"End of the Road"

**Immediately follows "Missing"**

"Heartbreak is good fuel for country songs. And cheating."
Miranda Lambert

CHAPTER 1

"Ready?" Lamar Pettybone stood ready to release a calf from the chute as his boss, Matt Houston leaned forward in the saddle and gave nod. A few seconds later the chute was opened and Houston and his stallion Jasper were chasing down the calf, roping it in short order, flipping it onto its side, and then with the piggin' string that he had held in his teeth, the cowboy tied the calf's two rear feet and his right front together as the horse held pressure on the rope around the calf's neck. When Matt returned to the saddle and released the pressure, the calf needed to remain tied for at least six seconds. When the six seconds had passed Lamar called time. "Nine seconds! That's the best y'all have done."

"Good job, Jasper." Matt praised the horse as Bo removed the rope from the calf's neck and untied him, returning the piggin' string to his boss as he recoiled his rope.

CJ approached the pen with a smile on her face. It was good to see her husband doing something that he enjoyed so much and the fact that Jasper was part of the team was a truly amazing feat – a testimony to Matt's skill at training horses. "Hon, have you got a minute?"

"Sure do. Let's call it quits for the day, fellas. Thanks for the help." He rode the stallion over to the fence. "Ole Jasper here is about the best I've ever seen."

"You two make a great team." She reached up and began scratching the horse's jaw as he nuzzled at her. "I just got off the phone with Trent – he's been talking with Tamara Placer's lawyer."

Matt's face went from happy to aggravated in no time at all. "Now what?" The reporter had stolen Lamar's wallet a few weeks earier, retrieving the aging cowboy's code for the security gates and using it to trespass on the property and fly a drone over the Houstons. Matt had shot it down and had her arrested for trespassing, then filed a lawsuit against her. She in turn was suing him for loss of property.

"He wants to come to a settlement on the lawsuits." Knowing how stubborn he could be she had expected a less than jovial response. "If you'll drop the suit on her they'll drop the suit against you for the drone. But she wants you to return it." She watched as he looked away to his left at the Santa Monica Mountains.

"That could be kind of hard to do." Shifting in the saddle slightly he looked back down at her, that crooked grin that she loved now showing up.

"You got rid of it."

"That's putting it mildly."

"What did you do?"

"Used it for target practice. Wanted to make sure the shotgun was up to snuff. There isn't much left." He saw as a smile played at the corner of her lips as she shook her head at him and then giggled.

"Well, Channel 12 is concerned about the lawsuit damaging their reputation. Their attorneys have advised her to settle with you."

"And what does my attorney think?"

"I'm not the one handling the case, remember? I had just given birth when you had Trent file the suit."

"So what does my wife think then?"

Sighing, she continued to scratch on the stallion's jaw. "Hon, I know you want to prove a point and make an example of her but it might be best to just drop it."

"With one stipulation."

"Using five dollar words today are you?"

"I'll replace it; but she's not to come to the office, the ranch, or anywhere near me – what's that phrase you lawyers love so much...in perpetuity?"

"Now you're up to ten dollar phrases. Not bad. But given that she's a reporter they most likely will balk at that. You do tend to end up on the news occasionally."

"Not my problem."

"I'll tell Trent."

"What did he suggest?"

"The same thing I did." Wagging a finger at him, she kissed him as he leaned down. "Did anyone ever tell you that you're stubborn?"

"Seems like I've heard that a time or two somewhere." Grinning, he turned and started the horse toward the barn.

"Supper's ready."

"Be there as soon as Jasper is put away." He began whistling as he dismounted, the horse automatically following him through the barn and standing still as his owner began taking off the saddle. "Jasper, ya done good, buddy. I think we should be just fine at the rodeo." The horse nickered as he watched Matt carry the saddle and blanket back to the tack room. The pair was scheduled to take part in a charity rodeo in three days and the cowboy was looking forward to competing once again. It had been years since had taken part in one and he was excited, even though he wouldn't be riding bulls or broncs this time around. He had a couple of friends from Texas who would be there competing as well.

After supper he gave Catey Rose a bath while CJ and nanny Sheila Wentworth fed the twin boys, Vinnie and Mike, that were now almost six weeks old. When the kids were tucked in, he and CJ were snuggling in the recliner together arguing over what movie to watch when his cell phone rang. "Hey, Michael."

"Houston, I hate to interrupt your evening but the Chief has requested your help." LAPD Lieutenant Michael Hoyt was working his way through traffic toward the LA Special Events Arena that was a few blocks west of Houston's office.

