Page 170 of It Runs in the Family

“Did he tell you the real reason he was in this area?”

“He told me he’d come here for work.”

“He didn’t tell you anything else?”

“Look,” I said. leaning closer. “I knew from the get-go this wasn’t a forever kind of thing. Men pass through here all the time. I didn’t see any point in learning the finer details of his life.” Also the truth, just not the full truth.

“You’re telling me he was just a hook up?”

I leaned my head to the side. “Your words, not mine.”

“Was Boone Callahan at the warehouse yesterday morning?” he asked.

This one was trickier to answer without outright lying. “I don’t know. A man dressed all in black launched himself at Dario Voss just before Voss was about to shoot me. The man tackled him to the ground. They wrestled for a bit while my cousin Selena untied me. I have no idea who the man in black was. For all I knew, he was another bad guy who was going to hurt me next, so I told Selena to hurry up untying me. I didn’t want to be around when they finished fightin’. Then the gun went off.”

“What happened after Dario Voss was shot?”

“My cousin ran off with a guy from the group, and the man in black took off.”

“He just took off?”

“There were sirens, so it probably spooked him,” I said. “I was just thankful he tackled Voss before he shot me.”

He kept his gaze on me for a full ten seconds, probably hoping I’d squirm. Instead, I held his gaze. “Did Callahan say anything else to you?”

“First of all,” I said. “I only knew him as Boone, and honestly, Ranger Rollins, I’m not sure you want to hear the things he said to me. He told me from the start he planned to spend the day winning me over, and he held true to his word.” When he gave me a blank look, I added, “I may have been playin’ hard to get.” I shrugged. “You can’t make it too easy for ’em, you know?”

“You’re tellin’ me that when you visited Deanna McElroy at the Dollar General about a bracelet, you didn’t notice Boone Callahan trying to get information about Rebecca Threadgill?”

I gave him a sly grin. “I figured he was humoring me so he could get me back to his motel.”

He looked beyond frustrated. “Ms. Gardner, is gettin’ laid the only thing you were thinkin’ about on Monday?”

“No, I was thinkin’ about Deanna’s bracelet too.”

He took a breath then leaned forward. “Ms. Gardner, I need you to take this seriously.”

“I’m answerin’ your questions, Ranger Rollins,” I said. “What more do you want from me?”

“The truth.”

I tilted my head. “Why are you so interested in this guy? Did you fire him and he forgot to turn in his gun or something?

“No. He resigned, and the reason I’m askin’ about him isn’t important.”

“Seems like it is if you drove all the way here from Austin to ask your questions.”

He tapped his finger on the table for a full ten seconds.

“Is there anything else, Ranger Rollins?” I asked. “I’ve been here for nearly four hours, and I’m ready for lunch.” When he didn’t answer, I got to my feet. “I know my rights, and I know I don’t have to stay here. If there’s nothin’ else, I’m goin’ home.”

I started for the door, but as my hand reached the doorknob, he called after me, “He can be pretty charmin’. You wouldn’t be the first person he’s fooled.”

Cody had said the same thing, but I was proud of myself for not flinching. Instead, I spun at the waist to look at him. “There was no foolin’ me, Ranger Rollins. Like I said, I knew he wasn’t a forever situation.”

Then I walked out of the room, wondering what he’d meant.

Chapter Forty-One