Under the Cowboy's Protection Read online

  “I’m guessing it’ll be a problem if we admit her to the hospital?” the doctor asked.

  Raleigh had to think about that for a second. “It would, but if she needs to be here, we’ll make it work.”

  The doctor shook his head. “I don’t see a reason to admit her other than for observation. She’s a healthy weight—seven pounds, four ounces. No breathing issues or signs of injury.”

  That was somewhat of a miracle. Too bad Sonya hadn’t gotten a miracle of her own.

  “Are there any indications that the baby was born from a forced labor?” Raleigh asked the doctor. “Like maybe some kind of drug?”

  “I doubt we’d be able to tell that from the newborn, but something like that might be in Sonya’s body.”

  The doctor’s voice cracked a little on the last word. That was because he knew Sonya. Most people in Durango Ridge did. And it was hard to lose one of their own. Especially to murder.

  “Raleigh, you still there?” Dalton asked when he came back on.

  “Yeah.” And he stepped out into the hall. He didn’t put the call on speaker, because he didn’t want anyone who happened to walk by to hear any grisly details. That meant he’d have to fill Thea in on whatever he learned.

  “The other deputies didn’t catch the guy,” Dalton said, sounding as frustrated as Raleigh felt. “The APB is out on the blue SUV, so someone might spot it and call it in.”

  That could happen, but it was beyond a long shot. There hadn’t been any plates on the SUV, so they couldn’t try to trace the vehicle. And by now, the driver could have either ditched it or else put on some plates so that it wouldn’t draw any attention from law enforcement.

  “What about Nick and Yvette O’Hara?” Raleigh asked. “Are they still at the station?”

  “She is. I’ve got her in an interview room, and she’s pitching a fit to leave to go to the hospital and see the baby. I told her she shouldn’t be out and about, not with the killer at large, but she’s insisting.”

  Raleigh couldn’t blame her. All indications were that this was Yvette’s daughter, and she was acting the way a distraught mother would. Her husband though was a different story. “See if you can find someone to escort her here.” The hospital was only a couple of minutes from the station, so maybe there wouldn’t be enough time for a killer to take shots at her. “And get Nick in for questioning ASAP.”

  Though he figured Dalton already had a list of things that fell into that as soon as possible category.

  “Will do. We ran the prints on the dead guy, and we got an ID,” Dalton went on a moment later. “His name was Marco Slater. Ring any bells?”

  Raleigh mentally repeated it a couple of times and came up blank. “No. Should it?”

  “According to Slater’s record, Warren McCall arrested him for an outstanding warrant on a parole violation. That happened shortly before Warren retired when Slater was driving through McCall Canyon. Warren apparently recognized him from his mug shots.”

  Now, that was luck. Well, unless Slater had been on parole because of a crime he’d committed in or around Warren’s town. Either way, Slater could have a grudge against Warren, and that could be motive for what had gone on today.

  “Text me a copy of Slater’s record,” he instructed Dalton. “Was there anything on the body to tell us why he went after Thea and the baby?”

  “Nothing. The guy wasn’t even carrying a wallet, and other than extra ammo and a burner cell, there wasn’t anything in his pockets.”

  So he was probably a hired gun, but maybe the lab would be able to get something from the phone. “Anything new from the ME on Sonya?”

  “Not yet, but he said he would call as soon as he had something.”

  Raleigh needed the info, especially if there was any fiber or trace evidence on the body that could lead them to the driver of that SUV. Or the person who’d put the dead guy up to kidnapping the baby and killing Sonya. The driver could be the boss or just another hired gun.

  “How’s the kid?” Dalton asked. “And where will you be taking her?”

  “She’s fine.” But Raleigh didn’t have an answer for the second question. Since she could still be a target, she would need to be in protective custody. Ditto for Thea and maybe even Yvette. “I’ll get back to you on the details,” Raleigh added before he ended the call.

  He put his phone away and stepped back into the doorway. Of course, Thea’s attention went right to him. “The gunman got away.”

