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  Jesse read the speech and nodded. “Sounds like you’re waffling when in reality, there’s nothing to be done. Blacky shot the hostage taker—what did they want him to do—shoot the hostage because Mrs. Royce was a senator’s wife?”

  “That’s about it, isn’t it?” Catherine smiled. “People are so weird.”

  “I asked Chief Calhoun if the senator had been raising any dust.”

  “He’s called a couple of times,” said Catherine. “Although, he’d be better to take a step back from me because I know the truth and I could cause him a lot of problems.” She stood up and walked in front of her desk. “Stokes sat in this very chair and told me Senator Royce was pressuring him into providing confidential government information to Leggatt when he needed it.”

  “Jeeze,” said Jesse, “what do you plan to do with that information, Catherine?”

  “I need to talk to the short fuse before I do anything. Royce will deny it, but I can record any meetings here in the office and I recorded the Lieutenant Governor that day.”

  “Fantastic,” said Jesse. “I’m glad you had the foresight to do that, Catherine. The Lieutenant Governor died shortly after and what he told you could be construed as a death bed statement. That would be solid evidence for the DA.”

  Catherine raised an eyebrow. “Do you think charges would hold up in court with a recording as evidence?”

  “It might hold up just fine if you were on the stand corroborating the evidence. I believe it would.”

  Penny knocked and let the waiter in with the lunch tray. Jesse tipped the young man and he left smiling.

  Catherine lifted the lids to see what Penny had ordered. “It looks like cannelloni with salad and garlic bread. Help yourself, Jesse. You have to eat. I know that’s one of the rules for your heart.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Blaine told me. He worries about you constantly.”

  Jesse filled a plate and unwrapped cutlery. “Come and eat, Catherine. We’ll sort this all out.”

  Port Lavaca.

  BLAINE parked in front of Bay Seafood and turned off the truck engine. “Let’s have a beer and some lunch, then stock up on groceries and supplies before we try to find our rental house.”

  Neil jumped out of the back seat and turned to stare at the water. “Are those shrimp boats out there? I love shrimp.”

  “Misty loves crab cakes,” said Blaine. “Maybe they have good fresh ones here at the Gulf.”

  “The ones from Tulley’s would be hard to beat,” said Misty.

  Farrell helped Mary out of the truck. “Come on, Miss Mary. Time for a break.”

  “It smells so fresh here,” said Misty staring out over the gulf as Blaine held the door of the restaurant for her.

  “Breezy,” said Blaine, shaking his long hair out of his face. “I should be wearing a bandana.”

  The hostess showed them to a table roomy enough for the five of them and told them about the specials and the catch of the day.

  “By tomorrow,” said Neil, “we’ll have our own catch of the day.”

  Farrell grinned at his brother. “What size of whale are you gonna catch for us, bro?”

  “Wanna put money on the biggest fish?” asked Neil whipping five bucks out of his wallet.

  “I’m in,” said Blacky. “I can always use easy money.”

  Farrell stood up, threw his money on the pile and headed for the men’s’ room. He was back five minutes later. “Bunch of guys in the back corner in a huddle. Something going down there.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Blacky didn’t turn around. “What kind of a something we talking about?”

  Farrell shrugged.

  They were finished the main course and talking about dessert when the half dozen guys left the restaurant. Farrell followed them outside, then came back with his report. “They went down to the end of the dock to the shrimp boats.”

  “Do you think they’re bringing something besides shrimp into Texas?” asked Mary.

  “Do we care?” asked Blaine. “We’re on vacay.”

  “Think about it,” said Farrell. “Might be something.”

  “Okay, I’ll think about it while we stock up on food and booze.”

  AFTER AN HOUR of power shopping at the local supermarket, Blaine followed the nav system through a huge section of backwater down a narrow road lined on both sides with age old cypress.

  “This is a little bit spooky,” said Neil from the back seat.

  “No, it isn’t,” said Farrell. “Shallow channels. We can rent one of those mud boats and have ourselves a time pulling in some whopping big bass.”

