You're Not Safe (Texas Rangers) (18 page)

“They were kissing, but Rory never made me any promises. And she’d wanted him before I’d even arrived at camp.”

“Did she say anything else?”

“No. We weren’t really close. And with me pining for Rory, it didn’t make sense we’d end up friends.”

“When did Joan leave camp?”

“A couple of days after Rory. After he left she didn’t want to stay anymore.”

Bragg threaded his fingers together again, studying her.

She curled her fingers into fists and then relaxed them. She’d said her piece. “This information might not have to do with your case, but like I said the news story caught my attention and I needed to mention it. I could have missed the mark altogether but now you know.”

In no rush to stand or end this interview, he studied her. She didn’t budge or fidget as she waited for him to comment.

Finally, he rose and reached for a file on his desk. “Look at this picture. It’s of the woman we found frozen to death. Could she be Joan?”

She moistened her lips. “That was twelve years ago.”

“People don’t change that much.”

Maybe not on the outside. She rose. “Sure.”

He held up the color headshot of the woman. Eyes closed and slack-jawed, her blond hair was brushed off a pale face peppered with dark blotches. The woman was indeed older, but there was no mistaking.

“That’s Joan.”

“You’re sure?”

“I don’t remember the discoloring on her face but the shape of her jaw and the slant of her eyes is Joan’s. Yes. I’m sure.”

“The discoloration is part of the decomposition process.”

“Oh.” She lifted her gaze from the image to his face.

He tucked the picture inside the folder and placed it back on his desk. He hitched his hip on the edge of the desk and folded his arms over his chest. “When is the last time you saw her?”

“Twelve years ago.”

“You’re sure this is Joan?”

“Ranger Bragg, I’ve not seen a lot of people outside of the vineyard workers in the last decade. I’d have known if I’d seen her.”

“Did she and Rory have any contact over the years?”

“I don’t know.”

“Would she have cared enough to find and kill him?”

Her stomach dropped. “Why do you say that?”

“He couldn’t have killed himself alone, but she could have killed herself without help. Murder and suicide happen.”

“I can’t imagine why she’d care after all this time.”

He was silent for a moment. “Her real name wasn’t Joan. It was Sara Wentworth.”

“I know the name. My mother knows the Wentworths. They made a fortune in real estate.”

“You ever have dealings with the family?”

“No. Though my aunt may have when she tried to sell farmland a couple of years ago.”

“To Louis?”

“Yes. It’s adjacent to the vineyard. Good land. Drains well, no trees, and lots of sun. Great for growing grapes.”

“Why sell?”

“We’d had a bad summer and the crop didn’t come in well plus Lydia’s medical bills were mounting. We agreed to sell the land to pay bills.”

“How’s Louis doing with his new purchase?”

“He’s built a house that’s stunning but only just shifted his focus to planting vines. I hear he had surveyors out there and plans to break ground in the fall. Still, it will be several years before he has grapes.”

“Were you disappointed to see the land go?”

“What does that land have to do with anything?”

His gaze darkened, and she sensed a veil dropping. This Ranger played his cards close to his vest. “Just asking. Were you disappointed?”

“As a matter of fact, I remember being relieved. We had enough on our plate at the vineyard, especially with Lydia getting sick.”

“How’d you get the money for the tasting room and the winery?”

“When I turned twenty-five, I was able to cash in my trust fund. We invested all of it in the buildings.”

He digested the information. “So now you have everything tied up in Bonneville.”

“That’s exactly right. If it goes under, I lose it all.” She’d said what she’d come to say. “I’ve overstayed my welcome. If you need anything else, let me know.”

He didn’t move, again in no rush to end the interview. “Who else were your friends at Shady Grove?”

“I don’t remember them all, but in our pod it was Rory, Joan, Sam, and Robin. I don’t know who used real names and who didn’t.”

“You and Rory used your real names.”

“At the time I didn’t think to make up a new name. My face had been plastered all over the news and everyone knew me at that point.” Hands sweating, she rubbed them over her jeans. “After I left I decided to break with the past and take my middle name. I wanted a clean start.”

“Understandable.”

“Rory used his real name because he wanted to embarrass his family. I think that’s why they were freaked out about my letters. The return address was Shady Grove.”

He straightened. “What about the other two people in your pod?”

“Sam and Robin.”

“Know anything about them?”

She hesitated. “Only what they said about themselves at camp.”

“What did they say?”

“We’d all promised we’d never tell on each other.”

He shook his head. “This is not the time for secrets, Greer.”

“We
promised
we’d never talk, and until now I’ve kept that secret.”

His gaze burrowed into her. “How did they try to kill themselves?”

