Chapter 14
The Kingston brothers were in the living room of their family home, waiting for the press conference to begin. The local stations had just interrupted programming, and Rachelle Morgan, an on-site reporter, was already setting the stage for what was to come.
News crews from three different TV affiliates out of Amarillo were in Silverton, set up at the steps of the Briscoe County Courthouse, waiting for Sheriff Matt Reddick to appear. Local residents had seen the news crews, and the small gathering around the news vans was a result of curiosity.
As the Kingstons watched in silence, the doors to the courthouse opened just as Rachelle’s commentary was in full swing. The tone of her voice shifted to a higher note, and she began talking faster, wanting to get it all said before Reddick took the mic.
“And… Sheriff Reddick has just come out of the courthouse. All we know is this has to do with the attempted assassination of Jacob Kingston, a respected and well-known businessman in Crossroads, Texas. You may remember the Kingston name from some years past, when, unknown to Jacob, his wife Brenda was involved with Pete Brandt, the leader of an armed robbery in Amarillo some twenty-plus years back. Brenda Kingston committed suicide on the day of her arrest, and just recently, the gang leader, Pete Brandt, passed away in prison. There has been supposition that it could be connected, but we have had no confirmation on that. We’re hoping Sheriff Reddick will have some answers. ”
Asher’s eyes narrowed as Reddick paused above the steps for a moment of posterity. Framed by the grand white pillars of the courthouse that stood above the fan of descending steps, all eyes turned toward him.
Good. He has their attention.
And when he started down the steps with an inscrutable expression, the crowd hushed. The silver star of a Texas sheriff’s badge was pinned on the sheepskin coat he was wearing against the chill, and the grey Stetson firmly settled on his head was to shade his eyes against the morning sun.
* * *
Reddick knew a lot depended on saying the right things, without saying too much. He wanted the perps jailed who’d done this, and the case closed, so when he approached the mic bank, he wasted no time.
“I’m Sheriff Matt Reddick of the Briscoe County Sheriff’s department.
The reason for this press conference is twofold.
It is a plea for help on an open case regarding the attempted murder of Jacob Kingston, of Crossroads, Texas.
Apparently, the media has already created its own version of motive, but that’s all conjecture.
The truth is, at this time, we do not know the shooter’s identity, intent, or how many there were.
We have received one report of a vehicle speeding away from the bar, but it was midnight.
No identification of the driver or the tag number.
Forensics is plowing through a mountain of DNA that, so far, tells us nothing except who liked to drink beer at the Tumbleweed Bar.
This is a public plea for information. If you know anything that would lead us to the perpetrators, call the Briscoe County Sheriff’s department.
The number will be running in a crawl on the bottom of your screen.
And a fair warning to those who file false claims, or purposefully point the blame at someone you’re mad at as a means of revenge.
Rest assured we do not take lightly to people wasting precious man-hours and money running down false leads, and you will face fines and possible jail time if you do it.
” Reddick cleared his throat, then looked straight into the cameras for full effect.
“At last update, we know Jacob Kingston is still in the hospital. We have no information to share regarding his prognosis. All we do know is that, for the time being, the Tumbleweed Bar in Crossroads, Texas, is officially closed, and we have no timeline as to when it might reopen.”
* * *
Hands were going up and reporters were clamoring for attention as Asher lowered the volume, then looked at his brothers and smiled.
“That was good. Damn good. They’ll air this again tonight.
Now all we can do is hope the Brandts saw it.
I’ll get the SUV to Nora’s later today, then we’re inside until it’s over, and I just had a thought as I was watching.
What do you guys think about pulling the security detail off of dad’s room, and putting them on stakeout at the place where the Brandts are staying, instead? ”
Gunner had been slouched in a chair while watching the press conference, but this was a focus shift he liked.
“Yes! Now that you found out where they’re staying, security would know if they were venturing toward the hospital, and even better, they would know if they left Amarillo. We’d have a major jump on them if we knew they were headed this way,” he said.
Dylan nodded. “But they wouldn’t actually follow them all the way here, right?”
