The Archer [Book 13 of the Hawkman Series] (22 page)

"Shouldn't you let Detective Williams’ lab boys try? They'd probably get better results, since they have more sophisticated equipment."

"You're right. After I follow Laura to school tomorrow, I'll drop it off at the station. You ready for the rest of the story?"

"For heaven's sake, there's more?"

"Yep, quite a bit."

"I'm all ears."

He told her how he'd followed the vehicle's marks in the grass from the gate, to where the person had climbed over the fence to get to the lamb's pen.

"When the tires rolled over bare spots, I could tell the tracks were made by a light- weight vehicle and not a pickup. Also I found a piece of material hanging on the barbwire fence.” He got up and went to his briefcase. Taking out the swatch of cloth and his camera, he strolled over to her computer. “Let's hook this up to your machine, since you're already booted up."

"Okay.” She slipped into her swivel chair, hit the keyboard to bring the computer out of sleep mode, then took the cord he handed her and plugged it in. “What am I looking for?"

He stood behind her, viewing the monitor. “Some clothes on the seat of a car. I haven't viewed these pictures yet. Sure hope they turned out."

She pointed at one of the photos. “Is this it?"

"Yes. Great, it turned out clear.” He handed her the piece of cloth. “Tell me, does this match that blouse?” He pointed to the picture.

She zoomed in on the item. “Definitely, and there's the jagged tear,” she said, drawing a line around the area.

"Boy, you've got good eyesight."

"Flip up your patch. The lighting in here is not that bright."

He did as she said. “Yes, I can see it now."

She fingered the piece of material. “This feels like silk and the floral print makes it a little harder to find the tear. Where'd you take this picture?"

"The back seat of Cindy's car."

"How were you able to snap these photos without getting caught?"

"Cindy was practicing at Arrow Point's inside archery range. It has no windows on the side of the parking lot."

Jennifer handed him the cloth. “Well, this girl is guilty as sin."

He told her about his meeting with Brett Gibson, and how the young man thought Cindy immature.

"That's odd. Doesn't she claim him as her boyfriend?"

"Yes, but he doesn't claim her and sounded interested in Laura."

Jennifer rolled her eyes. “Oh, my gosh. What a terrifying triangle. Pray Cindy never finds out. If that happens. Her next arrow might go through Laura"

"Don't say such a thing. If Brett ever called Laura, she wouldn't tell her."

"Oh, my, this is getting very complicated.” She glanced at him with raised brows. “Have you told Laura about this meeting with Mr. Gibson?"

"No. Do you think I should?"

"Definitely. The girl needs to be prepared.” She shook her head. “How do you manage to get so involved with women?"

"Mark my word, I don't plan it."

"I may have to step in and help you."

"So far, I'm doing okay. My last contact tonight was with Jason Calderidge."

"Did he add more to this twisted tale?"

"No. That's when he identified his recorder from the picture. He spotted his initials on the corner. However, he doesn't know I found it in Cindy's car."

"I'm surprised he didn't recognize the inside of the convertible."

"If you'll notice, she had a bunch of crap piled in the back seat. I zoomed in on the recorder and voice changer, in hopes of where I took the shot couldn't be identified by the background or upholstery."

Jennifer patted his hand. “You've had quite an eventful two days."

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Friday morning, Hawkman watched mostly pickups coming and going on the road to the Kings’ ranch. “Rural people get up mighty early to run errands,” he mumbled to himself.

Soon, Laura drove by and he followed her to school without incident. This afternoon, it would be interesting to see her reaction when he told her about Brett Gibson possibly calling. He wondered if Jennifer's suggestion was such a good idea, but since he worried about the girl's welfare, he'd follow his wife's advice.

After Laura drove into the parking lot, Hawkman continued to the downtown area. Since she had a short day and would be out at noon, he decided to go eat breakfast. He pulled into the local cafe, only to see a “closed” sign hanging on the front door. This made him very sad to think another small business had hit the dust. How are all these people going to live? This proprietor had socked all her savings into the restaurant, and did quite well, until the economy took a dive. He hoped she'd put some money aside, as he doubted she'd be able to find a decent job with her limited education. It wouldn't surprise him to see her working at a fast-food place. He shook his head as he exited the small mall and noticed several shops had gone out of business.