On the defensive now, she rose. “Why do you need to know?”

He remained still. “Someone knew about Sara and Rory.”

“You just said you think she might have done it.”

“That’s one theory I’ve yet to prove. There could be someone else out there who wanted all of you dead.”

A crease furrowed her brow. “I can’t say.”

“Why did they try to kill themselves?”

“I can’t say.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

She fisted her fingers. “I won’t. I can’t. Not yet. I swore I’d never tell.”

His gaze grew so fierce it took her breath away. “There could be someone tracking you and the others.”

She shook her head. “And this could be about Sara and Rory. Until you know otherwise, I won’t say.”

Sara was dead, beyond hurt and pain, but the other two had lives and to dredge up the past would be cruel. She had no way of finding Sam, but Robin might be reachable. If she could track her, she could give her a heads-up. A warning. And then she’d send Robin to the Ranger.

A tightening in his jaw questioned her honesty, but after a long moment he said, “Thanks for coming in. You gave me a piece of the puzzle I didn’t have.”

“Sure.”

He walked her to the elevator and when the doors opened stepped inside with her. A long tanned finger pressed the lobby button and she found her gaze drawn to the watch on his wrist. His hands were those of a working man, lean and callused. When she’d been younger she’d never liked calluses. She’d loved the feel of Rory’s smooth hands over her skin.

But as she’d begun working in the fields and building emotional and physical strength, she’d come to admire hands like his. They spoke of hard work and dedication.

She thought about Bragg’s hands, not Rory’s, on her skin now. Touching her fingertips and sliding up her arm, making her forget the past. It had been a long time since a man had touched her, and she wondered how she’d react if Bragg did. Would she pull away or lean into his touch?

Her breathing grew shallow as tightness warmed her belly. If she’d had the courage to ask him to kiss her, she wasn’t sure what he’d say about reinitiating a naïve woman into the world of sex.

The doors opened. When she stepped into the lobby and away from him, sadness trailed her.

“You will be at the vineyard?” he said.

An order poised as a question. “I’m a fixture there.”

Bragg offered a nod and without another word she left, grateful to venture back into the heat and away from him and the troubling emotions chasing her.

 

 

Bragg watched Greer drive away, not turning from the window until her truck vanished around the corner. It wasn’t lost on him she’d come to him with this information. She could have gone to the local police and avoided him altogether. But she hadn’t. She’d chosen him.

And yet, he had the sense she was holding back. Was she burdened with misplaced loyalty to an old friend or manipulating him? She knew both Rory and Sara had tried to commit suicide and the reasons behind the attempts. She wouldn’t be the first killer who’d pretended to help police.

He found his way back upstairs to Winchester’s office. On the phone, Winchester nodded for Bragg to enter as he scribbled details on a pad.

Plagued by restlessness, Bragg remained standing and did his best not to pace. His mind returned to his conversation with Greer and began to analyze it as if it had been a crime scene. He hated thinking of her as a killer, not only for Mitch’s sake, but his own.

When Winchester hung up, he rose, stretching the tight muscles of his back. “What do you have?”

Bragg never chatted idly and only stopped by to discuss business. “Just had a visit from Greer Templeton.”

“Really? Why’d she come into town?”

“She read about the woman that froze to death in the paper. She knew the woman. The victim, Rory, and Greer were all in the same camp for troubled teens.”

Winchester set his jaw. “Sara Wentworth’s parents said she never had any emotional problems.”

Awry smile lifted the edge of Bragg’s mouth. “They wouldn’t be the first people to lie to a Ranger.”

Winchester rested his hands on his hips. “They strike me as folks who put a lot of stock in appearance. A troubled daughter wouldn’t have done much for them in their social circles.”

Bragg rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. He thought about his own reluctance to take Mitch to counseling because he’d worried for the boy’s reputation. If Mitch had killed himself, would he have kept the boy’s past hidden out of loyalty? “They’ll have lawyered up by now. It’ll be tough getting any more information out of them.”

“I feel for them, but if they’re lying I don’t mind squeezing.”

“Neither do I. But they’ve been hiding secrets for over a decade. They’re not likely to give ’em up easily.”

“Even to catch their daughter’s killer?”

“Maybe they’re worried that it was suicide. That she killed Rory and then herself.”

“So did Greer have anything more to say?” Winchester asked.

He summoned images of Greer’s face as she’d met his gaze and told her story. Regardless of her motives, she had backbone. Not many men faced him as she’d done today. “Greer said Sara, who called herself Joan at camp, had a crush on Rory at the camp.”

“You believe her?”

He really wanted to believe Greer. And that insight surprised and concerned him. “At this point no reason not to believe her.”

