LITMIR.BIZ

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the cash from her and lied about paying the landlord. What a blind fool she’d been where that smooth-talking Romeo was concerned.

      Her hand rested at her waist and she sighed. “Poor little baby. You sure picked a mama with her share of problems, didn’t you?”

      Now that she was outside in the fresh south Texas air and sunshine, she took a few deeper breaths and began to feel better. Yes, she was in a pickle because she’d trusted the wrong man with her heart, but she was strong and smart and resilient. She’d had to be to have survived thus far. There were other jobs, other cafés.

      She’d never consider applying at Arianna’s place, even if her cousin were still alive to give her a job, but there was the Sagebrush Diner and even the Youth Center. They might need a good cook or kitchen assistant. As long as she could ventilate the work area, she should be fine. She wasn’t trained for any other decent-paying jobs, and as soon as her pregnancy started to show, she knew she’d have an even harder time finding steady work.

      Determined to start looking immediately, Nicolette rounded the corner and stopped dead in her tracks. Shading her eyes, she squinted in disbelief.

      There sat her car, her only means of transportation, with all four tires totally flattened!

      * * *

      Jackson’s pager went off just as he got back to the station and reclaimed Titan.

      With the dog trotting happily at his side, he headed for Slade McNeal’s office to find out what was up.

      “You wanted to see me, Captain?”

      “Yeah. What kind of shape was the Johnson woman in when you left her?”

      “Pretty good, considering.” Jackson’s hand rested on Titan’s silky black head and he absently ruffled the dog’s ears as he continued. “She thought she’d seen somebody coming after her behind the truck stop, but I didn’t find anything odd when I checked that area. Why?”

      “Because she just called to report that her tires had been flattened. I asked her if they’d been slashed but she didn’t know. She apparently took one look and hightailed it down the road before she used her phone.” He cleared his throat. “Says most of her personal belongings are still locked in the car, and she’s not going back there for any reason until you show up to keep her company.”

      “Me?” Jackson could tell he was coloring but chose to pretend otherwise. “Why me? Was there another bomb threat?”

      “No. Apparently you impressed her, Detective. She said she’d promised you she’d call.”

      Jackson scowled. “Hold on. She works nights. She shouldn’t have even looked at her car ’til almost dawn. What was she doing out there now?”

      “Guess you can ask her that when you see her.” He checked a note on his desk, then handed it over. “You’ll find her at the Jiffy-Suds car wash on Highway 20, down the block from where she works.”

      Jackson turned to leave, Titan at his side, when the captain added, “Give your dog a break and let him sniff around there if he wants. I know he’s not a tracking dog like my Rio or Austin Black’s bloodhound, Justice, but he has a good nose. A little cross-training might prove useful.”

      “Yes, sir.”

      “I suspect the Johnson woman is more scared than anything. Since she’s apparently taken with you, I’ll expect you to continue to cultivate her confidence and get us some answers.”

      “You still believe it’s all connected? The murders, the drugs, the bomb, everything that’s been happening in Sagebrush these past few months?”

      The captain’s jaw clenched. “It’s entirely possible. Remember, one of our primary objectives is still to find my Rio and bring him home. Soon. Before the syndicate that kidnapped him decides to put a bullet in him—if they haven’t already.” He sighed heavily. “Caleb would never understand losing his best buddy for good. You can’t explain things like that to a five-year-old. The poor kid’s been a nervous wreck ever since Rio was dognapped.”

      “I’ll do my best, sir,” Jackson said. “How’s your father doing? Any lasting effects from the beating he took back then?”

      “Some. Dad’s not himself, that’s for sure. He still has to have nursing care at home. I wish I knew if the dognappers beat him because he tried to do the right thing and stop them from stealing Rio, or if they acted from plain meanness. Guess it really doesn’t matter.” He paused, pensive, before ordering, “Get going, Worth. Find out what the Johnson woman knows.”

      “Yes, sir,” Jackson said, saluting as he took his leave.

      The whole K-9 team had been searching for Rio—McNeal’s multipurpose, elite German shepherd—since January, with little result. Whoever had taken the dog had obviously known exactly when to strike, assaulting the captain’s elderly father, as well, and putting him in the hospital in a coma. Their K-9 unit had managed to rescue a neighborhood child who had been snatched after seeing Rio abducted, but as far as finding the dog went, they’d drawn a series of blanks.

      Jackson gave his black Lab an additional pat as he loaded him into one of the unit’s special SUVs. Losing a beloved partner like Titan the way McNeal had lost Rio would be devastating.

      The search for Rio had had one unexpected benefit, however. It had given the police more leads to a crime syndicate operating in and around Sagebrush. Unfortunately, that discovery had also resulted in a string of violent deaths, the last being that of Arianna Munson—aka “the Serpent.”

      “So, what do you know about all this, Ms. Johnson?” Jackson muttered to himself. “And why won’t you tell us?”

      Maybe a better question would be, How can I convince you to trust me? If Nicolette didn’t realize she held the key to the puzzle that had gotten her cousin into so much trouble, perhaps he could still succeed. All he’d have to do is get her talking, and listen very carefully to everything she revealed.

      If the answer was there, he prayed he’d recognize it quickly. Before it was too late to save Rio and before something else happened to the Johnson woman.

      There was no doubt in his mind. Someone was out to get her. And they had nearly succeeded at least twice, maybe more.

      * * *

      Nicki paced, perspiring more from anxiety than from the warm Texas evening temperature. She scanned passing traffic. She could see the truck stop far in the distance, but figured as long as she stayed near the activity at the car wash she’d be safe enough, at least for the time being.

      The approach of the distinctively lettered K-9 unit elated her so much, she couldn’t help grinning. In seconds, she was standing beside the driver’s-side window.

      Jackson rolled it down and leaned a bent arm on the sill. “I hear you have another problem.”

      “You could say that. Somebody flattened all my tires.”

      “Good thing you discovered it before dark,” he said. “Why did you?”

      “Why did I what?”

      “Go outside. I didn’t expect you to venture into the parking lot until you were off work. I don’t suppose whoever messed with your car did, either. So, why were you out there now?”

      “I was trying to go home,” she replied with a grimace. “Right after you left, I started to feel sick. I told Lou why and he fired me.”

      “That’s against the law. You can’t be fired for being pregnant.”

      “No, but I can if I’m no longer able to work around food, and that’s the only job I know. Besides, he’s got his nephew working there now, and I have a feeling he was looking for a good excuse to let me go.” She shrugged. “If it hadn’t been that it would have been something else, like my being late for work again.”

      “Do you want me to have a talk with him? Explain

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