Sweet Talking Lawman (27 page)

^^^

Rafe had observed the
man’s ungainly gait as he rushed to the truck and realized he was hurt. 
Quickly he hurried to his own vehicle, but instead of giving pursuit, he drove
up the two-track lane to where Mesa waited.  While he drove, he was able
to brief Levi about the situation and get an update on what was taking place at
the now disassembled meth lab on the banks of the river.  He told them
where he was leaving the mare and the stallion and was assured that the animals
would be taken care of.

When he reached her,
he jumped from the SUV and quickly scooped her into his arms and deposited her
in the passenger seat.  Making sure her seatbelt was secured, he rushed
around the vehicle and slid behind the steering wheel again.

The small path didn’t
allow room to turn around, so he shifted the SUV into reverse and backed all
the way back to the barn, where he executed a quick turn and headed toward the
hospital.

Mesa had known that
once the numbness of shock wore off, the leg injury would become painful, but
she wasn’t prepared for the magnitude of the pain.  By the time she was
fastened into the SUV, the pain was making itself felt and she had trouble
thinking about anything else.  She heard Rafe telling her that he was
taking her to the hospital, but could only manage a groan in response, and as
they reached the highway and picked up speed, she heard him engage the siren
and the emergency lights.  She tried to stay conscious, but after a few
seconds, her head slumped to the side and she slipped into blessed darkness.

Rafe swore and prayed
alternately, fearing that she’d lost too much blood, and when he flew past
Rance’s truck in the ditch on the side of the road a few miles down the road,
he didn’t even slow down.  He called Levi and informed him, telling him
the shooter had been injured, and warning them to approach the vehicle with
caution.  Then he called his night dispatcher and had her alert the
hospital that two gunshot victims were in route, so the staff could be prepared
for his arrival with Mesa and the ambulance’s arrival with Bob.

He drove through the
darkness of early morning, the lights on the top of his SUV flashing and the
scream of the siren shattering the first glimmering of light, hoping with
everything in him that Mesa wouldn’t bleed out before he got her to help.

^^^

Mesa was cold. 
Colder than she could ever remember being, but she wasn’t able to do anything
to rectify it.  Somewhere, in the darkness that surrounded her, she head a
moan, but it wasn’t important.  She didn’t mind the darkness. 
Somehow, she knew that she was hiding there from someone or something, so
staying there was the safe place to be.

Then, again from some
distant place outside the darkness, she heard someone speaking her name. 
No, she thought silently.  Don’t say my name.  The…bad thing will
find me.  She clung steadfastly to the darkness, needing its security.

A nurse in the
recovery room covered her with a heated blanket and tucked it in around her and
recognized the relief as Mesa’s body began to relax and absorb the warmth.

Secure in the
darkness, Mesa’s body welcomed the warmth now surrounding her and for a few
minutes she embraced the comfort.

^^^

Rafe stood beside the
bed in the recovery room, thankful that she would recover, and that the doctor
had given permission for him to be there as she began to come out from under
the anesthetic that had kept her asleep while they repaired the damage to her
leg.

“Mesa, baby,” he
murmured softly.  “It’s over.  Time to wake up.”

Still in the cloak of
darkness, Mesa recognized his voice.  Rafe was here!  She was safe if
Rafe was with her.  But the darkness was thick and hard to move away
from.  Where before, the darkness represented safety, now it was
separating her from Rafe, so she struggled through it and finally managed to
open her eyes a tiny crack.  “Rafe?”  It was barely a whisper.

He grinned down at
her and leaned down to nuzzle against her cheek.  “It’s over, baby. 
You’re gonna be fine.”

“I…am?”  Her
voice was slurred and her memory fuzzy.  “What…happened?”

Knowing how groggy
she was, Rafe knew there wasn’t much sense in explaining it because she
wouldn’t remember it later, so he leaned over and kissed her gently. 
“Nothing for you to worry about.  Just rest and while you’re sleeping,
dream about our wedding.”

Her eyes rounded in
surprise.  “We’re…gettin’…a wed…ding?”

He grinned and
nodded, her jumbled question reminding him of Raale.

She smiled, the fog
of anesthesia still clouding her thoughts.  “Wow,” she sighed
happily.  “I’m finally…gonna marry… you.”