  The GPS lady was saying they had reached their destination and Blaine slowed the truck down to a crawl. “She says we’re here, but I don’t see the house. Where is it?”

  Misty tapped on her window. “Might be in there, Beb. I think you could drive through there.”

  “This isn’t on the goddam beach,” hollered Blaine. “I told the realtor I wanted it right on the beach.”

  “Maybe it’s close to the beach,” said Mary.

  Blaine cranked the wheel and piloted the big truck down the dirt trail through the trees looking for the house. Once they got closer they could see it and it was huge. “Looks big enough for all of us.”

  “I can see the water out the other side of the house,” said Neil. “We’re coming in from the back. I guess it’s sort of a beach house.”

  Blaine parked as close as he could to the side of the house and they all hopped out.

  Misty walked up the steps onto the wide porch and shivered.

  “What is it, sweetheart?” asked Blaine.

  “Somebody died here,” said Misty.

  “Lately?” asked Farrell, sounding hopeful.

  “A long time ago,” said Misty.

  Mary squealed, “That’s so spooky, Misty.”

  Farrell hugged her. “I’ll protect you from the ghosts, Miss Mary.”

  “I want to go fishing,” said Neil, “before it gets too dark.”

  Blaine fiddled with the lockbox, trying to get the key out and finally succeeded. He opened the door and it squeaked as he pushed on it. Then he heard another sound. Footsteps inside the house. He shoved the door open and ran inside. “Somebody is in the house,” he hollered.

  Farrell ran down the porch steps and around the back of the house—really the front, facing the road. “I got him.” Farrell marched the kid around the house to where the others were.

  “Hey, buddy,” said Blaine. “What’s your name and why are you hiding in this house?”

  Austin.

  JESSE stood beside Governor Campbell on the steps of the Capitol while she made her speech in support of the Violent Crime Squad. When she finished she took a few questions.

  “Where’s Ranger Blackmore?” shouted one reporter. “Is he in hiding?”

  Catherine nodded to Jesse to take the question.

  “He’s gone fishing for a week.”

  “Who’s minding the store while the super cop is away?”

  Jesse grinned and pointed at his chest. “That would be me.”

  “Are you expecting trouble from the pro-gunnies at the Royce funeral tomorrow?”

  “No,” said Jesse. “I’m not expecting trouble from anyone.”

  As Jesse walked the Governor back to her office she said, “That reporter asked a pertinent question, Jesse. Should we be expecting trouble tomorrow?”

  “I don’t know,” said Jesse. “I don’t know how many more of Royce’s fanatics are out there.”

  “I better have a little chat with Chief Calhoun,” said Catherine.

  JESSE sat in his Land Rover and called Jamie’s cell. “Are we on for dinner?”

  “Are you finished with the Governor?”

  “Uh huh. Just finished.”

  “I’m walking in the door of my apartment, so give me half an hour and I can meet you somewhere.”

  “I can pick you up,” said Jesse.

  “No, I’ll meet you,
” said Jamie, “I’m not a hundred percent sure this is a good idea.”

  “Don’t do it if you don’t want to, Jamie. No pressure.”

  “Jesse, I still have feelings about us, and want to talk things over with you more than I’ve ever wanted to do anything. We owe it to ourselves.”

  “I think so too.”

  “I’ll meet you at Eddie’s in forty-five minutes.”

  “See you then.” Jesse had time to drop by the Agency, check on Carm and still get to the restaurant on time.

  Seadrift.

  BLAINE sat the boy on a chair in the kitchen and asked him again. “Why are you hiding out in this house?”

  The kid who was about sixteen or seventeen shrugged. “No place else to go and nobody was using the house. I been watching all up and down the shore for a few days.”

  “Okay, I’ll buy that. What’s your name?”

  “Casey… Casey Nichols.” Casey had thick black hair that flopped forward into his eyes. He’d be a chick magnet if he wasn’t so filthy. How many days he’d worn the same sweaty black t-shirt must have set some kind of Guinness record. Same with the jeans—torn and the bottom eight inches caked with mud. His high tops were worn right through. He was walking barefoot with no-sole shoes tied on around his ankles.

