Page 3 of Outlaw Ridge: Reed
“I think one of the DB’s is Walt Garner. Maybe anyway. I never met the guy. Don’t have a clue who the other one is, but it’s a woman, and I don’t believe she’s from around here,” Deputy Stringer went on. “And there’s a note for the sheriff taped to the back of the female victim’s head. I’m sending a picture of it now.”
Hell. That did more than catch her breath. All the air in her lungs tried to escape. She didn’t even attempt to speak. Or speculate. Or question what the heck was going on. Hallie just waited for the sound of the next text. Waited a heartbeat more for it to load.
“Shit,” Reed spat out.
And that’s when she knew to go into maximum steeling up mode. She swallowed hard, leaned in and looked at the words on the note.
Welcome back to hell, Hallie.
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Chapter Two
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Welcome back to hell, Hallie.
Reed was certain those words slammed into Hallie. They were sure as hell slamming into him.
And what did they mean?
Why had that note been left at a double murder scene? Reed didn’t know, but he figured they were about to find out when Hallie immediately turned toward the door.
“Where’s Walt Garner’s place?” she asked. There was a slight tremble in her voice that he was betting she wished wasn’t there. Yeah, this had shaken her all right.
“I’ll take you,” Reed insisted.
He was up on the duty roster for the next callout, and he needed to know what was going on. Added to that, he didn’t want Hallie to have to make this trip solo.
“Aaron and the new deputy, Marcie Gomez, discovered two bodies,” Reed told his fellow deputies as he grabbed cruiser keys from his desk. “Sheriff McQueen and I are heading there now.”
Shaw and Declan exchanged glances. “We’ll be right behind you,” Declan insisted.
Hallie didn’t refuse their help and neither did Reed. Since they didn’t know what they were dealing with, they might need all the help they could get. Aaron and Marcie had stellarcredentials, but they were basically rookies at Outlaw Ridge PD. Reed didn’t want them to have to handle this solo.
Especially considering that note.
It felt like a sick taunt. Maybe even a threat. And it twisted at him to think there were people who might do this because of her parents. Except it might not even be that. It could be something else so that’s why Reed tried to shove aside any theories until he saw the scene for himself.
“What do you know about Walt Garner?” Hallie asked as they made their way outside to the cruiser.
“Not much, but that’ll change. Sentry,” he said, giving the command to his database app. “Background summary of Walt Garner, local resident.”
While the app did its thing, Reed filled her in on what he did know. “Walt is a retired CPA who moved to Outlaw Ridge last year. He had a house built on Carmichael Road.”
No need to explain what that was. It was very near where Hallie had been raised. In fact, the Garner house was less than a quarter of a mile from where she’d lived. That was yet another reason Reed had wanted to make this trip with her. A lot of bad memories could be triggered with this callout.
Reed drove out of town, heading toward an area where there were no subdivisions. Houses here tended to be on multiple acre lots, and some, like the Garner place, were tucked away behind the thick trees that dotted the area.
“Walt Francis Garner, born in Houston,” Sentry, the app, started. “Age sixty-three. Son of Adele and Ben Garner, both deceased. Current address is 167 Carmichael Road, Outlaw Ridge, Texas. Never married. No known children. Owner of Garner Accounting Group for 34 years before he sold the company 13 months ago. Do you want other employment or college information?” the app asked.
“Not now,” Reed replied. “But do a thorough background on Walt Garner and send it to me.”
He closed the app and kept driving. It took him less than five minutes to reach the turn onto the narrow private road that led to the house, and it was only a handful of seconds before the cruiser and the two-story house came into view. Not a mansion exactly, but it was one of the more expensive homes around here.
Reed came to a stop behind the other cruiser with Declan and Shaw doing the same behind him. Marcie was on the porch, and even though she was no doubt trying hard to cover it up, Reed saw the nerves. Her hands seemed unsteady as she stretched the crime scene tape on the porch railings.
Reed stepped out of the cruiser, the October breeze taking a swipe at him. It wasn’t cold but definitely not the scorching temps they’d been having.
