A Texas Christmas: True Blue / A Lawman's Christmas: A McKettricks of Texas Novel. Diana Palmer

he added. “This is San Antonio. The border is that way.” He pointed out the window. “A long, long drive that way.”

      “I know. That’s what puzzled me. So I pumped Grier for information.”

      “What did he tell you?”

      “He didn’t. Tell me anything,” she added grimly. “So I had my oldest son pump his best friend, Sheriff Hayes Carson, for information.”

      “Did you get anything from him?”

      She bit her lower lip. “Bits and pieces.” She gave him a worried look. She couldn’t tell him what she found out. She’d been sworn to secrecy. “But nothing really concrete, I’m sorry to say.”

      “I suppose they’ll tell us eventually.”

      “I suppose so.”

      “When is this huge invasion of Barrera going to take place? Any timeline on that?”

      “None that presented itself.” She sighed. “But it’s going to be a gala occasion, from what we hear. The State Department would have good reason to be concerned. They can’t back a revolution …”

      “One of the letter agencies could help with that, of course, without public acknowledgment.”

      Letter agencies referred to government bureaus like the CIA, which Rick assumed would have been in the forefront of any assistance they could legally give to help install a democratic government friendly to the United States in South America.

      “Kilraven used to belong to the CIA,” Rick murmured. “Maybe I could ask him if he knows anything.”

      “I’d keep my nose out of it for the time being,” Rogers cautioned, foreseeing trouble ahead if Rick tried to interfere at this stage of the game. “We’ll know soon enough.”

      “I guess so.” He glanced at her and asked, “Hear about what happened on the firing range this morning?”

      Her eyes brightened. “Did I ever! The whole department’s talking about it. Our rookie detective outshot the lieutenant.”

      “By a whole point.” Rick grinned. “Imagine that. She falls into potted plants and trips over crime evidence, but she can shoot like an Old West gunslinger.” He shook his head. “I thought I’d pass out when she started firing that automatic. It was beautiful. She never even seemed to aim. Just snapped off the shots and hit in the center every single time.”

      “The lieutenant’s a good loser, though,” Rogers commented. “He bought a single pink rose and laid it on her desk after lunch.”

      Rick’s eyes narrowed and his expression grew cold. “Did he, now?”

      The lieutenant was a widower. Nobody knew how he lost his wife, he never spoke of her. He didn’t even date, as far as anyone knew. And here he was giving flowers to Gwen, who was young and innocent and impressionable …

      “I said, do you think that could be construed as sexual harassment?” Rogers repeated.

      “He gave her a flower!”

      “Well, yes, but he wouldn’t have given a man a flower, would he?”

      “I’d have given Kilraven a flower after he nabbed the perp who blindsided me in the alley and left me for dead,” he said, tongue in cheek.

      She sighed. She felt in her pocket for the unopened pack of cigarettes she kept there, pulled it out and looked at it with sad eyes. “I miss smoking. The kids made me quit.”

      “You’re still carrying around cigarettes?” he exclaimed.

      “Well, it’s comforting. Having them in my pocket, I mean. I wouldn’t actually smoke one, of course. Unless we have a nuclear attack, or something. Then it would be okay.”

      He burst out laughing. “You’re incorrigible, Rogers.”

      “Only on Mondays,” she said after a minute. She glanced at her watch. “I have to get back to work.”

      “Let me know if you find out anything else, okay?”

      “Of course I will.” She smiled.

      She felt a twinge of guilt as she walked out of his office. She wished she could tell him the truth, or at least prepare him for what she knew was coming. He had a surprise in store. Probably not a very nice one.

      “But I made corned beef and cabbage,” Barbara groaned when Rick phoned her Friday afternoon to say he wasn’t coming home that night.

      “I know, it’s my favorite, and I’m sorry,” he said. “But we’ve got a stakeout. I have to go. It’s my squad.” He sighed. “Gwen’s on it, and she’ll probably knock over a trash can and we’ll get burned.”

      “You have to think positively.” She hesitated. “You could bring her home with you tomorrow. The corned beef will still be good and I’ll cook more cabbage.”

      “She’s a colleague,” he repeated. “I don’t date colleagues.”

      “Does your lieutenant date colleagues?” she asked with glee. “Because I heard he left her a single rose on her desk. What a lovely, romantic man!”

      He gnashed his teeth and hoped the sound didn’t carry. He was tired of hearing that story. It had gone the rounds at work all week.

      “You could put a rose on her desk …”

      “If I did, it would be attached to a pink slip!” he snapped.

      She gasped, hesitated and turned off the phone. It was the first time he’d ever snapped at her.

      Rick groaned and dialed her number back. It rang and rang. “Come on. Please?” he spoke into the busy signal. “I’m sorry. Come on, let me apologize …”

      “Yes?” Barbara answered stiffly.

      “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I really didn’t. I’ll come home for lunch tomorrow and eat corned beef and cabbage. I’ll even eat crow. Raw.” There was silence on the end of the line. “I’ll bring a rose?”

      She laughed. “Okay, you’re forgiven.”

      “I’m really sorry. Things have been hectic at work. But that’s no excuse for being rude to you.”

      “No, it’s not. But I’m not mad.”

      “You’re a nice mother.”

      She laughed. “You’re a nice son. I love you. I’ll see you at lunch tomorrow.”

      “Have a good night.”

      “You have a careful one,” she said solemnly. “Even rude sons are hard to come by these days,” she added.

      “I’ll change my ways. Honest. See you.”

      “See you.”

      He hung up and sighed heavily. He couldn’t imagine why he’d been so short with his own mother. Perhaps he needed a vacation. He only took time off when he was threatened. He loved his job. Being sergeant of an eight-detective squad in the Homicide Unit, in the Murder/Attempted Murder detail, was heady and satisfying. He assigned lead detectives to cases, reviewed cases to make sure everything necessary was done and kept up with what seemed like tons of paperwork, as well as reporting to the lieutenant on caseloads. But maybe a little time off would improve his temper. He’d talk to the lieutenant about it next week, he resolved. For now, he had work to do.

      Gwen had been assigned as lead detective on the college student’s murder case downtown. It was an odd sort of case. The woman had been stabbed by person or persons unknown, in her own apartment, with all the doors locked and the windows shut. There were no signs of a struggle. She was a pretty young woman with no current boyfriend, no apparent enemies, who led a quiet life and didn’t party.

      Gwen wanted very much to solve the