Roughshod Justice. Delores Fossen

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       Chapter Three

      Jameson didn’t know who was more stunned with Worley’s announcement—him or Kelly. But Kelly did look as if she was about to try to sprint out of there. Jameson wouldn’t let her do that. Nor would he take anything Worley said, or what he was wearing, at face value.

      Including that badge or his name.

      “Federal agent, huh?” Jameson asked him, and he didn’t bother to sound even marginally convinced.

      Worley blew out a long breath as if annoyed with this. Well, Jameson was annoyed, too. He didn’t have time for this clown, especially since Worley could be behind the attack and Mandy’s disappearance. Jameson didn’t want to examine why he was suddenly on Kelly’s side. But when it came to Worley, he was.

      “I figured you wouldn’t believe me.” Worley checked his watch. “But you should be getting a call any second now from someone you will believe. Your brother, the sheriff. He’s verifying now that I’m an agent. Once that’s done, you’ll turn Kelly over to me.”

      “I won’t go with him,” Kelly said just as Jameson snarled, “Like hell I’ll turn her over to you.”

      That caused Kelly to look at him, and he saw not tears this time but an unspoken thanks. But a thanks wasn’t going to help right now. He needed some things cleared up.

      “Who are you claiming Kelly murdered?” Jameson asked.

      “Those two men your brother and his deputies are investigating.”

      Jameson certainly couldn’t deny that she had been the one to shoot them. In fact, the evidence pointed to her doing it. But the evidence was equally clear that she’d also been attacked, probably by those two men. Unless...

      He didn’t like even thinking it, but Jameson had to at least consider it. Kelly could be playing him again. She might have had a beef with those guys. Could have even written the note herself. But none of that felt right, especially now that Mandy was missing.

      “Who were those men?” Kelly asked Worley.

      Worley just stared at her. “You tell me.”

      “She can’t,” Jameson volunteered. “See that cut on her head? Someone clubbed her, and she has amnesia.”

      Worley looked as skeptical about that as Jameson probably had when he’d first heard Kelly say that she couldn’t remember. But some of that skepticism was fading. Worse, he suddenly felt the need to protect Kelly. Coupled with the remnants of the old attraction, that wasn’t a good combination.

      Jameson’s phone rang, the sound slicing through the room. Slicing through him, too, because he saw Gabriel’s name on the screen.

      “Worley’s here,” Jameson answered, and he put the call on speaker so that Kelly could hear.

      “Yeah. And if he told you he’s a Justice Department agent, he is,” Gabriel said. “I just confirmed it. His real name is Lawrence Boyer.”

      Kelly hadn’t had much color in her face, but that rid her of what she did have. “Impossible.”

      Normally, Jameson would have agreed with her, but he didn’t doubt anything Gabriel told him.

      “My source in the Justice Department is reliable,” Gabriel continued, “and according to him, Boyer aka Worley is a joe, someone who spends months or even years in deep cover.”

      So Boyer had told the truth, about being an agent anyway. “Does he have a court order for Kelly’s arrest?” Jameson asked.

      “No. Why? Is that why Boyer says he’s there? Because my source couldn’t tell me.”

      “Yep, but without a court order, Boyer’s not taking our witness to what could be a double homicide. You agree?”

      “Agreed,” Gabriel quickly said. “You need backup?”

      “Not yet. I’ll call you if I do.” Jameson finished the call, slipped his phone back in his pocket and turned to Agent Boyer. “Tell me everything you know about those men,” Jameson demanded. “In fact, tell me everything you know about Kelly.”

      Boyer volleyed several glances at Kelly and him. For a moment Jameson thought he was going to have to remind this agent that the Rangers and the sheriff had jurisdiction here and that meant Boyer had to cooperate. Even if it was obvious that was the last thing he wanted to do.

      “You really don’t remember anything?” Boyer pressed when his attention finally settled on Kelly.

      “I remember a few things.” It sounded as if Kelly was carefully choosing her words. And lying. But maybe she didn’t want this guy to know that she had no memory of her association with him. Perhaps it was her way of forcing Boyer to tell the truth.

      “I met you and your sister about two years ago,” Boyer finally started. “By then, I’d been on a deep cover assignment for well over a year, and I was posing as a money launderer so I could gather info on a cartel operating in the state. I didn’t tell many people who I really was, but I told you, СКАЧАТЬ