TANYA_Trouble With a Capital T Page 2

  “Or more likely, running for her life,” Tanya added caustically. Walking toward the animated group of men surrounding the sheriff, she saw Sledge Perkins glaring up at her silent father, gesticulating wildly. Getting close enough to hear his harangue, she walked over next to her father and stuck out her hand.

  “Greetings, Sledge. I see you’ve got trouble on your property again.” Purposefully trying to annoy him, she added, “Looks like the sheriff’s office is going to have to station ’round the clock officers here to keep an eye on things. You guys seem to be a magnet for trouble.”

  The wizened, white-haired man drew himself up to his full five-foot-seven-inch height and glared at her. “Now you listen here, missy. You can close that smart mouth of yours any time now. At least your pappy has respect for those of us who are trying to keep a horde of brownies from takin’ over our country. And goin’ through my fucking property to do it.”

  Titus Trouble stepped between Tanya and the frothing little man. “Now, now, Sledge, no reason to get your panties in a bunch. We are here because two youngsters spotted a body while they were quail hunting.” He added drily, “Given that they were white kids carrying rifles, I presume they had your permission to hunt on your property.”

  “And why the hell wouldn’t they, Sheriff? Hell, when you were a kid, you did the same damn thing and I never stopped you.” Pointing at Tanya, he spit out, “So did this smart-mouthed little cunt that you raised. If I’d known how she was gonna turn out, I would have had her jailed at twelve years old to teach her to respect her elders and their fucking land.”

  Stepping in front of her father, Tanya faced off against the irate man. “That’s where you’re wrong, Sledge. I do respect my elders, at least those who are worthy of my respect.”

  Before she could continue to challenge the angry man, she heard her father’s warning cough and felt his restraining hand on her arm. Knowing that she was letting her fury at the racist man color her words and actions, she acknowledged her father’s attempt to calm the scene.

  Taking command, the sheriff spoke carefully, his words riddled with intent. “Look, Sledge, this is a major incident no matter how you look at it. Whether that young woman my men are loading into the ambulance over there was on your land legally or brought here and dumped, the facts remain. A woman—make that a girl—is dead and was found on your property. You can be damn sure that I and every one of my officers won’t rest until we figure out who she is and how the hell she got here.”

  Still holding Tanya’s arm, Sheriff Trouble started to walk toward his officers who were preparing to take the body to the morgue. Pausing, he glanced over his shoulder and pinned a hard stare on Sledge, whose face was purple with rage. “Oh, and another thing, Sledge. While a number of my ‘men’ occasionally may seem disrespectful, I don’t get in their way. I’ve learned that they are more than capable of handling an old coot like you. I will add, however, that I don’t take kindly to any man who calls one of my daughters a filthy name. That’s particularly true of an old rattlesnake like you, who’s been begging to have his rattle chopped off for more years than I can count.” He added darkly, “Consider yourself warned, Sledge.”

  As they walked together toward the ambulance that was preparing to leave, Tanya gazed up at her tall father and said with a grin, “Why, dearest, I do believe that you threatened one of your constituents. For calling me a name, for goodness sake. Really, Dad, do you think that is the first time one of that racist bunch called me a cunt or a lot worse?”

  Titus’s frown deepened at her repetition of the slur. His voice was curt. “No, Tanya, I’m quite sure men of all stripes have called you disrespectful names. I’m also sure that you egged them on, intentionally baiting them. Even so, I will not permit any man to disrespect one of my daughters. Even the one who’s made it clear since she was five years old that she could take care of herself and her older sisters, no matter who threatened them or her.”

  Tanya tossed her head and said cheekily, “You think that’s why I’m such a good cop, Dad.”

  Titus grunted. “Yes, Deputy Trouble, I’m confident that your brazen attitude and willingness to take anyone on has made you a hell of a good cop. Good enough in fact that if you play your cards right, someday you might even be sheriff of this dissolute county. And when you are, you can be sure that all the old coots who called you names will be ruing the day they took on that feisty little girl, not understanding that a pint-sized pack of trouble with a capital T would be their undoing.”

