Ten-Gallon Tensions in Texas: A Kate on Vacation Mystery (The Kate on Vacation Mysteries Book 3) (6 page)

Kate and Skip headed that way.

Several people behind them suddenly sucked in their breath. Kate swiveled her head around. Both she and Skip froze.

Billy was running toward them, his cousin hot on his heels.

“Stop, Billy!”  Junior yelled. “That thang may be loaded.”

Kate’s knees wobbled.

“Look, Daddy. Look what I found.” The child held out the object in his hand.

“Billy, stop right there!” Skip yelled.

The boy slowed to a walk and looked confused. “It’s just a toy.”

“No, it’s not.” His father walked toward him. “I want you to lean down and put it gently on the ground.”

Billy hesitated.

Kate’s heart stuttered in her chest.  He was pointing the pistol right at his father.

“Billy,” Skip said, gentling his tone. “Put it down. Now, son.” He stretched out a hand. It was shaking.

Kate held her breath.

Junior bolted forward and yanked the gun from his cousin’s grasp. He dropped it on the ground, then dragged Billy back from it.

Skip blew out air. He closed the remaining distance between them in a few long strides. “Thanks, Junior.” He hunkered down in a squat and examined the gun without touching it.

Kate ran over and leaned down beside him. Even covered in mud, it was obvious the gun was real, and it looked a lot like the one that her brother-in-law had put into his pocket the previous day.

“It’s Jimmy’s, isn’t it?” she whispered.

