Chapter Seven

Luca hurried in the shower. Along with not wanting to hog the bathroom, he also didn’t want to leave Bree and Gabriel alone for long. Added to that, there was plenty of work to do, and a long shower was a luxury he couldn’t afford.

He turned off the water and listened to make sure everything was well in the adjoining bedroom. The bedroom he’d shared with Bree and their son the night before and would continue to share as long as there was a potential threat. He could hear Bree murmuring something to Gabriel, but that was it. No sounds of distress or phone conversations that might or might not deliver more bad news.

So far, the bad news was winning out over the good. There was no sign of the gunman who’d fired those shots into Bree’s barn. No sign of Tara either, which meant they couldn’t question her about the sketch that matched her description. Since Manny didn’t have any idea where she was either, it could mean Tara had gone on the run. It was possible she was the one who’d held Sandra captive, but it could also point to Tara meeting with foul play.

When Duncan had shown Sandra a photo of Tara, Sandra had said she recognized her from the Hush, Hush, but that she had no idea if Tara had been the one who’d kidnapped her. That wasn’t much of a surprise since Sandra had been adamant about not knowing who’d been responsible for taking her.

The bad news had continued on the forensic side of the investigation as well. Other than the gloves and Sandra’s prints, the CSIs hadn’t found anything in the silver truck. Manny might be able to help with that though during his interview if he could tell them anything else about the truck or the driver. Especially if the driver could possibly be Tara.

There had been some good news though in the burned-out cabin. No DNA results yet, but there was evidence to support Sandra’s account of the boarded-up window and multiple locks on the interior door where she’d been held. That was a huge validation for Bree’s mother.

And a relief.

There were enough unknowns in this investigation without adding Sandra to the mix. Now, she could be ruled out as a suspect, and they could focus on Tara. Nathan, too, since Luca was keeping him on the list. Maybe that had more to do with Nathan’s history with Bree, but Luca wasn’t dismissing Nathan’s possible involvement in all of this.

Luca dressed in the clean jeans and shirt he’d had brought to the ranch, and he went into the bedroom to find Bree sitting with a very alert Gabriel who’d obviously just finished a bottle. Bree had the baby against her chest and shoulder and was patting his back, no doubt to get him to burp.

Bree’s gaze immediately went to Luca’s, and he saw the tension in every bit of her expression. It was understandable and wouldn’t be going away until they had a suspect in custody.

Or as long as they had to share such close quarters.

That was definitely causing her some stress. Him, too. They’d been on-and-off lovers for a long time now. Over a decade. His body couldn’t forget that kind of history and neither could Luca. He still wanted Bree. Still cared deeply for her. And that must have shown on his face.

“It’s not you,” she muttered. Then, she shook her head. “I mean, you’re not the reason I get this slam of memories about my dad.”

He was glad to hear that, but there was a flip side to this particular coin. “You get them though,” he said.

She nodded. “So do you.”

Luca had to go with a nod as well and admit it was true. In fact, he’d had a dream about her father’s murder in the handful of hours he’d managed to sleep. Judging from some of the things Bree had muttered in the night, she’d done some dreaming as well.

He wanted to say more. A whole lot more about hoping that one day they could look at each other and not see the past. But the sound of an approaching vehicle had him going to the window.

“It’s Coral,” he relayed to her.

Luca sighed. “If you’re still going to the sheriff’s office for Manny’s interview, we’ll have to leave soon.”

He already knew though that Bree hadn’t changed her mind about this. If she had, she would have already called Coral to cancel. But like him, Bree wanted to be at the sheriff’s office to hear what Manny had to say. Bree wouldn’t actually be in the interview room though. Duncan had made an exception when they’d questioned Sandra, but with Manny, they had to play by the rules.

Bree stood, giving Gabriel a kiss before she handed the baby to Luca so he could do the same. They made their way downstairs where Duncan was already letting Coral into the house. Coral immediately went to Bree and hugged her.

“I’ve been so worried about you,” Coral said, but she conjured up a smile when she looked at Gabriel. “And I’ve missed this little man. How is everything?” she asked.

“The investigation’s still in progress,” Bree said. It was the standard response cops often doled out, but in this case, it was the truth. And about all that could be said since they couldn’t voice suspicions about a local doctor. Not without proof anyway, and at the moment, they didn’t have that.

