behind her house, which also passes behind Tom and Jessica’s place. “I actually ran by your apartment. I thought about stopping, but I decided to just keep on running. I was going to see you in an hour anyway.”
She looks embarrassed. She was going to drop in and see me for a friendly visit, and now here I am questioning her like she’s a criminal. But I have to be professional about this. I have to ask the same questions I would ask anyone.
“Any witnesses see you?”
“I don’t know,” she says. “The path on the arroyo is pretty hidden.”
We’re quiet. She’s probably thinking what I’m thinking. If the DNA, ballistics, and fingerprint tests all point to her, a witness who might have recognized her won’t make much difference anyway. Eyewitness testimony isn’t always reliable. But ballistics, fingerprints, and DNA—not to mention all three put together—would be hard to argue with.
“None of this makes any sense,” Ariana says. “Why would I kill Skip Barnes?”
She’s right—it doesn’t make a lick of sense that Ariana would want to kill Skip Barnes. But motive is often speculation. In a courtroom, the DA could spin theories about why she would commit the crime. It wouldn’t matter how far-fetched the theories were if there was abundant physical evidence.
“I believe you,” I say. “I know you didn’t do it. There’s no question in my mind.”
She lets out a sigh of relief.
“I think the only question,” I say, “is whether I’m going to let them arrest you or whether I’m going to help you escape.”
I pick up the bag from the pharmacy and pull out the item inside.
A burner cell phone.
I purchased two when Harris and I got back into town. Having kept one for myself, I now give this one to Ariana. I tell her to keep it close. When Harris and I get the results, I’ll text her. The patrol officer out front isn’t keeping a very close watch. She could sneak down the arroyo.
“And do what?” she says, stunned. “I won’t have a car. I’ll only get so far.”
“I’m working on that,” I say.
She rises from the couch and paces in front of me.
“I don’t think this is a good idea,” she says. “This isn’t the way to fight. If I run, it will be like announcing I’m guilty. And you,” she adds, “you’re putting your badge on the line. Your life. Imagine a Texas Ranger being sent to prison—those inmates would kill you within the first two hours.”
“They could try.”
She gives me an exasperated look. “This isn’t the time to act tough, Rory.”
I stand up. It’s my turn for an impassioned speech.
“Listen to me,” I say. “Whoever is behind this, they’re not playing by the rules. They’re fixing the game in their favor. They didn’t just kill Skip Barnes. They’re getting you out of the picture, too. Who knows what they’ve got in store for me? Something bad is going on in this town. We’ve got to figure it out.”
“It doesn’t feel right to fight the people breaking the law by breaking the law ourselves. Isn’t this the kind of thing that’s gotten you into trouble in the past?”
She’s right. When I started this case, all I wanted to do was follow the rules, investigate the case by the book, be the best Ranger I could be. No cutting corners. No stepping outside the lines of the law.
“You have to solve this case without me, Rory. The right way.”
“The right way to solve this case,” I say, “is with you. You’re the one who suspected foul play from the start. This is your case. I’m just helping you.”
“I’m scared, Rory,” she says, her big eyes full of fear. “I don’t know what to do.”
“I’m not sure, either,” I say, “but the one thing I know for certain is I can’t let you go to jail for a crime you didn’t commit.”
Chapter 61
I TOSS AND turn all night, hardly sleeping. The rash on my fingers itches, but that’s the least of the reasons for my sleeplessness. I keep thinking about a plan that would allow Ariana to escape arrest—and whether I should actually go through with the plan or not. When I was talking to Ariana in her house, I felt confident that it was the right thing to do. But in the darkness of night, alone with my thoughts, I can’t be sure. Is this just another of my impulsive shoot-first, ask-questions-later solutions? Have I really thought this through?
When the sky starts to turn