“That’s a good bet,” Skip said in a low voice. “See if you can find José.”

~~~~~~~~

“How the hell’d your gun get in that pond?” José Gutierrez demanded for the third time. He leaned across the table in the interview room and got in Jimmy’s face.

Jimmy gave Skip a pleading look.

He scowled back at his brother-in-law without shifting from where he leaned against the wall. He was so pissed right now, he wanted to strangle the man with his bare hands.

“I’m not sure, Sheriff,” Jimmy said. “I vaguely remember walkin’ past the pond on my way home last night.”

“After the party?” José asked.

“No, no. Before that. I’d tried to get a big dog from the pound, but they didn’t have nothin’ mean enough. Said they put down the nasty uns as soon as they came in, figurin’ nobody’d want ’em. I cut across the park from there. It was about four-thirty, I think. I remember thinkin’…” His voice trailed off.

“Thinkin’ what?” José prompted.

“I was sorely tempted to go find Sam and shoot him. I took out the gun… It’s all kinda foggy.”

Skip narrowed his eyes.
’Cause you’d been drinking all afternoon!

“I think I threw it in the pond so I wouldn’t be tempted to kill Sam.”

José’s look of disgust matched Skip’s. He glanced up and jerked his head toward the door. Once he and Skip were out in the hall, he said, “I’m gonna have to hold him until I can get the lab to look at the gun on Monday. Hopefully they can dry it out enough to fire it.”

Skip went cold inside. Anger had morphed to fear. “What if they can’t?”

José shook his head. “Let’s just pray that they can and that the bullet doesn’t match. I don’t really wanna arrest Jimmy for murder, but I may have to.”

Skip’s gut twisted. They had the death penalty in Texas.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Suzanne had opted to forego the reunion dinner dance that evening. She had taken her children home.

“I’m about reunioned out myself,” Skip said, as the rest of the adults gathered around his mother’s kitchen table with glasses of sweet tea. Billy and Edie were playing in their room.

Kate tilted her head toward the door to the hall. Apparently the kids were getting along for the moment. “I’m starting to regret encouraging you to come, “ she said to her husband, then wished she hadn’t when her mother-in-law’s face fell.

“Well, I’m sure glad you’re here, son. Don’t know how we’d be copin’ with all this without you.”

Kate reached across the table to cover the woman’s hand. “I’m glad we’re here to help.”

Skip’s mother turned her hand over and gave hers a squeeze. Then she dropped it to make a shooing motion. “Y’all go ahead and go. You might just have fun. And if you don’t, you can always leave early.”

“Good point, Mama.” Skip flashed her a grin. “And you were lookin’ forward to spoilin’ your grandkids tonight, weren’t you?”

“That boy a yours could stand some spoilin’ after the fright he had this afternoon.”

“Fright he had?” Kate shuddered. “I think I lost a decade off my life today.”

Skip’s expression sobered. His jaw tightened. “I still can’t believe Jimmy was fool enough to throw that gun in the pond. It’s way too shallow and some kid was bound to find it eventually.”

“All’s well that end’s well.” His mother mustered a smile but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Go on, you two. Go get yerselves fixed up and get outta here.”

Kate resisted the urge to point out that things really hadn’t ended well, not for Jimmy at least.

The evening started off fine. The night air was pleasant–a late afternoon shower had eased the perpetual humidity. They walked the few blocks to the community center.

Kate wrapped the hand-embroidered turquoise shawl she’d bought in Mexico the year before around her shoulders. She studied her handsome husband–in his cream-colored Western suit and Stetson–out of the corner of her eye.

He stopped at the center’s door and smiled down at her. “You’re gorgeous, darlin’. That dress matches your eyes.”

It was actually two shades of blue lighter than her eyes, but she wasn’t about to quibble. She returned his smile. “Thank you, kind sir.”

The crowd parted as they entered the room. But there were plenty of friendly nods and the occasional “Howdy,” as they walked to one of the few empty tables.

“You want anything to eat?” Skip asked.

Kate eyed the crowd around the food tables. “Not yet.”

“Okay, I’ll get us some drinks. Be right back.”

Kate sat down and entertained herself with some people-watching. She recognized a few faces. There was Joellen Bradley of course, again with her blonde hair piled high, but wearing a red dress tonight. This one was snug down to her upper thighs, then flared out in a short skirt of stiff fabric. The low-cut neckline left little to the imagination.

Kate spotted José Gutierrez, in uniform, across the room. She surmised he was there in his official status. Perhaps he hoped someone would get drunk enough to let slip a confession to murder.

She found herself tapping her foot to the music the five-piece band was playing. They were dressed in jeans and Western shirts but were currently doing a reasonable cover of Aerosmith’s song
Walk This Way
. She was thinking there were other songs that would be more fitting when, as if on cue, the rhythm changed and the lead singer belted out the opening line of Brooks and Dunn’s
Boot Scootin’ Boogie
.

Skip returned with a glass of white wine for her and a beer for himself. They watched the dancers and sipped their drinks.

A couple stopped by to say hi. Skip introduced them but Kate couldn’t make out their names over the loud music. She just smiled and nodded. “Pleased to meet you,” she yelled. They smiled and nodded back and moved on.

The song ended. The buzz of conversation and laughter swelled in the relative silence. Skip picked up her hand and kissed her fingertips. The zing that ran up her arm didn’t surprise her, but it still delighted her. After all these years, they couldn’t get enough of each other.

The music started up again. “Finally,” Skip said, pushing back from the table. Her hand still in his, he pulled her up with him.

“George Strait?” Kate asked.

“Yup. My favorite one of his too.” He dragged her, semi-reluctant, onto the dance floor.