Uci stood near the
door and came forward to take his place beside the bed.  “Alright, you’ve
seen her awake and know she’s going to be fine.  I’m with her and you need
to go finish the work you’ve got to do.”

He glanced at his
watch and nodded, hating to leave, but responsibility tugged at him. 
“When she wakes up enough to remember what happened, call me so I can talk to
her.  Okay?”

The old woman nodded
her grayed head.  “Now, shoo out of here, Sheriff Storm Horse.  Make
this county safe so our little girl can come home again.”

Leaving Mesa’s room,
he stopped at the nurse’s station and found Trish, his cousin.  She was
happy to tell him that although Bob’s condition was serious, the old cowboy
seemed to be not just holding his own, but gaining strength fast enough to
surprise the doctors.

“He told Dr. Potter
that if he’d let me sneak him in a beer and a rare steak, he’d be ready to go
home tomorrow,” she laughed softly.

Rafe grinned. 
“He’s a tough old knocker.”  He gently tapped her nose.  “You take
care of my lady, you hear me?”

She batted his hand
away and grinned.  “Uci and I’ll make sure she’s taken care of. 
Don’t you worry.”

Striding through the
corridor of the medical facility, he gave thanks that Bob, as well as Mesa,
would be alright, but now he had to turn his focus on finding the head of the
snake that had brought this dangerous toxicity to Morgan County and cut it off.

While he was at the
hospital, he stopped by the emergency room to check on the condition of the
shooter who had, as far as he knew, been the trigger man for all the
shootings.  When they’d brought him in, Levi had brought him up to date as
far as he knew at the time, but now, his head deputy was busy at the office,
questioning the prisoners they’d rounded up at the meth lab.

The ER desk assured
him that the doctor was doing everything he could, but the prognosis wasn’t
favorable.

“I need to see
him.  The doctor can work on him while I talk to him,” he insisted, but
she shook her head negatively.

“The doctor is
prepping him for surgery, Sheriff and I don’t have the power to let you go in
there.  That’s against hospital policy.”  Her reply was meant to be
final.

Rafe felt his control
slipping and tamped it down to a manageable level.  “Well, I hope this
doesn’t cause you trouble, but I don’t give a damn about hospital policy. 
I’ve been dealing with this situation since yesterday.  I’m tired, I’m
dirty and I haven’t been to sleep since night before last.  Needless to
say, I’m in a pissy mood.  That bastard has shot four people that I know
of, since yesterday, and if I can get some information out of him I intend to
do it and policy be damned.  Now you need to tell me where I can find him
or I’ll find him on my own.”

The woman pressed a
button to summon security and stepped back until she was sure he couldn’t reach
her.  “I’ve called security.  You need to leave.”

Rafe pulled his cell
phone out of his pocket and called Judge Wilton.  The judge’s secretary
put him through to the judge as two security guards appeared in the ER. 
Rafe lifted one finger toward them, indicating he needed a minute, and to his
surprise they stopped.

“I need to talk to a
suspect being treated in the ER and, I need you to clear this with hospital
administration, asap.”  Then he cut his eyes toward the security
men.  “Have him call the desk here in the ER, because I’m facing two
security guards, and if they try to throw me out, somebody’s gonna need
admitting here.  I’ve got to talk to that suspect.”

He closed the phone
and looked into the bigger security man’s eyes.  “Now, if you think you’re
man enough to take me on, come on.  I’m not leaving.”

The guard’s face
split into a grin.  “Hell, I ain’t fighting with you, Storm Horse. 
Come on, I’ll help you find the guy you’re looking for.”

Rafe arched one dark
brow suspiciously and the guard shrugged as he turned and indicated with one
hand that Rafe should follow him.  “Mazie’s new and just didn’t understand
protocol.  Dr. Hodges would not have us stand in the way of you enforcing
the law, Sheriff, and he’s the head man.”

The woman behind the
desk harrumphed loudly and realizing she had lost control of the situation,
decided to be more cooperative.  “He’s in exam room seven.”

The burly guard led
Rafe through the hall to a small curtain enclosed alcove.  “In there.”

Rafe nodded. 
“Thanks, man.  I appreciate your help.”  He opened the curtain and
stepped inside.

The nurse and the
attending physician looked up in surprise, his gloved hands bloody as he lifted
a gory swab from the man’s seeping wound.

