Chapter One
âThe woman should be dead,â the doctor told Sheriff Rico Geary. âDonât know how she made it out of the creek alive. Another minute in that water, and she would have frozen to death.â
Rico heard every word the doc said, but he was multitasking. He had his phone pressed to his ear, waiting for an update from his deputy about the bodies theyâd discovered at the same time as the woman.
Murdered. And in his town.
That put a tight knot in his gut. Maverick Springs was known for its cowboys, livestock and small-town living. Folks werenât used to dealing with a double homicide. Neither was Rico. Yeah, heâd been sheriff for almost two years, since heâd moved here, and heâd dealt with some fatal car accidents. Nothing like this, though. Two strangers with no IDs. Both gunned down on the bridge by the old slaughterhouse.
âThe woman has a head injury,â Dr. Cheryl Landry continued as she led Rico through the maze of hospital halls. âItâs not that serious, but Iâm not sure how much info youâll get from her.â
Rico had to get a lot from her. The rancher whoâd fished her out of the ice-scabbed creek hadnât even glimpsed her attacker when heâd responded to the womanâs cries for help. So she was probably the sole witness to the murders. Which meant it was pretty darn certain that it had been the killer whoâd bashed her on the head and dumped her in the creek.
âHas she said anything?â Rico asked the doctor.
âNot really. Well, other than asking for you.â
Rico froze for a moment. âMe? She knows me?â
âApparently. She mumbled your name several times while coming in and out of consciousness.â
That didnât mean she knew him. His name was on the townâs welcome sign.
Ricoâs deputy, Randy Wells, suddenly came back on the line, and Rico pressed his phone to his ear again. âThe MEâs moving the bodies to the morgue now,â the deputy reported, âbut he said those gunshot wounds to their heads were the cause of death.â
Rico had never doubted that. Heâd seen the bodies before heading to the hospital to interview their possible witness. The couple had been killed at point-blank range. Close enough for the victims to have looked their killer straight in the eyes.
What Rico needed from the witness now were the names of the victims, why theyâd been killed here in Maverick Springs and who the hell had killed them.
âRun their prints,â Rico reminded the deputy. Because in addition to the investigation, he had to notify their next of kin.
âWhatâs this womanâs name?â Rico asked the doctor, putting his phone back in his jeans pocket.
Dr. Landry stopped outside a room, and her weary eyes met Ricoâs. âShe doesnât remember.â
His jaw went slack. âWhat do you mean she doesnât remember?â
âLike I said, she has head injuries. A blow to the head can cause memory loss.â
That was not what he wanted to hear. He huffed, put his hand on his hips. âHow long will she be like this?â
The doc shrugged. âHard to tell. Plus, if she witnessed the murders, then sheâs probably traumatized. Some people donât want to hold onto memories like that.â
âWell, she sure as heck better hold on to these memories. I got two dead bodies on my hands.â
âI know,â Dr. Landry snapped. Then her expression softened a little. âJust go easy on her.â
Rico didnât agree to the docâs conditions. He couldnât. He needed answers. Now.
He stepped into the room, and since the doc was a good foot shorter than him, he had no trouble seeing over her head. His attention landed on the woman in the hospital bed. She was on her side so he couldnât make out much of her face, but he could see her dark blond hair, still wet from the creek. She was as pale as skim milk and on the thin side, judging from the outline of her body beneath the covers.
The woman stirred, groaning softly, and she touched her fingers to the bandage on the side of her head. Her eyes sprang open, and her gaze zoomed across the room, colliding with Ricoâs.
Ah, hell.
The knot in his gut got significantly worse. âGina?â he mumbled.
âYou know her?â Dr. Landry immediately asked.
âYeah. I know her,â Rico managed to say. Though it was hard to speak through clenched teeth. âSheâs my wife.â