The Texas Ranger's Bride (Lone Star Lawmen Book 1) Read online

  “What’s your next move?”

  “If Kellie identifies this man as the one who approached her, I’m going to fly to Colorado Springs early in the morning and take her with me. She said she gave her cell-phone number to a friend of hers who works in the office of the Women’s Pro Rodeo Association. The stalker had to get her cell phone number from someone.

  “I checked out her friends and horse handler while we were at the town house yesterday. They haven’t given her phone number to anyone, so I’m going to check out a hunch. We’ll be back by evening at the latest. Keep a close eye on her place while we’re gone.”

  “Will do.”

  “Thanks, Vic.”

  Cy left the building and hurried out to the car. He couldn’t get to Kellie’s town house fast enough. Once he’d parked in the garage, he rushed through the house to the upstairs bathroom for a shower and shave. After putting on a clean pair of jeans and a T-shirt in the guest bedroom, he felt better. All he needed now was some food.

  He ate a couple of peanut-butter sandwiches and drank half a quart of milk. After putting his phone on the floor next to him, he collapsed on the hide-a-bed. He’d catch a couple of hours before she phoned. Cy had her garage-door opener and would have to let her in.

  It felt as if he’d barely sacked out when his phone rang. He reached down for it and saw that his mother was on the line. In the midst of everything, he’d forgotten to tell his family that he’d gone undercover on a new case and wouldn’t be available for a while.

  That wasn’t like him to let something so important slide. As he lay there, he realized he needed to get his act together in a hurry. Biting the bullet, he clicked on.

  “Hi, Mom. How are you and Dad?”

  “We’re fine, darling. The point is, how are you?”

  “I’m well, but I’m on a new case and have gone undercover.”

  “Oh, Cyril—we never see you anymore.”

  He knew his mother worried about the career he’d chosen, and she never failed to complain about it. But right now he didn’t give her the chance.

  “Sorry about that, but it’s the nature of the job. I promise I’ll leave messages to let you know I’m all right.”

  “I guess that means you can’t come to the engagement party we’re planning for Beth and Tom on Sunday night.”

  “I wish I could, but I’ll have to wait to see them after this case is solved.” He had to solve it. “Give everyone my love. I promise to call you soon.”

  Cy hung up and lay back again, letting out a heavy sigh. His sister was marrying Thomas Adamson in six weeks. He was an up-and-coming attorney in the law firm Cy’s great-grandfather had established in Dripping Springs. Cy was meant to join the business, but law had never held any interest for him. He preferred law enforcement.

  After high school, he’d gone the rounds with his father more times than he could count. To make matters worse, halfway through college he’d broken his engagement to a young woman whom his parents really wanted him to marry. He wasn’t anyone’s favorite son.

  Cy fell back to sleep until the phone rang again. A look at the caller ID showed Bronco Parrish. It was Kellie’s father. She was calling from the ranch. He clicked on and said hello.

  “Hi” came her slightly breathless greeting.

  “Are you coming home now?”

  “Yes. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

  “I’ll be waiting and open the garage door for you.”

  “Thank you. See you soon.”

  It was a long ten minutes. Unable to stand it any longer, he hurried through the house to the garage and opened it while he waited for her. His pulse picked up speed when he saw her drive in next to his Subaru SUV and turn off the engine. She got out of the car and walked toward him with a look that led him to believe she was relieved to see him.

  He was relieved, too. Night had already fallen.

  Chapter Four

  “How’s Trixie?” Cy asked after Kellie walked past him into the kitchen.

  “Happy to be home. We had a good ride.”

  He shut and locked the door. “Have you eaten dinner?”

  She swung around. “Yes.” Her eyes searched his. “Any news yet?”

  “Why don’t we sit at the table? I have something to show you.”

  Kellie swallowed hard and sank down onto the nearest chair. He sat opposite her and pulled a paper out of his pocket. “The sketch Jim made was run through the IAFIS criminal database. This is what resulted.”

  He unfolded it and placed it in front of her. Her gasp filled the kitchen’s interior. “That’s the man! But his hair is longer here and he looks a little thinner than I remember.”

  Cy pulled out another paper and unfolded it. The second he put it in front of her, she jumped to her feet. “This one is exactly like I described to you and the artist. His hair is short here.”

  “There’s no doubt in your mind?”

  She stared at him. “I’m positive both photos are of the same man who approached me in Pendleton.”

  “That’s all I need to know.”

  Kellie sat back down again. The photos had caused the blood in her veins to chill.

  “We can thank God you came into the police station yesterday before anything happened to you.”

  Her hand went to her mouth. “It’s the same man, so why are there different sets of names for him?”

  He pocketed the papers. “It turns out they are identical twins.”

  She could hardly breathe. “Twin murderers?”

  “I suspect they work together, but the FBI agents I spoke to didn’t realize it until the forensics lab discovered that their prints weren’t exactly the same. It would explain why you could receive a letter postmarked from Austin at the same time he approached you in Eagle Mountain.”

  Kellie buried her face in her hands, trying to comprehend it. The next thing she knew, he’d put a cup of coffee in front of her. “Drink this. You need it.”

