance?”
“You do it while I drive.”
Ronnie Palmer’s Trailer.
JACK stopped next to Ronnie’s truck, jumped out and ran into the trailer. The kitchen light was on and Ronnie was lying on the dirty tile floor beat up bad. One eye was swollen shut, his nose was bleeding and a lot of blood had gathered around his mouth. He was holding onto his rib area and moaning.
“Ambulance is coming,” said Bonnie Sue. “Who did this?”
“Don’t know who they were,” he mumbled as more blood dribbled out the corner of his mouth. “They called me a snitch and pounded the crap out of me.”
“You think Paisley sent them?”
“No, they were bikers.”
“Swain?”
“Maybe Swain, but I never said nothing about him. I don’t know nothing about Micky Swain.”
The ambulance arrived and the paramedics took over. They loaded Ronnie onto a stretcher and took him to the hospital.
“This is my fault,” said Jack. “I’ve been pushing him for information. Somebody found out and this is the result.”
“You’re not responsible for everything bad that happens in this county, Jack. Ronnie Palmer hangs with a lot of low-lifes and his big mouth has always got him into trouble. You’ve got to stop blaming yourself for stuff you have no control over. Let’s get some sleep and start over in the morning.”
Jack rubbed his head. “Yeah, my head is killing me and I lied to Lauren. I told her I was lying down today when I wasn’t.”
“She didn’t seem mad at you at the Spur,” said Bonnie Sue.
“That’s because she’s too nice.” Jack thought about it for a minute. “Maybe she’s too nice for me.”
“Bullshit. You’re a great guy just like Clay and Logan are and you deserve a beautiful girl like Lauren. You need sleep Jack. You’re not thinking straight and you’re talking crazy. That’s exhaustion. Let’s go home.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Tuesday, October 13th.
McKenna Ranch.
WHEN the alarm went off, Jack laid on his bed fully aware that he couldn’t get up to help his brothers with morning chores. He was beat and shouldn’t be trying to work at all. Lauren told him that but he didn’t listen.
After a few more minutes lying flat on his back with his eyes closed, he made himself get out of bed and take a shower. It helped, but not enough to make him feel good. He put his uniform on and trudged downstairs to the kitchen.
“Hey, Jacky,” said Clay. “Did you and Bonnie Sue have any luck finding Bobby Paisley?”
“When we left the roadhouse, we were headed in that direction but I got an emergency call and I had to take it.”
“Who had an emergency?” asked Logan.
“Ronnie Palmer was all beat up at his trailer. I’ve got to go to the hospital this morning and get his statement.”
“So, you never did get to search Paisley’s barn?” asked Clay.
“Nope. We’ll do it tonight.”
“I want to go with you and Bonnie Sue tonight,” said Clay.
“Come with us if you want, but I don’t want you getting hurt again. Your side is barely healed from the stabbing.”
“I’ll be extra careful.” Clay grinned.
Sheriff’s Office. Preston.
IVAN was already at the office anxious to get to work when Jack arrived. Bonnie Sue came flying in a few minutes later, tossed her purse into her desk drawer and got Ivan started on a mountain of reports that weren’t written.
He stared at the work Bonnie Sue had given him. “How did y’all get so far behind?”
“It’s easy if you don’t do any paperwork,” said Jack.
“You have to do the reports,” said Ivan. “It’s the rule.”
“Nope. Not my rule. I quit already,” Jack snapped at him and pointed his finger at Ivan’s chest. “I don’t even work here anymore. You do what I tell you, Ivan Putnam, and you can work in this office. Screw up or start doing things on your own just because you think they should be done a certain way, and you’ll be watching the Price is Right with your mother.”
Ivan frowned. “How did you know she watched that show?”
“I watched it with her a couple of times.”
Bonnie Sue rolled her eyes.
“When?”
Jack ignored the question and kept talking. “Bon, you’re in charge. I’m going to get Ronnie’s statement and a description of the guys who beat him up. Then I have a lawyer’s appointment after that. Call if y’all need me.”
Preston Hospital.
RONNIE Palmer was in a ward on the fourth floor with two other guys and they were all eating breakfast off their trays when Jack arrived. The room smelled of coffee and eggs mixed with the hospital smell.
“Hey, Ronnie. You okay?”
“Hi, Jack. They brought us breakfast and fixed me up good. Gave me decent drugs too. I slept like a dead man.”
Jack pulled a chair close to Ron’s bed and sat down with his tape recorder. He set up the statement and said, “Tell me exactly what happened and don’t leave anything out.”
“Sure.” Ronnie shoved in his last mouthful of eggs and washed it down with the last swig of orange juice.
