Safeguarding the Surrogate

by Delores Fossen

  “A woman who could have been mistaken,” Brandon was quick to point out. “After all, she was dying. She could have been confused. Or maybe her real killer wanted her to believe he was my client.”

  Sean’s gaze fired back to the camera. “Is Kara listening to this?” he asked, ignoring everything his lawyer had just said.

  “Yes, Kara Holland is watching,” Barrett confirmed, giving her full name for the record. “So is my brother Deputy Daniel Logan.”

  Sean stood, his eyes staring right into the camera lens. “Kara, I didn’t kill that woman. I swear, I didn’t. I love you, and I want to make sure you’re safe. Please let me see you. I need to talk to you.”

  Daniel looked at her, and after one glance he could tell that Kara was considering it. “He could be a killer,” Daniel pointed out. “He could want to see you to finish whatever sick plan he’s set in motion.”

  She nodded. “I don’t intend to see him, but I would like to talk to him.” Kara shifted her attention to Daniel. “I might be able to make him angry enough that he’ll spill something.”

  “Does that mean you think he could have committed these murders and attacked us?”

  Kara shook her head, sighed. “I just don’t know. That’s another reason for me to talk to him. I might be able to tell if we’re talking.”

  Daniel cursed the pang of jealousy he got—but hell, it was there. Yeah, Kara and Sean had been lovers, and he shouldn’t resent that. She was a grown woman and had a right to a life. But because of those kisses, Kara felt like, well, his. Which made him an idiot. A couple of kisses didn’t equal a commitment or a relationship. Neither did the feelings he now had for her. But Daniel could see that’s where they were heading.

  And he had to stop it.

  At least temporarily nix it, anyway. Once the murders were solved and he had Sadie safely back home, then he could figure out if things were going anywhere with Kara. He very much wanted things to go somewhere with her. Of course, his body was pushing for sex, and Daniel figured his body was going to get its way on that. It’d be different if Kara had been sending him “hands off” signals, but she wasn’t. Just the opposite. There was plenty of need in her eyes.

  Daniel texted Barrett, explaining that Kara wanted to speak with Sean. He saw the same hesitation on his brother’s face that he was sure had been on his own. A few snail-crawling moments went by before Barrett nodded and fired off a reply.

  “Tap into the audio function on the camera feed,” Barrett instructed.

  Daniel did, and when he was done, Barrett turned back to Sean. He pointed to the small speaker below the camera. “Kara wants to talk to you.”

  Sean actually sat up straighter in his chair. He had what Daniel could only call a hopeful expression. “Kara? Did you hear what I said?”

  “I did,” she assured him. “Did you kill that woman? Did you kill any of the surrogates?”

  Daniel could see the hope drain away from Sean’s face. “No. You shouldn’t have to ask me that. We were together for a long time. Years,” he emphasized. “You know the kind of man I am.”

  Yeah, Kara knew he could be stubborn and mean. Maybe even obsessed. But that didn’t make him a killer.

  “Do you know anything about the surrogate murders or the attack on Daniel and me?” she pressed, obviously skipping over what he’d just told her.

  “No.” Now the anger flared through his eyes. “I love you. I wouldn’t hurt you.”

  Daniel couldn’t help but notice that Sean hadn’t included him in that I wouldn’t hurt you.

  “I want us to get back together,” Sean went on, standing now. “I can protect you.” He muttered some profanity. “I believe someone is committing these murders to get back at Daniel. That’s why you should get as far away from him as you can. You sure as hell shouldn’t be staying with him.”

  “I’m not getting back together with you,” she said without a shred of doubt in her voice. There wasn’t any in her eyes, either, but Sean couldn’t see that. The video feed was only one-way. “And why exactly do you think the murders are to get back at Daniel?”

  “He’s a cop,” Sean answered so fast that he must have given it some thought. “I think someone he pissed off or arrested is doing this, and you’re caught up in the middle of it. I’m caught up, too, because someone obviously tried to frame me.”

