Читать книгу Son of Texas - Linda Warren, Linda Warren - Страница 10

WORDS FELT LIKE A WAD of cotton in Belle’s throat and she couldn’t force them out. Her eyes clung to Caleb’s and she memorized every line of his honed, lean face, the sensual curve of his mouth, the dark hair, neatly trimmed, and those incredible warm eyes.

Before she could speak, Lencha stroked her face, her hair. “Child, where have you been? Why did you leave like that?”

Belle stared into Lencha’s gray eyes and saw the worry and concern. She would talk to Caleb later. Now she had to tell Lencha what had happened to her.

“Lencha, this is Caleb McCain, a Texas Ranger.”

Lencha turned to Caleb, Chula on her shoulder. She studied him openly. “Texas Ranger, hmm? Had a cousin who was a ranger back in the old days when a ranger was all the law we had out here. Nice to meet you.” She shook his hand.

“Nice to meet you, too, ma’am.” He glanced at Chula. “Don’t think I’ve ever seen a pet squirrel before.”

Lencha scratched Chula. “Found her as a baby in the backyard. Must have fallen out of a nest. I fed her with an eyedropper and she’s been a pet ever since. She’s like a cat, but I can’t leave her alone in the house or she’ll tear up everything.” Her eyes narrowed. “So what are you doing with my Josie?”

Josie took Lencha’s arm and led her to the kitchen table. “It’s a long story….”

Josie told her everything about her ordeal—waking up on Austin’s skid row, the bullet in her head, the cult, the memory loss, the struggle back to reality and the kind people who helped her.

“Santa Maria madre de Dios!” Lencha made the sign of the cross. “Child, are you okay?”

“Partly. I still don’t remember how I ended up in Austin or what made me leave Beckett.”

Lencha jumped up. “Ojo.”

“No, Lencha…” But Lencha was already out the door.

“Ojo?” Caleb asked with a lifted brow.

She sighed. “It’s the eye. The evil eye. It’s Mexican—if a person looks at your child and thinks things, good or bad, about them, it can cause high fever, crying or fussiness or something like that. I’m not up on this stuff, but when I was small I had a real high fever and the doctors couldn’t keep it down. Mama was worried and called Lencha and she came to Corpus. My mom and dad scoffed at a lot of Lencha’s rituals, but were willing to try anything. After Lencha did her thing, my fever was under control within thirty minutes.”

Lencha hurried back in, her gray hair everywhere, making her look like a witch. In her hands she carried a brown egg, a sprig of rosemary and a bottle of brackish greenish liquid. She filled a glass with water and brought everything to the table. Saying a prayer in Spanish, she rubbed the liquid all over Josie, even her clothes.

“Lencha!” Josie protested, twitching her nose at the strong scent.

“What is that?” Caleb asked, and Josie met his eyes, not sure how to explain Lencha and her healing methods. But she knew she didn’t have to. Caleb was very open-minded, understanding… The pungent smell of the herbs filled her nostrils and stopped her thoughts.

“Basil, rosemary and rue. A limpia, a cleanser to expunge evil forces,” Lencha replied, taking some liquid in her mouth and spitting it over Josie.

“Lencha,” Josie protested again, but Lencha paid no attention to her. She held Josie’s head with both hands and said another prayer.

Then she took the egg and rosemary in one hand and rubbed it over Josie’s head and body.

“Lencha, this is for babies,” Josie protested, “and I’m beginning to stink.”

“Shh.” In Spanish she said another prayer and broke the egg into the water. “See, the albumen is milky and murky. The evil has been extracted. She made the sign of the cross. “Now, we’ve broken the spell.”

“Lencha…”

Lencha wagged a finger in her face. “Don’t scoff at the old ways. They work. This might be a little different, but it will work, too. Someone looked upon you with envy or malice.” Lencha touched her face. “How could they not? You’re so beautiful, just like my sweet Marie.” She took a seat and held Josie’s hands. Lencha was known for her healing remedies and Josie suspected that most of the time she made a lot of them up. Belief was a powerful thing, though. Lencha had told her that many times.

Josie glanced at Caleb. He didn’t seem surprised or shocked at Lencha’s methods. Just interested. After a minute, he spoke. “Maybe you can help us in other ways, too. When was the last time you saw Bell…I mean Josie?”

