Page 37 of The Cowboy's Wild Side

“You’ll see.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Sheriff Cooper was deep in thought as he drove down the two lane country road towards the Moonshine campgrounds. He paid no attention to the BMW SUV that passed him traveling in the opposite direction. His mind was on the information Karen Harper had given him. It was deeply troubling.

After going through Gino Stallone’s website the sheriff believed the trainer would opt for one of the campground’s luxury cabins, not the hotel in town. As he neared the turnoff he prayed the famous trainer would be there and agree to come to the station without any fuss. But his phone chimed, snatching his attention, and a quick glance at the screen told him it was his friend in Dallas, Detective George Hawthorne.

“George, thanks for gettin’ back to me so soon,” the sheriff exclaimed. “I’ve got a helluva story for you.”

“I figured from the tone in your voice. What’s going on? Not another biker gang, I hope.”

“No, thank the Lord. But just as bad. Have you ever heard of Gino Stallone? He’s a race horse trainer.”

“I sure have. There are a few rumors floating around. He sounds like a shady character. What about him? Is he in your neck of the woods?”

“He sure is,” the sheriff declared as he drove slowly down the winding gravel road to the campgrounds main building. “What I’m about to tell you is pretty shockin’ so prepare yourself. To cut a long story short, I have a youngwoman who claims the guy is fixin’ races and runnin’ a gamblin’ operation.”

“That’s a serious accusation. How did she find out?”

“She overheard a conversation she wasn’t supposed to, and now she’s here hidin’ from him, but it looks like he’s tracked her down.”

“Damn. Why would he risk his business for a few dollars?”

“You know how greedy people can be. No matter how much they have it’s never enough.”

“We’ve both seen that plenty of times,” the detective muttered with a sigh.

“I’m confident I’ll find him,” the sheriff continued, “but this young woman says he has important friends and she’s scared to death. She has reason to be. He sent two thugs over to her condo before she left. She got away by the skin of her teeth.”

“Ah, understood. So I should take over the investigation and bring him back under arrest before he can fix things with one of his buddies.”

“That’s what I’m thinkin’.”

“I can probably leave in a couple of hours, but I have to ask…does this girl have enough for me to charge him?”

“She’ll swear to it all, and her father has horses with Gino, so she’s not just someone who was wandering around the stables. She’s solid.”

“Okay, so you have to find him.”

“I’m at the Moonshine Campgrounds to bring him in. I just hope he’s here. I’ll keep you posted.”

“Sounds good, and I’ll leave as soon as I can.”

As the call ended the sheriff climbed from his car and strode quickly into the office. The receptionist, Rebecca smiled up at him.

“Hello, Sheriff Cooper. What brings you here?”

“Do you have a guest by the name of Gino Stallone?”

“Yes, but you just missed him. He left about ten minutes ago.”

“When you say left—”

“Sorry, checked out.”

“I see,” the sheriff muttered. “What kind of car was he driving?”

“A black BMW SUV. Do you want the details?”

---