Finding Amy (5 page)

“Hi Bess
.” He greeted Stan’s dark haired girlfriend who stood at the kitchen sink pouring another cup of coffee.

She smiled. “Have a seat
, Carson.” She set the cup in front of him and took a seat.

Carson
set his hat in an empty chair and joined Stan at the table. “Where is she?”

“Amy left town for a f
ew days. She’ll be back Tuesday,” Stan stated and poured cream in his cup.

After sipping the steaming hot coffee, Carson said,
“I went by her apartment. What happened?”

Stan leaned against the back of the chair. “Someone broke in.
She didn’t find anything missing, but her nerves weren’t in the best condition to do a thorough search. She’ll check it out closer when she returns. We made her come out here and spend the night.”

“Did she file a police report?”

Stan shook his head. “She refused.”

Carson hung his head. He knew why she wouldn’t file a report.
Reaching for his wallet, Carson produced his ranger badge and identification. “Stan I’m a Texas Ranger and have come to Wyoming to find Amy and her sister. They are both in grave danger and I need to get them back to Texas and in protective custody as soon as possible. If you have any idea where she may have gone, I need to know.”

Bess
gasped. Stan took the ID and badge to examine. Handing them back to Carson, he stood and paced back and forth in front of the glass doors. “I knew it. I never believed that story about an old boyfriend.” He paused and rested his hands on the back of an empty chair. “What kind of trouble are they in?”

Carson rubbed his jaw. “We believe Amy’s brother-in-law has sent someone to harm them.”

“Like a hit man?” Stan yelled. “Damn.” He ran his hand over his face. “Let me think. She has taken several trips but never told me where she went. I have no idea.” He turned to Bess. “Did she ever confide in you?”

Bess shook her head. “No.
Never.”

Carson felt sorry for Stan. He knew
how it felt to have someone you care about in trouble and being powerless to help. “I believe she’s gone to see her sister. She mentioned a lake in Montana and I think that’s where her sister is living. Has she ever mentioned her sister?”

Stan glanced at Bess
again who shook her head. “Not to us. I didn’t even know she had a sister. Jesus. This is horrible. What can I do? I worked for the Denver Police for twenty-five years before I bought the bar so I have some connections and a few close friends on the force here in Cody. I can make some calls.”

Carson took out his cell and
pulled up Hedgen Lake. “How long has she been gone?” He entered the distant from Cody to Yellowstone.

Stan glanced at the c
lock above the stove. “About an hour. What are you thinking, Carson?”

Hedgen Lake border
ed on the east side of Montana, and touched Wyoming on the west. The length of time to get to Yellowstone would take her at least three to four hours. Depending on the weather.

Carson looked from Bess
to Stan. “How did she go? Her Mustang is parked at the apartment. Did you loan her a car?”

Stan’s eyes widened. “I get where you’re going.
Report the car stolen. She’ll be mad as hell if we have her picked up, but if it will keep her alive, I’m for it.”

“You can’t do that to Amy. We i
nsisted she take the Jeep.” Bess intervened.

Stan patted her hand rest
ing on the table. “We don’t have any other option, honey. Carson has to get to her before this man does.” Stan grabbed his cell phone and dialed the Cody Police Department.

C
hapter 5

The lack of clouds in the sky had caused the temperature to rise to a comfortable sixty-four degrees
, according to the digital device in the Jeep. Amy let the window down and inhaled the fresh air. The sweet smell of the surrounding forest on each side of the road entered the cab. The crisp mountain air helped calm her frazzled nerves. She’d take the country over a city any day. Rolling her shoulders and flexing the tense muscles in her neck helped her relax. Turning her head from shoulder to shoulder caused her neck to pop. Four-wheel drive hadn’t been needed on this trip and clear roads to drive helped calm her anxiety. After finding her apartment in such a mess, she had been jumpy and on edge. When she stopped for gas a few miles back, a stranger asked her a general question about the area and instead of answering him as she usually would she walked away. Amy didn’t know if Carson had broken into her apartment or if it could have been Martin behind it. Deep down, she didn’t want it to be Carson and prayed Martin hadn’t found her. Her apartment had been the only one vandalized, though, which threw up red flags.

How sh
e wanted this to all be over so they could get back to a normal life. Or as normal as it could be. Amy had been the first twin to be born and her parents had put the responsibility of watching after Jamie on her. For twenty-five years, Amy had taken that job seriously. Even to the extent of being blamed for a lot of Jamie’s screw-ups. This current dilemma, would, by far, be the biggest. She had to get Jamie to tell the whole story. Why did they have to hide? Amy knew her parents were beside themselves with worry even though she had kept in touch through e-mails. As usual, they blamed Amy for agreeing to disappear with their only granddaughter. How could she explain the reasoning to them if she didn’t know herself? When she got to the cabin, she would force Jamie to reveal the truth.

