Clowns and Cowboys (A Miranda and Parker Mystery Book 3) (29 page)

“These kids need your help,” she said into the camera. “The police are setting up a hotline where you can call and pledge donations for the care they’ll need.”

She swept a glance at Underwood, who looked stunned at her impromptu offer. But the sergeant gave her a nod and told the press they’d release the number to call soon.

“You were magnificent back there,” Parker murmured in her ear, as they made their way back to the rental car.

“You mean my speech to the press?”

“I mean everything.”

He stopped and turned to her. Then took her in his arms and kissed her as hard as he dared.

She melted into his kiss, grateful for his courage. And that they were all still alive.

###

They were exhausted, but they swung by the hotel to change, and after Parker gassed up the rental they made the two hour trek up to Atoka and Sam’s brother’s ranch.

They needed to bring their client up to speed and to get Yuri back to his family. The police were detaining his mother, but there was talk of an immunity deal if she corroborated all the evidence Miranda and Parker had gathered against GenaPulse. After that, who knew?

As they headed for Oklahoma again, Underwood called to tell them a unit had just found the Director of GenaPulse at home and arrested him. Miranda hoped they’d put him in the cell next to Paxton Tenbrook.

Right now the police were busy shutting the place down, questioning the workers and moving the children to nearby hospitals, some of which Tupper had visited.

Miranda liked to think that would have made him smile.

Underwood also said donations had already started pouring in on the hotline. One of the doctors had told her with treatment, he felt all the rescued children had a shot at a normal life. There had even been enquires about adoption.

That made Miranda smile even bigger. And think of Mackenzie. She hoped all of these kids would go to a home as good as her own daughter had.

Maybe Texas wasn’t so bad after all.

###

It was nearly noon when they reached the ranch in Atoka.

Sam greeted them at the door with smiles and ushered them inside for lunch. Everyone gathered around a big oak table in a rustic dining room for a hearty country meal of fried chicken, corn on the cob and homemade biscuits provided by Sam’s sister-in-law.

While they ate, Parker explained what had happened, emphasizing Miranda’s courage until she wanted to blush. She had to add what Parker did had not been too shabby, either. And they couldn’t have even gotten inside if it hadn’t been for Yuri.

“You saved them,” Layla said to Miranda, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand. “You saved all those children and you stopped the experiments. You gave us our lives back. How can we thank you?”

Miranda didn’t know what to say. She looked down at her empty plate, then the spread on the table. “Maybe pass me a piece of that cherry pie?”

When the meal was over, Miranda rose from the table and leaned over to whisper to Parker that she had some things to settle. He gave her an understanding nod and she went for a walk alone with Sam.

Miranda strolled silently next to Sam along a dirt path with a quaint hewn fence and a clear narrow creek running beside it. She breathed in the clean country air, glad to be alive. Glad they were all alive.

Sam walked with his head down, hands in his back pockets, the brim of his Stetson hiding his features. At last he spoke. “Miranda, I had no idea—”

She cut him off. “I know you didn’t, Sam.”

He grimaced with repulsion. “That horrible lab? All the horrible things they were doing in there? I never would have gotten you involved if I’d known.”

“I know. It turned out okay.”

“I’m glad. I knew you could take care of things. Just didn’t know how bad it would get.” The corner of his mouth turned up in a half grin. “Guess you’re still ole Kick-Ass Steele.”

“Yeah.” She had to laugh at that.

They strolled a little farther and Sam took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I put the moves on you, Miranda.”

She stopped walking. She didn’t know what to say to that.

He turned to her, hands still in his pockets. “Layla threw me over for Tupper. I guess I was on the rebound. I meant what I said. We were good together once.”

“Yeah, we were.” Breathing in the smell of hay, she stared out at the gently rolling field that stretched beyond the homey ranch house all the way to the horizon where a row of deep green trees stood guard over the land.

She turned her focus back to Sam and studied his expression. She had to tell him what she was thinking. “You knew all along it was Tenbrook who killed Tupper. Didn’t you, Sam?”

