Chapter Six

Duncan drank more coffee and paced with his phone anchored between his shoulder and ear while he waited for Joelle's brother, Detective Ruston McCullough, to take him off hold and give him the update on Shanda's murder.

It'd been over an hour since Ruston's initial call to deliver the shocking news that Shanda had been found dead just outside her house in San Antonio, and Ruston had only been able to provide the basics. Apparently, Shanda's lawyer had found her dead when he'd gone to her place. Cause of death had likely been a gunshot wound to the chest.

"Sorry about the wait," Ruston said when he came back on the line. "I just got another call from the CSIs out at Shanda's house, and I wanted to hear what they had to say so I could pass it along to you. And Joelle. She's there, right?"

"I am," Joelle verified. She looked too exhausted to pace, the way Duncan was in an effort to burn up some of this adrenaline and nerves. She was on the sofa, watching and waiting.

"How are you holding up?" Ruston asked, and Duncan knew that question was for Joelle.

"We need answers," she replied, clearly dodging her brother's question.

Ruston sighed because that dodge had given him the answer. His sister was exhausted and worried about everything that had gone on not just since the attack but the events of the last five months. All of this could be linked, and that was a connection that wasn't going to allow Joelle, or the rest of them, to get much rest anytime soon.

"All right," Ruston continued, "here's what I have. At approximately 6:45 this morning, Shanda's lawyer, Frank Salvetti, arrived at her residence in San Antonio. She had called him about a half hour before that and instructed him that she needed him to accompany her to Saddle Ridge right away."

Hell. A lot had gone on in these hours following Joelle's attack. It was barely six in the morning, but it felt as if they'd been at this for days.

"That's a fast, and very early, response for a lawyer," Duncan pointed out.

"Yeah," Ruston agreed. "I'm guessing it's because Shanda either pays him well or else they have a personal relationship that made him react so fast. Not lovers. I've found no proof of that but maybe just friends. Anyway, he found her lying partway inside her door and on her porch, and he called 911. The ME just confirmed that cause of death was the gunshot wound to the chest. No surprise there. I was one of the first on scene, and it was obvious that she'd been shot and bled out."

"Any witnesses?" Joelle asked.

"None, and there were no security cameras. But it's definitely not suicide. No other weapons around, and even though I don't have the report back on it yet, it'll turn out that she was shot at point-blank range. What it looked like to me was that she opened her door to someone, maybe thinking it was her lawyer or possibly because she knew the person, and then she was shot."

Duncan groaned. Ruston was a good cop so his account was almost certainly what had happened. But with no witnesses and Shanda dead, they didn't have an ID on the shooter.

"Shanda called me about an hour before she was killed," Duncan explained. "I was going to question her about the attack on Joelle and Molly's kidnapping."

Ruston made a sound of acknowledgment. "Joelle had messaged me about that." He paused. "Shanda's arrest could be linked to Dad's murder. Who else knew that?"

"My three suspects," Duncan was quick to say. Technically, he should be using the "persons of interest" label, but in his mind, they were solid suspects. "Shanda's former mother-in-law, Kate Moreland, who's still hospitalized. Shanda's ex-husband, Brad. A hothead who blames your dad, Joelle and a few others for Shanda's miscarriage following her arrest. The third suspect is Al Hamlin, a PI who showed up out of the blue to point the finger at Kate."

Duncan paused to give Ruston some time to consider all of that.

"Who's your top suspect?" Ruston asked several moments later.

"Well, it would have been Shanda before she was murdered," Duncan admitted. "After all, she's the one who lost the baby, and she's got the funds to hire a gunman and a kidnapper." He stopped again, cursed. "And she could have done just that. Hell, maybe one of her hired thugs wasn't pleased with her and killed her. Molly's kidnapper said what he'd done was a mistake so maybe this is the way he dealt with it."

"You have a name for the kidnapper?" Ruston wanted to know.

"Working on it. We collected some of his blood from Molly's house, and it's being processed now."

If the kidnapper had a record, then they might get a quick match. Rarely did he hope someone was a criminal, but in this case, it would make getting the ID much easier.

"Kate Moreland is in the hospital with a deputy guard on her door," Duncan added to Ruston. "I've been trying to call Brad, but he's not answering."