  “Okay, Casey Nichols, good enough. If you’re old enough to drink beer I’m having one on the porch as soon as I get the truck unloaded. You want to give me a hand with that and I’ll feed you dinner.”

  “Ain’t you gonna call the cops and send me to jail?”

  “We are the cops, buddy.” Blaine grinned. “Cops on vacay.”

  “You’re shittin me, right?”

  “No shit,” said Farrell. “Help me carry in the stuff from the truck.”

  Austin.

  JESSE parked his Range Rover where he could see the front entrance of Eddie’s and watched for Jamie. Was taking a second chance with Jamie right for him? It felt right, and he’d been excited about it all day. He needed a good woman in his life, that was for damn sure.

  He’d only been waiting a few minutes when Jamie parked what looked like a brand new Chevy truck in a metallic blue down the row from him. He hopped out and intercepted her before she made it to the door. “Hey, you look beautiful.” He took her in his arms and kissed her right there at the front entrance.

  Jamie smiled as the kiss ended. “Aren’t you the romantic one?”

  “I can be if I have anyone to be romantic with.”

  “I for one, know how hot you are, Jesse Quantrall. Hard to forget things like that.”

  He held the door open for her and the hostess showed them to a table. The server zoomed over to greet them, told them about the specials and took their drink order.

  “Tell me everything you did after you left Calhoun’s office when we broke up. We need to catch up.”

  “Mostly I did boring paperwork for a Lieutenant I didn’t like. When I became so sick of it I was about to quit, I phoned the Chief and asked him to transfer me back from San Antonio.”

  “Since you’ve been gone something amazing happened to me, and not with another woman—but kind of—not in the way you would think.”

  Jamie smiled. “What are you saying?”

  “Remember when I broke up with Lacey? She was fuming mad and gave me a calling down and didn’t speak to me ever again, but in a way, she did speak to me.”

  “You’re talking in riddles, Jesse.”

  “I guess I am. The sad part is, Lacey was killed by a horse in a training ring at her new job after she left Quantrall.”

  “Oh, that’s sad. Did you go to her funeral?”

  “Nope. I didn’t even know it happened until her lawyer came to my ranch.”

  “Why? Did she leave you something?”

  Jesse nodded. “She left me a baby girl that I knew nothing about.”

  Jamie’s mouth dropped open. “That is so amazing. And Lacey didn’t even tell you that you were a father?”

  Jesse shook his head. “Not a word.”

  “What a shocker.”

  “Best thing that ever happened to me,” said Jesse. “And I wanted you to know about Charity before we… you know… made any decisions.”

  “How did you manage with a baby?”

  “Tyler helped me. We made her a room upstairs between our rooms and we’ve done pretty well, I think. She can talk a little bit now.”

  “Pictures?”

  Jesse whipped out his phone. “Of course, there are pictures. I’m a proud Daddy.”

  Seadrift.

  MISTY AND MARY whipped up spaghetti and garlic bread for dinner in the airy modern kitchen of the beach house. “I like it here,” said Misty. “It reminds me of the bayou at home.”

  “You one of them women that lives in the swamp?” asked Casey as he took the last piece of garlic bread.

  “Not exactly, but I am from N’Orlean,” she drawled it out. “And you are from…” she touched his arm and paused for a moment. “George West.”

  The boy’s eyes widened, and he stared at Misty. “Is that some kind of a voodoo trick?”

  Misty shrugged. “Y’all have a mean Daddy. Don’t ever go back there. Okay?”

  “I’m never going back.”

  “For now,” said Blaine, “you can stay with us if you don’t filch nothing.”

  “I was thinking on it, but okay. It’s a deal.”

  “See, if you do,” said Farrell, “Miss Misty will know. She’s got the gift.”

  “Are you like a voodoo princess or one of those?” he asked.

  “Uh huh. I’m one of those. Tomorrow I’ll read y’all’s future and set y’all on a path.”

  “Would you?”

  “Sure enough,” said Misty. “Let’s go out for a smoke.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Tuesday, June 16th.

