Page 7 of Ranger Honor

Gavin scowled at the image displayed on the computer screen. It was a closeup of the shooter taken from the emergency clinic’s surveillance video. The man was dressed in all black, a ski cap pulled low on his head. A backpack—big enough to hide a disassembled rifle—was slung over one shoulder.

“Is this the best image we have of him?” Gavin asked.

“I’m afraid so, sir.” Keith O’Neal, Claire’s chief deputy, swiped a hand over his ginger mustache. Pushing fifty, he had the physique of a much younger man, but the lines on his face told of long hours and troublesome cases. Gavin had worked with Keith years ago, when he was with the Houston Police Department. Drug abuse had derailed his career for a time. Gavin was happy to see him sober. Keith was one of the good ones.

Gavin turned to Claire. She was studying the image on the computer screen. Stains from hiding behind the dumpster marred her uniform, but she’d scraped her hair into a fresh ponytail. A butterfly bandage covered the scratch on her cheek. On the credenza behind her were several photographs. Most of them featured a smiling toddler with golden hair and sweet freckles. Her son, Jacob. He resembled his mother.

The photographs of Claire and her young child were physical reminders of the responsibility weighing on Gavin’s shoulders. A part of him wanted to seclude Claire and her family away. But that wasn’t fair. Nor was it possible. Claire was the sheriff and had a job to do. Gavin respected that.

The glow from the computer screen caressed Claire’s features. Taken apart, one by one, they were too different to be considered classically pretty. A wide mouth, sharply cut jaw, high forehead, and the faint freckles sprinkled on her nose. But joined together, there was something captivating about them…

Gavin wrangled his runaway thoughts from Claire’s beauty. Yes, she was gorgeous. And he’d been impressed with the way she handled the shooting. But this attraction couldn’t go any further. Gavin’s relationship with Claire was professional, and that’s exactly how it would stay.

Claire frowned. “Play the video again from the beginning, Keith.”

Her chief deputy complied. The shooter slipped out of a side door and skirted the edge of the building before disappearing down an alley. Claire shook her head. “He could be anyone.”

Keith made a grunt of agreement. “I think that was the point.” Worry tightened the lines on his forehead as he closed his laptop. “Did you find Stephanie Madden’s case file in the storage room?”

“Yep.” Claire picked up a file folder from her desk and pushed it toward him. “There’s not much to it. Mary Ellen was correct. Sheriff King determined Stephanie simply left town.”

Gavin had also read the case file. Two years ago, Stephanie was reported missing by her boss, Faye. Deputies knocked on her door, but she didn’t answer, and her car wasn’t in the driveway. After a few days, when Stephanie didn’t reappear, a search warrant was obtained for her home. A suitcase was missing, as were clothes and other personal items.

“I’ve searched for Stephanie in the databases,” Gavin said. “Nothing shows up. Her driver’s license expired and she hasn’t renewed it. Her car’s yearly registration is out-of-date. No arrests. No updated address.”

Claire’s jaw tightened. “Considering Faye’s murder, that doesn’t bode well for us. I’m not sure we’re going to find Stephanie alive.”

Gavin picked up a photograph of Stephanie, taken from her case file. She was a beautiful blonde with a sunny smile. He wanted to believe she was out there, somewhere, living her life. But he was afraid Claire was right. Stephanie was likely dead.

He rose from the chair and strolled to the whiteboard attached to a standing easel. Using a magnet, he stuck Stephanie’s photograph next to the ones from Faye’s crime scene. His gaze swept across the images. “Let’s go through what we know so far, starting with Faye.”

Keith nodded, flipping to a page in his notebook. “She worked all day at the bakery. Witnesses I’ve interviewed said she was in a good mood, nothing out of the ordinary. Faye mentioned to her last customer that she was meeting someone after closing. She didn’t say who. The camera over the register was turned off at 8:41.”

Gavin tapped a photograph of Faye’s slashed tire. “Maybe she met with her attacker? We know Faye was looking into Stephanie’s disappearance. She could’ve mentioned it to the wrong person.”

“That makes sense.” Claire began pacing. “Okay, Faye meets with someone about Stephanie. Whatever is said causes the killer to walk out of the bakery and puncture Faye’s tire.”

“Why not kill her inside the bakery?” Keith interjected. His feet were propped up on the conference table and he spun a pen between his fingers. “It would’ve been a lot easier.”

“Maybe the killer was worried about potential witnesses. Or maybe he didn’t have his gun with him inside the bakery. We can’t assume the killer knew what the conversation was going to be about when he arrived to meet with Faye. She may have caught him off-guard.” Claire pointed to the slice on the tire. “This cut could’ve been made with a strong pocket knife. People regularly carry them. It would’ve been easy to stab the tire after leaving the bakery and then follow Faye home, waiting for her to get a flat tire.”

Gavin envisioned the crime in his mind’s eye. “Faye pulls to the side of the road. She tries calling for roadside assistance, but can’t get through. The killer drives up. Faye gets out.”

He could imagine the exchange. The pleasantries and relief on Faye’s part. The trust she must’ve had…until the moment the killer pulled out a gun. It made Gavin’s heart ache. “After shooting Faye, the killer goes to her SUV. He takes the cash from the store, hoping we’ll think it’s a robbery gone wrong.”

Claire nodded. “Except we figure out Faye’s murder is connected to Stephanie’s disappearance.”

“That’s why you’re a target, Sheriff.” Keith sat up, his feet thudding against the floor as they dropped from the conference table. “Your replacement could classify Faye’s murder as a robbery gone south and then say Stephanie’s disappearance is unrelated. People here are used to Sheriff King’s way of doing things.”

Gavin had never worked with the former sheriff of Fulton County personally, but he’d heard the rumors. Sheriff King let his personal relationships with people influence his investigations. With disastrous results. A serial killer had been overlooked and murdered several more women before Claire finally closed the case. And that was only one example. Gavin knew there were more. Stephanie’s flimsy case file was proof enough that Sheriff King hadn’t investigated her disappearance thoroughly.

“I hate to say it, but I think Keith is on to something.” Gavin rocked back on his heels. “I’m here because of your invitation. Texas Rangers don’t have jurisdiction over local murders or disappearances. The next sheriff could ask me to leave and close these cases as he sees fit.”

Gavin didn’t have hard evidence of the killer’s motives, but his gut said they were on the right track. Which meant Claire was still in danger. The killer would keep coming after her. The thought made Gavin’s blood boil. He wouldn’t allow anyone to harm her. Not on his watch.

Claire scowled. “If you’re right, and the killer is attempting to get rid of me to avoid these cases being investigated thoroughly, then I’m very concerned about the private investigator Faye hired. Michael Grayson could answer a lot of our questions. Have we been able to track him down yet?”

Gavin shared her fear. “He hasn’t been seen since last night. My colleague, Ranger Weston Donovan, is searching for him. We’ve listing him as a critical missing.”

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