  Since Sean seemed to be getting more agitated with each word, Brandon took hold of his arm to pull him back in his seat. Sean just threw off his grip and kept his attention glued to the camera.

  “I’m not leaving Daniel,” Kara said. Then she paused and gave Daniel a look that he couldn’t quite make out. She had something up her sleeve, and before he could ask what, she continued, “I have feelings for him.”

  As a declaration of love, it was pretty tame, but Sean clearly got the gist of it. Or rather the gist of what she wanted him to believe, that is. She’d basically just laid down the law and told her ex that she had a new man in her life.

  A man Sean hated to the bone.

  “Feelings for him,” Sean spat out like the words were distasteful. His stare turned to a glare, and once again he shook off Brandon’s attempt to have him sit. “Feelings for a man who could get you killed. I thought you were smarter than that, Kara.”

  “Oh, I’m smart,” she countered. “That’s why we’re no longer together. That’s why we’ll never be together again,” she amended. “Killing women and attacking me won’t cause me to come running back to you.”

  Sean made a feral sound that came deep from within his throat. “If I were you, I’d be very careful.” And it sounded very much like a threat.

  Obviously, Brandon heard the threat, too, because he stood and angled himself so that he got in Sean’s face. Daniel couldn’t hear what Brandon whispered to his client, but it caused Sean to give an angry shake of his head.

  “My client and I need a couple of minutes,” Brandon said, and this time he took a firmer grip on Sean’s arm. “Is it okay if we use the break room?”

  “Sure,” Barrett answered, his voice far from friendly. “Just don’t leave the building.” His brother waited until Sean and Brandon were out of the room before he looked up at the camera. “I’m going to my office to call this Mason Ryland and see if he can confirm Sean’s alibi. I’ll text you when the interview starts back up.”

  “Thanks,” Daniel muttered, and he was about to pause the video feed when he heard a sound. A series of three sharp beeps.

  And he drew his gun.

  Because someone had just triggered a security camera.

  Chapter Twelve

  Kara drew her gun, and beside her, Daniel did the same. He also whipped out his phone and pulled up the small split screens for the security cams. It didn’t take them long to see who’d triggered the alarm.

  Rizzo.

  Daniel and she cursed at the same moment, and she wasn’t surprised when Rizzo knocked on the door again. It was louder this time and followed by the man’s equally loud voice.

  “I need to talk to you, Daniel. I think you’ll want to hear what I have to say.”

  That brought on more cursing from Daniel, and he headed down the stairs. “Stay back,” he warned her.

  At least he hadn’t told her to stay put upstairs. Something Kara wouldn’t have done. If Rizzo was there to attack them, Daniel would need backup.

  “Lift your hands so I can see them,” Daniel ordered their visitor, and he didn’t go to the door to verify that Rizzo had done it and that he wasn’t armed. Instead, Daniel watched the man on the camera feed on his phone.

  No gun in sight. Of course, that didn’t mean Rizzo wasn’t carrying. Still, it’d be stupid to come to the inn door in plain sight of the cameras and the people on Main Street.

  Daniel’s phone rang, and he hit the answer button while he eyed Rizzo from the window.

  “Is ev
erything okay?” she heard Barrett ask. “The alarm went off for one of the cameras.”

  “Rizzo’s here. I’ll see what he wants and send him over to you.”

  “Be careful,” Barrett warned him before Daniel ended the call.

  Daniel glanced behind him, no doubt to make sure that she wouldn’t be in Rizzo’s line of sight, and he paused the security system so he could open the door. Only a fraction, though.

  “What do you want?” Daniel snarled.

  “A truce,” Rizzo said.

  She couldn’t see either of their faces to gauge their reactions, but Kara was betting that Daniel looked both skeptical and riled. “A truce?” Daniel questioning.

  Rizzo huffed. “I’m tired of getting hauled into the sheriff’s office for questioning. Tired of you and your brothers hounding me.”

  Daniel stayed quiet a moment, but Kara figured he was glaring. “You’re getting hauled in for questioning because you’re a person of interest in an investigation.”

