CHAPTER 6

"Ya did good, Cricket." Matt patted on the mare as she continued to clean off the foal that was now standing at her side nursing. He looked up with a huge smile on his face as the others entered the barn. CJ stood at the door to the stall. "We've got a little boy here, Babe."

"He looks just like Jasper." She shared a kiss with Matt. "Way to go, Cricket." The horse nickered quietly and then went back to her baby. "So no problems?"

"None. She took care of everything. Murray and I didn't have to lift a finger – did we, bud?" He clapped his friend on the back.

"That was absolutely amazing." The CEO smiled, now completely relaxed. "Thanks for letting me be here, Houston. I really appreciate it."

"No sweat. Glad you could make it." He reached and took Catey from Paul. "See there, Lady Bug? Cricket's a mama now." The little girl stared in disbelief. "Can you be real quiet?" She nodded as he carried her over to the mare who reached up and nuzzled at her as she automatically began petting the horse.

"Pretty." She pointed at the colt.

"We'll have to work on a name for him." Matt slowly reached out to pet on the newborn's back and Catey did as well. "Nice and easy, okay?" They both turned their attention back to the mare who received a hug from Catey before he took her back out of the stall and handed her to Roy. "I think it's time for him to meet his daddy." Everyone stepped back as Matt walked out to the pasture gate where Jasper had stood impatiently all evening. "Got somebody for you to meet, boy." He opened the gate and the stallion obediently followed him into the barn. Carefully walking into the stall he picked up the colt and took him to the doorway as Cricket followed closely. "There's your boy, Jasper." The stallion sniffed at the colt and then began nuzzling him as the newborn stared up at him quietly for a minute and then began trying to move out of the cowboy's arms. "Alright, alright...go on back to your mama." He watched as the horse moved unsteadily back to his mother's side.

Taking a picture of the pair, he sent it to Hoyt's cell phone and a couple of minutes later got a call from him. "Congratulations! Now I can officially call you Gramps!" The cop let out with a big laugh. "You've tormented me long enough with that title."

"That's okay – I don't mind." After putting Jasper back out in the pasture the PI began walking back up to the house.

"Roy tells me that he and Mama got the apartment without a problem."

"Yeah – no problem for them. Now Vince and I have to play movers."

"Well, it might interest him to know that they hit again today. Or at least we think it was them."

"Oh? Hang on. Let me put it on speaker so he can hear." He, Roy, and Vince started back up to the house following the others. "Go ahead."

"We think it was them but this time there was a problem: one guy actually had a heart attack and while everyone's attention was on him – WHAM! The place got robbed."

"What about video?"

"We don't have any. Evidently their cameras were down. The guy that had the heart attack kind of looks like one that helped in another job but we can't be sure. The cameras never got a clear shot of him at the other stores. It just seems like an awfully big coincidence."

Roy thought for a moment. "Have you tried talking to him?"

"Not going to happen: the hospital called a little while ago – he died."

"Did anybody get a look at the robber?"

"No. Apparently he entered the store just as the guy went down with the heart attack."

"And without the video you've got no proof." Matt looked over at Vince who shrugged.

"Roy, it looks like you and Mama are going to be our best bet on this deal."

"Yeah, but you know what?" The younger man looked at his uncle. "Bad as I hate to say it, the guy having a heart attack may just be the break that you need – maybe they'll be looking for more help."

Thursday morning at the Houston household started with breakfast before Matt and Vince took the truck that Bo and Lamar usually used around the ranch and went to Roy's house to load a few items for the apartment. Following the older couple to the apartment complex, they snickered while they began removing the couch from the truck as Rosa once again began nagging her make-believe husband about his driving. In less than an hour the items were moved in and the two men were on their way back to to the ranch.

"I gave Mama one of the critters this morning." Matt, although somewhat worried about the pair, had confidence in them.

"Good. Nothing like a little insurance."

