Chapter Twenty-One
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
When Helen drove down the sweeping driveway to the front of her parents’ house she saw two sedans she didn’t recognize and a panel van. Feeling a flurry of nerves, she parked her car and hurried inside.
“Helen! There you are!” her mother exclaimed walking quickly towards her. “How are you? Oh, my, look at your face. This is dreadful. Are you in pain? Can I get you anything?”
“I was hurting earlier, but it’s much better now.”
“What a dreadful man he must be. How on Earth did you meet him? Do you know him very well?”
“Apparently not,” she muttered with a sigh.
“Hello, Helen,” the sheriff interjected, walking up to join them. “Are you feeling a bit better?”
“I am, and thanks for your help today.”
“You’re very welcome. We have quite a bit to get through so come with me and we can get started.”
“What are all the cars here for, and the van?”
“I didn’t drive my squad car in case the house is being watched. But with the event tomorrow night it wouldn’t be unusual to have organizers here.”
“Oh, I see.”
As they walked down the wide hall and entered the library, she was shocked to see men on ladders doing something with the overhead chandeliers, others removing books from the shelves, and two on the floor beneath the large antique desk against the wall.
“Helen, this is Detective Karl Hawthorne,” the sheriff declared as an attractive, smartly dressed man approached.
“Hello, Helen, it’s good to meet you. Please call me Karl. Detective Hawthorne is a bit of a mouthful,” he said warmly.
“What’s all this about?” she asked as she continued to dart her eyes around the room.
“These men are installing surveillance equipment. I wanted to meet you in here so you could see it for yourself. Tomorrow night every part of this room will be monitored and filmed. But we should talk somewhere else so we’re not in the way. If at any point you’re not comfortable about something, or if you have any questions, just let me know.”
“Okay, but wow. I never expected anything like this.”
“Come through to the kitchen,” her mother interjected. “I’ll make us some coffee.”
* * *
After Helen had left, Andy had taken Molly and Ranger to the inside arena and released them to run around and get to know each other. Free at last, and encouraged by Ranger’s high energy, it only took a few minutes for Molly’s personality to burst forth.
Watching them filled Andy’s heart.
Though Ranger was energetic he was gentle with the little dog, and when Andy called they both came running. He knew Ranger had received training, and as he put the dog through its paces, he demonstrated the breed’s high intelligence. Molly had been watching, and when Andy started working with her, she became very excited and eager to learn.
By the time he finished he felt confident letting them both run free. They had bonded, and he knew Ranger would be protective of his new friend.
Entering the barn, as he began making sure everything would be ready for his clients the following day, he wondered if he should have waited until after the clinic was over before bringing a new dog into the picture. But seeing how comfortable Ranger was around the horses, and knowing the potential danger Ken Lockhart and his biker gang presented, Andy was glad he’d taken the leap of faith.
He was returning to the house when Ranger suddenly veered away and ran around the back of the barn towards the trees. Not wanting to be separated from her new best friend, Molly ran after, barking as if asking him to slow down so she could catch up.
Though Andy guessed where Ranger was going, he still found it astonishing when the big dog stopped at Wilbur’s grave and sat down.
“You are really something,” he muttered, striding forward and crouching beside him. “That’s right, our best buddy is here.” As Ranger placed his paw on Andy’s leg and looked up at him, the swell of emotion was almost overwhelming. “But he’s also all around us,” he managed, fighting the heat in his throat, “and you can come and visit him whenever you want.”
Also wanting attention Molly suddenly pushed forward. Putting his arm around her, he let out a grateful sigh.
“This is meant to be,” he said softly. “Now we just have to bring Helen into the fold. All the way in.”
* * *
Sitting in his upscale townhome in an elite Dallas suburb, Ken Lockhart sipped his expensive scotch and thought about the scene at the Moonshine Restaurant with Helen. The dining room had been empty, just as he’d thought it would be. Late in the afternoon the locals were busy on their farms, and any visitors would be out touring the picturesque countryside.
Everything had gone exactly to plan.
Rarely did he have a misstep.
He’d learned from a master in New York City.
His late father.
Carlo Lucci.
Carlo’s criminal organization specialized in narcotics and firearms.
If anyone dared to cross him, they paid for it with their lives.
Ken had been baptized Carlo Jr., but when his father had been double-crossed and killed, battles waged as several powerful members struggled for control, and the organization quickly fell into chaos. Knowing he was in imminent danger he’d disappeared, laid low for a while, then reinvented himself in Texas with a new identity.
He considered the bikers in his gang his family.
Upon joining they were each given the nickname of a wild animal. With his long hair and being the King, it was natural for him to be known as The Lion, but they simply called him Boss. His right hand man was huge and feared nothing, hence the name Bear. There were only a dozen members, and each had been carefully recruited by Ken himself. Though he was occasionally approached from outsiders wanting to join, he had no interest in expanding. He knew his men were loyal, and the chemistry worked. As his father always said, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Smiling and sipping his drink, his thoughts turned to Helen. The girl would soon be under his strict control, and Andy, the annoying cowboy, would be out of the picture. Accidents happened all the time, especially on farms. There were tractors and steel pitchforks, and horses that spooked and dumped their riders. He had a few ideas, but nothing had gelled completely in his head.
But it would.
It always did.
But as he shifted his thoughts to the charity event at the country estate, his satisfied smile transformed into an evil sneer.