Page 169 of It Runs in the Family

“Ms. Gardner, I’m Texas Ranger Gene Rollins. I’ve driven over from Austin, and I’d like to ask you a few questions before you go.”

I turned to look at Garrett, who gave me a wide-eyed stare.

If I declined now, I suspected I’d have to speak to him later anyway. Might as well pull the Band-Aid off now. “Okay.”

Garrett and I walked over to the table to sit down, but Ranger Rollins said, “Just Miss Gardner.”

“I’m her cousin,” Garrett said, making it clear he wasn’t leaving. “I’m stayin’ with her.”

The Ranger turned to me and then back to Garrett. “Not in my interview you’re not. I can have you escorted from the room if you’d like.”

Garrett’s face reddened. “Is she in trouble?”

“I only want a statement,” the Ranger said dryly.

“So there’s no reason I can’t stay with her.”

Garrett was ready to put up a fight to protect me, but I wasn’t letting him get into trouble over me. “Garrett, it’s okay,” I said softly.

“No, it’s not,” he said, glancing over at the Ranger. “There’s no reason I can’t stay in here unless he’s planning to try to trip you up.”

“Garrett,” I said, holding his gaze. “It’s fine. Just wait for me in the waiting room.”

“You don’t have to talk to him,” Garrett insisted. “We can get you a lawyer.”

“Does she need a lawyer?” Ranger Rollins asked dryly.

I closed my eyes, took a breath, then opened them and took Garrett’s hand. “It’s okay. If I think he’s tryin’ to pull one over on me, I’ll stop everything and ask for an attorney. Then he’ll have to stop askin’ questions until one shows up.” I forced a smile. “I’ve seen a few true crime documentaries.”

He pulled me into a tight hug. When he released me, he pointed a finger at the Ranger. “She’s the victim in all of this. Don’t treat her like she’s not.” Then he stomped out of the room.

Once everyone but the Ranger and I had filed out of the room, he shut the door and gestured to the table. “Ms. Gardner, why don’t you take a seat?”

I did as he suggested, lacing my fingers together on my lap, trying not to fidget, but he was watching me, even as he lowered into the chair across from me.

After he studied me for a long moment, he finally said, “Ms. Gardner, I have reason to believe that you encountered one of our former Rangers.”

My mouth went dry, but I remained quiet.

“His name is Boone Callahan. We’ve heard reports you were with a man named Boone on Monday, and possibly a couple of times before that.”

I still remained quiet.

“There’s a chance he told you he was a Texas Ranger, which would mean he was impersonating a law enforcement officer.” He held my gaze with an intensity meant to break me. “Did he lead you to believe he was a Texas Ranger?”

We maintained a stare off for a good three seconds before I said, “I only knew him as Boone. I met him Friday at T-Birds and we hit it off, if you know what I mean.” I lifted my eyebrows suggestively.

He didn’t react.

“Then I saw him at my grandmother’s, but I took off before he could make arrangements to see me again. So, he showed up at my apartment on Monday morning and spent the day with me.”

His dead stare told me he wasn’t amused. “He never led you to believe he was a Texas Ranger?”

“Why would he?” I countered. “I didn’t even know his last name.”

“You hung out all day with a man, and you didn’t even know his last name?”

“What can I say?” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “As I told the deputy who took my statement, he had a cute butt.”