"He's not answering my calls, either," Ruston supplied. "I've sent two uniforms out to his place to check on him. Brad didn't answer the door and didn't appear to be home. Of course, he could be on his way to see his mother before he's due to come in for his interview."

True, and he might not answer his phone if he was on the road. But it occurred to Duncan that Brad could be dead as well, and if so, he wasn't sure how that would have played out. Maybe Kate had gotten fed up with both Shanda and Brad and hired someone to kill them? Or maybe Brad was very much alive and just dodging cops. If so, that moved him to the top spot of suspects.

Duncan heard the sound of approaching footsteps, and he expected to see either Luca or Carmen step into the doorway. But it was Joelle's other brother, Slater, who was the senior deputy in the sheriff's office. He was definitely a welcome sight since there was plenty to do.

Like Ruston, Slater was the spitting image of a younger version of their late father. Tall and lanky with black hair and green eyes. Joelle had gotten the black hair, but she had her mother's misty gray eyes.

"Let me know if you get any updates," Duncan said to Ruston. "I'll do the same for you."

He ended the call and watched as Slater gave both Duncan and his sister long examining looks. Slater sighed because he could no doubt see the exhaustion on Joelle's face.

"I just did a report with the case updates," Joelle said, maybe to cut off her brother's insistence that she get some rest. "I'll fill in what Ruston just told us and forward copies to you and the other deputies."

Slater didn't address that. He went to Joelle, eased her off the sofa and into his arms. He brushed a kiss on the top of her head and touched his hand to her baby bump. "How's my niece?"

The argument that had been in Joelle's eyes instantly faded, and she returned her brother's hug. "I think she's swimming around in there."

"Good." Slater leaned down and put his mouth to Joelle's stomach. "Hang in there, kid. I just ordered your mom a huge breakfast to be delivered from the diner. Get ready for all kinds of goodies."

"Thank you," Joelle muttered.

Duncan sent him a look of thanks, too, and wished he'd thought of it. Of course, Joelle might not eat. She hadn't touched the yogurt he'd given her earlier, but maybe Slater could give her a brotherly reminder that eating would be good for the baby.

"I managed to postpone my testimony in the trial," Slater explained, going toward Duncan now. "I figured you could use me back here."

"I can," Duncan verified. "We're hoping the kidnapper will be contacting us soon about releasing Molly, and we need a lot of research done on our suspects."

"Brad Moreland, his mother, Al Hamlin," Slater named off. "I saw the report Joelle did about Shanda's murder so she's off the list. As soon as I had Hamlin's name, I contacted a PI friend who lives in San Antonio, and I asked her about him. This particular PI is a Girl with the Dragon Tattoo sort of computer whiz, and she's created all these programs to mine data from old internet articles and social media posts." He paused. "And yeah, she sometimes hacks to find what she wants."

Duncan didn't approve of doing something illegal since they wouldn't be able to use the info in court. But at the moment he was for any and everything that helped them solve this so they could get Molly back.

"Did this PI find something?" Duncan prompted.

Slater nodded. "On the drive back here, she called me with what she'd dug up. Six years ago when Hamlin was seventeen, he and his then pregnant girlfriend were accused of trying to extort money from a couple who wanted to adopt the baby. They were convicted as juveniles so that's why the record didn't pop in a normal background check."

Joelle went closer to them. "Of course, Hamlin didn't mention that to us. What happened to the baby?"

"Unknown. The baby's mother, Erica Corley, was only in juvie lockup for two months, and she was released when she was eight months pregnant. She disappeared shortly thereafter, but my PI friend is trying to track her down."

"Good," Duncan muttered. "Because it'd be interesting to find out if Hamlin and she did sell the baby. It also makes me wonder if Hamlin's missing sister left because he was pressuring her to sell the child."

"Since I was wondering the same thing, the PI will be looking into that as well," Slater said. "People put all sorts of stuff on social media so she might be able to find something that'll clue us in to Isla Hamlin's disappearance."

Duncan made a quick sound of agreement just as he heard a shout coming from the bullpen. And the shout came from a voice he instantly recognized from the phone conversation he'd had with him.

"Sheriff Holder?" Brad called out.

