Page 58 of Lone Star Witness

“Julian,” Marise muttered.

“That’s the one,” Sheriff Thompson verified. “So, then Mrs. Rosa wanted Sonny to gaslight the colonel so no one would believe he actually witnessed a murder.” He paused a second. “Gaslight. That’s a clean-sounding word for what was basically a shitty thing to do to her husband, a man who served his country with honor.” Another pause. “Personally, I hope she rots in jail.”

“And so say all of us,” Jericho piped in.

The sheriff smiled, and he patted Jericho’s arm. “Don’t worry. Mrs. Rosa is going down for a whole bunch of stuff, including accessory to murder, obstruction of justice, and any other charges SAPD and I can throw at her.”

Sheriff Thompson stood upright, his gaze zooming behind them and prompting Marise and the others to see what’d captured his attention.

Colonel Rosa.

He was wearing one of the police parkas and was making his way toward them.

Nash lowered his window as the colonel approached, and as the sheriff had done, Rosa leaned down to talk to them.

“Thank you for everything,” Rosa immediately said. “And I’m so sorry all of you got dragged into this.”

“I’m sorry you were dragged into it, too,” Slade responded. A sentiment that Marise was certain everyone there agreed with. “Are you all right?”

Rosa certainly didn’t jump to confirm that he was. He, too, would need counseling. “I have to process all of this,” he finally said, and then looked at Marise. “I won’t be going back to Patriot’s Retreat. Well, not as a resident anyway. If you ever need a volunteer worker, just let me know.”

“I will,” she assured him, and she reached over the seat to take hold of his hand and give it a gentle squeeze.

The colonel managed a slight smile. “You’re sure you’ll keep working there. After how you handled yourself around Sonny, I thought maybe you’d apply for a job at Maverick Ops.”

“No,” she was quick to say. “I love the job I already have.”

But as she said that, some of the peaceful feeling vanished. Yes, she loved her job. However, she also loved Slade.

So, where did that leave her?

Apparently, she had some processing to do, too. Along with having a serious conversation with Slade.

Rosa tipped his head to the rear of the cruiser. “One of the deputies is backing out the vehicles so the ambulance can leave,” the colonel explained. “The EMTs want to take me to the hospital for an examination, and then I’ll go to the sheriff’s office to give my formal statement of what happened.”

“I’ll need statements from all of you,” the sheriff piped in. “But they can wait until you’ve all caught your breath. I’m sure once the trail is cleared, Ruby will be sending someone out to get you out of here.”

Or Ruby would be coming herself. Marise figured she’d want to check on three of her operatives and her daughter.

“Just call me when you’re ready to give those statements,” the sheriff added, tapping his hand on the roof of the cruiser before he walked away.

The colonel started to walk away as well, but Marise got out and hurried to him. Despite her raingear, she was already soaked to the bone so she didn’t mind getting even wetter so she could give the colonel a hug.

“If you need anything, just ask,” she told him.

Behind her, Slade, Jericho, Nash, and Caroline got out as well. Slade went to Rosa, not pulling him into a hug as she’d done but resting his palm on the man’s shoulder. The two didn’t say anything to each other. They understood that they’d be there for each other if the need arose.

The colonel had some tears in his eyes when he turned and walked back toward the ambulance. They stayed put, watching him leave.

Three phones dinged at the same time with a text alert.

Slade, Jericho, and Nash took out their phones, all reading the message. “Ruby will be here in a few minutes,” Jericho relayed. “She figured we were all about ready to get out of here.”

“We are,” they muttered in agreement.

“So, why don’t we walk to the end of the trail and meet her,” Jericho suggested. “Slade and you can lag a little behind so he can whisper sweet nothings in your ear.”

“I don’t do sweet nothings,” Slade grumbled.

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