Chapter Nine

The images came at Joelle hard and fast. The blood. So much blood. And it was on those photos she had seen in the yard at the ranch. The ones she'd been forced to walk through when the kidnapper had her.

Joelle groaned and tried to yank herself away from those images. She had to climb her way out of this nightmare because she couldn't be here. She couldn't—

"Joelle," someone said.

Duncan.

And she thought that was his hands on her arms. It was enough to yank her back, and her eyes flew open. Yes, Duncan. He was right there, hovering and looking very concerned.

"I'm okay," she managed to say. "It was just a nightmare."

A nightmare she'd lived when the kidnapper had her. Oh, this was going to stay with her for a while, and she didn't need any new horrific memories to blend with the others she already had.

"No, you're not okay," Duncan said, sitting beside her. "But you soon will be. Just level your breathing. In and out," he instructed.

She tried to do that. Tried, too, to push away the lingering bits of the dream. Then, she remembered the rest of what happened. Remembered where she was as well. She was in a hospital bed. Not because she'd been injured. No, both the baby and she were fine. The doctor had told her that during the exam he'd given her after they'd arrived at the hospital.

With Molly.

Molly wasn't okay. Joelle had seen the cuts and bruises on her face, and she remembered Molly had been in labor.

"Did Molly have the baby?" she asked. "Are they all right?"

"She's okay. She's still in labor so the baby hasn't come yet." He dragged in a weary breath, and there was plenty of worry on his face. Some of that worry was no doubt for her and their own child. "The doctors have assured me that six hours isn't that long when it comes to labor."

Six hours. That's how long it'd been, and Joelle realized she'd slept nearly a full hour of that. Well, slept and dreamed anyway.

"The last update I got was that Molly was about seven centimeters dilated," Duncan explained. "So, maybe it won't be long now." He paused a moment and eased a strand of hair off Joelle's cheek. "Molly's injuries aren't serious, thank God. And the baby seems to be perfectly fine."

Joelle felt the relief shove aside some of those remnants of the nightmare. "Good." And she repeated it several times.

"Obviously, we haven't been able to ask Molly about the kidnapping," Duncan went on. "There'll be time for that later after the baby's born."

She figured he was wishing he could question Molly since the woman might be able to tell them more than they already knew. And it occurred to her that Duncan might know a whole lot more than he had when she'd fallen asleep.

"Sonya is with Molly in labor and delivery," Duncan went on before she could ask him for an update on the investigation. "Sonya went to childbirth classes with her and is Molly's coach. It's possible Sonya and Molly have been talking in between contractions." He eased off the bed and lifted a white bag. "The hospital food didn't look that good so I had this delivered from the diner. A grilled chicken sandwich, a fruit cup and milk. You should eat."

Joelle's stomach growled at the mention of food, and she realized that despite everything that'd gone on, she was in fact hungry. Duncan took out the items he'd mentioned, laying them out on the rolling table that he pulled over.

Apparently, she wasn't the only one hungry because he took out another sandwich, a bag of chips and a bottle of water for himself. He hadn't gotten his usual can of Pepsi, though, and she suspected that was because he knew it was her favorite as well but that she'd given up soda for the duration of the pregnancy.

"You've been here the whole time I've been sleeping," she commented, already knowing the answer. Duncan wouldn't risk leaving her, not when there were those two gunmen still at large. "Did you get any rest?"

He tipped his head to the chair in the corner. "Some."

Which meant maybe a catnap at most. Since there was also a laptop on the chair, it likely meant he'd spent the bulk of those six hours working. Joelle felt a little guilty about that, but then she reminded herself that her resting had been necessary. Doctor's orders. Yes, she and the baby were all right, but the doctor had said some sleep would remedy the effects of stress caused by the attack.

They ate in silence for a few moments, but she didn't miss the glances he kept giving her. Often, she could pinpoint what was on Duncan's mind just by looking at him, but there had to be plenty on his mind right now. Joelle plucked out one of the possibilities.

"Have you managed to ID the man who tried to kill me?" she asked.

"Not yet."