So Brad had surfaced after all, and Duncan was a little surprised that he'd actually come in as scheduled without being further prodded. Surprised and very much interested in what the man had to say. With Slater and Joelle following him, Duncan went into the bullpen to find the sandy-haired man struggling to get past Luca who was trying to frisk him. Carmen had stepped in to help, but Slater moved toward the trio, too.

"Settle down," Slater snapped to Brad. "You don't get past this point until we're sure you're not armed."

"I'm not armed," Brad snarled, and he aimed a venomous glare at Duncan. "Shanda's dead. Dead," he repeated, his voice breaking on the word. "You should have stopped that from happening. You shouldn't have allowed her to die."

Brad's voice didn't just break that time. He began to sob, tears spilling down his face. He also stopped struggling with the search.

"He's not armed," Luca told Duncan. "What do you want me to do with him?"

"Interview room one," Duncan said. Because one way or another, he intended to get answers from Brad.

Since Brad wasn't steady on his feet, Slater took one side of him and Luca took the other. They maneuvered him to the interview room, sat him in the chair, and Joelle got a box of tissues and a bottle of water. What none of them did was give Brad any sympathetic looks because they all knew this could be an act.

That they could be looking at a killer.

"Let me know if you need me," Luca muttered, heading back toward the bullpen.

"Same here," Slater said. "I'll do some more of that digging we were talking about."

That no doubt meant Slater was going to try to find Hamlin's old girlfriend, Erica. Duncan hoped he could manage it since Erica, who'd now be in her mid-twenties might be able to provide them with some insight into Hamlin.

Duncan and Joelle sat across from Brad and didn't say anything for several minutes. They just waited for Brad to cry it out. When he finally reached for a tissue to dry his eyes, that was Duncan's cue to get started. However, Brad beat him to it.

"Who killed Shanda?" Brad asked. The anger was back in his voice now. "Was it my mother?"

Duncan didn't respond to that. Well, not a direct answer, anyway. Instead, he read Brad his rights, and he didn't think it was his imagination that Brad became more incensed with each line of the Miranda warning.

"Do you understand your rights?" Duncan asked when he'd finished.

"Of course, I do," Brad snapped. "You're covering your butt, but there's no need. I didn't kill my wife."

"Do you understand the part about your right to have your lawyer present?"

"I do, and he'll be coming in soon, but I don't want to wait for him to get answers. I need to know now. Did my mother do this?"

"Your mother is under guard at the hospital," Duncan reminded him. Of course, that didn't mean Kate hadn't hired someone to do it. He leaned in and stared at Brad. "Did you kill Shanda?"

Outrage bloomed across his face, and his mouth dropped open. "No, I did not." Brad snapped out each word. "I loved her, and we were getting back together."

"Maybe," Duncan concluded. "I talked to Shanda right before she was killed, and she didn't confirm a reconciliation. Just the opposite."

No trace of Brad's tears remained, and his eyes narrowed. "I don't believe you. You're lying to provoke me."

"I'm repeating to you what she told me."

Duncan withheld anything else about that conversation he'd had with Shanda, and he let the silence roll through the room. In his experience, most people being interrogated or interviewed were uncomfortable enough with the silence that they started talking.

It worked.

"Shanda wanted me to see a shrink," Brad finally admitted. "She wanted me to rehash the past."

"Isn't that what you're doing with the civil suit?" Joelle asked.

Now Brad turned those narrowed eyes on her. "No. That's retribution. That's payment for a wrong that you and your father did." He stopped and visibly reined in some of the anger. "I thought the best way for Shanda and me to move on was to get back together and start that family she's always wanted."

Interesting. Not the family we'd always wanted. "You wanted to have a child with Shanda?" Duncan came out and asked.

"Of course." Brad had gone back to snapping. "And now that won't happen because she's dead."

Brad made the sound of a sob, but Duncan saw no fresh tears in his eyes. Being the cynic that he was, Duncan wondered if the man had tapped his supply of fake drama.

"I understand you called Shanda after you and I had our phone conversation," Duncan said, shifting the conversation a little.

Brad nodded, attempted another sob, and he must have given up on that because he pressed a tissue to his eyes. "I told her what was going on, and I said I wanted to see her. She said we could meet for lunch after I was done with my interview." He stopped again. "If I'd gone over to her place then and there, she might not be dead. I could have stopped her from being killed."

