Texas Midnight. Caroline Burnes

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СКАЧАТЬ could feel her slender body tense beside him as she kept the pressure on the knife steady. Not even a flinch.

      “You think I killed him?” Her voice was cold, emotionless.

      “I don’t think you meant to kill Henry. You intended to kill me.”

      He expected the blade of the knife to punish him for those words. Anna never even breathed.

      When she did speak, it wasn’t what he’d expected to hear. “The most interesting thing about all of this is your arrogance.”

      Jeremy was shocked at the matter-of-fact tone. “My arrogance? What are you talking about?”

      “Your editor is killed in your home, and your biggest concern is that someone meant to kill you.”

      If Jeremy had had any doubts about Anna’s guilt, they evaporated. She’d given herself away. He’d never said anything about the murder being at his home. And the only two people who knew about the murder were him, and the murderer.

      He felt the tip of the knife shift.

      “What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” she asked. “Or did I hit a little too close to home?”

      He had to be careful. She was very angry, and he couldn’t patronize her or ignore her. He had to talk with her as if she were rational. “I came out here to bring you in. I didn’t want to leave it to chance, or to someone else. I wanted to make sure that Henry’s murderer was apprehended and brought to justice.”

      “You’re not only arrogant, you’re completely blind. You’re so totally self-absorbed that you don’t even see the truth of your actions.”

      The knife blade moved away, and for one second Jeremy considered attacking her. But before he could put impulse to action, he felt the blow across his temple. He didn’t pass out, but he was stunned. When he felt the bite of the rope around his wrists and ordered his body to fight, his arms and legs refused to obey. Then it was too late. He was trussed like Tom Turkey at Thanksgiving.

      ANNA TIED THE LAST knot and snugged the rope tight. It would be several hours before Jeremy Masterson wiggled his way out of the mess he was in. By then, she’d be long gone.

      “You better give yourself up,” Jeremy said as she stood.

      He was coming back to his senses, what few he had. “Take some free advice,” she said. “Don’t give guidance to the person you came to apprehend when you’re the one tied up like a big ol’ hog.”

      Her words angered him, and it made her happy.

      “You’re not just walking out of here.”

      There was a challenge in his tone, and she had to admire his spirit. He was tied, and she could easily injure him, but he didn’t back down.

      “No, I’m going to drive out of here. Today’s Friday. I’ll give the authorities a call Sunday morning and make sure you got loose.” The idea of leaving him on the cold, hard ground for a long stretch of time was immensely gratifying. For a man with Jeremy Masterson’s machismo and ego, each minute would be a grueling and humiliating eternity.

      “Better check out your rig. I don’t think you’re going anywhere.”

      His tone held just enough smugness to alert Anna. She made sure the horses were fine and then went to her truck and trailer. The light from the moon was enough to reveal the flat tires: four of them—two on the truck and two on the horse trailer. And they had been cut to the point that they couldn’t be repaired.

      “You lowlife son of a—” She broke off. She wouldn’t give him the pleasure of letting him know he’d gotten to her. But how in the hell was she going to get home with four flats? As he no doubt had guessed, she had a spare for the truck and one for the trailer. That still left her two short.

      “What’s the trouble?” he called out. “You got a flat?”

      Anna walked back to him. In the moonlight she could make out only the rough edges of his features. He was a big man with a prominent jaw and dark hair. “If I were a killer, I’d finish you right now,” she said. “Think about that tomorrow when the sun comes up and you get thirsty.”

      She picked up the saddle and went to work on Calamity.

      “You’re a fool if you think you can ride out of the state of Texas on horseback. I’ll have the law after you so fast—”

      “I grew up in these foothills with my father, who grew up with Thunder Horse. We know this land. If I choose to disappear into the hills, you’ll never find me.”

      “That sounds like the boast of an inexperienced woman.”

      Anna tightened the girth on Calamity. Then she took out a kerchief and went to Jeremy. “This is going to give me as much pleasure as it bothers you.” She tied the gag tightly, but not so tightly that it might choke him.

      He struggled against her, making a sound of protest.

      “Along with your immediate dilemma, perhaps you should ponder your chauvinism, bigotry and laziness.” She rolled up her bedroll. “I believe people can change. I believe they can see the error of their ways and honestly desire to live a better life. But I think such a conversion comes only after much suffering.” She gathered up the lead rope for Allegro and swung into the saddle. “If you like, you can look at me as your spiritual guide. I’ve put you in a position where you can ponder your shortcomings and grow into a better human being.”

      She touched her heels to her horse’s side, and Calamity spurted forward, Allegro right behind her.

      Anna heard Jeremy yell something at her, but she didn’t try to understand the garbled threat.

      For all of her bravado, she knew she was in serious trouble. Jeremy had come after her for the murder of the man at the computer. She’d pretended to be ignorant of the killing, but she wasn’t. She was innocent, but not ignorant. And eventually, if anyone asked the right questions, she’d have to answer with the truth.

      The problem was that she knew the workings of the law. She had publicly threatened Jeremy. Once they placed her at the scene of the crime with motive and opportunity, they wouldn’t look any farther for the real killer. She would be a convenient suspect; the case would be closed. Chances were good that she’d be convicted. Jeremy Masterson was an influential man, and it was clear that he was determined to blame the murder on her. She’d publicly embarrassed him, and now she was going to pay.

      Her only hope was to put as much distance as possible between herself and the writer. With a little luck, she’d be deep into the wild country before he got out of the knots she’d tied. Her ace in the hole was her friends. She knew people all over the area. And they’d help her. If she could just get to Maria Gonzalez, she knew her childhood friend would loan her a vehicle and help her cross the border to Mexico, just until things calmed down.

      The idea of running irked Anna, but she was a realist. After a week or so, if he didn’t catch Anna first, the sheriff would be forced to look for another suspect in the murder.

      Perhaps even Jeremy.

      Anna played out a series of possibilities. Perhaps Jeremy’s editor hadn’t liked the new book. Perhaps they’d СКАЧАТЬ