Body of Evidence (14 page)

“Just rest now. We'll be here when you wake up.”

Jennifer closed her eyes, her misery over losing Roscoe tempered with the blessing of having someone to wake up to. At long last.

I
t had been a grisly discovery. First, Anderson and Cade found a dirty denim jacket that the trespasser had left, and in the pocket of that jacket, a business card with an interesting name—Senator Frederick Huffington, President Pro Tem of the Texas Senate.

That alone was a major find, until Anderson had kicked around in the unearthed dirt and hit on something hard inside the two-foot deep hole.

And it looked like a human skull.

A team had been called in, complete with cadaver dogs, to find the evidence that had caused a man to risk his life in order to dig back here. And they'd found it, all right. A body, buried in a shallow grave underneath a few heavy rocks that had been so natural-looking, Jennifer and the construction team hadn't even moved them when they were redoing this area. But the late-night digger had moved them in a desperate search for the body.

Now, Anderson watched as the medical examiner and his team carefully exhumed the human skeleton, complete with rotting clothes.

Murder was sure a strong enough motive for the
Lions and their cohorts to try and get to that body before anyone else discovered it. And a strong motive for them to try and get to Jennifer Rodgers, to keep her from finding the body and stop her from identifying anyone.

Last night, in a final attempt to take out any possible witnesses, they'd come after her. And she'd seen the face of her attacker. She could still be in danger.

When Anderson considered what could have happened, he had to grit his teeth. And thank God that he'd been sent here in time.

Now Anderson and Cade Jarvis waited for the ME to give them a report. Since Cade was the assigned UCIT Ranger in their company, he'd take over with the unidentified body and make sure it got to the crime lab. The Rangers' Unsolved Crime Investigative Team used to be just that—a team. Now most companies were assigned one man, which meant Cade was sometimes stretched pretty thin.

And it looked like now was one of those times.

“They murdered someone and buried the body back here. That puts a whole new wrinkle on things,” Anderson said, turning as another vehicle rolled up and parked. It was their fellow Ranger, Oliver Drew.

“Looks like Ben sent in reinforcements,” Cade said with a shrug and a nod toward Drew. “He wanted someone besides you to take Jennifer's statement.”

They waited while Oliver sauntered up, took a look at the activity, then glanced back at them. “Morning, boys.”

“How'd it go with Jennifer?” Anderson asked, thinking Ben would yank him off the case if he kept showing too much interest in Jennifer Rodgers.

Oliver stared at the human bones in the open earth. “She gave me a pretty good description of her attacker. If I don't get any hits based on what she told me, you might need to bring her in to look at some mug shots or maybe a lineup.”

“Okay.” Lifting his chin toward the ME, Anderson updated Oliver. “Doc there says from what he can tell on the initial exam, male with a possible gunshot wound through the torso. What's left of the clothes indicate he was wearing a fancy sportscoat and possibly wool trousers. Doc there recognized what's left of the labels—not the kind an illegal would be wearing.”

Oliver lifted his eyebrows. “Think it's the cartel's work?”

“I'd say so,” Anderson retorted, on edge and exhausted from being up all night. “Since I caught someone digging in this spot in the middle of the night, I'd say that's a sure bet. They used every trick in the book to keep Jennifer from continuing work back here, including distracting her and me both by burning down the barn and attacking her last night. The deceased could have been involved with the Lions. I think they were concerned about being monitored by these cameras that weren't working until recently.”

Oliver put his hands on his hips, his sunglasses shadowing his eyes. “Suspect got away?”

Anderson nodded. “Hispanic from what I could tell. He screamed out and jabbered a whole slew of foul words—in Spanish.”

“At you?” Oliver asked with a twisted grin.

“No.” Anderson pointed to where he and some other men had tugged some chicken wire across the shallow
end of the pond. “At those two mean gators staring at us.”

Oliver jumped and turned around. “Man, you should have told me that before I got so close to that wire.”

Cade shook his head. “Relax, Anderson got some zoo expert out here to help since Miss Rodgers is pretty shook up about all of this. We're safe for now, aren't we, Anderson?”

“I hope so,” Anderson replied, eyeing the makeshift skirting, memories of holding Jennifer while she cried still fresh in his mind. Thank goodness his mother and some of the other volunteers had convinced her to stay away from this mess. “Just long enough to clear the crime scene.”

Cade squinted into the water. “You'd think the man might have noticed he was in danger, what with the signs everywhere.”

“It was dark and I don't think he was as worried about Boudreaux and Bobby Wayne as he was about finding this body and getting it out of here. I guess I should name Bobby Wayne an official member of our team now, even if he did scare the man away.”

