Flesh and Blood (A Tanner Novel Book 35) Read online

  “She’s the only one here who would recognize you. She works days at the police station as a dispatcher. If you went to their house during the day you could meet with Henry alone, or maybe it would be better to talk with him someplace else.”

  “I’ll decide the time and place. Start sending me your schedule each week so I’ll know when you’re working. Find out Laura’s schedule too. I’m going to want to meet with her when Henry isn’t around.”

  “Okay, and after this, will I be able to leave this hick town?”

  “We’ll see, and keep watch over Henry. The next time we talk I’ll be in town.”

  That was the end of the conversation, but before Monte could put his phone away, his other phone rang. Monte checked the caller ID and saw that it was his boss, Chief of Police Steve Mendez, calling.

  “What’s up, Steve?”

  “Can you come in early and work a little later, Chris? Givens’ wife went into labor and he had to call out.”

  “Yeah, I can do that. What’s his wife having, a boy or a girl?”

  “A boy, their third.”

  “Good for Givens,” Monte said. “I’ll be there soon.”

  “Thanks, Chris.”

  Monte cut off the TV and went into his bedroom to get ready for work. Despite being single, Monte rented a house. Kagan had instructed him to do so. If they ever had to meet, they could do it without having a bunch of nosy neighbors around. The home was a white two-story cottage at the edge of a large property. The owner had built it for his son while anticipating that the son would move there once he got married. After the wedding took place, the son’s new bride decided that she’d rather live in San Antonio, near her own family. Monte’s rent was inexpensive, and the owner was just happy to have someone living there.

  Monte didn’t mind going into the station early. Extra work would be good. If he sat around, he’d just spend the time thinking about Kagan Andreas. Kagan was risking a lot to come and see his son. If he were caught, he’d be locked up for life in a maximum security prison.

  Monte couldn’t let that happen. Kagan would have nothing to lose by selling him down the river and telling the authorities about how often he’d helped him. Then again, if Kagan was to die while resisting arrest, he would no longer have the man’s threats hanging over his head.

  He wasn’t helping Kagan for money or loyalty but out of fear. Kagan had threatened to have him killed if he didn’t do as he said and had driven the point home by eliminating the drug dealer that Monte had been protecting when he was still a DEA agent. Kagan had learned of the arrangement and used it to his advantage. Instead of offering to bribe him, Kagan let him know that he owned him. There was money involved too, but Kagan wanted his own DEA agent, and Monte had been helpful in assisting Kagan and those he associated with from being caught up in raids or falling prey to undercover agents.

  That was one reason it had shocked Monte when Kagan told him to leave the DEA to join a Podunk police force in south Texas.

  Later on, he realized that Kagan had a personal reason for issuing the order. The man wanted him to keep an eye on his son, Henry Knight. The boy didn’t look much like Kagan, but they were similar in attitude and disposition. Henry, although still a boy, had killed men while protecting his grandmother. The kid was fearless on a racetrack and was making a name for himself in motocross.

  Kagan, the former leader of a motorcycle gang was daring and bold. He’d made his rep by going down to Mexico and becoming useful to the leaders of the cartels. It was Kagan who developed the pipeline that transported most of the pot and cocaine along the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. He’d survived several attempts on his life and successfully evaded capture for more than a decade.

  And now he was risking himself by coming to see Henry, Monte thought.

  If he could kill the bastard, he’d not only be free of him, but likely be offered a position within the DEA again. And with Kagan Andreas’s scalp on his belt, he’d be able to write his own ticket.

  Chris Monte decided to shower before getting dressed. As he bathed, he imagined firing a bullet into Kagan’s evil brain.

  2

  The March Of Time

  Cody had been back on the ranch for a few days and was falling into his old routine. He’d gotten up early to run and returned home to workout in his private gym. He was approaching forty-two and was as strong as he’d ever been. As for flexibility, that had begun to decline slightly. In response, he spent more time doing stretching movements.

