Chapter Seven

Ruston wanted to curse. Something that Gracelyn likely wanted to do as well, and like him, she was no doubt trying to absorb the shock of what they were seeing.

Allie.

Near a murder scene.

No way could Ruston convince anyone, including himself, that Allie had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. That would be way too much of a coincidence.

“That’s your sister, right?” Tony asked.

Gracelyn nodded. “Yes, that’s Allie.”

Both Tony and Charla had smug looks on their faces. “And what was she doing there?” Charla demanded.

Gracelyn shook her head. “I don’t know. I haven’t heard from her in a while, so I didn’t know where she was.”

“Well, clearly she was at the house, or at least near the house, of a man who was murdered,” Charla said. “So, it’s highly likely that she’s the one who compromised Ruston’s identity.”

“No,” Ruston was quick to argue. “There’s nothing highly likely about that scenario. I had absolutely no indication from Marty that Allie was involved with this.”

Of course, Marty wouldn’t have mentioned that if she had been, but the premise was still way off.

He hoped.

Because if Allie was truly involved, this was going to crush Gracelyn. However, it might not be that much of a shock once it all sank in, and Gracelyn would likely come to some conclusions.

There was one way this could have all fit.

One way to explain why Allie had been there.

Ruston, though, had no intentions of voicing it in front of Charla and Tony. Thankfully, he didn’t have to, because Tony’s phone rang, and he saw Captain Katelyn O’Malley’s name on the screen. Tony’s boss. That wiped any trace of a smirk off Tony’s face, and he stood, stepping to the side and muttering something about having to take the call.

“Why was your sister there?” Charla demanded, obviously trying to continue this interview.

But Tony’s call only lasted a couple of seconds, and when he turned back around, Ruston thought the lieutenant looked even more riled than when they’d been peppering him with questions.

“I have to go,” Tony said, motioning for Charla to stand. He aimed those anger-filled eyes at Duncan and then Ruston. “Captain O’Malley got a call from the Texas Rangers, and they want to talk to me about my association with Zimmer. And it apparently can’t wait.”

Ruston could have managed his own smirk, but he didn’t. He just considered this progress, because if there was something dirty going on with Tony’s connection with Zimmer, maybe the Rangers could find it.

Charla clearly wasn’t pleased with any of this, and she huffed. “The sniper could still be out there,” she reminded Tony.

“Then we’ll be careful.” Tony looked at Ruston again. “But it might not be necessary. The shots could have just been a way to try to ward us off.”

Tony was obviously suggesting that Ruston and his family were behind the shooting. Of course, they weren’t, but the gunfire could have indeed been a warning. The killer might want to discourage police interference if he wasn’t linked to Tony or Charla.

And that brought him back to Allie.

Tony got Charla moving, and despite the intense exchange that had gone on during the interviews, Luca, Duncan and Ruston all provided cover as Tony and Charla hurried down the porch steps and to the waiting cruiser. Gracelyn drew her weapon as well, but thankfully stayed in the door.

Ruston held his breath when no shots came, and he rushed back in, mainly so he could get Gracelyn fully back inside. He expected her to still have that shell-shocked look on her face, but she had shaken that off.

“I need to try to call Allie,” she insisted.

“You know how to get in touch with her?” Duncan asked, shutting the door and resetting the security system.

Gracelyn nodded, then lifted her shoulder as if not so certain of her response. “I gave her a burner before she left and told her if I needed to contact her, I’d call her with a burner I keep in my go bag. Or that I’d message her through a private Facebook page I’d set up. I’ll try the phone first.”

“I’ll get your go bag,” Duncan offered when she started for the stairs. “I want to check on Joelle anyway.”

“And I need to text one of the ranch hands to see where they are in their search for the sniper,” Luca explained, taking out his phone and moving away from them.

Ruston had no doubts that Duncan did want to check on Joelle and that Luca needed to make contact with the ranch hands, but he also figured this was about giving Gracelyn and him a moment alone. Gracelyn clearly needed it, because she went straight into his arms.

