Justice Inked (Cowboy Justice Association 7) (31 page)

Her normally taciturn lover had a huge grin on his face. “Yes, it is. That mine has been closed and abandoned for years. Do you know what that means?”

It was the first lead real lead they’d had in weeks.

“Road trip.”

Chapter Thirty-Four

D
are turned right onto the dirt road and pointed to the north. “There isn’t much left of the mine. Just an old building and some discarded equipment. It’s about six miles from here.”

Tanner tapped a message into his phone before slipping it into his pocket. “How long has it been abandoned? Who owned it? Maybe there’s a connection.”

“Since the late eighties, I think. Give or take a year or two. It was owned by the Cavendish family but they sold out to a big conglomerate who then stripped what they could before shutting it down. We can check but I doubt there will be anything to connect the two.”

Tanner’s gaze took in the desolate landscape. “Sure as shit is remote as hell. I guess this might be a good place to plan a bank robbery and then maybe hide the money.”

The SUV bumped and rolled over the rutted and forgotten road, almost loosening Dare’s teeth. “This location has to be important enough to make a man want to tattoo the logo permanently on his person. Whether they hid the money here is a question, but it means something.”

Tanner grinned as Dare pulled the truck up to what looked like an old shack. “Our job is to figure out what it means. We’re professional lawmen. How hard could it be?”

Dare knew that Tanner was simply busting his balls so he chuckled in response and slid from the driver’s seat, bringing along his cell phone. He walked behind the vehicle about twenty feet and pointed to a set of tire tracks that didn’t belong to him.

“There’s no reason to be on this road unless you’re coming to this mine, but there’s another set of tracks here. I’ll get a few pictures and send them to the lab. Maybe we can get a make on the vehicle.”

Tanner looked up at the clear blue sky. “When was the last rain? It’s been about a week, hasn’t it?”

Dare snapped the photos and quickly sent them off to Deputy Billy. “It was last Friday, I believe, so we know whomever was here visited in the last five to seven days. Now why would anyone be up here, that’s the question.”

Walking around the old building, Tanner tried to see in through the filthy windows but they were encrusted with dirt. “I doubt anyone would be up here for something lawful unless maybe some kids came up here to make out. But it isn’t exactly conducive to romance. It looks more like a junkyard.”

Broken and rusted shovels and picks were strewn across the clearing, framing the busted conveyor belt that led down into the hole in the ground. The opening had been covered up for safety by a large round wooden door with a padlock, and surprisingly it appeared to have not been breached by curious teenagers or would-be miners looking to make their fortune in a used up gold vein.

Dare tried the doorknob and of course it was locked. He looked over his shoulder at Tanner and gave him a smile. “Should I?”

“You are the law around here. Is there anyone that would even protest?”

Not really, but Dare liked to do things by the rules if at all possible. That was the main reason Rayne’s cute little ass was sitting at home right now. She’d begged to be able to come with him but he didn’t want to have to worry about her safety when he was concerned about his own. Frankly, he didn’t know what they were walking into. So far the trip had been uneventful, but things had a way of taking a turn for the worse when he least expected it.

“Step back,” Dare warned, eyeing the flimsy lock. “We don’t know if this is booby-trapped or something worse.”

“Worse? What’s worse than a bomb?”

Dare picked up a ratty shovel that was still in one piece. “Two bombs. A gunman. Easy listening radio.”

Tanner snorted but did as he was asked. Grunting with effort, Dare swung the shovel, splintering the wood but the door didn’t budge, much to his surprise. He’d thought it would disintegrate with any pressure whatsoever.

“Need any help there? Is it too much for you?” Tanner taunted with a laugh. “Should we tie the doorknob to the truck bumper and hit reverse?”

Dare looked up at the sky and squinted at the sun, keeping his frustration under control. He was glad it was only Tanner that had seen that and not his deputies. They’d never let him forget it.

“I don’t think that will be necessary, Grandpa. I’ve got this.”

Tanner took the ribbing in stride and stayed back while Dare wound up as if he were getting ready to hit a home run. The metal flat of the shovel made contact with the doorknob, which cracked and sailed over Dare’s head while the lock broke under the impact, causing the door to fly back and hit the wall with a satisfying bang.

Tanner strode forward, his gun drawn, and peeked around the now wide open doorway. His stance was tense and alert so it was instantly noticeable when his posture sagged and relaxed. He held up his hand and waved Dare forward.

“Looks like we got here too late.”

Dare holstered his own weapon with a sigh. Two dead bodies lay on the floor in a pool of dried blood. Three people were dead. And he was no closer to figuring out who was doing this. Something had to give and soon.

*   *   *   *

Rayne slumped down onto Dare’s living room couch, her bottom lip stuck out in a pout. “I can’t believe I wasn’t there. It wasn’t dangerous at all and you’re being overprotective.”

Dare’s brows shot up at her bold statement. “Overprotective? Baby, three people are dead…that we know of. There could be more. Money is a powerful motivator and if they think you know something they won’t hesitate to come after you. From now on, I’m keeping you under close observation. You’ll have me or a deputy on you at all times.”

It sounded like one of Dante’s circles of hell. Someone watching every little movement she made every second of the day and night. She adored Dare but that much togetherness was going overboard. She needed a little bit of privacy.

