Ranch Hideout. Sandra Robbins

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      Liz sat still for a moment, the memories of the day that changed her life pouring through her mind. She had been wearing her favorite blouse, the one she had to throw away later because of all the bloodstains. And she remembered how Kathy had looked, her hair pulled back in a ponytail and her sunglasses propped on her head. For a moment she didn’t know if she could bring herself to speak of what she’d seen. Then she inhaled, and the words tumbled out.

      “It was a Friday, and I had taken the day off from work because I was leaving at lunchtime for a long weekend with my friend Kathy. We were going to a spa near Little Rock and were excited about getting away and spending a few days just being pampered. Kathy picked me up and said that she needed to stop at the mall before we left town and pick up a watch that she’d had repaired. When we got there, she pulled into the parking garage.”

      A sob choked her throat, and she swallowed. Gwen squeezed her hand tighter. “Are you sure you want to share this with me?”

      She looked at Gwen through the tears that blurred her vision. “I need to talk about it. I told the police, but I haven’t been able to tell anyone else. It brings back the terror that I felt that day.”

      Gwen nodded. “Okay.”

      Liz took a deep breath. “I told her I’d wait in the car since she would only be gone a few minutes. I wanted to check my email and texts. She laughed and said, ‘You need to put everything out of your mind but the fun we’re going to have, so I’m going to hide your phone this weekend.’ Then she jumped out of the car and ran to the elevator.”

      She stopped for a moment, and Gwen said, “Go on.”

      “I don’t know how long I sat there before I noticed a car pull in and stop two parking spaces down from me. A man got out. He was dressed casually and there wasn’t anything special about him, but something about him drew my attention. Maybe it was the way he glanced around like he was looking for someone. Before he could move, a car drove up behind his and blocked it. Another man, this one well-dressed and looking like some kind of businessman, got out. They began to talk, and the first man I’d seen held out his hands like he was trying to explain something. Then he began to cry like he was begging. The man who’d blocked his car pulled out a gun and motioned for him to get down on his knees. I could hear the man pleading and crying as he dropped down. Then I heard shots.”

      “How horrible,” Gwen said.

      Liz bit her lip. “He turned around and started to leave, so I sank down in my seat hoping he wouldn’t see me. That’s when I heard the elevator door open.”

      Tears rolled down her face. “There were more gunshots, and I dropped down even lower in the seat. It seemed like an eternity before his car drove away. I sat up and looked around. That’s when I saw Kathy lying close to the elevator. I ran to her, but she was already dead. I called 911, but I was screaming, so the dispatcher had a hard time understanding me.”

      Liz paused and closed her eyes. “There was blood everywhere. All over Kathy, all over me and on the floor.”

      “And then the police came.” Gwen’s tone told Liz she knew how the rest of the story went.

      Liz sighed. “Yes, and they took me to the police station. They told me that the man who was murdered was a member of a drug ring that had been operating in the city and he’d been on the verge of agreeing to turn over evidence about his boss, who was the head of the organization. They wanted me to look at mug shots, and I must have gone through a hundred before I saw him—the shooter.”

      She shuddered remembering what it had been like when she saw the picture of the well-dressed man who’d pulled the trigger. “His name is Daniel Shaw, and he’s the head of a crime family that the FBI has been after for years. They’d never been able to pin anything on him before. Now they had an eyewitness to murder, and they wanted me to testify.”

      “Which you agreed to do,” Gwen said.

      Liz nodded. “I didn’t have a choice. I had to do it for Kathy. At the time, though, I didn’t realize the danger I’d be in. They kept me at a safe house in the city at first, but when they noticed some suspicious men hanging around, they decided I’d be safer out of town. That’s when the head of the Memphis office told me about Dean and how I’d be safe here until the trial. I’ve just been afraid that I was putting you and your family in danger.”

      Gwen shook her head. “Don’t worry about that. Only Dean, Ben Whitman, Luke Conrad and I know your true identity. We’ll do everything we can to keep you safe.”

      “Thank you, Gwen. I’ve tried to keep to myself a lot. I’m afraid I might let something slip, but it gets lonely. I miss my friends and my job in Memphis.” Tears pooled in her eyes again. “Most of all I miss Kathy.”

      “Liz,” Gwen began, her voice hesitant. “Maybe you need to make some friends. I know a young woman who is a trick rider at the Wild West show. She stayed with us when she first came here. She’s married now to Ben’s deputy Luke, and she’s raising horses at their ranch. I think you’d like her a lot.”

      “A trick rider, huh? She sounds like an interesting person. Maybe you can introduce us.”

      “I’d be glad to.”

      Liz chewed on her lower lip for a second. “Actually, Gabriel Decker seems like he’d like to be friends. He asked me to go riding with him this afternoon.”

      The shadow of a frown flitted across Gwen’s face before she straightened and cleared her throat. “I didn’t think you were interested in getting to know him.”

      Liz shrugged. “I’m not, but I like to ride. It’s more fun if you have someone else along.”

      Gwen studied her a moment. “So you’re going to accept his invitation?”

      Liz started to say no, but then she thought better of it. Maybe all he wanted was a bit of companionship, and she wanted to find out more about him. She knew it was risky to trust a stranger, but she couldn’t make herself believe he wanted to hurt her. Not after the way he’d saved her the previous day or the way he’d spent all morning helping her. She’d stay on her guard, of course, but maybe it was all right to offer him this little bit of trust. Her decision made, she smiled.

      “I am. I’ll go find him now and tell him I’ve decided to go.”

      She pushed back from the table and strode to the door. Before she walked through it, she glanced back over her shoulder. Gwen still sat at the table, her brow furrowed and her eyes dark. For some reason Gwen didn’t look too pleased with her decision. A flicker of apprehension stabbed at her stomach, and she swallowed. No. I will not let fear rule my life, she decided. Then she squared her shoulders and headed out the back door.

      * * *

      Gabriel glanced at his watch as he ambled up to the barn. It was still thirty minutes until the time he’d told Liz he’d meet her there, and he wondered if she’d come. Even though he’d made some progress in gaining her friendship this morning, she hadn’t exactly jumped at the chance to go riding with him. He usually didn’t have trouble relating to people, but then, witnessing a grisly murder could cause anyone to be wary of the people around her.

      They’d had a good time this morning even if they were cleaning out stalls. He’d found he really missed the СКАЧАТЬ