Oliver snorted, then glanced back toward where the crime scene team went about their work. “Any idea on the identity?”

“No, nothing yet on the body or what remains of the clothes, but Anderson did find a jacket the intruder left, and a business card inside the pocket,” Cade replied. “Doc says he's pretty sure the deceased was male. I'm escorting the body to the lab in San Antonio.”

Anderson held up the plastic-encased business card.
“Senator Frederick Huffington. Still can't figure why the perp had the good senator's card on him.”

Cade looked over at Oliver. “Doesn't make a whole lot of sense, does it?”

Oliver glanced around, then tugged on his hat. “Nothing about this case makes any sense. A senator's card, an Irishman in a coma. I tell you, boys, some days are just more interesting than others.” After staring down at the gruesome scene, he finally said, “Gotta go.”

Anderson waved him away. “Thanks for helping out.”

After Oliver drove away, Anderson and Cade turned their attention back to the task at hand. “I need to check on Jennifer,” Anderson said, glancing at his watch. “Hopefully, between her regular volunteers and my formidable mama, she listened and let someone else do all the work around here for a change.”

 

She needed to be out there, tending to her animals.

Instead, Jennifer was stuck in the house with well-meaning people hovering around. She'd tried to sleep but that hadn't worked. She kept seeing a dark-haired man coming toward her in the muted darkness. She kept seeing Roscoe leaping up to protect her.

And she couldn't get past the image of her sweet old dog lying silent and still in her arms or the way Anderson had taken over, making things better, holding her, letting her cry her heart out while he wrapped her in his solid warmth. He even called the vet to come take Roscoe for the night. They'd bury him tomorrow.

Now, Anderson and all kind of law enforcement peo
ple were swarming around her property because they'd found a body buried by the new alligator pond.

Jennifer shuddered, thinking of all the times she'd walked near those jagged rocks, of the times she'd sat on those very same rocks, watching the crew work. She'd gone back there by herself time and time again. Thinking about it now made her queasy.

Who had died back there? What kind of torment had they suffered at the hands of these dangerous, evil people?

Feeling antsy, Jennifer got up to stare out the window. Jacob stood speaking to a group of volunteers. Ramona Michaels was busy washing out the old alligator pen in preparation for moving the sea turtles to that area.

Life went on, even though Jennifer was caught in a spiderweb of pain and grief. Without thinking of it, she reached for the phone. Her mother had loved Roscoe as much as she did. Did she dare call Suzanne and tell her about Roscoe?

Jennifer closed her eyes and sent up a prayer for guidance. Anderson had changed her, his presence and his deep faith had shown Jennifer that maybe she'd held on to her grief and bitterness for too long. And life was too short to hold grudges or turn her back on her mother. So she opened her eyes and dialed Suzanne's number, her heart shifting and pumping with anticipation and fear.

Would her mother even answer her calls?

“Hello?”

Jennifer gulped, swallowed. “Mom?”

“Jenny? Is that you?”

“It's me. How are you?”

“I'm okay. How about you?”

Jennifer pushed at the lump forming in her throat, fought against the hot tears. “I'm…not so good, Mom. Roscoe died this morning. And…vandals have been harassing me. I don't know anymore. I don't think I can do this. I want to hold on to this place but things aren't looking so great right now.”

She heard her mother inhale, then go silent. “I'll be there as soon as I can book a flight home, honey.”

Jennifer hung up, tears falling freely down her face now. It had taken everything in her to make that phone call, but it had paid off. Her mother was coming home.

She turned, wiping at her eyes, and found Anderson standing in the door from the office. Without a word, she rushed into his arms. He pulled her close, kissing the top of her hair.

“How you doing?”

She drew back, wiping at her eyes. “Better. I…I called my mother. She's coming home.”

He shot her a surprised, bittersweet smile. “That's good. You'll need her now.”

She looked up and saw the hope in his eyes. “I do need her. And I've been so stubborn, I didn't see that. I didn't know how to ask, Anderson. But when you called your mother to come here and help me—”

“It made you want your own mother, right?”

She bobbed her head. “I thought I didn't need anyone, not even God. But I was so wrong.”

Anderson leaned down to give her a quick kiss. “You're gonna be fine. You have a lot of support now.”

She wanted to ask if that included him, but she didn't
have to. She could see that in his expression, in the way his cat-like golden eyes washed her in a shimmering warmth.

“I'm blessed.” She put her head on his shoulder, savoring the scent of his old suede jacket mixed with evergreen and outdoors. “I'll just miss Roscoe so much.”

