CHAPTER 5

Houston walked into the cubicle that he and Chuck shared at the Sheriff's Office and silently sat down behind his desk. After ending his call, Chuck looked across at his best friend of over thirty years. "Did you get him back to the ranch?" His answer was a nod as Matt was working the keyboard furiously. Cursing as the phone rang again, he answered. "Wylie." There was a pause and he sat upright in his chair. "Where?" Matt looked up as his friend scribbled something down on a notepad. "No! Tell them NOT to move on him, you got it? We'll be right there." Slamming down the phone he jumped to his feet. "A deputy just located Young on Elysian Street." He grabbed his vest as did Matt and both men headed out to the parking lot, snagging two other detective's as they went. "The bastard is less than two freakin' miles away."

Getting behind the wheel of his SUV, Matt started the engine. "Call Martinez." Taking off out of the parking lot, he hit the lights. Turning north on San Jacinto, he listened as his friend made the call.

"She's on her way. She wants us to take the back and the others the front." Chuck pulled his pistol and checked it. "He was spotted going into the house. The deputy who called it in was off duty; he saw him, made the block, and parked on the street to keep an eye on the place." He glanced over at Matt. "Don't guess you've had a chance to look at the paper or watch the news today, have you?"

"Nope."

"It seems there are a whole lotta folks pissed off about the fact that Lisa wasn't given any warning that he was being released."

Stopping down the street from the house, Houston shook his head. "Who in the hell paints a house orange?"

"Probably the same idiots that let Young inside." He took a big breath. "Okay, pard. The gang's all here. You ready?"

"Yep." Both eased out of the SUV and along with the other detectives and the off-duty deputy quickly and quietly made their way up the street. The group split as they neared, with Houston and Wylie heading around to the back. They had just reached the back door when they heard Detective Parker knock and announce himself. In a matter of seconds the door burst open and four men tumbled out into the back yard. Matt's eyes locked on Young and he took off after the 23 year old, through the ragged and overgrown back yard of the house. The younger man made it to the chain link fence at the back of the property and sailed over it with the detective just a few strides behind him.

Young ran beneath two electrical towers, cleared another fence, and crossed the railroad tracks as he headed east. Houston had begun to close in on him but stumbled and fell on the far side of the tracks, rolling and jumping back to his feet. He caught sight of the killer as he dove around the corner of the recycling center and disappeared from view. Stopping as he approached the corner of the blue fence that marked the boundary of the center's property, he took a quick peek around and saw Young as he entered an old warehouse a short distance away.

"Where the hell did he go?" Chuck skidded to a stop beside his friend.

"Warehouse." Houston ran across the open area while Chuck paused to let the other detectives know where their suspect had gone. In a moment he followed Matt and saw as the man eased into the warehouse.

The darkness inside the deserted building surrounding him, Houston paused for a second and listened. Young was still on the move, the sounds of his journey through the building reaching the detective's ears just as his eyes began to adjust to the lack of light. Carefully he moved forward, continuing to listen for noises. He had gone about fifty feet when he heard a crashing sound and a curse from Young somewhere to his right. Old pallets littered the floor of the building as well as cardboard, nails, and all other kinds of debris that had been left.

Aware of the sound of Chuck moving through the mess, he focused on the noise of Young's progress through the building. The sound of something striking on metal was unmistakeable and the rumbling echo told him that the younger man was attempting to exit through one of the bay doors on the western side. Continuing to close in on him, Matt moved carefully trying to make as little noise as possible. He edged around a stack of pallets and finally saw Young. Pacing like a caged animal, he was furiously pulling on a chain trying to open the door when the sound of sirens and tires crunching outside froze him. He turned and spied the detective.

"It's all over, Zach."

"No..."

"Down on your belly...DO IT NOW!" Houston advanced on him but still he stood where he was.

Chuck appeared to his friend's left. "Get down on the ground! Now!"

Young turned back and made a desperate last attempt at pulling the chain using the entire weight of his body. The door grudgingly screeched open about a foot and the man dropped to the floor and began sliding out of the building only to discover that his way was blocked by four deputies and the sheriff herself. "Hands out where we can see them, Young." She took two steps toward him and he screamed as he was dragged back into the warehouse by both Matt and Chuck.

Houston cuffed him and slid under the door himself before dragging Young out, the man landing unsteadily on his feet just seconds before the detective pinned him to the hood of one of the vehicles and began searching him.

"Police brutality!" He yelled loudly.

"Dumbass, you're surrounded by cops. Who in the hell do you even think gives a damn?" Matt's voice was a vicious growl. "After what you did to Lisa this seems way too gentle."

"I didn't do anything. I don't know what you're talking about."

"Our witness knows – and he's willing to testify against you and Brandeis." He watched as Young got a concerned look on his face. "Who knows..." He snatched him upright by his collar. "Brandeis might just testify against you, too." .