  ****

  “I’m telling you someday, and soon, that sassy little bitch is gonna get taken down hard.” Manny Davis’s voice cracked with grim emotion. Glaring at Tanya’s backside as she sauntered back to her table, his face was tight with hate. “And when she goes down, that fuckin’ ass she’s so proud of is gonna get reamed and reamed out good.”

  Mac Lewis grinned at his friend. “I dunno, Manny, you gotta admit that little spitfire don’t pull any punches. Especially when it comes to taking down men, even badasses like you. Hell, man, if I was keepin’ score, I’d say that Deputy Trouble just scored a ten in her column, and you posted a big fat cipher in yours.”

  Before Manny could respond, Pete Weber joined the fracas. “You gotta admit, Manny, that dick ruler crack of hers was priceless. Christ, I swear I saw your prick shrivel in your pants. I’ll admit mine backed up a little, lookin’ for a place to hide in my asshole.”

  Manny reared up in his chair. Spittle shot from his mouth as he turned on his friend. “I’ll tell you who’s a cipher. It’s that fuckin’ doc she’s engaged to. That pansy-assed piece of worthless shit can’t keep his woman in line. Lets her prance around, struttin’ her wares, and the asshole can’t so much as pull her chain. Hell, if he did, she’d probably ream him out.”

  “Sort of like she did you, Manny?” Mac Lewis asked slyly.

  Ryker Thompson leaned forward. Attempting to stop the heated exchange before the combatants came to blows, he said, “Whoa, fellows. Help me out. Are you telling me the woman that took on Manny is a fuckin’ deputy?” With a grin, he added, “And, Pete, I have to agree with you. That dick meter measured in millimeters was a damn funny crack.”

  Manny Davis glared at him, his flushed face and glittering eyes underscoring his fury. “You don’t get it, Burke. You’re new around here, but you’ll soon find out. I’m telling you, Flint, the scourge of this whole fuckin’ city, make that the whole fuckin’ county, is that goddamned Trouble family. Starting with the father, Sheriff Titus Trouble, marchin’ on down through Tara, who runs the Gazette, Tatiana, who runs that women’s shelter, and worst of all, Tanya, that uppity, smart-mouthed deputy bitch who I’m tellin’ you is gonna get her ass reamed out but good!”

  Ryker nodded as if in agreement. Responding to the name “Flint Burke” that he’d assumed as he prepared to infiltrate the city, he focused on the irate blowhard at the end of the table. “Phew. Sounds like somebody parked the right name on the bunch of them. At least what I’ve seen of the one who took you on, Manny, ‘trouble’ is a hell of a good way to describe her.”

  Determined to get as much of a rise as he could from his new cohorts, getting them to reveal themselves as he continued to flesh out his undercover persona, Ryker poked at Manny. “Does that curvy little deputy actually arrest anyone or does she just poke at their manhood?”

  Before the sputtering man could respond, Pete cut in. “No, Flint. Not only does she arrest people, she’s got a fuckin’ hard-on for those of us who are trying to clean up this county starting with that goddamn sieve they call a border. There ain’t a one of us who works for Sledge Perkins that she hasn’t hauled in for one made-up charge after another. Fortunately, Sledge has a hell of a good lawyer, Jeb Harris, who manages to spring us within hours of an arrest.” His lips quirked up in a grin as he shot Manny a sly gaze. “Except for our buddy Manny who, thanks to the long arm of none other than Deputy Tanya Trouble, actually did a six-month stint in the county jail for supposedly b
eating up one of his couchies.”

  Manny’s already flushed face took on a purple hue as he reared to his feet. Leaning over, he put both hands on the edge of the table and glared at his grinning buddy. “Hear me, asshole, and hear me well. That’s the last time I’ll spend a second in that fuckin’ jail. The next time that little deputy tries to corral me will be the last time she walks straight.” Glaring from one to the other of the men at the table, he spit out, “And, fellows, you can take that warning to the bank.” With that, he turned and strode from the tavern, wary customers clearing a path for the red-faced, fulminating man.

  Ryker allowed the silence to settle, then decided to press on an issue that had caught his attention. Turning to Pete, he asked, “Did you say that the deputy is engaged? Damn, I’d like to meet the guy who managed to cage that little firecracker.”

