Texas Tough (The Tylers of Texas 2)

“There’s no lab here. They’ll have to send the gun to Lubbock or Amarillo. Most likely they’ll send the body there, too.”

Marie stared down at her hands. The nails were chewed to the quick. Sky remembered how she used to bite them as a little girl.

“Stella’s brother keeps a Glock in the drawer below the cash register,” she said. “I saw it a few weeks ago when I was looking for change. Do you think—?”

“Anything’s possible. But a lot of people have those guns. Is there some way to look in the drawer? If it’s still there, at least we’ll know it isn’t the one the deputy found.”

“We can look now,” Marie said, rising. “I’ve got a key to the bar because that’s where the only bathroom is in this dump. Nobody’s here at this hour. Come on.”

She yanked on her jeans and shoved her bare feet into her boots. The key, chained to a sheet metal tag, hung on a nail hammered into the door frame. Sky followed her down the dim hallway, which smelled of urine and stale tobacco smoke. At its end, Marie unlocked a door. It opened onto a narrow wooden stairway leading down to the bar.

Motioning Sky back, Marie checked to make sure the place was really empty. Then she moved behind the cash register. “Stella locks up the money every night, but I’m pretty sure the Glock stays . . . here.” She opened the drawer, pulling it all the way out and looking underneath. “It’s gone.”

An ominous chill crept down the back of Sky’s neck. “There are plenty of reasons the gun might not be here. When was the last time you saw it?”

Marie checked the other drawers and shelves behind the bar. “I only saw it once—it was about the time you came and found me. That’s been . . . what? At least a month.” She closed the drawers, putting everything back the way she’d found it.

“Just supposing—and it’s a long shot—that this gun turns out to be the murder weapon. What reason would Stella or her brother have to shoot Coy?”

“I was just thinking about that,” Marie said. “According to what Lute told me, Stella’s got her fingers pretty deep in some illegal pies. Coy did come in here a couple of times, and he’s got—he had—a big mouth. If he said anything about the marijuana, she could’ve seen him as competition and had him blown away.”

“I take it she doesn’t know Coy was your brother.”

“Not unless Coy slipped up and told somebody.”

“Now that he’s been killed and the law’s involved, the relationship’s likely to come out. Maybe it’s time to think about your own safety.” Sky reached for his wallet and pulled out a handful of bills. “Take this,” he said. “It should be plenty to get you back to Oklahoma or wherever you want to go.”

“Keep your money, Sky. I know what I’m doing.” Thrusting the money back to him she glanced anxiously toward the front door. “Come on. You’ve got to get out of here.”

She ushered him back upstairs and locked the door behind them. “Keep in touch with me, Marie,” he said. “I mean it. With the chances you’re taking, I need to know you’re all right. If you don’t have a cell phone, I’ll buy you one.”

She shoved him toward the outside stairs. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Look around before you go out. Make sure nobody sees you.”

Sky left her and drove back to the ranch. By now the sun was well above the horizon, scorching the land with its glaring rays. Ahead of him, on the asphalt, ravens were flocking on a road-killed coyote. Slowing the truck and averting his gaze, he pulled around them and continued on.

He was worried about Marie. She’d insisted she’d be all right, but the people she was dealing with were as dangerous as Texas diamondback rattlesnakes. One misstep and she could end up like her two brothers.

Had she told him everything? Marie had no reason to distrust him. But Sky had the feeling she was hiding something—maybe something big. His cousin had her own agenda, and she thought she was clever enough to pull it off. But compared to Stella Rawlins, Marie was a bungling amateur. Stella was smart enough to stay one jump ahead of the law and ruthless enough to destroy anyone who crossed her. The thought of what the woman could do to Marie made Sky’s blood run cold.

Beau was waiting for Sky on the shaded front porch of the ranch house with two cold Mexican beers. He rose as Sky mounted the steps. “I saw you coming and figured you’d have a powerful thirst,” he said, handing one can to Sky and popping the tab on the other. “Sit down and we’ll debrief each other. How did your cousin take the news?”

“Like she was expecting it.” Sky sank into a chair and opened his beer. “She’s one tough lady. I tried to talk her into leaving, but whatever she’s got in mind, she’s set on seeing it through. I’m worried about her, but I can only do so much toward changing her mind.” He raised the can and took a long, easy swig, letting the coolness trickle down his throat. “How about you? How did things go at the crime scene?”

“All right.” Beau gazed across the flat to where the sunlight glittered like diamond dust on the dry alkali bed. “While the deputies were finishing up, I went with Abner to look at Coy’s camp on your property. The tent’s fallen down and the plants are long dead. Doesn’t look like anybody’s been there in weeks.”

“Am I in trouble for not reporting it?”

Beau shrugged. “Abner didn’t say so. I’m guessing he had more urgent things on his mind. But I scored some points with him. When I mentioned I’d been with the DEA, he treated me like a rock star. I told him if he’d include me in the loop, I’d be happy to keep my ear to the ground and report anything I hear. He said that would be dandy as long as I didn’t mind his taking credit.”

“He actually said that?”

“Pretty much. He wants to build credibility with the voters, and this case could take him a long way.”

“At least he’s honest about it,” Sky said.

“Abner doesn’t have enough sense to lie.”

“Well, here’s a tidbit for you. Marie told me