Page 10 of Texas Cold Case Murder

Jackson wished they were closer to any of the cities his fellow rangers lived. He considered calling Creed Ramsey, the Texas Ranger who had also been subpoenaed to testify at the Diego Sanchez trial, but Creed was still in Dallas, which was easily an hour or so away.

“We need a ride back to Tyler,” Jackson said to Deputy Green.

“What’s wrong with the car?” Green gestured to Nina’s sedan.

“I would like to have it towed and examined by a mechanic before we try to start it. The gunmen could have done something to it.” Jackson knew he was being overly cautious, but that was part of his job. “Please, Deputy, it would be nice if you could give us a lift. Nina has been through a lot. And you saw the condition of my SUV.”

“Yeah, that was bad.” Green glanced at Sewell, who lifted a shoulder as if to say, Your call. “Sure, I’ll give you a ride to Tyler. But first I need contact information for the both of you.” He pulled out his notebook. “I’m sure we’ll have more questions once we process the scene.”

Jackson and Nina gave their respective phone numbers and email addresses. When that was finished, Green turned toward Sewell. “I’ll be back soon.”

Jackson would rather have his own set of wheels, but he’d have to wait until morning to get a replacement. If Tyler didn’t have rental cars, he’d have to arrange to obtain a car from Dallas. He may have to call Creed Ramsey after all.

“I have a room at the Sunset Motel,” Nina said. “It’s on the outskirts of town.” She glanced warily at Jackson. “Sorry to say, it’s nothing fancy.”

“That’s fine.” He wasn’t about to complain. “I’m sure I can get another room.”

“Looks like the crime scene techs are here.” Sewell nodded toward the pair of headlights cutting through the darkness.

“I’ll leave you to watch over the crime scene.” Green turned to Jackson and Nina, jerking his thumb to his vehicle. “Let’s go.”

Jackson took one last look at Mark Lange’s cabin before following Nina to the police cruiser. He believed Mark had been murdered by the same men who’d taken shots at Nina and had obliterated his SUV.

The question was why? Simply because Nina had come to talk to her uncle about her mother’s death? He suddenly realized there was a lot he didn’t understand about this scenario.

He slid into the back seat, leaving Nina to sit up front next to Deputy Green. They exited the driveway and headed west on Pine Tree lane, then turned south on Banyon Road. As they approached the spot where his vehicle sat, Green slowed down, then pulled over.

“Now that I know this is connected to the dead man in the cabin, I want to take a few pictures before we head to Tyler.” Green pushed open the driver’s-side door and jogged across the street to the badly damaged car. The deputy took several pictures with his phone.

Jackson joined him, wincing at how bad the SUV looked up close. It was totaled for sure, and he could only imagine what their boss would say.

Unfortunately, he and his fellow rangers had damaged quite a few vehicles over the past few years. Through no fault of their own, but that didn’t make the hit to their budget any less of a problem. He knew Owens had been taken to task by the Governor more than once over the expense.

“I see what you mean,” Green said after a moment. “The gunmen clearly thought you were still inside and wanted to make sure you were both dead.”

“Yeah.” Jackson turned away. There wasn’t any point in ruminating over the damage.

“Any reason someone might target you?” Green asked as they walked back to the cruiser.

The upcoming trial for Diego Sanchez flashed in his mind, but he shook his head. “No, this is about Nina. She’s the one they chased into the woods.”

Green grimaced but didn’t push the issue any further. They climbed back into the squad car and continued down Banyon Road until they reached the highway.

From there it was a straight path through the town of Swan and on to the bigger city of Tyler. The motel Nina had chosen was right off the highway and didn’t look too bad for a low-budget motel.

“I’ll be in touch,” Green said as they climbed out of the vehicle. “If you think of anything else that will help us find these guys, please let me know.”

“Sure. And we’d like to know if you find anything, too.” Jackson decided this wasn’t the time to mention the call he’d made to his boss about taking over the investigation. The local cops wouldn’t be happy when that happened. Best to keep on good terms for now.

“Thanks for the ride.” Nina looked exhausted; a few sticks and leaves were stuck in her curly red hair.

Green waved and drove away.

“I’m in room seven.” Nina pulled her key from her pocket and headed down the row of rooms with doors facing the parking lot. “Good night, Jackson. I’ll see you in the morning.”

He frowned and lengthened his stride to catch up. “Nina, we need to talk.”

“Tonight?” She used her key to access her room. “Can’t it wait until the morning?”