Final Stand

4

Moths executed jet-fighter maneuvers in the blinding floodlights outside the back of the clinic, but their erratic movements were nothing compared to what was happening behind Anna’s ribs. She wondered what she was heading into. The temptation to risk making a run for it couldn’t be entirely ignored.

I’ve told so many lies, how many more should I risk?

“Whereabouts in Texas do you live?”

Though spoken matter-of-factly, Anna knew there was nothing casual about the question, just as there was nothing innocent about the way Chief Elias maneuvered around her so that she was on his left. It was the opposite side of his gun.

“I don’t live in Texas.”

“That’s what the plates on your van indicate.”

How close had he gotten to the vehicle? Not close enough to have looked inside, she assured herself, otherwise she would be cuffed by now. But she regretted not having taken the time to lock up the way she usually did. Gray Slaughter hadn’t given her the chance.

“They’re Texas plates because I started having transmission trouble and traded in my old car before I ended up stranded,” she replied. It wasn’t the truth, but it was a logical explanation.

“Smart girl. Mechanics always rip you off for that kind of work, and once a transmission is shot, you might as well ditch the vehicle. So where are you from?”

Anna knew she had to give him something. “Louisiana.”

“You don’t say? Huh. Still don’t hear an accent.”

“I’ve been out West for several years.”

He studied her profile, all of it, as they walked. “You an actress?”

She focused on the building they were approaching and the single patrol car parked before it. “A failed one.”

“I bet you’re just being modest.”

The compliment would have been easier to stomach with less oil soaking it. “No, embarrassingly honest.”

She could feel his curiosity intensifying, and tried to tolerate that by getting a better feel for her surroundings, what little there was. Not only was the town small, it was deserted. She’d missed the sign for the health-food store across the street next to the supermarket. Not surprisingly, there was a For Rent sign in the window. Next to that was a non-franchise hardware store.

“Married? Involved?”

“Not interested.”

He grinned, exposing strong, square teeth. “Doesn’t hurt to ask.”

No doubt he asked often, Anna thought gloomily, and with enough success to think women liked his brand of flirtation.

“Did you shoot down Slaughter, too?”

They stopped before the glass door of the station where all that was written was the white lettering for an evening number in case of emergencies. What she didn’t see beyond the door bothered her as much as his question, making her slow to answer. “Pardon?”

“Are you going to pretend that I didn’t sense a little chemistry going on between you and the doc when I came in?”

Here we go again, she thought. Never mind that she’d hidden her hair under a baseball cap most of the day and it had to be a mess, or that she felt windblown and dust-caked from driving with the window down because the van was a rip-off and the air conditioner was trying to die on her.

“Whatever you think you sensed,” she said, frowning into the dark building, “you’re wrong.”

He didn’t reply, merely reached over and opened the front door. But his arm came so close to brushing against her breasts, it was as good as a spoken taunt.

In that instant, Anna knew two things: she wasn’t going to get out of here tonight without a confrontation with Frank Elias…and he was low enough to use his badge as leverage.

5

Pissed didn’t begin to describe Gray’s mood as he carried the drugged dog to a cage in the otherwise empty kennel area. He eased her into one of the larger units, setting her on top of a thick towel he’d placed there a moment ago. His movements were mechanical, like a teacher delivering rote lessons for the umpteenth time, but for a change he appreciated that. He didn’t want to think about the pitiful animal, didn’t want to concern himself with what she’d been through to end up in this fix, or consider the fate likely awaiting her. As he’d tried to make clear to Anna Diaz, he’d seen too many animals like this, and too much rejection in his life. He was coming to the conclusion that the only thing people neglected worse than the pets they claimed to love was each other.

God, he was tired. And thanks to the woman and this mangy mutt, even if he returned to the house right now, he would need another shower before crawling into bed, and it was already closing in on midnight. But that wasn’t going to happen because he had to wait for her to finish next door. Waiting also gave him too much time to think…about how much of what she’d told him was a lie, and how, despite those doubts, for the first time in over a year he’d learned he wasn’t dead from the waist down. Most of all, he had time to think of the expression on her face as Frank had led her away.