Joelle, Sandra, Slater and Ruston were all downstairs, and Sandra was holding Izzie. Woodrow was there, too, and he was no doubt waiting to make the drive with them to the sheriff’s office.

“I made Mom an appointment to see her doctor at the hospital clinic,” Joelle volunteered. “I talked to him, and he wants to run some labs on her just to make sure she’s okay.”

Luca and Bree both made quick sounds of agreement. Not Sandra though. She was obviously reluctant.

“Woodrow can stay with Sandra at the hospital, and Carmen will meet them there,” Duncan explained, glancing at Luca and Bree. “Then, the three of us can go to the sheriff’s office.”

It’d be a snug fit in the cruiser with five people, but it was better than making two trips. They were leaving backup at home with the babies, too, since Joelle, Slater and Ruston would be staying behind.

Luca wished they’d had a dozen cops available to guard his son and Izzie. Not enough manpower for that, but the ranch hands had been put on alert to keep an eye out for anything suspicious.

Sandra handed Izzie back to Joelle and kissed Gabriel as Luca was passing the baby to Coral. Bree’s mother patted Luca’s arm in a gesture she had done many times before she went missing. He muttered a thanks. Then silently said a prayer that they’d make this trip without incident. That included nothing going wrong at the ranch, either.

Duncan said his goodbyes to Joelle and his daughter, and he quickly got them out of the house and into the cruiser parked at the foot of the porch steps. Sandra, Luca and Bree went in the back seat with Bree in the middle. Duncan took the wheel with Woodrow at shotgun.

“I asked Austin PD to go ahead and put out an APB for Tara,” Duncan explained once they were on the road. “They’ll check with her family and friends, too.”

If the woman had truly gone on the run, she might not go to places where she’d readily be found. But what had spooked her? Had it simply been Bree’s phone call, or had something else alerted her? Luca was hoping Manny might be able to provide some insight.

All five of them kept watch as Duncan made the short drive to the hospital where Carmen was indeed waiting for them, so Woodrow and Sandra got out. Then, Duncan continued up the street to the sheriff’s office. They breathed a whole lot easier once they had made it to the private entrance outside Duncan’s office.

The moment they stepped in, Luca saw the man in the small waiting area. When he immediately stood, Luca slid his hand over his gun until he got a good look at the guy’s face and realized it was Manny. Luca recognized him from his driver’s license photo and the background info he’d accessed.

Tall and with a lanky build, Manny was only thirty-three which made him the same age as Luca. He’d owned the Hush, Hush for seven years, since the death of his father. He didn’t exactly look the part of a business owner though, more of a rocker with his blond hair that fell past his shoulders. His faded, ripped jeans and plain black tee had that rocker vibe as well.

There were two deputies in the squad room, Sonya Grover and Ronnie Bishop, and even though they were both on their computers, Luca could tell they were also keeping an eye on Manny.

“He’s already gone through the metal detector,” Ronnie volunteered. “And he consented to a search. He’s not armed.”

Good. Though it wouldn’t have been very smart for Manny to come in here armed.

“I’m early,” Manny muttered. He also seemed nervous and was rubbing his hands down the sides of his jeans. “Bree,” he greeted. “Please tell me you’ve found Tara and the person who tried to kill us.”

She muttered an “I’m sorry” and shook her head. Luca noticed her wince a little from the movement. She hadn’t said anything about being in pain, but he figured the stitches had to hurt.

“This is Sheriff Holder and Deputy Vanetti,” she explained. “They’ll be conducting the interview.”

“And you’ll be there, too, right?” Manny asked.

“No—” she started.

“But I want you there,” Manny insisted, glancing at Luca and Duncan to plead his case. “Bree’s the only one who knows what I’m going through right now. Someone tried to kill us,” he spelled out.

“Yes, but I’m not a cop,” she reminded him.

“You’re a lawyer,” Manny argued. “And I can have a lawyer with me, right?”

Bree sighed. “I can’t be your lawyer.”

Because it would possibly be a conflict of interest, but she didn’t spell that out. No need to make Manny defensive when they brought up the possibility that he could have faked his attack and could be the person responsible for this current nightmare. That was a long shot, but it was still on the radar.

Manny glanced around as if trying to figure out what to do. His nerves seemed to be building.

