The Marshal's Justice (Appaloosa Pass Ranch 4)

by Delores Fossen

  “The CSIs gathered up all the cameras and bugs from my house,” Chase explained, keeping his voice low probably so that he wouldn’t wake the baby. “There were eight in all, and they’ll be analyzed for prints and trace. We might get lucky.”

  She doubted Crossman’s lackeys would be that careless, especially after they’d done such a thorough job of installing them. After all, Chase hadn’t had a clue they were there until April had pointed out the possibility.

  Chase scowled again, something he’d been doing all night, and despite what he’d just said to her, he looked at her as if she’d screwed up yet once again.

  And in his eyes she had.

  But since Deanne had been right about those cameras at Chase’s place, the woman had probably been right about the mole in the marshals’ office, as well. It’d been too big of a risk for April to call him when Bailey was born. Of course, in hindsight that hadn’t kept Bailey safe. Maybe nothing would, and that broke April’s heart.

  “What about the man you killed, the one who murdered Deanne,” she said. She kept her voice at a whisper, too. “Anything more on him?”

  “Nothing. Especially nothing to connect us to Crossman or Deanne. I thought maybe Deanne knew him. Maybe they had somehow been involved.”

  He didn’t need to spell that out. Chase had been looking to see if Deanne had been hired to lure Chase and her to that creek. “Deanne was just as afraid of Crossman as I am,” April pointed out.

  “Maybe. But Deanne had been living her normal life. Well, normal for a CI anyway. If Crossman hadn’t gone after her in these past six months, then I figured he didn’t want to pay her back for the part she’d played in his arrest.”

  And Deanne had indeed played a part. But the difference was Deanne hadn’t agreed to testify against Crossman. Instead, the cops had made a deal with April and Quentin because they thought their lack of a police record would make them more credible. They’d turned informant, and in exchange they wouldn’t be prosecuted for the crimes that’d gone on in the bar that Quentin owned.

  In Crossman’s eyes, that no doubt made them traitors. Along with his CPA, who was also scheduled to testify at his upcoming trial.

  “I want to pay for Deanne’s funeral,” April offered. “It’s the least I can do for her.”

  Chase nodded. “I’ll let Jericho know, but it’ll be a while before the ME will release the body.”

  Yes, because it was a murder.

  “Still no sign of Quentin,” Chase continued a moment later, “but the blood found in his house is being tested to see if it’s really his.”

  April had been in worst-case-scenario mode for a while now, and she hadn’t figured the blood belonged to anyone but Quentin. However, maybe it belonged to one of Crossman’s thugs. She hoped it did. Maybe Quentin had managed to hurt one of them before he’d escaped.

  Chase looked over his notes. “I found out more about Renée. The local cops interviewed some of her neighbors, and according to several of them, she’s mentally ill. Has been for years.”

  April groaned softly. This was the woman who’d had Bailey for hours. Thank God Renée hadn’t done anything to harm her. “Did Renée’s neighbors believe she was actually pregnant?”

  “Yeah. With Quentin’s baby.” Chase paused. “I think we have to consider that Renée, not Crossman, was behind the kidnapping. It’s possible she hired someone to hack into WITSEC to find you because she was planning to pass off Bailey as her and Quentin’s child.”

  April’s stomach twisted and turned to the point where she had to take several deep breaths to steady herself. “If that’s true, then she hired those gunmen. She’s the one responsible for Deanne’s death.”

  Chase nodded. “And it could have been her plan to kill us once she found out where Quentin was.”

  What sickened April even more was that it could have worked. If Renée and Quentin had been actual lovers, that is. Since Quentin had many lovers, she figured Renée could be telling the truth about that.

  “If Renée hired those two gunmen, then she could have hired others,” April said, thinking out loud. “Or at least one other one who helped her escape.”

  He nodded. “That’s what I was thinking, too. Even though Jax said Renée seemed scared when the gunman took her. Of course, she could have been faking that or maybe she decided hired thugs weren’t so trustworthy after all.”

