Mistletoe Man - China Bayles 09 by Susan Wittig Albert Read Free Book Online Page A

glance. "She doesn't
mean that," she said, in a half-whisper. "She's just talking big. She
does that when she gets angry."
    "The hell I
don't!" Terry exploded angrily. "Crissakes, Donna, wake up and face
facts! Swenson wants us off the place, and he's willing to do whatever it takes
to make that happen. If we let him get away with this, we're in for a lot
worse. How would you like to wake up one night and find the barn on fire? Or
the house? If that bastard comes on our land and starts damaging our property,
I've got a right to shoot him. Isn't that so, China?"
    "Under certain
conditions," I said carefully, wishing she hadn't put me on the spot. When
it comes to using deadly force to protect yourself and your property, Texas is
more permissive than most other states, and juries often give defendants the
benefit of the doubt. I cleared my throat. "If Swenson came into your
house with the intent of harming you or vandalizing your property, the court
would probably hold that you were justified in shooting him, especially if he
were armed." I gave her a warning glance. "But if you shoot an
unarmed trespasser who presents no threat—"
    "Oh, he presents
a threat, all right," Terry growled. She shook her head. "You can forget
that camera shit. I'll take care of Carl Swenson."
    And with that, she
turned on her heel and strode off.
     
     
    "So what did you say after she
said that?" McQuaid asked, leaning his elbows on the kitchen table. He
held out his dessert plate. "I'll have another piece of your great cheesecake."
    I pushed back my chair and stood up. "It's
not my cheesecake," I said. "Mrs. Kendall made it. We didn't sell all
of it today, so I brought home what was left. Pretty good, huh?"
    "Don't change the subject, China," Blackie
Blackwell said. "I want to hear what an officer of the court said when
this jolly green giant threatened to use her shotgun on Carl Swenson."
    "Terry isn't a giant," I retorted, going
to the kitchen counter. "She's just ... well, strong. And full of righteous indignation."
    "I guess I'm not
surprised to hear that they're having trouble with Carl Swenson," Sheila
Dawson said. "He's a weirdo. I ran into him at Bean's a couple of weeks
ago, where he was selling some goats to Bob." Bob Godwin, the owner of
Bean's Bar & Grill, raises goats for a hobby. "He and Bob got into a
major disagreement over who owed what, and Bob ordered him out of the place.
Swenson almost slammed the door off the hinges." She looked up at me.
"If you're cutting more cheesecake, I'll take a slice."
    "While you're up, I'll have some
too," Blackie said. "That cook of yours can make cheesecake for me
any day of the week."
    "Swenson's not
all that weird," McQuaid said, as I handed out second helpings. "The
Hill Country is full of loners like him. They build themselves a cabin or get a
little house trailer, buy a few goats and a four-wheel drive, and come to town
when they're low on supplies."
    "Or crave female
company," Blackie said.
    Sheila made a face. "That might not be easy
for Swenson. He smells. Essence of goat."
    "There you go, Sheriff,"
McQuaid said. "You've got nothing to worry about."
    We all laughed comfortably. Sheila and Blackie,
who are both in law enforcement, seem to be a perfect match. Blackie is a
third-generation lawman—a square-shouldered, square-jawed, laconic man with a
lot of savvy, the kind of guy you wouldn't mind having around if you found yourself
in a jam. Sheila spent several years as a street cop before she took the job of
chief of security at CTSU. Now she's the chief of police for Pecan Springs, a
job she took over from McQuaid a couple of months ago, after she solved Edgar
Coleman's murder (with a little help from Ruby and me). Sheila—her friends call
her Smart Cookie— has got to be the most striking police chief in the entire
United States. She's tall and blond, with a delicate, willowy grace that would
make her look at home in an evening gown at the Junior League Ball. But looks
are deceiving.