Movement on the side of the road drew her attention. She let off of the gas and slowed the vehicle. Grazing leisurely at the edge of a dense forest stood a large moose with a full rack of antlers. He d
idn’t even look up when she passed. She reached across the seat for the camera that she kept with her when she traveled. “Damn. It’s in the Mustang.” Trish would’ve loved to see a picture of that gorgeous creature. Amy pressed the accelerator and the Jeep picked up speed.

She loved the scenery here. When she and
Jamie first arrived in Montana in March, snow still covered the ground. After Jamie and Trish were settled in their new home, Amy had searched for a town within driving distance. She hated not being closer to them but if Martin found either sister, God forbid, the other could take Trish and run.

After most of the snow melted, the three of them had taken several weekends to see the sites. They had toured Yellowstone and Trish got to see a grizzly running through the trees with two cubs close on her heels. Old Faithful fascinated her.

“Turn it back on, Mommy.”

After a brief lesson on why Old Faithful couldn’t be turned back on, they had taken the picnic lunch
Jamie packed, found a spot by Bridge Bay on the lake and spread a blanket. Amy remembered the ham and cheese sandwiches tasted better than the ones she fixed at home. Something about being out in the open gave everything the flavor of a five star restaurant.

The next day they had driven to The Black Hills, stopping at Devils Tower National Monument. They learned that the
tower had been in the movie
Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
The tower of solid rock amazed them all standing alone, strong and tall in the otherwise flat landscape. For some reason, Amy had thought the film company had made a model of a rock tower for the movie. But there it stood, sticking straight up out of the ground, in the middle of flat land. The Black Hills and Bad Lands were magnificent. Amy had used a whole memory card taking pictures. When the sun had set, the hills came alive with shades of red, purple, orange and yellows. She had cold chills run over her body at the thought of all the people who had been here before her. Over a hundred years ago, this land hid outlaws, housed Indians and sheltered settlers going west.

The
trio had driven most of Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota. They planned to travel into Utah next summer. To watch Trish see this amazing county for the first time made Amy giddy with excitement.

A sign
reading fifteen miles from the entrance to Yellowstone drew a smile. She had another hour before she would be at Jamie’s cabin. A warm glow flowed through her just thinking of seeing them. It might be a good idea to call. She didn’t want to catch Jamie by surprise. Amy reached for her purse in the seat next to her and the high shrill of a siren startled her. Glancing in her rear-view mirror, a Wyoming Highway Patrolman motioned her to pull over.

“
What the hell?” Amy mumbled and turned to the right side of the road. She pulled her wallet out of her purse and searched the glove box for an insurance card. With documents in hand, she glanced in the side mirror as the officer strolled toward the driver’s side.

“St
ep out of the vehicle, Miss,” the officer ordered.

Amy’s heart pound
ed. Perspiration beaded on her forehead and her hand shook as she reached for the door handle.

“Turn aroun
d and put your hands on the car,” he directed.

Amy
followed his orders and a female officer stood on the other side of the Jeep. “What did I do?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Is this your car?”
The officer asked as he reached for her wrist and snapped handcuffs on them.

Amy wince
d as the cold steel pinched, tight against her skin. “Yes . . . umm . . .no. It belongs to my boss’ girlfriend. She loaned it to me. What’s this all about?” Amy stuttered.

The female
officer came around the car, searched Amy and led her to the police car before answering. “This vehicle has been reported stolen. There is a warrant for your arrest.”

Amy stopped, causing the officer to jerk her arm. “What? Are you kidding me? Call Stan Renfro. He’ll straighten this out. They loaned
the car to me. I didn’t steal it.”

“You can straighten it out when we get back to the station. Officer Marshal will get your p
ersonal belongings and a tow-truck will pick up the car.”

“This is ridiculou
s.” Amy glanced out the back window of the police car. What is going on? Stan and Bess wouldn’t report the car stolen. Could this have something to do with the person who ransacked her apartment? It had to be just a misunderstanding and not related to Martin or the break-in. Still, she couldn’t shake the dreadful feeling things were about to get worse.

****

When Stan placed the beer in front of Max, he collected the money and never made eye contact with the man he served. Stan’s girlfriend tended the other end of the bar in Amy’s place. Curious, Max kept alert to any mention of the missing Amy. It didn’t take long before one of the regulars questioned her whereabouts.

“Hey
, Stan, where’s Amy?” an older man in overalls and dirty, weathered cowboy hat yelled.

Pulling a
draft, Stan didn’t spill a drop, “she went out of town for a few days.”