  True. The thugs could have turned on Renée.

  “Renée has an estranged husband we’re trying to track down,” Chase added. “His name is Shane Hackett, and one of the neighbors said whenever Renée’s in trouble, she always turns to Shane for help.”

  Well, that was a start. The woman was definitely in trouble now so maybe she was with her husband. Though April couldn’t imagine Shane or anyone else staying with a woman who was so obsessed with another man.

  “Any indications that Shane knows about Renée’s possible affair with Quentin?” she asked.

  “He knows. That’s the reason Renée and he separated. He hasn’t filed for a divorce yet, though, and at least one neighbor thought that was because Shane was still in love with her.”

  Heaven help him. Of course, it was possible Shane was off his rocker, too.

  “I can’t get started on a more permanent safe house and a new WITSEC identity for the three of us,” Chase continued a moment later. “Not until I’m sure it’s okay to deal with the marshals. But we can stay here until I figure out a better solution.”

  Chase walked closer, eased down on the arm of the sofa next to her. No scowl this time because he looked at Bailey instead of her. He smiled, something he had been doing every time he looked at their daughter.

  That smile could be trouble.

  Not just because it stirred the heat inside April but because the love he had for Bailey might make it harder for her to talk him out of making one of the biggest mistakes of his life.

  “You told me once you had no plans for fatherhood,” April tossed out there. Obviously, not very subtle.

  His eyebrow lifted, and Chase gave her a where’s this going? look. “I didn’t. That was then. This is now.”

  Yes, but his now was colored by the love he had for his daughter. “You said the badge would always be your first priority. What you loved most.”

  Oh, that got her another scowl. “What I love most is my family. That includes Bailey.” He huffed. “What’s this about? Are you trying to talk me out of going into WITSEC with you?”

  “Yes,” she readily answered. “Just hear me out,” April added before he could dismiss her. “You do love being a marshal. You and your brothers have that whole need-to-get-justice thing. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s not just a job. It’s a way of life. It’s you.”

  The scowl got worse. “If you think I’ll just walk away from my daughter—”

  “No, but I believe there’s another way of being a father without giving up what you are. Who you are,” April corrected. “It wouldn’t be easy, but we could set up secure locations for you to visit Bailey on a regular basis.”

  “Visitation rights.” Chase said that as if it were profanity. Somehow, though, despite the intense conversation, he managed to keep his voice soft. “I don’t want to just visit my daughter. I want to be her father.”

  “I know. But I’m trying to look down the road. We might be in WITSEC for the rest of our lives. What will you do? Because you certainly can’t be in law enforcement again. That’d make you too easy to track.”

  “So, I’ll find something else.”

  She groaned. “And at some point, you could start to resent giving up your badge. You might not want to resent it, but you will.”

  “And you won’t?” he fired back.

  “It’s different for me. I wasn’t exactly looking to hang on to the life I had. Not after what happened.”<
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  April saw the moment that Chase shut down. The subject was straying too close to something he didn’t want to discuss with her. Not now. Maybe not ever. The murder of the cop.

  The one she could have prevented.

  “Just think about it,” April suggested.

  Chase didn’t have time to think about that though or anything else she’d said because his phone rang. It woke Bailey, and the baby started to fuss. However, even the fussing didn’t stop April from seeing the puzzled look on Chase’s face.

  “You know anyone by the name of Melody Sutterfield?” he asked, glancing at his phone screen.

  April had to shake her head, but she instantly had a bad thought about all of this. “Is there any way someone could use your phone to trace our location?”

  “No.” But Chase didn’t answer the call until she had the bottle in Bailey’s mouth to quiet her. He put the call on speaker, but he didn’t say anything.

  “Marshal Crockett,” April heard the caller say. Not a woman as the caller ID had indicated. It was a man. One whose voice April instantly recognized.

