Margaret Daley - Lone Star Christmas Witness

She set her mug on the countertop and began emptying one of the sacks. “Kat always went overboard even before Ben was born. I hope that it’ll distract him some. Maybe even get him to talk. He has all these intense emotions bottled up inside of him. He needs to let them go and deal with them. I’m afraid of what will happen if he doesn’t.”

Taylor remembered John telling him that when TJ died. It took him a year before he did. He didn’t want Ben to go through that. He’d felt as though he’d been living in limbo—going nowhere. “I went through a situation that left me devastated and changed my life drastically. Years later, it still can affect me profoundly. John helped me, especially when he suggested I get a dog. Oscar was the best thing I did. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to bring Oscar here.”

“I’m not sure Ben would have gone to sleep if Oscar hadn’t slept on his bed beside him.”

Taylor snapped his fingers. “Thanks for reminding me. I let Oscar out in the yard. I want him to be upstairs when Ben wakes up.” He walked to the back door and called Oscar. His dog bounded toward Taylor, his tail wagging when Taylor squatted down to pet him. “Guard Ben upstairs,” he told the dog.

As his black Lab raced out of the kitchen, Sierra’s forehead crinkled. “Guard?”

“Over the years, I’ve trained Oscar to follow certain commands. I’ve even used him in searches. When I say ‘guard Ben,’ my dog knows he’s to stick by him unless I tell him otherwise.”

“Thanks. When this is all over with, I’m going to get Ben a dog.”

Her smile that accompanied her words appealed to Taylor. This wasn’t easy for her. In one day, her life had changed drastically, like what happened to him when TJ died. Suddenly she’d become the legal guardian to her nephew, and from the looks of the situation, she would have to search for a new job. Maybe he’d be able to help her as John did for him because he knew firsthand how overwhelmed she would feel. There would come a time when she would realize the oppressing weight of all the changes she would have to deal with.

His dad came back into the kitchen. “I’m ready to leave now.”

“Let me grab my jacket and check on Ben one last time.” Sierra hurried from the room.

“I could have told her that Ben is still sleeping, but I figure she needs to see for herself,” Robert said.

“Thanks for doing this, Dad.”

“I’m glad you asked me. She shouldn’t go alone.”

Taylor’s cell phone sounded. “This is Dallas. He must be here a little early. I asked him not to ring the doorbell in case Ben is still asleep.” As he left the room, he nearly ran down Sierra. He steadied her. “Okay?”

“Yes and no. Yes, about the meeting. No, about Ben. I hate leaving him, but there are some things I need to do that I don’t want him involved with.”

An image of TJ popped into his mind, momentarily throwing Taylor off guard. Then he reminded himself that Ben wasn’t TJ. “I’ll take care of him.” He skirted around her and continued toward the front door.

When he let Dallas Sanders into the house, the fellow Texas Ranger put a carton of files on the floor, then glanced back at Taylor. Sierra had disappeared into the kitchen.

“Come into the living room,” Taylor said. “Ben’s still sleeping. How’s the plan for your wedding coming along?” He was thrilled that Dallas would be marrying Sheriff Rachel Young.

“I’m leaving it to Rachel and Michelle. My daughter loves helping Rachel with the plans. Michelle’s practicing with Katie about walking with her down the aisle. I won’t be surprised if my daughter has to carry Katie.”

“They’ll look adorable whether Katie walks or is carried.” His fellow Texas Ranger had gone through a lot with the kidnapping case, but out of that bad situation, he’d met a woman he’d fallen in love with and would soon add her one-year-old daughter to his family. For a few seconds, Taylor thought of the family he’d once had. He didn’t want to go through that kind of pain ever again.

He waved toward a chair in the living room, wanting to find out where the clinic’s male nurse was. “Have a seat. Has Colin Brewer been found?”

Dallas sat across from Taylor, who settled on the couch. “Not yet. He isn’t at his apartment, and no one has seen him in the past twenty-four hours. We have a BOLO out on him. His photo and the license plate number and description of his car have been given to every law enforcement agency in the state.”

“Do you think he’s the one behind the murders?”

Dallas shrugged. “Whoever was the shooter, he had a key to the clinic. In fact, he could have been inside the building when the employees started showing up for work.”

“He would have had the code to the alarm system, which makes Colin Brewer our top suspect at the moment. Sierra told me yesterday the only ones who had the alarm code were the four with the key to the building. Besides her and Brewer, the other two are dead.”

“If that’s the case, that means he waited patiently until he thought everyone was there, then moved through the clinic, killing the employees. This was planned, not a random act of violence, which is another reason to look at Brewer.” Dallas half rose and stretched to place a large manila folder on the table. “The major wants you to stay here and protect Ben while working on the files from the clinic and Brewer’s background as well as the other ex-employees. The box I set down in the entry hall is filled with financial and personnel information for the clinic. We’re going through the court to get permission to investigate the patient files. When we get the court order, I’ll let you know. You’ll be notified of any change in the case. We’re hoping Ben can help.”

“Maybe Sierra Walker, too. She ran the office and has access to the patient files. She might even know information that isn’t in the files.” Taylor didn’t like the fact that Sierra had to go see the lawyer when he didn’t know who was behind the shootings nor the reason why. Not knowing the answers to the whom and the why left Sierra very vulnerable.

An hour later, Sierra left the lawyer’s office with Robert by her side. Emotionally drained, she welcomed the warmth of the sun after sitting in an office that felt like the interior of a refrigerator.

“How did the meeting go?” Robert asked as he clicked his remote lock on his Jeep Cherokee.

“The family of Gayle Lunden is going to sue the partnership for inadequate security for the clinic. Gayle was one of the nurses.”

“From what my son told me, there were security cameras that were disabled. There’s also an alarm system. Sometimes you can have protection in place and still have something go wrong. Wasn’t the clinic opening for the patients?”

“After all the employees without a key arrive, the door is locked until a little before the clinic opens. The alarm is off, but a person would still need a key to get inside. I often worked with Gayle. She was the nicest person. Always cheerful even when she was having a bad day. This surprises me. It wouldn’t be something Gayle would do.”

Robert opened the passenger door for Sierra. “A sudden death, especially under the circumstances it took place, often will leave a family stunned, grieving and wanting someone to pay for the pain they’re feeling.”

“I know what they’re going through. I will miss my sister every day of my life. For many years—” Her throat clogged, and she swallowed several times before she was able to speak. “For many years she was a mother to me.” Sierra slid into the front seat.

Robert started to shut the door, stopped and leaned forward. “Are you okay with us picking up a Christmas tree?”