Chapter Four
"Syd get Walker on the phone they're closing in on her," Gage cried the same time dialling headquarters for another trace.
Grabbing up her cell phone Syd immediately began to dial getting Alex on the other end. "I need to talk to Walker," she quickly explained.
"He went out to do the morning chores give me a minute to get him," Alex replied noting the urgency in her friend's voice.
"Get Walker?" Gage called to her as he waited for an answer on the location that the call had come from.
"Alex is getting him. Gage what's going on?"
"It was her she says the same people that killed Mattie are after her they were closing… yes I'm here," he went back to his call jotting down the information as he listened.
"Sydney," Walker's voice came on the line.
"Walker she called again, just a second and I'll let you speak with Gage," she explained handing the phone to her partner for him to fill their boss in.
After a quick explanation Walker told Gage to have Syd call Trivette to meet them there that he was on his way.
"I'm on my way," Gage answered hanging up he turned to Syd, "Hon can you call Trivette and tell him to meet Walker and me at the Dallas Star Motel."
"Gage I'm going…"
"No you're not going Syd," Gage took a firm stand placing his hands on her shoulders.
"You're not going by yourself," Syd took her own firm stand.
"Trivette and Walker are meeting me there… Syd you have to understand I have to find her," he pleaded hoping she wouldn't argue as he scrambled into his clothes.
"I do understand Gage, this is eating you up, dredging up both good and bad memories of your parents. This is personal Gage and well I just want to be there in case your emotions take over. I just want…" her voice trailed off.
"And I just want you and the baby safe," he told her, "I don't want to have you two to worry about too," he slightly smiled resting his hand on her belly.
With her lower lip sticking out in a pout she put her hands on Gage's chest addressing him, "Francis you be careful and don't let anything happen to you. I mean to marry you, you got that." She poked her finger into his chest as she warned him.
"All right Syd," he leaned down kissing her before rushing out.
Syd stared after him frustrated with her situation, wanting to be with him, instead she pulled on her robe and headed for downstairs.
"Morning Sydney," her father greeted her as he stood at the sink all ready at the task of making coffee. "Was that the phone I heard this morning?"
"Um hmm, she called again claiming that they were after her," Syd dully replied.
"That woman claiming to be Francis mother?"
"Yes only this time she said they were the same people who killed the other woman Mattie Winslow."
"And Francis has gone to check it out by himself?" her father stared at her.
"No Dad Walker and Trivette are meeting him for backup," Syd smiled at her father's genuine concern for her fiancée.
"Morning everyone," Julie greeted them standing in the doorway with Amanda.
The phone rang again before anyone had a chance to reply. Picking it up Sydney answered with, "Cooke."
"I must have dialled the number wrong," a woman's voice came across the line.
"Who were you looking for?" Syd questioned, "Francis Gage?"
"Yes Francis, is he there?" she asked a bit of confusion showing through.
"Colleen?" Syd asked everyone training their eyes on her. "I'm Francis' fiancée he just went out looking for you."
"Oh dear I'm fine as you can tell," she answered not knowing where she should go from here.
"Maybe you can tell me where you are and I can come get you then you can talk with Francis when he gets back," she tried to persuade the woman.
"I don't know," she began to stall.
"Julie is right here would you like to talk to her?"
Julie had moved up beside Sydney all ready reaching for the phone until Sydney said, "I understand and I know Julie doesn't want to rush you either, she'll wait until you are ready to speak to her."
Syd shrugged her shoulders at Julie trying almost any ploy to get the woman to tell her where she was and agree to meet with her. "Please Colleen let me come and get you and I'll take you to where Francis is," she tried again.
"Oh my dear that would be so wonderful even with getting ready for the wedding you have time for me," she almost sang out Julie forgotten for the minute.
"Where are you?" Sydney asked again.
"At a little luncheonette not far from the Cactus Flower Motel its called Mustang Sally's Luncheonette," she informed Syd. "And I won't move a muscle until you get here."
"I'm on my way," Syd answered hanging up the phone reaching for her keys off the counter at the same instance.
"Wait a minute now Sydney," her father had stepped in front of her. "You aren't going any where, where you might be in danger."
"Daddy this is just one woman," Syd tried to way lay his objections.
"I'm with your father on this one Sydney if something happened to you or the baby," Julie tried to say only to be cut off by Syd.
"Will the two of you listen to yourselves…"
"Only if you stop and listen to you," Julie came back. "I'll go and bring her home here."
"Julie if you think for one minute," Syd began to argue as did Julie Joe Cooke cutting in over both of them.