  The body was an instrument, a tool, and like all tools it had a lifespan of durability. No matter how diligent he was in his diet and exercise routine he understood that the next decade would see him diminishing physically. Spenser, who was over fifty, had confided that he wasn’t as strong as he’d been even a year earlier. Spenser also said that, barring his missing left eye, he was better than he’d ever been.

  “I know more, have more experience, and I’m wiser. My twenty-five-year-old self wouldn’t stand a chance against me.”

  Cody knew that was the truth. He was also better than he’d ever been, a diminishment of strength and flexibility wouldn’t alter that fact. If—no, when, he declined physically in the coming years, he would take it in stride. No one lived forever, and no one of any age stayed the same for long. Despite that, he would always be a Tanner.

  While still in his late teens he’d competed against a much older man named Farnsworth. He was more than fifty years younger than Farnsworth and had Romeo at his side to help him. Farnsworth outwitted the two of them and beat them to the target they were after. Old or not, Farnsworth had been a Tanner. Despite his youth, Cody knew he had never stood a chance against the man. Training and experience trumped strength and agility when it came to being an assassin.

  As was his habit on the first day of a new month, Cody spent the morning going over the activities of the previous month. This now included a meeting with the Winhoffers, Rick and Heidi. Rick ran the ranch while Heidi was in charge of the office. As a business, the ranch was still in the red, but was going in the right direction and was ahead of schedule towards breaking even.

  Cody assured them that he understood that it would take time to show a profit. There were also personnel issues to discuss. Two of the hands had quit suddenly days earlier. They were brothers and their father had taken ill in Oklahoma, so they returned home.

  Rick Winhoffer told Cody that he could get by temporarily with the hands they had left but that he was looking for replacements. Rick also informed him that the part-time caretaker of the ranch house, Bobby Lincoln, had been a big help to him.

  “That kid sure asks a lot of questions, but it’s never the same one twice and he learns quickly. If he wasn’t your caretaker, I’d hire him on as a hand,” Winhoffer said.

  Cody smiled. “Bobby does ask a lot of questions. How many hours did he work with you?”

  “Had to be more than twenty.”

  “He never mentioned it; I’ll make sure he gets paid for the extra time he’s put in. I’ll also give him a raise. I think it’s his third raise since he’s been here.”

  Heidi mentioned that the copy machine was acting up and asked if she could call to have it repaired.

  “You don’t have to ask for things like that, Heidi. Just have it repaired and let me know at our next meeting.”

  “Okay, Cody,” Heidi said, before looking away shyly.

  Cody suppressed a smile. Heidi still had a crush on him. He knew that would end the moment she began seeing someone her own age.

  After the meeting, Cody spent the afternoon online. He was part of a social network that allowed users to practice language skills with native speakers.

  After helping several foreigners who were trying to become proficient at English, Cody connected with native speakers from several countries where he knew the language but rarely had a chance to speak it. Learning a foreign tongue and staying fluent in that language were two different things. Thanks to the internet it was easier
than ever to maintain his language skills.

  Cody spoke well over a dozen languages and was learning new ones on a regular basis. Without such practice his competency would dissipate quickly.

  Sara entered the home office as he was saying goodbye in Greek to a man he was also helping to learn English. She shook her head as she marveled at him.

  “Do you ever just hang out on the computer and watch cat videos?”

  “No, but I will play a video game now and then. Henry’s gotten me hooked on one where you kill zombies.”

  Sara laughed. “I’ve been playing that too. It’s fun.”

  Cody stood and went to her; he placed a hand on her stomach. “How are my girls doing?”

  “We are fine. Marian is in a kicking mood today.”

  Cody smiled. “I feel her, and I can’t wait until she’s born.”

  “Remember, I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow.”

  “At ten a.m.; I remember. Where’s Lucas?”

  “I dropped him off at Ginny’s so he could play with Amelia. When Ginny brings him back, she’ll stay for dinner and Steve will be joining us when he gets off work.”

