“Lately he hasn’t been a big fan of anything. Caitlyn, I hope you and Ian can help him.”
“When was the last time he went to the doctor?” Caitlyn clasped her glass and sipped the cold water.
“A couple of years, before Andrew passed away. Sean was breaking in a horse, and the animal won that round. I didn’t think he’d go with the paramedics tonight, especially when Andrew left in an ambulance and never came home.”
“Is that when you began seeing a lot of changes?”
Alice cocked her head. “Yes, he found Andrew in the office collapsed on the floor.” Her forehead crinkled as she paused in thought. “I was going to say he didn’t leave the ranch much after that, but lately he has been. I’d started wondering if he was seeing someone, but this week everything went back to how it was right after Andrew died.”
Had his move back to Longhorn caused Sean to hole himself up at the ranch? “What changed for Sean?”
Alice shrugged a shoulder.
“What kind of behaviors do you see the most, Alice?” Caitlyn asked.
“Depression, losing interest in the ranch and, at times, escalating anger like tonight.”
“I’ll try again to talk with Sean when he isn’t hungover. If I have to, I can come to the ranch to treat him.”
“I hope he’ll open up to you, Caitlyn.” Ian’s gaze connected with hers. She was such a caring person. That was one of the things that drew him to her even as teenagers. He missed being around her. “Sean probably won’t be in any mood to talk tonight. I’ll take you to your grandmother’s. With all that’s happened today, she’ll want to see you.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?”
“Yes. I’m going to come back to the ranch and plop myself down in the stuffed chair in Sean’s room. If he wakes up, I’ll know. I’m a light sleeper.”
When Ian finished his stew, he and Caitlyn cleared the table and rinsed the dishes so Alice could go to bed. Then Ian went upstairs to check on Sean. His brother hadn’t moved from his previous position.
As Ian escorted Caitlyn to his SUV, she took his hand as though she could read his mind and the turmoil boiling in it. He felt her support without a word from her. He hadn’t realized how important that was to him—until now. He opened the passenger door for her, then walked around to the driver’s side. He should have come home months ago, but the Texas Ranger position hadn’t opened up until recently.
As he drove away from the ranch, he sliced a glance toward Caitlyn. “Thanks for coming. I’m at a loss on how to help Sean. Any suggestions?”
“He needs to see his doctor and have a physical to rule out any kind of medical problem causing the personality change. And he needs to be in therapy. He’s trying to deal with depression on his own. It’s not uncommon for a depressed person to turn to drugs and alcohol to try and alleviate it. Of course, it only makes the situation worse. If he doesn’t want to talk with me, I can recommend a therapist in Dallas.”
“Any help is appreciated. I hope tomorrow morning Sean and I can have a civil conversation about what happened today.”
“Today has been intense. I hope I make sense on the radio in the morning.”
“Which days do you do your show?”
“Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. They want me to go to five days a week, especially as more stations are being added. I’m getting calls now from all over the States, but I volunteer at Matthew’s Ministries on Tuesday and don’t want to give that up.”
Ian braked at a four-way stop sign. “You could always volunteer on the weekend.”
“True. But I don’t know if I want to take more on. I have patients I need to serve first. They’re my priority. I’m stretching myself as it is, doing four days.”
He pressed the accelerator and crossed the intersection. “Speaking of your patients, is there anyone who could be the caller?”
Caitlyn didn’t answer for a long moment. “I have a few clients that have a lot of issues, but no one has mentioned Jane recently.”
“How about in the past?”
“It’s possible, but I’ll have to search my case notes. I won’t break patient-doctor confidentiality. It’s important that my patients feel what they say to me will stay with me. I’m going to see the Shephards to let them know what you want. I can’t imagine them not agreeing to me talking to you. As I said before, I don’t see anything Jane said to me that would lead to someone murdering her.”
“Thanks. You never know what sets a person off.” Ian parked in Sally’s driveway behind Caitlyn’s Thunderbird. “I hope you’re staying here tonight.”
“I am. Granny wants me to. Emma is staying too.”
“That’s good. Otherwise, I doubt she’d sleep much since I’m going to be at the ranch. And I know I’ll sleep much better knowing she’s with y’all.”
This time as he strolled up to Sally’s house, he took Caitlyn’s hand. He’d liked the earlier physical connection. He remembered as a kid going on a hike in the woods with Caitlyn and, because she feared stepping on a snake, he’d held her hand. That feeling of being her protector made his chest swell, even though he didn’t know at the age of eleven what he would have done if they had encountered a snake.
“What are you smiling about?” she asked when she reached the porch illuminated with a bright light.
“Just thinking about the time we went hiking in Longhorn Woods, and you were afraid you’d see a snake.”
“I’m still scared of snakes—all kinds.”
Before she had a chance to ring the bell, the door opened. “It’s about time you got here. Emma and I are having a hard time staying up.” Sally moved away from the entrance and planted herself next to Nana.
His grandmother’s arms were crossed over her chest and a formidable look on her face plainly showed her concern. “With a murderer running around town, I was getting worried.”
“Nana, we’re fine. We were in the house at the ranch or in my car driving here. Besides, I’m trained to deal with dangerous situations.”
“Is Sean still all right?” His grandma’s intense expression eased.
“He’s sleeping. If something changes for the worse, I’ll let you know. I’ll be staying there tonight.”
Sally yawned. “Well, now that Caitlyn is here, we can go to bed.”
“Yes, y’all go to sleep. I’ll lock up the house.” Caitlyn hugged her grandma and his.
As they shuffled toward the hallway to the bedrooms, Ian waited until they reached their destination before saying, “I’ll walk through the house and make sure everything is locked down tight. There were times at Nana’s that I’d find a door or window unlocked.”
“It’s a shame we even have to lock up at all. Years ago, people didn’t in Longhorn.”
“I know. But it’s the reality now in our society.”
Caitlyn strolled beside him while he went through the house. “You must have seen all the reasons why that’s our reality. Being a therapist is hard, but I can’t imagine what ugliness and evil you’ve encountered in your job.”
As he moved from a door to a window, he thought about his fifteen years in law enforcement. “There have been times I’ve considered walking away, but then something like a case I worked on in December would make me realize I make a difference in people’s lives, like you do with counseling.”
“What happened in December?”
“I