Speaking of fast-food places, he might as well head for one and have their morning specials. It would at least tide him over. While he ate, he watched the GPS trackers on Laura's arm and the car. The vehicle showed no disturbance, but the one on her wrist showed movement within the campus as usual. It sure gave him a sense of relief to have thought of these.

Time moved swiftly and Hawkman soon took off for the road heading for the Kings’ ranch. There were several groves of trees he hadn't used, and he chose the one around a curve, hiding himself from oncoming traffic. Before long, Laura came puttering around the turn, and passed him. He waited for another car to go by, then pulled out behind it. Things were uneventful and he parked behind Laura at the rear of the house.

"How'd your day go?” he asked, climbing out of the Ford.

She rolled her eyes. “Boring."

He laughed. “Most kids say that, until they're my age."

"Okay, I'll bite, what do you think of school now?"

"The greatest time of my life."

"I had a feeling you'd say that,” she said, smiling.

"How's the lamb doing?"

Her face lit up. “Prince is absolutely adorable. You've got to come in and see him."

"I like your name choice, but before we go inside, I need to talk to you. Do you mind standing out here for a few minutes?"

"Not at all, it's beautiful today.” She struggled out of her backpack and slung it upon the trunk of the Toyota. “This thing almost breaks my back with all the books inside."

"I can see why."

She leaned against the fender. “What do you want to tell me?"

"Have you ever talked to Brett Gibson since the wedding you told me about?"

"Not at all. I haven't seen him since that day."

Hawkman pushed up his hat with a finger. “Well, I had a very interesting meeting with him last night."

"What in the world for?"

"I wanted his opinion on several different matters involving Cindy."

Laura frowned and stared at him. “I don't get it."

Hawkman rubbed his hands together. “This is not easy."

"I'm sure he had nothing but praise for her."

"Quite the contrary."

"Really?” Laura said with surprise.

"He doesn't refer to Cindy as his girlfriend, and he'd forgotten your name. When I told him, he quickly jotted it down on a pad of paper. I have a feeling he's going to get in touch with you."

"What!” she said, jumping away from the car, with a surprised expression. “You're kidding me, aren't you?"

"No."

"If Cindy gets wind of his possible interest in me, she'll be furious."

"What might you do if Brett called?"

Laura paced behind the car, causing dirt to fly up at her heels. “I don't know. This is worrisome."

"You said he was a very nice guy."

"He is, but he's Cindy's."

"Not from what he said."

Laura turned and put her hands on her hips. “Why would Cindy call him her boyfriend? He obviously gave her some indication they were going steady or something. Guys have a way of feeding girls a line."

"In this case, I don't think so. How often have you seen them together?"

"Only at the wedding. The rest of the time, Cindy just brags about how much money he has, and how he treats her to dinner at a fancy restaurant, or takes her to a show. She even claims she's spent the night with him."

Hawkman looked Laura in the eye. “Have you ever considered she lies, just to make her friends jealous?"

She dropped her hands to her sides. “It doesn't make any sense. She's beautiful and could probably have any guy she wanted. Why would she have to make up false stories?"

"Because she's insecure. I think she's very jealous of you."

Laura threw up her hands in desperation. “Mr. Casey, that's the most incredible thing I've ever heard."

"Not really. Cindy envies you because you're self-confident and know how to take care of yourself. She hasn't the vaguest idea how to do much of anything, except put on make-up and don expensive clothes."

"No one would ever guess she's not capable of doing many things. She seems to do well in school and she definitely knows how to shoot a compound bow. There are gobs of ribbons and medals lining the trophy cases at the college with her name on them."

"I don't doubt she has a good brain, but she lacks common sense."

Laura put her hands to her face. “Are you trying to tell me something? If so, I'm not sure I can absorb much more."

"If Brett Gibson calls you, I hope you'll really consider the danger before accepting an invitation from him."

She rubbed her palms down her thighs. “Let's go inside and let me show off Prince. Maybe some of this stuff will register."

"Fair enough.” Hawkman took her pack off the trunk of the car. “Good grief, girl, you carry this thing around all day? No wonder you get a backache."

They entered the kitchen and Hawkman doffed his hat, then placed the pack on the kitchen table. “Hello, Mrs. King."

