Free A Deadly Affair at Bobtail Ridge by Terry Shames

under him.
    Lyndall says he’s too busy to go off with me this afternoon, so we arrange to meet tomorrow morning to approach the Borlands.
    â€œI have something else I want to ask you,” I tell him. “You’ve been here at the Bobtail PD a long time?”
    â€œOver thirty years.”
    â€œMaybe you remember something about a man who walked out on his family? Howard Sandstone? His wife was a schoolteacher.”
    â€œThat would be Vera Sandstone, who died last week?”
    â€œThat’s right. I’m wondering if they ever filed a missing persons report.”
    He strokes his chin, pondering my question. “I don’t remember the details, but it seems to me it wasn’t his family that reported him missing—it was the guy he worked for. There was something funny about the whole thing, but I’m damned if I remember what happened. Let me look up the file and refresh my memory. I’ll get back to you.”
    After I leave Lyndall, I drive by to scout out the Borland place. According to Lyndall’s information, Borland has moved in with his son since leaving prison. Jett’s house, up on cinder blocks, hasn’t seen a coat of paint since it was built, and the windows are hung with venetian blinds, not one of which is straight. If they use the fireplace, they’re courting asphyxiation, because half the chimney’s bricks are missing. There are at least two unusable cars rusting in the long dirt driveway, and behind them is an old white Chevy that looks an awful lot like the one I saw sitting outside Jenny’s house. I’m tempted to stop in and have a chat with them, but my smarter side prevails. Tomorrow will have to do.
    As I drive slowly by the house, a pair of scroungy dogs come scrabbling out from under the porch and take out after my truck howling and barking, as if they’ve been stung in the backside. I wonder how we’re going to get past them tomorrow.
    I’m on my way home when I get a call from Bill Odum. “We’ve got a problem, Chief. One of Ellen Forester’s neighbors called a half hour ago to say there’s a commotion at her house. Zeke went to see what was going on, and he says it sounds like her ex-husband is tearing up her place.”
    â€œI’m only ten minutes away. I’ll meet you there. And put in a call to Texas Rangers headquarters. Tell them we may have a hostage situation on our hands.”
    â€œI don’t think it’s gone that far.” Odum sounds startled.
    â€œHe’s caused enough trouble. It’s time we put some muscle into letting him know we’re not going to tolerate his harassment.”

CHAPTER 12
    When I drive up to Ellen Forester’s house in my truck, Zeke Dibble is standing outside on the sidewalk next to one of our two patrol cars. “Highway patrol says they can’t send anybody out unless we’re sure somebody’s being held hostage.”
    â€œThat’s okay. We’ll take care of it.”
    Bill Odum arrives, and I wait for him to join us before I ask Zeke to fill us in.
    Zeke hooks a thumb toward the house. “Neighbors next door say the ex drove up and jumped out of the car and banged on Mrs. Forester’s door, yelling out for her. When she opened the door, he forced his way inside. Then they heard him hollering and heard some crashing sounds from inside the house. That’s when they called down to the station. I talked to the neighbors when I got here and asked them to stay indoors.”
    â€œAll right, let’s go see if we can settle this amicably,” I say. We all know it isn’t likely. I had a standoff with Seth the first time I met him, when he came to order Gabe LoPresto to stop work on a house LoPresto was renovating for Ellen. The fact that it was Ellen’s place didn’t seem to keep Seth from horning in. And since then we’ve had two other confrontations. I’m not sure what he hopes to get out of