She hadn't thought it possible, but just admitting that tightened his jaw even more. Of course, everything about this bothered him because the attacks were aimed at her which meant they were also aimed at the baby.

"And we had to let Hamlin go," Duncan added a moment later. "I can't prove he didn't send that fake text to himself. Hell, I can't prove anything that'll land him in jail."

Yes, definitely plenty of frustration mixed with the worry and exhaustion. Not a good mix.

"Did you see the photos of my father in the yard?" she added.

Of course, she knew that he had. He wouldn't have missed something that big at a crime scene, and even though he'd left with her to follow Molly in the ambulance, Duncan had likely gotten a glimpse of them. He'd probably had more than a glimpse by now since one of the other deputies would have bagged them for processing and sent him pictures of them.

He nodded and continued to study her. "The man we have in custody won't talk about them, but I'm guessing he's the one who put them there. Is that what caused you to drive the cruiser to that part of the yard?"

It was Joelle's turn to nod. And to wince and shake her head. "It was a trap, and I fell for it. He was right there, hiding, waiting for me."

"If you hadn't driven over to them, he likely would have just come after you where you were parked," Duncan was quick to point out. "It was a risky plan, what with cops and ranch hands all over the place."

Yes, it had been risky. And it'd nearly worked.

"The man was wearing Kevlar beneath his shirt," Duncan went on, "but he could have been shot elsewhere if someone had spotted him charging at you."

That was also true. "Does that make him an idiot, cocky or desperate?" she wanted to know.

"Maybe all three." He took a bite of his sandwich, motioned for her to do the same, and she did. "His name is Willie Jay Prescott," he added after he'd washed the bite down with some of his water. "At least we think that's his name. The lab got a match on the blood found at Molly's, and it belongs to this Willie Jay. Since the guy who tried to take you had a cut on his arm, we're guessing Molly wounded him and he left some blood behind."

That made sense. Well, maybe it did. "There were at least three gunmen involved in the combined attack on me and in Molly's kidnapping," Joelle reminded him.

He made a quick sound of agreement. "When I'm able to talk to Molly, I'll show her Willie Jay's picture and ask if he was the one with her the whole time. It's possible he wore a mask around her, but she might be able to ID him."

Since Molly was a former cop, Joelle was betting the woman would be able to do it, too. Even though Molly would have been terrified during her captivity, she would have no doubt paid attention to the man holding her.

"My father's killer or his accomplice is probably the one who took those photos," she said. Again, this wouldn't be a surprise to Duncan. "That means Willie Jay could have been the one who murdered him?"

"Possibly." Duncan added a heavy sigh to that response. "But it could have been someone else. I'll try to come up with a way to get Willie Jay to open up about that. Hell, to open up about anything because right now, he's refusing to say a word."

"Has he lawyered up?" she asked.

"Not so far, but he also won't confirm he even understands his rights. That means a psych eval. I've already scheduled one to give the official determination that he's competent enough to be charged with kidnapping, forced imprisonment, attempted kidnapping of another police officer and any other charge I can tack onto that."

The attempted kidnapping charges would definitely stick since there were plenty of witnesses. A crime like that would send him to jail for a long time. But it'd be a heck of a lot longer if they could prove he'd been the one to take and hold Molly.

And if he'd killed her father.

She doubted Willie Jay was just going to confess to that.

"We could maybe build a circumstantial case for murder if we can connect Willie Jay to those photos," she said, thinking out loud. "Because only the killer or someone who had knowledge of the killer would have those."

Even if Willie Jay was only an accomplice in that particular crime, it would carry the same penalty as the murder itself. Which would put Willie Jay on death row. Joelle wanted that. She wanted her father's killer to pay.

But she also wanted answers.

Why had her father been gunned down? And had Willie Jay orchestrated that, or was he merely a hired gun? Added to that, why had he wanted her? As she'd told Duncan earlier, he could have killed her, and he hadn't. He had intended to kidnap her. It was possible that was so he could get the baby, but there had to be an easier way to get his hands on a pregnant woman.

And that circled her back to the pictures.

Then, back to their suspects.