  “For now.” He hoped like the devil that would change soon.

  “I need to check on another patient,” the doctor said. Maybe he sensed that Raleigh needed to talk business with Thea. “Let me know what your plans are for the baby.”

  He would—as soon as he figured it out.

  “You look as if you’ve had a lot of experience with kids,” Raleigh said to Thea while the doctor was clearing out.

  “Several of my friends have babies.” With the newborn cradled in her arms, she brushed a kiss on the baby’s head but kept her attention on Raleigh. Since she was a cop, she obviously knew he’d been discussing the specifics of the case, and there were a couple of the specifics that he wanted to go over with her.

  “Marco Slater is the dead guy who tried to kill us. You know him?” he asked.

  Raleigh saw the instant recognition in her eyes. “Marco Slater,” she repeated. “He had a run-in with Warren years ago. He was supposed to be serving a ten-year sentence.”

  Well, the guy had apparently gotten an early release. Raleigh would find out more about that when he had Marco’s records. “Did Marco hate Warren enough to put together a scheme that involves murder?”

  She shook her head. “I remember Marco resisting arrest, and he took a swing at Warren. That’s why he ended up with some extra jail time. I don’t remember Marco vowing to get revenge though.”

  Maybe the man hadn’t said it, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t attempted it. It could tie everything up in a neat little package, and Raleigh might not have to investigate anyone else who could have a grudge against Warren.

  Like Raleigh’s mother.

  “There’s more,” Raleigh went on. “The CSIs are going through Sonya’s house, and they found a tape recorder. Apparently, she was recording her calls. Did she happen to mention anything about that?”

  “No,” Thea answered without hesitation. She paused though. “She did say she’d had a bad relationship a couple of years ago. Maybe the old boyfriend was harassing her or something.”

  Now it was Raleigh’s turn to say, “No. She did have a relationship, and it didn’t end especially well, but I know the guy, and he’s moved on. He’s married, and they’ve got a baby.” Though it was an angle he would check just in case. “I’ve got one of my deputies skimming through the recording just to see if anything stands out. If not, then I’ll go over them more closely tonight.”

  At least he would do that if he wasn’t still dealing with the O’Haras and a kidnapper.

  Thea looked up at him again. “I know you’re anxious to put some distance between us,” she said. “But I’d rather work on this investigation than be tucked away at a safe house, in protective custody.”

  Yes, he was ready for them not to be under the same roof, but Thea probably believed that was because of the bad blood between them. And there was indeed some of that. But the attraction was stirring again, and Raleigh definitely didn’t have time to deal with it. However, he seriously doubted that this would be a situation of out of sight, out of mind. No, now that she’d come back into his life, it wouldn’t be easy to forget what they’d once had together.

  She kept staring at him, obviously waiting for him to agree or disagree about the safe house. But Raleigh didn’t get a chance to say anything, because he heard hurried footsteps.

  Someone was running toward them.

  Raleigh automatically dre
w his gun, but the person rushing to the room wasn’t armed. It was Yvette, and she was ahead of one of his deputies, Alice Rowe, who was trying to keep up with her. Alice had no doubt escorted the woman there.

  “Where is she?” Yvette asked the moment she spotted Raleigh. “Is she all right? I need to see her.”

  “The baby’s fine,” Raleigh assured her, and he stepped back so that Yvette could come in.

  Yvette didn’t take him at his word. No good mother probably would have. She went straight to Thea. Thea glanced at Raleigh, probably to make sure it was okay for her to hand over the baby, and Raleigh nodded. He wouldn’t allow Yvette to take the newborn from the room, but he could see no harm in Yvette holding her. Thea eased the baby into Yvette’s waiting arms.

  Much as Thea had done on the ride to the hospital, Yvette pulled open the blanket and checked the baby. The little girl opened her eyes and looked out for a moment before she went back to sleep.

  “Oh, she’s perfect,” Yvette said, and tears filled her eyes. She ran her fingers over the baby’s dark brown hair. “Please tell me those kidnappers didn’t hurt her.”