His cheeks turned a little pink. Avoiding her gaze, he looked down and kicked at the dirt with the toe of his boot. “You are a good detective.”

“Yeah, I am.”

He raised his palms. “I couldn’t prove it. I couldn’t even say it out loud. What if I was wrong? I had to have someone prove it for me. Someone who knew what they were doing.” He dared to look at her. “Someone like you, Miranda.”

“And like Parker,” she said firmly.

He tipped his hat back on his head. “Yeah, and like Parker. You two make a hell of a team.”

“Thanks.”

“And I have to admit…”

“What?”

“You two are pretty much made for each other.”

That made her smile. Guess they were.

He put his foot on the rung of the fence and was silent a long moment, staring back at a spot near the barn. Layla and the Vargas had gone out to the paddock with the boys. They were getting two horses ready for them to ride.

He smiled at the scene, longing in his eyes.

“You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”

His grin grew deeper. “Does it show that much?”

“You are pretty transparent when it comes to your feelings, Sam.”

“Guess so.”

She had a feeling this time the young performer would love him right back. “What will you do now?”

Sam drew in a slow breath. “Yuri said he’d like to stay on here a few more days. The kids like the horses, and he needs some time for it all to sink in.”

“You’re brother’s good to let them.”

He chuckled. “He’ll put Yuri to work as a hand, with all his muscles.”

“Good idea.” But she couldn’t see Sam as a fulltime rancher. “What then?”

“We’ll have to see how Yuri feels about it, but Layla and I have been talking about taking over the circus.”

“Under the Big Top?”

His forest green eyes twinkled as he grinned his boyish grin. “We want to form a corporation and run it ourselves.”

Her mouth opened in surprise. “That will take some doing.”

“We’re thinking of asking Harvey’s brother to draw up the papers and help us with the details.”

She looked at him, feeling a surge of admiration. “Big plans.”

“I know. But we all love the life so much, I know we can make it work. We’re going to organize as a charity and do shows for the children in the local hospitals, the way Tupper did. Hey, wouldn’t it be great if we could do some of his bits for the kids you rescued?”

She had to smile at the idea that ole Yosemite Sam had gone from reckless cowboy to businessman. A little hard to believe but she had a feeling he’d make it. After all, he had a heart of gold.

“I think that would be downright wonderful.”

###

After watching the kids ride a couple more hours they said goodbye to Sam and Layla and the Vargas, thanked Sam’s brother and sister-in-law for the hospitality and headed back to Dallas in the rental car.

As they drove through the miles of vast, flat green and brown Texas fields, Miranda reached over and took Parker’s hand. “I want to say something.”

She felt him tense. “Oh?”

Time for some more truth.

“I hate what you had to go through on this case, Parker. I mean, the things I let Sam get away with.” She’d caused him pain and she was angry with herself for it.

He didn’t reply, only nodded, his eyes on the road.

“I guess I was sucked in by the memory of what I once felt. It was the only good thing that happened to me, relationship-wise—until you came along. That means something. I guess it always will.”

“Of course.”

She turned to face him in her seat. “But it doesn’t mean it’s real. Those feelings just memories. Days gone by that will never come again. They might be pretty and enticing but in reality they’re as fleeting as a circus act.”

He nodded again.

She looked down at his strong hand. Traced a line over his knuckles with her finger. “What you and I have together, Parker, our lives, our work. It’s not a fantasy world and it’s not always pretty. But it’s the life I want.”

At last he broke a smile. But he remained silent.

She could see from the lines on his face he was taking in her words, processing them in his heart.

She eyed the strong muscular frame that had been beside her through so many cases. The hands that had saved her life any number of times. The ruggedly handsome face she’d been waking up to for almost a year now, and her heart constricted with unbelievable emotion. No one meant to her what Parker did. No one could ever come close.

“It’s you I want, Parker. It’s you I love.” Her next words came out in a whisper. “I chose you. And I will always choose you.”

Finally he lifted her hand to her lips and kissed her fingers. “I’m so glad you did, Miranda. So very glad.”