Maybe that was true. But not the truth if Brad had been the one who'd pulled the trigger.

"Where were you from the time you got off the phone with me and Shanda's murder?" Duncan pressed.

"Home," Brad was quick to say.

Duncan was just as quick with a response. "Can anyone verify that?"

"I was alone," the man snapped. "But I tried to make some calls to my mother so it's possible those can be pinpointed to my house."

Yeah, it was possible. But it wasn't proof. Someone could have used Brad's phone to make it look as if he were home. And even if Brad had personally made the calls, it didn't mean his hired gun hadn't been doing his bidding. Still...

"I want permission to get access to your phone records," Duncan insisted. "If you don't agree, I'll assume you have something to hide, and I'll get a search warrant."

Brad didn't seem especially bothered by that. "I'll give you permission," he said, making Duncan silently groan. It meant any communication Brad might have had with hired guns had likely been done through a burner. Maybe one like the ones Molly's kidnapper had been using.

Next, Duncan went with an outright lie, something he was allowed during questioning. "We have footage from security cameras up the street from Shanda's. It's being analyzed as we speak, but I already know there was a vehicle in the area. A vehicle matching the description of one registered to you."

Brad sprang to his feet. "It wasn't mine. I wasn't anywhere near Shanda's this morning."

That might be true. Might be. But Brad could have hired someone to kill her. And that led Duncan to motive.

"Here's my theory," Duncan started. "You arranged to have Deputy McCullough killed or kidnapped. Ditto for the dispatcher who was also a deputy during Shanda's arrest two years ago. Shanda either found out what you'd done or you told her, and when she said she was going to the cops, you made sure she wouldn't be talking to anyone."

If looks could have killed, Brad would have finished off Duncan and Joelle on the spot. He sank back down into his chair. "This interview is over," he insisted, taking out his phone. "I'm not saying another word until I have my lawyer here."

Duncan didn't press, and he figured he could use the time before the lawyer arrived to assemble as much of a case as he could against Brad. What he needed was some physical evidence, something that would get him an arrest warrant so he could take Brad off the streets. Of course, if Brad was the killer, it was possible he'd already set hired guns in motion for another attack.

Joelle and Duncan stepped outside the interview room, closing the door behind them, and they looked at each other. "You believe him?" Joelle whispered, taking the question right out of Duncan's mouth.

Duncan had to shrug. Then, he groaned and scrubbed his hand over his face in frustration. "I want to believe he's the killer, but I'm not sure."

Since he didn't want Brad to overhear any part of this conversation, he motioned for Joelle to follow him back to the break room.

"Everything we have on Brad is circumstantial." He took out his phone. "I'll have Carmen get Brad to sign the agreement to get his phone records. If he's still willing to do it, that is. And there might be something in his call history that could help us get a warrant for his financials."

Duncan fired off a quick text to Carmen, but before he got a reply, his phone rang with an incoming call from Dr. Benton. Duncan couldn't answer it fast enough.

"Kate is awake, and she's insisting on seeing Joelle and you," the doctor said without a greeting. "Obviously, I'd like for her to hold off on that for another hour or two, but she got agitated when I suggested it. Can the two of you come to the hospital now?"

"Absolutely," Duncan readily agreed. "We'll be there in about ten minutes."

Joelle and he hurried back to the bullpen, and Duncan saw the instant alarm on the three deputies' faces. "Brad decided to wait for his lawyer," Duncan explained because the deputies had obviously thought Brad had done something to provoke them. "Joelle and I need to get to the hospital to question Kate Moreland."

"I can go with you for backup," Slater immediately volunteered.

Duncan nodded and got them moving toward the door. After he'd checked to make sure there were no threats lurking around, they got into the cruiser with Joelle in the back seat, Duncan in shotgun and Slater behind the wheel.

As expected, it was not a peaceful, relaxing ride. They were all very aware that the hired guns could be nearby, ready and waiting to strike. It was the reason Duncan had considered asking Joelle to stay behind. But not only wouldn't she have agreed to that, Kate had asked specifically to see her. It was possible the woman would say something to Joelle that she wouldn't to Duncan.

