Out of Time. Shirlee McCoy

a quiet, somber woman in her place.

      A quiet, somber, beautiful woman in her place.

      But, then, he’d always suspected that she’d grow into a beauty.

      He didn’t try to fill the silence, just kept his peace as they walked toward a long, low building.

      “This is the long barracks. It houses our museum. The gate Mitch was talking about is just to the east of it. I locked it after we closed for the day, so there’s no way it could be open. Mitch tends to drink too much, and then he gets confu…” Her voice trailed off as the gate came into view.

      “It’s open.” Levi took the last few steps to the gate, scanning the street beyond. A few cars drove by and voices carried on the cold air.

      “I closed the gate as soon as the last visitor left. Made sure it was locked.” Susannah flashed a light on the lock and examined it.

      “Has it been tampered with?”

      “Not that I can see.”

      “Is it possible you forgot to lock it?”

      “I’ve been doing this for four years, Levi. I didn’t forget.”

      “You’re sure?”

      “Yes.”

      “Maybe another security officer—”

      “We don’t work that way. If another Ranger had been here, I’d have known it.” She stepped through the gate, looking up and down the street as if she expected to see someone standing there with a key.

      “If you locked it, someone unlocked it.”

      “Or the lock is faulty.” She closed the gate, locked it and then tried to pull it open again. It held tight.

      “Looks like that’s not the case.” He gave it another tug for good measure.

      “I need to call my boss. Let him know what’s going on.”

      “We should get a team to scour the compound. Make sure whoever opened the gate isn’t still hanging around. Check to see if he left anything behind.”

      “Right.” She pulled out her cell phone, speaking quietly as she hurried along the path that led to the chapel.

      He followed more slowly, scanning the foliage and the deep shadows they created. It would be easy enough for someone to hide there. Easy at night, but easy during the day, too. He’d have security teams run sweeps of the grounds before and during the ceremony to make sure the compound was empty. Hopefully, it would be enough to keep their VIP guests safe.

      He frowned, eyeing the fence that separated the Alamo from the rest of the world and the buildings that jutted up above the compound. Not good from a security standpoint.

      He dialed Ben Fritz’s number, knowing his friend and the new captain of Company D would be interested in the development.

      “Fritz speaking.”

      “It’s Levi. I just arrived at the Alamo.”

      “How do things look?”

      “They’d look better if there hadn’t been an intruder on the compound.”

      “What happened?”

      “That’s what I’m trying to figure out. Seems one of the gates was locked and someone unlocked it.”

      “Are there security cameras on-site?”

      “I’ll check into it.”

      “Sooner rather than later, Levi. We don’t have much time to make sure the Alamo is secure.”

      “Trust me, I can hear the clock ticking.”

      “Good, because Hank Zarvy is breathing down my neck, asking for a detailed plan regarding the opening ceremony.”

      “He’ll get it.”

      “When you’re good and ready to give it? Because if that’s the case—”

      “You know I don’t work that way, Ben. Especially not when it comes to this case. Hank Zarvy is an annoyance I’m willing to deal with if it means solving Greg’s murder.” He glanced at Susannah, saw that she’d finished talking to her boss and was watching him, not even pretending that she wasn’t listening to the conversation.

      That was fine. There was plenty she needed to know.

      “The Lions of Texas are behind all of this. We know that. What we need to find out is what they have planned for March 6. If we don’t, more people could die.”

      “We’re going to stop them, Ben, and we’re going to find out which one of them pulled the trigger on Greg. We need justice. For Greg and for Corinna.”

      “No one realizes that more than I do. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t tell Corinna that we’ll find her father’s killer.” Ben and Corinna were as close as any couple Levi had ever known, their love for each other a palpable thing. They weren’t the only ones who’d found love in the months since Greg died, and Levi was sure that if his old boss could look down from Heaven and see what had happened to the men and women of Company D, he’d smile.

      “We’ll get his killer. I won’t rest until we do.”

      “None of us will. Keep me updated on what’s going on at the Alamo.”

      “I will.”

      “And, prepare yourself. Zarvy wants to meet with you and the head of Alamo security. Breakfast tomorrow at his place. Eight o’clock.”

      “We don’t have time for meetings or hand-holding.”

      “We don’t have time to bury our heads in the sand and pretend the Lions of Texas aren’t a widespread and growing drug-smuggling organization. Thanks to Gisella and Brock Martin, we’ve found one of their drug entry points on the border and thrown a handful of their low-level operatives in jail, but we have a long way to go before we bring them down.”

      “A long way to go and not much time to accomplish it.”

      “Does that mean you’re going to be at the meeting tomorrow?”

      “Do I have a choice?”

      “Not really.”

      “Then I’ll be there.” He disconnected, met Susannah’s eyes. “We’re scheduled to meet with Hank Zarvy tomorrow morning. You know him?”

      “He’s part of the Alamo Planning Committee, so we’ve met once or twice.”

      “He wants a briefing on our security plans.”

      “No problem. Maybe you can brief me on what’s going on while we wait for Chad to show up.”

      “Chad?”

      “Morran. He’s my boss. He’s called in a few other Park Rangers to help search the compound. They’ll be here shortly.”

      “We can start the search now. If someone is on the compound, I’d like to have a chat with him. Do you have an extra flashlight?”

      “Sure, but searching the compound isn’t going to distract me.” She met his eyes, her emerald gaze wary and filled with questions.

      “From?”

      “Let’s not play games, Levi. Something is going on. Something bigger than a 175th anniversary celebration and a few threatening notes.”

      “My office has been investigating an organization called the Lions of Texas. We believe they’re behind the threats.”

      “The Lions of Texas. Never heard of them.”

      “Not many people have. They’re secretive. No one knows who their top members are, but we do know they’re working to open the Mexican border.”

      “Toward