“Oh, God,” she muttered. “I’m so sorry.”

He’d expected this from her, but it still riled him. “You aren’t going to take the blame for anything your sister might have done. If she did anything at all,” he tacked on to that. “Someone could have lured her there to Marty’s.”

Gracelyn made a half-hearted sound of agreement. “But even if she had been lured, it means someone used her to get to you. To try to kill you.”

“And you,” he pointed out. As good as it felt to hold her, and it felt darn good, he pulled back just enough so he could look her straight in the eyes. “Play this through while thinking like a cop and not like the sister of a woman who’s screwed up time and time again.”

She stared at him, and he saw the shift. He saw Gracelyn tucking away some of the raw emotion that had to be eating away at her. “All right.” She repeated that several times. “I don’t recall Allie ever mentioning anyone named Marty, so she might not have even known him.” She paused. “And she might not have been in that area because of him.”

Bingo. “Where does Devin Blackburn live?” he asked.

“One of those upscale apartments on the River Walk in San Antonio. I’ve never been there, and he also owns a house in a gated community on the north side of the city. I’ve never been to it either,” she was quick to add. “But after Allie told me some of the things he’s done, I researched him.”

“Are either of those two places anywhere near Marty’s?” He pulled out his phone and showed her first the location of Marty’s office and then the man’s house, where he’d been murdered.

She looked at the addresses on the map, sighed and shook her head. “No.”

“But maybe Allie is staying near there,” he pointed out. “You don’t know for certain she’s with Devin.”

That put some hope in her eyes. “True. Things might not have worked out between them.” She paused, huffed. “Of course, that doesn’t explain why Allie wouldn’t have tried to come back to get Abigail.”

No, it didn’t. But there was something else that had to give Gracelyn hope. “Allie’s alive, and she didn’t appear to be hurt.” He wanted to see the actual surveillance footage, though, so he could try to determine what direction she’d come from and if anyone had been with her.

Since Noah was one of the detectives investigating Marty’s murder, Ruston sent him a text to request a copy of the security feed. Of course, Noah would almost certainly scour that feed for himself, looking for anything that would help him find Marty’s killer.

“I swear, I won’t fall apart,” Gracelyn muttered.

Ruston looked down at her. They were still close. Very close with their bodies touching. “I never thought you would,” he let her know.

She shook her head. “I fell apart nearly a year ago when we were almost killed.”

“No.” He pulled her back into his arms, creating even more contact, but hopefully giving Gracelyn something she needed right now. “You never fell apart. If you had, you wouldn’t have been able to put together a plan to disappear the way you did.”

Even though he could no longer see her face, Ruston suspected she was sporting a very skeptical expression. “I disappeared,” she stated.

“Because you needed time to process what’d happened,” he spelled out. “And while I would have preferred you process that with me around, I understand why you had to have that time, that space.”

She lifted her head and looked up at him as he looked down at her. “Yes,” she muttered. “You understand because of your father.”

Yeah, he did. And Ruston was well aware that his father’s life had ended just a few yards from where they were standing right now. Ruston had done his own version of disappearing in the weeks following that. He’d thrown himself into the investigation. He’d become obsessed with finding his father’s killer. That obsession was still there. Maybe it always would be until his dad finally got the justice he deserved.

First, though, he had to unravel who was after Gracelyn and him. That was the only way to keep the baby and her safe.

She groaned softly, causing Ruston to look at her again. Not that his attention had strayed too far. And it didn’t stray now either. With their gazes locked, things passed between them. The worry. The urgency to find their attacker.

The heat.

Yeah, it was there, all right, and it felt like a gut punch of a different kind. It was also a complication. One that he knew he shouldn’t act on. But he did anyway.

Ruston dipped his head and kissed her.

Since he hadn’t actually planned it, he wasn’t sure if this was for comfort or if the heat was calling the shots here. When the taste of her jolted through him, he had his answer.

The heat was in charge.

