“Mitchell has proved that he is willing to break the law to get what he wants,” Travis said. “We can’t assume anything. I might have an idea.”
“I’m listening,” she said, because she was out of ideas.
“Clive came over to do the hard sell on me, to convince you to do the trade. What if we go over there tomorrow and, I don’t know, try to trip him up. Texas is a one-party consent state, so we can record the entire conversation.”
Ellen shook her head. “Do you really think that he would just admit to anything?”
Jake caught her eye. “Mom, do you remember last year when Dad and I were taking the cattle to market and the hitch broke off?”
“Of course I do, that was so dangerous, I could have lost you both, and we could have lost all the cattle. Oh.” Now she knew what he was thinking. “You think that was deliberate.”
“I didn’t at the time, I thought it was old equipment. But Dad was… I don’t know, he didn’t say anything specific to me, but he said something like, things like this don’t happen.”
She nodded. “It could have been the first time. That was in February, right?” Four months before John’s accident.
Her chest tightened. The accident. She caught her son’s eye, eyes that looked so much like John’s it brought tears to her own. “You think—”
He nodded. “Dad was repairing the roof, but it was an unusual repair. Something that should never have needed a sudden repair.”
“Oh, dear Lord,” she said, and squeezed her eyes shut.
“Um,” Ryan spoke up sheepishly, “maybe you should tell my dad about all of this.”
“He can’t do anything without proof,” Travis said.
“We need to sleep on this,” Ellen said. “Travis, can you help me with Sam? I’m going to move him to the living-room couch. He’ll be more comfortable.”
Travis glanced toward the unconscious man and frowned. “You think he’s going to make it?”
“So far, so good, and the drugs brought down his fever. I gave him a hefty dose of two antibiotics.”
“I can’t believe you helped him.”
“Look at him, Travis. Really look at him.”
Travis did. “He’s young.” His voice was soft, understanding.
“Twenty-one. He went along with it because of family. Not all family is like ours.”
Travis’s face twisted in pain and regret, and he turned damp eyes to Ellen. Her heart went out to him and the gamut of emotions that ran across his expression. “I’m sorry for being a drunk for so long.”
“No apologies. All that matters is what you do from this day forward.” She reached out and hugged him. “I love you, Travis. John loved you.”
He nodded, coughed to hide his emotions. “Love you, too, Ellie.”
Between Travis, Ellen, and Jake they got Sam to the couch, where Lyla had put down a sheet and a blanket. They covered him with a comforter and Ellen checked his vitals. “He’s dehydrated, but I don’t have an IV here. He needs a hospital first thing. I’m going to try to reach Rick on the radio. I couldn’t earlier, but now that the rain has mostly stopped, I might be able to.”
She turned to Travis. “Will you call me when you get home so I can talk to Bobby before I go to sleep?”
“Phone lines are down, so I’ll have him call you on the radio.”
“Thank you.”
Travis left, and Lyla, Ryan, and Avery pulled out sleeping bags for the family room floor. Jake walked upstairs with his mom. “I hope we’re wrong about Dad’s accident,” Ellen said.
“We’re not,” Jake said. “And we’re not wrong about what Mitchell Robinson did with Verdacorp. He hired thieves who shot Greg Baldwin and his dog. He needs to be held accountable. I’m going to sleep downstairs. That guy might be unconscious, but I don’t want the girls and Ryan alone down there with him.”
She nodded, hugged her son, then went to her room and collapsed onto her bed, exhausted. But she couldn’t sleep.
