Love Under Two Flyboys [The Lusty, Texas Collection] Cara Covington (short story to read txt) đ
- Author: Cara Covington
Book online «Love Under Two Flyboys [The Lusty, Texas Collection] Cara Covington (short story to read txt) đ». Author Cara Covington
Jesus Christ, if I donât find that plane soon, that bastard Ramos is going to have me killed. Preston had no doubt whatsoever of that. He was running out of time and, it looked like, running out of options.
For a long moment he let his gaze drift over the central Texas landscape. This state road, not as busy as the Interstate, still seemed to be busy enough. Preston thought it might be a good idea to get moving. No sense just standing around taking the chance theyâd be noticed and reported.
He headed back toward his men. âThereâs an IHOP listed at the second exit off I-35. Letâs head for it. Dennis, I want you to ride with me and let Jimmy drive your truck.â
âSure thing, boss.â
Dennis got in the backseat with him. Lorne swung the Buick around, heading away from the small ranch owned by one G. Hornsby, and back toward the Interstate.
âOkay, tell me everything again,â Preston said.
âI did as you ordered, and drove back and forth past the house, and then took a tour around the area. I stopped at the Gas âNâ Go because itâs only a couple of miles from Hornsbyâs place, and I figured he might be known there. Hornsby has an old Jeep parked at the side of the garage, looks like itâs been there for a while. So I pretended I was interested in buying it, asked if the store owner knew the guy.â
Preston nodded. Dennis was smarter than heâd originally thought. âThat was good thinking.â
âYeah, well, the store clerk knew Hornsbyâs name well enough but had no idea where the man could have gone. Mentioned he lived with his niece, that it was just the two of them. As we were talking, another customer came in and overheard us. He claimed Hornsby was away for at least the next few days. Said heâd spoken to him just before he rode off in a sheriffâs cruiser. He told the store owner how heâd thought it must have been a joke because of the name on the side of the cruiser, and that maybe Hornsby was on his way to pull some kind of prank on someone. But the store owner said no, there really was such a place.â
âSuch a place as where?â
âLusty, Texas. Thatâs what the guy who came into the store said was on the sheriffâs car. Heâd thought Hornsby was pulling a prank on his niece by showing up in a phony sheriffâs department car, because thatâs who he said he was going to go join, his niece.â
âLusty, Texas.â Preston had never heard of the place. âWeâll get Jimmy to look it up on the Web, see what we can find out about the place.â
âWell anyway, when I heard that, I decided not to go back to the manâs house and break in. If heâs connected to cops, they might be keeping an eye on his property while heâs gone, or something.â
Preston looked over at Dennis. âI agree. We canât take a chance, at least not during daylight. But I do want you to go on foot onto the property tonight, have a look in that barn. Itâs big enough to hold a Piper.â
âYes, sir.â
They arrived at the IHOP a few minutes later. As with most eateries found at the end of an Interstate off-ramp, the place was busy for mid-morning, but not stand-in-line crowded. They grabbed a table in the back, ordered only coffee.
Preston sat beside Jimmy, who got his laptop working, searching out information on Lusty, Texas.
âTheyâve got a Web site,â Jimmy said quietly. âLooking at the map, Iâd say itâs about a hundred miles north. Doesnât appear to have a direct Interstate ramp. Incorporated as a town in the 1880s. They do have a sheriffâs department, but that agency doesnât have a separate Web site, so it canât be very big, or very up to date. Yeah, populationâs only a couple of thousand people.â
âSo why would the sheriff of a pissant Texas town come all the way to San Marcos to pick up Hornsby? You figure heâs been arrested?â Preston asked.
Dennis shook his head. âThatâs what the store guy asked the other guy. He said, no, Hornsby and the sheriff seemed real friendly-like. Hornsby sat in the front, which he wouldnât have been doing if heâd been under arrest.â
Jimmy had stilled and looked over at Preston, a smile on his face.
âWhat?â
âThey have an airstrip. Itâs only a small, private airfield, but itâs capable of handling small jets. Itâs cross-referenced on an FAA list.â
Preston looked down at the information Jimmy had up on the screen. âShow me the map again.â When his man complied, he said, âCan you pull back, so I can see a largerâŠyeah, like that. Look, this Lusty is about halfway between Abilene and San Marcos. Maybe whoever was flying that Piper had trouble and had to set it down?â
âLet me search for any small plane crashes,â Jimmy said.
His fingers flew over the keyboard. âNo, thereâs nothing. So we know it didnât crash.â
âGood damn thing or weâd all be in a world of hurt right now,â Preston said.
He looked up at his men. âOkay, hereâs what weâre going to do. Weâll grab a couple of rooms over there at the Barn Swallow Inn. Tonight, when itâs dark, Dennis and you will go have a look around Hornsbyâs place. See if the Piperâs there. At this point we donât know that itâs not. If itâs not, tomorrow we head to Lusty. Check out the airstrip. Iâll come up with some sort of a story, as weâll likely be dealing with more than one person.â
While his men nodded their understanding, Preston stepped back, mentally, and looked at the big picture. Tomorrow would tell the tale. He either found that plane and retrieved Miguel Ramosâ property, or one way or another, he disappeared.
* * * *
âLooks like quite the addition youâre building here,â Goodwin said.
Morgan stood beside Tamaraâs uncle as he looked around the airfield. This morning,
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