"Uh oh." As he sat up in the recliner, CJ slid off of his lap onto the couch cushion. "What happened?"

"Amos Kennon is dead at the Arena." Michael knew that his friend was slated to participate in the rodeo and that he knew who the country singer was.

"You're kiddin' me. He's supposed to be playing two concerts at the rodeo this weekend." Slipping on his boots, the PI headed back through the house and retrieved his Glock and holster that were in the bedroom closet, strapping it on before coming back down the hallway.

"Nope. That's all I know right now, but given the high profile of the victim, the Chief wanted you in on this from the beginning. Not to mention the fact that you might be able to make a little more headway seeing as you're from his home state."

"Alright, I'm on the way." Hanging up he leaned over and gave CJ a kiss, filling her in on what little was known so far.

"Wow...okay, hon. Just be careful. Love you."

"Love you." He kissed her again then went into the kitchen and filled a mug with coffee before heading out to the truck.

On the drive to the arena, Matt thought about Kennon. Born to a ranching family from the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, the country music star had bounced around many a road house and bar in the Lone Star State before landing a lucrative recording contract in the late 1970's. He had a string of hits through the next decade before entering rehab for alcohol treatment, then bounced back during the 1990's and had been going strong ever since.

Nearing the arena, the PI pulled down his LAPD ID and clipped it onto the collar of his shirt. After a brief stop at the back entrance to the facility, he was waved on through by an officer and parked next to Michael's car. The parking area held several other vehicles including Kennon's tour bus and the four semis that were used to haul the gear for his shows. As he slid from the truck, CSI techs Bob Wisnewski and Cheryl Crawford pulled in next to him. Giving the pair a hand with carrying some of the cases loaded with equipment, he looked over at Cheryl. "Have you got cold feet yet?"

"No." She gave him a smile. "Did you get tired of people asking you that before you and CJ tied the knot?"

"No, not really. Most folks were too shocked that I had finally pulled my head out of my ass." The comment sent the two techs into a gale of laughter, catching the attention of Hoyt who turned to see the cause.

"Uh huh, should've known you were causing the trouble, PI." He shook his head at Matt.

"You'd be worried about me otherwise, Michael. What exactly have we got here?" Slipping on a pair of nitrile gloves, he and the two techs followed the lieutenant onto the tour bus.

"He's back in the bedroom." The veteran cop led the way back through what was obviously a kitchen area right behind the driver's section, a lounge, then a small bathroom, and a sleeping area. At the very back of the bus a door stood ajar and the group carefully entered the room. On the left hand side was a bathroom complete with shower, while on the opposite side was a large closet. Directly against the back of the bus was a queen size bed where Kennon was lying. "The paramedics pronounced him dead. They're the only ones besides the first officers on the scene to enter the room."

"Who found him?" Matt squatted down and looked at the man's face; if not for the coloration of his skin, he would have thought him asleep.

"His wife." Hoyt watched as Bob and Cheryl began the task of documenting and processing the scene as the PI stepped back out of the way and began looking around the rest of the room. Nothing appeared to be out of place; Kennon's wallet and keys were on the bedside table along with a glass. Taking a whiff, Houston stood back up with a concerned look on his face.

"What?" Michael watched as the PI began looking around the room again.

"Smells like Jack and Coke."

"So?"

"He supposedly doesn't drink anymore."

"Oh..." The cop watched as his friend waited for Cheryl to photograph the clothes that were laying in a heap next to the bed, apparently the ones that Kennon had taken off before climbing under the sheets. Once she was finished and was about to put them into an evidence bag, the PI squatted down and began handing them to her, working his way down to the pair of boots that was sitting underneath.

"And there it is..." Houston pulled a silver flask out of one of the boots, carefully opening it and taking a sniff. "Jack." Engraved on the side was "To Amos from D.". After closing it securely he handed it to the tech who bagged and tagged it.

"Guess he fell off the wagon." Hoyt wandered over to the closet. "He wouldn't be the first person in the world to do that."

"No...but I'm surprised anyway." The PI walked over to the closet and began looking at the clothes inside, most of which appeared to be the singing star's but some were women's clothing. He looked at the tags in a couple of the outfits before walking over to the bathroom where Wisnewski was looking around.

"So did you know this guy?" The lab tech looked through the medicine cabinet as he spoke, removing a bottle of Viagra and bagging it.

