Stockyard Snatching (8 page)

“How long did it take Deputy Lopez to find the pictures on Lentz’s computer?” Dallas asked Tommy.

“Not long. Why?” his friend asked.

“How good is Allen with computers?” Dallas asked Randy, and Tommy’s nod of approval said he’d figured out where Dallas was going with this.

“That man knows his way around them for sure. He helps me all the time with the one I have at home for my kids,” the handyman said.

Dallas turned to Kate. He needed a reason to rule out Lentz. “How would you classify Allen’s computer skills?”

“Very competent,” she said, and then it must’ve dawned on her. “And you’re thinking why wouldn’t he have password protected those files, aren’t you?”

“That’s exactly what I’m thinking,” he agreed. “I’m sure the deputies could’ve gotten to those files, given enough time, even if they’d been buried. But it was easy.”

“Too easy,” Tommy said, “because they weren’t hidden at all.”

“And then at Allen’s house they happen to find even more damning evidence,” Dallas said.

Kate was already rocking her head. “The black bars across Jackson’s face.”

“Let’s take a closer look at some of those pics and see if we can get a clue.” Tommy moved to his computer and his fingers went to work on the keyboard.

“If not Allen, then who took the pictures?” she wondered.

“Great question,” Dallas said.

Tommy clicked through the pictures once again, slowly this time.

“What are you looking for?” Dallas asked.

“Clues to when these pictures were taken. I’m trying to piece together a timeline. It’ll take a while to have all the evidence analyzed, but maybe we can figure out a window and then narrow down the possibilities. Kate, can you identify when you wore those pajamas?”

“Hard to tell. I wear something like those most nights.” A red blush crawled up her neck to her cheeks.

Randy’s gaze immediately dropped to the floor, as if to spare her further embarrassment.

“I can clear the room if you’d be more comfortable doing this alone,” Tommy said to her.

“No. It’s fine,” she said. The red blush on her cheeks belied her words. “I always wear an oversize T-shirt. I rotate between a couple, so that could be any night.”

She studied the new picture on the screen. “This one was recent.” She pointed to a mug on the side table next to her bed. “I just started drinking tea within the last two weeks.”

“Good,” Tommy said. “Could most of these pictures have been taken within that time frame?”

“Let’s see,” she said, studying each one as more flashed across the screen. “Yes. All of them could.”

“So, someone gets happy with a camera in the past two weeks and then tries to snatch Jackson, all while pointing the finger at Allen to distract attention from the real person behind this.” Dallas summed it up. On a larger scale, baby boys around Jackson’s age were being kidnapped and released.

“And then we have the issue of Kate’s kidnapping attempt being slightly different than the others,” Tommy said, and that was exactly Dallas’s next thought. Jackson’s kidnapper had used a knife. And someone had broken into her house and stolen her adoption files.

“Were there break-ins at the other houses?” Dallas asked.

Tommy said there weren’t.

“I should go.” He needed to get over and talk to Stacy, to see what else she knew about Morton.

“I know what you’re thinking. I’m coming with you,” Tommy said.

“I might get more out of Stacy if I’m on my own,” Dallas pointed out. “And I need to follow up with Safe Haven.”

“This is a murder investigation, Dallas. I’m going with you or you’re not going at all.” The lawman’s tone left no room for argument.

“I’m coming, too,” Kate said. Her eyes fixed on Dallas and all he could see was that same determination he’d noted earlier when someone had been trying to snatch her baby from her arms.

“Absolutely not.” He didn’t have to think about the answer to that one.

“If this involves Jackson, then I’m coming, and you can’t stop me,” she said emphatically.

“I don’t know if it does or not yet.” If someone at the adoption agency was involved in Morton’s murder and that same person was after Jackson, the last thing Dallas intended to do was put Kate in harm’s way.

“That’s the place I adopted him and my files are missing from home,” she said. “I have to believe that’s not a coincidence.”

Maybe not.

“It might be best for you to stay put,” Dallas countered. The thought that this could be one of her neighbors died on the vine.