  The chill slammed through her. Head to toe. Chase mumbled some profanity. Because he obviously recognized the caller, too.

  It was Tony Crossman.

  “Cat got your tongue, Marshal?” Crossman taunted. “Or have you defriended me?”

  “I seriously doubt you got permission for this call,” Chase said. No taunting for him. His eyes narrowed. “Let me guess—you’re using your lawyer’s phone.”

  “Guilty. But I needed to talk to you, and this was the only way. I heard Deanne was dead.”

  “Who told you that?” Chase countered.

  “I’m in jail, not deaf. It’s on the news. And someone hacked into WITSEC files.” It wasn’t a question. “You’ve had a rough night, Marshal. April and her scumbag brother, too.”

  “Did you do something to my brother?” April snapped.

  Obviously, Chase hadn’t wanted her to say anything, but if Crossman was talking, she needed to hear what he had to say. Besides, Crossman had probably already figured out that Bailey and she would be with Chase.

  “How could I do anything to Quentin?” Crossman challenged. “I’m behind bars. You know that better than anyone because you lied to put me here.”

  “No lies. In case you’ve developed selective amnesia, you should remember I found proof that you were using Quentin’s bar to launder money.”

  “Yes, that. But yet you didn’t go to the cops. Must not have thought I was doing anything so wrong if you didn’t report it or confront me about it.”

  Despite the glare Chase was giving her, April continued. “I was trying to protect my brother. And gather more evidence against you. I didn’t know you were going to gun down a cop.”

  Crossman made a noncommittal sound. “All that sneaking around on your part, trying to gather dirt on me. Then, you got distracted by the marshal. Things didn’t work out so great between you, though, when he learned you knew all about a sister in blue being killed.”

  “A woman you killed,” she pointed out.

  “Allegedly.”

  “You’re in jail, waiting to be tried for it,” April reminded him. “Your CPA actually heard you talking about it. And I didn’t know about the dead cop when I went to Chase.”

  “Allegedly,” Crossman repeated. “That’s the rift between you two, isn’t it? Chase says you knew. You said you didn’t. So what’s really true?”

  “Did you call for a specific reason?” Chase demanded before April could say anything else.

  Crossman took his time answering. “I did. I wanted April to know I’m not behind this. I didn’t hack into WITSEC and I didn’t kill Deanne.”

  April rolled her eyes. “I’m just supposed to take your word for that?”

  “Of course. Why would I lie?”

  She could think of a very good reason. “Because it wouldn’t look good if we managed to tack on more charges to the ones you’re already facing, that’s why.” April wished she could see his face to know if she’d struck a nerve.

  “Maybe. And maybe I’m trying to help you. For instance, you need to watch out for Malcolm Knox.”

  Everything inside her went still, and Chase looked at her, obviously wanting an explanation. Well, she wanted some explaining done, too.

  “How do you know Malcolm?” she asked.

  “I know lots about you and your new life. Be careful, April. Malcolm has some pretty nasty secrets of his own. Bye for now.” Crossman hung up before April could ask about those secrets.

  “Who’s Malcolm?” Chase immediately wanted to know.

  “Someone I met when Bailey was in the hospital. He’s supposedly a cattle baron and was regularly visiting a sick friend.”

  Chase’s stare stayed on her. “Supposedly? Does that mean you didn’t believe him?”

  “I didn’t trust him. But then, I didn’t trust anyone I came in contact with.” She paused. “Truth is, he gave me the creeps. He kept showing up outside Bailey’s room.”

  His eyebrow lifted. “Stalking you?”

  She shrugged. “I did a background check on him and he doesn’t have a record or any history of that. But maybe I need to do another check if Crossman’s warning me about him.”

  “Crossman could be lying or yanking your chain,” Chase reminded her. But then he groaned, scrubbed his hand over his face. “Or there’s another possibility. Malcolm could be working for Crossman.”

