Page 75 of Backtrack

Smith got on his radio as soon as Cutter stopped talking. “Parker County,” he said. “You can put my residence at the bottom of your list. My wife’s in town getting her hair done. I just left her a few minutes ago.”

With most Parker County deputies responding to work Cutter’s shooting, highway patrol, Weatherford PD, and constables began to respond, attaching themselves to whichever address was nearest their location.

Cutter jumped in his Caprice, speeding toward North Main and Lucy, lights on, siren on yelp to set him apart from the other speeding police cars on the road.

“Parker County 62.” It was Nikki, her voice burdened with the fatigue from double shifts overflowing with stress.

“Go ahead,” Cutter said.

“Wayne,” Nikki said. “I’m on the phone with Lucy right now. Shetold me to tell you she’s—and I’m quoting here—‘alright, all good.’ Granger with the Weatherford PD is heading her way, but I thought you’d want to know.”

Cutter heaved a sigh of relief.Alright, all goodwas their code, meaning exactly what it said. Alternately,everything’s finewas a sign of distress.

“Thank you, Nikki,” he said. “I owe you. Tell her I’ll check in on her soon as I can.”

The entire Sheriff’s Office knew Lucy was ill. All prayed she would come through it. A few, like Nikki, knew how bad things really were.

Cutter pulled himself forward in his seat, chewing on his bottom lip in thought. He slammed the flat of his hand on the center console and snatched up the mic. As much as it pained him to do it, he’d trust that Lucy was taken care of for the time being. Clem Morton was one of the original crime scene investigators, along with Manny Garza.

“Parker County 62,” he said. “Who have you got going to 63’s place?”

“No one at this time,” she said. “Confirming, he’s next on the list?”

“Affirmative,” Cutter said. “I’m half a mile from 63’s residence. I’ll head that way, because the Weatherford PD unit is checking in with Lucy.”

“Ten-four, 62,” Nikki said. “Appreciate it.”

No sooner had Cutter turned off Zion Hill onto the back road that would take him to Deputy Morton’s place than Johnson came over the radio looking for him.

“I need you to call me as soon as practical,” Johnson said. “I found something you’ll want to hear.”

“Stand by,” Cutter said. “I’m four minutes from a phone.”

“Talk to me,” Cutter said almost ten minutes later, after he’d checked on Morton’s wife, Theresa, and asked to borrow her telephone. She’d shown him to the kitchen, where the phone hung on the wall, and got him a glass of iced tea while he told Johnson over the radio that he was ready to take the call.

“Ricky Lee’s aunt is a gold mine,” Johnson said from the jump. “I didn’t want to put it out over the radio, but Ms. Odom said ‘Little Ricky’ came around a couple of weeks ago, asking her if he couldborrow some money. She thinks he’s moved to some of those cheap apartments over by Carswell Air Force Base. She’s trying to find the address as we speak.”

“Do you think she’s covering for him?”

“Not at all,” Johnson said. “She told me Pink’s running with a man named Allen Duvall. Dispatch found an Allen Duvall from Tyler. Last known address is North Fort Worth. In and out of prison for everything from auto theft to strong-arm robbery. He’s doing life on the installment plan. But here’s where it gets interesting. Ms. Odom said her husband used to lease some land from the railroad on the far side of the dam that runs along Sunshine Lake. I used to go swimming there all the time when I was in high school. We always thought devil worshippers were using that little area by the spillway—”

“Get to the point, LJ.”

“Right,” Johnson said. “Evidently there’s a little line shack tucked in the trees there beyond Town Creek. Ms. Odom says there’s no electricity, but they have a working windmill and an outhouse. Sounds like her husband used to take Ricky Lee to help him with the cattle, even before his parents left. She said it was a ten-year lease. Won’t run out for another two, which means no one else should be running cattle out there at the moment. It’s supposed to be well-hidden. Hell of a place to hole up when every badge toter in the county is looking for you.”

“That’s the first good news I’ve heard today,” Cutter said. “You were smart not to put that out over the radio. Is there a road leading in?”

“Ms. Odom says you have to take a little two-track if you want to drive,” Johnson said. “It’s a hair under a mile. Probably grown up with weeds. Get this, though. There’s a trail in from the backside of Sunshine Lake that’s less than half that distance. Ms. Odom said her husband would park at the lake and then take horses or even walk in with Ricky Lee. I had her draw me a good map of the shack and outbuildings, along with all the approaches.”

“That’s good work, LJ.”

“Like you say,don’t go anywhere the first time.”

Cutter’s throat went tight. Lucy had just …

“You still there?” Johnson asked.

“I am.” Cutter coughed to hide the catch in his voice.