Give Him the Slip (37 page)

Maddie rolled her eyes. Dr. Phil would have a field day with this
family.

"You okay?" Luke asked as his father pulled away from
the curb.

"I'm still mad at you," she said, snuggling up against
him.

"That's fine by me, Red." He tilted his head back
against the seat and his hand stroked her hair as he let out a sigh. "As
long as you're safe, that's all that matters."

"Me and the dog and the fish?"

His eyes closed, he grinned. His smile widened when he heard his
father tell Knucklehead to stop slobbering.

"How many Oscars have I killed, Luke?"

"Counting the one Sara-Beth replaced, you're up to
five."

"Sara-Beth's in on this?"

"It was her idea. Apparently the first Oscar didn't live past
Tyler. Bee was afraid of your mental state, so she did the first live-for-dead
fish switch."

Maddie slipped her hand beneath the vee of his borrowed bathrobe
and placed her palm against his warm skin over his heart. "I've never been
so scared. You were right the other day. My life
is
a soap opera."

"Nah. You haven't had a single case of amnesia, and you don't
have a secret baby or an evil twin." He cocked open one eye and added,
"Do you?"

"No baby. No twin. I pretended having amnesia once or twice,
but that was when I was with Rip and I didn't want to face the truth about the
kind of man he was." Her thoughts then followed the old-boyfriend path,
which brought her right back to tonight. She bit her bottom lip, then added,
"Why would Liam want to burn down my house?"

"I don't think he did." Luke pressed a kiss to her hair.
"I think it's mushroom related, Maddie. Think about it. All your
troubles—your recent troubles, anyway—started when you cleaned out Gus Grevas's
lake house."

He was right, but... "I don't want to think anymore."

They didn't speak the rest of the ride to Callahan House,
listening instead to Branch's near-constant griping at the dog. Maddie melted
against Luke as he carried her up the stairs. She clung to his hand when tucked
her into bed. "Don't go," she breathed when he turned to leave.

"Maddie, I—"

"Just hold me? 'Til I fall asleep?"

"I need a shower and some clothes and a cup of coffee and a
big plate of ham and eggs."

"I'm frightened, Luke."

"Oh, hell." He lay beside her and took her in his arms.
Maddie drifted off to sleep thinking,
Here's where I belong.

Luke woke up angry. He'd fallen asleep. Beneath his father's roof.
He'd broken his vow.

He let out a string of curses that had Maddie lifting her head and
glaring at him before burying her head beneath her pillow.

Where she slept safely.

Okay, so maybe sleeping at Callahan House wasn't that big a sin in
the scheme of things. While he admittedly had a stubborn streak when it came to
his father, he wasn't stupid. Maddie was a helluva lot more important than the
vow he'd made. She'd been frightened for good reason last night, and she'd
asked him to stay. How could he have said no?

But he didn't have to like it. Luke rolled from the bed and strode
toward the bathroom, stopping long enough to check the bureau. Gym shorts
should fit okay. He wrinkled his nose at the tighty whities; the Brazos Bend
Wildcats T-shirt would be snug, but it would do.

His mood didn't improve in the shower as his thoughts returned to
the events of the previous night. For the first time, he allowed himself to
feel the fear he'd held at bay during the crisis, and his knees went a little
weak. Maddie could have been killed. They both could have burned to death. Luke
closed his eyes and ducked his head beneath the shower spray.
I'll find the
bastard who's doing this if it's the last thing I ever do.

He tried to set the emotion aside and think like a cop. Why the
phone call? Why warn them? What was he missing here?

Frustration rumbled in his blood as he went downstairs a few
minutes later and turned to head for the kitchen. His father's voice stopped
him in his tracks. "Good. You're up. I was about to send Maria up to wake
you. Come into the study, please, Luke. I thought about what you said to Maddie
last night in the car, and I have a couple of thoughts about who is behind these
attacks. In fact, I think I might just know something that could explain part
of it."