They made it back home in time for the Atlanta Open.

After a long flight and a good night’s rest, the next morning Miranda sat beside Parker under the high-domed skating center in the front row seats Fanuzzi had gotten them.

In a fairylike silver outfit, her dark ponytail flowing behind her, Wendy Van Aarle slid gracefully across the ice in time to the classy music she’d chosen. Miranda’s heart swelled as she realized how well the girl she’d once thought was her daughter was performing. Her jumps were high and flawless, her crossovers and sit spins were perfect.

Miranda felt a squeeze on her hand and her heart swelled again.

Mackenzie Chatham, her real daughter, sat beside her all smiles. “Isn’t she great? She’s going to win.” Mackenzie had had a big part in Wendy’s training.

Miranda nodded. “I think she just might.” She was so proud of both her girls.

As she watched Wendy execute another perfect leap, Miranda spotted a young man standing beside the rink. He had longish, curly dark hair and his plaid shirt hung over a pair of worn jeans and sneakers in a typical teen look. As everyone applauded, he turned his head and shot Mackenzie a flirty grin.

She acknowledged him but turned her head to concentrate on Wendy with a casual air.

Miranda blinked. Was this the boy from biology class Mackenzie had told her about? Was she really getting serious about him? And what would Miranda do if Mackenzie wanted to introduce them later? Deciding she’d figure it out when the time came, Miranda focused on the conversation around her.

Parker was chatting with the Van Aarles and the Chathams who were seated beside him.

Behind Miranda, Fanuzzi’s Brooklyn accent crackled in her ears while she, their bubbly blond friend Coco, and Parker’s daughter Gen chatted over plans for the anniversary party. At the end of the row Becker sat fiddling with his e-pad thingy, thick brows knitted, his big nose buried in the screen. He was really into that stuff, wasn’t he?

But her coworker wasn’t completely oblivious to his surroundings. He managed to keep his eye on what was going on in the rink and when they announced the winners, he cheered louder than anyone.

Wendy placed first.

###

They were standing around near the boards, waiting for the winner to appear and making celebration plans. The boy who’d smiled at Mackenzie seemed to have disappeared. As she was enjoying the relief of that realization, Miranda felt her cell buzz.

She pulled the phone out of her pocket and stepped away from the group to take the call, wondering who it was.

It was a text message. She looked down at the screen and her blood froze in her veins.

I know what you are
.

Her throat constricted. For a long moment she couldn’t breathe. This was the third message she’d gotten like this. Anonymous. No email address. She’d dismissed the other two as pranks. But three?

I know who you are.

I know where you are.

And now,
I know what you are
.

And they always came at the same time. Right after getting home from a case. After being on the news.

She glanced over at Parker who was having an intense discussion with Mackenzie, no doubt about the fine art of training skaters.

Things were so good right now. His wounds were healing. Wendy had just won this tournament. They were closer than ever. If she told him about these messages he’d worry himself sick. There was still a chance they could be nothing.

She scanned the group of her friends and family and her gaze landed on Becker. The newly hatched computer geek.

She strolled over to him, gave him a punch on the arm.

“Hey, watch it, Steele,” he teased.

“I need a word with you.” She nodded to the glass doors that led outside.

When they were on the sidewalk, he turned to her, frowning. “What’s up?”

“I need a favor.”

“Okay.”

She held out her phone, showed him the message.

His brow furrowed in a deep frown of concern. “What’s this, Steele?”

“I don’t know. I’ve been getting texts like this lately. Every time I come home from a case.” She explained the details, what little she had. “Can you find out who this is?”

“Who’s sending them?”

“Yeah.” She’d figure out the next step once she knew that information.

He scratched his head. “Maybe. I can give it my best shot.”

She let out a breath of relief. Becker was good. He’d figure it out. “Thanks.”

He put the phone in his pocket. “I’ll get you a replacement first thing Monday.”

“Thanks,” she said again as she reached for the door to go back inside. “Oh, and Becker.”