“If they killed those two men then they know what’s on the tattoo,” Rayne pointed out as he joined her on the couch. After a long day cleaning her house, he’d relieved the deputy watching her and brought her back to his place where he could keep an eye on her personally. Camy had protested at first but then been won over when Dare convinced her it was the safest place for Rayne. “They don’t need me anymore. For all you know, the man has the money and is headed for Mexico or the Bahamas. Wherever bank robbers go to retire these days when they no longer have to share the loot.”

“The loot?” Dare laughed and propped his feet on the coffee table. “Who are you, Ma Barker?”

Rayne lifted her chin and shrugged, not letting his teasing deter her from the goal.

She didn’t need protecting.

“I’m simply trying to get you to see sense, Dare. Whoever was looking for that drawing must know what it contains or they wouldn’t have found the mine. It makes sense, don’t you see?”

She put a little more pleading in her words than she normally would but she didn’t like having a babysitter follow her around. Today the deputy had sat three tables away while she and Camy had eaten lunch. He’d just watched them. Eating. Then more watching. It was creepy and it gave her an unsettled feeling in her gut.

“Or the killer followed them there and that’s how he found the location,” Dare stated reasonably. “There are two parts to that design, babe, and they may still need the second half. I’m not taking any chances with your life.”

“But you’ll take chances with your own.”

His arm came around her shoulders and pulled her closer so they were curled together, her head on his chest. “It’s my job and I’m used to it. I’m not going to do anything stupid so don’t worry about me.”

Rayne poked him in the chest. “You’re made of flesh and bone like everyone else. You need to be careful. Maybe I’ll get you a bodyguard.”

She could feel his chuckle under her cheek as he tugged at a stray strand of hair. It was hard to believe this content and smiling man was Dare Turner. “Tanner does a pretty good job of not letting me do anything dumb. When this is all over, I’d love for you to meet some of my friends like him, Seth, Reed, Griffin, and Evan. You’d get along with the wives really well, especially Presley. She’s something else and keeps Seth on his toes.”

Her throat tightening with emotion, she didn’t reply but simply smiled and snuggled closer. She loved it when he talked about the future and now he was categorizing her with the “wives”. She’d never had much of a yen for marriage and commitment but this man might be the one to change her mind. She could see herself spending evenings with him curled up on this sofa watching television or reading in bed.

“So stop trying to change the subject and tell me about the two men you found. What do you know?”

He’d already told her the men’s names were Earnest Haines and Milo Yardley, both in their late twenties.

“Not much,” Dare admitted, running his fingers through her hair in a soothing motion. “The two men are local and have a history of petty crime. Mostly bar fights but one of them has burglary on their rap sheet. We’ll cross reference any prints from your shop and home break-ins to them.”

“Did you know them?”

“In passing. I was never the arresting officer although I knew of both of them. They weren’t bad guys, just more like troublemakers when they were drunk. Both of them had trouble holding down a job and have worked at several of the local ranches before getting kicked to the curb. Honestly, I didn’t even know they knew each other until today.”

In a small town like Valley Station there weren’t too many secrets, but there had to be some.

“We’re a secret or we were,” she pointed out to him. “So if they were friends or business partners they could probably keep that a secret too.”

“For how long though? You and I haven’t been dating long, and after today at the bowling alley I’m pretty sure the cat’s out of the bag. You’ve got a hickey on your neck, babe, and people are going to notice.”

Rayne slapped a hand over the red spot she’d seen in the mirror earlier. “Is it that bad? It didn’t look like much of anything this afternoon.”

Dare waggled his eyebrows and grinned. “It’s turning a lovely shade of purple. I like marking my territory so be warned.”

Slapping him ineffectually on the chest, she rubbed the sore flesh and gave him a dirty look. “I’m not territory, you male chauvinist pig. If you mark me, you can be damn sure I’ll mark you.”

“Be my guest, baby.” Dare held his arms wide in invitation. “Make my body your canvas. Wait, you’ve already done that, although no one can see it.”

“I’m serious, Dare.”

“So am I. You want to give me some love bites or hickeys, you go right ahead. I’ll wear them proudly.”

“You are a sick, sick man.” Rayne lifted up and threw her leg over both of his so she was straddling him. She wanted to be able to look directly into his eyes. “I worry about your mental health.”

“I am a sad specimen, but I’m all yours.”

She brought her hands up to cup his jaw. “You did it again, dammit.”

Dare gave her a long suffering sigh. “What did I do this time, baby girl?”

“You got us off the subject again. I want to know about the murders. Talk and don’t change the subject until you’re done.”

“I only have preliminary information to go on until the autopsy, but it appears that Haines was shot in the chest at point blank range, maybe a .38. That blood spatter is near the middle of the room from what I observed, but Yardley’s was closer to the door. His entry wound appears to be in the back so I’m guessing he was running away possibly after seeing Haines shot.”

“They trusted each other,” Rayne murmured, trying to picture the scene in her head despite not being there today. “It doesn’t sound like Haines was afraid.”

“If they were partners and money was involved, they should have been. There’s little honor among thieves as I told you before. Clearly, someone wanted to keep it all for themselves.”

“But this is it, right? Tanner saw four bank robbers and now three of them are dead. That leaves one.”

His lips twisted as he ran his warm hands down her spine to rest on her bottom. “Theoretically, yes. But they could have other partners who weren’t with them at the bank. I can’t say for sure that the bloodshed is over.”