That definitely wasn’t a good sign, and he figured Gracelyn would realize that and push him away. She didn’t. She sank right into the kiss, pressing her mouth harder against his. Deepening it, too, and skyrocketing the fire. Making every inch of him want every inch of her.

The sound of approaching footsteps had Gracelyn and him practically jumping away from each other. Not in time, though, for Duncan to miss what’d been going on. Duncan didn’t question it, not verbally, but Ruston figured the look Duncan gave him was sort of a caution. You’re playing with fire.

Ruston knew that was the truth. This heat between Gracelyn and him was strong and hot. It was also a distraction. One that could ultimately cause him to lose focus at a time when that could turn out to be a fatal mistake. Still, Ruston couldn’t just flip a switch and put an end to the heat. He just needed to try to keep it in check until Gracelyn and the baby were no longer in danger.

Duncan handed Gracelyn the go bag. “Joelle says she’ll stay with the baby as long as needed,” he said while Gracelyn began to dig through the bag for the burner phone. “I’m hoping you’ll let her do that.”

Gracelyn looked up at him, and Duncan huffed. “I’m worried about her. She’s a cop to the bone, but she’s also pregnant. I’d rather her be with Abigail than facing down murder suspects.”

Since Joelle was his sister, Ruston felt the same way. It was even more of a reason for them to find the killer and put a stop to the danger.

“With Allie on that surveillance footage, SAPD will bring her in for questioning,” Ruston told Duncan. “If they can find her, that is.”

“I’d like to question her, too,” Duncan insisted. “And her boyfriend, Devin Blackburn.”

That was exactly what Ruston had hoped he would say. First, though, they had to locate Allie, and that started with the phone call.

“You’ll probably want to record this in case Allie answers,” Gracelyn said.

She waited until Ruston had hit the recording app on his phone before she used the burner to dial the only number in its contacts. Gracelyn then put it on speaker just as it rang.

And rang.

After what felt like an eternity, it went to voicemail, but there was no personal recorded greeting to invite the caller to leave a message. Just the beep.

“It’s me,” Gracelyn said. Ruston figured she purposely didn’t leave her name in case someone other than Allie had access to the burner. “We need to talk. It’s important.”

She ended the call, slipped the burner into the pocket of her jeans and took out her other phone. “I’ll leave a message on the private Facebook page, too,” she added and did that as soon as she pulled up the app.

When Ruston heard the ringing, he at first thought it was Allie returning her sister’s call, but it was his own phone.

“Noah,” he relayed to Gracelyn and Duncan, and he took the call on speaker. Gracelyn stopped what she was doing and moved closer to listen.

“I just heard someone shot at Tony and Charla,” Noah said right off the bat.

Ruston realized he should have added that to the text he’d sent to Noah earlier. “Yeah,” he verified. “They’re both okay. The sniper hasn’t been found, but Tony and Charla are headed back to San Antonio.”

“Glad to hear they weren’t hurt. Does their departure have anything to do with the Texas Rangers being in Captain O’Malley’s office?” Noah asked.

“It does.” And this was yet something else he should have told Noah about. “There was a fingerprint in our attackers’ truck that belonged to former cop Terry Zimmer. He was also connected to the baby farm. And Tony. They were rookies together in Austin.”

Noah said a few words of choice profanity. “Yeah, that would get him in the captain’s office.” He paused a second. “You really think Tony could be dirty?”

Ruston didn’t want to think it, but there was no way he could deny the possibility. “Either that or someone came by a whole lot of information that shouldn’t have been available to anyone but cops.”

Noah made a sound of agreement. “Terry Zimmer,” he repeated. “I’m plugging his name into a search engine I put together. It’s sort of a cop’s form of Google that taps into data pools of arrest histories, police reports and witness statements. I’ll let that run while I tell you the main reason I’m calling.” He paused. “There’s a problem with Marty’s computer files.”

Now it was Ruston who cursed, and Gracelyn wasn’t far behind him on that particular reaction. “What happened? Did they go missing?” Ruston asked.

