Texas Outlaw (Rory Yates #2) - James Patterson Page 0,53
more Texas Rangers, so their plan requires nuance.
There is some tension between father and son. They haven’t quite been on the same page about how to handle their latest problems. They disagreed about how precarious their situation was, how much of a threat Rory Yates actually was. Gareth was the confident one, sure that everything would work out in their favor. Carson was more cautious, giving the Rangers more credit than Gareth thought they deserved.
He wanted his father to trust him in this situation. His father knew about the business side of things—the laws of supply and demand, how to cut costs and make a profit, when to abandon one business model and start another. That’s where Gareth thought the old man should keep his attention focused. As for these new developments, Gareth knows how to handle them. He’s been in war zones before.
The brilliant crimson clouds above the horizon, like cotton balls soaked in blood, begin to fade and become a subdued purple.
The clouds look a little like brains, Gareth thinks.
Skip Barnes’s brains.
He can’t help but smile. His father doesn’t notice—his eyes are fixed on the horizon as well.
They hear the whine of an ATV approaching, then parking on the other side of the nearby copse of woods. A few seconds later, Dale Peters comes walking up the path.
“Howdy,” he says, adjusting his ball cap on his head. “Y’all wanted to see me?”
Gareth can tell Dale is nervous. He’s acting like his normal, good-humored self, but it’s a show. He has a tremble in his voice. He can’t quite keep his hands still.
“We wanted to call you here to thank you,” Carson McCormack says to Dale.
Dale can’t hide his relief. “What for?”
“Wearing the recording device the last time you hung out with that Texas Ranger.”
“Oh,” Dale says. “No problem. I never would have gone and played with him in the first place if I thought he was going to poke around in your business. Walt and I was just looking for someone new to play with since Charlie left town.”
Carson says he is glad that Dale has become friends with Rory. That way he can do a little spying for them.
“I didn’t expect him to ask me about y’all,” Dale says. “That’s why I told him all that about Alex Hartley. Throw him a bone, you know, send him off sniffing somewhere else.”
Chapter 58
“DO YOU MIND making tomorrow’s run by yourself?” Carson asks Dale. “Since, you know…?”
He doesn’t need to complete the sentence. Dale usually made his runs with Skip.
“Course,” Dale says. If he goes alone, that means he’s earned back Carson and Gareth’s trust.
“Or do you want us to send one of the boys with you? I want to keep them all close with everything that’s going on. But we could probably spare one.”
“That’s not necessary,” Dale says. “I can handle it.”
Dale’s not stupid. Don’t cross us, Dale, or the same thing that happened to Skip will happen to you.
“It’s a tragedy about Skip, isn’t it?” Carson says. “I know you two were friends.”
“Yes, sir,” Dale says, nodding his head. “It’s a damn shame.”
“What do you think happened?” Carson asks.
Dale stares at him. All three of them know what happened. They’re just pretending they don’t.
“Poacher, I imagine,” Dale says, the tremble in his voice giving away his lie. “That Ranger will probably try to make some bigger deal out of it, but I figure it’s a freak accident. Just one of them things.”
“That’s what we thought,” Carson says, “but we hear they’ve already got a suspect in mind.”
Dale, going along with the pretense that none of them has any idea who committed the murder, says, “Is that so?”
“You won’t believe it,” Gareth says, speaking up for the first time since Dale arrived. “They think that female detective did it. Ariana Delgado.”
Dale is unable to hide his surprise. His head recoils and his eyes widen.
“They haven’t arrested her yet,” Gareth says. “But we hear it’s just a matter of time.”
Gareth knows Dale has always had a crush on the detective, so he delivers the news with relish, like twisting a knife when it’s already buried to the hilt. He likes to make people squirm.
“Hopefully they lock her up soon,” Gareth says, his eyes boring into Dale. “Before anyone else gets hurt.”
Dale gulps. He takes off his hat, adjusts it, puts it back on.
“That’s too bad,” he says. “I guess I’ll never marry her now.” He grins, trying to make it sound like he’s joking but unable to keep his