  “That’s the problem, Flint. Manny’s right about that. The only reason I can think that Tanya Trouble agreed to marry Bramford Courtland—and yes, that really is the fucker’s name—is that he’s an honest-to-God doctor. That and he gave her biggest damn diamond anyone in these parts has ever seen. But as for corralling her or controlling her? The doc’s about as successful as Manny is, or hell, any of us are. She rolls over him the way she rolls over every damn man who gets in her way.”

  Indicating that he needed another beer, Ryker strolled over to the bar. After ordering his brew, he leaned against the rail, taking the opportunity to survey the crowd. He wasn’t surprised that the focus of his attention was the table on the far side of the room. From his study of the major players in the town he was infiltrating, he recognized the two older Trouble sisters. Even from this distance he could see that they were as stunning as their photographs had promised. He recognized Tara, the oldest sister, by her mane of sun-bleached blonde hair that skimmed her shoulders in a shiny curtain of gold. The redheaded woman with her back to him had to be the middle sister, Tatiana, who was apparently the quietest of the three. He’d concluded from his reconnaissance that all three sisters were lookers, but he’d been unprepared for the youngest sister.

  At least from the photographs he’d seen, the youngest sibling, the dark-haired pixie, was the least striking of the three sisters. That was before he’d watched her take down a table of leering men, emasculating the bunch of them with her saucy grin and smart mouth. And, Ryker admitted with a heartfelt sigh as he watched her saunter across the tavern, she had the curviest, sexiest little ass he’d ever laid eyes on. Shaking his head, he conceded that could be a problem given that the two most likely people he planned to take down in his undercover mission were the forbidding Cochise County sheriff and what now appeared to be his equally forbidding deputy daughter.

  Chapter 3

  I don’t understand, Dr. Mason. What are you saying? Was she raped or not?” Tanya didn’t hide her annoyance. “Surely you can tell. Rape isn’t exactly a challenging crime to determine.”

  The gray-haired, bespectacled physician rubbed his hand over his balding pate and shook his head. “Yes, Deputy Trouble, you are correct. Rape is a relatively easy diagnosis to make, particularly when the victim is found the way that this young woman was. Abandoned in a field, partially clothed.”

  Tanya jumped in. “That’s what I’m saying, Dr. Mason. It was obvious from my cursory inspection of the body at the scene that this poor girl was raped and left to die on the edge of Sledge Perkins’s ranch. I’ll make another leap and state that given her hair color and obvious Latino heritage, the chances of her being an undocumented immigrant are ninety-nine percent-plus.”

  Dr. Mason nodded in agreement. “All of those facts are true, Deputy, and under ordinary circumstances, I would agree with your preliminary conclusions. However—”

  Tanya interrupted him. “For God’s sake, Dr. Mason, what are you trying to say? Spit it out already.”

  Hearing Gunnar’s cautioning murmur, Tanya restrained herself. Obviously the doctor was reluctant to tell her what he saw, which didn’t make sense to Tanya given that, at least in her mind, the diagnosis was a foregone conclusion. She quickly apologized. “Sorry, Doc. I know I’m being impatient, but we’ve all seen this scene a few hundred times too many. I just want to get the DNA samples as fast as possible so that Detective Sorenson and I can figure out which of Sledge Perkins’s assholes is responsible.”

  The frowning doctor sighed and rubbed at the balding spot on his head. “That, in a nutshell, is the issue, Deputy Trouble. There is no DNA sample.” At her surprised startle, the doctor continued. “There is definitely evidence that the young woman had engaged in sexual relations. From the bruises and tearing, I will venture to say that it was rough sex—potentially with more than one partner. The problem is that there was no semen in her vagina.”

  Tanya returned the ME’s frown. “You mean the guy or guys were wearing a condom?” She hesitated and then said, “I don’t get it. You’re telling me that she had consensual sex and then somehow ended up dead? Left to die in the bushes? Jesus, Dr. Mason, that doesn’t make sense.”

  “No, it doesn’t, because she wasn’t left to die in the bushes. My conclusion is that she was already dead when the perpetrator left her. You see, Deputy Trouble, your vic was strangled to death. I regret to tell you that you have a homicide on your hands.”

