by Barb Han
He’d opened up to Renee because he felt a connection to her unlike anything he’d ever experienced with another person. Instead of acknowledging how special she was, he took another route. Cash decided that he was ready to deal with the events from the past. This case was good for him, he reasoned. It caused him to confront his demons so he could move on. Maybe he was ready to unpack the past and move on from it...trust again.
The situation with Pops had Cash twisted up emotionally. There was no way he could deal with losing his father without first reconciling the loss of his sister, Caroline. And he’d searched cold case files for years...still did...with the hope that one day he’d be able to bring closure for his parents. Now that Pops was gone, the opportunity was lost with him.
It was like a bullet slammed into Cash at the thought. The man he’d put on a pedestal and respected his entire life was gone. A heavy blanket dropped on his shoulders.
Dammit. Dammit. Dammit.
Rather than wallow in the feeling, Cash put it into perspective. His mother needed him to be strong. His brothers needed someone to lead them. Well, that thought was almost comical. His brothers were grown men. Still, being the eldest, he sometimes saw his siblings as his responsibility. Either way, Cash’s feelings came in a hard third. Stuffing his emotions into the box he was so good at finding, he tucked it away and refocused on the case in front of him.
After a long silence, he pulled into a parking spot at his brother’s office. Caroline was on his mind. He didn’t regret talking about his sister with Renee even though discussing her at all with someone outside the family wasn’t done. “I told you about what happened to my sister because I wanted you to know that you’re not alone. Caroline was taken from her crib in my parents’ old house—”
“Hold on a second. Didn’t you say she was the same age as Abby when it happened?” Renee asked.
“Yes. Before you get too riled up it has been more than three decades since Caroline went missing with no other similar crimes in or near Katy Gulch in between. There have been cases of parent abductions of babies around the same age, but none reported with a child being taken from his or her crib, and no cases of someone trying twice.” He’d already thought about the other incidences because he knew this one would dredge up painful old memories for his mother. He’d read the cold case file on his sister. All living relatives had been interviewed, some several times. As an investigator, it made sense to him that the focus would be on next of kin. More than three quarters of abductions involved a parent. Stranger abductions accounted for less than one percent of cases. And those were some of the least recoverable.
“Part of me hoped no one close to me could be this cruel. I guess that might not be the case.” Her chin jutted out with what seemed to be determination. “Guess I have to get used to the reality there are bad people in the world.”
“The birth mother might have changed her mind. You already heard that the attorney you used to adopt has been linked to a few questionable adoptions. We’ll have a better idea of what’s going on after hearing from suspects in the interviews.”
Renee nodded before climbing out of the passenger seat and opening the back door to take Abby out of her car seat.
“Can I help with anything?” He wanted to lighten her load in any way he could.
“Would you mind taking the diaper bag?” she asked.
“Not a bit.” He made a move to pick it up from the floorboard when he thought she was taking a step back. Signals crossed and she ended up leaning into the vehicle at the same time as him. Their shoulders bumped and more of that electricity shot through him. He suppressed a small smile. The electricity pinging between them was inconvenient. Although he told himself it was good on some level. It meant his heart was capable of taking the leap with someone, at least. Getting to know Renee did little to tamp down his attraction. If anything, her intelligence made her that much more physically appealing.
He backed up first. “Go ahead.”
She smiled at him as she took a step back. “Sorry. I was trying to help you.”
“Since your hands are full, how about I do the honors?”
“Deal.” Seeing the way she beamed at the little girl in her arms made the image of a family come to mind. After his experience with Stephanie, he didn’t consider himself the settling down type.
One of Cash’s uncles had lived perfectly fine without a wedding band. Uncle Brady had made the choice never to wed and had lived his life on the ranch until sickness took him too young. At fifty, he’d dated the same woman for a decade and neither had felt the need to live under the same roof or go before the Justice of the Peace.
Cash could see himself in a similar arrangement. At least, he could until he’d met Renee and Abby. The two of them were carving out a special place in his heart. Again, he told himself being open to the possibility of one day meeting and falling in love with someone who made him want the whole package was a positive. Commitment had just seemed so permanent to him before. There’d never been a person he’d want to wake up to every day—day after day—without getting bored or needing a change. Also, he considered himself married to a job that would always come first. Most of his early relationships proved what his brother had learned the hard way. Law enforcement jobs and long-term personal relationships weren’t always a good mix.
He’d dated a few women who’d convinced themselves they could go the distance if things got serious. The attitude lasted, on average, three months. The first time he’d miss an event special to his girlfriend, an attitude shift occurred by the next date. He’d learned the hard way the countdown to the end of the relationship began at that point. His relationships were predictable. He had it down to a science.
Abby cooed, blew spit bubbles and gave Cash the biggest smile he’d ever seen. The kid was all big eyes and cuteness. “You have quite the charmer there.”
Renee’s cheeks warmed as she looked at Abby. “I’m going to have to keep an eye on this one when she turns fifteen.”
“I’ll help you find a stick to beat the boys away.” His joke was met with a genuine laugh and he realized what it could imply—that he would be there when Abby turned fifteen. Instead of thinking too deeply about that, he put his hand on the small of Renee’s back as the two walked into his brother’s office building.