"Why don't you ladies just call Francis?"
Both women looked at each other then picking up the phone Syd began to dial only to hear Gage's phone ring in the next room.
Hanging up she gave her dad a look to which he answered, "You are going to have to speak to Francis about that phone what if it's your time and you can't get a hold of him?"
"Daddy," she interrupted him dialling Trivette's phone only to get his voice mail. Next she tried Walker's phone that one going unanswered.
"So that settles it I go and pick up the woman," Syd stated hanging up the phone and heading to get dressed.
"That settles nothing," Julie followed after her. "I'm going with you."
"Julie…"
"Sydney she's claiming to be my mother!" Julie exclaimed taking hold of Syd's arm.
Against her better judgement Sydney agreed hurrying upstairs to get dressed. By the time she got back downstairs both Julie and her father were waiting for her. "Ready Sydney?" Joe asked.
"You aren't going Daddy," she looked right at him with the same determination on her face that he had on his.
"That's where you are wrong Sydney," Joe triumphantly smiled holding up her car keys.
"Give me those keys," Syd demanded making a grab for them as her father's hand closed around them.
"Ready ladies?" he chirped.
"Daddy," Syd squawked.
"If you think for one minute I'm going to let you walk into a potentially dangerous situation without any protection you have another think coming," he told her all ready heading for the door. "Coming we're wasting time," he threw over his shoulder.
With a shriek of annoyance and frustration Sydney trooped out behind her father Julie close behind.
Colleen Gage's Room At The Dallas Star Motel
Gage was the first to arrive he quickly parked his car and got out heading for the motel office. The place was even seedier and dirtier then the first motel had been. "Hey Gage wait up," he heard Trivette's familiar voice behind him.
Holding up for a minute he waited for Jimmy to almost catch up to him then proceeded in to talk to the manager.
"Can I help you gentlemen?" the woman behind the counter asked.
"We're looking for a woman that might be a guest of the motel," Gage told her producing a picture of his mother. "She is going by the name of Colleen Gage."
The woman took the picture and looked at it her face not giving away if she knew the woman or not. "You're not the first to come in here looking for her," the woman revealed.
"But I wager we're the first rangers asking for her," Trivette piped up.
She gave him a half grin saying, "Room twelve, she ain't there though the other two scared her off. She must have seen them come into the office cause she high tailed it out of here before they had a chance to talk to her."
"Let's say we have a look at room twelve," Trivette suggested to Gage reaching his hand out for the key.
The manager turned around and picked the key for room twelve off the board putting it in Trivette's out stretched hand. Smiling at her he wrapped his fingers around it stepping back to let Gage lead the way.
Walker had just arrived as the pair emerged from the office. "Room twelve," Gage informed him Walker falling in line with his rangers.
"Learn anything?" he questioned.
"That two guys were here looking for her just like she said only she took off before they caught up with her," Gage answered slowing down as they got to room twelve finding the door slightly ajar.
Pulling their weapons all three men took up positions against the wall Walker calling out, "Texas Rangers open up." All was quiet inside so with his foot he cautiously pushed open the door admitting the three of them to the tiny room.
Like the day before at the Cactus Flower motel the room had been ransacked and left in shambles only this time it didn't look as if they had been in search of anything of importance. It looked more like the room had been destroyed in frustration of them not getting what they wanted.
"Whoa this is worse then last time," Trivette whistled out.
Gage gazed around the room his eyes catching something on the floor, he stooped to pick it up.
"Find something Gage?" Walker questioned.
"I can't believe it," Gage murmured.
"What have you got?" Walker questioned again both he and Trivette going to look over his shoulder as he stooped on the floor.
"It's an old doll of Julie's," he paused remembering how he had taken the scissors and given the doll a close haircut. Julie had been so upset she was going to throw the doll away but their mother had said that she was sure someone would appreciate the doll rescuing it from the garbage. Just how had it come to be in this woman's possession?
Choking back the emotion Gage quickly began to explain about the doll once belonging to his sister. "How can you be so sure?" Trivette asked.
"Let's just say I had a little to do with the hair styling," Gage fondly replied.
Trivette gave him an oh yeah type look as he dialled his phone raising it to his ear. "This is Ranger Trivette we need a forensics team out here to the Dallas Star Motel," he began to explain.
"Gage you may as well go home," Walker had turned to him. "There is no sign of her here and I'm sure Sydney must be worried. Trivette and I'll keep on this and let you know if we come up with anything."