“No, but they might as well have.” There was plenty of frustration in Noah’s voice. “The techs say it was some kind of complex computer virus that corrupted every file on the laptop. They’ll see if they can get anything from the corrupted data, but it doesn’t look promising.”

Hell. Of course, Marty would put some kind of measure like this in place. Except Ruston rethought that. “Any chance the virus was added after the laptop was taken into custody?”

“I asked the techs about that, and they say the virus doesn’t appear to have been uploaded remotely, that they think it was already on the computer.”

So, the killer likely hadn’t done that. If he’d gotten access to Marty’s laptop, he could have just destroyed it. Unless... “Any chance those files were backed up on a storage cloud?”

“Yes,” Noah verified, “and those copies were corrupted, too.” He stopped, muttered something that Ruston didn’t catch. “Hold on a second,” Noah added. Then he cursed again. “You said Tony knows Zimmer, but you didn’t mention that Charla does, too.”

Ruston saw the surprise register on Gracelyn’s face and figured it was on his as well. “Because I had no idea. And she didn’t say a word about it.”

“Well, she knows him, all right. According to a report Charla filed last year, Zimmer was her confidential informant.”

Ruston went still. “Give me the details on that, please.” He wanted one bit of info in particular. “Was it connected to the baby farm?”

“I’ll read it thoroughly but just scanning through for now,” Noah let him know. “But, no, it doesn’t appear to have anything to do with the baby farm. This report was filed about a month after the attack on you and Gracelyn. Charla was undercover to investigate some illegal weapons being moved through and stored in a warehouse. The weapons were found, and Charla noted that Zimmer had provided her with info for which he was paid.”

So, that might be why Zimmer had been actually named. The payment would have required an invoice.

“Anything in that report about Charla investigating Zimmer before she used his info?” Ruston asked. Because if Charla had run a deep background check, she might have found a photo of him at the baby farm.

“Nothing that I can see,” Noah answered. “But like I said, I’m skimming. I’ll go through this line by line, and I’ll keep running the search engines. If I find anything, I’ll let you know. Oh, and you’ll be getting a copy of the surveillance feed sometime today.”

Ruston thanked him and ended the call just as another phone rang. The burner this time. Gracelyn yanked it from her pocket but didn’t answer it on speaker until Ruston had the recording app going.

“I understand you want to talk to Allie,” the man said.

“Who is this?” Gracelyn demanded.

“Devin Blackburn,” he said without hesitation.

Ruston didn’t like this one bit. Clearly, neither did Gracelyn. “Where’s Allie? Why are you using her phone?”

Devin countered that with a question of his own. “Are you Gracelyn?”

Gracelyn hesitated but finally said, “Yes. Where’s Allie?” she repeated.

Devin’s sigh was loud and long. “That’s what I was hoping you could tell me. I don’t know where your sister is.”

“But you have her phone,” Gracelyn quickly pointed out.

“No, I have a phone that I found in her purse. It’s not the one she usually uses. When I heard it ringing, I didn’t get to it in time to answer it, but I listened to your voicemail. I figured from your tone that you’re worried about her. Well, so am I. Do you have any idea where Allie is?”

The image of Allie on the security footage flashed into Ruston’s head, and he was certain the same image was going through Gracelyn’s.

“When is the last time you saw my sister?” Gracelyn pressed.

“Two days ago.” Devin didn’t hesitate, but then he sighed again. “I’m afraid Allie has gotten into serious trouble.”

Some of the color drained from Gracelyn’s face. “What do you mean?”

Devin wasn’t so quick to answer this time. “We have to talk, and it should be in person. You can either come to me, or I can meet you somewhere.”

Gracelyn paused, too. “Meet me at the Saddle Ridge Sheriff’s Office.”

Ruston expected Devin to balk about the location. He didn’t. “Saddle Ridge Sheriff’s Office,” he confirmed. “I can be there in an hour. See you then.”

“Wait,” Gracelyn said before he could hang up. “What kind of trouble is Allie in?”

No sigh this time but rather a soft groan. “The kind that can get her killed. Let’s see if we can prevent that from happening.”