Chapter Nine
The minute they stepped inside the lobby, Gert Francis rounded her desk to greet them. His brother’s secretary was in her late sixties and could be best described as lively. She had a twinkle to her brown eyes and a grandmotherly smile that was disarming. Folks had nicknamed her Oprah for her ability to get people to open up like the popular TV host, Oprah Winfrey.
Gert threw her arms around Cash first and brought him into a sincere hug. “Stacy called the minute she could. I’m so sorry to hear about your daddy.”
“Thank you, Gert.” He was still trying to process the fact Pops was gone. “Your sympathy means a lot.”
When she looked up at him, tears streaked her cheeks. She pulled back and squeezed his forearm. “I’ve already said this to Colton, but I want you to hear it, too. You let me know if your family needs anything and I mean anything. You hear?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Her kindness was greatly appreciated. She’d worked for the last sheriff before he’d retired and Colton had been elected. She’d been a valuable team member, helping Colton get up to speed on his job. They’d known her for years but she’d become like family since he’d taken over as sheriff.
“I already told Stacy that I’m making a casserole to drop off at the ranch after work,” Gert said matter-of-factly. She was the roll-up-her-sleeves type. Her husband had passed away five years ago. Since she’d suffered the same loss as his mother, she would be a good person to lean on for advice on how to get through the coming days.
“Mother will appreciate your good cooking and your company.” Talking to Gert was making his
father’s death more real. Cash had been able to put his emotions on hold, allowing himself to get wrapped up in Renee’s case. He didn’t dare open the floodgates now. “You know how special you are to our family.”
Warmth radiated from her when she looked up at him and then to Renee.
“You must be Renee. I’m Gert.” She was devoted to Colton and to the county. When she wasn’t at work, she watched a constant stream of popular police and detective shows. Her quick wit proved helpful in many cases—cases that she liked to try to solve before Colton. Being sheriff in a ranching community meant crime that mostly involved missing pets, bicycles and rowdy teenagers who were blowing off steam in cow pastures. Hard crime was rare in Katy Gulch and the surrounding community. Although, it did happen. Case in point, his sister’s kidnapping. Although, that was more than thirty years ago. Still, he feared this was the tip of the iceberg. His fear came from instinct honed by years of training and experience.
“Very nice to meet you, Gert,” Renee said, her fingers tight around the carrier holding Abby.
Cash had never seen Gert pass up an opportunity to ask to hold a baby. She seemed to realize that Renee wouldn’t let go of her child after what had happened.
“I’m real sorry about what you and your sweet angel are going through. We have some of the best lawmen in the state working on your case. Katy Gulch is a better community than this, a safe community.” Gert prided herself on living in a place where people helped each other. The sentiment had been built into ranchers and farmers since long before Cash was born and it was part of the reason he would never leave his hometown. Cash O’Connor was right where he belonged.
“Thank you.” Renee said the words on a small sigh. She smiled and he could’ve sworn those words put her more at ease than he’d seen her so far.
“I don’t want to keep you. Colton said to bring you straight to the interview room and then let him know when you’re there. Follow me,” Gert said.
The lobby had Gert’s desk on the left and a long counter on the right. There were glass doors that required a special ID badge directly in front of them. Once behind those doors, the building was shaped like a U. Colton’s office was to the right and down the hall. The route to the interview room was behind another locked door to their left.
Cash brought up the rear as Gert led Renee through the locked doors and down the hallway to the witness room, which was roughly the size of a walk-in closet.
Abby was busy blowing raspberries on her fist. The minute Renee stepped inside the room, she froze. In barely a whisper, she asked, “Can he hear us?”
“No.” Cash kept his voice low.
The lights were dim and there was a small speaker with a box and a button. The button was used to communicate orders to the people inside the interview room, which was on the other side of the two-way mirror.
Gert turned tail. Before she disappeared, she said, “I’ll let your brother know that you’re in here and you’re good to go.”
“Thank you,” Cash said.
Studying the man sitting down at a metal table, she confirmed the identity of her moving crew’s chief. “That’s the guy who introduced himself as Paul.”
A few minutes later, Colton joined them. “I wanted to stop in here before the interview to see if you recognize this man.”
“Yes, that’s Paul.”
“Paul Miser,” Colton confirmed. “According to Gert, he has a clean record with no known priors. He’s not a college student.” No one seemed surprised about that despite the moving company’s name, College Boy Movers. “But he has been working for the company five years. Got moved up to crew chief two years ago. He supports his mother, who is on disability.”
Cash wasn’t surprised Gert was able to dig all that up in a matter of hours. The woman worked magic.
“His girlfriend is six months pregnant,” Colton continued. That pretty much ruled Paul out for personal reasons in Cash’s book but he still wanted to hear what the suspect had to say. There was still a possibility that a person with a kid on the way might be desperate for cash. A deep dive into the guy’s financials could clear up whether he needed money or not. Of course, Colton couldn’t just dig into someone’s bank account without a warrant but that didn’t mean he couldn’t ask permission. Innocent people usually volunteered information to help a case and a guy with a kid on the way might be more cooperative in an attempted kidnapping investigation.