  “Good, I’ve been meaning to catch up with Steve, but we’ve both been busy.”

  “I bought steaks. Will you grill them?”

  “Yeah, and why don’t we invite Laura and Henry over too?”

  “I already have. I also invited Caroline Lang to join us. She’ll be coming with her boyfriend, Chris Monte.”

  “It’s starting to sound like we’re having a party.”

  “It’s more like an excuse. I want to see this Chris Monte. I’ve been wondering about him ever since you told me how he was acting weird around Henry. If he’s here as part of a group, it won’t look like we’re singling him out. I’d also like to get to know Caroline better.”

  “Okay, and I’m glad you’re doing this. I want to see how Monte acts around Henry too. He also seems suspicious of me.”

  “Suspicious? In what way?”

  “I think his cop instincts are telling him that I’m more than I seem to be. Sensing it and proving it aren’t the same thing though.”

  Sara leaned in and gave Cody a hug. “You’re a Tanner, but you’ll always be a rancher too. I’m still so glad that you regained your identity. If we had tried to make a life somewhere under an alias, it would have always felt false.”

  Cody kissed her. “You’re the one who made me believe it was possible. For years, I never thought I could claim my identity again.”

  “And we both have Thomas Lawson to thank. This wouldn’t work without his help.”

  “I spoke to Thomas earlier. I reminded him that I owed him and would be willing to take on a contract if needed. He said that he was waiting until he had something worthy of my skills.”

  “In other words, he’ll ask you to kill someone that no one else can.”

  “Yeah, which will be a challenge.”

  Sara smiled. “You love a challenge.”

  “It’s what I’ve trained for, and if anyone could kill the target, the contract wouldn’t be interesting.”

  The smile left Sara’s face. “That also makes it more dangerous for you.”

  “And more challenging.”

  “Who was the biggest challenge you’ve ever faced, Alonso Alvarado?”

  Cody shook his head. “That would be you.”

  “Me?”

  “You. And the fact that we’re together makes me believe in miracles.”

  Sara placed a hand on her stomach. “Lucas is a miracle, and soon we’ll have a daughter too.”

  Cody kissed her. “We have the house to ourselves, yes?”

  Sara grinned. “That’s right.”

  Cody took her by the hand, and they left the office to head to their bedroom.

  3

  Not Quite Right

  Chris Monte showed up for dinner beside Caroline Lang, her sister, Olivia, and her four-year-old son, Jarod. Jarod was autistic. As he’d done when they’d first met, Monte gave Cody a scrutinizing gaze. The cop sensed that he was more than he seemed.

  Caroline was her usual friendly self and had brought along two bottles of good wine. When she apologized for bringing her sister along at the last minute, Sara told her it was fine.

  “We’ve plenty of food and Olivia is welcome here anytime. We’ve gotten to know her through Henry.”

  Lucas, who definitely had a thing for blue-eyed blondes, spent time seated on Caroline’s lap. The toddler giggled when she kissed him on the cheek.

  Including Cody, Sara, and Lucas, there were more than a dozen for dinner. Steve Mendez, his wife, Ginny, and their two children, Wyatt, who was eight, and Amelia, who was two. Caroline, Chris Monte, Olivia, Henry and his grandmother, Laura, completed the guest list. They ate at two picnic tables that had been placed side by side on the large deck at the rear of the home.

  Cody grilled the steaks while Sara prepared a pasta salad. There was also fried chicken. Henry and Olivia helped to keep watch over the kids. Wyatt looked up to Henry and wanted to learn to ride a dirt bike.

  The new housekeeper, Mrs. Kent, was on hand to help out. She had volunteered and Sara agreed that it was a good idea. Her doctor had told her not to exert herself in the final months of her pregnancy. It was a pleasure to have help setting up for the dinner and the clean up afterwards.

  Caroline had asked Laura about being a police dispatcher.