  She believed Daniel meant the militia case, but Rizzo might not know that Barrett wanted to question him about Daisy’s murder and the deaths of the other surrogates and Loretta.

  “Yeah, I got that,” Rizzo said. “That’s why I want a truce. If you really believe I shot somebody, then you’ll want to test me for GSR. I’ll agree to it. You can test me today.”

  “Why the change of heart?” The skepticism was still there.

  “I just want to have some peace. And FYI, I didn’t tamper with the fence your livestock broke through.”

  Daniel made a sound that could have meant anything. It definitely didn’t confirm that he believed Rizzo, and he checked his watch with what no one could mistake as anything but impatience.

  “We aren’t going to settle our differences here on the porch of the inn,” Daniel finally said. “The investigation has to play out. You’ll have to be interviewed. After the killer is caught and the Rangers have finished looking into the militia, we’ll talk about that truce.”

  “Killer?” Rizzo questioned. “You mean the woman who was gunned down today?”

  “The woman who was gunned down very close to your ranch,” Daniel supplied.

  Now Rizzo cursed. “You’re looking at me for that?” He didn’t wait for Daniel to confirm it. “If I was guilty, I would have come up with at least a half-assed alibi and wouldn’t have killed her around my own stomping grounds.”

  “Maybe. But perhaps by setting yourself up like this, you thought it would make you look innocent.”

  There was more silence before Rizzo grumbled something she didn’t catch, and he walked away. Or rather he stormed away, his boots thudding on the porch steps as he left.

  Daniel relocked the door, reengaged the security system and went to the window to watch Rizzo leave. He didn’t have to say that he didn’t trust the man. Neither did she. But Kara thought that Daniel was considering some stronger measures to make sure Rizzo or any of their other suspects didn’t come back here.

  “The security cameras worked,” she said when she thought Daniel was about to launch into an argument of why they should move. “We’re less than a minute away from the sheriff’s office. Short of sleeping in the break room there, this is about as safe as it can get for us.”

  “I considered the break room,” Daniel admitted after he huffed. “I’m still considering it.”

  She wanted to go to him and pull him into her arms. Maybe to try to give him some comfort as he’d done for her. Unfortunately, holding him wouldn’t just give comfort, though. It would almost certainly stir the heat along with causing him to worry that she was too close to a window. Instead, she was about to tell him that she would go to the sheriff’s office break room if that would make him breathe easier, but his phone rang before she could say anything.

  “Barrett,” he relayed before putting the call on speaker.

  “Rizzo just walked in so I’m guessing everything is okay. What’d he want?”

  “A truce. Or so he said,” Daniel added with a slathering of skepticism. “He could have been scoping out the place to see what kind of security we have.”

  Barrett made a sound of agreement. “I’ll bring that up during the interview. He’s going to have to wait, though. Eldon’s here, and I’m taking him in next.”

  “You’re finished with Sean?” Daniel asked.

  “For now. Sean’s still with his lawyer in the break room, but I’m going to have to cut him loose. Mason Ryland confirmed his alibi. They were on the phone about the time Daisy was dying. That doesn’t mean Sean didn’t hire someone to kill her, though.”

  No, it didn’t. And it sickened Kara just to consider that possibility. The possibility that Sean hated her so much that he would murder innocent women in an attempt to cover up the real murders he wanted—Daniel’s and hers.

  “By the way, Eldon asked to see both of you,” Barrett went on. “I told him you’d be watching the interview but that you wouldn’t be in the building.”

  “Do you think it’d help if we were there?” Kara asked.

  “No. Because it’d mean you going outside. I know it’s not far, but I’d rather you stay indoors with Daniel until we get a better handle on all of this.”

  A handle on this wouldn’t happen until they had the killer behind bars. Right now, Barrett had all three of their suspects in the sheriff’s office, but it didn’t feel as if they were any closer to putting an end to the danger.