Damn. Max finished his beer and slammed the b
ottle down causing several patrons to look at him. So the woman had left town. That’s why he didn’t see Carson’s truck at the motel this morning. They must be together. He hadn’t counted on this.
He should’ve been more alert. After Carson left her at the apartment in the wee hours this morning, Max couldn’t keep his eyes open and had retreated to his motel. He hadn’t intended to sleep more than an hour, but it turned into more like six. He never dreamed the woman would leave town. She must’ve gone to her sister and Carson either went with her or followed. He had to locate Carson as soon as possible. He vowed if Carson’s truck is gone from the motel parking lot, he’d activate the tracking device.

Grabbing his coat, Max stormed out of the bar and ran to his SUV. He
’d check the motel parking lot first. The tracking device would only pick up within a seventy mile radius. He didn’t want to have to call the boss for help but it might be unavoidable. Max wanted to find the women on his own so he could get his hands on that bag Martin kept harping about.

Chapter 6

Carson had stayed with Stan and Bess until time for them to open the bar and then drove back to the motel. He sat on the bed, picked up his cell and dialed the Texas Ranger’s main office. The switchboard answered.

“This is Lieutenant
Garrett. Connect me with the captain, please.”

“Captain Davis.”

“This is Carson, Cap. I need you to run a plate for me.” He read off the license number of the white Jeep and listened to the clicking of the computer keyboard as Davis typed. A few seconds later he picked up the phone.

“It’s registered to a Bess Gorman.
Her current address—,”

“I know who it belongs to an
d I don’t need the address. I’ve located Amy and she’s driving that vehicle. The owner has reported it stolen so we can find her. I need to know if the driver’s been pulled over yet.”

The keyboard started
clicking again. “Looks like they stopped her at the entrance to Yellowstone. The computer says the suspect is in custody at the patrol office outside the park and is awaiting pick up by a Texas Ranger.”

“What time
did they stop her?”

“Ten
-forty this morning. The arresting officer’s name is Marshal. I’m sending the arrest sheet and station number to your cell.”

“Can you gi
ve me any information on the arresting officer? What’s his schedule?”

The Captain pulled up the information and Carson wrote it down. “Thanks Cap. I’ll get back to you if I need anything else.” He punched in the number to the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

After advising the law office that he would be picking up the suspect, Amy Summers, in a few hours, Carson threw his clothes the cleaners had delivered into a suitcase and left the room. He beeped the doors of his super-cab and pitched the case in the back. Climbing into the driver’s seat, he pulled out his phone and called Rex. His brother didn’t answer. Carson glanced at his watch. 11:15AM. It would take him at least three hours to get to the patrol office where they were holding Amy.

Starting the engine, he put the truck in drive and headed for the moun
tain road leading up to Yellowstone. Gray clouds covered the sun and Carson had to turn the headlights on. The temperature had dropped at least fifteen degrees. Flipping on the heat, the truck blew out the warm air, taking the chill out of the cab.

The
morning breakfast they had shared played out in his head. The innocence reflected in her eyes, led him to believe Amy didn’t know all the details of her sister’s actions. She protected her sister and niece like a mother would her child. She’d probably been the self-proclaimed guardian all of their lives. It didn’t matter. There were feelings for Amy that he hadn’t yet cleared up in his head. Could it be pure lust or something much deeper? After learning she’d left town, he wanted to run out of Stan’s house and drive as fast as his truck would take the hairpin curves until he found her. Control and training had kept him in the chair until he had all the information Stan could give him.

The narrow road wound through crooked turns, slowing him in places to twenty miles per hour. He
had a lot of time to think. At this rate, it would be late afternoon before he arrived at his destination. He still had to convince her to lead him to Jamie. He’d do whatever he had to do to make her see the danger the women were in.
Who are you kidding? You can’t wait to hold her.
That’s what he wanted more than anything. To feel her body pressed against him so he could kiss her the way she deserved to be kissed. His sworn duty to the job he had been sent to do, or seducing Amy, were the only two things occupying his mind.

Carson slammed his hand on the wheel.
Stupid fool. Testosterone is getting in the way of your work. Get over it.
He pressed the accelerator and the truck shot forward. The speed odometer eased up to eighty. Out of habit, he glanced in the rearview mirror. That’s when he spotted
the black SUV with dark tinted windows close behind him. He could make out a single person behind the wheel. Carson gripped the wheel tighter and slowed down. The SUV slowed and stayed far enough behind that Carson couldn’t get any pertinent details on the vehicle. He did notice the plates in the front were not the color of Wyoming plates. Carson hit the accelerator and so did the SUV. He had a tail.

Carson stepped
on the brakes and pulled over to the side of the road. A few seconds later, the SUV passed and Carson jotted the Texas license number down. He flipped his cell phone open and punched in his brothers’ number.

“What now?” Rex
grumbled.

“
Headquarters closed at noon and I need a license plate checked out. I have a black SUV following me. It may be nothing but I don’t want to take any chances.”

“
Hold on.”