Lencha nodded. “Remember it well. I do midwifing when I’m needed. Lot of Mexicans here are illegal. The Garcia’s daughter went into labor and they called me. They’re illegal and didn’t want to go to a hospital, afraid of being sent back to Mexico. I was there all night. She gave birth about five and I got home around seven. Josie’s car wasn’t in the garage and I thought she was at work, but her room light was on and the door was open so I went in. A suitcase was on the bed with some clothes thrown into it and her gun and badge were on the nightstand. I thought that was peculiar so I called Eric and he said Josie left work yesterday to go visit with her grandfather and…”

“Who’s Eric?” The name created a mass of confusion inside Josie and she had to know. Or it could be the herbs were clearing her sinuses.

Lencha looked perplexed, then patted Josie’s hands. “Child, he’s your fiancé. Tall, blond, good-looking guy. Eric Hanson’s a lieutenant on the police force here. You two hit it off the moment you set eyes on each other.”

A fiancé? She was engaged to be married? To Eric…Hanson. She closed her eyes and tried to see his face, but all she could see was Caleb’s. The only man who’d occupied her mind totally. She gritted her teeth and forced Caleb away, but nothing was there. Why couldn’t she remember this man she’d loved and was planning to spend the rest of her life with? Panic took root and she slowly calmed herself.

“When was the last time you saw Josie, Mrs. Peabody?” Caleb’s soothing voice brought her back to the conversation. For a long time now, she thought of his voice like a glass of warm milk. When she was small and she’d have nightmares, her mother would give her a glass of warm milk and it would calm her and make her feel safe. That’s what his voice did—made her feel safe and secure. As a child, she needed the warm milk. As an adult, she needed Caleb. But soon that dependency would fade. She had to stop leaning on him and accept her life. Accept Eric.

“I saw her that morning before she left for work. She was happy, energetic and excited about finding a girl who was missing. She went to work and I never saw her again.” She reached out and touched Josie’s face. “Oh, child, I thought I’d lost you like I’d lost your mother.”

Even though Marie had never returned to Beckett, Lencha visited often and she’d been one of the reasons Josie had come to Beckett. She was the only link to her mother’s family and she wanted to be around someone who’d loved her parents, who had understood what she was going through.

“That old buzzard had something to do with this. I know he did.” Lencha’s voice turned cold and accusing.

After Boone had pressured Brett into a loveless marriage and Marie had left Beckett, Lencha and Boone had become bitter enemies. Lencha had put several curses on him, but her curses never fazed the indomitable Boone Beckett.

“Mrs. Peabody…”

Lencha held up a hand. “Please call me Lencha. Mrs. Peabody died when my husband did. I’m just Lencha now.”

“Lencha.” Caleb inclined his head. “You said Josie was excited about finding a missing girl. Do you remember the girl’s name?”

Lencha shook her head. “No. Josie never talked about her cases and she’s not one to gossip.”

Josie listened with a surreal feeling, as if they were talking about someone else. Nothing was ringing any bells. Except Eric.

She swallowed. “I was going to see my grandfather. What happened after that?”

“Eric said you had a big argument with Lorna and was very upset. You called him and said you were leaving Beckett and never coming back and that you’d call as soon as you reached Corpus. He tried to talk you out of it and asked you to wait until he was off duty, but you wouldn’t listen. You even called Dennis Fry, the police chief, and told him you couldn’t stay in Beckett any longer.”

Complete silence followed those words. Caleb looked at Josie and her olive skin was a sickly white. He wanted to stop the questions, but he couldn’t. It was time to keep the answers coming.

“I called your parents’ house in Corpus every day, sometimes three times a day, and there was never an answer. Finally the phone was disconnected and I knew something was wrong. You always kept up with the bills.”

“Did you do anything?” Caleb asked.

“You better believe I did.” Lencha snorted. “Eric and I went out to Silver Spur and confronted the biggest, meanest buzzard around. The type of buzzard who’ll pick your bones before you’re dead. Big Boone said Josie got a little upset with Lorna and in a few days she’d calm down and come back. When she didn’t, I filed a missing person’s report with Dennis, but never heard a damn word. I didn’t give up, though. Kept bugging the hell out of him.”

“And nothing happened?”

“Not until a few minutes ago when Josie walked in. All those potions and spells I’ve been weaving kept you alive and my precious child is back.” Lencha grabbed Josie and they hugged again.

Caleb stood, knowing nothing was adding up. If a missing person’s report had been filed, then it should have been in the system. They would have known who Belle was months ago. There were some shady dealings going on and he intended to get some honest answers.

“Do you remember the date Josie left?”

“Sure do. February twentieth.” Lencha pulled an old calendar out of a drawer and opened it. “See, I wrote it down.”

