CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
DAN DROVE AROUND for two hours, looking for Lucas. Not that he thought he’d find him, but he hoped.
Lucas knew most of the folks in town, so if he wanted to be somewhere besides Tim’s place, he could be. Maybe he decided he’d be safer without the sheriff’s help, or maybe O’Grady simply drove him nuts asking questions and talking about his latest book.
Dan was probably worried about nothing. Lucas could have decided to step away. Now he knew his parents were safely away, this really wasn’t his worry. If so, he might have driven to Lubbock or even Dallas.
The one place he probably wouldn’t have gone was out to talk to Reid, but he might have called D.R. Collins. After all, his firm in Houston had handled some of D.R.’s legal work.
Dan felt out of the loop, so for no particular reason he headed over to Tim’s place. Maybe Lucas showed back up there. Or maybe his daughter would be there. He hadn’t seen her all afternoon. It wasn’t like her not to call just to see if he knew anything new for her website. Dan would be glad when she moved on to her next career. She wore writing like she was trying to walk in someone else’s shoes.
When he passed his house on the way to Tim’s place, Dan noticed Lauren’s old Explorer wasn’t parked there. It occurred to him that Crossroads was too small to have two missing persons.
Tim answered his door, wearing a swimsuit and his ski jacket. “Hi, Pop.” Tim used Lauren’s name for him. Dan hated that. “Come on in. I was just doing laundry.”
Dan stepped inside. “Any chance you’ve seen Lucas?”
“Nope. I checked everywhere when I drove to town looking for Lauren. I’m nuts about your daughter, Sheriff. Sometimes I just like to know where she is.”
Me too, Dan thought but aloud he said, “You’re starting to sound like a stalker, O’Grady.”
Dan almost added that Tim was nuts, period. Why was it some writers stopped making up characters and simply became one. If Tim got any more famous, he’d be the town eccentric. “I’m guessing you didn’t find Lauren?”
“Nope. Dakota said she hadn’t been at her office all afternoon.” Tim shrugged. “It’s not really my job to keep up with people, Sheriff. That’s more in your line of work.” He pointed to the kitchen. “Want some tuna pizza? I had a frozen cheese pizza and decided I needed more protein on it. All I had was a can of tuna.”
“No, thanks. I ate yesterday. I’ve got another eighteen hours before starvation sets in.”
Tim, as always, looked at the sheriff as if he didn’t quite know if he was trying to be funny or simply telling the truth.
“Why were you looking for Lauren?” Dan asked.
“We had a date, I think. Looks like she stood me up again.”
Dan frowned. “Maybe she’s with Lucas.” Even a lawyer was better than a writer for a son-in-law. Dan decided he should have a talk with his only offspring. She needed to be a little more considerate of him. After all, whomever she married, he’d have to put up with for years. He should get some percentage of the choice. Thirty percent maybe. Or better yet, veto power.
“She hates Lucas.” Tim smiled.
“She does?”
“Sure. I thought everyone knew that.”
Dan took one step backward and was out the door. “Nice talking with you, Tim. I think I’ll call it a night.”
As he walked out to the cruiser he dialed Brandi. Dan desperately needed to talk to someone his age.
Only, his wife didn’t answer. She was probably out with the band, listening to music. If he didn’t have a crime spree going on, he’d drive the night and wake her up in the morning.
A few minutes later he walked into his too-quiet house, reached for a beer in the fridge and decided to call it a night. He hadn’t had eight hours in his own bed in half a dozen nights. As he walked to the bedroom, he glanced out the windows toward the lake and saw someone sitting on the deck.
For a moment he thought it was Lucas, but when he took a few steps closer he realized it was Reid Collins.
Dan swore, fearing he’d have to deal with a drunk tonight. Reid was too old to be pulling this kind of crap. When the kid had been wild after college, Dan had dragged him out of several bars when he was too drunk to walk, and a few cars when he was too deep into the bottle to remember what direction home was.
Dan opened the sliding door and Reid looked up.
“Evening, Sheriff.” His words were slurred. Drunk, but not staggering.
“Evening, Collins,” Dan answered. “You need something?”
“I don’t want to go home, Sheriff. You mind if I just sit here awhile?”
“How’d you get here?”
“I walked over from the Two Step. I couldn’t think of anywhere to go and I’m not going home. Lauren and I used to be kind of friends. I thought I’d stop by and say hello.” He straightened the way drunks do, trying to act like they were sober. “We had a few dates at Tech and I’d like you to know I was a perfect gentleman.”
“That’s good to hear.” Dan hated how drunks always thought they had to talk to prove they were still in control.
He didn’t bother to tell Reid that Lauren had her own place, had for years. He doubted she’d want to talk to Reid, and Dan had no idea where she was. After she’d caught him checking up on her half a dozen times, she’d threatened to move back to Dallas if he didn’t stop. She was right. She was twenty-seven and her own person. But when does a dad stop being a dad?
“You want to come in and have a cup of coffee? Maybe tell me what you know about the trouble on your ranch.”
“I don’t know what’s going on.” Reid stood and followed Dan in. “I got really wasted one night in Vegas. When I woke up some friends I’d met in Vegas said I owed them five hundred thousand dollars. We argued until my head hurt, then I agreed to help them out if they’d forget the debt. I thought I made a pretty good deal; all I had to do was let them use a forgotten slice of my land, but from then on something squirrely started going on.”
The sheriff realized Reid probably had no idea what a mess he was in.
“My friends said they wanted to come out to my place and make improvements. I told Reyes to let them work but to stay out of their way. From what little I overheard, I thought they were building a road, but I didn’t see any improvements when I came home.”
Reid took a bottle from his coat pocket and drained it. “I didn’t want to think about what my father would think when the friends suggested closing down the cattle operation on the ranch so I just drifted, thinking the guys would get tired and just go away. When they didn’t leave, I wanted the ranch to go back like it was, cattle and all, but it was too late. All the hands were gone. Why does it have to be so complicated?” His words were coming out more slurred now.
Reid buried his head and almost sounded like he was crying. “I just want it over. My friends say they’re helping me, but I don’t think they are. The head guy is mad because it’s taking so long. Then Coldman’s body showed up and no one knows how.” Reid leaned back on the couch, finally silent.
Dan stepped into the kitchen to make coffee, thinking of all the questions he wanted to ask Reid. If he could sober the guy up, maybe he’d get a few answers.
Only, when he got back to the den, Reid was sound asleep, and even shaking him didn’t wake him up.
Dan was too tired to kick him out. He just covered him with an old quilt and went to bed. He’d deal with Reid in the morning.
To make sure the drunk didn’t wander off before they had a talk, Dan handcuffed him to the couch, just for his own safety. Dan didn’t want Reid falling off and hurting himself. If he woke up and yelled, Dan would let him free and begin asking questions.