  “They didn’t,” Raleigh assured her, and he was about to fill her in on what the doctor had said, but he heard Alice in the hall.

  “Stop right there,” Alice warned someone.

  That sent Raleigh hurrying to see what had caused his deputy to say that, and he soon spotted the bulky, sandy-haired man trying to push his way past the deputy. “I’m Nick O’Hara,” the man snarled. “I know my wife is here because I saw her come into the building. Where is she?”

  “That’s my husband,” Yvette said on a rise of breath. She would have stepped out into the hall if Raleigh hadn’t moved in front of her. “Stay put. One of the kidnappers is still at large, and he could come here.”

  That put a huge amount of concern in Yvette’s eyes. She gave a shaky nod and stayed where she was. Raleigh stepped outside, his gaze connecting first with Nick and then with Alice. “Frisk him,” he told Alice.

  That earned him a glare from Nick, but Raleigh didn’t care. Yvette had been checked for weapons when she’d been taken to the sheriff’s office, and Raleigh wanted the same to happen to Nick.

  “He’s clean,” Alice relayed when she’d finished patting him down, and she let go of the man so he could come into the room. Nick’s glare was still razor-sharp when he looked at Raleigh and Thea. And the look continued when he turned to his wife.

  “Nick,” Yvette said, smiling. “It’s our daughter. She’s safe.”

  The man went closer, peering down at the baby’s face, and he shook his head. “That’s not our kid.” He snapped back toward Raleigh. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but it won’t work. You can’t pass that kid off as mine.”

  Raleigh glanced at Yvette to see if she had a clue what her husband was talking about, but she seemed just as confused as Raleigh. Thea, too, because she huffed.

  “What are you talking about?” Thea asked.

  “This,” Nick snarled, and he whipped his phone from his pocket. He lifted it so they could see the picture of a baby on the screen. It was a blonde-haired newborn wrapped in a pink blanket.

  Yvette shook her head. “Who is that? Why do you have that picture?”

  “Because someone texted it to me about ten minutes ago. Probably the same person who called me from an unknown number a few seconds later and demanded a quarter-of-a-million-dollar ransom.”

  “A ransom?” Yvette repeated. “Why?”

  Nick tipped his head to the baby in her arms. “Because that’s not our kid.” He took the little girl from his wife and handed her back to Thea. “The kidnappers still have our baby, and we need to find her now.”

  Chapter Five

  Thea had been so sure that Raleigh and she would have answers by the time they left the hospital, but that hadn’t happened. And to make matters worse, they had to deal with the possibility that the O’Hara newborn was still out there.

  In the hands of kidnappers.

  But if that was true, then whose baby was in Thea’s arms?

  Thea was hoping they’d learn that now that they were at the sheriff’s office. Yvette clearly wanted to know the same thing, and for the past hour since they’d left the hospital, she’d kept eyeing the child as if she might snatch her back from Thea. Since Yvette had been giving her that same look from the moment her husband had delivered that bombshell, Thea doubted the woman would try to take the baby and run. Still, she was keeping watch just in case. Yvette definitely looked ready to come unglued.

  Thankfully, the baby was staying calm. Now that she’d been fed and changed anyway. Thea had done that as well, figuring that she was perhaps the only person in the building who’d actually had any experience doing it. Plus, she wanted to do it. It felt safer having the baby next to her.

  “If the kidnappers really had our daughter, they would have called back by now,” Yvette muttered.

  That wasn’t the first time she’d said something similar, and like the other times, her husband ignored her. Instead, Nick kept his attention on Dalton, who was setting up a recording device in the squad room. A recorder that would be used when and if the kidnappers called back. Before that, Nick had been on the phone, working out arrangements for a loan from Yvette’s grandfather. The grandfather had agreed, though the man was apparently too frail to come to Durango Ridge to give his granddaughter some emotional support.

  Something that Yvette seemed to definitely need.