Violet glanced up from the cookbook and smiled. “Good to see you."

"Mom, I'm going to show Prince to Mr. Casey."

She nodded and returned her gaze to the page.

Laura took Hawkman down the hallway to a small room. “This used to be my old bedroom, but I outgrew it and we've really never used it for much other than storage. Dad fixed it up for the lamb. I don't want the little guy outside just yet."

"I understand.” Hawkman smiled as he leaned over a makeshift short fence Olly had constructed across half the room. In the corner on a bed of straw the little lamb lay sleeping.

"Watch this,” Laura said. “Prince, want a drink?"

The little critter jumped up, kicked his heels and bounded toward Laura, who held a bottle with a nipple. She laughed and fed him.

"He looks like he's put on five pounds since I saw him last."

"I wouldn't doubt it; they grow very fast."

After Laura fed her pet, she looked up at Hawkman. “I think I know what you're trying to tell me about Cindy."

"Spell it out."

"You think she's the one after me."

He nodded. “I'm very suspicious and want you to be very careful what you say and do around her."

"If it's true, and I accept a date with Brett, she could kill me with a compound arrow."

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On Saturday, Hawkman went to the office to catch up on bills, and straighten out his ledgers. While he struggled with an entry he couldn't remember making, his phone rang. He hit the speaker phone button.

"Hello."

"Hello, Mr. Casey, this is Laura."

He sat up straight. “Are you okay?"

"Yes, everything's fine. I just wanted you to know, Brett Gibson called after you left. He invited me to dinner tonight."

"And?"

"I really thought about it, and decided I can't have a peer rule over me, so I accepted. I'm a bit nervous thinking about Cindy's reaction when she finds out. My folks are ecstatic, as Dad knows of Brett and says from what he's heard, I couldn't go out with a finer young man."

"Have a good time, but keep your eyes open. I'll see you Monday."

"Thanks. I just pray we don't run into Cindy."

"Hopefully, you won't."

After hanging up, Hawkman leaned back in the chair, and rubbed his chin. Cindy may not see them in person, but someone will tell her. The Browns are social celebrities around the town and one of their friends will notice Brett with another girl. Next week, he'd have to watch not only Laura's movements, but also Cindy's.

Monday morning, Hawkman arose earlier than usual, as sleep had evaded him. He couldn't get the thought out of his head how ironic this case had turned. Even though he felt it time for Laura to get back into the dating game, why did it have to be with Brett Gibson? He dressed in the living room, so as not to disturb Jennifer, then padded to the kitchen and brewed a pot of coffee. Miss Marple weaved around his ankles as he glanced at yesterday's paper while munching on a piece of toast and eating a cup of yogurt. The time came for him to hit the road. He checked the feline's bowl and made sure she had food and water so she wouldn't pester her mistress.

When he arrived on the road leading to the college, he parked about midway between the ranch and school in one of the oak groves. While waiting for Laura to make her appearance, he noticed his neck, shoulders and jaw felt tight. He worked the muscles with his finger tips trying to get them to relax when, suddenly, he straightened.

A black pickup passed, heading toward Laura's place. Twisting the key in the ignition, he drove onto the asphalt and followed. If he spotted the green Toyota approaching, and the pickup turned out to be a local farmer, he'd just turn around.

Getting closer to the black truck, he noticed the rear window was heavily tinted and the license plate had been covered with mud. He didn't like the looks of it. Up ahead he spotted Laura's vehicle coming down the road. As she came closer, the truck began drifting into the left lane. Hawkman laid on the horn of the Ford, in hopes of notifying either Laura or to wake up the driver of the truck.

Sweat broke out on his forehead as the distance closed between the two. He felt helpless, as he didn't dare pass the pickup for fear of hitting Laura head-on, or bumping the truck's rear end, which might send it right into her. Hawkman prayed Laura would notice the problem and veer out of the way. He eyed the shoulder area ahead and it appeared level. If she spotted the situation in time, she'd be okay. Still honking the horn, Hawkman watched the oncoming Toyota. Laura obviously spotted the truck in the wrong lane and made a quick turn into a dirt driveway leading into a gated pasture. The pickup roared past her, pulled into the right lane and continued down the road.