Almost Forever (12 page)

Lori heaved a sigh of relief. “I thought you left because…” She couldn't bring herself to actually finish the sentence, but he must have known what she was thinking.

“Because of last night?” he asked her gently. “We were both caught up in the moment, and we agree it can't happen again…at least as long as Mackenzie is home.”

His tone was light, but there was promise in his eyes.

Lori smiled. Then she remembered her appointment. “Ranger Reed called, and he's coming by this afternoon at six. Is he going to help us?”

Justin shook his head. “He's new and strictly by the book. Just answer his questions honestly but briefly. Don't volunteer anything. If you think of something relevant, tell me later.”

“Is this how you usually handle things like this?”

“No, I've always been a company man.” His gaze caressed her face with such warmth that she could almost feel his touch. “Until I met you. I know from experience that with so little evidence, everything will point at you, and I just don't think you're guilty.”

“So you're doing all this, jeopardizing your job and violating your ethics, just to protect me?” Lori was incredulous that he would risk so much for her.

His hand lifted but stopped before it actually reached her face. “My grandmother told me it was time to go with my heart. And I think she's right.”

Lori had never wanted to kiss a man more than she did at that moment, but they were out in the open where anyone could see. She just had to hope that what she felt happening between them was real. She couldn't risk her own heart again, and now she had Mackenzie's to think about too.

“Mommy, I'm ready,” Kenzie called from the front porch. “Oh, hi, Ranger Archer. Mommy told me not to ask about the ponies, but if you tell me more about them, then I wouldn't be asking, right?”

Justin chuckled and waved at Mackenzie. “Did I mention that one of them is snowy white and the other one is as black as midnight?”

Mackenzie squealed with delight at this new tidbit of information.

Justin turned back to Lori. “Do you mind if I park this in the stable? I wouldn't want anything to happen to it, and I'd rather no one know I'm here. I think it's best if everyone thinks I'm lying on a beach somewhere.”

“Got it.” Lori nodded. “Just move the ATVs to the far end, and I think there will be plenty of room.”

“Thanks.” Justin continued to pierce her with his blue gaze. “I'm not going to give up until this case is solved and you're vindicated.”

“I'm very glad you're here,” she admitted.

A half hour later, they had just finished building the perfect pizza and putting it in the oven when a silver Toyota stopped in front of the house.

“Looks like your date has arrived,” Justin said. “Kenzie and I will stay out of sight.”

Lori wiped her sweaty palms on her capris. “I don't know why I'm so nervous.”

“You'll do fine. I just hope he doesn't fall under your spell like I did,” he whispered for her ears only.

“One Ranger is definitely enough.” She took a deep, steadying breath. “I'll keep him on the front porch.”

Justin nodded and motioned for Kenzie to move out of sight of the front door.

Seconds later, the doorbell rang, and Lori opened the door.

Tyler thrust a card at her and smiled. “Good afternoon, ma'am. I'm Ranger Tyler Reed. And I take it you're Lori Roberts.”

“Yes, I am.” She took the card. “My daughter's inside watching cartoons. I'd rather she not hear this, so can we sit outside?”

“Of course.” He stepped back and followed her to a grouping at the end of the porch that had four wicker chairs with plump, flowery cushions arranged around a matching table. As soon as they sat down, Tyler pulled a small tape recorder out of his briefcase and placed it on the table between them. “Do you mind if I record this? It might save you from having to go downtown for an interview.”

“No problem,” she answered. She watched as he pulled out a pad of paper and flipped through several pages of Justin's notes until he reached a clean page. He took out a pen, then punched the record button on the tape recorder.

He stated his name, his badge number, the date, and the time before instructing Lori to say her name.

She leaned toward the machine and said, “Lori Anne Roberts.”

Tyler started the interview by saying, “These first few questions are just a formality. Another investigator is in the process of obtaining copies of the actual documents.” He continued by asking all of the standard questions about address, age, when and where she and Mark had met, how long they had been married. Lori answered them truthfully and without hesitation. He branched off into questions about Mark's infidelity and the winery. She didn't have all the names and dates, but she told him what she knew.

The interview had been going along for almost fifteen minutes, and Lori had just started to relax, when Tyler lifted his face and stared at her. “So tell me, Mrs. Roberts, who is Johnny Grand?”

“Johnny Grand?” she repeated.

“The man you paid to kill your husband.”

“I have no idea what you're talking about.”

Tyler took a copy of a cashier's check made out to Johnny Grand and handed it to her. “How do you explain giving him ten thousand dollars only a month after Mark disappeared?”

“Johnny did some tractor work for me. He cleared the brush out of the pasture, then dug the holes for the olive trees.”

“Why did you pay him with a cashier's check and not a check from the winery account?”

“Because I didn't have that kind of cash in the account. I had to take it out of our savings, and it was easier to get it in a cashier's check than to deposit it and write out a check.”