"If Brad, Kate or Hamlin are connected to Willie Jay," Joelle said, hoping this idea made sense when she spelled it out, "then, maybe you can use that as a trigger to get Willie Jay to talk. Maybe let Willie Jay believe you'll let one of them get access to him. Bad access ," she emphasized. "As in the kind of access to have him murdered because he can link one of them to the attacks, Molly's kidnapping and my father's murder."

Of course, there was no way Duncan would actually allow a prisoner to be hurt or killed like that, but it might work if Willie Jay thought Duncan would do something that drastic. Judging from the sound Duncan made, he agreed.

"Willie Jay might tell us something that'll pinpoint who's responsible for what happened. Including your father's murder," he added. "Because I think it's highly likely that someone hired Willie Jay. There's nothing in his background to lead me to believe he's capable of putting together something like this. I could be wrong, but I don't think so."

Since Joelle hadn't had a chance to pour through what they'd learned about Willie Jay, Duncan's assessment was enough for her to believe the man was a lackey. It was his boss they wanted.

"What about Brad?" she asked as they continued to eat. "Is he still at the sheriff's office?"

Duncan shook his head. "His lawyer showed up and insisted Brad had to leave to make funeral arrangements for Shanda. Brad apparently broke down, and Carmen thought he might need to be sedated."

Joelle raised an eyebrow, and Duncan must have picked up on the question she was about to ask.

"I have no idea if Brad's grief is real," he said, "or if he's the one who killed Shanda, but since we had so much going on, I had Carmen reschedule the rest of the interview for tomorrow. Ruston arranged for some SAPD cops to tail Brad to make sure he doesn't try to flee. By the way, Ruston's on his way here to check on you."

She didn't groan, though Joelle hated that her brother was taking the time to do that. Especially since there were so many other things that needed to be done. But she also knew that talking Ruston out of a visit would be impossible. He was her big brother, and he no doubt felt an obligation to make sure she was all right.

"Kate is clamoring to get out of the hospital and go home," Duncan said a moment later, continuing the update of all three of their suspects. "She claims she's in danger." He lifted his shoulder. "She might be if Brad or Hamlin want her dead, and that's one of the reasons I'm keeping a deputy on her door."

Yes, and the other reason was to make sure Kate didn't leave before they had a chance to find out if she was the mastermind behind what was going on.

The silence came again. So did some memories. Recent ones. Or rather a recent one . And Joelle knew they needed to talk about it.

"I should apologize for kissing you," she said.

Duncan laughed. "Joelle, you never need to apologize for that. But I know where this is leading," he was quick to add. "Kissing me brings back a lot of bad stuff for you."

It did. But it brought back good stuff, too. Specifically, the heat. "It's a distraction neither of us need right now," she pointed out.

No way could Duncan disagree with that, but he certainly didn't jump to say she was right. "There are a lot of different distractions," he said, his gaze sliding to her stomach. "The baby's the top priority."

Joelle was thankful he'd spelled that out. Despite the bitter feelings between Duncan and her over her father's murder, she knew he was committed to this baby. That he loved her. And right now, Joelle very much needed that.

"I always figured when I had a baby, that my parents would be around to share the experience," she said. Of course, that brought on a wave of bitter memories. "They very much wanted to be grandparents."

"They did," Duncan muttered.

She heard something in his voice, some of his own bitter memories, and she thought this went beyond what'd happened in the past five months. Duncan hadn't had the loving childhood she had. Just the opposite. From the bits and pieces he'd told her, his bio-dad had never been in the picture, and when he'd been six, his junkie mother's boyfriend had killed her in a domestic dispute. Duncan ended up in foster care and bounced around from place to place until he landed with an elderly aunt who lived in Saddle Ridge. The aunt had died when Duncan was a senior in high school so he had no family to speak of.

Well, no family except this baby she was carrying.

"You'll be a good dad," she muttered.

It was the truth, but part of her wished she hadn't spelled it out like that. It broke down yet even more of the barriers between them. So did the look he gave her.

A long lingering look that started at her eyes and landed on her mouth.

Thankfully, they didn't have time to make the mistake of another kiss because there was a tap on the door, and Duncan practically came to attention. He moved away from the food, positioning himself between her and whoever opened the door a moment later. Duncan slid his hand over his gun. But it wasn't a threat.

