Justice for Boone: Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes, Book 6 (2 page)

“Hello, my name is Deputy Yates.” She held out her hand in greeting.

“Boone Hatcher.” He shook her hand politely, then dropped it.

She stuck her thumbs in her utility belt and assumed a relaxed pose, trying to put him at ease…well as at ease as he could be in a situation like this. “Hatcher. You own this farm?”

“Yeah. It belonged to my father, and when he passed away, it came to me.”

“I’m sorry about your father.” Hayden tried to establish a rapport with the man. She’d learned over the years that getting right down to the questions was never a good way to start an interview. She had to establish some sort of trust, show the person she was human and not jump right into questioning them. “You’re obviously very successful.”

Hayden resisted the urge to squirm under his gaze. It was as if he knew exactly what she was doing. Finally, he responded, but Hayden had the feeling he was simply humoring her.

“Yeah, Hatcher Farms is one of the most successful breeding farms in Texas. We sell bulls, cattle, and semen all over the United States. It’s a large operation, but one that’s still family owned and operated.”

Hayden decided to get to it. Boone seemed like a man who’d appreciate straight talk. “What happened here today, Boone?”

He kept eye contact with her. “I already told your partner what happened.”

“But you haven’t told me. I like to hear things for myself. Make my own decisions.”

He heaved out a long breath, then spoke. “I worked late last night. One of the heifers was having a difficult birth. I came into the house and took a shower, and then heard something in the other room. I came in here and found Dana in the kitchen. She was making eggs at my stove. I didn’t invite her here, we’ve been broken up for a month. She won’t take no for an answer. We got into a verbal fight, and she didn’t like hearing me tell her that we were over…again. She grabbed her own wrist and held on tight until she bruised herself, then she told me that if I didn’t take her back, she’d make my life a living hell. She threw the bowl of eggs at me and when I didn’t rise to her bait, she hit herself, then called nine-one-one. And here we are.”

Hayden kept her face impassive while Boone was talking. It sure sounded far-fetched to her. “Okay, I’m going to go and talk to Dana and hear what she has to say. Sit tight…all right?”

She watched as any welcoming light he had in his eyes faded away. “Yeah, you do that. I know how this is going to go.”

“Sir—”

Boone waved her away and put his head back into his hands, every muscle in his body sagging in defeat.

Hayden backed away and headed into the other room.

She relied on her gut. Call it women’s intuition, call it good cop sense…whatever it was, it had rarely let her down. And at the moment, every pore in her body was telling her Boone was telling the truth. As far-fetched as it sounded, she believed him. He looked her in the eye as he told his side of the story. He wasn’t too specific, yet he wasn’t too vague either.

Jimmy had gotten Dana to sit on a chair in the other room, but she was still crying and carrying on.

“Ma’am,” Hayden interrupted Dana in a hard voice. She knew she had to try another approach with Dana. Using the “I’m your friend” technique wasn’t going to work. “I’d like to talk to you for a moment…alone.” She gave Jimmy and Troy a look, which they immediately recognized. They nodded and left without a word.

“Oh thank God, I’m so glad you’re here. No one understands what it’s like to be vulnerable like another woman.”

Hayden kept herself from rolling her eyes…barely. She’d never been vulnerable—at least not how Dana meant it—in her life. The other woman’s voice was saccharine sweet and completely fake. Hayden had heard it all the time growing up. She’d learned how to detect bullshit at an early age. Most of the time people just wanted something from her when they used that tone. Hayden knew exactly what it was that Dana wanted from her.

“Dana…right?”

“Yes. Dana Chapman.”

“Ms. Chapman, can you please tell me in your own words what happened this morning?”

“I was making breakfast for Boonie when he lost it. I’m not sure why, but he grabbed my wrist…” Dana held out her arm for Hayden’s inspection, showing her the light bruise forming there. “And when I asked him to let go of me, told him that he was hurting me, he let go but then backhanded me.” Again, she turned her head so Hayden could see the small mark on her face. “Then he threw the eggs I’d been making for him at me. Luckily I was able to dodge them so they didn’t get me all gross.”

“How did you get into the house?”

“What?”

“How did you get into the house?” Hayden repeated easily.