Was she worth the strong impulse he was getting to go after them? No way did he believe she was simple Anna Diaz merely passing through town. The woman had secrets. Big ones. But did that make her Frank’s firebug? He couldn’t buy it. On the other hand, he knew Frank.

There had to be answers in her van.

Making up his mind, Gray rechecked the examination-operating room and shut off all but the night-light he kept plugged in the hallway for these kind of occurrences. Then he locked up the building.

The van remained where she’d parked it. A glance over at the police station indicated that he still had time; they were over there all right. He could tell by the beam of light spilling out from the front door and window, further illuminating the street. That the beam looked pretty weak compared to what it should be if all the lights were turned on left a bad taste in his mouth. Then again, Frank knew to keep costs down, to not strain the town’s ever-tightening budget.

The bite of gravel at his bare feet irritated as much as curiosity and conscience plagued Gray’s mind, encouraging him to be quick. Upon opening the passenger door, he saw that the van was designed for commercial purposes. There was only the shell of the truck and little else. A suitcase, sleeping bag and pillow were stacked neatly behind the driver’s seat. Anna Diaz was traveling light and the sleeping bag explained why she didn’t want that flea-and-tick-infested dog traveling with her.

Meaning what—that she’d been truthful about only happening upon the dog? The idea sat better with him than believing she’d let the poor beast degenerate into such a pitiful condition. But something still didn’t feel right.

Leaning over the passenger seat, he spotted a black leather purse on the floorboard. Without the slightest twinge of guilt, he lifted out her wallet. Like the purse, it was made of quality hide. Flipping open the buttery-soft flap, he eyed the Louisiana license for Anna Diaz and discovered that her thirtieth birthday was only a few months away. Then he tilted the thing back and forth to get a better look at her photo. No, it wasn’t glare on the plastic that made it so unclear, he realized. The photo was scratched.

His unease growing, he checked the rest of the wallet. All of the credit card slots were empty, and there were no other photos; however, what had him exhaling in a low whistle was the amount of cash she was carrying. The lady wasn’t going to starve this month, or for a while if she didn’t indulge in too many four-star establishments.

He found yet another stash of bills in a different compartment in the bag. Maybe, he thought with growing bitterness, he would also find the reason for her to have such resources. Simple logic was beginning to offer a few conclusions.

Gray shoved the purse back in place…possibly a bit too roughly because it tipped over. As he reached to straighten it, his fingertips brushed against something in the seat pocket.

Frowning, he eased his hand inside and closed his fingers around smooth steel. He drew out a Smith & Wesson .9mm automatic—not the kind of thing a simple working girl relocating toted around with her…unless her work was dangerous.

Determined to find out what else he could, Gray unlocked the side door, slid it open and climbed into the back of the van. There he unzipped the navy blue weekender-style bag and sifted through the neatly folded, but minimal assortment of clothes. All of it was casual—jeans, a few T-shirts and denim shirts, like what she was wearing. The underwear was no less understated—white cotton. But considering the body on the woman, not even that blandness would disappoint. What pulled his mind away from the unwelcome fantasy of seeing her in it was that most of the stuff either still had tags or remained in their wrappers. The suitcase looked new, too.

Otherwise there was little else…a few toiletry items—soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, mouthwash and a bundle of pocket-size tissue packets. What was missing was makeup. Okay, he allowed, with her exotic features and dramatic coloring, she didn’t need much. But where were the dozen bottles and tubes of hair-care products, the variety of perfumes and body creams, the nail polish if not for her fingernails, then her toes? What planet had this luscious Barbie doll descended from that she packed with the restraint of a special ops commando?

Replacing everything, he checked a zippered compartment and took out a manila envelope. “Bingo,” he murmured as a treasure trove of documents fell out. He sifted through a second license, a birth certificate and a few photos…and froze as he opened a small leather billfold.

“Well, I’ll be damned.”

After browsing through everything, Gray repacked it all, but with far less care than before. Closing up behind himself, he loped toward Frank’s office, this time oblivious to the sting of the stones.