She relaxed against him when she realized it was a slow dance. She could manage this.

Skip sang in her ear as they moved across the floor. She sighed and rested her cheek against his broad chest.

As the band had been doing all evening, it stuck to the same artist for a second song–this one much, much faster. Next thing Kate knew she was being waltzed around the room at a pace far beyond her mediocre dancing skills.

But whenever she missed a step, Skip lifted her off her feet and kept moving. The meaning of the words sank in. Kate couldn’t help but smile, despite the fact that she was on the verge of breaking her neck. No doubt Skip was proud to show off his “high-tone woman” from back East. She relaxed and let his strong lead whirl her across the floor, swinging her hips to the lively tune.

As the song came to an end, Skip spun her in a circle that had her skirt flying out around her. Laughing, they fell against each other and stumbled back to their table.

They sat and caught their breath.

“And since y’all do love your George Strait so much,” the bandleader called out. “Here’s another one of his.”

The slow strains of a ballad began. Kate sighed. “I’m glad we came.”

Skip didn’t say anything. He was watching the band. Then he stood. “I’ll get us some fresh drinks.”

She watched his broad shoulders cross the room toward the bar. He abruptly turned and headed for the hallway leading to the restrooms.

Her throat closed as the lyrics of the ballad about a father and son registered.

She blinked hard. Skip had been very close to his father.

“Now you’d think Skippy’d know better than to leave his pretty filly unattended.” The voice came from behind her. She started to turn around, then caught herself. Muscles tensed, she watched out of the corner of her eye as the guy moved forward. He was one of Sam Beauford’s group. Carlton? Something like that.

The air moved as he stepped in too close. The smell of already consumed beer wafted over her.

Sheriff Gutierrez materialized on her other side. “Seriously, Carlton. You think this is a good idea?”

Beer Breath moved back. Kate slowly let out air.

“I was just chattin’ with the lady, Sheriff. Keepin’ her company while Skippy’s in the men’s room.” Carlton tried for a chuckle. It sounded like a strangled duck. “Hope he’s not in there findin’ another corpse.”

“You volunteerin’ for that role, Carlton?” Skip’s voice, hard and cold, from behind the man.

Carlton spun around and did a two-step sideways. “Just stopped by to say howdy, Skip. Hopin’ there’s no hard feelin’s over that little row between us and Jimmy last night.”

“No hard feelings. Just stay the hell away from me and my wife.”

“Sure, Skip. Evenin’, ma’am.” Carlton scuttled away.

Kate stood up. “Maybe we should call it a night.”

“Sit down.”

She tilted her head at his tone but she sat. He pulled out the chair next to her and lowered himself into it. “Can you sit a spell, José?”

The sheriff scanned the room, then nodded. “Guess so. Everybody seems to be behavin’ themselves right now.”

“You weren’t here last night, were you, José?” Kate said, mostly to get past the awkward moment. She reached for her wineglass, then remembered it was empty.

“Sorry,” Skip said out of the side of his mouth.

She gave him a slight nod. The apology was meant to cover more than the forgotten drinks.

Surveying the dance floor and bar area, she saw none of Beauford’s crew in her path so she rose. “I’m going to get us those drinks, okay?”

He looked up at her, his hair hanging in his eyes. She gently brushed it back off his forehead. He closed his eyes at her touch.

Her chest swelled with love at the same time that her throat ached. This whole trip had been a lousy idea.

“I’ll be right back,” she said in a low voice. He nodded.

She made her way to the bar and ordered a wine and a beer. As she turned, a glass in each hand, Carlton was winding his way across the dance floor. She waited a beat. He glanced her way and moved well out of her path.

She stifled a smile and returned to their table. José had left.

Sitting down next to Skip, she said, “We’re sticking around for a while to make a point, correct?”

The corner of his mouth quirked up. “Yeah.” He took a healthy swig of beer.

She downed a third of her wine in one gulp.

“Don’t drink it too fast, darlin’. I’m not sure I can carry you all the way home.”

Her stomach growled and she realized she shouldn’t be drinking a second glass of wine at all on an empty stomach.

They nursed their drinks for a few minutes. “Let’s go,” Kate said.

Skip nodded and chugged most of the rest of his beer. Leaving a quarter inch in the bottom, he placed the glass on the table. They rose.

She wrapped her shawl around her shoulders and he took her elbow. They skirted the edge of the dance floor. Suddenly Joellen Bradley was standing in front of them. “Y’all leavin’ already?”

Skip frowned at her. “It’s been a long day.”

“But I was hopin’ to get a dance with you, Skip.” Her smile was crooked, her eyes bright.

Kate suspected she’d had a bit too much to drink.

“Come on, Skippy. Dance with me.”

Skip shook his head. “Next time, Jo.” She pouted but she let them pass without further comment.

Out in the night air, Kate took a deep breath and let it out slowly. They walked in silence for a couple minutes. She glanced sideways. Skip’s jaw was tight, his shoulders stiff.

I wonder what your mother fed the kids for dinner?” she said, to make conversation.

“She said somethin’ about makin’ Billy’s favorite.”

“Meaning hot dogs and baked beans.”

“I guess.”

“Two rounds of baked beans in one day. Doesn’t she realize that means we’ll have to fumigate his room?”

Skip snorted, then grinned down at her. He took her hand. “Thanks, darlin’.”

“I’m truly sorry that I pushed the idea of coming to the reunion.”

He blew out air, then shook his head. “Mama wonders why I never came home after college.”

“Sweetheart, I doubt she wonders. She just wishes it could have been different.”

He sighed again. “Yeah, I wish that too. But then I wouldn’t have met you.”

“True. It’s probably just as well that we can’t change history.”

They strolled hand in hand down the block. Once away from the strains of music drifting from the community center, the night was quiet.