Obviously taken aback that Hayden wasn’t examining her wounds closer, Dana sputtered, “Boone let me in, of course.”

“When?”

“When?”

“Yeah, when did he let you in?”

“Well, this morning.”

“You didn’t spend the night?”

“No, not last night. I usually do, but I was busy and couldn’t come over.”

“When was the last time you stayed the night here?”

Dana squirmed in her seat and Hayden knew she was going to deflect the question.

“I don’t know what this has to do with anything. He
hit
me. He
hurt
me. I thought as a woman, you’d be on
my
side, that you’d understand. I know the law. I know you have to bring him in if there’s any evidence that he assaulted me.”

Hayden mentally rolled her eyes. Obviously Dana had done her research into the Texas laws. “I’m just trying to get all the information I can, Dana. When was the last time you spent the night?” She watched as Dana looked up and to the left.

“I think it was the night before last.”

“Okay. And you came over for breakfast today?”

“Yeah.” Dana again looked up and left. “He called me late last night…”

“What time?”

“What time?”

“Yeah, what time did he call you?”

“Oh, it was late…I think it was around midnight.”

“Okay, so he called you…”

“Yeah, he called me and told me he missed me and asked if I’d come over for breakfast and…you know…”

“I’m afraid I don’t know.” Hayden loved this part of interrogation. Watching people walk themselves right into a slew of lies and then exposing them was actually fun.

“Sex. He wanted to fuck me. He calls all the time when he wants to stick his dick in me.” Dana’s voice was belligerent now, and she was deliberately trying to shock her. Hayden was obviously starting to piss her off. Good.

“Okay, so he called you at midnight and asked you to come over this morning. You came over. Did you have sex?”

“Huh?”

“Sex. Did you have sex this morning?”

“Well…uh…yeah. He couldn’t keep his hands off me. As soon as I walked in the door, he attacked me.”

“So you did it in the hall?” Hayden kept the smile off her face…barely.

“Well…no. We started making out in the hall, but he carried me into his bedroom and we went at it like bunnies in there. He couldn’t wait for me to suck his dick.”

“Did you guys use contraception?”

“Huh? What the hell kind of question is that?”

“I’m just trying to get to the bottom of this.”

“Well, of course we used condoms! I mean, I know we’re dating and all, but I don’t fuck without one.”

“You’re not on the pill?”

“What kind of interrogation is this? No, I’m not on the pill! It makes me bloated and I don’t fit into my clothes.”

“Okay, so he wasn’t upset with you after you had sex?”

“No. He loves my body. Loves what I can do to his.”

“Okay, so you got up afterwards and came out here to make breakfast for him?”

“Uh huh.”

“And he came out of the bedroom and got mad at you, then hit you.”

“Yeah.” Dana’s voice was stronger now. She obviously felt like she was back on solid ground again. “I was making him his favorite breakfast and he came in and got upset with me for some stupid reason, and he hit me.”

“Do you need some ice for your face? I noticed you don’t have any on it. It might make it feel better.” Hayden’s voice was soothing and complacent.

“Oh, yeah. That would be great. Thank you.” Dana’s eyes filled with tears as if she’d turned on a faucet.

Hayden couldn’t help but be a bit impressed with the way Dana could control her tears. “I’m going to have one of the other deputies get some for you. I’m going to talk to Boone once more, then we’ll get this all straightened out.”

“You’re going to arrest him, right?”

“Don’t worry, we’ll arrest the abuser for sure.”

Dana smiled a genuine smile for the first time. “Good.”

“I’ll be right back. Sit tight.”

Hayden got up and made her way into the hallway. “Jimmy, can you please go into the kitchen and get Ms. Chapman some ice? I need to talk to Mr. Hatcher again.”

H
ayden calmly walked back
into the room where Boone was waiting. He’d turned his head so he could watch what was going on, but he kept it in his hands.

“Mr. Hatcher—”

“Boone. Please call me Boone. Mr. Hatcher makes me think you’re talking to my dad.”

Hayden nodded. “Fair enough. Boone, as you can probably guess, your version of what happened this morning differs greatly from Ms. Chapman’s version.”

