Page 53 of Texas Scandal

Tiernan pulled on every ounce of self-discipline to refrain from charging at the sheriff to tackle him at the knees. Right now, Cleve Tanner had the upper hand. The lawman knew it, too. Once again, Tiernan complied, but he clamped his jaw so tightly that he feared his back teeth might crack. To hell with it.

He fished his cell from his pocket, and then slowly dropped down.

“Kick them toward me when you’re done,” the sheriff instructed.

“I don’t know how you expect me to do that with a knife,” Tiernan said, rolling his cell in the man’s direction.

“Toss it,” the sheriff said. “But if it hits me, your dog is the first to die.”

Carefully, Tiernan chucked the knife. Fighting the urge to lunge at the sheriff, Tiernan slowly stood up.

“You’re okay,” he reassured Loki in as calm a tone as he could muster. A not-so-silent rage was boiling to the surface inside him. He was no match for a gun. This situation must have caught the sheriff off guard because there was no silencer. Tiernan put his hands in the air. “What next, Sheriff? What do you plan to do? You couldn’t kill us in my workshop.”

“That wasn’t me,” the lawman said before seeming to catch himself.

Melody was going crazy in the next room, trying to communicate something. Loki’s nerves were fried. The unpredictable pup was causing near cardiac arrest for Tiernan.

“Tie him up,” the sheriff said as Loki looked on. His growl was enough to put fear in an MMA fighter. “And tell the woman to be still or I’ll shoot you next.”

Why the sheriff hadn’t fired already dawned on Tiernan. An investigation could tie this place to the crime. There would be blood spatter everywhere. Too much to fully clean it all. The sheriff knew all the ins and outs. His DNA could be linked to the scene. It was amazing what forensics could do with a small hair sample in this day and age. Threats were one thing. Discharging the weapon was a different ballgame. So, Tiernan would have a little leeway.

The fire in the sheriff’s eyes said he’d do it if that was the only way.

“I’m going to take a knee to calm my dog down,” Tiernan said as he slowly lowered himself. This had the added benefit of making him a smaller target. Besides, if the sheriff shot at Loki, Tiernan had no qualms about taking the bullet instead. He held on to his dog by the collar. The move worked. Loki’s tail was going a mile a minute but he stopped the rapid-fire barking.

“Shut her up now,” the sheriff demanded.

“It’s going to be okay, Melody,” Tiernan reassured. He turned to her and winked to communicate he understood what she was trying to tell him. Someone else was there. The person hadn’t made themselves known. Tiernan couldn’t figure out the sheriff’s involvement. What did he have to gain by implicating Melody? Why wasn’t he investigating Coop?

“What’s the endgame here, Sheriff?” Tiernan asked. By his count, the sheriff was outnumbered. Then again, Melody had indicated someone else was around. Was the person in the closet the mastermind behind this all? To what end? What was there to gain?

Tiernan’s cell buzzed. The sheriff’s muscles tensed. The screen was visible. John Prescott.

“You had to get other people involved,” the sheriff said. “You couldn’t leave well enough alone.”

“He’s on to you,” Tiernan hedged. “And he’s heading this way.” The little white lie might force the sheriff’s hand. “If I don’t pick up, he’ll be suspicious.”

“How stupid do you think I am?” the sheriff asked, shaking his head. “You answer and you’ll give him some type of signal behind my back. I’m not stupid, Hayes.”

“Speaking of last names,” Tiernan continued. He saw how rattled the sheriff had become and how much he was trying to cover. It was the little things giving him away now. The twitch just below his left eye. The way his chest moved up and down a little faster because his breathing was shallow. A shot of adrenaline would do that to a person. “Mine is well known in this state. Do you think my family will accept my disappearance? My murder? Because I know they would move heaven and earth to find the person responsible for my death.”

The sheriff needed to know the field he was playing in.

“Aren’t you an elected official?” Tiernan asked. “You can kiss that job goodbye. But then, you’ll be living in a cell anyway. Do you know what inmates do to former law enforcement officers?”

He still couldn’t piece together why the sheriff would be involved in any of this. Cleve Tanner didn’t strike Tiernan as being exceptionally bright.

“You’d better get out here, Mr. Cantor,” the sheriff finally called out after a long pause. “This one is causing trouble, and you have to make a call as to what to do next. This is more than I’m getting paid for.” The secret was out now. The sheriff was being bought off to set Melody up for murder. Getting rid of Melody would have made it impossible for her to defend herself in court. Murders that Coop Cantor had committed with a possible assist from a lawman.

Coop Cantor came flying out of the closet. “What the hell?”

Loki went crazy, lunging toward him. Coop backed up a couple of steps until his back was against the window.

“Call the dog off,” Coop demanded. Sweat dripped from his forehead. His armpits were stained.

“Are you seriously planning to kill your own sister?” Tiernan asked as he stayed crouched low. “Because you’ll never get away with it.”

Coop shot a look that said he had the law on his side, and it was standing behind Tiernan with a gun aimed at his back.

---