  She took a deep breath and sat back in the chair. “Thank you.” For a few minutes she sipped the hot liquid while she tried to absorb what she’d just learned.

  “Tomorrow morning I’d like you to fly to Colorado Springs with me. Your friends have sworn they’ve never given out your cell-phone number to a soul. But if your friend at the Women’s Pro Rodeo Association has put your number into the computer, that may explain where these men got it.”

  “You mean they hacked their computer?”

  “I don’t know. That’s what I want to find out. You’ve been with that association for several years. These men know your rodeo schedule. Your name is on file with them. I’m curious to know if your friend kept your cell phone number to herself or put it in the computer, never thinking about it. Maybe she even saw him.”

  Kellie thought back. “When I gave it to her, she knew never to give it to anyone else.”

  “That was before she moved. Chances are she didn’t put it in the system, but I need to find out.”

  She marveled at the way his mind worked. “What are you thinking?”

  He leaned back in the chair drinking his coffee. “These stalkers are cunning. In order to talk to you, the one who approached you had to have done his homework. What you put on your website about belonging to the Women’s Pro Rodeo Association might have given him an idea I want to explore.”

  Kellie had a feeling he hadn’t told her everything. “What time do you want to leave?”

  “At 5:30 a.m. We have a 7:00 a.m. flight. If we get our business done fast, you’ll be back here in time to put your horse through some maneuvers before evening. This will be our first venture in public as a married couple, so we’ll behave as man and wife when we reach Colorado.”

  Man and wife. A tremor ran through her body. He’d anticipated every question a
nd had answered them before she could even think.

  “Then I’m going to get ready for bed now.”

  “Before you go upstairs, I want you to walk out to the mailbox and bring in any mail you find. Don’t worry. One of the team will be watching you. I’ll be waiting by the front door.”

  She got this sick feeling in her stomach over the idea that the stalker might have been near her condo today. Reaching in her purse for her keys, she left the town house and took the short walk to retrieve her smattering of mail from the box.

  After she returned, she walked over to the table and put it down. There were three ads, a catalog of home decor furnishings and a five-by-seven white envelope with nothing written on the front. When she saw that it didn’t have a stamp, she froze.

  “When does your mail normally come?”

  “Between two and three.”

  “The stalker may have come after to slip this into your box.”

  “You think he had a key?”

  “These criminals are professionals and have tools, but we’re going to find out.”

  Cy put on gloves and picked it up. After opening the flap, he pulled out a black-and-white glossy photograph of Kellie taken in a beauty salon. She was sitting in a chair with a drape around her neck. Her head had been cut out and it fell on the table. The word liar had been printed on the back of it.

  “I don’t believe it!”

  He gave her a probing glance. “Where was this taken?”

  “At a beauty salon here in Austin where I go to get my hair styled.”

  “How long ago?”

  “Right before I left for Montana, about five and a half weeks ago.”

  “You’re sure about the timing?”

  “Yes. Normally I wear cowboy boots all the time and I always get my hair done later in the day. But that particular morning I had an early appointment and I put on those sandals before I left for the salon because I was in a hurry.”

  “What time was your appointment?”

  “Eight thirty in the morning.”

  “Do you remember the date?”

  “It was a Wednesday. I had to leave right after to make it to Glasgow in time for the rodeo on Saturday, August 2.”

  “That meant you were in the salon on July 30. How big is the place?”

  “It does a lot of business. The Blue Gardenia is on Third Street downtown.”

  “I’ve heard of it. Do men get their hair cut and styled there, too?”

  “Yes.” She shuddered. “That means he was in there watching me. He probably has dozens of pictures of me. It’s sickening and depraved.”

  “Stay strong, Kellie. We’re going to catch him.”

  A moan escaped her. “What about his twin?”

  When she looked at him, the dark blue of his eyes seemed to have turned black. “Him, too. Go on up to bed and set your alarm. We’ll leave for the airport at five thirty. Before we walk out the door, I’ll turn on the camera over the kitchen door on the garage side.”

  “You think he’ll come while we’re gone?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  He obviously had more work to do she wasn’t privy to, so she got up from the table. “I don’t know how to thank you for what you’re doing. Your life is in danger, too.”

  “But this is my job. One I like, though no one in my family does.”

  “What did they want you to be?”

  “An attorney like my father and his father and his father before him.”

  So Cy was the lone wolf... His own person. She liked that about him very much.

  “When this whole ghastly ordeal is over, I’ll tell your family personally that you have the undying gratitude from me and my family for coming to my rescue.”

  His intense gaze continued to hold hers. “That’s nice to hear. Now try to get some sleep and leave the worrying to me.”

  * * *

  THE SECOND SHE disappeared upstairs, Cy phoned the crew in the surveillance van. “Lyle? The stalker put an envelope in Kellie’s mailbox today. There are eight tenants using that box. Did anyone approach it you can’t identify?”

  “Yes. A woman with dark brown hair. I checked with the landlord of the property. He’s never seen her.”

  A woman. “Strange. What time did the camera record it?”