Back at the apartments, Judy and Knowles met with Roger Walston and gave him their idea. Although shocked at first he gave it some consideration, but just as Judy had stated the night before, one empty apartment was better than two and Walston agreed to the deal. Since Rudy had fewer possessions to move, it was decided that he would vacate his apartment and move into the Dursts' apartment. As he began packing his things a feeling of guilt came over him. What would Mary Alice have said about such a thing?

Sitting down on the edge of the bed he held a picture of the two of them on their wedding day: both young, smiling, and full of hope for the future. No one could have predicted that both of their sons would die young – one while serving his country in the Navy and the other when he was killed in a plane crash while away on business. Neither had married. Mary Alice and Rudy were left totally alone in the world with no children, no relatives whatsoever – just themselves. Picking up a picture of his sons he sadly shook his head. Parents weren't supposed to outlive their children. Rudy looked at the pictures side by side. While his wife wasn't dead, she had no memory of him or the boys – so he really was alone in the world.

In the Durst apartment, Judy had already begun going through Ted's clothing. Both had already decided that when the time came they would be cremated – an expensive casket seemed too frivolous to both of them and they had no relatives left. Judy's sister had died six years before and Ted had been on his own since he was seventeen and his family had been killed in a house fire. Although both had desperately wanted children it just didn't happen. They had only had each other all of those years – and now Judy was left on her own, gently folding his clothes and putting them into boxes to be given to charity.

The money that she had taken from Declan the night before would cover the rest of the rent for the month and she was fairly certain that she could make payments on the cremation for Ted. As far as the hospital bills, she didn't have a clue. "You can't get blood out of a turnip." The sound of her own voice startled her as did the knock at the door. Cautiously looking through the peephole she saw Rudy standing outside the door looking uncertain as he held a box of his belongings. "Hi. Come on in." She held the door for him.

"I uh..." He started to set the box down and then picked it back up. "I've got most of my stuff packed. There really isn't that much since I moved in here...without Mary Alice..." His voice trailed off.

"I'm almost done packing Ted's things." She turned and started for the bedroom.

"Don't rush. I mean...I can just keep my stuff in the box."

"No, there's no point in holding onto them. He's gone..." The last came out as a sob and she stood there with her back turned to him. After a minute's hesitation he walked over and patted her shoulder, not sure of what he should do. She lay a hand on top of his and then collected herself and went back into the bedroom to finish what she had started.

"I'm going to get my TV and a couple of other things and then clean up over there." He raised his voice slightly, the thought of walking into the bedroom unsettling to him.

"Okay."

He went to the door making sure that the lock would engage after he left. Their encounter with Declan the night before, although in his own mind justified, had left him with an uneasy feeling. Gallagher had made it clear from the start that he had been running scams and stealing from people practically his entire life; he had never given a thought to whether or not the man had ever physically hurt someone until he had tossed and turned trying to get to sleep the night before. As far as he knew, Gallagher had never taken a weapon with him on any of the heists they had pulled off together. Still, the more he thought about it the more he worried.

Grunting as he began moving the TV, Rudy opened the apartment door and began half carrying and half dragging it out into the hall. "Need a hand?" He spun around to find another man standing there with a smile on his face. "Didn't mean to scare you. My wife and I just moved in – Jacob Harlan." Roy held out his hand and the two shook.

"Rudy...Rudy Knowles."

"So do you want some help?"

"I could sure use it. Let me get Judy to open the door for us first." He went across the hall and knocked, the door answered quickly by the woman who had obviously been crying a good deal. "Mr. Harlan is going to help me."

"How do you do?" Roy gave her a big smile, doing his best not to let her know that he recognized her from the surveillance video that he had watched with Matt.

"Oh, pleased to meet you – Judy Durst. Just..." She motioned inside the apartment. "Rudy, just put it wherever you think best." Standing back and holding the door for them she dabbed at her eyes again as the two picked up the set and carried it inside, finally deciding that it would best be suited on a low shelf in the living room.

"I sure appreciate the help." Rudy shook hands with him.