“Tell you what,” Duncan said. “Why don’t we talk here in my office for now and Bree can stay with us. I’ll still Mirandize you,” Duncan tacked onto that. “It’s procedure,” he said when Manny’s eyes widened, and he started shaking his head. “When we catch the person who tried to run you off the road, we want to be able to use anything you say to help with the prosecution. If your statement’s official, then it makes things easier.”

That was all true, but Luca knew there was another reason for the Miranda. If Manny said anything incriminating, Duncan would be able to use it without Manny claiming he hadn’t been read his rights.

Duncan waited for Manny to nod before he motioned for Manny to come into his office. When all four of them were inside and seated, Duncan shut the door and Mirandized him.

“I’m going to record this,” Duncan continued, turning on the recorder and stating the time, date and attendees. “Now, Manny, I want you to tell us what happened yesterday when you were driving.”

Manny glanced at Bree, and even though there was still plenty of uneasiness in his expression, he began. “Like I told Bree and the other cops, I was driving from my house into Austin so I could meet with a supplier. A big silver truck came up from behind and rammed into me. The driver tried to push me off the road. I think he was trying to kill me,” Manny added in a hoarse mutter.

“And from what I understand, you didn’t get the license plate?” Duncan asked.

Manny shook his head. “I didn’t even think to do that. I was just so shocked. And I didn’t think to try to follow the truck or anything.”

“Who knew you’d be traveling on that road at that particular time?” Duncan pressed.

“Lots of people.” Manny shrugged. “I live alone, but I had the appointment on my big wall calendar in my office, so anyone who came in there could have seen it.”

“Tara would have known?” Luca asked.

Manny gave another nod, and the sigh that came from his throat was hoarse and filled with emotion. “You think she could have done this. You think that’s why she disappeared. But why?” Manny asked.

“Why do you think she would have done that?” Luca countered.

“I don’t know. But if she did it, it must have something to do with Bree since the same thing happened to her.” Manny stopped again, groaned. “It’s just hard for me to believe Tara would try to scare us. Or kill us. But if she did, it could be connected to the questions Bree was asking about that murdered woman. I can’t remember her name,” he said to Bree.

“Brighton Cooper,” Bree supplied. “I found out Brighton had gone to the Hush, Hush shortly before she was killed—”

“Yes,” Manny interrupted, and he reached into his pocket to take out a memory stick. “You wanted the old credit card receipts, and I finally got them from my finance guy. I didn’t have your email address so I put them on this.”

Bree didn’t take the drive though. “Why don’t we go ahead and enter this into evidence?” she suggested. “To preserve the chain of custody.”

Duncan was already moving to do just that. He took out an evidence bag from his desk, dropped in the memory stick and then sealed and labeled it. Luca knew they’d soon be going through that.

“Did you look at the receipts?” Bree asked Manny.

“I glanced through them. You know, just to see if anything jumped out at me. It didn’t. We had a DJ in for the nights you asked about so business was good. Lots of customers, lots of credit card charges. The cash receipts are on there, too, but obviously there aren’t names on those.”

If Brighton’s killer had been there that night—and that was a big if —it was possible one of the cash charges might belong to him or her. But Brighton’s murder didn’t seem planned so maybe her killer’s name was indeed on those receipts.

“Look, is there any way to keep me out of all of this?” Manny asked. “I mean, I know it’s important to find who did that to the woman, but I don’t want to get mixed up in it. I want to be able to drive to work without someone trying to kill me.”

Duncan gave a sigh of his own. “Your name’s already connected to this,” he said. “Of course, I won’t advertise that you came in today for an interview, but someone might find out about it.” He tipped his head to the bag. “Especially if there’s anything on here to link to a killer.”

Manny groaned and pressed his hands against the sides of his head. He stared down into his lap, muttering some profanity.

“Did you get the sense that anyone followed you here today?” Duncan asked.

“No,” Manny said.

Duncan continued to press. “How about any unusual visitors at the bar?”

That got another “no” from Manny. “The cops said they could do patrols on the road near my house, but that won’t stop a killer. Do you think I should hire a bodyguard?”

“If that’ll make you feel safer, then do it,” Duncan agreed. “It’s probably a good idea not to put your appointments on your wall calendar for a while. Also, shake up your routines if possible. Do you have a security system for your house?”