"Sure you do," came Luke's automatic response. More
likely the old bastard had seized the opportunity to attempt to manipulate him.
However, considering that Maddie's safety was at stake, Luke couldn't afford to
ignore his old man. Branch did have his thumb on the sleepy pulse of Brazos
Bend. He might actually know something. "Let me get some coffee
first."

"There's coffee in here. And some of Maria's breakfast biscuits."

When he entered the study, only to see the district attorney, the
chief of police, the county sheriff, the county commissioner, and the mayor, he
let out a weary sigh. Golden Boy and a quartet of aging Barney Fifes. They'd
probably spend an hour talking about their cholesterol and lumbago before
getting around to arson.

Luke's gaze met Austin's weary one. He didn't look any happier to
be here than Luke. How did he stand working in this town? "Someone called
an AARP meeting?" he drawled as he sauntered toward the coffee service.

"We haven't started yet." Branch took his usual chair
behind his desk. "Austin just arrived and I thought it best to wait for
you."

"Lucky me." Luke filled a china cup with the rich,
aromatic brew, wishing for a mug. He snagged a sausage-and-egg biscuit, then
moved to stand beside the window overlooking the front lawn. He propped a hip
on the windowsill and took a long sip of coffee. Next door, Mrs. Swan stood in
an upstairs window with a pair of binoculars aimed his way. The sight amused
him and he relaxed a little. He finger-waved, then took a bite of biscuit.

Branch said, "Gentlemen, if you'll take a seat, we can get
started. Luke, I'd intended to allow you to give us a summary, but since you're
eating, I'll give it a try. Let me know if I miss anything, and pay attention
to what I say. I've a detail or two you are unaware of."

Luke's ears and his bullshit meter perked up as Branch addressed
his visitors. "You're all aware of the difficulties Madeline Kincaid has
encountered in recent weeks. Maddie has suspected an old boyfriend of hers
might be behind the trouble. Fellow's name is Liam Murphy, and he's an Irishman
with ties to the IRA."

The county commissioner choked on his biscuit. "A terrorist
in Brazos Bend?"

Sheriff Drake shaped the brim of the tan-colored felt cowboy hat
he held in his lap. "Kathy Hudson thought he might have come into the
Dairy Princess, and my men followed up. Found his rental car parked in Hoss
Wilbarger's driveway. Turns out he's a fellow from New York who's sweet on
Hoss's girl. Met her at that fancy college she goes to back east, and he came
to town for a visit."

The commissioner, a sixth-generation Texan with a drawl as thick
as cold molasses, snorted. "Bet Hoss has a clod in his churn over that.
Bad enough he's got a Yankee sparkin' his daughter, but a Yankee fereigner? He
should have listened to me. I told him he was making a mistake by not sending
her to the University."

"Back to business," Branch said, frowning at the
commissioner. "My boy here brought up a good point. It's possible this
trouble has nothing to do with old boyfriends. Since Maddie's troubles started
when she cleaned out Gus's lake house, we must consider that the villain's
interest may lie in that direction. When one questions his possible motives,
one answer comes to mind. He's after the box."

"What box?" asked the county commissioner, slathering
butter on his fourth biscuit. He let out a loud belch that had Austin
grimacing.

Branch responded, "When Jerry Grevas attacked Maddie on the
night he died, he was desperate to find 'the box.' Subsequent to that, her home
and probably her place of business and her car were searched. Then, of course,
last night her home was destroyed. It makes sense that our villain was looking
for the box and, when he couldn't find it, set out to destroy it."

"Why?" asked Austin. "Why is this possibility any
more likely than the old-boyfriend theory?"

"It's what was in the box that's important," Luke
clarified.

Branch nodded. "I agree. I suspect Jerry Grevas used whatever
was in that box to blackmail someone. Based on history, I suspect the box
contained pictures."

"History?" Chief Harper asked.