When they reach the hospital, Slater parked by the ER doors so that Joelle and he could hurry inside. Slater got out as well, and Duncan knew he would stand guard, watching for any kind of danger. Simply put, if any hired guns came into the hospital after Joelle and him, Slater would be the first line of defense against that.

Also as expected, there was a reserve deputy outside Kate's room. Anita Denny. Since she obviously recognized Duncan and Joelle, she opened the door and motioned them inside.

"She's waiting for you," Anita, the reserve deputy, informed them.

They stepped into the room and saw that Anita was right. Kate was, indeed, sitting up and clearly expecting them. She didn't look drowsy but rather alert and very worried.

"A friend of mine called the hospital and left a message to tell me that Shanda had been murdered," Kate immediately said. "Is it true?"

Later, Duncan would want to know the name of that friend. For now, though, he basically did a death notification.

"I regret to inform you that Shanda was murdered earlier this morning," he told her while he carefully watched her reaction.

A reaction that included widened eyes and a shudder of her breath. Kate touched her fingers to her mouth that trembled. "I'd hoped it wasn't true. I didn't want it to be true," she amended.

Duncan didn't have time to treat this like a normal death notification. He needed to jump right into questions that had to be asked. And he had to start with the basics.

"I'm going to Mirandize you," Duncan stated. "It's to cover the legal bases and make sure you're aware of what your rights are."

Kate didn't ask why he was doing this. She merely sat and listened while he finished, and then she nodded when he asked if she understood everything he'd just spelled out.

Since Kate didn't voice any kind of objections, Duncan continued, "From what I've heard, Shanda and you didn't have a good relationship. You were at odds. In fact, when I spoke to Shanda before she died, she claimed that you loathed her."

Kate didn't show any flares of temper as Brad had done. The woman sighed and shook her head. "I did loathe her," she admitted. "I thought she didn't handle her miscarriage and divorce nearly as well as she could have, and I believe she never actually loved Brad."

Duncan lifted an eyebrow. "I didn't pick up on that last part from either Brad or Shanda."

"You wouldn't have." Kate glanced away, groaned softly. "Brad was blindly in love with her, and he couldn't see Shanda for what she was. A gold digger. That big house she lives in? That was part of her divorce settlement. She took half of Brad's money when she divorced him."

Now there was some anger, but she kept her gaze pinned downward while she picked at the sheets covering her. Duncan had to wonder if she was looking down so he wouldn't be able to see some truth that she couldn't conceal in her eyes.

Truth that she was glad Shanda was dead. And that she was the one who'd made that happen.

"I should tell you something in case it comes up later," Kate said. "I don't want you to think I'm withholding anything."

"I'm listening," Duncan assured her.

"On the night Shanda was arrested, she and I were arguing on the phone. A very heated argument," Kate emphasized. "I'd called her about some charges I saw on Brad's credit card. Shanda had gone to a high-end boutique and treated herself to the best the place had to offer. I'm talking nearly ten grand. Shanda said that Brad had given her the shopping trip as a surprise gift, and I told her that Brad wasn't paying the bills, that I was." She stopped. "Anyway, Shanda was yelling at me and that's probably why she was driving erratically."

Duncan had known about this. It'd been in the statement Shanda had given. Well, she'd given a thumbnail of it, anyway. She'd told Sheriff McCullough that she'd been having a dispute with her mother-in-law.

"You must have been very upset when you found out that Brad and Shanda were getting back together," Joelle threw out there. All sympathy. Fake, of course. But Duncan knew she was going for the "good cop" angle here. That gave Duncan the leeway to go badass.

"I was," Kate muttered. "I thought it would only lead to Brad being crushed all over again." Now she finally looked up, her attention going to Joelle. "Crushed," she emphasized. "Brad was never the same after the miscarriage and his marriage breaking up."

That was Duncan's cue to jump in. "Is that why you went to Molly's to accuse Brad of trying to kill Joelle?"

On a heavy sigh, Kate closed her eyes. But she nodded. She took in a few shallow breaths, opened her eyes and looked at Joelle again. "I'm sorry, but Brad blamed you and your father for what happened to Shanda. He should have blamed Shanda herself. She's the one who got herself arrested. Instead, Brad decided she wasn't at fault and that the cops involved needed to pay."

"Pay by killing me and kidnapping a former deputy?" Joelle supplied.

