Karen Whiddon - The Texan's Return

Then another young girl had been murdered. Mac wondered if he’d ever sleep again. In all his life, Gus had only asked two things of him. One, that they come back to Legacy and, two, to find out who’d really killed Brenda Green and by doing so, clear his name. Not only his, but the reputation of their entire family.

Now that another killing had occurred with obvious ties to the first one a decade earlier, Mac imagined the police were in an uproar. They needed to find the killer before anyone else got hurt. In fact, he’d only just had the thought when a police cruiser pulled up in front of the house and stopped. Mac felt his entire body tense.

One day. One day since the murder. He actually was surprised it had taken them this long. Since he’d been expecting this once he’d learned the news, he simply waited on the front porch. Two uniformed cops exited the car and came up the walk toward him.

“Afternoon,” the officer who’d been driving, wearing a dark blue uniform and mirrored sunglasses, greeted him. “Are you Mr. Mac Morrison?”

“I am.” Mac kept his tone cordial. “What can I do for you?”

“We’d like a word with your father, Gus. We understand he received early parole. Is he home?”

“He is. I believe he’s asleep. He’s basically confined to a hospital bed, you know.” Imparting this information as casually as if chatting about the weather, Mac forced a smile. “Come on in. We’ll wake him if we have to.”

Both officers’ boots clomped heavily on the creaky wooden porch as they followed him inside.

In the living room, Mac stepped aside so they could see. The room smelled of medicine and disease. His father slept, a shrunken version of his former hearty self, with his mouth open, and slight gurgling sounds escaped him.

The two policemen exchanged glances. “This is Gus Morrison?”

“Yes. His illness is the reason he was released from prison early.” A rare exception had been made. Timed with the fact that he’d be up for parole, and someone in the prison hierarchy had given Gus his first—and only—break in ten long years.

Officer Number One nodded. “Mr. Morrison?” he said, looking at Gus. “Sir, we’d like to ask you a few questions.”

When Gus continued sleeping, the second officer stepped forward. Loudly clearing his throat, he leaned in. “Sir?”

Startled, Gus jumped and opened his eyes. “Who, what?” When he caught sight of the uniformed policemen, distrust flashed across his face. Mac couldn’t actually blame him. He hadn’t been treated fairly since the day he’d been arrested and charged with a murder he didn’t commit.

Still, a second later Gus regained his composure. “How can I help you fellas?” he asked, his tone cordial.

“We’d like to ask you a few questions. Starting with, can you tell us your whereabouts the night before last?”

Shaking his head, Gus exchanged a glance with Mac before giving the officer a wry smile. “Here. I was right here in this bed. It may have somehow escaped your notice, but I’m terminally ill.”

The two cops looked to Mac for confirmation. “He’s not very mobile at all,” Mac said.

“No disrespect intended, sir, but do you have proof of that?”

Mac crossed to the side table and picked up the thick manila folder containing all of Gus’s medical diagnosis records. Another folder, marked in red, came from the hospice provider. Silently, he passed these over to the first policeman and waited while the other man skimmed the paperwork.

When that man had finished, instead of giving them to his partner, he handed them back to Mac. “My mother died of pancreatic cancer,” he said, his mouth turning down at the corners. “I’m sorry. We didn’t know.”

This despite the fact that any good investigator would have checked the prison records. Everything, from what time Gus got up in the morning, to when he used the bathroom, was detailed there.

“I understand,” Mac lied. “There’s a lot to deal with. May I ask, since you have a new murder to investigate, if anyone is considering reopening the old Brenda Green case?”

At the question, Gus’s tired eyes brightened. Again he tried to sit up as he waited to hear the answer.

“I...um... I’m not sure,” the officer stammered.

“Who’s in charge of this investigation?” Mac pressed. “I want to give him a call and set up a meeting.”

From the perplexed expression on the two men’s faces, clearly they hadn’t been expecting this. “We’re not sure, actually,” the first guy said. “I think the FBI might be helping us out with this one.”

“Good, but someone in your office is running point. I need to know who.”

“Detective Logan,” Officer Number Two finally answered. “And he reports to Lieutenant Gage. Either one of them would be able to help you, though it’d be easier to get an appointment with Logan.”

“Thank you.” Mac looked from one to the other. “Do either of you happen to have a card?”

“No,” Officer Number One muttered. “We don’t. Sorry.”

Mac decided to let it go. “All right then. Is there anything else we can do for you?”

A quick glance at his father showed the elder Morrison struggled to stay awake.

After the two policemen had left, Mac headed off to take a shower. He’d give Detective Logan a call first thing in the morning and check on the possibility of reopening his father’s old case.

The next morning, after showering and preparing breakfast, Mac watched the clock, wondering when would be the best time to call. He and Gus had settled into a comfortable routine.

At nine sharp, Mac made the call while Gus listened. When he asked for Detective Logan, he got voice mail. After leaving his name and number, he pocketed his phone. “Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll keep after them. If I have to go down there, I will.”

The rest of the day, Mac kept himself busy. The old house needed constant repairs, springing a leak here or there, and it seemed he’d no sooner fixed one thing when another needed his attention. Since the work required his hands rather than his mind, he couldn’t help but think of Hailey. He’d let her get away once. Not this time. Somehow, someway, he had to persuade her to give him a second chance. To give them a second chance.

He just didn’t know how. After a lunch break during which he also fixed his father some soup, since the elusive Detective Logan still hadn’t called, Mac phoned again. Once more he got voice mail. He resigned himself to having to make a trip to the police station in the morning. For now, he needed to complete his rewiring of the doorbell. Once he’d finished that, he made a glass of iced tea and planned to sit on the front porch and drink it. He carried it there and grasped the handle to go outside.

The little kid standing on his front porch stepped back in surprise when Mac opened the front door. Towheaded, with freckles and bright blue eyes, he couldn’t have been much older than ten or eleven. A battered blue bicycle leaned against the porch railing.

“Can I help you?” Mac asked, keeping his tone kind.

Nodding, the boy swallowed hard, before meeting Mac’s gaze. “I’m Eli,” he said, holding out his hand. “Eli Green.”

Stunned, Mac shook Eli’s hand. “Hailey’s brother? You were barely walking when I saw you last.”

With more dignity than his age warranted, Eli nodded. “So you are the right guy.”

“The right guy? For what?”

The little guy lifted his chin. “My sister Hailey’s old boyfriend from high school.”

For whatever reason, Eli’s choice of words made Mac smile. “I’m not all that old,” he teased. “But, yes, I was Hailey’s boyfriend back in school.”

Eli nodded solemnly. He eyed Mac, looking him over as if inspecting him. “I need to know what’s wrong with you.”