Loving Baby

by Tyler Anne Snell

  “She could have gotten lucky and seen a car or two on the county road, and gotten ready just in case,” he ventured. “If she saw them turn, then she could have had two minutes, maybe, to do something.”

  “But do what? Grab a baby and a bag with all of his belongings and then...hide? Run?”

  James snapped his fingers. “Rudy said there was a shed out back,” he said, suddenly remembering.

  Suzy pulled her gun back out, and together they hurried to the backyard. By the time they were pushing wide the shed’s door, which was hanging open, but not broken like the front door, the faint sound of sirens began in the distance.

  And James was cussing up a storm.

  “Or maybe Hank did play us,” he snarled, moving out into the grass. Like the house, the shed didn’t hold a woman or baby or anything out of the ordinary. “Maybe he’s working with that Grayton guy. And I just gave him my name.” He turned and kicked the side of the shed hard. Frustration raged through him in sync with the painful throb that shot through his foot. He didn’t care.

  “But someone did break in the front door,” Suzy pointed out. “And, even though we don’t know much about Hank, he seemed genuine in his concern for his wife.”

  James felt the anger in his words before they even came out. “Gardner was good at a lot of things, but he was great at lying. Who’s to say his friend isn’t just as good?”

  Suzy was in front of him in a flash. She put away her gun and furrowed her brow. Her proximity sent a jolt through him. It was alarming, but not in a bad way.

  “Get it together,” she ordered him. “I know there’s a lot going on, but we need to keep our heads on straight. Second-guessing yourself and the gut feeling you must have had about trusting Hank is going to get us nowhere. And it’s my gut feeling that we aren’t following a bad lead.” Her voice softened. “So, if you can’t trust yourself, can you at least trust me?”

  It seemed like such a simple question. Could he trust Suzanne Simmons?

  James already knew the answer.

  Yes, he could.

  The real question was, could she trust him?

  He opened his mouth to ask it when movement over her shoulder caught his attention. Rudy walked through the back door and pointed past the two of them.

  “They’re going to the wrong house!” he yelled.

  James and Suzy turned in unison. The county road curved around Hank’s house and went alongside the house he’d noticed in the distance. A field of grass and a few trees were all that stood between the backyard they were currently in and the side yard of the other house.

  “Maybe Patricia did have time to get out of the house,” Suzy said, excitement making her words come fast. “She just didn’t have a car to leave in, so—”

  “She fled on foot. If she was fast enough and they went into the house first, there’s a chance they wouldn’t have seen her,” he said. “I bet she made a run for the neighbors’!”

  * * *

  APRIL DONAVAN HAD been tending to some sod her son had laid the day before when she’d been startled by her neighbor running toward her, a bag on her shoulder and a baby in her arms.

  “I know Patricia,” she said now, nearly out of breath from the excitement. It probably didn’t help that Suzy and James were two of many people bustling around her yard. The deputy she’d called was talking to the deputies Suzy had called, while the EMTs were packing up to leave. “Her and Hank have lived there for about a year, and both are really kindly—which at first I wasn’t so sure of considering how, well, how—” She motioned to her arms.

  “How decorated Hank is,” James supplied. April nodded quickly, clearly relieved she didn’t have to talk about his tattoos.

  “But they’ve been over to eat a few times and I’ve been there, too, and they’re just really nice folks, you know?”

  “And in all that time you never saw any sign of a baby,” Suzy clarified.

  “No! Not even once!” April flung her arms out toward Hank’s house in the distance. She shook them, all dramatics. “The first time I saw that baby boy was when Patricia was running at me, hollering about needing the keys.”

  This was the second time they’d heard the story since they’d gotten Rudy to drive them across the field. The local PD and some of Riker County’s deputies had been directed to look for Patricia and the baby in the surrounding areas, while law enforcement on the scene was waiting for the next senior person to give orders. Since technically Suzy wasn’t on duty yet.

