High-Risk Reunion

She nodded, folding her hands together in her lap.

He’d let that go for the present, but they would be alone on the ride to town and back. “Then we need to talk about who you think would want to do you harm.”

“I’ve been thinking about that all night. At the head of the list is Diego Mederos, but I have made some other criminals mad at me because I was responsible for them going to prison. I’ve been aggressive in my prosecution. My vision is to make this county a safe haven.”

“I wish there was such a place.” That was why he’d gone into law enforcement when he’d left the army, but after all he’d seen, he didn’t think such a place on earth existed. Thanks to the Lord there was in heaven. That thought had kept him going when he wanted to walk away and let someone else fight the evil in the world.

“I have to try. Did you know what happened to Belinda twelve years ago?”

“Yes.” He remembered hearing about it from his uncle. Belinda had been Tory’s best friend in high school, and she’d been shot in a bank robbery because she didn’t get down fast enough.

“I’d been in that bank ten minutes before that guy went on a shooting spree, killing Belinda. Five people died that day.”

“Is that why you became a DA?”

“I was going to law school already, but that was the main reason I changed the type of lawyer I wanted to be.”

“Why did you want to become a lawyer?”

“Remember I was on the debate team in high school and college? That’s when I started thinking about it.”

“Why didn’t you write me about that?” On one of his oversea tours, he’d been in the Middle East when she started going to the University of Texas her second year in college.

“Because I wasn’t sure. I still had several years to complete before I could go to law school.” She shrugged. “A gal can change her mind just like a guy.”

Ouch! Cade had wanted a family. They had talked about it growing up. He’d never really had much of one. His mother had died not long after he was born and his father had passed away in a riding accident on the ranch when Cade was fifteen. His uncle became his only family and his guardian.

Cade glanced toward the entry hall, wondering if Michelle was still in the guest bedroom she and Tory shared. “Just so you know, I didn’t change my mind.”

She twisted her hands together and ignored Cade’s statement. “I’ll go through the records at my office to make a list of criminals I’ve put away, starting with the more serious crimes.”

Instead of what they really needed to talk about—their past—they danced around the subject, with Tory clearly ignoring they even had a past. “Then we can check to see who’s still in prison. Is there anyone else you can think of besides the people you convicted?”

“No. I’ve lived here most of my life, and I know a lot of the twenty thousand citizens of El Rio.”

“Then how about Diego Mederos? I don’t remember anyone like him when we were growing up.” Twenty years ago the town was much smaller, but as San Antonio had grown so had El Rio.

“He set up shop here seven years ago. I think he’s behind most of the serious crimes in this area. The police and the sheriff have tried to get him for years. But he’s never gone to trial. Something always happens to the case—a missing witness or evidence corrupted. So far we’ve been able to keep our main witness alive.”

“How?”

“I’m not at liberty to say. In El Rio I’m the only one who knows where the witness is being guarded by the US Marshals.”

“You’re talking about the father of the teenager killed—Carlos Dietz?”

“Yes. There were a couple of other witnesses besides the father, but he’s the only one who will dare testify. He lost his only child. Two years ago, his wife died in a wreck. Guess who was involved in that?”

“Diego Mederos.”

“One of his henchman was supposedly driving drunk and got a slap on his wrist. There was some speculation it was Mederos who was also drunk. The car was his, and when he’s in it, he’s always driving. His fall guy served a year in jail and was set free a month before Carlos was murdered in front of his father. Carlos Senior was very vocal about the justice system failing him and his son.” She kneaded the muscles at the back of her neck. “I want to change that perception.”

Tory was wound so tightly Cade wondered when she would break. The Mederos case was costing her more than a large amount of time. “Then why didn’t the henchman come after Carlos?”

“Because most of the complaints were targeted at Mederos.”

Not a smart move on the father’s part. Cases like Mederos’s caused Cade to question the justice system himself. It was made up of people who were flawed, but in the end everyone had to answer to God. That knowledge always gave him some peace. “I’m going to interview him this afternoon while we’re in town.”

“He’s smart and cruel. Mederos won’t tell you a thing.” Tory bolted to her feet and began pacing.

Cade sensed the presence of someone else nearby. He looked toward the entry hall and tensed.

Michelle stood in the entrance, tears running down her cheeks.

Tory covered the distance between them and tried to hug her daughter. “Honey—”

Michelle pushed away. “Don’t. I hate your job. You’re in danger because of it.”

Cade rose and walked to them. “Worrying doesn’t solve anything. It’ll only make it worse. When we know what we’re really dealing with, you’ll be informed. Then we can decide what needs to be done.”

Michelle glared at him. “Were you even a friend of my dad’s? Or did Mom say that just to shut me up?”

“I certainly had to get your dad and my nephew out of enough trouble when they were growing up.” Uncle Ben’s gruff voice came from the end of the hall, but as he moved toward them, it softened. “They were inseparable. They went everywhere together. Their curiosity was mighty huge. Once they wanted to know what would happen if you poked a beehive. That was a painful lesson to learn.” His six-feet-six-inch presence took up a large part of the hallway. At sixty he was still in good physical condition and was an expert shot.

“You poked a beehive?” his daughter asked Cade as though she couldn’t believe he could have been that stupid.

He nodded once. “Guilty as charged, but in our defense, we were only four years old.”

“I don’t know about y’all, but I’ve worked up a mighty big appetite. I hope y’all are hungry. I fixed a lot.”

“That’s what woke me up. What did you fix? It smells great.” Michelle took a step toward Uncle Ben.

“That smell is our dinner. Chili. I slow cook it. My recipe has won several county fair competitions. I hope you’ll stick around to have some.”

“I gotta.”

“Good. I have a basketball hoop on the side of the barn. Cade and your dad used to practice here.”

When the two of them disappeared into the kitchen, Tory sagged in relief. “Now you see why we need to be careful about what we say if Michelle is around. She’s going through an emotional stage where everything is black or white. No shades of gray. On top of that, she inherited that curiosity Ben was talking about.”

Cade leaned close. “I wonder what else she inherited.”

Tory’s sharp look sliced through him. She pinched her lips together and stalked toward the kitchen.

Before he could follow her, a knock sounded at the door behind him. When he checked out the peephole, the look on Paul’s face didn’t bode well. Instead of asking the police chief to come inside, Cade stepped out onto the porch. He thought Michelle needed to know what was going on, but not the brutal facts. “Before you say anything, let’s go for a walk away from the house.”

Thirty yards away, Paul stopped and faced Cade. “We found a dead body on your ranch near the crash.”

FOUR (#ulink_efed0929-f103-5533-8e7d-eff611aeaad2)