Page 64 of Claimed by the Lawman

Chapter 21

“STILL WORKING ON the Posey case?”

Kace poured himself a cup of coffee and turned to look at Mildred. “Yeah and getting nowhere fast. Ruby is still missing.”

Mildred sighed. “It’s hard to understand why Kyle would do what he did. I worked with him a lot of years, and although he had his faults, he wasn’t the kind of man that would do this.”

“Sometimes we just don’t know a person, Mildred.”

“True, but to kill Susannah Posey?”

Kace took a long sip of his coffee, feeling it sting all the way down into his stomach. “I wish I knew for sure, but it doesn’t fit.”

“Sometimes they just don’t.” She nodded. “I’ll have to leave a little early today. Heading in this morning, I had to swerve to miss some of Mr. Bane’s men in the road. They were putting up a new sign in front of his ranch and didn’t even care a lick for oncoming traffic. I ran over something in the grass and flattened my tire just like that.” She snapped her fingers. “Thankfully, one of the boys was nice enough to bring me in. Why do they need a new sign anyway? They just keep getting bigger and bigger. Now a huge swirly B hooked on a rope.” She shook her head.

Kace stepped into his office and placed the cup on his desk. Grabbing the Posey case file, he emptied the photos out and scattered them across the desk so that he could look at them. Finding the one he was searching for from Susy’s autopsy, the one with the brand on her shoulder, he turned the picture at different angles until he blinked in shock.

The letter wasn’t an M. No, it was a loopy B. And he was certain it was for Bane.

He slammed his fist to the desk, sending coffee sloshing out over the rim of his cup. “Shit!” How could he have missed the obvious?

Grabbing his hat, he slammed it on his head and stormed into the other room. “Mildred, I’ll be back.”

He stepped out of the building, cursing himself with each step he took. How could he have missed that? Although he didn’t have enough to arrest Bane, he certainly did have enough to bring him in for questioning.

He was almost to his truck when the Mayor caught him. “I was just coming to see you, Sheriff.”

“Sorry, sir. I’m on important business.” He opened his truck door hoping the other man got the hint.

“You won’t return my calls, Cade. We need to protect the Sheriff’s office from this Mansfield bullshit. We’re going to be blamed.”

Under enough pressure to blow, Kace looked at the Mayor with a tight jaw. “The case isn’t close yet, sir. Give me a few days and we’ll have enough answers.”

“What? You can’t be serious.”

“Yeah, I am.” Kace climbed into the truck.

“Where the hell are you going?”

“To connect the dots.”

“Mr. Bane will be with you in a moment, Sheriff,” the stern looking man wearing a simple suit said, then stepped away. Once the man took his leave, Kace sniffed loudly and headed down the hallway impatiently.

Without a knock or warning, Kace opened the door and stormed in. Bane was sitting behind his desk and a look of shock swept over his features before it switched to a smug smile. His assistant, who was sitting with her notebook open, looked a hell of a lot more flabbergasted. She stood, her eyes wide. “Sheriff, you can’t just barge in here like this,” she stammered.

“It’s okay, Brenda,” Bane said. “We’ll finish later. Leave us alone. It seems like he has a bone to pick.” The man’s smirk couldn’t be missed.

The second the door closed, Kace stomped across the office and slapped down the picture. The other man took a long look, then rubbed his chin. “You barged in to show me a picture? Why don’t you have a seat.”

“What do you know about this, Bane?” He didn’t bother sitting. He stood at the desk, keeping himself calm.

“Well let’s see.” The man picked up the picture and looked at it closer. “Looks to me like a scar.” He dropped the photo back onto the desk. “Can you get to the point why you thought it necessary to storm in here? I’m a busy man, Sheriff.” He steepled his fingers.

“You’re going to have a whole lot of time on your hands unless I get some answers.”

Bane dropped back into his chair, his jaw tight and his gaze narrowed. “I don’t take kindly to threats, Cade. My patience is about hair thin.”

“Good. That makes both of us. Answer the damn question. Why did Susannah Posey have your brand on her body?” He stabbed the picture.

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