  Seadrift.

  BLAINE woke the boys at dawn for their first day of fishing. The night before they’d make a recon jog up the beach and located a boat rental place and one was waiting with their name on it for this morning.

  Casey startled Blaine when he opened the screen door to go out for a smoke. “Hey, you’re up already.”

  “Fixing to show y’all some good spots to drop a line. Y’all feeding me n’all.”

  “Thanks,” said Blaine. He lit up a smoke and sat down on the steps beside the kid. He offered Casey the pack and the kid lit up a cigarette.

  “Y’all a cop for real?”

  “Ranger.”

  “Fuck, one of those cowboy cops?”

  Blaine grinned. “Yep.”

  “Don’t look like too many cops I’ve seen. You got the ganger look going on with the long hair and the tats. Just say’n.”

  Blaine shrugged. “Helps me sometimes. People don’t know who I am.”

  “I get it. Like undercover shit.”

  “Like that.”

  “Thanks for the clean shirt,” said Casey, “and you were right. I needed a shower.”

  Neil came out next, dressed and ready to go. “We eating anything before we go?”

  “Why don’t you make us some toast or better yet, toast some of those bagels Misty bought. Casey will help you. He’s probably hungry too.”

  Austin.

  AT NOON, JESSE drove to Colorado Street to the Governor’s mansion and parked his Range Rover. He knocked on the front door and one of the fleet of housekeepers welcomed him in.

  “Ranger Quantrall, the Governor is expecting you. Would you please wait in the sitting room?”

  “Sure,” said Jesse. “We have lots of time.” He checked the Rolex on his wrist that Annie had given him.

  Hope there’s no trouble at the fuckin funeral. I don’t want Catherine getting hurt on my watch.

  His wait wasn’t long. Catherine descended the staircase a few minutes later looking elegant in a black suit and a wide brimmed hat.

  “Sorry, Jesse. Were you waiting long?”

  “Nope. Couple of minutes.”

  “You co
uld have asked for coffee.”

  “Don’t need it.” Jesse stood up and walked towards her. “You look stunning, Catherine.”

  She smiled. “You’re my safety shield, Jesse. I usually have the short fuse out in front of me, but he’s fishing. Have you heard from him or Donovan?”

  “Not yet, but he’ll be expecting an update after the funeral.”

  “Even when he’s not working, he’s working.”

  “Always. He can’t turn it off.”

  The limo flying the Lone Star Flag pulled up in front of the historic Texas landmark and picked them up. Special Agent Roderick drove the limo and Special Agent Gene Wyman and his security team followed close behind in an unmarked black SUV.

  “At least they’ll make room for the limo at the church,” said Jesse. “And your driver won’t have to fight the media vans.”

  “Will it be terrible?” asked Catherine. “I’m not looking forward to it.”

  “I fear it might be,” said Jesse. “Senator Royce is a big deal in Texas.”

  “Damn it. He is well liked.”

  “On the surface he seems like a decent guy,” said Jesse. “Family man and all the rest of it.”

  “He called yesterday after my speech on behalf of the Violent Crime Squad.”

  “Did you talk to him?”

  “Thankfully, Penny told him I wasn’t available. She’s my treasure.”

  “Smart and dependable,” said Jesse. “Just like her predecessor, Bonita Gonsalves. I liked her a lot.”

  “What happened to her?” asked Catherine.

  Jesse hesitated for a moment. “She was… murdered.”

  Catherine took a few deep breaths. “The church isn’t far. I’d better get ready for the onslaught.”

  Jesse chuckled. “I’m here and I cast a pretty big shadow. You can duck behind me.”

  “I’ll buy you an elegant dinner for helping me through this.”

  “Could be expensive. I can put away a lot of prime rib.”

  “All the better.” She giggled and blew off some of the tension.

  DOWNTOWN AUSTIN was gridlocked. The city center core around the hundred year old church Senator Royce had chosen was impassable. In order for the Governor’s limo to get anywhere near the church, officers had to direct tow trucks to move media vehicles out of the way.