Out of Time Page 5

  “I told the officer in charge that she should be expecting you to contact her, but I’m not sure you’ll glean much from the tape.”

  “Maybe I won’t, but it’s at least something to go on. That’s a lot more than we had last night.” Levi smiled and stood, ready for the meeting to adjourn. It was closing in on seven, and he wanted to take a trip to the police department before he met with Zarvy.

  Not that he was gung ho about meeting with the cattle baron. If he’d had his way, he’d have left all contact with the Alamo Planning Committee to Ben Fritz. As the new captain of Company D, Ben had a little more diplomacy in him than Levi.

  “Give me a call if you discover anything new, will you?” Chad stood, too, and a murmur of conversation followed.

  “Of course. You ready, Susannah?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.” She offered a half smile and walked out of the compound. Levi followed, inhaling the pungent scent of the river and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. It reminded him of the years he’d spent working in a bistro on the River Walk. He’d known even then that he wanted to be a Texas Ranger, and he’d never second-guessed his decision to leave San Antonio to pursue his degree, hadn’t thought twice about it when he’d been assigned to Company D and moved back to San Antonio. He’d known those things were part of God’s plan for his life. Lately, though, his career path seemed as empty as his apartment.

  He frowned, not sure why he was thinking in that direction. He loved his job, loved his small apartment, but ever since Greg’s murder, he’d felt the emptiness of his dreams and known that life was too finite to pour everything into a job.

  “You’re frowning.” Susannah spoke quietly, and Levi met her gaze. She looked pensive, her shoulders and neck tense with anxiety.

  “So are you.”

  “This whole thing is really bothering me. Someone has the key to the Alamo, someone who doesn’t have authorization, and we have no idea who. I’ll be the first to admit I’m worried.” She took off her Stetson and smoothed an errant strand of hair.

  “Worries don’t do anything but cause wrinkles and indigestion. That’s a direct quote from my Grandma Ida,” he offered, and was pleased at Susannah’s soft laugh.

  “I remember Ida. She was quite the philosopher.”

  “She was also right. Worrying about this won’t change it, Susannah. All we can do is keep searching for answers, keep following leads and pray that we find our perp before the opening ceremony.”

  “If this is about the opening ceremony, why come into the compound last night? Why give us a heads-up that someone has the key?”

  “Good questions, and I don’t have answers to them. Yet.”

  He put a hand on her lower back, steering her toward his car.

  “We’d better find some answers quickly, because I have a feeling Hank Zarvy is going to be demanding a lot of them. There’s no way he hasn’t heard about what happened last night.”

  “Doesn’t matter what he’s heard or what he demands. He can’t get blood from a turnip.”

  “Another Ida-ism?”

  “Of course.”

  “Funny, I hadn’t thought of her in years, but now that you’ve brought her up, I remember her vividly. She used to sit on your front porch knitting sweaters and coaching our street-hockey games.”

  “You know what I remember?” He opened the car door, waiting while Susannah got in.

  “What?” She looked up into his eyes.

  “I remember that you were the best goalie on the hockey team. No one could get a puck past you.”

  “Yeah, and I still have the scars to prove it.” She laughed and shook her head. “You guys were brutal.”

  “Would you rather we have let you off easy?” He got into the car, started the engine.

  “I would have taken your heads off if you’d tried.”

  “You were quite a kid. One of the bravest, most determined people I knew.”

  “I guess I was.” Her voice had gone quiet, the animation seeping out of it.

  “You still are, Susannah.”

  “You don’t know what I am.”

  “I know what I see. A woman who fought death and won. A survivor who won’t let fear get the best of her.”

  She laughed, but this time there was no humor in the sound. “Like I said, you don’t know what I am.”

  “Suz—”

  “We’re keeping things professional, remember? Treating each other like coworkers rather than friends.”

  “That’s going to be difficult since we are friends.”

  “Were friends. Now, we’re two people who knew each other a long time ago.”

