Margaret Daley - Texas Ranger Showdown

He put his hand on the door handle and glanced at her. “And I’m sure you’re going to let a good friend like me drive it soon.”

She laughed. “Not until I see how good a driver you are now. When we were growing up, speed was all you thought about when you got behind the wheel.”

“I’m older and wiser now. Plus, I’ve taken a driving course to teach me the finer points of a high-speed chase.”

“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?”

Ian smiled as he opened the driver’s-side door.

Caitlyn started to slip into her seat but halted halfway, her stare fixed on something in the car.

Ian looked in the same direction.

On the white leather driver’s seat lay a photo of Jane in the ditch, dead. Written across the top were the words Stop me!

TWO

Caitlyn couldn’t take her eyes off the same words she’d heard from the caller.

Stop me!

All the feelings of the morning began to overwhelm her, leaving her shivering despite the sunlight beating down on her shoulders.

A hand touched her arm. She gasped and jerked away, nearly falling on top of the picture of Jane.

Ian gripped her upper arm and kept her upright. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I wanted you to step away from your car. Besides the photograph, there may be other pieces of evidence left behind.”

She scanned the interior of her Thunderbird. “What?”

“Fingerprints. Maybe something else. This is clearly connected to Jane’s murder.”

Jane’s killer had not only called her show but had approached her car and placed the picture on her seat in the past forty-five minutes. Brazen. Another chill shimmied down her body. She would never again leave the top of the car down while not sitting in it. Longhorn had its crime, but generally it was a peaceful town.

“I have a client coming to my office in—” she checked her watch “—fifteen minutes. I try to always be on time, especially with this patient.”

“I’ll call the chief and have an officer stand guard while I take you to work. Do you know if any of the neighbors have security cameras that might show your car or the street?”

She shook her head. “However, there are a few older couples who are at home during the day. Someone might have seen the person.”

“I hope so.” Ian retrieved his cell phone from his pocket and walked a few steps away while talking to the police chief of Longhorn’s small force.

Could she be the next victim? Why would the killer call her at the station? Did he take Jane when she left Caitlyn’s office this morning? The desperate ring to his words replayed in her mind. Did he genuinely want help to stop him from murdering again or doing something even more sinister? She clasped her hands to keep them from shaking. She wanted to help others, but she didn’t have the answer for everyone. She’d found that out the hard way, especially six months ago with a patient, not long after syndication.

“An officer will be here shortly. We need to let our grandmothers know what happened.”

“I’ll go in and talk to them while you wait.”

As she left Ian, she quickly called her practice and told the receptionist she might be a few minutes late and to let Charles Thorne know. She hated not being there on time because Charles was one of her clients who was obsessive-compulsive. He detested change in any form. It would take half his session to calm him down.

Caitlyn entered her grandma’s house. “Granny, where are you?”

“In the den.”

She hurried toward the back of the house and found both ladies sitting near the desk as Emma hung up the phone. “Ian has to take me to work.” She paused, fortifying herself with a composing breath. “Because he needs to process my car for fingerprints.”

Before Caitlyn could explain why, Granny’s eyes grew huge and she asked, “Whatever for?”

“Someone left a photo on my front seat.”

Her grandmother pushed to her feet using the desk and chair to steady herself. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“It’s a photo of Jane’s body.”

Emma splayed her hand over her chest. “Oh, my! Why?”

This part she wished she didn’t have to tell the ladies, but it would come out eventually and Granny would be mad at her for not sharing it with her right away. “The words Stop me! were on the picture.”

Her grandmother collapsed onto the chair, her hand going to her mouth. Stunned into silence, she simply stared at Caitlyn.

“What’s my grandson doing about it?”

Caitlyn shifted her gaze to Emma. “Everything he can.”

“Tell him not to worry about taking us to church. We’ll continue to organize help for the Shephards from here.”

“Thanks, Emma. I’ll let him know.” Caitlyn turned to her grandmother, who still hadn’t said a word. “Granny, I’ll call you later from the office. Don’t worry. Ian is on the case.” She heard the front door open and the soft sound of footsteps coming down the hall.

Emma took her friend’s hand. “And, Sally, he’s the best. He’ll find the killer.”

Finally, Granny straightened her slumped shoulders and stared right at Caitlyn. “Make him stay with you. Protect you.”

Ian stopped behind Caitlyn. “Sally, I’ll do just that. Caitlyn and I have been friends for a long time. I won’t let anything happen to her.”

“You’d better not, young man.”

Caitlyn could see her grandmother was recovering from the news and was working herself up. “We’ve got to go.” She spun around, grabbed Ian’s hand and rushed toward the exit before Granny came after her. She didn’t stop until she was sitting in Ian’s SUV, while he rounded the hood and hopped into the driver’s seat.

“I take it she wasn’t too happy with the turn of events.” He started the vehicle and pulled out of his grandmother’s driveway.

“It’s not often Granny is speechless.”

Ian whistled. “You should consider staying with your grandmother until the killer is caught.”

“I can’t do that. It could put her in danger.”

“He called you after he killed Jane. Did it sound like he was bragging about murdering her?”

“No, not at all.”

“I don’t think he’s targeting you. I think he wants help. By putting the photo in your car, he’s again telling you to stop him.”

“Like he’s desperate? Or he’s taunting me?” She’d fought to put her life back together years ago and had—or so she’d thought. Now a killer wanted her to stop him. How?

“Both are possible.” Ian pulled into the parking lot next to the clinic where she worked. “I’ll walk you in.”

“You don’t have.”

“Yes, I do. Your grandmother will ask when I return and check your car.”

She exited the SUV at the same time he did and met him at the front of his vehicle to head into the building. “When do you think you’ll be finished with my car?”

“An hour or so. I don’t want to miss anything. When is your last client today?”

“Five.”

“I’ll come back and pick you up then.” He opened the main door for her. “Let me have your car keys.”

She stopped just inside the one-story building and cocked an eyebrow. “Why?”

“For me to take a spin around town.” He chuckled. “Although I would like to do that, it’s really for putting your top up when I’m through processing the car.”

She plopped the keys into Ian’s hand and turned to go to her office. When he followed, she slanted a look at him. “This place is filled with people. I’ll be fine.” She nodded at Rob Owens, a male nurse at the clinic, and at Claire Sanders, the office manager, who was coming out of the break room and passed them in the hallway. “See?”

“I’m sure you will be. I want to know where your office is because I’ll come here later.”