Рита Херрон – Justice for a Ranger (страница 8)
Not for the first time, he considered the fact that they might be dealing with more than one perp here. What if the killer had an accomplice? Donna and Leland could have worked together. Or one of them could have hired help to do their dirty work.
About seventy-five feet to the right of where he’d tied Apache, he noticed a shattered piece of bark on a live oak. He removed the magnifying glass from his bag and examined it, then decided a bullet had scraped past. He collected the sample, bagged it, then turned and assessed the area. The bullet had grazed Carley, then bounced off the tree, which had slowed its descent. Noting the location where Sloan said the sheriff had been running, and had been shot, he estimated the trajectory of the bullet and where the shooter might have been standing when he’d fired. Zeroing in on the angle, he calculated the speed and scrutinized the other foliage until he located the shell. With gloved fingers, he picked it up and studied it. A .38.
Hell, half the town probably owned guns, and half of those were probably .38s. But modern science could do wonders. If they had a suspect and his gun, they would be able to match it.
He searched for other bullets and evidence, but found nothing. A few feet away, though, something shiny glinted through a patch of bramble. Sweat beaded on his forehead and trickled down his neck as he recognized the item.
The silver star of Texas—a Ranger’s badge.
The badges were handmade from Mexican silver coins, making each one unique, and easily identifiable to its recipient. Some badges still had coin lines on the outer rim of the circle, and you could see the peso on the back of the badge. The coin on the back wasn’t always at a perfect upright angle, either, and had distortions caused from being handmade.
He swallowed against the sudden dryness in his throat as he lifted it to the sun. When Jim McKinney’s badge had been reported missing years ago, right after Lou Anne Wallace’s murder, a description had been posted. The badge had three coin marks on the lower right star point.
He flipped the badge over and grimaced as he scrutinized the point.
If he was right, this star had belonged to Jim McKinney, his bastard father. According to police reports, Jim had claimed he’d lost it the night Lou Anne Wallace was murdered.
Chapter Five
Joey rubbed her temple where a headache throbbed. There had been enough charged electricity in that meeting between the McKinney brothers to start a brushfire. Outside, she breathed in the fresh air, hoping to calm her nerves, but she spotted her mother approaching and her anxiety rose another notch. The reporter from hell, Harold Dennison, trailed behind her like a fox chasing a rabbit.
Which one would be the lesser of two evils?
“Joey, please wait. I’d like to talk to you,” Donna called.
Joey halted, knowing the confrontation was inevitable. Besides, she’d be lying to herself if she said she’d come here only because of the governor’s request. She was secretly afraid the grand jury would indict one or both of her parents, and she wanted answers. Running wouldn’t help her get to the truth.
Donna’s eyes flitted nervously across the street, then behind Joey. Instantly recognizing the press, she stopped and her mouth flattened into a thin line. “Let’s step into my office so we can talk in private.”
Joey nodded, her shoulders tense as she followed Donna through the back door of the restaurant and into an office. She was surprised by the minimalist furnishings. Simple oak desk, leather chair, a love seat in the corner beside a potted plant. The room almost looked homey. Much more domestic than the mother she remembered.
Still, Donna didn’t have a hair out of place. Joey felt like an awkward teenager beside her with her linen pantsuit, manicured nails and skillfully applied makeup.
In fact, she’d never quite fitted the mold of what her parents envisioned as the perfect daughter. Donna would have liked a petite ballerina or cheerleader. Leland had wanted a boy—the reason he’d nicknamed her Joey instead of Josie or called her by her full name. Then he’d had Justin, and for a while she’d thought he might be happy.
But her mother’s drinking and her father’s financial problems had torn them apart. Then came the nightmare of the custody battle, her brother’s disappearance and the allegations against her father.
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