  “Four twenty.”

  That was after the mail had been delivered. “Send me a picture.”

  “There are three of them. Doing it right now.”

  As they came through his phone, he studied them. The person was dressed in a woman’s business suit with low heels. She would be the same height Kellie had described for the stalker. Any view of the face gave only a partial glimpse. The lab could magnify the images for a better look.

  “Lyle? Send these to forensics for enlargements.”

  “Will do.”

  “Tomorrow I’ll be in Colorado Springs part of the day with Ms. Parrish. That’ll give the stalker time to case the town house. He may try to get in to find out if a man lives here with her. Maybe the stalker’s twin will show up, too. It’s possible they dress in drag part of the time. Keep me posted.”

  “Sure thing.”

  Cy ended the call and phoned Vic. “It’s possible one of the twins has been dressing up as a woman. I’m sending you the photos taken by Ms. Parrish’s mailbox. Go over to the Blue Gardenia beauty salon on Third Street when it opens tomorrow. Show these pictures to everyone who works there. I’m curious if one of the employees can identify our stalker, who likely used his phone camera to take a picture of Kellie getting a haircut.” Cy gave him the time and date. “If you get any information from one of the workers at the salon, let me know.

  “Then I want you to call around to the places where you can buy a wig. Take those mug shots with you. The photograph taken of Kellie was snapped almost six weeks ago. See if our stalker purchased one or two wigs in different colors during the month of July and get a copy of the receipt. It’s a long shot, but do what you can.”

  “I’ll try everything including places that sell theatrical makeup. He could have posed as an actor needing makeup and a wig.”

  “Exactly. Thanks, Vic.”

  “When will you get back from Colorado Springs tomorrow?”

  “I’m not sure. Kellie needs to exercise her horses, so I’ll drive her to her parents’ after we get off the plane. But I’ll phone you.”

  * * *

  ON WEDNESDAY MORNING Kellie got out of the rental car and walked alongside Cy as they entered the building that housed the WPRA in Colorado Springs. She welcomed the warm seventy-nine-degree temperature. Conscious she was playing a part as Cy’s new wife, she’d worn a flirty skirt and dressy blouse with high heels to play up her feminine side. It felt good to put on something besides jeans and cowboy boots.

  “May I help you?”

  “I’m here to see a friend who works here,” Kellie told the attractive, twentyish-looking receptionist who hadn’t taken her eyes off Cy from the moment they’d walked in the foyer. In a business suit and tie, he’d drawn the attention from a lot of women during their flight.

  “Her name is Olivia Brown.” Kellie prodded the younger woman in case she hadn’t heard her the first time.

  “Oh, sure. She’s the one who moved here from Texas and works in the membership auditor’s office. I’ll ring her. You know? You kind of sound like her.”

  Kellie happened to glance at Cy, who was smiling at her rather than the receptionist. Even his eyes smiled, sending a charge of electricity through her body.

  “Olivia wants to know your name.”

  Gathering her wits, she said, “Tell her it’s a friend from the Blue Bonnet Posse.”

  The receptionist passed it on and suddenly red-haired Olivia came running down the east ha
llway. “Kellie!” she called out and ran up to give her a hug. “I can’t believe it!” She turned to the girl at the desk. “Janie? This is the very famous Kellie Parrish! She’s going to win the barrel-racing championship at Finals in Las Vegas this December.”

  “Wow.” Janie’s eyes had rounded in surprise.

  “One could hope,” Kellie murmured in an aside.

  “Who’s the stud?” Olivia whispered.

  Kellie’s heart was palpitating out of her chest. “I’d like you to meet my new husband, Cyril Vance.”

  “You got married?” Her voice came out more like a squeak.

  “We did,” Cy said and shook her hand.

  “I announced it on my blog.”

  “Let me see.” Olivia grabbed Kellie’s left hand, then whistled. “Gorgeous.” She looked up. “I haven’t had a chance to read it yet. Oh, how wonderful. Congratulations!” She hugged her again. “Come on down to my office. I’m dying to know what brings you two here. If you’re on your honeymoon, I can’t figure out how come I’m lucky enough to deserve a visit.”

  Cy cupped Kellie’s elbow and squeezed it as they followed Olivia down the hall.

  “Come on in and sit down. Do you two want coffee or soda?”

  “Nothing, Olivia. We ate before coming here, but thank you. There’s a specific reason why we’re here. I’ll let Cy explain. My husband is a Texas Ranger working on a case that involves me.”

  After a five-minute explanation, there were no more smiles coming from Olivia. He showed her a paper that included both mug shots. “These men are identical twins. Do you recognize either of them?”

  “No. I’ve never seen them.”

  “Do me a favor and show this to everyone who works here. If they’ve seen them, phone me immediately.” He wrote his work number on the paper. “If one of these men had come around here, it could have been as far back as a year ago.”

  “I’ll do it today.” She looked at Kellie. “You poor thing. I’m ill over what you’ve just told me. Let me get into the records on the computer. I always update the information on a file when rodeo results come in. I’ve been here eighteen months. If I added your cell phone, I don’t remember doing it.”