“I know, darlin'. It's hard to let go of a faithful companion.” He lifted her, a finger on her chin. “But, you have a new faithful companion now. You have me, Jennifer. For as long as you want me around.”

Jennifer didn't know how to respond to that declaration. She wanted him around for a very long time, but her heart was still fragile and bruised. “Thank you,” she said. “Thank you, Anderson, for everything.”

He drew back, confusion clouding his eyes. “We'll talk later. I've got to get back to it.”

Knowing she hadn't been completely honest with him, Jennifer followed him to the back door. “Is the…body gone now?”

“Yes. On its way to Austin. Cade's taking over since he's our unsolved crime expert. It's gonna be hard to ID the body since we didn't find any means of identification on the corpse. But if anyone can figure it out, Cade will.” He studied her face for a long time. “I know you want to get back to work, but you need to rest—just for today. And…tomorrow, I have to go into Austin to talk to someone regarding this case. If you feel like riding along, we could have lunch in the city.”

Jennifer shook her head. “I have a lot of work—”

“Call in that zoo expert who helps you out now and then. Call in your volunteers and Doc Jenkins. You need
to get away from here for a while, Jennifer. It's still not safe for you.”

“You mean because I saw that man's face?”

“Yes. I want to keep you close. He could come back.”

The thought of that riled her out of her grief. “My mom's coming in but I'm not sure when she'll arrive. I won't be alone.”

“I'd still feel better if you were with me in the city.”

She didn't miss the authority in his words. “I thought this was over.”

“We're getting there. And you can help while we're at it. Would you mind looking at some rap sheets to see if you can identify your attacker?”

The last thing she wanted to do. “If it means an end to this, I'll be glad to.”

He gave her one last look. “This will be over soon. Then you can get back to doing what you love.”

Jennifer wanted to shout out the truth, that she'd fallen for him and she'd never be the same again. She'd come a long way. Anderson had brought her back to her faith and her mother was coming home. It was a start. The last step would be in giving her heart over to Anderson without any doubts or qualms.

And she couldn't do that until this shadow of danger was no longer hanging over her head. Because not until then would she find out if Anderson was only here because of his job and the rush of catching bad guys. Or if he was willing to stick around for her, as he'd promised, after the danger was over.

A
nderson sat around the big conference table with his fellow Rangers, listening while Captain Ben Fritz updated them on the latest findings of the case. Senior Captain Doug Parker stood by, tugging at his handlebar mustache.

“Thanks to Anderson's diligence in trying to see what the cartel and the Lions were doing on the property owned by Jennifer Rodgers of Rodgers Exotic Animal Rescue Farm, we have some new developments in this case.” Ben nodded toward Anderson. “Good work, Ranger Michaels.”

Anderson lifted a finger in response.

Ben went over the particulars, giving timelines as he went. “After putting out an urgent call about a developing case, our captain Gregory Pike was murdered in his home in September. An unconscious man was also found at the scene and still remains in a coma at the hospital in San Antonio. After attempts to identify him failed, photos of this man were circulated and a witness identified him as being Irish. More on that later.

“Eddie Jimenez, lower-level member of an organization called the Lions of Texas, remains in custody after
the attempted murder of Corinna Pike.” He glanced down briefly, then continued. “Jimenez refuses to give up the goods on the cartel or the Lions, but he did confess about a drop site located in the woods behind Rodgers Exotic Animal Rescue Farm. Ranger Anderson Michaels went undercover on the farm where so far, we've had a break-in in the tack room but no solid evidence to connect to the Lions or the cartel, a shed was vandalized and electrical equipment destroyed, attacks on Miss Rodgers just outside the barn and later inside her home, and a fire deliberately set in the barn as a diversion because of heavy activity where Miss Rodgers built a new alligator pond on property she purchased after her father died. Possible motive—they think her security cameras captured their activities back there.

“The seller of the property is clean but Miss Rodgers is also dealing with a disgruntled neighbor, one Ralph Chason, who doesn't want the alligators on that particular spot. However, he has an alibi for the times of the break-in, attacks and the fire but he has admitted to spending time on that piece of property. Meanwhile, we circulated a photo of the man in a coma and Chason returned from a business trip, saw the photo and called it in, saying he's seen the man. Based on the information given by Chason we know that the man is Irish. We're continuing to search for his identity, but he's still in a coma.”