Kate nodded again and repeated her apology. "I think my son has had some kind of mental breakdown. I blame Shanda for that. She led him on, making him believe she'd get back together with him, but there were always new conditions for a reconciliation. One day, she'd say he had to go to counseling. The next, she'd tell him he had to cut me out of his life." She paused. "And he did."

Neither Brad nor Shanda had mentioned that so Duncan had no idea if it was true. However, it was something he would definitely ask Brad about.

"It must have hurt when Brad did that," Joelle murmured.

"It did." There was another flash of anger in her eyes, but Kate seemed to quickly shut that down. "It cut me to the core."

"And that cut made it easier for you to go to Joelle and tell her that Brad wanted her dead," Duncan pointed out.

Kate's mouth tightened for a couple of seconds. "Yes, it did make it easier," she confessed. "If my son hadn't basically disowned me, I might not have been willing to believe the worst about him. But I do believe it. I think Shanda convinced him to go after the people who arrested her. I think this was all her doing."

That was possible, but there was a big question mark in that theory. "Then, why is Shanda dead?"

"Maybe she hired the wrong people to do her bidding, and it backfired." Kate offered that up so quickly that it was obvious she'd given it some thought. "If you play with fire, sometimes you get burned."

"So, you don't think Brad would have killed her?" Joelle asked.

Kate stayed quiet a while. "I don't want to believe he would, but it's possible. Shanda broke him, so anything is possible."

Duncan wasn't sure about the broken part, but it was obvious that Brad had some serious issues. Obvious, too, that he could have certainly murdered his ex-wife.

"I saw your tox results," Duncan said, and he noted the flash of surprise in Kate's eyes. She hadn't been prepared for a quick shift in topics. "There didn't seem to be enough of the sleeping aid in your system for you to behave the way you did when you arrived at Molly's."

Kate stared at him and touched her fingers to the bruise on her forehead. "This must have caused the wooziness," she said. "That and maybe my blood pressure." She paused again. "But I don't recall taking any of my sleeping pills that night. In fact, I'm sure I wouldn't have since I'd planned on driving to Saddle Ridge to see Joelle."

Duncan and Joelle exchanged a glance, and it was Joelle who voiced what they were thinking. "You believe someone might have drugged you with them?"

"Yes," Kate muttered. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. "Brad came to see me as I was getting ready to leave. He was furious because I'd shut off his accounts and canceled his credit cards. I was paying him a hefty salary to manage some of my businesses," she added. "I figured since he'd disowned me, then he shouldn't have access to that money." Her mouth tightened again. "He'd planned on buying Shanda another big engagement ring and was enraged when his credit card was declined."

"You two argued?" Duncan prompted when Kate went quiet.

"Yes. A loud ugly argument. I poured myself a shot of scotch, and it's possible Brad could have put one of my sleeping pills in it."

Now Duncan was the one to shake his head. "Why would he have done that?"

"I don't know. To get back at me," Kate suggested. "Maybe because he realized I was going to see Joelle. I didn't tell him that, but it's possible he guessed since just the day before he'd been ranting about how much Joelle needed to pay for what'd happened to his precious Shanda."

Duncan still wasn't convinced. "If Brad wanted to drug you so you couldn't drive to Saddle Ridge, why not put more than one pill in the drink?"

"Because he might not have wanted to risk me tasting it," Kate answered without hesitation. "And I probably would have. I did notice a funny taste after I drank the scotch in a big gulp, but I didn't think anything about it. Not until later, when I was here at the hospital."

Everything the woman was saying could be true. Or it could all be lies. Duncan knew he was going to have to compare Kate's and Brad's responses side by side and try to figure how this had actually all played out.

Joelle's phone rang, the sound shooting through the silence that had fallen over the room, and he saw Unknown Caller when Joelle showed him the screen.

"We have to take this," Joelle said, and Duncan and she went out into the hall. They moved away from Kate's door before Joelle accepted the call.

"Thanks for wiring me the money," the man said. "I'm taking Molly to the drop off now."

It was the kidnapper, the same one who'd called earlier.

"Where?" Joelle asked.

"You'll know soon enough," the man said. "Keep your phone ready because in exactly twenty minutes, I'll be calling you back to come and get Molly."