"Met him a couple of times several years ago. Seemed nice enough." He turned to walk out when something caught his eye. "Whoa..."

"What?" Hoyt was standing at the door.

"Bob, have you gotten a pic of the trash can?"

"No...oh...yeah, that is kind of interesting." After snapping a shot of the can, he reached into it and removed a pregnancy test. "It's positive."

"You can't really go by that." Houston shook his head and walked out as Wisnewski exchanged a puzzled look with Hoyt.

"Why is that?" The tech stuck his head out of the bathroom and watched as the PI continued to look around the room.

"The results can change after a certain amount of time – or at least look like they have." He looked back at the men. "I've kind of had a little experience with those the last couple of years." Grinning he turned away and circled the room again.

"Oh...learn something new everyday I guess." Wisnewski snickered and bagged up the test as well as the rest of the trash in the can.

"I don't see any wounds, but I guess when the Coroner's Assistant gets here we'll know more." Cheryl was taking close up shots of the singer.

"Has any weapon been found?" Houston turned to look at Hoyt.

"Not that I've heard."

"Who was the first officer on the scene?"

"Someone we both know. He's outside." Hoyt gave a slight smile as he went back to the front of the bus while Matt began searching through the other areas. He returned in a minute with Sergeant Luis Sanchez – the former clerk for Hoyt's office who had recently been promoted and transferred back to patrol.

Matt looked up as the two approached. "Hey, Luis. How's it goin', bud?"

"It's been pretty busy."

"You didn't find a weapon laying around anywhere did ya?" The cowboy began looking through the bunks that were built into the side of the bus.

"Nope – no sign of one. But we didn't dig through anything."

"And the wife found him?"

"She did. Seemed pretty upset. She's out in the squad with my partner."

"So give me the rundown." He turned back to the cop.

Pulling out his notebook the sergeant began reading. "911 was called at 6:56. We got the call at 6:58, arrived on scene at 7:01 – same time as EMS. I entered with the paramedics, they checked him out and declared him dead at 7:04. I looked around the room back there a little bit but didn't find a weapon, so we secured the scene for you guys."

"Our boy is all grown up, Michael." Matt winked at the lieutenant as Sanchez cracked up. "Well..." He turned back to one of the bunks and gestured. "Other than a little bit of pot, I haven't found anything here. I'm gonna let Bob know and then I guess go talk to the widow." As he walked toward the back of the bus, Hoyt and Sanchez exited, the PI following a minute later and all three men went to the patrol car where Dotty Kennon was seated looking dazed, her makeup in a mess from tears. "Mrs. Kennon?"

Looking up, she searched his face for a minute and a flicker of recognition crossed her features. "I know you..."

"Yes ma'am, we met a few years back. My name's Matt Houston. I'm an advisor to the LAPD." He squatted down in front of her, his notebook and pen in hand. "I'm sure sorry to hear about your husband."

Tears began falling as the near-sixty year old began crying again. "I just want to know what happened to him."

"I know it's a rough time for you right now, but we could sure use your help trying to figure that out. Can you answer a couple of questions for us?"

"Yes..." She dabbed at her eyes trying to regain control as Luis handed her a bottle of water. "Thank you."

"Mrs. Kennon..." Houston started in.

"Please...just call me Dotty."

"Yes ma'am. Miss Dotty, had your husband been having any medical problems?"

"No."

"Did he have any problems with anyone lately? Were there any threats against him?"

"There are always problems in this business." Anger showed itself as her hands shook. "He had just fired his manager, Monty Likens. They had been together since Amos came out of rehab. Amos thought the world of him, but then his accountant kept finding money coming up short; he and Amos sat down with Monty to talk about it and he just..." She waved a hand. "He exploded. Told both of them to go to hell and stormed out. Amos' lawyer and the accountant advised him to fire him on the spot."

"Have you seen him around here?"

"I just got here right before...before..." She lost it again and Matt looked up at Michael. "Maybe this isn't the best place to talk right now." The flashing lights of the emergency vehicles as well as the sound of running engines and voices were bouncing off the walls of the parking area. Standing up he pulled Michael aside. "How about we take her to my office?"

"Okay, I'll talk to the rest of the crew here; maybe somebody saw or heard something." Hoyt nodded. "Sanchez, you and Waller go with Houston."

"Yes sir."

As the sergeant began to put Mrs. Kennon into the back of the patrol car, a familiar and unwelcome voice could be heard coming from the other side of the crime scene tape. "Sergeant, is Mrs. Kennon under arrest?" Tamara Placer's eyes sparkled with the possibility of a juicy story.

