Lone Star Standoff. Margaret Daley

with a hint of brine. He circled the building before going inside, assessing its security before he went to the employee parking lot behind the courthouse. There were a handful of vehicles in that lot. He noted where Aubrey’s car was yesterday and the locations of all the security cams. She obviously hadn’t parked with the thought of making sure her car was in full view of the surveillance cameras. On Monday, that would need to change. As well, he would have a chat with the person who monitored the video feed. As he studied the best places where a deputy sheriff could be stationed near the rear exit, the sense of being watched rippled down his spine. He whirled and scanned the back of the building.

      Someone had been at a window on the second floor looking outside but jumped back when he turned. It happened so fast, he couldn’t even identify the person as a male or female. Aubrey’s office was on that floor. He hurried into the courthouse and raced up the nearby stairs.

      When he arrived in front of the entrance to Judge Madison’s office, the door was ajar. Sean removed his gun and kicked the door wide-open, scanning the room as he moved forward. He turned slightly to the left and swept his gaze over a sitting area and a bookcase with every shelf filled, then onto the large desk with two chairs in front of it.

      As he twisted toward the right, a large figure clad in black lunged for him. The assailant raised his arm. In a split second, a hard object crashed into Sean’s skull.

      * * *

      Aubrey slid the cookie sheet into the preheated oven, then straightened, her glance bouncing from the flour all over the counter to the vanilla spilled next to the sugar. Then she swung her attention to Sammy and Camy. The ingredients that went into making the cookies covered them from head to toe.

      “Camy, you need to take off your shoes. You have an egg all over one of them. When did that happen?” Probably when she’d gone to answer her cell phone. She shouldn’t have turned her back to answer it, though she’d hoped it was Sean with good news about the car. And it had been him, but with no updates concerning the white vehicle.

      Her daughter glanced down and giggled. “Oops. Sorry. I wanted to crack one since Sammy did.”

      Her son puffed out his chest. “Mine didn’t end up on the floor.” He shook his head, sending more flour flying. “Who called earlier?”

      “Texas Ranger McNair. As soon as Grandma gets back from church, I’m going down to the courthouse. A police officer is coming to pick me up.” What had happened at the courthouse that Sean needed her there?

      Sammy’s eyes widened. “Can we go and use the siren?”

      “No. This is business.”

      Camy’s face scrunched up. “Business?”

      The sound of the garage door going up indicated her mother was home. Aubrey hurried to clean up the mess while she said, “Go change and bring me your dirty clothes and, Camy, your tennis shoe with egg on it.”

      As she swiped a wet dishcloth over the floor where the egg had fallen, Aubrey realized this extra-messy kitchen was her fault in part because she hadn’t kept her attention on her children as she usually did when they cooked together. She’d known better, but she’d promised to do something fun with them. She hadn’t counted on Sean distracting her from afar. Then he called and said a police officer would be over to pick her up, and her full attention on her children vanished. He didn’t say anything else, but the urgency in his voice indicated he hadn’t told her everything. Something was wrong.

      Her mother’s chuckles coming from the entrance to the utility room pulled her focus from scooping up the last of the eggshells scattered everywhere. “Did a hurricane hit this kitchen while I was gone?”

      “Yep. Hurricane Camy merged with Hurricane Sammy.”

      “I met Officer Adams as he pulled up to the house. He’s here to pick you up. You might want to change your clothes while I finish taking care of this mess.” Her mother’s nose twitched. “What’s burning?”

      “Oh!” Aubrey shot to a standing position, grabbed the mitts and hurriedly took out of the oven the sheet full of slightly burned sugar cookies. “You know me and cooking.”

      “Go. I’ll take care of this. Where are the kids?”

      “Changing,” Aubrey said as she headed out of the kitchen.

      As the bell rang, her son barreled down the stairs, beating her to the front door and pulling it open. She knew Officer Cal Adams, her escort to the courthouse. After asking the police officer to wait while she changed, Aubrey hastened to her bedroom and quickly threw on a pair of clean jeans and a T-shirt from the University of Texas. She made it back to the foyer within five minutes.

      “Sammy, go in the kitchen and help your grandmother. Where’s Camy? She wasn’t in her room.”

      Sammy frowned and pointed toward the kitchen, then trudged down the hall.

      Officer Adams grinned for a second before his expression became somber. “I think he’s a bit disappointed I wouldn’t let him go with us and turn on the siren. Tell Sammy we will another time. Texas Ranger McNair wanted you at the courthouse as soon as possible.”

      She walked beside Cal. “What’s going on?”

      “Someone was in your office.”

      “Who?”

      “Don’t know, but the person hit Texas Ranger McNair over the head.”

      “You should have told me right away. Was it bad? Did Sean get it looked at?”

      Cal shook his head. “He isn’t leaving your office, but he did clean it up. He says he’s all right.”

      “Is he?”

      “I predict he’ll have a goose-egg knot on the side of his head, but I think he’ll be okay. He didn’t pass out totally.”

      “Totally?” Her heart began to race as she thought of one question after another: Who was in her office? Why? What were they after? But above all, was Sean really all right?

      “Yeah, he was a little dizzy.”

      Her mother came into the entry hall. “What are your plans?”

      “I’m going to my office for a while.” Aubrey glanced past her mama to make sure Sammy and Camy weren’t behind her listening. “Someone broke into it. I’m meeting Sean there.”

      “Does the break-in have to do with the trial?”

      “Possibly.”

      “Please be careful, honey. I’ll lock the door behind you and set the alarm. Then I need to get back to the kitchen. Sammy is holding the dustpan while Camy is sweeping the floor, which means she’s rearranging where the flour is on the tile.”

      On the drive to the courthouse, Aubrey went over the events of the past twenty-four hours. When she arrived home yesterday, she’d been tired and concerned about the Villa trial. Now it was more than concern that pestered her. Was Samuel’s murder tied to what was happening now? His wedding ring must mean it was—which raised the stakes of this trial even more.

      Cal escorted her to her office on the second floor. A deputy sheriff who worked at the courthouse stood outside the door. When she entered, both of them stayed in the corridor while she looked at Sean sitting in a chair in front of her desk.

      He glanced over his shoulder and attempted a smile that fell short. “Thanks for coming.”

      She walked to the other chair beside him and took a seat. “I heard you were hit, and from what I see it must be hurting. Can I get you a bag of ice or something else?”

      “I took a couple of aspirin. Really, I’m fine. I’ve had worse. I’m just mad I couldn’t catch him.”

      “You ran after him?”

      “I tried, but by the time I stood and got my bearings, he was gone. I decided to stay. I didn’t want to leave your office