  Thea knew how she felt. She was still on edge from the attack and Sonya’s murder, but she had to tamp down her nerves and focus on the investigation. Just as Raleigh was doing. He had his phone sandwiched between his shoulder and ear as he spoke to someone at the lab. While he was doing that, he was also checking something on his computer.

  Thea wanted to help, but Raleigh had already made it crystal clear that she was not to let the baby out of her sight, or arms. He’d been insistent, too, that she stay away from the windows in case their attacker returned. Thea had had no problem with that, but it was the reason that she—and therefore Yvette and Nick—had ended up in Raleigh’s office.

  Soon though—very soon—they’d need to figure out if this second ransom demand was some kind of hoax. The baby in the photo Nick had shown them could be anyone’s child, and this could be an attempt to milk the O’Hara’s out of all that money. If so, it might work, too, since it was obvious that Nick and Yvette were planning on paying the demand.

  When Raleigh finished his latest call, he brought his laptop to where Thea was seated, and he sank down in the chair next to her. “I had to have Alice call social services to tell them about the baby,” he said, looking down at the newborn. “They’re on the way here to take her.”

  That hit her a lot harder than Thea had expected, though Raleigh was right. There had been no choice about contacting them.

  “What?” Yvette questioned. “You can’t let them take her. Not until we’re sure she’s not ours.”

  “It’s the law,” Raleigh explained, “now that the baby’s identity is in question.”

  Yvette shook her head and moved as if to take the baby, but her husband stepped in front of her. “This child has parents out there,” he said. “Parents who are probably looking for her.”

  That was true, but there were no other missing baby reports. As a cop, that made Thea think the worst because if there was indeed a second baby, then the kidnappers could have murdered the parents when they took the child.

  “But she could stay here with us until we sort it all out,” Yvette argued. “And what about her safety? Can they protect her?”

  “They know there’s potential danger and will bring in the marshals.” Raleigh paused, groaned softly. “It’s out of my hands.”

  Apparently, it had hit Raleigh hard, too. But a police station was no place for a newborn. Especiall
y when they had no idea if she was even a target.

  More tears sprang into Yvette’s eyes. Obviously, she didn’t want this baby out of her sight, but she quit arguing and sank back down into the chair.

  “The courier arrived at the lab with the DNA swabs,” Raleigh added a moment later. “It’ll be a day or two though before we have the DNA results on the baby.”

  That wasn’t a surprise, though Thea wished they could have them sooner. Yvette probably felt the same way. Maybe even Nick, too, since he hadn’t protested about giving a sample of his DNA, even though he seemed pretty certain that this little girl wasn’t his child.

  Once Yvette had her attention back on her husband, Raleigh shifted the laptop so Thea could see the screen, and she immediately saw Marco’s records. “He did get an early release,” Raleigh pointed out. “He’s been out nearly a month now.”

  Plenty of time to plan the attacks, the kidnapping and even Sonya’s murder. But had he done that? Marco certainly had a criminal history. Four arrests for breaking and entering, robbery and even assault. Those were serious enough charges, considering they showed a pattern of illegal behavior, but nothing on the rap sheet jumped out that this man could be a killer.

  Of course, maybe Sonya’s murder hadn’t been planned. Heck, maybe Marco hadn’t even had a part in that if it had been premeditated. Everything was in question now because of the second ransom demand.

  “Did Marco have the funds to put together something like this?” she asked.

  Raleigh lifted his shoulder and set his laptop aside. “If he did, he had it stashed away somewhere, maybe even under an alias. But it wouldn’t have taken that much cash—not really. The SUV could have been a rental—Alice is checking on that now. And the driver could have been one of Marco’s cronies who was working for a share of the first ransom.”

  A ransom that he didn’t get because the FBI had managed to freeze the account where Raleigh had transferred the money. That was good that he wouldn’t be out any cash.

  “Dr. Bryce Sheridan is coming in first thing tomorrow morning,” Raleigh went on. “I spoke to him briefly, and he claims he only did Sonya and Hannah’s in vitro procedures, that he had no contact with either of the women once they were pregnant.”