  “I didn’t even get a chance to answer her before she was running inside and grabbing my keys off the hook,” April continued, voice going higher and higher. “Then she yelled at me to get inside, lock the doors and call all of you! What’s going on? Whose baby was that? Where’s Hank?”

  “That’s what we’re going to try to find out,” Suzy said, turning on the soothing tone she used on Justin when he was upset. She reached out and squeezed the older woman’s arm to try to reassure her with contact. “You did the right thing in listening to her and calling us out here immediately.” Suzy nodded to one of the deputies from the department. Her name was Maria, and she had a natural way of keeping people calm in not-so-calm situations. At seeing Suzy’s nod, she smiled wide. “Why don’t you let Deputy Medina talk to you about what happens now?”

  The crease across April’s forehead lessened as she caught Maria’s eye. She nodded and moved away, already recounting how crazy the afternoon had been to the deputy before she’d even gotten near Maria.

  Suzy let out a sigh. The heaviness that only frustration could bring felt like it was pushing her down, trying to wear her out before she could finish the case. She couldn’t deny she’d missed the feeling a little. Four months in recovery without working to search out justice had started to make her feel antsy, restless. Now? Well, one look at James and she wished the sense of purpose that washed over her at being a part of an active case wasn’t at his expense.

  He hadn’t left her side since Hank’s house, and he hadn’t said a word since April had finished telling the first round of her story. Suzy knew it wasn’t him giving up or being afraid. He wasn’t the kind of man to give up so easily. Yet it was as if he was his own island, standing in the middle of a storm. Resilient. Mysterious.

  Alone.

  And, just like that, Suzy was consumed with the need to join him on that island. To brave the storm and help him navigate it.

  Before she could voice any part of the feeling, though, her cell phone vibrated. Another sigh escaped her.

  “Simmons,” she answered.

  It was Matt. He didn’t waste any time with formalities.

  “Suzy, The Tavern is a bloodbath over here,” he jumped in. “Two dead and one unconscious and being transported to the hospital. Didn’t you say there were supposed to be two more people? We’re only counting four total.”

  James must have read the alarm in her expression. His brow furrowed.

  “Yes, the owner plus the four men.” Suzy hesitated. “Unless Hank’s one of the deceased or hurt.” James’s eyebrows dipped even lower. “He’s bald with a lot of tattoos.”

  A pause. “No, no bald men here.”

  Suzy’s stomach dropped. “What about a man with black hair, shaved close to the scalp? Hank called him Grayton McKenzie?”

  This time there was no pause. “Grayton McKenzie?” The sound of movement filled her ear. Then Matt was whispering. “Suzy, I don’t know what you’re in the middle of, but I think it’s time we all had a talk. Grayton McKenzie isn’t just your run-of-the-mill bad guy. He plays dirty, and if he’s linked to what happened to you and James Callahan, then things only stand to get dirtier.”

  Suzy’s stomach had already reached the ground. Now it was digging a hole to jump into.

  * * *

  RUDY HAD NO idea where Hank might have run off to—not that they knew if he’d d
one his disappearing act voluntarily or not. And on the off chance he had, Rudy certainly wasn’t saying. Suzy watched from the front porch as Matt did what he did best: get someone to talk. Yet, through all the questions and answers, she believed Rudy was telling the truth.

  He had no idea where Hank was or how to get hold of him. The same went for Patricia.

  And James’s nephew.

  The millionaire had detached from her side as they’d gone back to Hank’s house to meet with Matt. Even if Suzy had kept things informal between herself and James, Matt stuck to the book and wouldn’t show the crime-scene pictures from the bar until James stepped away. Which he did without fuss, much to her surprise. He didn’t even try to turn on his charm, not that it would have worked on Riker County’s lead detective.

