Chapter 11

11

"Oh no," Kenzie exclaimed, hurrying to her Uncle Glen's side as he perched on the edge of Ellis Steele's office desk. His shirt was stained with blood, his face drained of color, and his expression seething with anger as EMTs tended to him. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you at the hospital."

"He refused to go, Sheriff." The EMT said. "Says he's fine."

"You are not fine. You need to go." Kenzie scolded. "You're bleeding and…"

"Oh, calm down, dear. I'll go. I was waiting for you." Glen admitted. "By the time I get to the hospital, I'll be all drugged up and my memory fuzzy. I wanted to give you a statement while it was fresh in my mind and, well, my mind was still fresh."

"What happened, Glen?" Coy asked directly, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic scene of scattered files, pictures strewn on the floor, and broken glass. It was clear that some kind of altercation had taken place.

"I came in to feel Steele out, just like we discussed. I decided, unannounced , would be the best route, and it certainly was. When I got here, he was destroying files. I played all nonchalant like I didn't notice what he was doing and talked a little business first."

Glen gestured toward the large, bulging garbage bags propped against the wall, with a paper shredder positioned nearby. "There's no question in my mind now that he was up to something no good –– he was destroying evidence is my guess. This is what he was working on when I got here. Took it right out of his hand. It's all that's left, unfortunately."

Coy's gaze focused on the top section of a file folder that Glen had retrieved, noting the label: Delilah Stone . "My mother's file."

"I'm sorry, son. If I'd have gotten here just a bit sooner, we might have all the answers we're looking for." Glen shared, his voice heavy with sorrow. "At the very least, though, we know whatever he did, it wasn't good, or he wouldn't be destroying those files."

"Looks like he's been destroying files all day." Coy chided.

"Indeed, it does." Glen nodded in agreement as the EMT prepared to insert the IV, grimacing slightly from the pain as the needle pierced his skin. "The son of a bitch took his computer with him when he left."

Coy sighed, "Of course he did."

"This is a crime scene now. I'm roping it all off, and we're going through all of these files. Lawyer or not, attorney-client privilege just went out the window." Kenzie fumed. "I have every available deputy hunting for him and asking for support from other agencies, including rangers and marshals."

"You're smart to do so. He's armed and dangerous, honey." Glen admitted. "There was always something about that man that didn't sit right with me. I never expected this, though. Aside from whatever is in all those files, he's capable of murder. He knows who I am, that I'm retired law enforcement and my niece and only real relative is the Sheriff, and he still pulled that trigger. That cold bastard just laughed when I asked him about Delilah. I think there's far more to Lilah's passing than we suspect."

"She died of cancer, Glen," Coy spoke with a somber tone when his deceased mother was mentioned. "I don't think he had anything to do with that."

"But what if he did? What if he advanced her passing somehow, or what if it wasn't the cancer that took her but something else? Look at all those files. I only took a look at a few and didn't like what I saw. Something ain't adding up, son. With all the trouble that's landed on your family since Lilah's passing, then all this… it doesn't feel like much of a stretch."

"You think he killed my mother."

"I think anything is possible when you walk into a man's office, and he shoots you and runs," Glen said.

"Why did he shoot you, Glen? I can't imagine it being over shredding some files."

"It wasn't, at first. We talked a little business. Told him I heard he was good at handling final affairs and that I needed to get my affairs in order."

"Uncle Glen," Kenzie probed, a sudden worry creasing her brow as she contemplated her uncle's prognosis. "Is there something wrong? Are you sick?"

Glen patted her shoulder, "No, darlin', not even a gunshot wound can take me out, as you can clearly see. I just thought I would be vague and suggest the possibility to really pique his interest, given the theory we all came up with. Thought I'd test it out and it worked. He tried to convince me the best way to address my affairs would be to put the boat and the ranch in a trust. The red flag went up when he recommended that I have you sign over your portion of the ranch, Kenzie dear, to put in the trust since I'm leaving it all to you anyway."

"You're kidding me." Kenzie shook her head in disbelief. "So bold and brazen."

"That's when I lost it. It was clear he was up to no good and betting on the fact that I was older, retired, and hoping that meant easily influenced. I called him out and asked him what kind of scam he was running." Glen huffed, visibly frazzled as he recounted the harrowing encounter. "I'm sorry, darlin', I know better. I guess I've been away from the job too long and out of practice. I was doing just fine until he… mentioned you."

Kenzie reached out for her uncle's hand, gently clasping it in her own as she gazed at him with a mixture of concern and affection. "It's okay. I understand."

"I told him I was calling you to get to the bottom of it, and that's when…" Glen paused, verbalizing the moment as he inadvertently instilled a sense of fear as the reality of it all finally seemed to hit him, "He pulled his weapon and fired on me."

"Did you fire back?" Coy asked.

"Of course I did, but I was a little slow on the draw. Another sign I've been out of the game too long. I don't even know if I hit him –– he took off. I went after him, and that's when I realized I'd been hit –– I felt my shoulder pretty good at that point and got a little dizzy. I might have… passed out for a minute."

"Sir, we really need to get you to the hospital." The EMT mentioned as he began to repack the wound.

"Hang on, young man, this is an active investigation. It's just a shoulder. I ain't dying." Glen argued.

"With all due respect, you're bleeding out," the EMT remarked as he tended to the wound. "I've already had to change the temporary bandage once, and you're looking a little pale, which could be from shock or blood loss. Not to mention the bead of sweat collecting above your brow and lip –– not a good sign."

"He's right, Uncle Glen," Kenzie said. "You go. We'll take care of it from here."

"Agreed." Coy reached out to shake Glen's hand. "You think of anything else, and you can call us."

Kenzie dropped a sweet kiss on her Uncle's cheek, "I'll come check on you in a little bit. Be good, and let them help you when you get there."

Glen nodded, consenting to the EMTs' assistance as they helped him onto the gurney. They carefully secured him in place, ensuring his safety for the trip to the hospital, before wheeling him off. Kenzie watched with a heavy heart, her concern evident in the furrow of her brow and the tightness of her grip on Coy's hand. As the EMTs wheeled Glen away, Coy wrapped his arm around Kenzie's shoulders, pulling her into a comforting embrace. He pressed a tender kiss to the top of her head, silently offering reassurance as they watched Glen disappear from view, their thoughts consumed by worry and hope for his well-being.

"He's going to be okay," Coy reassured.

"I know. It's just hard to see, you know? He's the only family I have left, and he was doing this for us." Kenzie said. "I just feel… bad. Mostly because he seemed so old and vulnerable. Steele clearly saw it too if he was trying to hustle him into a deal."

"We'll get Steele," Coy said, pulling out his phone. "I'm getting help on that."

"You bringing in a team?"

"No. I don't need to." Coy grinned. "I'll just have the office upload Steele's picture to our system, and it'll watch for him."

"Watch for him?"

"Yeah. It uses facial recognition and a wide range of supporting security measures –– cameras. For example, if he goes to the airport, which is covered in security cameras, our software will pick him up. Same with CCTV going down a freeway. It runs at an insane speed and we'll know where he is within minutes and have eyes on him shortly after."

"That's pretty amazing."

"It's been used to track fugitives for a long time. If he's on the run, we'll find him."

Coy swiped through his phone, his brow furrowing in concentration before he tucked it away. Suddenly, a message caught his eye that he must've missed in the chaos surrounding Glen, and he quickly read it.

"We need to get to the ranch ––they found something."