Justice Inked (Cowboy Justice Association 7) Read online

  Why was that man killed at her shop and what did they want?

  Chapter Seven

  Yawning from no sleep, Dare pulled his SUV into a parking space at the roadhouse. One Sunday morning each month the head lawmen in the area met and traded information regarding cases in process or any other major events. It had made them exponentially more effective at their jobs and Dare was grateful to be a part of the group.

  As quiet as Valley Station normally was, he rarely had much to report to the other men. But today was a different story. He hoped someone might know of his victim or even if there was a circle of thefts in tattoo parlors.

  It was doubtful but despite his reputation as a curmudgeon, Dare was an optimist. It was hard to do this job unless you were. Just because he saw the realistic side of life didn’t mean he had no hope of things getting better.

  “There better be hot coffee. I’ve had zero sleep,” he growled as he strode into the roadhouse, taking a seat at the table with the other men. As usual, the roadhouse smelled like beer, sweat, and vomit the day after a raucous Saturday night and Dare’s empty stomach churned at the stench. They really needed to find another place to meet that didn’t stink to high heaven.

  The group had changed over time – Logan and Jared had moved on to different challenges with Jason Anderson – but new members such as himself, Knox Owens, and Evan Davis had made up for the loss. As always, Tanner Marks was the unofficial leader of their loose association and as such had the honor of calling the meeting to order.

  “There’s coffee on the table, Dare.” Tanner banged his fist on the table. “Help yourself. There’s also sodas and some snacks.”

  Seth had taken to bringing in food that Presley made since she was trying to learn to cook better. As far as Dare was concerned, she was already a pretty damn fine cook already. Her double fudge brownies were delicious and there was a new pan of them in the center of the table.

  Maybe today wouldn’t be so bad after all.

  “Any new business?” Tanner asked, his gaze rounding the table as the men helped themselves to food and drink. “Dare, did I hear you had a murder Friday night?”

  Taking a large gulp of coffee, Dare readied himself to tell the story to his friends. “One Patrick Moulson, age twenty-nine, was found with a bullet in the back about thirty feet from the back door of the local tattoo shop. The shop had been broken into and tossed. At this point, the owner says that nothing appears to be missing which I find strange.”

  “He must have had an accomplice. You can’t shoot yourself in the back.” Seth Reilly asked, munching on one of his wife’s brownies. “If there was a second person there that means you still have trouble in your town, my friend.”

  Dare knocked back the rest of his coffee and didn’t hesitate to refill the cup. He might just drink the whole damn pot before this meeting was over. “We’ll know more when the autopsy is done about the angle of entry. From what I could see at the crime scene he was being chased out of the back door of the shop and shot, probably in the back. There was broken foliage and matted down grass that indicated running and even maybe a struggle.”

  “So the big question is why was he killed?” Tanner sat back in his chair and rubbed his chin before quickly checking his phone. His wife Madison, after a few years of fertility issues, was finally pregnant with their first, and probably their only child. The cocktail of pregnancy hormones was playing havoc with her stomach and she was throwing up on a daily basis despite passing her first trimester. Tanner had gone into major protective mode. “I take it he’s not from Valley Station.”

  “Never seen him before. He had a Billings address on his driver’s license but that doesn’t mean anything. When I leave here today I’m headed there to take a look around his place. See if there is anything that might give a clue as to who he was with or why he was at Rayne’s last night. Jared also said he’d look into the guy’s background. Who knows? Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

  Most police work didn’t involve car chases and shootouts. The work was in the details and was accomplished with good old-fashioned detective skills. Wearing out shoe leather was a hazard of the job.

  “So he didn’t want money?” Griffin asked from the end of the table. “Or was there no money to take and then everything fell apart?”

  “That’s a possible theory. Rayne doesn’t even take cash, let alone keep any around. They must not have realized that her tattoo equipment was pretty expensive, so they trashed the joint looking for something to steal then maybe they argued. It got heated and one pulled a gun on the other. They struggled. Moulson ran and then was shot. Second guy makes a run for it.”

