14
Doc Mullins had spent most of the day with Chris Travis and after Matt called him to let him know about Kyle Weatherford's suicide and what had happened with Marlena he suggested that it would be a good time to let Chris know the truth.
"Doc…" Matt had just unloaded Jasper and was about to take Strauss and Cisco home. "Are you sure?"
"I think a good dose of the truth about her will help him. He's been feeling a lot of guilt. He needs to know exactly what she did to him. Better to learn it now in a controlled environment and deal with it before he leaves here."
"Okay. I'll be there as soon as I can." It was just after seven o'clock when he hung up and told Strauss who was being mobbed by the horses in Matt's corral.
"I'd like to go, too."
Matt nodded and they rode back up to the house where the kids were being dried off after a romp in the pool with Tomás, CJ, and Sheila. He stopped the truck and got out to tell them goodnight and introduced the crew to the sheriff and noticed as CJ slipped on the terry cloth robe over her bathing suit that she was starting to show just a little bit. A smile spread across his face.
On the way to the sheriff's house Matt's phone rang. "Hey, Don."
"Saw that you and Karl got your man. Congrats."
"Thanks."
"I also thought you would like to know about the explosion yesterday."
"Oh?"
"Uh huh. The bomb that Sanderson made wasn't originally intended for you guys. He was going to plant it at his work the next day according to his private blog. Redmond PD found plans that he had researched on the internet and they interviewed people at his workplace. They had given him a month's separation notice and he evidently was going to go out with a bang."
"So I wonder if he was just working on it when it went off or if he did it on purpose?"
"Don't know. Never will I guess."
"Well, I appreciate the call."
"Talk to you later. And congrats again."
"Thanks."
After a stop by the Strauss place to drop off Cisco, the pair went to the hospital and were riding up in the elevator. Matt gave a deep sigh. "Isn't going to be easy to tell a man something like that."
"No, but I think the doctor is right. Better to get it over with while he's here. And you're the right one to tell him, Houston."
They stepped off and were met by Mullins who escorted them into the ward and to Chris Travis' room. The man looked up as they entered and quickly stood. "Houston…"
"How ya doin', Chris?" The pair shook hands and the sheriff introduced himself.
"Yeah, you came to the ranch one time. I voted for you." There was a little chuckle and then it got quiet after Mullins brought in a couple of extra chairs.
Matt sat down and tried once again to find the right words to use. Chris watched him closely. "Chris…" The detective leaned forward in the chair with his elbows resting on his knees. "We got to the bottom of it."
"I knew you would."
"Well…" He paused again. "It's going to be a bitter pill to swallow, bud." Looking up at the man he saw the anxious look in his eyes.
"I want to know. Everything."
Slowly and quietly Houston began telling him everything, from the investigation into Paul Sanderson and his connection to the bank robbers, how he had been the one to kill Devon, Dyson and Ashley, and his subsequent suicide by blowing up the condo. Chris cried for several minutes and then pulled himself together enough to ask about Marlena. Houston next told him about their research into Kyle Weatherford and finally he told him the truth about Marlena. There was no sound in the room for a few minutes except for that of Chris as he quietly sat and cried once again. He began to pull himself together. "I want this guy. This Weatherford guy."
"Too late for that. He took himself out this afternoon." Houston related the day's events and Travis just sat staring at the floor and nodding. Minutes ticked by in silence before he looked up at the two men. "So I spent the last two years…" He stopped as anger bubbled up inside of him along with sorrow. "I blamed myself every - single - day for our problems."
Matt's voice was very quiet. "It wasn't you, bud."
"Yeah, I know that now. God, how could I have been so stupid? How could…" He didn't finish but silently started crying again. Standing he approached Matt with his hand outstretched and the pair shook before he pulled the detective into a hug. No other words were needed.
A week later Matt and CJ had the kids down at the corral where they were petting on the horses. Matt had moved Maple, Bullet, and Max to the ranch four days earlier after all of the other horses that had been boarded at the Travis place had been picked up by their owners. He looked at his phone as it rang. "Yeah, Lamar?"
"There's a young fella at the gate named Chris Travis."
"Yeah, let him in. Thanks." He put the phone back in his pocket and watched as the three children were sitting on the top rail laughing at the way Maple and Cricket were competing for all of the attention. The blue pickup pulling a trailer came slowly down the driveway and in a minute came to a stop. Shyly the man got out and watched as Maple was receiving kisses from all three of the kids at the same time and a smile went across his face.
Catey Rose turned to see who was there and had an arm thrown around the horse's neck. "Hi!"
"Hi there." He walked over and began scratching Maple's jaw. "How ya doin', boy? Looks like you're getting plenty of attention."
"He's a good horse." Vinnie looked up at the stranger.
"Yeah, he is." Looking at Houston he gave him a sad smile. After being introduced to the family he spoke to Matt. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Sure." The two walked a little ways away and watched as once again Maple was made over by the kids.
"I'm leaving town. Gonna go back to Wyoming and go to work for my cousin. He's got a place up by Rock Springs. Cutting horses."
"Sounds good. It's sure beautiful up there."
"Well…" He paused and watched the kids. "I've got a buyer for Bullet and I'm going to take Max with me."
"Alright."
"But Maple…" He stopped. "If it's okay with you I think he would be happier here - with the kids. He loves kids."
"Are you sure? I know how much he means to you."
"Look at them. That right there is what it's all about. It's good for him and it's good for them." He watched as the gelding swiped the side of Mike's face with his tongue and set the group off into another round of giggles. "Plus he hates cold weather."
"So you think he would like Texas?"
"No doubt about it."
"Good. Because we're moving Jasper, Cricket, and Lucy to the ranch down there. We're still in LA some but I think it's better for the kids down there."
"I think as long as he's got kids around he'll be just fine."
"How much do you want for him?"
"Nothing. That right there…" Chris motioned to the group. "That's worth more than all the money in the world."