Manny nodded, but then he glanced at the large window that looked out onto the squad room and reception. All of them did. Because the front door opened, and they saw a woman come in.

Tara.

Luca was sure of it, and she did indeed bear a striking resemblance to the sketch. She seemed just as nervous as Manny and was disheveled, too, in her wrinkled gray shirt and jeans. She’d scooped back her long brown hair into a ponytail, but there were just as many strands pulled back as were falling onto her shoulders.

Both Sonya and Ronnie were on their feet now, and Sonya started toward their visitor.

“Tara,” Manny muttered. He walked toward her as well. Then, he stopped. Probably because he remembered Tara might have been the one who’d nearly run him off the road.

“Wait here, Manny,” Duncan instructed, and he went into the squad room. So did Bree and Luca. “Tara Adler?” he asked.

She nodded. “I’m looking for Bree McCullough...” Her words trailed off when she saw Manny. “And you,” she muttered. “Manny, I think someone’s trying to kill me.” With that, Tara broke into a sob.

Despite Duncan’s warning for Manny to stay put, the bar owner came out into the squad room, but Duncan stepped in front of him. Just as Luca had done to Bree.

“Tara, I want you to go through the metal detector,” Duncan instructed.

She looked more than a little startled at the request, but she complied. No alarms went off, and when Sonya searched Tara’s purse, she didn’t find anything.

“I’ll call to have the APB dropped,” Sonya said, returning to her desk.

Volleying glances at Bree and Manny, Tara made her way through the squad room toward Luca, Duncan, Manny and Bree. “Why are you here?” she asked Manny. “Did someone try to run you off the road again?”

He shook his head. “The sheriff wanted to talk to me...about you, among other things. Where the hell have you been?”

Duncan motioned for her to hold back on answering that, and as he’d done with Manny, he read Tara her rights.

“I’m a suspect?” Tara blurted once he was finished. She frantically shook her head. “I’m a victim. Someone followed my car this morning. Not a silver truck,” she added. “This was a black one.”

Duncan led her into his office. “Did you report it?”

“No.” Tara suddenly seemed flustered. Or else she was pretending to be anyway. She sank down into a chair in Duncan’s office. “I thought someone was following me,” she clarified, “but I’m not sure. I’m hoping I’m wrong. Am I wrong?” she pleaded.

“I don’t know,” Duncan answered. “Now, tell me why you’re here and where you’ve been for the past eighteen hours.”

Tara certainly didn’t launch into an explanation, but she handed Duncan her phone and pointed to a text from an unknown number. “I got this yesterday, right after Bree talked to Manny.”

“‘Talk and you die,’” he said, reading the text out loud.

“Did you report this?” Duncan repeated.

Tara shook her head. “I was terrified,” she insisted. “And I panicked. My instincts were to run, to get away from the bar. I didn’t want to end up like that dead woman Bree asked about, or have her killer track my phone, so I took out the SIM card.”

That explained why the cops hadn’t been able to find her, but most people wouldn’t have thought to do something like that. Especially if they were in a panic as Tara had claimed.

“It’s the woman’s killer who wants us dead, right?” Tara asked. “He wants to silence us all for good.”

Bree made a sound that could have meant anything. Obviously, she wasn’t going to volunteer that to Tara.

“Sonya,” Duncan called out to the deputy. “I need phone records for this number. See if you can find out who sent that text.” He passed Tara’s phone to Sonya and then turned his attention back to Tara. “We’re looking into connections between the recent attacks and the murder of Brighton Cooper,” Duncan said. “Did you know her?”

“No,” Tara was quick to say. “I told Bree I didn’t remember her, but after I got to thinking about it, I think I recall her coming into the bar. Think ,” she emphasized, “but I’m not positive.”

Luca didn’t read much into that. Witnesses often recalled things long after being questioned.

“And you didn’t know Brighton either?” Duncan pressed, shifting his attention to Manny.

“No.” Manny’s response was equally fast.

Duncan drew in a breath as if that wasn’t the response he wanted. “Well, we know Brighton was in the Hush, Hush shortly before her murder.”

“And that’s why her killer is coming after us,” Tara concluded.

“Maybe,” Duncan muttered. “Where did you go after you got that text?”