“I’d been home from work for a couple of hours. Long enough to make a sandwich and drink a couple of beers. I turned the tube on looking for a game and that’s when I heard the Harleys outside.”
“How many?”
“Three guys busted in. Didn’t knock or nothing, and I hollered at them asking what they wanted. That was it. They grabbed me and beat the snot out of me.”
“And they didn’t say anything?”
“Umm… I’ve been thinking on that, and one of them did say something but I can’t remember what it was.”
“You sure you can’t remember? Might be important.”
“The only thing for sure was the one guy with the beard said something like ‘snitches don’t live long.’ Something like that.”
“But if you didn’t know these guys, how could you snitch on them about anything to piss them off?”
“Don’t know the answer, Jack. Never saw them before last night. I swear.”
“What did they look like?”
“Umm… looked like bikers. Leather jackets. One had a beard. All had long hair. One guy had a red bandana around his neck.”
“If they were bikers,” said Jack, “it’s a wonder they didn’t have knives and cut you up a little.”
Ronnie made a face.
“Did you see the bikes?”
“Nope. Didn’t go outside.”
“What did the doctor say about your injuries? Any broken bones?”
“Yep. Broken ribs where the bastards kicked me.” Ronnie smiled. “I have this gorgeous doctor taking care of me. She’s so damned pretty I couldn’t believe it, Jacky. She was real nice to me and fixed me up real good.”
Jack wanted to punch Ronnie in his already beat-up face. “Was it Doctor Hillier?”
“Yep, that was her. You know her?”
“I’m engaged to her, Ronnie. I’m marrying that doctor.”
“Calling bullshit on that one, Jacky. Can’t believe that for a second. She’s a looker and she’s way too nice for you.”
“No bullshit, Ronnie.” Jack stood up. The thought of Ronnie Palmer being anywhere close to Lauren made him want to hurl. “I’ll get some warrants out on these guys. Wish I knew their names. It would make it a helluva lot easier to bring them in.”
“Can’t help you, Jack. Thanks for coming to scrape me up last night. I might have died out there alone in my trailer.”
“Behave yourself, Ronnie, and keep your hands off my wife.”
Ronnie grinned. His black and blue face all distorted and messed up like something out of a horror movie.
Sheriff’s Office. Preston.
BONNIE SUE was sitting at her desk facing the front door when Big Sandy Shaver came walking in with Jim Johnson from the courthouse.
Shaver waved a paper in front of Bonnie Sue and snarled at her in his arrogant way. “I’ve got a release order here signed by Judge Vance. Bail has been paid for both girls and Laney Wagoner and Kate Gabriel are to be released immediately.”
Bonnie Sue took the order from his hand and read it carefully. She’d seen lots of them before and this one seemed to be legitimate. “Okay, I’ll get the girls for y’all. Have a seat.”
She headed down the hall and unlocked the new lock on the outside of the run then walked down to the cell the two girls were in. “You girls are clear to go. I’m going to get your clothes and you can change.”
“We can go?” Laney smiled. “Great. Can’t wait to get out of here.”
Bonnie Sue opened the storage cupboard and took out the two bags bearing Laney and Kate’s names. She unlocked the door and handed them their belongings. “Get changed and I’ll escort you out front where your lawyer is waiting.”
The two girls stripped off their orange jumpsuits and dressed in the clothes they’d been arrested in. They grabbed up their purses and went running by Bonnie Sue like their asses were on fire.
Bonnie Sue followed them into the squad room out front and got there in time to see Ivan hop up from his desk about to say something. Bonnie Sue held up her hand in warning. “Ivan, go get coffee.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He stormed off to the break room and Bonnie Sue showed the prisoners the door.
Preston Hospital.
AFTER Jack took Ronnie’s statement, he stood at the nurses’ station and had Lauren paged. She showed up five minutes later and smiled at him.
“Jack, nice to see you, sweetheart.”
He pointed at the empty waiting area, went in and sat down. “I want to talk about one of your patients, Ron Palmer.”
“Okay.”
“I just took his statement. Bikers beat him up and he told me he never saw them before, but I’m not buying it. It makes no sense.”
“I’m listening.”
“He likes you—he told me what a beautiful doctor he had.”
“And… you want me to ask him about who beat him up?”
“Casually. Nothing specific. See if you think he knows who the guys were. They called him a snitch—he told me that much and they wouldn’t have said that and set upon him for no reason. He lives miles out in the boonies.”
Lauren smiled. “I’ll try, sugar. I’ll call you later when I get home.”
Jack stood up and pulled her tight against his body. “I love you and I can’t wait until we’re retired on our ranch and all we do is porch sit and listen to the crickets.”
Lauren giggled.