“I’m Sheriff Rafe
Storm Horse and I need to talk to this man.”  Even as he spoke, his eyes
were fastened to the man on the gurney.

The doctor’s eyes
fell to the badge securely clipped to one side of Rafe’s belt buckle and he
shrugged.  “Fine by me.  He’s certainly not the most pleasant patient
I’ve ever treated, and I’ve done all I can for him.  They’re getting an
operating room ready for him as we speak.  This has been a hell of a
morning.  This guy is our third gunshot victim.”

Without looking at
the doctor, the big lawman nodded.  “Yeah, and this…gentleman is the one
who put the bullets in the other two victims, along with two more that went to
the morgue.”

Rafe felt the focus
of the cold eyes as the shooter turned his head slowly and looked up at
him.  Rafe met that flat, icy glare steadily.  “I’ve been informed by
Dr. Hodges that you probably won’t survive the surgery,” Rafe lied without any
hesitation.  “Is there someone you want us to notify?”

The man’s head moved
weakly from side to side.

Rafe shrugged his
broad shoulders.  “No one.  Okay.  Want us to get your name
right on the plot we bury you in?”

The man’s eyes
wavered, but then he spoke.  “Fisher.  Leonard Fisher.”

Rafe pulled a small
pad from his pocket and jotted the name down.  “I know you didn’t come in
to this county and set up that meth lab yourself.  You’re working for
somebody and I need his name.”  He paused for only a minute and then
continued.  “I’m looking at you for killing that kid on the motorcycle,
taking out Shiver’s right hand man, and the other one at the river, plus you
almost killed that old cowboy and tried to kill my fiancée.  Personally,
you living or dying don’t matter a damn to me, but I can promise you that if by
some miracle you do make it through surgery, your boss will be not take kindly,
knowing that you got yourself caught.  Your life won’t be worth crap
unless I offer you protection.”

Resignation settled
onto Fisher’s face.  He already knew what the lawman was telling him and
he knew what the sheriff wanted in exchange for that protection.  “Shiver is
the only…one I know, but there…are others.”

Rafe frowned. 
“Which Shiver?”

“The one
that’s…mayor.  That…other one’s…dumber than…dirt.”

“Tell me about the
kid, Hal Cartwright.”  Rafe said firmly.

“He was…part of it,
but…wanted out.  Shiver…told me…to make sure…nobody else…decided they
wanted…out.  I did.”  Fisher’s attempt at a chuckle sounded more like
he was strangling.  “Should’a…took you…and your…deputies out…that
same…night, too.”

Rafe looked at the
doctor and the nurse standing on the other side of the gurney.  “You’re
both witnesses if this…man doesn’t survive.”  He added their names onto
the page of his note pad.

Having obtained that
information he turned on his heel and left them.

He called Judge
Wilton back on his phone.  “I’m headed to the court house to arrest Ralph
Shiver for involvement in the meth lab we broke up last night.  “I’m not
expecting a fight from him, but...”  He was cut off by the judge and then
chuckled dryly.  “The shooter gave me his name, and I have reputable witnesses.” 
Another brief pause.  “Yeah, it’ll stand up in court.”

He left the hospital
and climbed into his SUV, the phone still to his ear.  “Hell, Judge, if
you want to be in on it, just stand at the door of your office.  I’ll make
sure we come by that way as we leave the courthouse with the honorable mayor in
cuffs.”  When he finished his call to the judge, he called Levi and asked
him to meet him at the court house without explaining why.

Walking up the
sidewalk to the courthouse a few minutes later, Rafe suddenly realized he’d
left Spur at the Rocking H.  Quickly he called Levi and asked if he’d seen
the dog.

Levi’s short
masculine laugh in response to the question unaccountably irritated him, but
Rafe didn’t acknowledge it.

“Anderson and Gibby
made sure all the horses were taken back to the barn and were put up. 
Anderson found Spur at the barn and brought him to the office.  You need
him?” came the verbal reply.

“No.  Let him
stay there and rest.  He’s probably wrung out.”  Rafe spotted Levi’s
patrol vehicle approaching the courthouse and stopped at the door to wait for
his deputy.

