Foster Justice (20 page)

For once, Chad was speechless, but typically, not for long. “That's all great, glad she's helped, but answer me this—if she's so innocent, why is she all packed and ready to run the minute Kinnard leaves town?”

Before he could voice the retort obviously trembling on his tongue, Riley had to answer his cell phone. “Yes, Captain Barnes, we got Montoya.” He stepped away from Chad to talk privately.

Chad was relieved at the “we” as he walked back up the steps. Barnes had zero tolerance for Chad's methods, and Chad knew the man considered him more of a vigilante than a lawman. So the more Riley took credit, the better. He just hoped they could somehow put enough pressure on Montoya to make him spill his guts.

Only problem was, if they'd issued a warrant to bring Kinnard back to California, he had very little time to build a Texas case.

When he got upstairs, he saw Jasmine had lugged several suitcases to the front steps. With his automatic Texas male courtesy, he took a heavy box from her arms and set it out on the front stoop. “I'm happy to give you a ride; I'll even move your stuff for you in my truck. You going to a new, bigger place?” He removed her key from his pocket and handed it to her.

Still inside shoving boxes toward the door, she tossed it down on the sofa table.

“I rented this place furnished, so I don't have that much to move. I'm sure you have paperwork to fill out, so go on. You don't owe me anything for the bail. Consider it a gift and my way of expressing my regret at what happened to Trey.” When his expression darkened, she finished curtly, “As long as you make your trial date, I'll get it back anyway.” She turned toward her bedroom but not before he saw suspicious moisture in her eyes.

“Jasmine, Riley told me you helped negotiate with the DA for my release to Texas—”

“So? I know you need to get back to Texas with Trey.”

“And he said you got the Del Mar incorporation papers? How'd you pull that off? We've had agents in five states looking for them—”

“Does Thomas's attorney have the hots for them? As you never let me forget, men find me desirable.” She tilted her chin up at him, daring him to judge. “And if I was still helping Thomas, why on earth would I hand over the most incriminating document against him?”

Good question. His gut roiled so much he had to burp or vomit. He'd never been so confused in his entire life. She'd done a lot to help him, but the image of Trey, bloodied and limp, would not leave him. At this point he didn't know what to believe.

Even if she'd switched tactics after he'd met her, by her own admission she was a master man-shark, and she'd done all she could to lure his brother away from home. Had she not done that, Trey would still be cursing him in Texas. Still, there was only one way to prove her loyalties . . . “Then come with me.”

“To Texas?”

He nodded.

“Why?”

He hesitated, but there had been enough lies between them, even if most of them had been on her side. “To turn evidence against Kinnard so we can try him there, not here. They finally tracked him down on a flight to Amarillo. He went out to finish his land deal, and then I'd bet Chester he's gonna flee. So we don't have much time. ”

“Then what?”

For an instant, atypically for him, the
could be
overcame the
was
. . . happy thoughts drifted through his mind. The two of them riding together to the canyon rim, stark against the gray sky, like Trey's painting, except he wouldn't be alone anymore. Jasmine, her belly rounded with his child, cooking not for him but with him, in the homestead's old-fashioned kitchen, their wedding bands shiny and new. It's what Trey would want for him. It's what he'd glimpsed for a day when she took care of him after his concussion.

He brought himself back to her guarded face. Fairy tales were not his stock in trade. He was a realist. He remembered her sinuous grace and sexual power writhing around that pole at the club, and then gyrating with wild abandon on him in that huge easy chair he was trying to avoid looking at now. The big box of condoms. This woman was not wife-and-mother material, at least not for someone as conservative as a Texas Ranger. As his daddy had, and his granddaddy before him, he was expected to project good morals as an example to Texans, both those in the law enforcement profession and outside of it.

With a bitter little smile at his long silence, she turned away. “I get your drift. Good-bye, cowboy. Hope you love those gray days. You'll build a strong case without my cooperation; you're good at that.”

Chad took two long strides and blocked her path. “Please, Jasmine, I'm sorry. I don't know what's going on with you and Kinnard, truly. Maybe you are innocent as you say. I know you've done a lot to atone for anything you might have done in the past—”

“Atone?” Her voice rose in pitch, and he saw the flush of anger build in her cheeks again, banishing the lingering sadness in her eyes.

He rushed on. “I only know that without your help it will be much harder for me to get enough evidence to convict him.”

“And that's the only reason you want me to go with you?”

It was his turn to flush. How did he answer that? He wasn't sure of anything else, but he wanted her; and if they'd met under other circumstances and she'd had a real job, he'd probably be on bended knee before her now. But he couldn't take her to Texas on a lie. They'd met that way, and it had been disastrous. “For now, yes.”

The satchel slipped off her shoulder, but she didn't seem to feel it. “And where would I stay?”

“The department has a fund for witnesses in major cases, and I'm sure the Feds would pay for a hotel—”

She turned away, scooping up her bag. “Not interested. If you need me to testify at a later date, depending on the circumstances I'll consider it. However, at this point the only compelling evidence against Kinnard is here in California, so that seems unlikely.”

No shit, Sherlock. She knew the legalities, and he had to respect her for that. “Not if he's apprehended in Texas and you help us build a case.”

“I'll leave my new contact information with Riley. Good-bye, Chad. Please go.”

He tried to see her face, but she'd turned away, marched into her room and closed the door on him, literally shutting him out.