  “The best I can guess right now is this guy here was shot from the front and the back, so I’m guessing he was caught in cross fire.” He pointed to one of the three men who had gotten out of the SUV before Grayton. He was face down on the floor, next to the bar. Matt switched the picture to the second victim. Another man from the SUV. This one’s neck was at an angle that made Suzy’s stomach twist. “As for this guy, his neck is broken. No other injuries. Which meant he either let it happen or it was an opening move. A surprising one, at that.”

  “Geez,” Suzy said with a low whistle. “And to think we were worried Hank was outmanned.”

  “Yeah, no kidding.” Matt changed the picture again. This one was of a man on a gurney. “He had a gunshot to the stomach and was rushed into surgery. We’re running his face now. Hopefully we’ll get a hit soon.”

  “And Grayton McKenzie?” She hated to ask the question she already knew the answer to, especially since the name alone evoked an undeniable tension in the detective.

  Matt rubbed the back of his neck and filled his chest with a deep breath. When he let it out, there was less worry in it and more anger. “I’m about to go talk to Captain Jones, who’s become more familiar with him and where he might go than I am, but honestly, he hasn’t been seen in a few months. In fact, the only person that I knew who had the juice to get him out...” In his voice was guilt, anger and a longing to change the past. All three created a shadow across his expression. It was a look she’d seen on him in the hospital after she had woken up from surgery. She’d tried to explain several times that he didn’t need to react that way when he looked at her. He’d done nothing wrong.

  “Let me guess.” Suzy lowered her voice, careful with talking about the dead. Especially now that she knew his brother. “Our one man was Gardner Todd.”

  “Yeah,” Matt confirmed. “His life was a mystery, but his death?”

  Suzy put her hands on her hips and sighed. “Even more questions.”

  “And some I need to go ahead and start working on.” Much like she’d done with April, Matt reached out and patted her arm. Working at the sheriff’s department was more than a job to them. It was friendships and family. When one of them hurt, they all hurt. He gave her two good pats and then excused himself. He disappeared into the house, writing pad already out. The beginnings of a stress headache started to build between Suzy’s eyes. She wanted a lot of things at that moment. Answers. A hug from her son. Coffee.

  “Suzy.”

  The voice came from behind her. She could be blindfolded, drunk, half-asleep or buried in a box and she’d recognize that voice. Velvet smooth.

  “James,” she returned. Soon he was standing in front of her. All worry. All handsome.

  “We need to get back to my place.” He said it with enough force that she believed that need. Her mind jumped gears. Suddenly she was thinking about her own needs. Ones that twisted sheets and made her knees weak.

  “We need to go back to the bar and grab your car,” she said instead. “And then I need to—”

  “I just got off the phone with Sheriff Reed,” he interrupted. “We need to go to my house because he’s already there.”

  “Billy’s at your house?” she asked, confused. She hadn’t talked to him yet. “I didn’t even know he was back in town. Why is he at your house?”

  James was all stone.

  “Because we need to talk.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Billy Reed was standing on the back patio, surveying the acreage with his hands in his pockets, wearing his cowboy hat on his head and his sheriff’s badge on his hip. Suzy approached him with nerves in her chest and shame in her belly.

  The last time she’d talked to him, she’d withheld information—important information—about Gardner Todd’s child and the connection they both had with James. If there was already a nasty group of men willing to kill to try to get the baby without knowing his uncle was a millionaire and one of the most influential men in their county, then filling in the blanks for the public only would put the boy in more danger. Still, Suzy had lied to a man she trusted completely, and there were no two ways about it. She’d lied to her best friend. Not to mention her boss.

  But would she do it again?

  Once Billy knew about who Gardner really was, then all eyes would go to James. His life would never be the same. Even his sister and nephew would become subject to the prying eyes of an entire county. Not to mention the men and women who might try to seek out some kind of revenge on him as payback for Gardner’s criminal activities.

  This wasn’t just about her loyalty to Billy or her department. She had to make a choice, right then and there. Loyalty or...

  Suzy hesitated in her steps.