“Right,” Ash said. “If they follow them through traffic and see for sure that they take the highway I-27 south toward Tulia, then we could safely assume they are making another move. At that point, we tell them to stand by until we have them in handcuffs.”
“I say yes,” Gunner said. “Get them on it now!”
“Leaving all that to the cops in the family,” Dylan said. “I’m just ready to thump some heads.”
“I promised Reddick we would not rough up his prisoners,” Asher said.
“I hope you left a little leeway, just in case,” Gunner said.
“We have leeway, not carte blanche,” Asher said. “I’m going to contact Bill Eldridge now. He and his brother can keep the same schedule. It’s the location that will be changed. They know what the Brandts look like, and what they’re driving, because I shared Dylan’s pictures.”
“Should I call Dad and let him know why his guard is disappearing?” Gunner asked.
“He’ll want to know why,” Dylan said.
“Maybe… Maybe not. I think he’ll trust us without question, but if he does, just tell him the guards are still on the job, and hopefully it’ll be over within the next couple of days. Just give me time to contact the security company, then you can call him.”
“Then if I’m not needed for the moment, I’m going to catch up on email, and call Angie.”
“Anything wrong?” Asher asked.
“No. I miss her. I just want to hear the sound of her voice. I’ll know if she’s not okay,” Dylan said, and left the living room.
Gunner stood.
Asher was on the phone.
Dylan was on the phone.
So he went into the bar, and began eyeing the layout, making mental notes as to where they should hide if the Brandts came in the front door again. And then he went back into the house, and eyeing the same setup, were they to come into the house first, instead.
* * *
Nora watched the whole press conference.
In her opinion, it was an open invitation to the Brandts, but only time would tell if it worked. It all hinged on the possibility they would see it, then decide if they wanted to chance another search, and there was no guarantee any of that would happen. It was all a gamble.
But since Asher warned her to stay out of it for her own safety, she let go of what she couldn’t control. She had a house to sell, and Patty Thomas just pulled up into her driveway.
She turned off the television, and as she was getting up to let Patty in, shifted to her work persona—all smiles and courtesy without revealing an iota of what she was thinking.
She opened the door as Patty and a stocky man with a baby face and a receding hairline came up the steps.
“Good morning,” Nora said, and stepped aside to let them enter, then closed the door to the cold.
Patty was all smiles. “Morning, Nora. This is my husband Lee Thomas, who does the photography for my listings. Lee, this is Nora Borden.”
“A pleasure,” Lee said. “Patty speaks of you highly, and my sympathies on your recent loss.”
“Thank you,” Nora said. “There’s a coat closet in the hall. We’ll get your coats hung up, so they won’t be in the way for the photos you want to take. Why don’t you two walk the rooms on your own, tweak whatever you want for your pictures, and if there are things you need to ask, I’m here.”
“Perfect,” Patty said. “We’ll start in the bedrooms and work our way back through the rest of the house.”
Nora nodded. “If you have a copy of your contract, I can be reading it while you’re doing your sweep,” she said.
Patty hesitated, then realized Nora wasn’t going to be someone who needed explanations about the verbiage.
“Of course,” she said, pulled a contract out of her briefcase and handed it over.
“Thanks,” Nora said, and sat down in a chair by the fireplace, turned on the floor lamp beside the chair, and began to read as Lee and Patty left the room.
She could hear them talking, then soon tuned out the words.
She already knew where the flaws were in this house.
Hearing them bandied about would have made it feel like a moral judgment, rather than the simple fact that what was here was out of style.
This house was where she began her life.
Where she grew to adulthood. And when she was honest with herself, the same one she abandoned for a big wide world she’d never seen.
It was the same thing she and Asher had done to each other. Abandoning first love without intention, then letting go instead of trying to keep it alive. She was losing this house but getting Asher back in return, and well aware it was the better deal.
She read all the way through the contract twice, then set it aside.
It was a standard contract, without any hidden clauses or fees.
She heard Lee and Patty coming out of her parents’ room, coming up the hall and into the kitchen and utility area, then heard the back door open and close, and was glad she’d fixed that loose windowpane.