"Not a problem. So have you two lived here long?"

"About three years for me." The man looked at Judy.

"A little less than a year."

"Oh, I thought maybe...well, it's none of my business, is it?" Roy gave a chuckle and headed for the door, but found his way blocked by none other than Declan Gallagher.

"Just came to check on you." The conman eyed the stranger warily .

Judy's demeanor changed drastically as did Knowles. "I'm just fine."

"Good." There was an uncomfortable pause.

"Well, I guess I better get back before Maria puts my picture on a milk carton." Roy started toward the door once again.

"Declan Gallagher." The conman gave Roy a greasy smile as he held out his hand.

"Jacob Harlan."

"We'll have to have the Harlans over to play cards some night, won't we?" Gallagher gave the smile to the other pair but left as they both gave him a cold stare.

"Nice to meet you." Roy nodded at the pair and went back to his own apartment. Once inside he pulled out his phone and called Michael. "I believe I've just met our conman and two of his helpers."

"That didn't take long." Hoyt was filling up his coffee cup and went back into his own office.

"No, it didn't. And there also seems to be some dissension in the ranks: his two helpers didn't have much to say to him. The man is Rudy Knowles and the woman is Judy Durst."

"Durst...she must be the widow. The guy who had the heart attack yesterday was Ted Durst."

"That would explain the tears. But there's something else..." Sitting back on the couch as Rosa joined him he put an arm around her. "It looked like Knowles was moving in with her."

"Hmmm...kind of soon after the husband dies."

"I think it might be more of a convenience than a love affair, Michael. Knowles' apartment was pretty much bare – didn't appear that there was much there to begin with, and since both of them seemed mad at Gallagher I wonder if it's for protection?"

"Could be. Maybe she blames him for the husband's heart attack?"

"Don't know. He claimed he came over to check on her but sure didn't seem too upset at losing a friend."

"Very interesting. Okay, well...it sounds like you're making good progress. Just keep me informed and let me know if you need anything...and Roy – don't take any chances. I don't want either one of you getting hurt."

"We won't. Talk to you later." He hung up.

"So this Gallagher man – he's a real piece of work, hey?" Rosa looked up at him.

"So it seems." Roy looked around the little apartment and then back at her. "Kinda makes you feel like a newlywed couple – starting out again." A smile followed and then he kissed her.

Later that evening as Judy and Rudy sat down to dinner, both were quiet. "Maybe this wasn't a good idea." He finally broke the silence.

"What makes you say that?"

"I...it feels like I'm cheating."

"I've been doing a lot of thinking today." Taking a sip of tea she set down the glass and looked across at him. "Maybe we should just go to the police. Confess what we did, take our punishment..."

"What about Gallagher?"

"He's done this sort of thing before. Maybe if we testified against him..."

Knowles put down his fork and thought about it. "Or if we helped them nab him..."

"We could throw ourselves on the mercy of the court."

Both were quiet and then jumped as there was a knock at the door. Rudy looked through the peephole. "It's Gallagher."

From the other side of the door they heard his voice. "I know you two are in there." She nodded and Rudy opened the door and the conman walked in. "Well – isn't this cozy?"

"What do you want Declan?" Judy dropped her napkin on the table and walked across to stand next to Knowles.

"I wondered if the grieving widow was ready to go back to work." The ugly smile resurfaced until there was a sudden slap across his face. "Well now, Rudy...aren't you the gallant knight in shining armor?"

"Shut up."

"Moved right on into old Ted's life I see."

"Leave."

"Oh, I will...when I'm done." Gallagher stepped closer to Judy. "I've got a job set up for tomorrow."

"Do you honestly think we're going to pull any more jobs with you?" Her voice shook.

"Sure you will...because if you don't the cops are going to find out all about your little crime spree. Those tip lines are great for getting rid of...pardon the pun...dead weight." There was an evil laugh as he turned toward the door. "Be ready at 2:00 tomorrow afternoon." He walked back out slamming the door behind him.