Page 38 of Ranger Bravery

Piper’s heart skipped a beat. Marcus’s confession confirmed at least one of the Hutchinson brothers was involved. “What about Todd? Was he there?”

Marcus shook his head. “No. I remember thinking it was weird that we were hanging out at Todd’s house without him there, but Wally crashes there from time to time.”

“Did Wally give you the meth, Marcus?”

Before he could answer, the hospital room door swung open and Paul Kingston strolled in. His cologne was heavy and matched the dark scowl etched on his face. “What are you doing questioning my client without my permission, detective?”

“You represent Marcus?” Jackson stepped forward, his tone incredulous. “Since when?”

“Since I was appointed this morning by the judge at the bail hearing. My firm often represents clients pro bono as part of our community service. I’ve been Mr. Reed’s attorney before, so the judge thought it made sense to appoint me in this matter as well.” He waved Mike forward. “My client has been released on bail, which has already been posted with a bondsman by his aunt. Please remove these handcuffs immediately. And all questioning will stop.”

Marcus sat up straighter. “But I want to help Piper?—”

Paul placed a hand on his shoulder. “No. First we’ll talk and if there’s something important to pass on to law enforcement, then we’ll discuss the best way to handle it.”

“You don’t have to listen to him, Marcus.” Piper kept her eyes on the older man in the bed. She’d given him food, been kind to him. They had a connection that clearly mattered to Marcus. “You can decide to answer my questions anyway?—”

“Do not speak to my client.” Paul whirled on her. His scathing look sent a shiver down her spine. “This interview is over, Detective Jensen. Get out. Now.” He got between Piper and Marcus, blocking the criminal’s view of her. “Trust me, Mr. Reed. I’ve never steered you wrong before and I won’t now.”

To Piper’s dismay, Marcus nodded and leaned back against the bed. “I’ll do as my attorney says.”

She hit the stop button on her cell to end the recording. “Get well, Marcus, and if you decide you want to speak to me, then call the sheriff’s department.”

“Goodbye, Detective Jensen.” Paul moved toward her, waving her back with his hands. “You too, Ranger Barker. Get out of this room.”

The moment they went into the hall, Paul slammed the hospital door shut.

Piper breathed out. “Well that didn’t go as planned, but we got some useful information out of Marcus. Do you think his statement is enough to convince a judge to give us a search warrant for Todd’s house?”

“I do.” Jackson tossed his keys toward her while simultaneously pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. “You drive. I’ll prepare the warrant.”

Fifteen minutes later, Piper pulled up to Todd’s house. The place looked abandoned and sadder in the rain. Wind blew a few of the beer cans against the chain link fence. Todd’s dog was missing. It also hadn’t been seen since the bombing. He’d probably taken the animal with him. Piper prayed the poor thing was okay. The Hutchinsons abused women. She couldn’t imagine what they might do to a helpless animal.

Jackson was on hold with the judge, who was reviewing the warrant. His fingers tapped against the dash in a nervous dance. Piper had already called Derek and informed him of what they’d discovered by questioning Marcus. Several Texas Rangers were en route to help aid with the search once the warrant went through.

Her gaze drifted to Elena’s house. It was a pile of blackened rubble.

Everything started with her murder. Elena’s. Or was Piper’s assault the catalyst? Ten years had gone by. Why did the killer wait all this time to strike again? Had he chosen Elena simply because she was blonde and blue-eyed? Or was she more integral to the puzzle than the killer wanted them to believe?

“Thank you, judge. Have a nice afternoon.” Jackson hung up with a big smile on his face. “Warrant came through. Let’s wait for backup, and then we’ll start the search.”

“There’s backup now.” Piper pointed as several official state vehicles turned the corner.

Rain pelted her cowboy hat as she and Jackson strolled up the main walkway to Todd’s house, followed by several deputies from her department. Bennett and Luke circled around back with their own set of deputies. Everyone had their gun drawn. Todd was considered armed and dangerous.

Jackson pounded on the door. “Police! We have a search warrant for the premises!”

A few more knocks yielded no reply. Jackson stepped back, and one of the deputies used a battering ram to break down the door. It flew inward. Like they’d been working together forever, Piper and Jackson entered the house. She took left; he took right.

It was surprisingly neat and tidy inside. The beam of Piper’s light washed over a couch and a cracked leather recliner. A brand-new widescreen TV and a gaming station rested next to a fireplace. It smelled like stale beer and old trash. The back door crashed open, followed by Bennett and Luke entering the kitchen.

“Sheriff’s Department!” Piper shouted down the hallway leading to the back of the house. “We have a search warrant. If you’re on the premises, make yourself known.”

No response. Jackson led the way to the first closed door. He grabbed the handle and twisted quickly, sweeping low as he entered. Piper followed, sweeping high. Her pulse skipped several beats as the beam of her flashlight washed over a long table along the back wall. It was covered in wires and electronics.

“Clear!” Jackson shouted.

Echoes of the same rang out as every room was checked. Todd wasn’t there.

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