21. Porter
21
PORTER
“ H ey, Porter?” Jagger called out when I returned to the building where the image of Cici being pinned under an ATV would haunt me for the rest of my life.
“Where are you?”
“In here. On your left,” he shouted. “Steel messaged that Cici said she thinks someone has been in here recently.”
I pushed the door open wider to walk inside when he pointed to a chair that sat near a window as well as a pair of binoculars.
“Watching the ranch house,” I muttered.
“Watching everything,” Jagger concurred.
I was about to leave the room and take another look at the ATV when I heard him gasp.
“ Jesus , look at this,” Jagger said, pulling back the corner of an old throw rug.
My phone’s flashlight’s beam revealed dark stains which had seeped into the concrete floor. “Is that blood?”
Jagger looked up at me. “Sure looks like it.”
“Human?”
“Impossible to say for certain without testing the DNA, but yeah, it’s likely.” Jagger stood and took photos with his phone. “Based on the splatter, I’d say there’s a good chance someone or something died in here.”
The thought made my skin crawl and turned my stomach. I’d never been much of a hunter, even though it was a big sport in this part of the state.
“We need samples,” I said, pulling out my phone to see how far out Kaleb was. “And photos of everything.”
“Already on it,” Jagger said, holding up evidence bags. Apparently, Decker had made sure his team came prepared for anything.
I sent a message to Buck. Where are you? I asked.
RF. What’s up?
Something at Morris Ranch you need to see.
Wrapping up a few things here, then I’ll head that way.
I glanced up and saw Martinez walk in.
“What’s going on?” he asked, looking in the direction of the room where Jagger was.
“Accident with an ATV. This is a crime scene, so I’m gonna need you to step out.”
His eyes opened wide. “Was someone hurt? I saw an ambulance headed this way when I was out in the south pasture.”
“Cici, but she’s okay.” He still hadn’t moved, so I walked over to him. “Juan, I need you to step outside. The sheriff is on his way now.”
“Where’s Cici now? Up at the house? Is there anything I can do?”
“Not right now. You can get back to work. If there’s anything else we need, I’ll let you know.”
His eyes scrunched, and I thought he might say something else. Wisely, he walked out instead.
I sent a message to Steel. Don’t let Martinez in the house.
Roger that, he responded.
No one comes in without my say-so.
Understood.
Something about Martinez’s behavior had my hackles up. Rather than wait for Buck to arrive, I called him.
“What do you know about Juan Martinez?”
“Meaning?”
“What’s his background?”
“No idea, but I can ask around.”
“Yeah, do that.”
“You got it, Port. Hey, are you all right?”
I saw Kaleb pull in. “I gotta run. The sheriff just arrived. Just get here as soon as you can.”
I ended the call and met Kaleb halfway between where he parked and the equipment building.
“How’s Cici?” he asked.
“Steel sent a message, saying the EMTs had checked her out. No apparent injuries. But there’s something else you need to see.”
He followed me inside, and I pointed to where Jagger was collecting evidence.
“Is that blood?” he asked, stepping into the room.
Jagger looked up. “Yes, sir.”
“Looks like someone was using this place to keep an eye on things,” Kaleb muttered, taking in the rest of the room, then crouching down to examine the stains more closely. “These are old. Hard to say whether we’ll learn anything from them or not. I’ll get a forensics team in here to see.”
“What are you thinking?” I asked when he looked around the room again and his brow furrowed.
“I remember something about a cold case involving the ranch. Someone in the Morris family was murdered. This may have been where they found the body.”
“Seriously? There was a murder on the ranch?”
“It was years ago. Maybe more than twenty. I’ll have one of my deputies look into it.”
When he stepped out of the room to place the call, I followed.
Someone in the Morris family was murdered? In a place as small as Parlin, I was surprised I hadn’t at least heard a rumor about it before now.
Kaleb ended the call. “Wanna fill me in on what happened with the ATV?”
Buck’s truck pulled up outside. When he joined us inside, his face was grim. “I talked to a few people—” He stopped short at the scene in the side room. “What the fuck?”
“Did you ever hear anything about a murder on the ranch?” I asked.
Buck shook his head. “Not that I recall.”
“According to the files my deputy found, Joshua Deevers was sheriff at the time,” said Kaleb. “That would’ve been twenty years ago. When we’re finished here, I’ll give him a call and see what he remembers about it.”
“Listen, if there’s nothing else you need me for, I want to check on Cici.”
“Go ahead, Port,” said Kaleb. “Forensics will be here soon, and they’ll seal everything off. Oh, and can you make sure Martinez, Johnson, and Shaw don’t go anywhere before I talk to them? Also, see if Cici can put together a list of who’s worked here before Hank and Lillian died until now? I’ll want to question people who don’t work here anymore too.”
“Anything else?” I asked.
“That’s all for now. I’ll be up to the house as soon as I can.”
Buck and I started to walk away, but I heard Kaleb ask me to hold up.
“How’s Mav?”
There were two reasons he was asking. First, because Buck had been digging around what happened the night of Mav’s accident, and also because of what he’d said in the meeting, earlier.
“Quiet,” I responded before turning to Buck.
“I’ll give you and Kaleb a minute,” my brother said before continuing toward the house.
“We don’t have anything to worry about as far as Buck’s concerned,” I told Kaleb.
He nodded. “That just leaves Mav.”
He was right, and his comment about me keeping more than one of his secrets told me the kid might remember more than he was letting on.
“How’s Cici doing?” I asked Steel when I came inside and didn’t see her or her brother.
“She went upstairs to lie down. Said she didn’t have any trouble with the steps.”
“And Mav?”
“He went up at the same time.”
My eyes met Buck’s. “Go ahead,” he said. “I want to talk to Steel anyway.”
I took the stairs two at a time but knocked on the partially open door when I saw Mav was in the bedroom with her.
“Porter?”
I stuck my head inside. “Sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to see how you were doing.”
“I’m okay, but please come in. There’s something I need to tell you and Mav at the same time.”
My eyes met his, and I wondered if he’d take this opportunity to reveal what he’d said at this morning’s meeting to his sister.
“I overheard Shaw and Martinez talking earlier.” She turned to Mav and took his hand. “About our parents.”
For the second time, his eyes met mine.
My heart stopped. “What did they say?”
“They were arguing about whether they should tell me why they were out that night.”
“Cici…” I pulled her close to me with one arm while handing Mav the piece of paper from earlier.
“Tell her,” I said to him.
“What?” she asked.
Rather than speak, he unfolded the paper and handed it to her. She looked at it, then at me, then her brother.
“‘Your fault. They were out looking for you,’” she read out loud. “Where did you get this?”
“There was an envelope waiting at the funeral home.”
Her eyes widened momentarily, then softened. “Oh, Mav,” she cried.
I released her, and brother and sister embraced, both sobbing while my mind raced.
Someone had lured Hank and Lillian out that night, using Maverick as bait. Had they slid off the road after the car hit a sheet of ice, or had something far more sinister happened?