  “Ouch,” he said lightly, pulling out onto the road.

  “I’m sorry. That didn’t come out the way I meant it to.”

  “Then how did you mean it?”

  “We have a job to do, Levi. Discussing the past won’t get it done.”

  “We have a job to do, and we’ll be spending a lot of time together because of that. It seems like the past is going to come up. Whether we want it to or not.”

  “Maybe you’re right, but there are things I won’t discuss. Things that are private and that I don’t want you or anyone else digging into.”

  “I’m not planning on digging.”

  “You’re asking an awful lot of questions for someone who isn’t.”

  “Maybe you just feel that way because you have things you’re trying to hide.” He pulled into the police station and parked the car, turning to face Susannah. She looked pale in the early-morning light, her eyes deeply shadowed.

  “I’m not hiding anything. I’m choosing not to discuss it.”

  “Why?”

  “Because…” She shook her head, her lips tightening into a straight line. “I don’t owe you an explanation. Even if I did, we don’t have time for it. We need to watch the tape and get to our breakfast meeting. I don’t think Zarvy will be happy if we’re late.”

  “I’m not sure I care how Zarvy feels.” But he got out of the car anyway, letting the subject of Susannah’s secrets drop. That was the way she wanted it, and he respected her too much to insist on anything else.

  It didn’t take long to check into the San Antonio Police Department. It took a little more time to meet with Officer Sharon Stanford. Petite and energetic, she hurried them into a conference room, gesturing for Levi and Susannah to take seats as she pulled the security tape from a plastic evidence bag.

  “Glad you came by this morning. I’ll be out of the office for the next couple of days. Daughter is having a baby, and she wants me to fly to Houston to be there for the birth.” She shoved the tape into place but didn’t play the footage.

  “Is this your first grandchild?” Susannah seemed willing to make small talk now that the talk had nothing to do with her.

  “No. It’ll be my fifth. Of course, I’m just as excited as the first time. This one is supposed to be a girl. The other four are boys.” Officer Stanford pulled a small recorder out of a desk drawer and set it on the table. “Seeing as how I have you both here, I thought I’d go ahead and interview you. We’ve opened a case at the request of Chad Morran and the Alamo Planning Committee. I need to hear your version of how things went down last night. Mind if I record our conversation?”

  “I don’t. How about you, Susannah?”

  “That’s fine.” Susannah tapped her fingers against the table, anxious, it seemed, to get on with things.

  “Want some coffee or tea before we begin?”

  “We have a breakfast appointment with a member of the Alamo Planning Committee in less than an hour, so we don’t have a lot of time,” Susannah responded, and Stanford nodded.

  “I understand completely, and I’ll have you out of here in no time. Unfortunately, I need to interview you separately. If one of you wants to follow me, the other can stay here and watch the surveillance tape.”

  “I’ll come with you.” Susannah stood and stretched, her right hand open, the scar bright purple and de
eply ridged.

  A defensive wound from an attack that had nearly killed her.

  The rage he’d tamped down threatened to rise up again, but Levi couldn’t allow it. He needed to focus on the tape, find out if any useful information could be gleaned from it.

  Susannah and Officer Stanford left the room, and Levi scowled, pushing Play and watching as the previous night’s events played out. The tape was grainy and dark, but Susannah was clearly recognizable as she approached the gate and locked it. He fast-forwarded through an hour of nothing, pausing the tape when a shadow appeared outside the gate. He leaned close to the small screen, wanting to take in as much detail as he could.

  He was about to play more of the footage when his cell phone rang. He answered quickly, his gaze still on the screen.

  “McDonall.”

  “Levi? It’s Gisella.” Texas Ranger Gisella Hernandez’s voice carried across the line, and Levi straightened in his seat, turning away from the screen.

  “It’s a little early in the morning for a phone call, isn’t it?”

  “It’s closing in on seven-thirty, Ranger, and we’re both up and active, so why not?”

  “You didn’t know I’d be awake when you called.” He stated the obvious, and she laughed.