Carson
waited for Rex to connect to his twenty-four hour hotline for agents. “Yeah. Go ahead. I have the office on the phone.”

Carson gave Rex
the number and waited as he relayed the information. It only took a few seconds for Carson’s worse fears to become real.

“The vehicle is registered to Martin Keener. Sounds like the
enemy is knocking on your door, bro. You need to lose him or kill him.”

“Why would I kill him? He hasn’t
done anything yet.”

“Calm
down. I’m only kidding.” Rex laughed.

Carson
snapped the phone closed. His brother had bad timing for his sense of humor or maybe Carson’s nerves were too tight. Whichever, he had to shake this tail. If Carson stayed behind him, there wouldn’t be any reason to lose him. Carson eased back onto the road, behind the SUV.

****

Excitement cursed through Max’s veins when he spotted the white Dodge Dually in the hotel parking lot. He hid behind a delivery van and waited until Carson came out of his room, threw his case in the back and drove out of town in the direction of Yellowstone Park. Keeping a safe distance so as not to attract attention, Max didn’t think Carson would notice one more vehicle among all the others traveling the same road. Several cars had picked this cloudy day to go site seeing or visit the lodge. Max planned to stick to him like glue until the women came back into the picture.

Martin
would pay him $25,000 to get rid of the women and bring the bag and kid back. He hadn’t said, but Max figured there had to be cash in the bag Martin kept reminding him to get. He mentioned the bag his wife stole and his daughter as an afterthought. Max had already decided the kid would die with her mother. Sure, it would be an accident as far as Martin was concerned. He couldn’t take the chance on a four-year-old fingering him for murder. He switched the radio over to a country station and sang along to Brooks and Dunn’s
Boot Scootin Boogie
while keeping close tabs on the white dually about a half a mile ahead of him. He jammed to the country beat until the brake lights ahead came on and the dually pulled off the road.

“Damn.” Max grip
ped the steering wheel and eased off the gas. When he came along side of Carson’s truck, he accelerated and sped past.

****

Carson kept his attention on the road and rearview mirror. No black SUV, so far. The relief of having the predator in front of him instead of following lifted his spirits. The GPS showed twenty-one miles to his destination.

He had asked the Wyoming officer if Amy had been told why
they arrested her. They had advised her that the Texas Rangers wanted her for questioning regarding a crime in Texas. Now Carson had the job of explaining the extent of a possible crime. He didn’t like this part of his job, especially since he had to reveal himself as the ranger and explain everything to Amy.

****

Max rounded a curve and the headlights of the dually disappeared. He backed the SUV into a side road lined with Spruce trees, shut the lights off and waited for Carson to pass. A few minutes later the truck whizzed by. He grinned and pulled back out onto the road, turning his parking lights on and leaving enough distance between them that Carson wouldn’t notice him this time. The clouds had gotten heavier causing a need for headlights but any vehicle passing could still see his car.

With the radio blaring, Max sang along to Carrie Underwood’s,
Before He Cheats
and almost didn’t hear his cell phone ringing in the glove box. Turning the dial down, he opened the compartment and took out his phone.

“Yeah.”

“Have you had any luck?” Martin yelled. Max had to pull the phone away from his ear.

“You
need to take a chill pill, man. I’m working as hard as I can so cut me some slack.” Max took a deep breath and pressed forward with the question that had been bugging him for a while. “Just what’s so important about that bag, Martin?”

The $25,000 would be pennies if Max’s instincts were correct. Martin
didn’t care what happened to Jamie or her sister, as long as he got that bag. Martin had no idea where his estranged wife had run to but he did know Jamie had gotten her sister to help her. ‘Find Amy and you’ll find Jamie and the bag she stole,’ were his exact words. At the time Max saw dollar signs and jumped at the chance to make some quick cash. After thinking about it for a while and with Martin on his back about the bag, Max knew there had to be money involved. A lot of money.

Martin stuttered. “Non
 . . .that’s none of your damn business. You were hired to do a job, not ask questions. Now go do it.” The phone went dead.

“Well, well
.” Max mumbled. “Looks like Martin has a huge secret and I bet I know what it is.” Max shut his phone and stared at the tail lights ahead. He wanted a bigger piece of the pie and the only way to get it would be to take it. Martin wouldn’t miss a suitcase full of cash. After all, Max had seen the room piled to the ceiling with money. With that bag, he could retire to Brazil. He might even take up with one of the beauties down there and start a family. It began to sound better and better.

A blaring horn brought Max’s attention back to the road. He forgot he
only had parking lights on. Hell, he wouldn’t need them if it weren’t for those damn clouds. When he checked again, Carson’s brake lights came on and the dually took a left into the parking lot of the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

“Shit,
” Max cursed and passed the office. At the first place he found to turn around, went back and found a spot that wouldn’t be conspicuous. “What the hell are you doing here, Mr. Ranger?”