  Knox popped open a soda, foam spraying onto the table. “So he didn’t know she doesn’t keep cash around? Guy didn’t do his homework. Sounds like an amateur.”

  Dare shook his head. “That’s the one problem with that theory. Moulson did know she didn’t take cash. He came in to talk to her about getting ink and she says she gave him the details. That it’s part of the standard introduction she gives everyone. I should know because she gave it to me when we talked about doing a shoulder piece.”

  Evan scowled as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Then he knew she didn’t have cash. Maybe he was after credit card numbers? Those are big business and easy to sell.”

  Tanner shook his head. “Why go to a shop that has only a few customers a day? This woman can only give so many tattoos in a given period. Maybe eight a day? More or less, I would imagine. They could get more credit card numbers down at the local tavern or diner. Dozens, if not hundreds. It doesn’t make much sense.”

  Reed hadn’t said anything so far, which wasn’t unusual. The lawman didn’t speak unless he had something to say so everyone paused when he leaned forward, his gaze intent on Dare.

  “They wanted something,” Reed stated. “Something specific. Something worth killing for. Your job is to find out what it is.”

  That thought had been rolling around in the back of Dare’s mind this morning but he hadn’t wanted to entertain it. If it were true then this was a bigger mess than just a dead body.

  “Drugs?” Knox offered. “Is the shop owner doing some side business?”

  Dare coughed in shock at the mere thought. “Rayne? No way. She’s strange, but she’s as honest as the day is long. No, it isn’t that.”

  “Have you checked into her background?” Evan asked. “Not everybody is what they appear to be.”

  “Not Rayne.”

  As crazy as she made Dare, as much as she drove him up a wall, she was as transparent as glass. Her thoughts and feelings were out there for everyone to see and she didn’t care who sat back and played judge and jury.

  He actually admired her more than a little bit.

  “You’ve known her a long time then?” Griffin asked. “She’s a good friend?”

  Well, shit. “Not really. I wouldn’t even say we were all that friendly. I’ve known her less than a year but she’s Misty’s best friend. She was the maid of honor at the wedding.”

  Seth’s brows shot up. “The one with the ear piercings and the blue streaks in her hair? She was cute.”

  “That’s her. If she’s friends with Misty I have no doubt that Jared has checked her out.”

  The conversation lagged and Tanner redirected. “Any other business? No? I have something. Did you hear there was a bank robbery in Springwood last week? Four masked men armed with heavy weaponry killed a teller and the bank manager and made off with two hundred thousand dollars. The four men are still at large and there’s a big reward for them from the company. I’m letting you know in case you see anything suspicious or perhaps someone spending a large amount of cash. You may also want to warn your local bank managers to be extra vigilant and call you if they see anything out of the ordinary.”

  Knox snorted and shook his head. “Do people still rob banks at gunpoint? I can think of ten different ways to steal money and not one of them involves leaving the comfort of my own home and laptop. These
guys sound old school to me.”

  “Interesting theory,” observed Reed. “Do you have any leads, Tanner?”

  “Not much,” Tanner sighed. “I have half a dozen witnesses with a half a dozen different stories, none of which are even close. I also have some footage from the bank cameras but there’s not much to work with. They were all dressed identically in black from head to toe. They even wore gloves.”

  “I wouldn’t mind seeing that video,” Reed said. “Maybe I’ll recognize a mannerism of one of the men. It’s a long shot, but you never know.”

  “I can arrange it for anyone who wants to view it. I wouldn’t mind some more eyes on this one. I don’t want this to become a crime spree.”

  Dare didn’t need the complication of a bank robbery to go along with a murder. He had little to go on for his own case and not enough resources to deal with the crime the town already had.

  What he needed was a big break in the case. A good night’s sleep. And maybe a full rack of ribs with steak fries on the side.