He stared at the date circled in red. They had the timeline almost correct. Belle had said it was very cold when she’d been taken to the cult’s compound. The area had experienced a freezing winter last January and February. She’d been with the cult until mid-April when Eli and the FBI had infiltrated the group. The time from the twentieth until the cult had found her was still a mystery. It couldn’t have been long, though—days at the most. It had been almost fourteen months since she’d been missing.

Time to find more answers.

While Lencha was fixing something to drink, Caleb pulled Josie aside. “I’m going over to the police station to see what I can find out, then I’ll head out to the Silver Spur Ranch.”

“No,” she said in a strong voice. “It’s time for you to go. I can sort out my life now and I have to stop depending on you.”

He saw that determined expression, the stubborn set of her jaw, but he wasn’t leaving. “No way.” He shook his head. “I said I’d stay until your full memory returned and it hasn’t. You know me well enough to know that I always keep my word.”

“Yes.” She bit her lip.

“I’m not leaving you until we know who tried to kill you. It’s not safe until then. Your memory is returning so that shouldn’t be too much longer.” He touched the frown on her forehead. “Besides Gertie’d have my hide if I left without knowing you were completely safe.”

“Okay.” She gave in with a slight smile. “I wish I could go with you, but I know it’s best if no one sees me for now.” She looked down at herself. “And I really need to get cleaned up. I’m beginning to smell.”

Caleb grinned. “I thought Gertie was eccentric.”

She met his grin with one of her own. “Lencha’s a colorful person. Some people call her a witch, but she’s not. She just knows how to cure a lot of ailments with remedies from her grandmother. I’m not sure about the evil stuff, and my mother wasn’t, either. My mom loved her dearly, but said Lencha liked to put on a show.”

Unable to resist, he tucked a stray tendril behind her ear. “Get reacquainted with Lencha and try not to worry.”

A pained expression came over her face. “I don’t remember Eric and I should. Why…”

“Belle…Josie, please, don’t stress over it. It’s all going to come back to you.” He had the hardest time calling her Josie, but he was trying.

“I suppose.”

“See you in a little while.” He walked out the door, turning into an investigating ranger, instead of a man whose heart was dangerously close to breaking.

THE POLICE BUILDING was easy to find, a redbrick structure on the end of Main Street with two police cars parked in the side lot. He went in through the front door into a reception room. A green-eyed blonde, somewhere in her thirties, sat at a small desk, answering phone calls.

She hung up. “May I help you?”

“Caleb McCain, Texas Ranger. I’m here to see Chief Fry.”

“Oh, oh.” She pointed to a door. “He’s the first door on the right.”

“Thank you.”

He walked into a larger room with several more desks. Two police officers dressed in traditional blue were working there. One was blond and Caleb knew he had to be Eric. A hard knot formed in his stomach as he knocked on the appointed door. When he heard an answer, he went in.

A balding man in a starched white shirt was writing in a file at his desk. He raised his head as Caleb entered.

“What can I do for you?” The chief laid down his pen.

Caleb walked forward with his hand outstretched. “Caleb McCain, Texas Ranger. I’m working a case and could use some help.”

Dennis stood and shook his hand. In his forties, medium height with a slight pouch, Dennis had a friendly smile.

“Chadwick is the ranger in this county so you must be from another area. Have a seat.”

Caleb settled his frame into a vinyl chair. “Yes, I am. I’ve notified Chadwick that I’m in the area.” Rangers were respectful of each other’s territory and they worked well together. There was nothing stronger than the ranger bond and brotherhood. Caleb had had a long talk with Chadwick before leaving Austin and if he needed any help all he had to do was call him.

Dennis eased into his chair, the springs creaking from the weight. “What can I help you with?”

Caleb pulled a small photo of Josie from his pocket, one that Gertie had taken. He pushed it across the desk, watching the man’s face. “Do you know this woman?”

“Well, I’ll be damned. That’s Josie Marie Beckett. She used to be on the police force.” Dennis leaned back, a sly grin on his face. “But you knew that, didn’t you, Ranger McCain?”

Caleb retrieved the photo and slipped it back into his pocket. It was the only photo he had of Belle and he wasn’t parting with it. “Yes. I knew she worked here. I’m trying to find out what happened to her.”

“I’d sure as hell like to know, too. Damn good officer. She called me at home and said she had to leave and that she was sorry. We haven’t seen hide nor hair of her since.”

“Did you try to find her?”

“Boone was in here every day demanding results. We sent out bulletins and checked the house in Corpus. Nothing. Josie had a big blowup with the Becketts and I guess she just didn’t want to be found.” He leaned forward. “So Boone’s got the Rangers involved. I hope you find her. It’ll get a lot of people off my back, including Lencha Peabody and her curses and her spells.”