Lone Star Justice (5 page)

Maddie dropped her purse onto the pea-green armchair without answering and walked into the bathroom. She splashed water on her face and neck in an attempt to ward off the shaky, faint feeling that had seized her limbs. Now was not a time to show weakness. When she felt steady on her feet once again, she went back into the room.

'You're right. I'm sorry. I guess I wasn't as ready to face these people as I thought. We should leave, go somewhere else." Anywhere else.

"Where would we go? You said we don't have any family. All our friends are back in Oklahoma, where there's also some kind of nut after us." Brandy picked Domino up and nestled him into her lap the way she always did when she was troubled. "I don't want to go someplace where no one would know or care if he kills us."

And therein lay the problem. If they ran again, every person they came in contact with would be suspect. They would live in fear, not knowing if the people around them were friend or foe. At least here Maddie could distinguish between the strange and the familiar. "You're right. We have nowhere else to go. But I'm afraid we may not get the help here that I was hoping for."

"Why not? The sheriff seemed nice. And he's certainly a hunk in that uniform."

"Don't say that!" God, that's the last thing she needed, for Brandy to form a crush on Rand.

"Geez, all I said was he was cute--for an old guy. So, is he the one?"

"The one what?"

"Come on, Mom. You know what I'm talking about. Is the hunky sheriff my dad?"

Maddie dropped onto the bed beside Brandy and ruffled her hair. "You're pretty smart for a kid. Yeah, Rand is your dad. But he doesn't know about you, remember, and I'd like to keep it a secret for a little while longer, okay?"

Brandy's brow knotted in confusion. "But why don't you want him to know? Do you think he'd be ashamed of me?"

Maddie's heart nearly broke at the pain in her daughter's voice. "No, of course not. But I'm sure he still believes the worst of me, and he's probably angry that I showed back up here. I'd rather wait until he and I get the past sorted out before I hit him with something this big." She placed a finger under her daughter's chin until Brandy met her gaze. "Do you understand?"

Brandy shrugged and ducked her head again. "I guess so. But it's not gonna be like I always dreamed it would be."

So much for believing her daughter had been just fine not knowing her father. "You've dreamed of meeting him?"

"Sure, sort of. I always pretended he was out there somewhere, trying to find me. And someday he'd show up at the door with his arms full of presents, and…oh, never mind. It was just something stupid I used to think about when I was a kid." A tear slipped down her cheek and she brushed it away. "Dumb dream, huh?"

Maddie's eyes filled with tears as she hugged her tightly. "No, it wasn't a dumb dream at all. I had one almost exactly like it."

With a shuddering breath, Brandy lifted her head. A shaky grin creased her face, emphasizing the dimple in her right cheek--the one exactly like Rand's. "You did?"

"Yeah, I did. For years I prayed he'd come find me and tell me everything would be okay. That he still loved me in spite of what my father did. It never happened. But we were okay, you and I. And we'll be okay again, when this is all over, right?"

The phone rang, startling both of them. Who on earth would be calling her here? No one knew where she was. She hadn't told a soul besides Detective Thacker and Matt where she was headed, and she couldn't imagine why either one would track her to this motel without a really good reason.

With a trembling hand, she picked up the phone.

***

Rand slammed the office door behind him and tossed his hat in the general direction of the file cabinet.
Maddie's back
reverberated through his mind. And without a word of apology. Not a word of explanation. Not a word about why she'd come back, or why she'd left in the first place. She certainly hadn't looked glad to see him, so she hadn't come back to pick up where she left off. As if he'd give her a chance, anyway. When he'd needed her the most, she'd left him without a backward glance. Maybe it was partly his fault, but if she'd really loved him, she wouldn't have turned tail and run just because he needed time to get over what had happened.

Well, whatever her reason for returning to Greendale, it had nothing to do with him. And he'd be the first one to wish her luck, because the people of Greendale had long memories. They wouldn't be quick to forgive, and they'd never forget.

She looked damned good, he had to give her that. When she'd left, she'd been a girl--a country girl--with bare feet and short shorts and wild, flaming hair. She sure wouldn't fit in around here now, even without her past to set her apart. The old timers tended to be suspicious of 'city folk' and Maddie's designer clothes, fancy SUV, and chic haircut screamed
city
.

The office door opened and Linda stuck her head inside. "How does she look?"

Rand sucked in a breath. How had she found out that fast? Seemed the grapevine got quicker every day. "How did who look?" No sense in letting her think he'd given Maddie a second thought.

"Don't play the dumb cop with me, Rand. I changed your diapers, remember?"

"As you so often remind me. And Maddie looks fine. Very healthy."

Linda stepped into the office and closed the door behind her. "I wasn't inquiring after her health, and you know it. Nancy said she was a real looker. Sounded jealous as all get out."

Rand ducked his head and pretended to read the report on his desk. "I guess she's okay. Didn't really notice. She's staying at the motel, so you'll probably get to see for yourself."

She snorted and put her hands on her hips. "You're so full of it, boss. But I'll leave you alone, for now. Got a message for you." She dropped a pink memo on his desk. "Came in while you were eatin' dinner. Some hot shot cop in Oklahoma wants you to call him back."

Rand picked up the slip of paper and noted the man's name. "Never heard of him. Did he say what he wanted?"

"Nope, just said to call him the minute you got in. Sounded important." She slipped out of the office and closed the door quietly behind her.

Rand didn't even look up. Maddie had told Nancy she was from Oklahoma. Was she in trouble with the law? Was that why she'd run home? If she thought he was going to shelter her, she was wrong. Dead wrong. Fourteen years ago, yeah, he would have given his life for her. But not now.