A patrol car had just pulled up in the lot and Martinez ordered the deputy to transport him. Without a word, Houston turned and began walking beside the warehouse going back to where his SUV had been left on Elysian Street. As she started to offer him a ride back, Chuck stopped her. "I think you better give him a chance to cool off."

As he rounded the corner and went west, Matt pulled out his phone and called the ranch. "I need to talk to Brian." Madre Rosa walked out on the back porch where the boy had been sitting on the swing all morning and handed the phone over.

"Hello?"

"We just got him."

"Okay..." The boy paused. "Is he dead?"

"No."

There was silence on the other end of the line. "Thanks."

"I promised you."

"I know..." As tears began coursing down his face, he put his head in his hand. "I'm sorry..."

"Forget it." He crossed the railroad tracks. "I'll see you in a while, okay?"

"Yeah. 'Bye."

Three hours later Matt parked behind the house and looked up at the back porch where Brian sat with CJ. As he got out of the truck she came down the steps to meet him with Vinny in her arms. The baby squealed and planted a sloppy kiss on his cheek as she handed him over to his dad. "How's he doing?"

"I'm not sure. He's been out here all day. Won't eat..." She shrugged her shoulders. "He hasn't really said too much."

Houston nodded and went up the steps, sitting down on the swing next to Brian. "How you doin'?"

There was a pause. "I don't know." Vinny reached out to him and the teen took his hand. "I'm not sure what to do. When my dad died Mom was there and we got through it together. But now it's just me..."

"No, it isn't." CJ put an arm around him. "We're right here with you."

"Right now. But what..." He stopped. "What happens next? You guys have already got four kids. I don't think you..."

"Brian, remember when we went to see Judge Maynard the first time? I told you then that I would do whatever it took. I meant it then and still do."

The boy shook his head. "That isn't fair to y'all." His voice cracked as he tried to control his emotions. "And...I don't want to move to California. I guess it sounds stupid, but...what about the team?"

"Well..." Houston stopped and looked to his wife. Brian was the quarterback for his high school team and had worked hard to lead them to the state finals for two years. "Look: we don't have to decide all of this right this minute, pard. A whole lot has happened over the last couple of days." All three looked up as one of the ranch trucks pulled in and parked. Ollie emerged and came up on the porch.

"Brian, I'm real sorry to hear about your mama." He held his hand out to the boy and they shook.

"Thanks." He hadn't seen or spoken to the old cowboy since his arrival at the ranch the day before. "I heard that..." Unsure of what to say he stopped. "I'm sorry."

"Tell you what; if Houston and CJ don't mind, why don't we take a couple of horses out for a ride?" The couple both nodded.

"Okay." He got up and followed the man back down the steps and to the barn as the Houstons sat and watched. In a few minutes the two headed out through the pasture toward the river.

"You know, Ollie may be just what he needs right now." CJ laid her head over on his shoulder as he nodded. Both looked up as Ben and Marcy Devereux parked and came up on the porch.

"Afternoon." Ben jerked his head in the direction of the pair that was slowly disappearing from view. "Ollie said that you wanted to talk to me?"

"I do." She motioned to the swing and the couple had a seat, both looking a little worried.

"Is there something wrong?" He removed the ball cap from his head and fiddled with it nervously.

"No, not at all. Ollie came to me earlier today with a suggestion for the PH." She paused briefly. "He thinks you should be the foreman."

"I couldn't do that, CJ. That's his job. I mean..." Both had already been informed of Ollie's illness. "That wouldn't be right."

"He wants you to replace him after..." CJ stopped, becoming upset herself. "You know." She felt Matt's hand on hers, a gentle squeeze to comfort her.

"I don't rightly know what to say." Ben looked at his wife who seemed as shocked as he was.

"Yes would be a really good answer. Ollie thinks you're the perfect one for the job and so do I."

"Then yes." A sad smile crossed his features. "I still can't believe the news about him."

Matt nodded. "I'd say he's taking it a whole lot better than the rest of us. You know when I talked to him Wednesday night he said at first he was mad as hell. But after he thought it through a little more he realized how lucky he's been."

"He was homeless for how long?" Ben was amazed.

"Several years. But what he said made a lot of sense. He spent over thirty years on the rodeo circuit. Used to ride bulls and then went on to be a clown. That's even more dangerous when you get right down to it. And then after he got gored by the bull and got down on his luck he lost everything he had and ended up on the streets."

"That's dangerous, too." Marcy shook her head.

"He said after he came here he had a job, a place to live, and the closest thing to a family he's had since he was seventeen." Matt paused for a minute. "Compared to a lot of folks that he knew out on the streets – he is lucky. And we're lucky to have known him."