Page 3 of Texas Cold Case Murder

Jackson had a soft spot for Nina. He liked and admired her more than he should. But when he’d hinted at getting together, she’d shut him down. And really, he couldn’t blame her. His reputation of being a player wasn’t something he was proud of. It had stemmed from his less-than-adult reaction to finding out his fiancée had been cheating on him. After a few years of jumping from one girlfriend to the next, he’d pulled himself together. It was almost two years now that he’d been back on the straight and narrow path, with the help of his fellow Texas Rangers Sam Hayward, Tucker Powell and Marshall Branson. They were all men of faith, and he’d learned a lot about Jesus and God’s love and forgiveness by spending time with them.

Yet it seemed that despite his attempt to turn over a new leaf, bad reputations were hard to shake.

Besides, dating someone who worked for the Rangers, especially as they reported to the same boss, wasn’t smart. So he’d kept Nina at arm’s length, doing his best to ignore his attraction to her.

But this was different. He’d rush to the aid of any member of their team facing a dangerous situation. And Nina wasn’t trained to fight off a gunman.

He tried Nina a second time, but she still didn’t pick up. He considered calling Deb Schilling to see if she could track Nina’s phone. A glance at the clock indicated it was well past nine on a Friday night. He seriously doubted the part-time tech specialist who filled in for Nina would answer this late. Should he call 911? His only hesitation was that he didn’t know what Nina was up against.

It occurred to him that Nina might be able to respond to a text. Keeping an eye on the road, he keyed up the text message application on his SUV communication module.

“Text Nina Dobson.” When a new message window opened, he continued. “On my way. Where are you now? Send.”

There was a swishing sound as the message was sent.

Jackson had to abruptly swerve around a truck that appeared out of nowhere. With his light bar flashing, the truck should have given him the right of way but hadn’t.

He knew texting and driving wasn’t safe, even with the hands-free functionality. Yet what else could he do? He desperately needed to connect with Nina as soon as possible.

After a solid ten minutes, a response to his text message flashed on the screen.

Hiding in the pine forest.

His heart squeezed at how frightened she must be. The Nina he knew was a computer genius who loved Austin and spent time listening to live music. He had never heard of her camping out in the wilderness.

He was glad she’d replied, but her vague comment wasn’t exactly helpful. In his role as a Texas Ranger, Jackson had been on cases that took him across the entire state. He knew the roads and highways well. The Piney Woods region of East Texas covered several counties from the northern tip of the state to the east and extended all the way south.

Maybe she’d meant the Tyler State Park? Yet from what he remembered, the unincorporated town of Swan wasn’t within walking distance to the park.

Nina may not realize that, though. He slowed his speed to ten above the speed limit to respond. “Text Nina. Send your location if possible. Stay hidden, I’ll be there soon. Send.”

With that done, he stomped on the accelerator again, making up for lost time.

When Nina didn’t respond with a ping to her location, he grimaced. Likely her cell service wasn’t very good, especially if she was deep in the thick forest.

The next forty-five minutes dragged by with excruciating slowness. He wanted to keep texting with Nina, feeling as if she might need reassurance, but was concerned doing so would drain her phone battery. When he finally passed through the small town of Swan, he pulled over to the side of the road and texted her again.

On Banyon Road. Where are U?

Her response came a moment later. Not sure. Can’t ping my location.

Great. He scanned the trees to the east. The red-and-blue lights were still flashing on his SUV, and as he reached for the switch to shut them down, he paused. Then kept them on.

He texted Nina again. Do u see red and blue lights?

Her response came seconds later. Yes! Will head toward them.

Jackson silently thanked God and bailed out of the SUV. He grabbed his cowboy hat from the front passenger seat and settled it on his head. He stepped back from the vehicle, and without hesitation, shut the door and ran straight into the woods. He’d left the flashing lights on, hoping they’d be back long before the car battery died. He wanted Nina to have the lights as a beacon.

The pine scent was soothing as it mixed with the cool September air. He quickly made his way through the towering trees, searching for signs of movement. He was sure Nina would be heading toward him very soon.

He didn’t go too far, continuing to scan the area. A full five minutes passed before he noticed some moving branches. He turned to walk in that direction.

From there it didn’t take long to catch a glimpse of Nina’s pale face framed by her riot of red curls as she ran out from between two trees. The look of panic on her face gave him pause.

Then he heard the sharp retort of gunfire from somewhere behind her.

“Police!” He pulled his weapon and sprinted toward Nina. She didn’t look back but darted from side to side, clearly trying to make herself less of a target. “Throw down your weapon!” he shouted.