Levi hopped out after
parking his unit and jogged up the walkway to join his boss.  “I know your
mind’s running like crazy for you to have forgotten that dog for this long,” he
observed as he approached the Sheriff, casually continuing the conversation.

Rafe chuckled. 
“All of a sudden I missed the sound of his claws ticking against the sidewalk
and realized that I’d left him with the horses.”

“Well, I left him
asleep on his bed in your office.”  He cast a quick glance at the edifice
they stood before.  “So what’re we doing here?”

Rafe made a quick
explanation.

“Well, I’ll be a
son-of-a-sawed-off-shotgun,” Levi retorted as he shook his head in
disbelief.  “How long you think that meth lab was up and running?”

Rafe shrugged. 
“We’ll probably get a better idea once we check through Shiver’s
financials.  According to Fisher, he’s not the only one.  Just the
only one Fisher knew by name.”

“Is he gonna make
it?”  The head deputy was still frowning at the realization that the drug
trade had made its way into city government, right here in his hometown.

“Probably,” Rafe
responded.  Then he turned and started walking.  “But keep that info
to yourself for now.”

Side by side, the two
lawmen walked through the corridors of the courthouse and up the stairs to the
second floor where the Mayor’s office was located.

Entering the office,
Rafe grinned at the receptionist in the outer office.

“Good morning,
Gretchen.  Is the Mayor in?” he asked.

“Morning, Sheriff,
Levi.  Yes, he’s in, but he’s with someone.  Should I buzz him to see
when he’ll be available?” she replied, automatically smoothing her upswept hair
in the presence of two of the county’s most eligible bachelors.

Rafe shook his head
negatively.  “No.  In fact, why don’t you take a little break? 
Maybe go down to the break room for about ten minutes.”

Her carefully shaped
brows arched.  “I’m not scheduled for a break, Sheriff, and the Mayor
wouldn’t like for me to leave without him knowing.”

He looked at her for
the length of several heartbeats before he spoke again.  “Ms. Holmes, you
need to be out of the office for a few minutes, starting now.”

The tone of his voice
radiated with authority and conveyed the message that he expected her
cooperation.  She shifted back in her chair, but then stood up and
hesitated only a second or two before she nodded and walked out the door.

Making sure she was
headed down the stairs, Rafe turned, crossed the reception area and opened the
door to the Mayor’s private office.

Immediately, the man
behind the big desk jumped to his feet, anger at the unannounced interruption,
shading his face.  “What are you…” his voice lifted in volume. 
“Gretchen.”

Rafe glanced around
the room, taking in the two men seated across from the mayor, both of them now
standing as well.  “I sent her downstairs for a few minutes, Mayor
Shiver.”  He strode across the office and around behind the desk where the
object of his attention stood, blustering in shocked surprise.  He grabbed
one of the older man’s wrists and jerked it around behind his back as he pushed
the chair aside and pulled his handcuffs from his utility belt.  “Ralph
Shiver, you are under arrest for conspiring to manufacture and distribute
methamphetamines and for ordering the death of Hal Carpenter.  You have
the right to an attorney.  If you can’t afford one, one will be provided
for you.  You have the right to remain silent.  If you give up that
right, anything you say, can and will be used against you in a court of
law.  Do you understand your rights as I’ve stated them to you?”

“What the hell are
you doing?” the mayor suddenly roared as Rafe fastened the handcuffs around one
wrist and pulled his other hand behind him for the same action.  “Have you
lost your mind?  I am the Mayor of this town.”

Rafe shrugged. 
“But we’re pretty sure that won’t be for long, Mr. Mayor.  The citizens of
Morgan County deserve someone who’s looking out for their best interests, not
some glorified drug dealer hiding behind this desk.”

Shocked by the scene
going down before them, the other two men were being closely scrutinized by
Levi while Rafe cuffed the mayor.  Then the deputy’s soft voice drew their
attention.  “Gentlemen, we’ll be needing to talk with you at a later time,
but for now, you can go.  Just don’t leave town.”

Later, Rafe sat in
his office for a few minutes, allowing his mind to slow down.  Feeling a
little more in control, he buzzed Beth on his intercom.  When she
acknowledged him, he sighed tiredly.  “I want you to make sure Anderson, Clark
and Levi go home.  I don’t want them back in this office until tomorrow
morning, and I’m headed to the hospital.”