The Texas Ranger's Family

“Not at all.”

She watched him dry his hands as he turned to her. “Before any more time passes, I want you to save my cell number in your contacts. If an emergency arises, you can call me any hour of the day or night.”

“Thank you,” she answered. She retrieved her phone and entered the number he gave her. “Now, will you tell me why you’re having me watched?”

His hands went to his hips. “Did you know that LifeSpan fired your husband a month ago?”

“No,” she whispered then sank down on the nearest chair. “That would have been after we separated. He never told me.” She buried her face in her hands. “What happened?”

“LifeSpan has been losing money. One of the other accountants under your husband started checking back and discovered payments made to a company he could find no record for. They were payments your husband authorized. A full investigation has been started. They’re still tracing back to see how long it had been going on. So far they’ve found over nine-million dollars missing since the beginning of his employment with them.”

Natalie gasped. “Rod did that?” She simply couldn’t believe it.

“Yes, but the only portion of that money to show up in his personal records was four-hundred thousand.”

Her head lifted. “He always wanted to keep our bank accounts separate. It’s all making sense now. Four-hundred thousand?”

“Your husband withdrew it from his checking account the day before he was killed, and I’m guessing that whoever trashed your house wanted to get their hands on it.”

She shook her head. “We’ve never had that kind of money, not even with our combined salaries.” Her body trembled. “I’ve been living with a monster.”

“It’s evident he’s been a disturbed man most of his life. I’ll learn more when I speak to his grandmother. Though her husband died recently, I understand she’s still alive and was able to give the police a few facts about Park. I need to question her.”

Natalie’s incredulous gaze met his. “That means Amy has a great-grandmother! I can’t fathom it. They have to have been in pain for years wondering what had happened to their grandson after he escaped.”

“I’m sure that’s true. One day soon we’ll get all the answers. Will you be available to talk some more tomorrow? Since it’ll be Sunday, morning or afternoon will be fine for me.”

He was coming by again? Her pulse picked up speed for no reason. “Do you want to come over at eleven or so? Amy will be ready to go down for her nap around then.”

“Eleven it is.” He walked through to the living room and looked out the front window. “The surveillance team is parked out front in a carpet-cleaning truck. They’ll keep an eye on you around the clock to make certain you’re safe. I’ll see myself out the back door.”

She watched his tall, rock-hard physique slip out through the kitchen and disappear from view once he reached the neighbor’s yard. Natalie clung to the open door. He’d convinced her that she and Amy could be in danger, but as shocking as all the revelations had been, he’d had a calming effect and she felt confident she wasn’t alone in this horror story.

* * *

KIT PHONED THE surveillance team from his truck to give them instructions. Once he let them know he was leaving the premises, he drove to the freeway and headed for Marble Falls. He’d have to drive fast to be on time for his mother.

Needing to talk, he used voice commands to dial Cy, a fellow Ranger who was working on another case. He was gratified when he heard his friend’s voice over the speakers.

“Hey, Kit. I saw you in TJ’s office earlier. What’s going on?”

“I’ve been given a case the captain doesn’t want anyone else to know about yet, but I’d like your advice.”

“You don’t need anyone’s advice.”

Kit made a strange sound in his throat. “I think I do.”

“Where are you?”

“Headed for the rodeo in Marble Falls. Brandon’s competing tonight.”

“He’s racking up great times so far.”

“Let’s hope he can keep it up. He wants to win that championship in the worst way.”

“My bet is on him. Kellie and I are planning to join you for the Las Vegas trip in December. So, what’s going on? What did you want to ask me?”

“How did the boss take it when you told him you were going to go undercover as Kellie’s husband?”

A long silence followed. “Don’t tell me you’re planning to do the same thing with this new case?”

Kit exhaled a sigh. “You’ve just answered my question.”

“No—forget what I said. Tell me about the case.”

“The wife of the guy who was found dead in his hotel room a week ago could be in serious trouble—someone broke into her house today. But having a surveillance crew watching her could scare off the bad guys. I want to catch them in the act. I’m thinking about posing as her cousin who is taking his retreat from the parish he serves to be with her for the next week.”

“A priest?”

“Yeah. I’ll wear a collar.”

Cy made a funny choking sound. “Have you told the widow what you’ve planned?”

“Nope. I wanted to run it by you first. If you think my plan holds water, then I’ll tell the captain. If he gives his approval, then I’ll talk to her.”

“What haven’t you told me yet?”

“Get ready for an earful.”

In the next few minutes Kit had revealed everything to his friend, including the fact that the widow had a sixteen-month-old daughter. When he’d finished, a loud whistle came from the other end of the line.

“Harold Park has been on the FBI’s Most Wanted list for years! You mean to tell me his wife didn’t have a clue?”

“As far as I can tell, not one.”

“Maybe she’s as big a con artist as he was.”

“No. When she saw the rap sheet, she went white as a ghost. I followed her to the bathroom and watched while she lost her lunch. That kind of reaction couldn’t have been faked.

“Seriously, Cy, I would have treated this like a normal case until Detective Carr called me about the burglary.

“If you could have seen her house, you’d know that whoever is after the money isn’t going to stop. My hunch is that the money he embezzled over the years has been laundered, but he kept four-hundred thousand for quick cash. Someone knew he had it and came to the house hoping to find it stashed there. But they only had that short window of time. I’m afraid they’ll be back for a more thorough search. That puts Mrs. Harris and her daughter at risk and changes the way I planned to go about solving the case.”

“I hear you. Knowing what I know now, your priest idea sounds inspired. It makes sense that a family member would stay for a while to help her in her time of grief. The collar will stop any gossip, especially if she’s attractive.”

Kit didn’t comment.

“Is she?”