He might as well find out what she'd done this time. Forewarned was forearmed and all that.

He picked up the phone and dialed. "Detective Thacker, please."

When the detective answered, he wasted no time on pleasantries, but instead launched into the reason for his call.

"Are you sure about this? It wasn't just some kind of sick joke?" Rand leaned back in his chair, booted feet on his desk as he listened to the detective's story. The fact that little Maddie Cooper was now a respected judge floored him.

The fact that she'd been threatened made him angry. But what was worse was the fact that she'd brought her problems to his town. Violence seemed to follow Maddie like a gray cloud above her head.

He'd known she was trouble as soon as he'd seen her in the diner. Now she'd made her trouble his. And he resented the hell out of it. "Any idea who's behind this? Who I should be watching for?"

The detective gave him a list of names and Rand wrote them down. "That many, huh? She sure has made a lot of enemies." When he hung up, he dropped his feet to the floor and spun around to face the computer on the credenza behind him. He typed in the names one by one, his jaw dropping when he saw the list of offenses his search brought up.

Everything from murderers to rapists to child molesters. Maddie Cooper had made enemies of some of the worst criminals society offered. And one of them hated her enough to scare her, and might possibly try to kill her. Any one of them could be on his way here right now.

Hell, he was almost angry enough to kill her himself.

***

Maddie took a deep breath and willed her voice to be strong, to not show any sign of weakness. "Hello?"

"Judge Cooper? John Thacker here. Are you okay?"

Her breath came out in a rush. "John. How did you know I was here?"

"I talked to the sheriff, and he told me you were staying at the Stardust. But you shouldn't have registered under your real name. What were you thinking?"

"Everyone knows me in this town, John. If I'd registered any other way, the gossip would've spread all the way to Oklahoma. And why on earth did you call the sheriff? I wasn't quite ready to let him in on this."

"I told him about the situation because you need someone to watch your back. And it's professional courtesy to let him know what kind of trouble could be on its way to his town. Listen, I came up with a few more names from some of your past cases. I'm sure there are plenty more, but you need to stop by the sheriff's office and fill him in on what you know about these guys."

Maddie rubbed a hand across her forehead and bit back a curse. "Was that really necessary? I wanted a couple of days to settle in before I had to deal with that."

"Too late, Your Honor. Deal. And watch your back. I'll be in touch."

The phone went dead in her hand and she hung the receiver back in the cradle. "Damn."
Looks like it's time to pay the piper, Maddie girl
.
That was the last thing her father had said to her before he left the house that fateful night, and it was the first thought that came to mind now.

John should have told her to watch her butt, because she could feel the jaws of fate snapping at it now. So what was next? What was the worst thing that could happen? 'Cause she could darn sure bet that's what was coming.

***

Maddie was pretty sure she was the main topic of conversation over most of Greendale's breakfast tables, and the café was no exception. She felt it as soon as she and Brandy stepped through the door. All conversation ceased, and every head pivoted in their direction.

She wanted to run, but she straightened her shoulders and placed a protective hand on her daughter's back. The waitress who had served them dinner the afternoon before was back on duty, but this time her manner went beyond rude.

She didn't ask where they wanted to sit, just ushered them to a booth at the rear of the restaurant, next to the kitchen. Once they were seated, the conversations resumed. Surreptitious glances were cast their way, but Maddie ignored them and concentrated on the menu.

A murmur rippled through the small crowd and Maddie looked up--straight into Rand's angry eyes. Brandy stared up at him as he towered over the table. "Maddie, Brandy. May I join you?"

Maddie shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea. The gossip is already running wild. You being here will only make it worse." Even as she spoke, Brandy scooted over to make room for him to sit down. Maddie glared at her, but Brandy ignored the pointed look.

Rand smiled at the girl and accepted the silent invitation. "Let them talk. They'll find a new topic soon enough. This is important."

"Suit yourself. It's your town."

"Which brings me to the reason for my visit. What are you doing here, Maddie?"

The waitress--Nancy, according to the name tag that graced her too-tight uniform--ignored Maddie as she stood next to Rand's elbow. Close enough to rub her hip against his shoulder, Maddie noticed. It was very obvious she was staking her claim. She could have him as far as Maddie was concerned.

"You don't have to sit back here, Rand. I cleared a table for you by the window." The waitress looked like she wanted to drag him to the other table, by force if necessary.

"Not now, Nancy. I need to talk to Maddie. Bring us three breakfast specials, two coffees, and a glass of orange juice, please. Then leave us alone."

Maddie didn't miss the look of pure venom the woman shot her as she turned on her heel and headed for the kitchen. She had no doubt her meal would be as unappetizing as the woman could make it. "Why are you doing this, Rand? Coming back was hard enough."

He toyed with the salt shaker as he looked into her eyes, searching for something. What he was looking for, she had no idea. She kept her expression as bland as she could and met his gaze without wavering.

"You didn't answer my question. Why did you come back? Why Greendale, of all places?"

Maddie leaned back as the waitress slammed a cup onto the table in front of her, sloshing coffee over the top. Whatever happened to Southern hospitality? She waited until the woman left again before she answered. "I came here because I had no where else to go, and because I need your help. Because someone is after us, and I'm not sure who. Or why."

"Come on, Maddie. You have to have some idea."

She shook her head, suddenly exhausted, overwhelmed by the events of the past few days. "No, I don't. Not really. There was a guy who made some threats, but that was almost five years ago. All I know is that I'm afraid for Brandy's safety and I need to be among people who know me. To be someplace where a stranger would stand out."

He gave a short nod and ran a hand across his square jaw. "Okay, I can understand that. I'm sure you know by now that I've talked to the detective who's handling the case back in Oklahoma."