  “I’m in my office right now finishing up some paperwork, but I’ll be starting Eldon’s interview in about ten minutes,” Barrett added a moment later. “Text me any questions you want me to ask him.”

  When Daniel ended the call, he rechecked the locks and security system before he led her back upstairs. No doubt so they could watch the interview with Eldon. They did indeed go straight to the laptop, but Daniel took out his phone to text Leo.

  “How’s Sadie?” Daniel texted.

  Kara certainly hadn’t put her worries about the little girl on the back burner, but when Leo didn’t immediately respond, it sent the fear skyrocketing. Her frantic mind was already coming up with worst-case scenarios when Daniel’s phone dinged. Not with a message but rather a photo.

  Of a smiling Sadie.

  She was snuggled in Noreen lap while the nanny read her a book. Obviously, Sadie wasn’t the least bit worried about being in danger, and Kara was beyond thankful for it. Seeing her, though, was a reminder of just how much Kara missed her. Of course, Daniel felt the same, and she saw the emotions shade his eyes as he ran his finger over the image of his daughter’s face.

  “She has to stay safe,” Daniel muttered, and he sent a thank-you text back to his brother.

  “She will.” Kara had to believe that because it was the only way she could stay sane.

  To get his mind off Sadie, Kara took him by the hand and led him across the room to the laptop. The camera was still on in the interview room, but Daniel had turned off their audio. Probably so that someone in the sheriff’s office wouldn’t be able to overhear them. However, the audio to the room was still on so they’d be able to listen to Eldon’s interview.

  As Daniel and she were watching, Esther Ridley, one of the other deputies, escorted Eldon in. Unlike Sean, he didn’t have a lawyer with him, but he did immediately look up at the camera.

  “Deputy Daniel Logan,” the man said, knowing they were watching. “Kara Holland. I needed to talk to you, but the sheriff said you wouldn’t be coming in. There are some things you need to know.”

  Kara glanced at Daniel to get his take on that, but he only shrugged and pinned his attention to the screen. She did the same as Eldon took out an envelope from his pocket.

  “Somebody sent me some pictures,” Eldon said, speaking directly into the camera. His eyes were narrowed when he pulled out a photo and held it up for them to see.

  Kara cursed
when she saw the image of the first murdered surrogate, Brenda McGill. It didn’t appear to be a crime-scene photo, either. No. In this one, Brenda was sprawled on the floor, face up, her limbs outstretched. The camera had focused on her blank dead eyes.

  Oh, God.

  Kara’s stomach tightened when she realized this could have been taken by the killer.

  Daniel hit the button to allow them audio into the room. “Where’d you get that picture?” he demanded while he texted Barrett. He was letting his brother know what was going on.

  “Like I said, somebody sent it to me,” Eldon insisted. “It came in the mail yesterday. Then, today I got another two.”

  He took out a second picture, and Kara instantly recognized it, too. It was Mandy Vera, the surrogate who’d been left at Kara’s house. This was a shot of Mandy on the bed, right where Daniel and she had found the body.

  There was the sound of hurried footsteps, and Barrett came rushing into the room. He glanced at the picture Eldon was still holding up and then at the camera.

  “I was just telling your brother and the surrogate he used that somebody’s been sending me pictures,” Eldon explained, already reaching for the third one. He said the word surrogate like it was vulgar.

  Barrett had the same reaction that Daniel and she had. He cursed when he saw Mandy’s lifeless body. “I’m taking those into evidence,” Barrett insisted.

  Eldon nodded as if that’d been exactly what he had expected the sheriff to say. “I just wanted your brother to see this last one.” He didn’t wait for permission. Eldon just held up the third picture.

  It was a darker shot than the other two, but Kara could still see the bed. The same bed where they’d found Mandy. But it wasn’t Mandy this time.

  Kara gasped before she could stop herself.

  Because the person lying on the bed was her.

  * * *

  DANIEL FELT THE punch of fear and dread and figured it was a drop in the bucket compared to what Kara was feeling right now. She had gone pale, and her bottom lip quivered as she stared at the image of herself.