"Luis, she can ride with me." Houston's voice had taken on a deeper, angry tone. "Is that okay with you, Michael?"

"Yeah, fine. I'll talk to you later." He turned and went back to where members of the road crew were being kept separated by other patrol officers and joined Lee Jennings who had already begun interviewing them.

Matt escorted the widow over and helped her into his truck, glaring at Placer as he closed the door and went around to the driver's side and slid behind the wheel. Sanchez followed behind him in the patrol car and they pulled out of the arena's parking area, going east on Figueroa toward the Houston Industries Building, the van from Channel 12 thankfully remaining where it was.

"When did you become a policeman?" Dotty Kennon took another sip of water, her hands still shaking as she replaced the cap.

"Well..." The PI grinned. "I'm not a policeman – at least not in LA. I'm a private investigator and get called in as an advisor on some cases – especially high profile cases. But since last December I've been a Detective-Sergeant with Harris County."

"My goodness. You must be busy."

"Yes ma'am, it keeps me hoppin'." The ride to the office was a short one and Houston held the elevator for Sanchez and Waller in the parking garage before they went up to the penthouse offices of Houston Investigations. "Luis, would you help her have a seat over there on the couch? Y'all want some coffee?" He started behind the bar to make a pot.

"Sure." The sergeant escorted her down the steps and waited along with his partner as the PI came over the back of the couch and had a seat.

"Oughta be ready in a couple of minutes." Looking back at the widow he pulled out his notebook again. "Now...you said that your husband and his accountant spoke to Mr. Likens about the missing money. Do you have any contact information for Likens?"

"Yes..." Reaching into her purse she removed a cell phone and began to try to access her contacts but her hands were shaking so badly it wasn't going very well.

"May I?" Houston held out his hand and she turned the device over to him. In a matter of seconds he found a listing for Likens and wrote down all the information. "What about the accountant?"

"He's in there, too: Jeb Stokes." She watched as he found the entry for the man and retrieved the information. "And Jerry Maples is our lawyer."

Matt nodded and found the information, writing it down as well. "Luis, you want to get the coffee? There are cups back there under the bar. Miss Dotty, would you like a cup?"

"No, thank you." She continued to sip on the water, seeming to have calmed down a little but still looking as though she was in shock.

"Okay..." He looked over his notes. "Was there anyone else that he had trouble with recently?"

"No, I don't think so...well, except for..." She paused.

"Who is it?"

"Danna...Danna Sutton. She's one of the backup singers."

"And what exactly was the problem?" He watched as she took another sip and stared at the bottle in her hands.

"She..." Stopping, she began fumbling with a tissue as Luis brought coffee to the PI.

Matt looked up at Sanchez and Waller. "Maybe you boys would like to have a seat at the bar?" Both nodded and walked away. "Now, you were saying..."

"Danna is actually Amos' daughter from a woman that he knew years ago – back when he was drinking so bad." She spoke barely above a whisper and it was obvious that she was embarrassed. "It isn't common knowledge; he tried to keep it quiet. Amos isn't..." She paused, the realization that her husband was deceased coming back to her. "Amos...wasn't the kind of person who did something like that...cheated, you know. He was drinking and..." The conversation stopped.

"Well, that does happen sometimes. Were they having a disagreement about something?"

"She wanted him to acknowledge her – publicly. He was afraid that his fans would be disappointed in his...lapse of judgement."

"Did she threaten him in any way?"

"Just with announcing it. But he had offered to help her get a recording contract of her own after he retired." She looked back up at him. "Being on the road is not an easy life, Mr. Houston."

"Just call me Houston, okay? I know it's not easy. I've got a couple of friends in the business. So he was thinking about calling it quits?"

"He was...thinking about it. He hadn't fully decided. That was part of his disagreement with his agent as well. Monty thought that he should hold off for a couple more years, but Danna was pushing him to retire."

"That could sure enough make for some tensions. Was there anything else?"

"That was enough. He's been upset..." She stopped, the tears threatening to surface again. "I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about. Here..." Reaching into his pocket he removed one of his cards. "If you think of something else you can call me. And this..." He wrote Hoyt's name and number on the back. "This is the lieutenant's number in case you can't reach me. He's a good guy, okay?"

"Thank you."

"Where will you be staying?"

"At the Stanford Arms on Wilshire."

Matt wrote it down as well as her cell number that he took off of the phone. "We may have some more questions for you later."

