Three #2
“That’s fine.” He wasn’t about to complain. “I’m sure I can get another room.”
“Looks like the crime scene techs are here.” Sewell nodded toward the pair of headlights cutting through the darkness.
“I’ll leave you to watch over the crime scene.” Green turned to Jackson and Nina, jerking his thumb to his vehicle. “Let’s go.”
Jackson took one last look at Mark Lange’s cabin before following Nina to the police cruiser. He believed Mark had been murdered by the same men who’d taken shots at Nina and had obliterated his SUV.
The question was why? Simply because Nina had come to talk to her uncle about her mother’s death? He suddenly realized there was a lot he didn’t understand about this scenario.
He slid into the back seat, leaving Nina to sit up front next to Deputy Green. They exited the driveway and headed west on Pine Tree lane, then turned south on Banyon Road. As they approached the spot where his vehicle sat, Green slowed down, then pulled over.
“Now that I know this is connected to the dead man in the cabin, I want to take a few pictures before we head to Tyler.” Green pushed open the driver’s-side door and jogged across the street to the badly damaged car. The deputy took several pictures with his phone.
Jackson joined him, wincing at how bad the SUV looked up close. It was totaled for sure, and he could only imagine what their boss would say.
Unfortunately, he and his fellow rangers had damaged quite a few vehicles over the past few years. Through no fault of their own, but that didn’t make the hit to their budget any less of a problem. He knew Owens had been taken to task by the Governor more than once over the expense.
“I see what you mean,” Green said after a moment. “The gunmen clearly thought you were still inside and wanted to make sure you were both dead.”
“Yeah.” Jackson turned away. There wasn’t any point in ruminating over the damage.
“Any reason someone might target you?” Green asked as they walked back to the cruiser.
The upcoming trial for Diego Sanchez flashed in his mind, but he shook his head. “No, this is about Nina. She’s the one they chased into the woods.”
Green grimaced but didn’t push the issue any further. They climbed back into the squad car and continued down Banyon Road until they reached the highway.
From there it was a straight path through the town of Swan and on to the bigger city of Tyler. The motel Nina had chosen was right off the highway and didn’t look too bad for a low-budget motel.
“I’ll be in touch,” Green said as they climbed out of the vehicle. “If you think of anything else that will help us find these guys, please let me know.”
“Sure. And we’d like to know if you find anything, too.” Jackson decided this wasn’t the time to mention the call he’d made to his boss about taking over the investigation. The local cops wouldn’t be happy when that happened. Best to keep on good terms for now.
“Thanks for the ride.” Nina looked exhausted; a few sticks and leaves were stuck in her curly red hair.
Green waved and drove away.
“I’m in room seven.” Nina pulled her key from her pocket and headed down the row of rooms with doors facing the parking lot. “Good night, Jackson. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He frowned and lengthened his stride to catch up. “Nina, we need to talk.”
“Tonight?” She used her key to access her room. “Can’t it wait until the morning?”
“No.” He felt like an ogre for pushing her when she was clearly at the end of her rope. “I need to understand exactly what you and your Uncle Mark planned to discuss.”
She sighed and stepped across the threshold. She flipped on the light and that was when he saw the full extent of her scratches and bruises. “Fine. But I need a minute to wash up.”
Jackson sat on the end of one of the two double beds. Nina’s small suitcase stood in the corner where she must have dropped it off prior to heading out to see her uncle.
Too keyed up to sit, he jumped back to his feet and went to the window. He pulled the curtain aside to scan the parking lot. There were only three cars in the lot, which made him think the motel wasn’t full. He should be able to secure a room.
The idea of leaving Nina here alone, though, nagged at him. He let the edge of the curtain drop and turned away. He was being ridiculous. There was no way the gunmen could know where she was.
Unless she’d told her Uncle Mark about the motel?
A long ten minutes passed before Nina emerged from the bathroom. She looked better, although the scratches marring her beautiful skin bothered him.
“Okay.” She plopped down on the other end of the bed. “What do you want to know?”
“You mentioned your uncle indicated he might be responsible for your mother’s murder that took place twenty-eight years ago.” He held her gaze. “Did he say how he was involved?”
“No.” She hunched her shoulders. “I was adopted by a firefighter who found me and my injured mother several yards from the fire station in Dallas. He said that my mother appeared to be crawling to the station despite the gunshot wound in her abdomen, carrying me to safety.”