Texas Outlaw (Rory Yates #2) - James Patterson Page 0,71
lot bigger than it seems.”
“It seems simple enough to me,” he says. “One woman died of an allergy. Case closed. And the local detective you been running around with shot and killed an oil worker. Case closed. I’ll be out of here by this time tomorrow.”
“That’s exactly what they want you to do.” I point to the graffiti on my truck door. “You see that? They’ve been trying to get me out of this town since I got here. You’re just playing into their hands.”
“They?” he says. “Who exactly is they?”
“I’m not sure,” I say, “but I think the local oil baron—”
He silences me with a wave of his arm. “Chief Harris told me all about your wild conspiracy theories. But I think the truth is a lot simpler. Carson McCormack’s son beat you in some kind of shooting match, and now you’re out to get him.”
“That’s ridiculous,” I say. “And the chief’s probably in on it.”
He shakes his head to dismiss my harebrained suspicion, but the anger in his demeanor is flagging. He feels like he’s won the fight and now he can play the role of a tough mentor, instead of the jealous peer that he is.
“Go home, Rory. The media loves you for that quick-draw maneuver in the bank. You’ve still got a decent career ahead of you if you play your cards right. Messing around with some female detective who turned out to be a murderer could be just a blip on your record. That is, if you don’t pursue this any further.”
“She didn’t do it,” I say, although after I saw the picture of Ariana dancing with Gareth McCormack at their high school Homecoming, I’m less sure than ever.
If I had seen that picture two days ago, would I have helped her escape?
“Do you know where she is?” Kyle asks. “You better not be hiding her, Rory.”
If I tell Kyle where she is, maybe I can get back into his good graces and help figure this thing out from within the lines of the law. This might be my last chance to save my future with the Rangers.
But I just can’t do it. I can’t sell out Ariana.
“You win,” I say to Kyle. “I’ll leave town. I’ll go crawling back to Waco and let you finish things here.”
He nods his head as if to say, You’re damn right you’re leaving.
“But before I go,” I say, “I’ve got just one thing to say.”
He waits. I step close to him and stare him down.
“It’s not your fault you were sleeping in the truck that day,” I say. “If I’d have known something illegal was going on inside that bank, I would have told you. You came running as soon as you heard the shot. You did everything right. But you’re sleepwalking on the job right now, and I’m telling you to wake the hell up. If this all comes crashing down, that’s on you. You’ll be a laughingstock all over again, and this time it will be your fault.”
“Get out of here, you son of a bitch,” he barks. “That’s a goddamn order.”
I climb into my truck and pull out into the street. I stop when my window is right next to him. I reach out and point to the star on his chest.
“It means something to wear that badge,” I say. “Don’t you ever forget it.”
Then I hit the gas and take off before he can get the last word in.
Chapter 76
I DRIVE OUT to the spot on the river where Ariana and I met last night, but she’s nowhere to be seen. There are fresh ATV tracks all over the place. When I walk closer to the river, I spot shell casings lying in the dirt.
I put on a pair of gloves and pick up one of the casings. WINCHESTER 223 REM is stamped on the bottom. The rounds could have been fired from an AR-15, and there are enough shells to suggest that it was equipped with a bump stock or had been converted to fully automatic. Whatever was on the receiving end of these shots, it would have been turned into swiss cheese.
I just pray to God it wasn’t Ariana.
I scan the hills for blood or any sign of bullet holes, but I don’t see anything.
Did they take her?
But then I have another thought. What if this is just some elaborate trick? Are they making it look like Ariana was shot when she’s actually in on it?