The Texas Ranger's Reward (Undercover Heroes) by Rebecca Winters Page B
Authors: Rebecca Winters
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what? I’m going to pick you up after school and we’re driving to
the cabin again. Melissa’s fixing dinner for us.”
“Hooray!” Casey ran to the kitchen, whooping the whole way.
Travis followed, to fix them fruit and cereal. Once they’d fed Dexter, they left
for school in the truck.
After dropping off Casey with a hug, Travis stopped for gas,
then headed to the office. Jose and Roman were waiting for him with coffee and
doughnuts. The boss had a big smile on his face. “Come on in.”
Bemused, Travis reached for his coffee and sat down, eyeing
both of them. “What’s going on?”
“Congratulations are in order.”
Chapter Six
“What are you talking about?”
Roman smiled. “I’ll let Jose tell you.”
Travis eyed the other man. “Is this about that camper?”
His colleague nodded. “An hour after I phoned in the license
plate number, I got a call. That Utah plate was stolen off a new blue Jetta on
June 5 of this year. So they checked to see if the camper was stolen.”
“Wait till you hear this next part,” Roman interjected.
Travis was all ears.
“The police in Cochise County, Arizona, have been looking for
the killer of an elderly couple, a crime that happened on June 3 of this year.
They were found in their home in Douglas, with their camper stolen. I checked
the VIN number, and it’s their camper, all right. As you know, Douglas is in
that border territory between the U.S. and Mexico.”
Travis’s heart dropped any time he heard that another innocent
person had been murdered. It hit too close to home. But a part of him was elated
that his hunch had been on target.
“What about the man you followed?”
“Adam said the guy came back to the garage about an hour later
and got in the camper. He was in there all night, and still is. He thinks the
guy’s living there. The other man disappeared into the woods and never came
back.”
Travis’s mind was reeling with possibilities. “This could be
connected to what’s going on at the Roberts cabin. Considering the close
proximity between the camper and their place, that other man could be making
himself at home there. But it’s still early days.”
“I agree,” Roman said.
Travis looked at his boss. “Let’s sit on what we know for now,
and just keep them under surveillance. I’ll be talking to forensics in a few
minutes, to see what they’ve come up with so far. Later on I’ll be going up to
the cabin again, to check the tapes and the listening device.
“Before we make official inquiries, I’ll ask Melissa if she
knows who owns that vacant cabin and garage. I meant to ask her earlier, but got
distracted. If the intruders were there last night, then we’ll know a lot more
than we do now, and can decide how to proceed. Jose? Have we found out who
bought Grampy’s yet?”
“Lon’s still working on it. Hopefully he’ll get back to us
sometime today.”
Roman leaned forward. “You’re on to something big, Travis. I
feel it in my bones.” His solemn expression changed to a gleeful one. “I barely
put you on the case and already you’ve turned up a couple of possible
killers.”
Travis eyed Jose. “Thanks to a great backup team.”
“Agreed,” Roman said. “How did you know about the hidden
camper?”
“On Monday the guy with the buzz cut waited on Melissa and me
at Grampy’s, this burger shop in Kamas. He leered at her in a way that alarmed
her. I sensed something about him wasn’t right, so I asked Jose to check him
out.”
Their boss grinned. “And just like that you’ve helped solve
cases that have stumped lawmen in two states. I’ll get the police chief on the
phone. He’ll contact the cops in Douglas, but I’ll make it clear you’re in the
middle of a sting and don’t want anything to leak until you find out what’s
going on at the cabin.”
“Appreciate that, Roman.”
“You were born with an instinct for this business, comrade.
Talk to you later.”
Travis nodded and stood up. “Come to
the cabin again. Melissa’s fixing dinner for us.”
“Hooray!” Casey ran to the kitchen, whooping the whole way.
Travis followed, to fix them fruit and cereal. Once they’d fed Dexter, they left
for school in the truck.
After dropping off Casey with a hug, Travis stopped for gas,
then headed to the office. Jose and Roman were waiting for him with coffee and
doughnuts. The boss had a big smile on his face. “Come on in.”
Bemused, Travis reached for his coffee and sat down, eyeing
both of them. “What’s going on?”
“Congratulations are in order.”
Chapter Six
“What are you talking about?”
Roman smiled. “I’ll let Jose tell you.”
Travis eyed the other man. “Is this about that camper?”
His colleague nodded. “An hour after I phoned in the license
plate number, I got a call. That Utah plate was stolen off a new blue Jetta on
June 5 of this year. So they checked to see if the camper was stolen.”
“Wait till you hear this next part,” Roman interjected.
Travis was all ears.
“The police in Cochise County, Arizona, have been looking for
the killer of an elderly couple, a crime that happened on June 3 of this year.
They were found in their home in Douglas, with their camper stolen. I checked
the VIN number, and it’s their camper, all right. As you know, Douglas is in
that border territory between the U.S. and Mexico.”
Travis’s heart dropped any time he heard that another innocent
person had been murdered. It hit too close to home. But a part of him was elated
that his hunch had been on target.
“What about the man you followed?”
“Adam said the guy came back to the garage about an hour later
and got in the camper. He was in there all night, and still is. He thinks the
guy’s living there. The other man disappeared into the woods and never came
back.”
Travis’s mind was reeling with possibilities. “This could be
connected to what’s going on at the Roberts cabin. Considering the close
proximity between the camper and their place, that other man could be making
himself at home there. But it’s still early days.”
“I agree,” Roman said.
Travis looked at his boss. “Let’s sit on what we know for now,
and just keep them under surveillance. I’ll be talking to forensics in a few
minutes, to see what they’ve come up with so far. Later on I’ll be going up to
the cabin again, to check the tapes and the listening device.
“Before we make official inquiries, I’ll ask Melissa if she
knows who owns that vacant cabin and garage. I meant to ask her earlier, but got
distracted. If the intruders were there last night, then we’ll know a lot more
than we do now, and can decide how to proceed. Jose? Have we found out who
bought Grampy’s yet?”
“Lon’s still working on it. Hopefully he’ll get back to us
sometime today.”
Roman leaned forward. “You’re on to something big, Travis. I
feel it in my bones.” His solemn expression changed to a gleeful one. “I barely
put you on the case and already you’ve turned up a couple of possible
killers.”
Travis eyed Jose. “Thanks to a great backup team.”
“Agreed,” Roman said. “How did you know about the hidden
camper?”
“On Monday the guy with the buzz cut waited on Melissa and me
at Grampy’s, this burger shop in Kamas. He leered at her in a way that alarmed
her. I sensed something about him wasn’t right, so I asked Jose to check him
out.”
Their boss grinned. “And just like that you’ve helped solve
cases that have stumped lawmen in two states. I’ll get the police chief on the
phone. He’ll contact the cops in Douglas, but I’ll make it clear you’re in the
middle of a sting and don’t want anything to leak until you find out what’s
going on at the cabin.”
“Appreciate that, Roman.”
“You were born with an instinct for this business, comrade.
Talk to you later.”
Travis nodded and stood up. “Come to
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