"Jerry Grevas once attempted to blackmail my son Matthew with
photographs he took of Matt and one of his lovers, a married woman in
town."

Well. This was news to Luke. He managed, just barely, to keep his
surprise from showing.

"Who was she?" the sheriff demanded.

"Bet it was Sparkle Hudson," the commissioner said,
brushing biscuit crumbs from his bushy white mustache. "She was a wild
one, running off the way she did. It's criminal what she put her mama
through."

"Nope, I'd bet it was Billy Jean Wilson," the sheriff
declared. "Heard she made one of them porno films. Billy Jean and three
men and a goat."

"Yeah?" the commissioner asked.

"I've seen it," the police chief piped up. "In the
course of duty, of course."

Austin shot a glare around the room. "For heaven's sake, he
said a
married
woman. Sparkle wasn't married. She was fifteen when she
disappeared. Billy Jean isn't married, either. Aside from that, this was when?
Back in high school? Who would care about something that happened twenty years
ago?"

"I'm not saying it happened twenty years ago." Branch
scowled at the DA. "What I'm saying is that a blackmailer doesn't usually
reform. Especially one who's growing dope on the side."

"Can Matt verify all this?" Luke inquired.

"Ask him who the married woman was," the commissioner
demanded.

"Yes." Branch glanced at Luke. "You'll want to
contact your brother to see if he recalls more details than I, but yes,
apparently Grevas was on the yearbook staff and carried his camera everywhere.
He had a nice little extortion business going when he tangled with Matt. I'll
bet if you ask around, you'll find some of his other victims might be willing
to talk."

Austin shook his head and addressed Luke. "This sounds too
far-fetched to me. I still think the terrorist boyfriend is a better bet."

"Maybe, maybe not. It'd help if somebody could track him down
so we could question him. Since that doesn't seem to be happening very fast, I
agree that we should pursue this line of investigation. There's a logic to it.
Grevas wanted Maddie to turn over the box before he got clipped. Something
could very well be in that box. Something important enough to burn. My guess is
that it's evidence of some kind. And, if history is repeating itself, that
evidence might well be pictures. Pictures that our perp wants bad enough that
he killed Grevas because of them."

"No..." Austin shook his head.

Chief Harper sneered. "You're wrong as usual, Callahan. Jerry
Grevas was killed by a loan shark. The Dallas police proved it."

"And we know they never make mistakes," Branch said
snidely. "I think Luke is right. I think that this mystery box is
dangerous enough to somebody that they're willing to kill for it."

The mayor grimaced and rubbed his brow. "You're trying to say
we have a murderer in town?"

"Guess that's better than a terrorist," observed the
sheriff.

"Wonderful," the mayor continued. "How am I
supposed to keep this from turning into a panic? Aside from Grevas, the last
person shot in this town was Otis Purcell, and that was because his wife found
out he'd been wearing her bras."

"Good thing she shot him." The commissioner reached for
yet another biscuit. "Can't have that kind of thing going on in Brazos
Bend."

"Don't forget we're also dealing with an arsonist,"
warned Chief Harper. "You'd best be careful, Branch. Someone might try to
burn Callahan House if you've got that girl staying here."

Austin stood with his arms folded, his fingers drumming his arm.
"People in town are going to be nervous." Distractedly, he muttered,
"Damn Grevas."

Luke hated participating in this conclave. The mayor and the
commissioner were worthless, the sheriff and the police chief only slightly better.
However, both his father and Austin had sharp brains. They might be able to
help him think this through.

He finished his biscuit, drained his coffee, then went to refill
his cup. "The arson is the key."

He glanced toward Austin, then his father, as he said, "Our bad
guy probably thinks he's in the clear since Maddie's house is gone, but he
can't be sure. What if someone else found the box? What if someone else has the
pictures and he's waiting for the right time and place to use them? I'd hate to
think there's more trouble on the horizon for this town. Better we deal with
this now. Deal with him now."