“I don’t have to ask your permission. I can go with or without you.” She stood her ground. “I have a relationship with them and I have every right to request my file and talk to the people there who were involved in my case.”

Dallas blew out a frustrated breath, suspecting that if she went in alone she could be walking into danger. A perp could be watching the place, seeing who came and went to get information.

“Both of you need to calm down,” Tommy said. “I don’t want either one of you going without me, especially if they’re responsible for a murder. You’d be putting yourself in unnecessary danger.”

Tommy was right about one thing. Kate had no business investigating Safe Haven, given what had happened to Morton after he’d started going down that route.

“A man is dead because of me,” Dallas said to his friend.

“He was a professional and he knew the risks his job carried,” the lawman said soberly.

“I hired him and he was there because of me. I’m responsible for him,” Dallas countered, realizing he was arguing with the one man who’d understand taking risks on his job.

“Does this mean Allen is in the clear?” Randy asked.

“It does for now,” the sheriff said.

“Good. Then I can give him a ride home.”

“Not yet,” Tommy said. “I have a few more questions for him, so I want him to stick around.”

Dallas stood and thanked the handyman, offering a handshake.

“I know this is asking a lot,” Kate interjected, “but could you go back to the office? I have no idea when I’ll be able to return, and I want to make sure people are being fed.”

“Of course,” Randy said. “We’ll keep things running until you can come back.”

“Thank you!” Kate rose to her feet and gave him a hug. “I’m so sorry that this is happening and I hope you know how much I trust you and the rest of the staff.”

“Don’t worry about us or the soup kitchen.” Randy looked her in the eye. “We’re all adults. We can handle this. Just take care of yourself and little Jackson and leave the rest up to us.”

Dallas could feel the sense of family in the room. He would know, because he had five brothers who would be saying the same things had they known what was going on.

Which reminded him that he needed to fill them in on his situation with Susan. Just not yet.

With Morton’s death, Dallas also realized that Susan could have gotten involved with the wrong people and ended up in over her head. The two of them as a couple didn’t work, but he had some residual feelings for her. She was someone he’d dated and at one time had wanted to get to know better. They’d grown up in the same town and had known each other for years. Dallas didn’t wish this on anyone and especially not Susan. Baby drama aside, he hoped that she hadn’t done something to put herself at risk.

For her sake as much as his, Dallas needed to know what had happened to her and the baby she’d given birth to.

As he started toward the door, he realized that he had no means of transportation. He also realized he had a shadow. Kate was buttoning up her coat as she followed him.

He stopped and she had to put on the brakes in order to avoid walking straight into him. Her flat palms on his back brought a jolt of electricity.

Dallas turned around quickly and Kate took a step back. “My pickup is at the supply store parking lot. Can you take me to it?”

“For the record, I don’t like either one of you anywhere near the attempted kidnapping site or Safe Haven,” Tommy interjected.

Dallas shot his friend a telling look. “I’m going to talk to Stacy first.”

“While you do that, I’ll investigate the crime scene,” the sheriff conceded. “Keep me posted on what you find out from her and let her know that I’ll be stopping by her office for a statement later today.”

* * *

K
ATE
HATED
THE
thought of being separated from Jackson, to the point her heart hurt. If leaving to find answers wasn’t a trade-off for his ultimate safety, then she wouldn’t be able to go, not even knowing he’d be with someone as competent as Abigail. His security had to be the priority.

For a second, Kate considered calling her babysitter, but after this morning’s kidnapping attempt there was no way she would risk putting Mrs. Zilker in danger.

Abigail stopped at the doorway, Jackson resting peacefully in her arms. “Walter Higgins is refusing to answer questions without an attorney present.”

“He’s always been a stubborn one.” Tommy shook his head and shrugged. “We’ll give it to him his way. Send Deputy Lopez to pick him up and bring him in. I doubt he’ll be useful given the turn of events, but I’d like him to know that we’re aware of his antics with Ms. Williams.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Any news about the other incidences?” the sheriff asked.

Her gaze bounced from Kate to him, making the hair on Kate’s arms stand on end. “So far, we’ve been able to make contact with one of the families.”