Winchester arched a brow. “Mighty convenient Greer connected two dots for us so neatly.”

“Could it be as simple as Sara killing Rory and then herself?”

“Sometimes the answer is simple and easy. Sometimes a case comes together. But it’s not happened often enough for me to expect it or trust it.”

“Meaning?” Bragg challenged.

“Greer’s making a play to reenter the world. She’s made a big financial bet with her vineyard, and she knows any bad press would endanger that.”

Bragg, the man, didn’t like Winchester’s thinking. Bragg, the Ranger, recognized the logic. “Greer had all her dirt dragged through the media a dozen years ago.”

“A dozen years is a long time and folks tend to like second-chance stories. I think the time lapse would be enough for folks to be more accepting. But if there is more dirt . . .”

“Like what?”

“Hell if I know. I want to believe Greer but right now I trust her about as far as I can throw her.”

A half smile tugged the edge of Bragg’s mouth. “Guess we’ll see. In the meantime, I’ve a warrant to search Sara’s house.”

“Let’s do it.”

Minutes later the Rangers were in Bragg’s car driving toward the west end of town where lush trees lined rich green grass-covered lawns. It took money to keep landscaping alive and connections to get around water restrictions.

As it turned out Sara Wentworth lived about a mile from her parents’ place in a small, gated community. The homes weren’t as large as the estates in her parents’ area, but they were some kind of pricey. He could work a lifetime and not be able to afford this kind of neighborhood.

He’d never aspired to live in this world. There was something to be said for living simple and remaining flexible. He’d never worried or thought about roots. Until now. It could have been Mitch’s arrival, but he suspected it had more to do with Greer. She’d stirred feelings in him. He didn’t know if those feelings would settle, but he half hoped they’d keep churning.

They walked up to the large front door and found it locked. He glanced next door and spotted an older woman out on her front porch. She held a watering can but was more interested in the Rangers than her plants.

Bragg and Winchester made their way toward the gray-haired woman, who wore a pink sleeveless blouse, long black shorts, and a pink-and-black belt with matching shiny flats.

Touching the brim of his hat, Bragg reached for the star badge clipped to his belt. “My name is Ranger Bragg, ma’am, and this is Ranger Winchester. Was wondering if we could ask you a couple of questions, Mrs. . . . ?”

“Mrs. Vivian Thomas.” She set down her watering can and removed pristine gardening gloves. “I heard the news about Sara. Her mother was here this morning clearing out boxes. She was beside herself, poor woman.”

Frustration knifed Bragg. If the Wentworths had already been here, then they’d come right after his morning visit. “You know what was in those boxes?”

“She said it was clothes for the funeral. Sara’s mother is always controlled and an expert planner so I wasn’t surprised by her visit.”

“But the visit stuck in your mind for another reason?”

“Some of the boxes didn’t have clothes in them but papers. And they also took her laptop computer.”

“You know what kind of papers?”

“I asked but she pretended she didn’t hear. I wanted to press, but it didn’t seem right, considering.”

“Don’t suppose you have a spare key to Sara’s house, do you?” Bragg asked.

“I do. I would water her plants for her when she traveled, and she took care of mine when I was gone. We single girls have to stick together.” Her head tilted. “You have a warrant?”

Bragg reached in his back pocket and pulled out the order signed by the judge. “I do, as a matter of fact.”

She took the paper and read it carefully before handing it back. “If I don’t give you the spare key, how will you get into the house?”

“We’ll find a way.” Bragg smiled but suspected it didn’t look friendly.

“Rangers are resourceful,” Winchester added.

She considered the two. “You’re not going to break anything or tear things up while you search, are you?”

“We always do our best not to.”

Frowning, she considered them before nodding. “Wait a minute while I get the key.” She closed her front door and left them to wait on the front porch for a minute before she returned with a key hooked to a key chain with a tennis ball on the end. “This will get you in the front door.”

Bragg took the key. “Appreciate the help, Mrs. Thomas.”

“Least I can do. I’ve never known anyone to die like she did. Terrible. She had a lot to live for.”

Winchester nodded. “Did she ever give you a reason to suspect she’d want to end her life?”

“She was always smiling when I saw her. And she liked to date around. A lot. Until she met her fiancé a few months ago. A whirlwind relationship, but they were happy.”

“Any of those dates ever cause her trouble?” Bragg asked.

“Not that I saw. But it was hard to keep up. Different one or two each week until that Fenton boy. That’s her fiancé. He’s a lawyer.”

“How’d they get along?” Winchester asked.

“He’s polite. Helped me move a planter once, and he was always opening the door for Sara.”

“See anyone around her house that didn’t belong?”