  Gunnar blew out a surprised whistle. “You got to be kidding, Doc. You’re saying that some guy had sex with her and then strangled her? I don’t get it. Let’s face it. Anyone who is going to rape an illegal alien crossing the border is damn unlikely to wear a condom and then, frankly, to strangle her. Ninety-nine percent of the border rats I know don’t consider illegals human. I can’t see those assholes thinkin’ if I’m gonna bang her, I gotta sheathe my wanger before fuckin’ her—and then bothering to strangle her? Shit, man, it’s not as if she would ever file charges against him.”

  Tanya held up her hand, stopping him. “As ugly as your conclusions are, you’re right, Gunnar—about all of that. But there’s got to be more to this.” Pinning a hard stare on the troubled doctor, she pressed, “What else have you discovered, Dr. Mason? What aren’t you telling us?”

  The perplexed doctor hesitated, then said, “I’m going out on a limb, Deputy Trouble, but I don’t think our vic is an illegal.”

  Glancing at the corpse stretched out on the metal gurney, Tanya nodded in agreement. “I concur. You are going out on a limb, Doctor Mason, so convince me why I should crawl out there with you.”

  Pulling back the sheet, the ME motioned for Tanya to come closer. Pointing to the bruises on the girl’s neck, he said, “If you look closely, you can see that these symmetrical marks were made by the perpetrator’s hands. That and her crushed hyoid bone confirm the cause of death was strangulation.” Further removing the sheet, Dr. Mason nodded to the surfeit of bruises covering the victim’s chest and pelvis. Pointing to her ribs, he said, “Three of her ribs are broken, the rest are cracked.” Emitting an audible sigh, the ME stated flatly, “While I can say for sure that strangulation was the primary cause of death, this young woman was severely beaten, punched, and kicked by a much bigger and stronger perpetrator before he strangled her.”

  “Damn.” Tanya’s exclamation was echoed by Gunnar’s grunt. Not waiting for what was sure to be an irreverent comment from her crime-hardened cohort, Tanya turned to the doctor in disbelief. “And you are saying, Dr. Mason, all this happened after the couple had consensual sex?”

  Mason shook his head. “I never said the sex was consensual. Merely that a condom was used to prevent telltale semen.”

  Studying the shattered body, Tanya began to see signs of what was perplexing the medical examiner. She picked up the girl’s hand, noting how soft it was and, most tellingly, how there were signs of a fresh manicure complete with sparkly blue polish, a must-have color favorite for “with-it” teenage girls. Reaching for the sheet, Tanya studied the girl’s feet, confirming a recent pedicure with the de rigueur blue polish. Glancing at the doctor, she saw his approving nod.


  Without commenting on her perusal, Dr. Mason added, “That’s not all, Deputy. If you look in her mouth, you will see perfectly straightened teeth, confirming that a full set of braces was recently removed.”

  Tanya lifted a lock of the girl’s hair and murmured, “Not to mention some unusual highlights that I can tell you from experience don’t come cheap.”

  Breathing out a hard sigh, Tanya drew the obvious conclusion. “In summary, Doctor Mason, while this young woman is obviously Hispanic, she is not an illegal immigrant trying to cross the border into an unwelcoming country. Indeed, she is likely a well-cared for, no doubt adored daughter of some soon-to-be-grieving family. And it goes without saying that, as you indicated, we have a homicide victim on our hands.”

  ****

  “Please, Agent Thompson, come in. I assume you took proper precautions to ensure that no one saw you coming to my home.”

  Ryker nodded at the large, heavyset man who stepped back and waved him into the impressive vestibule. “Yes, sir, I did. While it’s unlikely that anyone in these parts would notice yet another battered Ram Big Horn, I took the precaution of leaving my ride at Sadie’s Truck Stop and hiking the rest of the way to your abode.” He added, “I agree that my visit tonight, as important as it is, needs to be clandestine. That said, thank you for agreeing to meet with me.”

  Barrett Meier frowned and brushed his polite greeting aside with an impatient wave of his hand. “No need to tell me that you and I can’t be seen together, at least in these circumstances. And while I don’t agree with my superiors that it is important that we meet, I understand that it was your request. But please, Agent Thompson, come in. The least I can do is offer you a drink before we discuss the challenging circumstances we face.”