Ben looked at Anderson. “In the meantime, Jennifer Rodgers was attacked in her home by an intruder who told her she has to die. Miss Rodgers gave a description of the intruder and is willing to look over mug shots and rap sheets in order to identify him. That brings us to the
latest findings—the skeletal remains found at the farm. Ranger Cade Jarvis is in charge of possibly bringing in forensic artist Paige Bryant to help with identifying the deceased.”

Anderson held up the business card he'd found in the discarded jacket. “Suspect left his jacket, which will be checked for DNA and fiber evidence. Senator Frederick Huffington's business card was inside the right front pocket. I've been assigned to interview the senator to see if he can shed some light on this. However, he's out of town for a couple of days. Unavailable.” Conveniently unavailable the way Anderson saw it.

Anderson glanced around at the people present— Senior Captain Parker, Captain Fritz, Cade Jarvis, Oliver Drew, Daniel Boone Riley, the lone woman in the group—Gisella Hernandez and Levi McDonnell, along with Trevor Donovan, Marvel Jones and Evan Chen. “Any suggestions on that card?”

“Why would a senator give his card to a possible illegal?” Gisella asked, her dark eyes widening.

“Maybe he's working an angle, hoping to get votes in the future,” Levi called out.

“He just happened to be at a rally and the suspect got his card off a table?” Oliver suggested.

“Anderson will have to look into that when the good senator returns,” Ben said. “The other part of this puzzle is the Irishman. Why and how did an Irishman end up camping out on the rescue farm land? Are the Lions using him for his connections and his expertise in criminal activities or did he just happen upon that land? We do have an eyewitness—Ralph Chason said he definitely
saw the Irishman back there, arguing with someone on a cell phone.”

“Obviously, the Irishman was there to meet up with the cartel and the Lions,” Daniel Riley replied. “He might know about the body, too. And that might explain why he's in a coma now.”

The talk went on with everyone speculating as they went over the evidence and the facts again.

Finally, Ben held up a hand. “Hopefully, after Cade consults Paige Bryant, we can identify the body—not much else we can do on that for now. The dental records did not produce a match. And since we don't have a name for the Irishman, until he wakes up, we're at a standstill there. Right now, I want Anderson to focus on the senator. Levi, you go with him. We'll meet again in a few days for any updates.”

Levi nodded toward Anderson. “Got it.”

Anderson lifted a hand. “And about the threat we got regarding the Alamo celebration, Daniel and I will work together to assure the committee we will investigate any and all threats.”

Senior Captain Parker looked at Anderson. “FYI, Sam Myers is a member of the Alamo Planning Commit tee.”

“Sam Myers?” Anderson went on high alert. “He's Jennifer Rodgers's grandfather.”

Ben let out a grunt. “We put that together after you mentioned him being related to her. Wonder if the Lions have made the connection?”

“They're estranged and don't associate,” Anderson said. “But this adds a new twist to our case.”

“My daddy was good friends with Sam Myers and
several other members of that committee,” Daniel Riley said.

Senior Captain Parker nodded. “When you two meet with the committee, maybe bring up the fact that his granddaughter is involved in this current situation. Might be able to pull some strings and get us some extra help.”

Or, Anderson thought with renewed hope, this might help bring Jennifer and her grandparents together again and at least allow some good out of everything Jennifer had been through. It was worth a shot to mention this to Mr. Myers for that reason alone.

 

Jennifer rushed to the door to find her mother standing there. “Mom.”

Her mother looked the same. Her golden brown hair styled in a shag, a scarf slung around her neck, slim jeans and dangling earrings and matching bracelet.

Suzanne took her daughter in her arms and hugged her tight. “I'm so sorry about Roscoe, baby.”

Jennifer stood back, her smile belying her aching heart. “He was so old and he'd gone down over the last year or so. Doc Jenkins tried to help him but honestly, there wasn't much we could do. He made one last effort to protect me…and then, it was over.”

Suzanne glanced around, her spiked hair falling around her cheekbones. “What do you mean, protect you? When you mentioned vandals, I didn't realize some one had tried to actually hurt
you.
”

Jennifer didn't know where to begin. Since news of the body found on her property had been all over the television and papers, she supposed she could talk to
her mother about things. She'd certainly had to calm down some of her patrons and supporters all day long. “Come on in and get settled,” she said. “I'll explain every thing.”

An hour later, Suzanne stood out on the back porch, her shawl pulled around her shoulders as she stared out at the compound. “You've done a good job here, Jen. I should have stayed after your father died and helped but…this place brings back so many memories. Too many memories. I never stopped to consider you have to live with that every day, too.”