Boone nodded grimly, but didn’t further proclaim his innocence.

“I have a few questions for you, if that’s okay.”

He simply shrugged.

“First, when is the last time Ms. Chapman spent the night here at your house?”

Boone sat up, as if startled at the question. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Please, just answer the questions. I know they don’t sound like they’re related, but just humor me. The quicker you answer, the quicker we’ll get out of your hair.”

Maybe it was the way she said they’d “get out of your hair.” Maybe it was a feeling of inevitability that he’d be spending the night in jail. Whatever it was, Boone obviously decided he didn’t have anything to lose by answering her. “She’s never spent the night here.”

“Never?”

“No. I didn’t sleep with her much, but when I did, I always went to her apartment.”

“How long did you date?”

“Probably only about two months or so.”

“So, she wasn’t happy with you breaking it off with her?”

Boone grimaced. “That’s the understatement of the century.”

“When did you break up?”

“A few weeks ago.”

“Have you called her recently?”

“No.”

Hayden assessed the man. His answers were quick and to the point. He looked her in the eyes as he answered her and didn’t seem to be lying at all. “If we pulled your phone records, would they prove what you’re telling me?”

“Absolutely.” The word was low and earnest. “The last time I contacted her was probably around two and a half weeks ago. She’d been calling and leaving me rambling messages, as if I hadn’t told her I wanted to stop seeing her, that things between us just weren’t working out. I called because I felt a little bit bad for her. I told her once more that we were done. If you do check my records, you’ll see that she
still
hasn’t gotten it through her skull that I don’t want anything to do with her, because she continues to call me at least twice a day, and sends me a ton of texts. None of which I want or asked for, and none of which I’ve returned.”

“How did Dana get into your house this morning?”

Boone blushed and looked away for the first time.

“Boone?”

“I didn’t invite her, if that’s what you’re thinking or what she said. She probably just walked right in. I was exhausted when I came into the house after being up all night. I didn’t lock the door behind me.”

Hayden nodded, not bothering to scold him for that. It was obvious he knew he’d screwed up there. “What’s your favorite thing to eat in the mornings?”

Boone cocked his head and looked at her again. Hayden could almost see the wheels turning in his head. His eyes bore into hers once more, communicating so many emotions she couldn’t sort through them all. It was obvious he had no idea why she was asking him the questions she was, but to his credit, he didn’t balk at the seemingly out-of-the-blue question, just answered. “Waffles.”

“Hmmmm, and has Ms. Chapman made you breakfast before?”

“Yes.”

“At her place.”

“Yes.”

“And did you tell her that waffles were your favorite breakfast?”

“No. It never came up.”

“So, she never asked.”

“No. She never asked.”

“Thank you. You’ve been very patient. And I appreciate it. I need one more thing before I think we’ll be done here.”

Boone sat patiently and waited for her to continue.

“I’d like to take a look around, if that’s all right with you. I won’t touch anything, and I won’t disturb anything.”

Hayden held Boone’s eyes. She wanted to tell him what she was thinking, but kept her thoughts to herself as she’d been taught. It was best for all parties involved. His dark brown eyes still held worry, but she couldn’t see any deception in them. He finally nodded.

“Thank you. Will you show me around?”

Boone nodded again and stood up.

Hayden bit back a gasp. Good lord, he was tall. She’d totally messed up in her assessment of him earlier. She felt shorter than most people all the time. At five-six, Hayden wasn’t very tall, especially for an officer, but Boone was easily over six feet. Hayden wasn’t frightened of his height or strength, she’d taken men like him to the ground, both in training and during her job duties. She was more…intrigued with his power. She could totally picture him wrestling one of the cows she’d seen in the field on her way in, or helping a mama cow birth her calf.

The thought of how any woman would feel cherished and safe around him flickered in her mind before she forcibly shrugged off her inappropriate thoughts. Wrong place and wrong time.

She walked with Boone into the hall, keeping herself between him and the room Dana was in. Hayden told Troy she’d be in the back of the house with Boone and she’d return in a few minutes.

Boone led the way through his house, through the kitchen and into a large family room with another comfortable-looking couch, an easy chair, and a large television on the wall. They went by a guest bathroom and went down another hall that had several doors.