  He’d start with lunch just as soon as the meeting was over.

  Chapter Eight

  Rayne flipped through the horticulture book until she found the photo she was looking for. Sophie Turner, Dare’s sister, had come into the shop to talk about the ink she wanted and since it was a slow day, she and Rayne were working on the design.

  “What do you think of this?” Rayne asked, pointing to the delicate purple petals of the wild violet. It was small and feminine, and a good way to pop the young woman’s tattoo cherry.

  “Oh, it’s pretty! I really like that. Can you do that right here?”

  Sophie pointed to the front of her left shoulder.

  “I can. Let me draw out what I think would work.”

  Rayne quickly sketched out the flower, keeping it on the smaller side since this was her first. If she liked it, then Rayne could add on to the design at a later time.

  “Dare is going to lose his mind when he finds out,” Sophie laughed, clearly not bothered in the least by the prospect of angering her brother. “He still thinks of me as a little girl and it makes me crazy. He’d lock me in my room with dolls and a tea set if he could get away with it.”

  “You are only eighteen. That’s not exactly old and gray.”

  Sophie rolled her eyes and giggled. “Dare acts like an old man and he’s only thirty-four. He doesn’t even like to drink in front of me. He says it doesn’t set a good example. Dad never worried about that.”

  “I’m sorry about your father. You must really miss him.”

  Her father had passed on several months before, which was why Dare had come back to his hometown and taken the job as sheriff.

  Shrugging, Sophie shook her head. “I loved him, but he wasn’t much of a father. Mom ran the household and then when she was gone he just sort of withered away slowly. He loved her very much. I don’t think he had a very happy marriage to Dare’s mother at all, and Dare never talked about her either.”

  “I didn’t realize you had different mothers.”

  Rayne didn’t really know that much about Dare at all and she couldn’t figure out why that bothered her. The details of his life were none of her business and never would be.

  “Mom was much younger than Dad. I don’t think Dare ever approved but I think it was romantic. It was like their love was taboo but they couldn’t stay away from each other. Such passion.”

  Depending on the actual age difference, Rayne wasn’t sure that the love was so much taboo as it was simply unconventional. But it was funny that Dare didn’t approve. That man had a giant stick up his ass and it had to be uncomfortable. If anyone in this world needed to relax and let go, it was Sheriff Dare Turner.

  “It sounds like your older brother doesn’t approve of too many things.”

  Sophie rolled her eyes and groaned with typical teenage dramatic flair. “I could spend all day listing all the crap he thinks I shouldn’t do. He hates Tim, my boyfriend. Dare’s constantly handing me pamphlets about safe sex and the virtues of abstinence. When he first came back home he told me that penises were dangerous.”

  Rayne could imagine Dare saying exactly that if it meant scaring his little sister into celibacy. He might be sex on legs but he was probably a bore in the sack. A man as uptight as he obviously was probably only did it on Saturday nights with the lights off and in the missionary position.

  “All brothers are supposed to hate their sister’s boyfriends,” Rayne said instead of what she was really thinking. “I think it’s a federal law or something. They may have a point, actually. My taste in males has certainly improved as I’ve aged and I imagine yours will too. The guy you think is perfect now won’t be all that wonderful in a year or two.”

  Sophie sighed, a dreamy, faraway look on her pretty face. “Tim is amazing. He’s cute and funny. He’s smart too. And when he kisses me…” A grin and a giggle. “My knees actually go weak and I tingle all over. Just like in those romance books. That’s true love.”

  “They have medication for those symptoms,” Rayne teased. “If you start to get dizzy as well you may want to see a physician.”

  “You sound like one of those drug commercials on television.” Sophie slapped her hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh. “When they list all those horrid side effects that are worse than whatever it is they’re trying to cure.”

  “So,” Rayne began, trying to keep the conversation casual. “Has your brother said anything about the break-in of my shop and the man that was killed?”