Jennifer was glad to have her mother back but she was stronger now. She'd explain exactly how bad things had been at times. And she'd also had to explain the sheriff's deputy hovering around the property while Anderson was away.

But right now, she wanted to savor this moment of quiet beauty. Dusk was settling in a rich burnished sheen over the hills and woods. Anderson had been at a meeting in San Antonio headquarters all afternoon, and most of the volunteers and helpers were gone for the day. Even Anderson's mother had called it a day, telling Jennifer she'd be back in a couple of days to check on her.

“It's okay, Mom. It's been hard, but it's getting better. Once we have clearance and the gator pond is no longer a crime scene, I'll get it back in shape and start all over again.”

“But, honey, the barn needs rebuilding, too. How can you cope with all of this? And why didn't you call me sooner? Break-ins, fires, a dead body. It's so scary. You should have called.”

Jennifer wondered that herself. How could she answer? When they heard a truck rumbling up the driveway, she breathed a long sigh of relief.

“Is that your Ranger?” Suzanne asked with renewed interest as she craned her neck to see who was getting out of the truck.

Jennifer took a deep breath. “Yes, that's Anderson.” Her mother had guessed about how close they'd become. No sense in trying to hide it. The relief that washed over Jennifer at seeing him emerge from the truck had to be evident all over her face.

“Hi,” he said, glancing from Jennifer to her mother. Reaching out a hand, he took off his hat and said, “I'm Anderson Michaels.”

“Suzanne Rodgers,” her mom replied. “I've heard quite a lot about you, Mr. Michaels.”

“It's Anderson, ma'am,” he replied. Then he winked at Jennifer. “I'm sure it's all good, right?”

“Seems to be,” Suzanne said, giving him an appraising look. “So far, at least.”

Jennifer mustered a smile. “Your mother left a casserole—King Ranch chicken, I think. Actually, she made two—one with meat and one without.”

“One of her best dishes and from a very famous recipe,” Anderson replied. “I'm starved, too. But I want the one with chicken. No vegetarian-style for me.”

The teasing look he gave Jennifer made her weak inside. But she tried to maintain her distance since her mother was watching them like a hawk. “I'll heat things up and we can talk over dinner. I want to know what happens next, Anderson.”

“Yeah, me, too,” he retorted. But she was pretty sure he wasn't talking about the case.

 

After dinner, Anderson and Suzanne sat down on the couch while Jennifer fixed a coffee tray and promised them “organic” cookies.

Taking this opportunity to talk to her mother in private, Anderson cleared his throat. “Mrs. Rodgers, I believe in full disclosure. And I have to tell you that I've been in touch with your father, Samuel Myers.”

“Why?” Suzanne asked, sitting straight up. “You didn't call him about all this trouble here at the rescue center, did you?”

“No, ma'am, not exactly.” Anderson explained the situation. “He's on a committee of bigwigs planning a celebration this summer for the 175th anniversary of the Battle of the Alamo. It's in regard to that—routine concerns with crowd control, things like that.” No need to scare the woman with the details. “It's just that Jennifer could use some help around here and I thought maybe if your parents were aware of what she's trying to do—”

“That they'd help out, financially?” Suzanne asked, her pretty hazel eyes brightening. Then she leaned forward. “I have to admit, I've had the same thought. We've all been stubborn about this—and I've avoided them all these years out of pride. But now, Martin is gone and he left this legacy with his daughter, a blessing but certainly a challenge, too.” She sat back, her hands twisted together. “I don't know how Jennifer would react. I purposely kept her away from my demanding parents so she could be her own person, not a socialite
clone of some sort.” Her shrug caused the shawl to fall down her arm. “I could have been wrong on that for so many reasons.”

Anderson glanced toward the kitchen, then whispered, “Maybe together, we can figure out how to handle this. It might be an answer to my prayers.”

Suzanne smiled. “You've been praying for my daughter?”

“Every waking hour since I met her, yes, ma'am.”

When they heard Jennifer coming back, Suzanne gave him a quick smile. “Then I'd say your prayers have been answered. I think it's time I got my family back together. And knowing that you feel the same is a sure sign, I think. I can see that.”

Anderson tipped his chin in agreement. Then he looked up and smiled at Jennifer. “Please tell me those cookies don't taste like cardboard, darlin'.”

She shot him a frown. “Organic doesn't mean they'll taste bad. They were made with all natural ingredients that did no harm to animals. I think you'll approve.”

Anderson wondered about that, but he did approve of her mother being here. Jennifer's mood had certainly changed and for that, he was grateful.

Now if he could find the man who'd attacked Jennifer, the threats to her would finally be over. He hoped.