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And then she heard the inbound chopper and looked up above his head.
“The cavalry has arrived,” she said.
“They can pick up the pieces of this mess,” Cameron said. “As soon as you clear it with them, I’m taking you home.”
“I won’t argue with that,” Rusty said. “But I need to talk to them first.”
“Fine. But I’m right beside you,” he said.
Rusty slid out of the seat and leaned into his embrace.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she said.
***
The chopper was coming in for a landing when Pickard looked down.
“There’s an ambulance on-site.”
Howard frowned. “Maybe it was called in with the backup,” he said, and then they were on the ground and he saw Rusty Caldwell standing near the office with Pope’s arm around her.
“Don’t shut down. We won’t be long,” Howard said.
They got out running, ducking their heads against the flying dust as they headed to the office.
“You missed all the shouting,” Rusty said as they arrived.
Cameron gave her a look. “So did you.”
Rusty shrugged. “He’s right. I was somewhat unconscious for a while. You’ll have to get the lowdown from Cameron and the police chief.”
Howard frowned. “Did you get Barton?”
“Uh, technically, Ghost got Barton.”
Pickard blinked. “A ghost?”
“Not a ghost. My dog, Ghost,” Cameron said. “Barton’s inside getting patched up. Ghost rearranged a little bit of his face.”
“Jesus,” Howard muttered, and walked inside, his eyes popping when he saw Barton flat on his back getting bandages on his cheek and another man bloody and unconscious on the other side of the room.
Barton was moaning and cursing. “You shot Bear. You sonsabitches shot my brother.”
Rusty froze. “Bear? Oh my God! The unknown man is Barton’s twin!”
Jack Barton heard her. “Yes, he’s my twin. We found each other through a DNA test site. He’s why I bought land here. Why I built the campground. So we could be together… And you killed him.”
Chief Warren toed the heel of Barton’s shoe.
“Well, it’s obvious you two are brothers. You both seem to be missing a measure of good sense. Kelly tried to kill a federal agent, thinking you were dead, when you were only dog bit. And you’re threatening and cursing a blue streak about your brother being dead, and he’s just unconscious from a shoulder wound. You need to stop talking while you’re still ahead,” Warren drawled.
Rusty moved into Barton’s line of sight.
“Chief Warren is right,” she said. “We already knew a man named Bear was responsible for getting Emily Payne and Kevin Vanzant sucked into your gang. And God only knows how many other innocent women he dumped in your lap. But we didn’t know who Bear was…until now. He was the last unknown, and you’re the one who gave him up.”
Howard waved an arrest warrant in Barton’s face and read him his rights, and then they pulled him up to his feet as the second ambulance rolled onto the scene.
The second EMT crew came running into the building, unprepared for the scene before them, then saw B.J. Kelly on the floor and raced toward him. They dropped to their knees beside him. One was cutting off his shirt to get to the wound, while the other paused long enough to ask, “What happened?”
