At least the phone was quiet for a change. Mary Alice had fielded calls all morning from concerned citizens who wanted to know if they were safe with Clint Austin back in town.
Ray scowled at the copy of thePine Bluff Sentinellying on one corner of his desk. The picture Lassiter had taken in Brady’s office was front-page news. The article read like a political debate with Troy Bakerand his devastated family at one podium and Ray at the other. The whole damn mess was ridiculous, a one-sided story of Clint’s upbringing. How his daddy had deserted Clint and his mother had been forced to work day and night to make ends meet, leaving him to his own devices. Every schoolyard scuffle and speeding ticket the man had ever gotten was laid out for the community to devour. If that wasn’t bad enough, Lassiter had related numerous details, some he’d obviously taken from hearsay, regarding the night of Heather Baker’s murder.
The entire page was dedicated to trying Clint Austin all over again. Ray had called Jacob Talbot, the other owner of theSentinel, and told him how he felt about the smear campaign his paper appeared to be waging. Didn’t matter one bit. Talbot’s son had gone to school with Heather Baker.
Annoyed, Ray signed off on the report he’d just skimmed and reached for the next one. He could remember a time when the chief of police got a little respect around here. He wondered how Don Ledbetter would handle the situation if he were still alive and serving as chief.
Ray heard Granville Turner’s arrival well before he reached the door to his office. Granville had the kind of boisterous, self-important voice that carried across a room and demanded attention.
Pushing to his feet, Ray donned a patient, welcoming demeanor. “Good to see you, Granville. How’s Becky? Up and around by now, I hope.” Becky was the rich old bastard’s prized bluetick hound. He treated that dog better than some of his own kin. She’d had surgery recently to remove a small tumor that, thankfully, wasn’t malignant.
Granville reached across the desk and pumped Ray’s outstretched hand. “She’s doing just fine, chief. Thanks for asking.” Without further ado, he settled into a chair.
Ray took his seat and got right to the point: “What can I do for you today, Granville?”
Mary Alice closed the door Ray’s visitor had left open. She knew from past experience that a meeting with this particular citizen could get sensitive and loud.
Granville Turner was past sixty years old, with the build of an athlete. His hair had grayed into that distinguished shade that spoke of power and means rather than age. His gray eyes were clear and likely as keen as they’d been forty years ago. He was highly intelligent and filthy rich. He’d inherited well and invested better and was of the widely proclaimed opinion that he owned this town. Ray was intimately familiar with the way Granville did business, having learned fast the pecking order for keeping folks happy. Granville Turner was at the very top of that list. Whatever he wanted he generally got.
“I’d like to know what your plans are for getting Clint Austin the hell out of my town.”
No mincing of words there.
“I understand your misgivings, Granville,” Ray began, knowing he was wasting his breath. “But you have to understand that my hands are tied. Clint Austin’s conviction was overturned. Unless he breaks the law, there isn’t a thing I can do to or about him.”
Granville Turner eased forward in his chair, his gaze narrowing. “If that boy even looks at anyone in this town cross-eyed I want you to find a way to send him packing. Do you hear me, Ray? You watch him like he’s your goddamned reflection.” Granville pointed a finger. “When I think about what that bastard could do to this town—to my son—it makes me want to tear him apart with my bare hands.”
Ray chose his words carefully. “Granville, you and Keith have nothing to be concerned about. I’ve got the Austin situation under control. We won’t have any trouble out of him.”
Granville held his gaze several drama-filled seconds before rising from his chair. “All right then.”
Ray joined him. If he got off this easy, he’d be tickled to death. But nothing with Granville was ever quite so easy.
“I know you possess the necessary talent to ensure this situation doesn’t get out of hand.” The older man’s gaze locked with Ray’s. “But you let that bastard cause any trouble and we’ll have a serious problem. I don’t want my son to suffer any more than he already has.”
Ray should have been mad as hell at the man’s audacity, but he and Ray had an understanding. If push came to shove, he knew the most direct route to Granville’s Achilles’ heel. That was something else Ray had learned early on. Always know your opponent’s secrets. The right one could make all the difference.
The intercom on Ray’s desk buzzed. He sat down and picked up the receiver, his head tilted to the left and his gaze still fixed on the man who’d walked out of his office only to pause at his secretary’s desk to chat or ask questions he more than likely had no business asking. “Yeah.”
“Line one for you, chief.” Mary Alice didn’t give the name of the caller, since Granville lingered at her desk.
“Thanks.” Ray stared down at the button blinking on his phone. He hoped like hell it wasn’t anybody else swearing that Clint Austin had peeked in their kitchen window or stolen some tool they couldn’t find in the garage. Ray blew out a burst of weary air. It was probably his wife making sure he planned to make lunch today. He’d missed more dates with her than he’d kept lately. He pressed the button and got it over with. “Ray Hale.”
“Ilovethe way you say that. Hmmm. So sexy.”
His anger flared, but he refused to be baited. “What do you want?” He angled his head again to make sure Granville was gone.
A deep, sultry sigh intended to be sexy whispered across the line. Ray’s jaw clamped; he refused to letherget to him the way she’d once done so effortlessly.
“I think we have a problem, baby. I think there’s a meltdown coming our way and people are gonna get burned.”
A muscle started to twitch in his jaw from the hard set of his teeth.Bitch. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay out of this.”
“Is that a threat, chief? You know how it turns me on when you talk rough to me.”
He almost hung up, but her next words stopped him cold. “She’s close to the edge, Ray, real close. Before she’s finished, I’m afraid she’sgoing to blow wide open that whole shoddy investigation your department conducted.”
He would not listen to any of her bullshit. “Stay away from Emily Wallace and don’t call me again.” He slammed the phone down.