  “True, but I’ve been pacing this hospital room since four this morning. I need news. Any news.” After being wounded in the line of duty, Gisella had been assigned to work at the hospital, guarding the only witness to Greg’s murder, Quin Morton. Obviously, the gig wasn’t nearly as exciting as she’d have liked.

  “Wish I had some to give you. The Alamo is exactly what we expected. The security team is on the ball, but there are some holes we’ll need to fill.”

  “I’d love to be there to help fill them,” she muttered, and Levi grinned.

  “Feeling antsy?”

  “Feeling as if guarding our key witness is a waste of time. Brock keeps telling me to take it easy. Let things play out. He should know that isn’t how I work,” she grumbled, and Levi smiled. Gisella had found her perfect match in DEA agent Brock Martin. Together, they’d brought down several low-level members of the Lions of Texas, closed an area of the border being used as an entrance for the Lions’ drug trade and struck a blow to its operations.

  “Quin’s still not talking?”

  “Not unless you count repeatedly pointing to the picture of the Alamo as talking.”

  “He must be aware of how close we’re getting to the ceremony.” Levi hadn’t been to the hospital in over a week. Being there was too frustrating. Morton had been critically wounded the day Gregory Pike was murdered, and there was no doubt that he knew exactly who the shooter was. Unfortunately, he’d been in a coma for months. Even after he’d regained consciousness, he’d been unable to talk and was too weak to write.

  “Must be. He seems more agitated. He must have a lot he wants to say,” Gisella responded.

  “Then let’s hope he’s able to say it soon. What are his doctors saying? Are we any closer to him being able to speak?” Levi’s gaze drifted back to the surveillance tape. Just a little more information. That’s what they needed, but that seemed to be the story of their investigation into Gregory’s murder. Every stone they turned revealed another stone waiting to be lifted.

  “They’re saying the same thing they always do. It’s going to take time.”

  “Time we don’t have if there really is something going down during the ceremony.”

  “We’ll figure it out. We always do.”

  “Right,” he responded, not wanting to point out the obvious—they didn’t always figure things out. Company D had spent months searching for Greg’s killer. During that time, they’d uncovered a drug ring and curtailed its activities. They’d identified a body and solved the mystery of restaurateur Axle Hudson’s disappearance and murder.

  What they hadn’t done was find Pike’s killer.

  “You’ll keep me posted on any new developments as we get closer to the ceremony, right?” Gisella asked.

  “You know it. Take it easy.”

  “If I take it any easier, I’ll die of boredom.”

  Levi chuckled and said a quick goodbye, pushing Play on the video monitor and watching as the gate swung open. A shadowy figure walked into the compound, keeping his face turned away from the camera. Someone who knew it was there, then. Someone who did not want to be recognized.

  An Alamo Ranger?

  Maybe.

  The guy was tall and lean, dressed in dark pants and a thick jacket, a ball cap pulled low over his face. Chad had been right. It looked like the perp had nylon pulled over his face. His nose was mashed by it, his features blurred.

  He turned his back to the camera, walking in what Levi thought was the direction of the chapel. He’d never shown up there. At least not as far as Levi knew.

  Moments later, the guy was back, moving quickly, something in his hand. A stick? Levi paused the tape, using the computer to blow up the image.

  Not a stick.

  A rose. Long-stemmed.

  Just like the one Susannah had found on her car.

  Everything in Levi stilled, and he blew the photo up as much as he could. The image was distorted, but the rose was still clear.

  A warning rather than a gift?

  “What’s that?” Susannah stepped back into the room, Officer Stanford just a few steps behind her.

  “Looks like a rose. He didn’t have it when he walked in, though. Can’t believe I missed it. Guess since nothing was reported missing, I wasn’t looking for him to be carrying something out.” Officer Stanford frowned.