In a quieter Amarillo, Mary folded her legs primly in the chair next to the captain's desk as Sinclair continued to drill her. “I'm within my rights as a geologist to conduct studies on Trey's half of the land—”

“Yes, well, the Del Mar contract terms are questionable, at best,” Sinclair shot back. “The FBI task force investigating land swindles here in the Panhandle, with our office's cooperation, subpoenaed the title company for a copy of the contract Trey signed. It was almost identical to several this Del Mar Corporation finagled over the last year with other landowners. They've all agreed on one thing: None have seen a dime in revenue despite the fact that pumpjacks are moving up and down like seesaws. Seems this Del Mar Corporation negotiates lower royalty rates than industry norms, and when they kick in it's with huge exemptions. The contract even includes some working interest when it should be land royalty straight off the top. Working interests are often used to dilute investment returns, as I'm sure you know, but they're very difficult to fight in court.”

Mary leaned forward. “Look, I didn't come here to debate contract law with you. I sent home all the rig crew working the Foster parcel yesterday. You can decide later if you want to charge me. For now I'd remind you I came forward voluntarily because of my concern for Trey Foster's safety. Do you want to indict Thomas Kinnard for land fraud or don't you?”

Sinclair rubbed his somewhat puffy but still keen blue eyes. Mary realized he looked tired and wondered what else he was juggling.

“Of course. Have you ever met Chad Foster, Trey's brother?”

Mary shook her head. “No, but Trey's talked about him.”

“Is there another redhead in California who looks like you that perhaps Kinnard introduced Chad to?”

Oh . . . That was it. Now everything made sense. Mary leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes briefly. Kinnard had outfoxed them all by using Jasmine as her surrogate to keep Chad away from the homestead. She'd sensed the ruse, which was why she'd warned Jasmine to get rid of the tattoo. Mary opened her eyes and looked squarely at Sinclair. “Yes. Jasmine Routh. Let me guess. This Chad Foster is mad at Jasmine, thinking she's me.”

The rueful look on his face was answer enough.

Mary's concern for Trey only deepened. She'd known Kinnard would go to almost any length to complete his land deal, but with Chad Foster out there on his tail, Kinnard would be doubly dangerous if he felt cornered. Mary's eyes stung with tears, but she managed to stay calm. “Can you call Chad and see if he's had any luck finding Trey? And maybe set him straight about me and Jasmine? She's a good friend of mine, but she's done nothing wrong.”

“We've tried him half the day, but now his phone is going straight to voice mail.” Sinclair looked at his desk, at a document with a Beverly Hills Police Department seal. “I do have another number to try. Would you excuse me for a moment?” He ushered her to the waiting room, and then used his landline to dial Riley's cell number.

 

In Beverly Hills, Chad was downstairs talking to Riley. At Jasmine's cold dismissal, he'd collected the few things he'd left at her place, including his phone charger, but he hadn't had time to charge his phone. He made a mental note to call Sinclair on a pay phone. He had to let his boss know Trey was gone, and that he was trying to bring their best witness back with him. “She's not cooperating.”

“Funny, she's very cooperative with me.”

Chad scowled. “Horseshit, Riley. She's running away and you're not doing a damn thing to stop her.”

“Why should I? She's done nothing illegal. In fact she's been a big help to the department.” Riley's cell phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID but stuck the phone back in his pocket with a slight smile as he looked at Chad. “Have you called in to Sinclair lately?”

“My phone's dead and Jasmine kicked me out, so I haven't been able to charge it. I have to get to the hospital to pick up Trey's body anyway. Then I'm packing Chester up and heading out. I'll call Sinclair on a pay phone before I go. I want to get to Amarillo to help apprehend the son of a bitch. I'll be in touch.” Chad turned on his heel, ignoring Riley's “Wait!”

As his dually rumbled away, Riley sighed and called Sinclair back. He hated being the bearer of bad news, but the Rangers had to know Trey was dead and Kinnard was in Amarillo by now. Not to mention that their golden boy was acting downright loco, as they'd say in Texas . . .

 

In Amarillo, Sinclair frowned as he listened to Riley. The news about Trey was bad enough, but now he learned that one of the best Rangers he'd ever worked with had gone nuts and destroyed a parking officer's mini vehicle. For Chad to be that angry, he had to be at the end of his rope. Sinclair knew how much he'd loved his brother. “And this Jasmine is the girl he's been staying with?” He listened. “She paid his bail and even negotiated permission for him to leave the state and he's still blaming her? Typical balls-to-the-wall MO for him. Can't blame her for not wanting to come with him under the circumstances. You sure you can't reach him?”

He listened, nodding. “Okay, as soon as he gets back to the equestrian center, be sure he calls me and I'll set him straight about her. We'll expect him here in the next twenty-four hours or so. Knowing him, he'll drive straight through.” Sinclair hesitated and then said sincerely, “Thanks, Riley. I've never worked with your department before, but I can't thank you enough for your leniency and cooperation toward a fellow officer. All the good things I've heard over the years about the Beverly Hills Police Department are obviously true. I'm sure Foster will be thanking you, too, when he learns the whole truth. Keep me apprised. I'll start a team to check out all the hotels in Amarillo. We'll find Kinnard. We may have to flip a coin over who gets to try the bastard. Trey might have been killed there, but he was a Texan through and through, and I know how Chad will feel about this.” Sinclair hung up.

He leaned his lean hips on his desk, debating what to do now. He went outside his office to the next room and told Corey what was going on, putting him in charge of the team that would search for Kinnard. Then he went to the waiting room to see Mary. What he was going to propose was dangerous, but she'd offered to help and this was the best way.