As much as he hated agreeing Gage finally gave in knowing Walker was right. "I guess I should call her," he said referring to his fiancée. Reaching for his phone he realized he didn't have it with him. "Great I don't even have my cell with me, Trivette can I use yours?"
"Sure Gage but its been acting up it doesn't always let all calls come in," Trivette replied handing it to him.
"That's all right I just want to make one call to my partner to tell her I'm on the way home," he said dialling his home number.
The phone rang three times before Amanda Cooke picked up. "Oh Francis Sydney tried to call you a little while ago. That woman calling herself your mother called back."
"She did?" Gage asked surprised to hear that. "Is Syd there?"
"Her father, Julie and Sydney all went to meet the woman and bring her back here," Amanda began to explain. "But that was an hour ago, they should be back soon."
"Went where Amanda did Sydney say where they were going?" Gage questioned panic creeping into his voice.
"Is something wrong Francis?" Amanda asked becoming worried now herself.
"Uh no… I… we hit a dead end here and I just want to go meet the rest," Gage tried his best to sound convincing.
"Well I'm not quite sure where exactly they went, some small diner near the other motel I think Sydney told Julie. Is that any help dear?"
Gage's mind raced picturing three different diners all out around the Cactus Flower Motel if that was even the place that the trio had gone.
"You've been a big help thanks Amanda thanks," Gage answered her before breaking the connection to begin dialling Syd's cell phone. Getting no answer after the third ring and forth ring he broke the connection and began dialling his sister's number getting the same results.
"What's up Gage?" Trivette questioned him.
Quickly he explained what he had learnt from Amanda Cooke ending with, "I can't raise either Syd or Julie on the phone."
"Trivette you finish up here and meet us out there," Walker had taken charge, "Gage you come with me." Both men took off for Walker's truck.
Mustang Sally's Luncheonette
Hardly noticing how tight his hands were clenched Gage finally sighed in relief seeing Syd's car as they pulled into the parking lot at the tiny diner. Jumping out before Walker had even come to a complete stop Gage raced inside. Coming up behind him a few moments later Walker realized what Gage had they weren't there.
"You're positive that's Sydney's car?" Walker questioned.
"Her plates, her car," Gage retorted going up to the counter.
"What can I get you Honey?" a middle aged woman asked pen at the ready to take the order.
"Some information I hope," Gage answered explaining he and Walker were rangers while laying out a picture of Sydney, Julie and his mother from his wallet. "Have any of these people been here say in the last hour?"
The woman picked up her glasses that hung around her neck and placed them on the end of her nose before beginning to study the pictures. "Yeah they were here with an older gentleman then two more guys came in and they all left together. I don't think the old guy wanted to go he pulled one of those 'see here young man' lines but then he changed his tune and went along with the rest. They all went out and piled into one of those SUV things, a dark black or blue."
"Maggie are you going to stand there and jawing all day? Your food is up!" A voice from the back shouted at her.
"Keep your shirt on Mel," she shouted back turning back to Gage and Walker she told them, "That's all I know about it."
"Thanks a lot," Walker told her tipping his hat as he and Gage left.
Gage was in a whirl wind of emotion as he made it to Walker's truck getting to the back end he slammed both hands on the tailgate cursing loudly.
"Damn it Walker why is this happening?" he all but shouted at his boss. "It's all of them Syd, her dad, Julie, my mom…"
"I thought she wasn't your mother," Walker stated his hand coming to rest on his young friend's shoulder.
"You know what I mean Walker," he stammered out just as they heard Walker's phone ringing inside the truck, opening the door Walker put it to his ear. "What have you got Trivette?" Gage heard him ask after he explained what had gone on with Syd and the other three.
"I think I may have a handle on who this woman might be," Trivette told him, "Let me talk to Gage."
Handing the phone to Gage Walker simply said, "He wants to talk to you."
"Yeah Trivette," Gage answered putting the phone to his ear.
"Gage I had an interesting call this afternoon from a Sheriff Ross just north of Fort Worth. There is a little rest home up there, the residents aren't shall we say in total control of all their mental capabilities."
"What's this got to do with anything?" Gage impatiently blurted out.
"I'm getting to that," Trivette answered. "There seems that one of their residents just up and walked off her name is Deirdre Maguire. That name mean anything thing to you?"
"No should it?" Gage impatiently snapped back.
"Maybe," Trivette hedged before dropping the news. "It seems the next of kin listed for her was Colleen Gage sister deceased. The next two names are Julie Gage and Francis Gage."
Gage fell back against the truck too stunned to say anything until hearing Trivette's voice calling to him. "Gage you still there? Gage?"
TBC