A neat brick building, Bitters’s police station remained locked tight more often than it was occupied, partly due to the town’s inability to fund more than a staff of two including Frank, with a part-time night patrolman for weekends, holidays and emergencies. Day Officer Kenny Plummer’s patrol car was undoubtedly parked in his driveway. “Murph” Cox wouldn’t use his vehicle until Friday night, but he was allowed to keep it at his place in case of heretofore-nonexistent emergencies. Gray knew better than most what a dubious department the trio made. Fortunately, until now, this blink-and-miss town hadn’t needed much in the way of law enforcement. They didn’t draw much traffic off of I–10 to worry about crime waves, even with the convenience store–gas station being the only fuel for ten miles.

The news he now possessed could change that, and he wasn’t certain Frank Elias was the one to pass it over to. Frank clung hard to his reckless and irreverent ways with a stubbornness Gray would find difficult to stomach without the bad blood between them. Nevertheless, as he entered the station, he was willing to put that aside. More important at the moment was justice, and making sure the law hadn’t been abused. What he saw across the dimly lit room, however, thrust that into the back of his mind.

Across the room Frank was all over Anna Diaz like latex on a professional wrestler. What’s more, the way his hands were groping her had nothing to do with an official body search.

“Elias.”

Gray stormed across the room, grabbed a handful of the startled man’s collar and yanked him off her.

“What the fuck—Slaughter, get your hands off me!”

Gray obliged by shoving the cop toward his desk. Frank missed his chair and went sprawling beneath the table. “You don’t get enough willing tail, you have to resort to this?”

“She was trying to escape.”

“He’s lying!” Anna turned, but needed the wall to keep standing. With shaking hands, she closed the snaps on her denim shirt. “He attacked me.”

Frank snorted as he rose. “Yeah, and you were fighting so hard. Admit it, you wanted it.”

“Is that why her cheek’s rubbed raw from that wall?” Gray demanded. He shook his head in disgust. “You’re a pig.”

This was Frank’s weakness—keeping his hands to himself, discretion, respect, especially when it came to women. Even knowing that his past behavior had cost him the one person he claimed to love, as well as his boyhood friendship with Gray. The man hadn’t learned a damn thing after all these years.

“Stick it up your ass.” Scrambling to his feet, Frank settled on the edge of his desk. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

As far as Gray was concerned, what he had come to say was no longer Frank’s business. If guilty of something, Anna Diaz could take it up with someone who deserved to wear a badge.

“It’s late and I have to get up early,” he replied. “I wanted to settle Ms. Diaz’s account and call it a day. Instead I find this. Do you realize how deep a shithole you’ve dug for yourself this time?”

“I was interviewing her. She went out of control. You heard her pushing it earlier.”

“You were provoking me.” Anna clenched her hands at her sides. “There’s nothing else to say. At least not what you want to hear.”

Some of his bravado was returning and Frank smiled smugly. “The night’s young and the doc here turns in early. Want to keep trying?”

Gray got the gist of what was going on. “You asked for a witness statement. Did you get it?”

“I think she’s lying.”

“You asked for a statement.”

“And I’m telling you that she may be our arsonist.”

“Based on what evidence?”

“She’s too anxious to get away from here.”

Gray could only stare at him. “Do you know the person you’ve just described? Anyone with an IQ over Pike’s brother’s after spending more than ten minutes in your presence. Anyway, guilty or not, you’ve denied her her rights.”

As the old animosity between them heated to its new combustion point, a feathery twitch started at Frank’s right eyelid. “So now you’re an expert in law enforcement as well as horse manure, Doc?”

Undaunted, Gray snapped, “You don’t have squat in evidence, including probable cause. I’ll bet my license on it.”

“A lot that’s worth these days. As for evidence, I’ll get what I need.”

“No doubt. But whether the end result is your plan for outright rape or simple intimidation, unless she’s willing to let you screw her just to get out of here, I’m telling you it isn’t going to happen.”