  Mercy, that didn’t help the sickening chill she was trying to stave off. Just hearing Crossman’s voice had been bad enough, but if Malcolm did indeed work for him, then that meant Crossman had had “eyes” on her for two months. And one of his thugs had been way too close to Bailey that whole time.

  “I’ll ask Jericho to see what he can find out about Malcolm.” Chase fired off a text to his brother.

  April thanked him and tried to rein in her fear. Hard to do, though, with Crossman still a threat. Maybe Malcolm was one, too. Having Bailey in her arms helped some, but once again, April found herself fighting back tears.

  Tears that caused Chase to scowl again.

  “Sorry.” April wiped them away as fast as she could. “The last thing you need right now is a crying woman. Especially a woman who’s caused you nothing but trouble.”

  His gaze stayed fixed on her, and by degrees the scowl softened. Chase gave a heavy sigh, reached out and touched her arm. Not a hug, but it still gave her far more comfort than it should have.

  “You’ve caused trouble, yes,” he said, “but you don’t deserve what’s happening to you. Neither does Bailey.”

  No, her baby didn’t deserve it. “I’m afraid this will be her life. Hiding out in safe houses. Having to learn to look over her shoulder and not trusting anyone.”

  He nodded. “And that’s why I need to go into WITSEC with you. I want to be able to protect her.”

  April couldn’t argue with the protection part, but she prayed there would be another way. After all, Bailey wasn’t the only family Chase had, and leaving his life would mean leaving them, too. And being with her. Something that would never sit well with him.

  “It was true what I said to Crossman,” she tossed out there. “I didn’t know the cop had been killed when I went to your house that night, and I didn’t go there expecting to land in bed with you. I went because I was upset and wanted to talk to you.”

  A muscle flickered in his jaw, and his gaze slowly came back to hers. “You didn’t seduce me. I willingly got into that bed with you.”

  True, but even now she could see that he still regretted it. Despite Bailey, Chase always would, and that put the ache right back in her chest.

  His phone rang again, and for a moment April thought it was Crossman calling back for another round of taunting. But i
t wasn’t Crossman this time. It was Jericho. Chase answered it and put it on speaker.

  “We found Quentin,” Jericho said the moment he was on the line.

  April felt the jolt of relief. Followed by another jolt of fear. Because that wasn’t a good news kind of tone from Jericho.

  “Quentin’s in the Appaloosa Pass Hospital,” Jericho explained. “He walked in and admitted himself about fifteen minutes ago.”

  “Is he all right?” April asked.

  “He’s hurt, a gunshot wound to the arm, but he’ll live. He wants to see you now, but I told him that’s not going to happen. Not until we have plenty of security in place.”

  “Why does he want to see April?” There was plenty of mistrust and skepticism in Chase’s expression and voice.

  “I’ll tell you what he told me. You can decide if it’s the truth or not. He won’t spill anything to me, but Quentin claims he knows who’s trying to kill April and you.”

  Chapter Seven

  Chase figured visiting Quentin in the hospital wasn’t a smart thing to do, but he’d also known right from the start that he stood no chance of nixing the idea. Despite the kidnapping, attack and the mess that Quentin had caused, April had every intention of seeing her brother.

  But that didn’t mean Chase was going to allow Bailey to be put in danger.

  His brother Levi and Deputy Mack Parkman had come to the safe house to stay with the baby while Chase and April ventured into Appaloosa Pass to see Quentin. And they wouldn’t make that visit alone. Jax was meeting them there. As far as Chase was concerned, he was treating Quentin just as he would any other dangerous criminal who crossed his path.

  “It’s not too late to change your mind,” Chase said to April as he took the final turn toward town. “You can always call your brother and demand to know what information he has.”

  “He won’t tell me unless I’m there,” April insisted.

  And to her credit, she had tried to get that info from Quentin over the phone. But Quentin had only restated his demand that she come to see him in person. Still, Quentin might change his tune if April flat out refused—especially if he did indeed want to save her life.