It took Tara a couple of seconds to shift gears in the conversation. “Home first. To my apartment. I packed a bag, grabbed the emergency cash I keep on hand and then went to a motel. I put the SIM card back in my phone this morning so I could call Manny and ask him what I should do,” Tara went on. “It went straight to voicemail so I called the bar. Otto answered, and he said he heard Manny talking on the phone about coming to Saddle Ridge for an interview. So, I came here, too.”

“Otto?” Duncan questioned.

“Otto Gunther,” Manny supplied. “He’s the janitor.”

Luca immediately took out his phone to do a quick run on the man. The guy was seventy-three and had no criminal history. That didn’t exclude him from being a killer though, so Luca requested a background check. While he was at it, he ordered that for all of the Hush, Hush employees.

“You can’t think Otto would try to run someone off the road,” Manny protested. “He’s a good man. He’d give you the shirt off his back, which is why I’ve kept him on long after normal retirement age. He loves his job, and the rest of the staff love having him around.”

“Manny’s right,” Tara piped in.

Duncan didn’t address their comments. He opened a folder on his desk and took a printed copy of the drawing that the sketch artist had done. “This woman was seen driving the silver truck that was involved in the incidents with both Bree and you,” he said to Manny.

Manny’s eyes widened, and he turned to Tara. “That looks like you.”

Tara fixed her gaze on the drawing, but she was also shaking her head. “It’s not. There must be a mistake. I’ve never driven a silver truck, and I wouldn’t try to run anyone off the road.”

“Then why does that look so much like you?” Duncan asked, going full cop mode. The muscles in his face had tightened, and his eyes were narrowed.

“I don’t know...” Her denial trailed off, and her gaze shot to Duncan. “Is it my sister, Shannon?”

The moment she asked the question, Luca started the background check on Tara’s sister. He silently cursed when Shannon’s DMV photo came up because while she wasn’t Tara’s twin, the two women did look a great deal alike.

Luca showed the photo to Duncan, and Luca was betting he did some silent cursing as well. They’d believed Tara was their suspect, but now that was in serious doubt.

“Where’s your sister?” Duncan demanded.

“I’m not sure. We’ve lost contact,” Tara said. She paused, then sighed. “Look, Shannon’s a trouble magnet. Always getting involved with the wrong guy. Always in and out of messes. I washed my hands of her about a year ago. Last I heard, she was seeing some lowlife from Bulverde.”

The burned-out cabin was near that particular small town.

“You know this lowlife’s name?” Duncan pressed.

“No. I didn’t want to know,” she insisted. “Like I said, I’d washed my hands of her.” She stopped again, and this time she groaned. “Oh, God. Is Shannon the one who sent me that text? Is she the one who tried to kill Manny and Bree?”

Luca figured that fell into the “to be determined” category. “Do you have your sister’s phone number?” Luca asked.

Tara shook her head again. “She never had the money for a good phone so she always used cheap disposable ones.”

Burners. Which would be next to impossible to trace.

But if Shannon was indeed behind this, then she probably hadn’t been acting alone. Her low-life boyfriend would also need to be questioned.

“Where were you both yesterday morning starting at nine and going past noon?” Duncan asked, and Luca knew Duncan was trying to see if either had alibis for the incident with Bree and the shooting.

“I was home,” Manny said. “Well, I was after I reported the silver truck to the cops. Why?”

Duncan ignored the question and turned to Tara. “And where were you?”

“At my apartment,” Tara answered.

“Alone?” Duncan pressed, glancing at both of them.

Manny and Tara nodded.

“Did you see or speak to anyone during that time?” Duncan continued.

“No,” Tara was the first to say, and then Manny repeated it. Manny also repeated his, “Why?”

Before Duncan could answer, there was a knock on the side door of the office. “It’s me,” Woodrow announced. “Sandra’s appointment was quick so I brought her back here.”

Duncan unlocked and opened the door. He got Sandra in as quickly as possible.

“The doctor did some blood tests,” Sandra said. “And I should have the results soon.” She stopped when she glanced at the others in the room. “Oh, I’m sorry, I’m interrupting—”

Sandra gasped when her attention landed on Manny.

“It’s you,” Sandra muttered, and the color drained from her face.

“You know Manny?” Duncan was quick to ask.

Sandra nodded. “He’s the man who was having an affair with Brighton.” She swallowed hard. “I think he might have been the one to kill her.”