“No. The only one around other than Michael was her contractor. She hired him last week to do the addition on her house. She was going to add a sunroom. He was in the yard the other day taking measurements. He rang my bell because she was supposed to meet him. But she didn’t show.” The woman frowned. “He wanted a key to the house but I wouldn’t give it to him.”

“When was this?”

“Three days ago. Monday afternoon. When she came home that night I told her about the contractor, and she was upset she’d forgotten. Said it had been a bad day.”

“Did she say why the day was bad?”

“She didn’t say. But she was upset. Rattled.”

Bragg nodded. “Thank you, ma’am.”

“Sure. Let me know if there is more I can do.”

“You can count on it.”

They strode next door and Bragg slid the key into the lock. It turned easily and the front door slid open. Both Rangers pulled rubber gloves on their hands before Bragg switched on the entry light.

The polished marble entry sparkled in the light and still-fresh flowers filled a gilded vase in an arched alcove. The entryway opened to a large living room carpeted in white. The furniture was covered in white damask and the walls painted a soft blue. A crystal chandelier hung from the center of the living room. This room fed into a dining room showcasing a long antique table surrounded by straight-back chairs custom-fitted with more white fabric.

The kitchen was equally as pristine as the first two rooms. The solitary sign of life was a juice glass, still half full, lipstick marking the glass’s rim.

He imagined Sara standing at this sink Tuesday morning, drinking her juice as she stared out the window. No sign of coffee, but if she’d been too rushed to finish her juice she’d likely taken her coffee to go. A woman who liked success and money didn’t have time to linger.

“Lot of space for one gal. And she was adding on.”

Bragg shrugged. “Never professed to understand the rich.”

They moved through the house, finally settling in an office located off her bedroom. A fancy French desk dominated the space. There was a frilly sofa built for style, not comfort, and country landscapes on the walls. All perfect and all so damn sterile.

Bragg eased into a delicate chair behind her desk and opened the desk drawer. The contents were in disarray as if someone had gone through them. “Neighbor said the mother was in the house.”

“What kind of papers would she want that badly?”

He searched through a stack of receipts to the right of a white blotter. “Hell if I know. I can tell by these receipts Sara Wentworth liked to buy furniture. Has four pieces on order.”

“Likes to shop. Dates lots of men. Adding to a space that does not need it. Jo would have a field day with those symptoms.”

“Restless and troubled or just spoiled and bored?”

“Maybe sitting still gave her too much time with her thoughts and she wasn’t comfortable in her own head.”

“Maybe she just likes nice things.”

“Maybe.” He didn’t sound convinced.

He found a receipt for wine. Sun Valley wine. The only brand he knew because he’d remembered it from Greer’s party. The wine Louis made at his winery. “Greer says she’d not talked to Sara in twelve years, but Sara bought a good bit of wine from a winery that uses Bonneville grapes.”

“An odd coincidence.”

Bragg shook his head. “I’d be willing to bet it wasn’t.” He studied the vineyard’s simple logo. “Greer said Sara called herself Joan at the camp, whereas Greer never tried to hide her identity when she was at Shady Grove. And a motivated searcher could have found Greer because she kept her last name.”

“Why find Greer after all these years?”

“Good question.” Bragg flipped through more papers on Sara’s desk finding no notes, correspondence, or e-mails. All he found were monthly bills. He glanced under the desk and saw the double outlet in the floor. The lamp cord on the desk snaked into one whereas the other was empty. “Mrs. Thomas said Sara’s mother took the computer.”

“So what do you think Momma is hiding?” Winchester asked.

“Greer said she and Rory were an item at camp and Sara had also dated Rory,” Bragg said.

“A love triangle?”

Bragg frowned. He didn’t like thinking of Greer and Rory together. “That would be the simple explanation, wouldn’t it?”

“When’s the last time you stumbled across a simple explanation?”

“Been a while.”

“Time to pay Shady Grove a visit.”

“That’s where all this began.”

Outside, Bragg studied the backyard. Neat, manicured. No red flag to catch his attention. And then he spotted the trash cans sitting beside a toolshed. Amazing what people tossed in a backyard bin and considered it gone for good.

He strode toward the cans and raised the first lid. The bin was empty. Replacing it, he lifted the second as Winchester approached. Both Rangers stared in stunned silence into the can. Inside the plastic trash bag was something bloodied and battered.

Bragg removed the bag and carefully opened it.

“Shit,” Winchester said.

Bragg’s stomach churned. A baby. Covered in blood.

He looked closer, compartmentalizing the horror and focusing on the facts. Not a baby, but a doll covered in a sticky red substance and encased in a brown box. Sara’s address was printed clearly on the outside. “What the hell?”