“And?” Tommy asked.

“They adopted their son from Safe Haven almost three months ago,” Abigail stated, with an apologetic glance toward Kate.

Kate struggled to breathe as anxiety caused her chest to squeeze.

“Any other obvious connections to our current case?” he continued.

“Other than the fact they’ve all occurred between Houston and San Antonio?” Abigail asked.

Tommy nodded.

“That’s all I have so far,” she replied. “We’ll know more as we hear back from the other families.”

Kate stepped forward and kissed Jackson, praying this would not be the last time she saw him. Then she walked out the door and toward her car.

“We need to switch to my pickup at some point today,” Dallas said, once they were in the parking lot.

“Hold on a second. I have a few questions before we leave.” She stopped cold. She’d been so distracted by her own problems, she hadn’t stopped to really think about everything she’d heard at the sheriff’s office.

Dallas turned around and faced her.

“What is your connection to Safe Haven?” she asked.

“I’ve been helping a close friend figure out if he’s a father or not,” he said, and something told her there was more to that story than he was sharing. “He wants to keep his identity out of the papers, so he asked me to help. I hired Morton to investigate and you know the rest from there.”

Kate tossed him her keys. No way could she concentrate on driving in her current state.

“My adoption was legal,” she said, once she was buckled in. “I followed all the right channels.”

Kate pressed her fingers to her temples to stave off the headache threatening.

Dallas glanced at her and then quickly focused on the road again. “When was the last time you ate?”

“Last night, I think,” she said. “Guess I shouldn’t have had that cup of coffee on an empty stomach. I feel nauseous.”

Dallas cut right.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“Somewhere I can get you something to eat,” he said in a don’t-argue-with-me tone.

So she didn’t. There wouldn’t be a point, and Kate didn’t have the energy anyway. She’d drained herself putting up enough of a fight to go with him.

“What about your truck?”

“We’ll swing by and pick it up after I get food in you.”

She expected Dallas to pull into the first fast-food drive-through they saw, but there were none on the route he chose. After a good twenty minutes, she started to ask where he was taking her and then saw the sign for his family’s ranch, Cattlemen Crime Club.

“Why are we here?” she asked. Wasn’t this too far out of the way?

“Because I need to know that you’ll be safe while I feed you,” Dallas said, pulling up to the first gate and entering a code. A security officer waved as Dallas passed through the second checkpoint.

“I still think these guys are after Jackson, not me,” she countered. “But I won’t argue, since we’re already here.”

Kate didn’t want to admit to being curious about Dallas. In fact, she wanted to know more about him, and that was a surprise given that she didn’t think it would be possible for her to be interested in another man so soon after Robert.

Interest
wasn’t necessarily the word she’d use to describe what she was feeling for Dallas. Attraction? Sizzle? She felt those in spades. Neither seemed appropriate under the circumstances. But there was something about the strong cowboy that pulled her toward him. Something she’d never felt with another man. Not even with Robert. And she wasn’t sure how to begin to process that. Kate had loved Robert…hadn’t she?

She’d been married to the man and yet she hadn’t felt this strong of a pull toward him. There was something about the cowboy that caused goose bumps on her arms every time he was near. So much more than sexual attraction.

And even in all the craziness, she couldn’t ignore the heat of that kiss.

CHAPTER SIX

To say the ranch was impressive was like saying Bill Gates had done okay for himself.

The land itself was stunning even though the cold front had stripped trees of their foliage, scattering orange and brown leaves across the front lawn.

The main building was especially striking. It was an imposing two stories with white siding and black shutters bracketing the windows. Grand white columns with orange and black ribbons adorned the expansive porch filled with black, orange and white pumpkins. Large pots of yellow and orange gerbera daisies led up the couple of stairs to the veranda, where pairs of white rocking chairs grouped together on both sides. The dark silhouette of a witch loomed in the top right window. Kate counted fourteen in all, including a set of French doors on the second floor complete with a quaint terrace. When she thought of a Texas ranch, this was exactly the kind of picture that would’ve come to mind.