  Dare hadn’t said a word to Rayne and honestly, she’d been put out by his behavior. Since she was the victim of the crime she’d expected to be kept in the loop, but apparently that wasn’t the procedure.

  Or maybe Dare was being a prick and not telling her anything on purpose.

  Sophie shrugged. “Nope, but that’s not unusual. He only talks about work with me when he’s using it as a moral lesson of some sort. Like don’t drink and drive or don’t take drugs. Stuff like that. I’m pretty sure he knows I’m not going to break into a tattoo shop and shoot someone. God love him, he’s trying so hard to be a role model for me. Were your parents overprotective like this?”

  “Hardly,” Rayne snorted. “My parents felt that my sister and I should be free to express our individuality and to explore our boundaries. We didn’t have too many rules when I was growing up except that we should explore our feelings.”

  Though her parents had taken the whole “free love” idea a little too far, Rayne appreciated that she’d been given enough latitude to make her own decisions. And her own mistakes.

  Sophie’s eyes bugged out and her mouth fell open. “You didn’t have a curfew or anything? Even now Dare tries to tell me when to come home although I just ignore him.”

  “I didn’t have a curfew, but do you want to know a secret?” Rayne leaned forward as if to whisper it in Sophie’s ear. “If you’re the only one without a curfew there’s no one to hang out with after midnight. Everybody has to go home so you might as well have a curfew too.”

  “That blows. I would have loved not to have a curfew in high school.”

  Rayne smiled, remembering her school years. She hadn’t been super popular, but she’d had close friends and that time held mostly pleasant memories.

  “As I said, all that freedom is overrated. Be glad that you have someone that cares if you come home. All I have is a cat named Spartacus.”

  Sophie licked her lips nervously and drummed her fingers on the table between them. “Can I tell you a secret? You won’t tell Dare, will you?”

  Rayne wasn’t sure she wanted to get in the middle of Sophie and her brother.

  “Maybe you shouldn’t tell me if it’s a secret.”

  The young girl was practically vibrating she was so excited. “It’s only a secret from Dare. I mean, I’ll tell him eventually. I just need to find the right time, that’s all. I’ll tell him when he’s in a good mood.”

  They’d all be putting on parkas and ice skates
in hell when that happened.

  “Still…if it’s a secret…”

  “Tim and I are planning to move to Denver together.” The words burst from Sophie’s smiling lips. “I’ve been accepted to an art school there and Tim’s going to get a job. I can’t wait. Freedom from this stuffy little town.”

  No wonder Sophie hadn’t told Dare yet. He was going to freak, and not in a good way.

  “Have you lived here all your life?”

  “Every long, tedious day.” More sighing and eye rolling. “I’ve wanted to leave since…well…forever, really. Now that I’ve graduated there’s nothing here holding me back.”

  Except one six-foot-three, two hundred plus pound big brother with a protective streak a mile wide.

  “You might want Dare to have a drink or two before you tell him. I don’t think he’s going to be a happy camper.”

  Rayne wasn’t sure what he would be more pissed off about – his little sister leaving town or the fact that she’d be living with a guy.

  “I’ll make him his favorite dinner of fried chicken and mashed potatoes along with a big chocolate cake. He has a major sweet tooth. Then I’ll make sure he has a couple of whiskeys before giving him the news.” Sophie’s chin lifted. “He can’t stop me. I’m eighteen.”

  To be that young again.

  Everything seemed possible. Blue skies and clear sailing. Happiness, kittens, and rainbows.

  “No, he can’t,” Rayne agreed readily. “But he can make things difficult for you. I’m sure he just wants you to be happy. You’re very young to be living with someone. Sharing the same home can knock the romance out of a relationship faster than you can ever believe. Trust me on this.”

  “You’re starting to sound like Dare. You won’t tell him, will you?”

  Rayne couldn’t imagine a conversation where the topic would come up. In fact, she didn’t know when she would even be seeing the handsome sheriff since he didn’t see fit to update her on his investigation.