Boone opened the first to show her a guest room. Hayden walked through quickly, seeing nothing out of the ordinary in the room. They continued and he showed her the linen closet, a guest bathroom and then into his office. The room was light and airy, with a large window along one wall. There was a bookcase lining another wall of the room, completely stuffed with books.

Hayden wandered over, not being able to help her curiosity. She saw books on cattle and breeding. There were some on farming next to mysteries and thrillers. There was even a stack of old farming magazines. Interspersed in the books were picture frames. Some were of an older couple, and there were some of what had to be Boone as a child with his parents. There were a few pictures of Boone with a group of men at various times in their lives.

Hayden turned back to the door to see Boone leaning against the doorframe. He’d lifted one foot and it was resting on the toe of his other battered brown cowboy boot. His arms were crossed in front of him, and Hayden knew if he’d been wearing a Stetson, it would’ve been pushed back on his head so he could see her more clearly. He was one hell of a sexy man, and the fact he was a true working cowboy made him even sexier in her eyes. She’d always been attracted to men who worked more blue collar jobs than ones who might spend their days in an office.

She mentally shook her head. She was in the middle of an investigation here and had to keep her mind on what she was doing, not the gorgeous man waiting for her.

“Great. Moving on?”

Boone stood there, examining her as if he was trying to see into her soul for a moment, then simply nodded and straightened. “My bedroom is the only room left in the house.”

They walked out of the office and headed down to the master bedroom. Once again, Boone stood at the door, giving her space to do whatever it was she was doing, while Hayden looked around.

The room was large, even with the king-size bed taking up a big chunk of the area. There were two windows in the room on perpendicular walls. There was a tall dresser next to one of the windows and a door next to the other. Hayden walked to the door and opened it. It was an enormous walk-in closet. There were shoes and boots strewn around the closet in no particular order. There were dirty clothes overflowing a hamper in the corner, which made Hayden smile a bit. Not surprising for a man who seemed to be as busy as Boone was.

There was a row of shelves on the wall that had stacks of jeans and shirts on them. There were also a couple of rows of button-down shirts hung up as well. Seeing what she expected to see, Hayden walked out of the closet and into the main room again. She looked back at the bed.

The comforter was a dark blue and brown with a southwestern design on it. The corners were tucked in tidily at the end of the bed and the whole thing was as neat as a pin. Hayden turned and went into the bathroom attached to the room and looked around.

It was a woman’s dream bathroom. There were two sinks on a large counter. Boone’s personal items were haphazardly lying on the granite next to one of them. Toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, shaving cream, and aftershave lotion. His bed might have been made, but this, along with his messy closet, was proof of his casualness when it came to housekeeping.

Hayden crouched down and opened the cabinet under the sink. She saw a small trash can and pulled it out, looking inside briefly. Seeing nothing interesting, she put it back and looked at the other items under the sink. There was a bottle of bleach, a couple bottles of shampoo, and some empty plastic bags, obviously there to replace in the trash can when needed. She stood up and looked at the shower. It was heavenly.

The shower was separate from the tub. It was bigger than any shower Hayden had ever seen before. The walls were lined with the same granite the counter was made out of. The shower head was huge, and she knew the water pressure probably felt awesome against Boone’s shoulders when he’d had a hard day. The Jacuzzi tub next to the shower was oval shaped and deep, perfect for long soaks.

Hayden ran her hand over the towel hanging over the rack, then along the countertop, before looking back up at Boone. He’d entered his bedroom then followed her to the bathroom, but had still given her space to do whatever it was she needed to do, and hadn’t interrupted her with the questions she could see swimming in his eyes.

“Thanks, Boone. I’m done here.”

He didn’t say a word, but merely raised his eyebrows and shrugged. He held out a hand as if to tell her to proceed him. Typically, Hayden wouldn’t have turned her back on a man, or woman, accused of domestic violence, but she had a pretty good idea of what had happened in the house that morning. She wasn’t in any danger from Boone. She’d bet her life on it.

“Come on, let’s get this done.” Hayden’s words were strong and firm. While she enjoyed investigating, she really liked making sure the bad guy got what was coming to him.