The Price Of Justice

Chapter Six

"I can't freaking believe he picked me for this." I stalked across the PD parking lot to my truck, my movements quick and angry. A southern accent thickened my words, only furthering my irritation. Beside her, Walker suppressed a grin, his blue eyes sparkling with amusement. I had noticed the morning I met him he had a drawl so evident people sometimes thought he was forcing it. I also knew when he lost his temper, he was nearly impossible to understand.

   "Relax, it might not be fun, but I'm sure you've had much worse assignments before."

   I spun around. My eyes held a hard edge. "You aren't the one who has to tell that kid's sister that she's been murdered!"

   "Well, maybe not, but..."

    "He's just making me do this because he's ticked off at me. It's his job, Walker! He throws a fit when I zone out for like two minutes, but he can throw his responsibility on me...plus all my other work.....and that's just fine. I'm about to tell him as much."

   "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

    I hit the fender of my F-150 and cursed under my breath. "I swear to God, if he says one more word to me today..."

    "Okay, first off, watch your mouth. I don't want to hear that garbage. Secondly, you just need to cool off. Blowing a gasket isn't going to change anything. You need to calm down and..."

   I glared at Walker with a stare so piercing it seemed to slice right through him. "Do not tell me to calm down. I just..." I stopped short, my fists clenched so tightly my fingernails dug into my skin.

    He raised his eyebrows. "You just what?"

    "Forget it." I opened the truck door and leaped inside. "Call me in an hour or two and let me know where you and Hayes want to meet." With a final nod, I slammed my door and started the engine.

   The tension in my shoulders gradually eased as I drove down the road. Regret washed over me as I thought back to my conversation with Walker outside the department. I had literally cussed in front of him, knowing good and well he was a Christian. Heat flushed my face. That wasn't just disrespectful, it was flat out unacceptable. "I should never have said that while he was in earshot." I muttered under my breath, my grip tightening on the steering wheel. I made a mental note to apologize the second I saw him this evening.

   My attention was drawn to my rearview mirror. A dark blue Camaro was coming down the two-laned highway much quicker than I was. Before long, it was tailgating me, which was quite dangerous considering I was driving 75 m.p.h. The driver passed just as I approached a 40% curve.

    "You idiot!" I shouted as I slammed my fist down on the horn. "You're gonna get somebody killed!"

   "Justice, you drive like the road's on fire. Slow down!"

    "Chill out, Carr. I could do this with my eyes closed."

    I blinked away the tears threatening to spill down my face. I didn't need to show up to tell someone their little sister was dead with tears staining my cheeks. That would not look very professional.

    The GPS giving me directions cut my thoughts short. I pressed the brake and turned left onto a roughly paved narrow road. A quick glance out the window quickly confirmed my suspicions that I might be heading into a dangerous situation. The houses along the roadside were run-down and neglected.

    Vines grew over front windows, the grass in the front yard had to be two feet high. Cigarette butts and joints were visibly sprawled in the gravel driveways. Not quite the kind of neighborhood that would think kindly of a Texas Ranger. I took a deep breath and shrugged.