  “He couldn’t have taken it from the gardens. The roses haven’t bloomed yet,” Susannah said quietly, and Levi knew she was thinking about the rose on her car. The one they’d left lying on the pavement. He hadn’t bothered picking it up. Maybe he should have.

  “Is there anywhere else on the compound where he could have gotten one?”

  “No.”

  “Then he had to have it with him when he walked in. Maybe under his jacket.”

  “Strange,” Officer Stanford said, but Susannah didn’t seem to hear.

  “I need some fresh air.” She pivoted, racing from the room before Levi could stop her.

  “I’ll come back for the interview another day.” He ran after her, Officer Stanford’s protest echoing in his ears as he followed Susannah down the hall and out into the cool winter day.

  SIX

  Susannah didn’t have keys, didn’t have a car, didn’t have anything but the fear that pounded through her, stole her breath, made her want to collapse in a heap on the ground. She wouldn’t. Collapsing would be the ultimate humiliation, and she had no intention of embarrassing herself any more than she already had.

  She’d seen the rose and she’d run.

  Just the thought made her cringe.

  She surveyed the parking lot, looking for a quick escape. There wasn’t one, of course. It wasn’t far to the bus stop. She could go there, catch a ride to the Alamo and walk home.

  Then she could climb into bed, pull the covers over her head and pretend the day had yet to begin.

  “Susannah!” Levi called, but she didn’t want to answer. Didn’t want to turn and face him after she’d bolted because of a rose.

  Other people were afraid of spiders or snakes or dogs. Susannah was afraid of a flower.

  She shuddered, stopping close to Levi’s car and waiting as he jogged to her side.

  “Hey, are you okay?” He touched her arm, the contact gentle as a spring breeze.

  “Dandy.” She blinked back tears that shouldn’t have been but were, and frowned.

  “Then why did you run?”

  “Because roses give me the heebie-jeebies and seeing that guy carrying one out of the Alamo…”

  “What?”

  “Reminded me of the roses Aaron used to leave me.”

  His eyes darkened and he smoothed his palm over her hair as he had so many times when she’d been a quirky kid f
ollowing him around from hockey game to hockey game, adventure to adventure.

  She wanted to wrap her arms around his waist, cling to his strength until she found her own. But she’d never been that kind of person. She didn’t want to become that kind of person—the kind who clung to others because she couldn’t stand on her own.

  She stepped back, forcing a smile she didn’t feel. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to shatter because of it.”

  “I know.”

  “And I’m not going to fall apart or collapse or—” He pressed a finger to her lips, sealing in the words.

  “I know.” His finger slipped away, tracing a line from her lips to her jaw to her neck until his hand rested on her nape. “You were always strong, Susannah. Aaron only succeeded in making you stronger.”

  He was wrong.

  Aaron hadn’t made her stronger. He had made her scared in a way she’d never been before.

  “We need to get going if we’re going to make it to Zarvy’s ranch before eight. He’s a stickler for punctuality.” She stepped away from his touch, the heat of his palm lingering on the base of her neck as his hand fell away.

  “You can’t run from this forever.” Levi stared into her eyes, his brow furrowed, his jaw set.

  “I’m not running, I just don’t want to talk about it. Not now.”

  “We have to.”

  “We will. Eventually.” She rounded the car, pulling open the door and getting into the passenger seat. “Eventually isn’t going to work, Susannah. That rose is part of everything else.” Levi pulled onto East Houston, punching an address into his GPS as he waited at a red light.

  “How can it be? Everything else is about the Lions of Texas and your captain’s murder and protecting the Alamo. The rose…it’s just a reminder of something that happened months ago.”

  “Tell me about Aaron.” Levi’s words drifted into the silence, undemanding and without emotion. He could have been asking her about the weather or what her favorite color was.

  “I told you, I don’t want to discuss him.”

  “Do you really think you have a choice? There are a half dozen high-level politicians coming to the Alamo next Sunday. All it would take is one explosive planted at just the right time and in just the right place, and we could lose our governor, lieutenant governor and the vice president of the United States.”