Frank began to rise, only to check himself. Settling back on the desk, he crossed his arms and resumed that all-too-familiar smile. “My hunch was right. She’s got your juices stirred, too.”

Gray had heard enough. He motioned to Anna. “Let’s go.”

With more eagerness than a pup heading for the exit at his clinic, she started for the door. The next thing Gray heard was the release of the snap on Frank’s holster, followed by him sliding a round into the chamber of his sidearm.

He and Anna came to an immediate halt.

Gray looked over his shoulder. “Are you nuts?”

Frank’s gaze shifted to the gun as though belatedly realizing what he’d done. Redirecting it toward the ceiling, he said to Anna, “You don’t leave town.”

“I’ve done nothing wrong.”

“Then you don’t need to worry, do you?”

“Take my statement, let me sign it and let me go.”

He tilted his head as though seriously considering the idea. “I think I’ll wait until morning. Give you time to reconsider your attitude.”

Gray pointed at him, intent on drawing his attention. “The next time she comes here, it’ll be with an attorney. Are you prepared for that?”

“Paid for by who?” Frank taunted. “You gonna do it, Saint Gray? The way you’re running down your business, it’s a good thing you collected on all of those insurance policies.”

A red veil of fury dropped over Gray’s vision and he took a step forward. Luckily for him, Anna checked him by gripping his arm.

“I’ll be paying my own way,” she told Elias. “With pleasure.” And this time she didn’t wait for Gray to beckon her, she stormed out of the building.

Fighting his own temper, he didn’t catch up with her for several yards. When he did, she didn’t so much as spare him a glance as she headed for her van.

“You could say thank you,” he said, no less angry than she was.

“If it wasn’t for you giving me a hard time about that damn dog, I wouldn’t be in this mess. You could have taken her and let me go. But no, you had to cop an attitude yourself, and now look at what you’ve done. As far as I’m concerned, you’re no better than he is.”

As that triggered a spasm of guilt, Gray found himself mesmerized by her profile. In the obscure and changing light, passion blazed in eyes as exotic as an Egyptian cat’s, her lush hair lifted off her shoulders like a night raven in a graceful glide. The romantic analogies were ludicrous to someone who’d lost interest in women, in everything he’d ever cared about. But like it or not, there was no denying this woman was something else. He needed grounding fast. He needed to know, was he setting himself up to make the mistake of mistakes?

“Did you set the fire?” he asked.

“Sure. Then I hunted down the dog, half gutted it and came back to Shangri-la here so I could endure Dumb and Dumber.”

Gray grabbed her arm and swung her around to face him. “Knock it off. I’m too tired for your games, and God knows I’m so fed up with things in general that I’m already wondering why I should care what happens to you.”

“Then why did you come over?” she replied, giving as good as she got. “Because if it’s for some of what he wanted, you aren’t going to have any more luck than he did. I don’t put out. Not on demand. Not as an I.O.U. Got it?”

“I wasn’t asking.”

“Let me guess—” she shrugged off his hold “—you’re another one who expects the woman to offer out of gratitude.”

An odd bitterness filled Gray’s mouth, the ashes of old pain. “I lost my wife. I was not asking.”

She grew quiet and slowly, reluctantly, searched his face. “So that’s what’s wrong with you.”

Once again, he appreciated her candor. He also was relieved that she didn’t mouth any meaningless condolences, and accepted his explanation without more questions.

“All right, so tell me what I owe you,” she said instead. “And I’ll leave you in peace.”

Gray sighed because he wanted her to go. It was the strangest feeling, but he almost ached with the need. However, he also knew Elias.

“You can’t.”

“Pardon?”

“In the morning, I’ll call someone, a friend. He’s a lawyer and he’ll know what can be done.”

She purged the air in her lungs in a way that could have been a laugh, if he hadn’t seen her expression.

“I don’t believe this. Why did you bother coming over there if not to help me get away from him?”

“Think about it. I suspect you’ll figure it out.”

Although her gaze searched his face, her expression remained closed.

“Talk to me,” Gray urged. “Or would you prefer dealing with Frank all by your lonesome?”