“Only a month after your husband's disappearance? Isn't that awfully quick for such a big move?”

“I thought Mark was gone, and I found a good deal on some healthy trees. I didn't see any reason to wait.”

“And why did you instruct Mr. Grand to push all the brush to the spot he did?”

“I didn't. He was supposed to haul it off to the dump.”

“Isn't it a little convenient that he piled everything on top of the grave where he buried your late husband?”

Lori was beginning to get angry. He wasn't listening and didn't want to hear the truth. “I said, I wasn't aware that Mark was buried back there, and I didn't tell Johnny to pile the brush anywhere. He told me he would carry it away. I would never put my trash on someone else's property.”

“Unless it was covering a man's grave that you didn't want discovered.”

“That's not what happened. It's a coincidence.”

Tyler's gaze grew cold. “One of the first things we learn in the academy is that there is no such thing as coincidence.” He stood and pulled out a pair of handcuffs from a pouch on his belt. “Lori Anne Roberts, you're under arrest for the murder of your husband. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be held against you….”

Listening on the other side of the wooden door, Justin had to force himself not to rip the door off its hinges, reach through the screen, and strangle Tyler. But then both he and Lori would be in jail, and that wouldn't help either one of them. There was the clink of handcuffs being put on.

“My daughter is inside,” Lori cried. “I can't leave her alone.”

“Make a quick phone call to get someone to stay with her.”

“I can't go in with handcuffs on. She's only eight. I can't let her see that.”

“You should have thought of that before you had her father killed,” Tyler retorted. But the sound of a key in the cuffs confirmed that he was complying with her request. “Just don't try anything.”

“I won't,” she promised.

Footsteps approached across the porch, and the screen door squeaked as it opened. Justin put his finger against his lips as he passed Mackenzie, who was engrossed in
Frozen
. He hurried across the living room and darted into Mark's office. The staircase was off to his right, so with the door cracked Justin had a very narrow view of the front hall and the kitchen. He heard Lori call Raquel and ask her to come over to babysit, possibly overnight.

“She'll be here in just a few minutes.” Lori's voice was louder than usual, no doubt so Justin could hear.

The timer went off in the kitchen, and everyone froze.

Mackenzie jumped to her feet. “The pizza's ready.”

Lori glanced at Tyler and shrugged. “The pizza's ready,” she repeated. “Can I take it out of the oven before it burns? It's my daughter's dinner.”

“And Ra—” Mackenzie started to say, but Lori quickly covered her daughter's mouth. “Raquel is coming to eat dinner with you. Isn't that going to be fun?”

“But what about—” the little girl managed to say before Lori gave Mackenzie a gentle but firm shove toward the bathroom. “Go wash up.”

“I already did.”

“You were sitting on the floor. There are all kinds of germs down there. Why don't you run upstairs and change your shirt while you're at it. You've got grape stains all over it.”

Grumbling under her breath, Mackenzie disappeared up the stairs. Lori took the pizza out of the oven and set it on hot pads on the counter.

“Do you mind if I use the restroom?” Lori asked, fidgeting as if she could hardly hold it.

“Go. But I'll be right here. I can see both doors, so don't try to escape.”

She gave him an exasperated look. “I promise. I'll be right back.” She walked around the corner so she was out of sight of the kitchen. The bathroom was directly across from the door to Mark's office. She turned on the light and stepped inside, but didn't shut the door all the way. “Justin?” she whispered.

“Yes,” he answered in an equally hushed voice. He opened the office door a little wider so she could see him. “Don't worry. I have a friend who's a bail bondsman. I'll have you out as soon as the judge allows. Be brave. I'll take care of it,” he promised.

She nodded.

Tyler walked closer, and Justin eased the door shut. He could hear Lori flush the toilet, then run some water as if she were washing her hands.

There was a knock at the door, and Raquel's voice called out, “I'm here, Lori.”

“Come on in,” Lori answered as she returned to the kitchen. “I've got to run into town with this officer, and I might not be back until tomorrow. Can you stay with Kenzie?”

Justin eased the door open enough so he could see them in the kitchen.

“Of course,” Raquel answered.

“We made a pizza for dinner. Help yourself.”

“Okay, it's time to go,” Tyler announced brusquely as he wrapped his fingers around Lori's forearm.

Justin watched helplessly as Tyler led Lori out of the kitchen toward the front of the house. As soon as he heard the screen door slam shut, he left his hiding place.

Raquel was startled when he walked into the kitchen. She recognized him from his earlier visits to the restaurant, but clearly she hadn't expected him to be here. “Lori isn't here,” she said hesitantly. “You just missed her.”

“I know, but I'm going to pick her up…after her interview.” He tore off a paper towel and grabbed a piece of pizza. “Lock up after I leave.”