  Never did she ever think she’d be where she was, trying to decide between Billy and the department and a man she barely knew. Yet that was exactly what she was doing.

  And it was eating her up.

  Especially when she realized her heart was betraying itself and leaning away from her makeshift family toward one she wasn’t even a part of. Toward a man she couldn’t trust.

  Billy glanced over his shoulder but didn’t turn around. Suzy came to a stop at his side. Her stomach was in knots. He spoke before she could make up her mind.

  “So, James is Gardner Todd’s little brother, huh? Can’t say I saw that one coming.” Suzy’s mouth fell open, surprised. Billy took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He didn’t seem as confused as she was.

  He didn’t seem confused at all.

  “But why do they want Gardner’s son if they never found out the connection to James and the Callahan fortune?” He turned, brow lined with contemplation. “Where’s the boy’s mother?”

  Suzy’s shock was replaced by his line of questioning, specifically the last one.

  “No one knows how the mother is, though...” Heat crawled up Suzy’s neck. It held shame and anger. “I realize now that we never asked Hank that question. We were so focused on Gardner and finding the boy, and then the men showed up.”

  Billy shook his head. “And that’s another thing—Grayton McKenzie making moves all of a sudden? Very public ones, at that?” He took his hat off and rested it against his chest. “I knew Gardner’s murder would have repercussions beyond what law enforcement might see, but this? I sure picked a fine time to go out of town, didn’t I?”

  “Yet you’re already caught up?” Suzy ventured. No one at the department knew the specifics, and she sure hadn’t told anyone.

  Billy’s index finger started to tap a rhythm against the brim of his hat. It was a thinking gesture he’d made since he’d been elected as sheriff. He was beyond contemplative, and Suzy couldn’t tell what he was feeling. Thankfully, she never had to wait long with him. He always told her. Which made her feel all the more guilty about her recent silence on everything that had been happening.

  “James,” he said simply. “He called me while you were talking to Matt at Hank’s place. Said he needed to tell me something he had begged you to keep quiet about before either one of you knew how big this thing was. That he was Gardner’s kin an
d the grand prize all of your new buddies have been shooting for is his nephew. Matt had already looped me in that Grayton was involved. I was also told there’s someone named after cheese dip taking refuge here by James’s invitation.” He shrugged. “All in all, it makes sense not to let the cat out of the bag about the Callahans, so I thought it best we make a more strategic move and have a meeting here. Gotta say, I don’t mind the view.”

  His eyes roamed over the trees and grass out in the distance. Billy Reed was a country boy at heart. He could spend hours admiring something others might have taken in in a glance. He was the type of man who took the time to appreciate his surroundings, and Suzy couldn’t help but feel pride that he seemed to like James’s home.

  It was a thought that surprised Suzy. But she didn’t have time to question it.

  “I’ll tell you one thing for certain, though,” he continued, a small smile pulling up the corner of his lips. “Riker County is never boring.”

  He wouldn’t get an argument from her. “You got that right, Sheriff.”

  To prove his point, Billy’s phone chirped out some music.

  “Mara,” he announced after looking at the ID. “I can already hear her worry without even answering the phone.”

  Suzy couldn’t help but laugh. While Mara would always worry about her husband, it never detracted from her strength. It was another reason Suzy felt close to the woman. Mara had been through her own trials and tribulations, and fought her way back to standing. She even had the scars to prove it. Still, Suzy could sense the worry before he answered.

  “Then right now probably wouldn’t be the best time to tell her that the dress she loaned me... Well, let’s just say I won’t be getting my deposit back.”

  Billy shook his head, still smiling. “I’ll save that conversation for you to have with her later.”

  Suzy patted him on the shoulder. “Good man.”

  He excused himself and, walking onto the grass, took the call from his wife. Suzy wanted to take advantage of the interruption, so she hurried back into the house, thoughts picking up speed in tandem with her pace. James had gone to his office and it was there she found him, standing behind the desk, brow furrowed.