"That's fine. I just want you to find out what happened to my Amos."

After a quick call to Hoyt, Matt drove Mrs. Kennon to the hotel and escorted her to her suite before going back to the arena where things were wrapping up. The body had been removed and the tour bus was being towed to the precinct for further processing. Hoyt and Jennings had finished interviewing the other members of the group who were present and were trying to track down those who were elsewhere, and they had gotten copies of the surveillance videos. "Newsflash, PI: Kennon was shot in the heart. The Coroner's Assistant said death was nearly instantaneous. There was hardly any blood on the sheets."

"And he was laying kind of on his left side and belly." Matt thought. "What about Danna Sutton?"

Michael checked his notes. "We haven't been able to make contact with her just yet. The tour manager is trying to locate her now." Lowering his voice as they walked back to their vehicles, the cop looked around. "What's the deal with Sutton?"

"She's his daughter – born on the wrong side of the sheets."

"Oh..." He listened as the PI gave him the details. "Very interesting. We definitely need to find her."

Matt leaned against the hood of his truck. "Have you watched the videos yet?"

"No, I'm about to go to the office. Speaking of which, your favorite reporter is still here – and her cameraman is filming you again."

"Maybe it will be the last time."

"Oh?"

"I'll tell you about it later. See ya at the office." Getting behind the wheel of the truck, the PI noticed that it was about 9:30. He followed Michael out of the arena and cursed under his breath as the van from Channel 12 pulled out right on his tail. When they reached the precinct the PI automatically hit the stairs as did Michael and Jennings when they saw the news van pull up outside.

"Hardly see you in the cowboy boots anymore." Lee held the door for the lieutenant.

"I was working with Jasper earlier and they were handy."

"So how do you think you'll do at the rodeo?" Michael poured coffee for the other two men and then himself, looking up as the elevator chimed and Tamara Placer and her cameraman emerged. "Office – quick." The three hustled inside, Matt and Lee closing the blinds as Michael locked the door. Seeing the disgusted look on his friend's face the cop went back to his original question of the rodeo.

"If he doesn't have a problem with the crowd we should do real good." Matt took a sip as he pulled a chair around behind the cop's desk.

"You're riding in that?"

"Yep – calf roping."

"Not bull riding?"

"Not anymore."

Hoyt spoke up as he loaded the video on the computer. "CJ squashed that idea I bet."

"Shut up, cop." The PI pretended not to hear the snickers as he took a sip.

"So now we look at the video." He clicked the mouse. "Here we go. Kennon's bus got there at 5:58." They watched as four people exited the bus, none of which were Amos Kennon.

"The first guy off was the driver, Clay Madsen. I talked to him." Jennings pointed to the man on the screen. "He says he left with the other drivers and went out to eat." The three watched as he did just that.

"Second person off was Wendy Foss, one of the backup singers. She and the next guy – Chris Canton left together in a cab. We haven't been able to get in contact with them yet. According to Madsen they're engaged."

"And the fourth one off must be Danna Sutton." Hoyt paused the playback and zoomed in so they could get a better look at her. "Madsen says they were the only ones on the bus except for Kennon." He punched play and they watched as Sutton left the arena by herself. The next person on the video was Dotty Kennon, who entered the bus at 6:54 and came out obviously upset at 6:59.

"What about the other members of the band?" Matt took another sip and looked toward the outer office as the voice of Tamara Placer could be heard. The other two men looked up as the voice of Detective Gabriella Giovanni could be heard, the tone of the squad's newest member indicating her irritation. The three men exchanged a look.

"I'll go deal with her." Hoyt sighed as he got up and went to the door of his office, quickly closing it behind him.

"Better him than me." Jenkins rolled his eyes. "Anyway, the rest of the guys in the band use this semi – it's like a tour bus inside. Never seen one of these before. The sides pop out when it's stationary – kind of like those RV's."

"Not bad." The PI nodded. "Almost as comfortable as home – until somebody slams on the brakes." Both men chuckled as they went through the rest of the video. None of the other band members had approached Kennon's bus. Houston stood up and popped his back as he walked over to the window. He turned to look at the door as Hoyt's voice was raised in anger out in the lobby. "I'm going home. I don't think we're going to get anywhere on this until we find Sutton and the others and hear back from the ME."

"What about the Piranha?" Jennings used the term that Houston had come up with for Placer.

"Maybe she'll run that mouth until she ends up biting herself." The PI downed the rest of the coffee, threw his cup in the trash, and went out the door.