“Your job was the only one he and his crew had. He says he arrived home afterward and took a nap on the couch. His mother woke him in time for dinner and he was home after that. His mother corroborated the story that he was alone in his room. She doesn’t work, so he lives there to help her with her bills. His girlfriend’s job is too far away so she lives with her family through the week. However, the mother went to bed at eight thirty and didn’t see him again until nine o’clock the next morning.”
“Not exactly an ironclad alibi,” Cash observed.
“No, it isn’t.”
“Let’s see what Mr. Miser has to say.” Colton excused himself and closed the door behind him. He strode into the interview room with an entirely different demeanor. Shoulders stiff, he introduced himself to Paul Miser. Paul was solidly built. Most would describe him as stocky. He had on a short-sleeved company T-shirt with dark denim jeans and tennis shoes. His brown hair was almost military short, his eyes were serious and his forehead had deep worry lines for a young man. He carried himself with dignity. Cash’s training and experience made him good at reading people. Granted, there were times when he was wrong but those were rare.
The minute Colton had entered the room, Paul stood and readied himself for a handshake. On first appraisal, Paul Miser didn’t seem to be the jerk they were looking for.
After introductions were made, Colton got right to the point.
“Where were you this morning, Mr. Miser?” Colton asked, motioning toward the chairs.
“Home.” Paul took a seat across the table from Colton, then leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table with his hands clasped. His body language signified that he was nervous and ready to cooperate. “My mother’s house, that is.”
“Can you confirm her home is located in Big Rock, Texas?” Colton asked.
“Yes, sir.” The location in Big Rock would make it impossible for him to be in Katy Gulch during the second kidnapping attempt.
Even though Paul was looking less and less like a suspect, he might be able to provide valuable information about his crew and especially the mystery mover.
“Can anyone verify your whereabouts this morning?” Colton asked the missing piece, which was for someone besides his mother to corroborate his whereabouts.
“My mother was home,” Paul stated.
“Is she the only person you saw?” Colton asked.
Paul shook his head. “No, sir. My fiancée stopped by before her shift.”
“What time was that?” Colton leaned back in his chair, a sure sign Paul had moved from suspect to witness in his eyes.
“Around seven o’clock.” All Colton needed to do to clear Paul was verify the information.
Using two fingers, Colton pushed a pad of paper and a pen over to where Paul could easily use them. “Can you write down her name and contact information for me, sir?”
Paul obliged.
“Thank you.” Colton took the offering and motioned for a deputy to come inside. Deputy Sal Frank entered the room as Colton ripped off the top sheet. He held out the piece of paper. “Can you give this to Gert and ask her to call the number and verify that Mr. Miser was home this morning?”
“Yes, sir,” Sal said before taking the name and leaving the room. The door closed behind him with a soft clink. He’d been a deputy for ten years when Colton took the job as sheriff. Sal was a respected and trusted colleague.
“It says on your company’s website that all e
mployees are bonded and insured.” He turned his attention back to Paul.
“We are.” His right heel tapped against the concrete flooring.
“Does your company bond and insure its employees?” Colton asked.
“Yes, sir. It does. I sometimes send people in to HR to interview. Some of them get the green light. Others don’t make the cut. I don’t have anything to do with that part of the process.”
Colton nodded. His relaxed body posture seemed to be putting Paul more at ease. “Do you always work with the same crew?”
“Yes, sir. Most of the time. Occasionally we’ll get a last-minute sub like on the other morning’s job. One of my regulars came down with the flu. So, I got a sub. He’s the younger cousin of one of the owners.”
“You have a name for this guy?” Colton again moved the pen and paper to Paul.
“All I know is his first name, Jo-Jo.”
“Do you know if Jo-Jo is a smoker?”
Paul cocked his head to the side. “No, sir. I didn’t see him light anything up and I don’t know much about him personally.”
“So you didn’t see him with a lighter at any point?”
“Not him. But I lost my Zippo. Did someone find it?” He looked Colton in the eyes and then glanced away. Making eye contact with the investigator gave Paul a little more credibility in Cash’s book.
“The lighter belongs to you?” Colton maintained his relaxed composure and Cash realized it was taking some effort. He knew his brother well. The connection to the Zippo was important. Or so they’d thought. If Paul’s alibi checked out—and he fully believed that it would—that piece of evidence was no good.
“Yes, sir. I quit smoking a long time ago. The Zippo belonged to my father, who passed away ten years ago. He’d had it made special with a dragon on it. He loved dragons and had one just like it on his motorcycle jacket. He wasn’t a bad guy. He never got into any gangs. He liked to ride his Harley on Sundays.” The Zippo’s importance in the investigation just dropped down a few notches. As long as Paul’s whereabouts could be confirmed, he was in the clear, anyway. Besides, it had been a little too much to hope that the lighter they’d found on the site would be able to clear up the case. It happened. This just didn’t seem to be one of those cases based on Paul’s statement.