Ruston stuck his head inside.

"Good," her brother said. "You're awake." Ruston glanced at Duncan's stance and nodded his approval. "Glad you're here and taking precautions."

They had a suspect just up the hall and a possible missing gunman. Joelle figured there'd be a lot of precautions until they made some arrests.

Ruston went to her, helped himself to one of the grapes from her fruit cup, and then leaned down to kiss her cheek. He took hold of her chin, turning her face while he examined her. He frowned when his attention landed on the bruises on her neck and temple. The ones on the neck had happened when Willie Jay had put her in a choke hold. The other was from the barrel of his gun.

"The SOB will pay for that," Ruston snarled.

Joelle didn't huff or remind her brother that she was a cop and such things happened to those in law enforcement. Yes, she was a cop all right, but she would always be his little sister. So would Bree, even though there wasn't a wide age gap between any of them. Each of the McCullough offspring had been born two years apart with Ruston the oldest at thirty-seven. Slater, thirty-five. She was thirty-three, and Bree, the baby of the family, was thirty-one.

"I can give you something that I think will help you make the SOB pay," Ruston added to Duncan, and he took out his phone. "On the drive over here, one of the techs called me. Shanda didn't have security cameras, but there was one on the street."

Ruston pulled up something on his phone and held it out for them to see. It was the grainy image of a nondescript dark-colored car, but the graininess didn't extend to the part of the photo of the driver.

"Willie Jay," Duncan and she said in unison.

"Yep," Ruston verified. "This was taken just up the block from Shanda's house, and if you look at the time stamp, it means he was there right around the time Shanda was being murdered."

Joelle felt a welcome wave of relief. Willie Jay would end up in jail for a long time, maybe even on death row. But that wouldn't convict him of her father's murder. Not unless they found a connection.

"We have Willie Jay's gun," Duncan explained. "The lab can see if it's a match to the one used to kill Shanda."

"Good," Ruston muttered. "Since Shanda was murdered in San Antonio, SAPD will be charging Willie Jay with that, but I don't want him to go unpunished for what he did to Molly and Joelle. I'd like to see him convicted on all charges with the sentences running consecutively. That way, even if he doesn't get the death penalty, there'd be no chance that he'll ever see the outside of a jail cell."

Joelle got another wave of relief, but there was still that nagging thought running through her head. "I want to find a connection between Willie Jay and Dad's murder. He might have been the one to pull the trigger."

Since there was absolutely no surprise on Ruston's face, Joelle knew that had already occurred to him. Of course, it had. Ruston had probably read every report connected to what had happened.

"I'm working on it," Ruston assured her just as there was another knock at the door.

Like earlier, Duncan braced. So did Ruston. But it was Sonya who peered in, and the deputy was smiling.

"Molly had the baby," Sonya announced. "A perfectly healthy girl. Seven pounds, three ounces, and I can attest to the quality of her lungs because she yelled plenty when she finally came out."

Tears watered Joelle's eyes, but these were definitely of the happy variety. "How's Molly?"

"She's great." Sonya didn't seem to be lying about that, either. "She's totally in love already with her baby girl." Now she paused. "I think that'll help her get over the trauma of what happened."

"Did Molly talk about the kidnapping?" Duncan was quick to ask, but the question had also been on the tip of Joelle's tongue.

"Not much. And I didn't press her on it," Sonya admitted. "Molly mainly just wanted assurance that her kidnapper was behind bars. He still is, right?"

"He is," Duncan verified.

"Good. Because I'm sure Molly will ask when she sees you. You can see her now," Sonya added. "A really short visit, though, after the pediatrician is finished examining Annika. That's what Molly's naming her."

Joelle got up out of the bed, intending to head to see Molly right away, but Duncan's phone rang.

"It's Luca," Duncan relayed. "You're on speaker," he added to Luca when he answered. "Give me some good news."

"I might be able to do just that," Luca replied. "I've been digging into Willie Jay's background, and I found out something very interesting. Willie Jay used to work for one of our suspects."