Raquel looked confused, but Justin didn't know how much Lori had told her, so he didn't stop to explain. Instead, he went out the back door and retrieved the Mustang from the stable.

Justin's first call was to Lori's attorney, who promised to go straight to the courthouse. His second call was to his friend Nate, who owned one of the largest bail-bond companies in the state. Justin had tracked down several bail jumpers during the course of other investigations and turned them in without accepting a fee, so his friend owed him a favor. Luckily, it was still early in the evening, so a judge should be available. Nate promised to use his connections to speed up the process as much as possible. He said he would give Justin a call as soon as he had some news.

Justin's third call was to Nick, who was still in his office.

“Hey, what's up?” Nick asked.

Although the brothers were close, they rarely called each other just to chat.

“I'm bailing someone out of jail, and I need you to go pick her up.”

“What the fuck did she do?”

“Remember the woman whose husband's body was just found? Well, she got arrested for his murder.”

“And you're bailing her out why?” Nick asked.

“Because she's innocent.”

“And hot.”

“That too. But she's also a really nice person.”

“Where do you want to meet?”

“How about the Jackalope? I'm waiting for a phone call from Nate, but I can't be the one to pick her up.”

“Sounds like there's more to this story, but sure, I'll help. I was just about to leave here. Let me call Jamie and tell her I'll be late getting home.”

“See you there,” Justin said and hung up.

Nick beat him to the restaurant, of course, and had commandeered his usual barstool at the end of the bar so he could keep an eye on the room and still have his back against the wall. His large German shepherd lay at Nick's feet on a leash securely tied around the brass rail at the bottom of the bar. Justin leaned down to give Harley a friendly pat before sliding onto the empty stool next to his brother.

“I'm one up on you,” Nick announced and nodded toward his almost-empty mug.

“Must be my lucky night!” A very attractive bartender leaned against the bar in front of the brothers. A tight black tank top with the bar's logo on it stretched across large breasts, but it was her sparkling dark eyes that demanded attention.

“Gina, darlin', my brother needs something to drink.” Nick turned to Justin. “Are you on duty?”

“Nope. I'm on vacation.”

“No shit! I didn't think you believed in taking time off.”

“It wasn't exactly my idea,” Justin told him.

“Ah.” Nick nodded. “Then bring us two, nothing domestic.”

Gina flashed a flirtatious smile at Justin. “Can I get you anything else?” she asked. Her raven black hair spilled halfway down her back like silk.

“Down, girl. Remember Gary?” Nick said.

“Gary who?” Gina shrugged.

“I'm sure he'd love to hear you say that,” Nick teased.

“Yeah, well, maybe I'm ready to trade up to a new model. I've always wanted to bag me an Archer.” She gave them a wink and went to the shelf to get two mugs. Less than a minute later, she returned and placed the filled mugs on coasters in front of Justin and Nick.

“Can I get your dog a virgin daiquiri?” she asked with a smirk.

“Harley's on a twelve-step program to get him off fruit,” Nick told her. “Don't tempt him, or I can't be responsible for the consequences.” To Justin he added, “He's on probation here since he attacked that bar-back a few months ago.”

Justin barely paid attention to the banter. He had put his phone on the bar and kept glancing at it to see if he had missed a call.

An hour passed. Then two.

Nick ordered hamburgers and fries for them, and Justin automatically ate the food in front of him, but his thoughts were on Lori. He knew she would have to go through the booking process, but hopefully, Nate could get her out before she was actually admitted into the jail system.

When his phone finally rang, he jumped and fumbled with it as he hurried to answer it.

“The judge set bail at one hundred thousand dollars. I already paid it, and she should be released in about twenty minutes,” Nate said.

“Hey, thanks, man. How much do I owe you for that?” Justin asked.

“You saved me about five times that, so I'd say we're even.”

They ended the call, and Justin turned to Nick. “Nate said about twenty minutes.”

“Tell me again why you can't pick her up,” Nick said.

“I'm not here. They gave the case to one of the other Rangers and told me to let it go.”

“Which you obviously can't do.”

“Neither could you,” Justin noted.

Nick didn't deny it. He stood and untied Harley's leash. “I'll bring her back here.” He called to Gina, “Take care of my bill and add a generous tip.”

“I always do,” she told him with a grin.

Another hour passed with Justin constantly checking his phone. Gina had long ago given up on trying to make conversation and had moved on to more attentive customers. When his phone vibrated and he saw a text from Nick that they were outside, Justin bolted from the bar.

Nick and Lori were waiting at the Mustang. Without saying anything, Lori moved into Justin's arms and let herself be hugged tightly against him. Over her shoulder Justin mouthed “Thank you” to Nick, who smiled and gave them a thumbs-up. He got into his new black pickup truck and drove off.

Justin let her soak up his energy for almost a minute before he said, “Let's go home.”