  “It’s generally an easy job in a town like this, but it gets busy sometimes. Henry tells me that you work from home. What sort of work do you do, Caroline?”

  “I’m a website administrator.”

  “You must know a lot about computers.”

  “I do. My father introduced me to them at a young age.”

  Conversation turned to the mayor of Stark, Jimmy Kyle. Jimmy had come up with the idea of Stark having a Fall Festival to attract tourists and bring in business. The town owned a large parcel of land that went unused. Jimmy argued that it would make a good fairground. He didn’t say where the money would come from to pay for his project, but it was obvious that the next step would be to raise property taxes. There had been a number of property foreclosures in recent years and many people were already struggling. Cody and Sara had bought up two such foreclosed properties that were adjacent to their ranch. It had made them one of the largest landowners in the town.

  Mendez was against the idea of holding a festival. He thought the influx of strangers would increase the town’s crime rate.

  “I’d also have to deputize people to handle the festival and that would put a strain on my department’s budget.”

  “But wouldn’t they be volunteers?” Laura asked.

  “Yes, but I’d still need to train them, give them some kind of uniform, radios, and maybe arm them with batons. That all costs money. Since he’s been mayor, Jimmy’s only cut my budget, not raised it.”

  There was also talk that Jimmy Kyle was thinking of running for a recently vacated state senate seat.

  “I’m tempted to campaign for him,” Mendez said. “If he’s in Austin then he won’t be here mucking things up.”

  “Could he really win the seat?” Sara asked.

  “I doubt it,” Mendez said. “Outside of this town no one’s ever heard of him. But if he were to leave, I’d run for mayor to replace him.”

  “I don’t like Mayor Kyle,” Caroline said. “He hits on me every time we meet.”

  “Jimmy was always the playboy type,” Ginny Mendez said. “He just hasn’t realized that not every woman wants that type of man.”

  “I thought he was married to Councilwoman Avery; they’re always together,” Olivia said. It caused the adults to laugh. Olivia looked around the table. “What’s so funny?”

  Caroline explained to her sister. “Everyone is trying to figure out what’s going on there. You’re right. They’re inseparable, but it doesn’t look as though they’re dating, and they’ve never displayed affection for each other.”

  �
�Avery agrees with everything Jimmy says. That’s reason enough for a man like Jimmy to keep her around,” Laura said.

  Caroline was seated across the table from Cody. She looked over at him. “What’s your opinion?”

  “I don’t have one. I’m just glad that Jimmy doesn’t spend time near me.”

  “I see. You’re not much for gossip?”

  “I guess not.”

  “What does interest you, Parker?” Monte said.

  Cody looked at him. “I run my ranch and look after my family.”

  “Is that it?”

  “It’s enough,” Cody said.

  Caroline asked for a tour of the house and Ginny and Laura told Sara that they would show her around. Ginny and Laura visited the home often and wanted to save Sara from climbing too many stairs.

  “I could have used the elevator,” Sara argued.

  “We don’t mind playing tour guide,” Laura said. “We both love this house.”

  Mrs. Kent cleared off the table. Since it was a cookout, paper plates had been used and made cleanup easier. All that needed to be washed were the utensils and colorful plastic salad bowls.

  Sara had taken Lucas, Amelia, Jarod, and Wyatt inside the house and into the living room. The two younger children were placed in a playpen while Wyatt watched TV, and Jarod played with a toy.

  Henry and Olivia left early to see a movie. They’d taken Laura’s car. She would get a ride home from Steve and Ginny. That left Cody alone on the deck with Steve Mendez and Monte. Cody cleaned the grill while Mendez and Monte talked about police business.

  At a lull in the conversation, Monte called over to Cody. “Were you ever a cop, Parker?”

  “No.”

  “What about a crook?”

  Cody had been scrubbing a rack from the grill. He turned and looked at Monte.

  “I stole a candy bar from the supermarket when I was a kid. My mother brought me back there and made me pay for it.”

  “Any crimes since then?”