Delivering Justice

“What kind?”

“I don’t know exactly what’s going on,” Jessica said, staring out the front window.

“Then start with what you do know,” he said.

“I got a call from my sister three days ago asking if I could take time off work to help her out,” she said. “She needed me to step into her life and go on a trip with a friend of hers for a few days while she fixed a problem. She said go along with whatever he said, so I did. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to bail her out of a bad situation, so I agreed.”

“Is your sister involved in something illegal?”

“Before yesterday I would’ve been ready to fight if you asked that question about her. Now, I’m not sure what she’s gotten herself into,” Jessica said on a heavy sigh. “She’s not a bad person. I normally get called in for a relationship that has gone south and she doesn’t have the heart to break it off herself. I show up and help ease her out of it. At least that’s how it started five years ago. It kind of grew from there.”

“So you had no prior relationship with Milton?”

“We’re not engaged, if that’s what you’re asking, and neither was Jenn,” she said with an involuntary shiver. “I’d never seen the man before two days ago. My sister sent me with him. She said I could trust him and to go with him and pretend that I knew what he was talking about. We checked into the Bluff Motel and he started demanding that I tell him where something was. Some kind of box. I can’t remember clearly.” She touched the bandage on her forehead.

“Is that how you ended up on my property?”

“Yes. I picked a remote place thinking that he’d give up when we couldn’t find the box right away. He got angry instead. Demanded that I tell him where it is, told me to stop playing games. I said that I’d tricked him and had no idea where the box was. The next thing I know I’m being hit in the head with a rock,” she said, leaning back against the headrest. “Where are we going, by the way?”

“My ranch,” he said.

“Maybe you should just take me to the airport and drop me. I can grab a flight or rent a car there and drive to Louisiana. I have to find my sister.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, you’re in no condition to drive anywhere. Milton still has your ID so renting a car or getting on a flight is out of the question,” Tyler countered. “And then there’s the issue of him trying to kill you. We need to update the sheriff first thing in the morning.”

“No. We can’t.”

Was she serious? She balked pretty darn fast when he mentioned Tommy.

“This is his town and he has a right to know the truth. You should be pressing charges against that jerk who tried to kill you,” Tyler said. “In case you hadn’t noticed, he seems intent on finishing the job.”

“I have,” she retorted, motioning toward her forehead. “But I have no idea what’s really going on, I can’t remember everything, and I’ve already put my sister in danger by leaving the hospital. All I know for sure is that Milton isn’t the one in charge. Until I know who’s trying to hurt her, I can’t bring in the police. You can drop me off at a bus station.”

She wouldn’t last a day without money or transportation, and she seemed to realize it about the same time Tyler started to tell her.

“This must look bad to an outsider,” she said. “But I have to ask you to keep everything I’ve told you between us. Give me a little time to figure out what happened to my sister and help her.”

“She might be hiding.”

“Or hurt,” she said.

“In which case, doesn’t it make more sense to bring in the law?” Tyler turned in to the ranch and security waved him ahead.

“This isn’t a good idea. I shouldn’t have called you and gotten you involved,” she said, and he could hear the fear and panic in her voice. Not a good combination.

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