The Marshal's Justice (Appaloosa Pass Ranch 4)

by Delores Fossen

  However, Chase wasn’t so sure that was the case. Quentin might not care if his sister was in danger. Especially since he’d already been hurt. Chase still didn’t know the details of how Quentin had been shot, but it was one of the questions Chase intended to ask the man.

  “I don’t trust Quentin,” she said, surprising him. She’d always been so defensive when it came to her kid brother. “But I want to see his face when he tells me what he wants me to hear.”

  Chase gave that some thought. “You think Quentin could have been involved in the kidnapping?”

  “I don’t want to believe it.” She sighed, leaned her head against the truck window. “But he goes through money like water and he has a penchant for getting involved with the worst kind of people. I believe he could have gotten himself into some kind of bind and needs money desperately enough to have possibly done something like this. Possibly,” April emphasized.

  Chase had to admit it was a possibly for him, too. Quentin was a scumbag, no doubt about that, but Crossman and Renée were still their top suspects, with Crossman occupying the number one slot on that very short list.

  His phone rang, causing April to practically snap to attention. No doubt because she was worried about something going wrong at the safe house. But it wasn’t Levi or Mack. It was Jericho.

  “I just got the background check on Malcolm Knox,” Jericho said the moment Chase answered. Chase put the call on speaker since he knew this was something April would want to hear. “He’s rich. Worth millions. He’s a cattleman and also owns a very high-end security company. Thirty-nine and never been married. No criminal record, not even a parking ticket. So, you want to tell me why you needed a check on him?”

  “Because Crossman warned April about him,” Chase answered.

  “And you believe Crossman?”

  “No.” Chase didn’t even have to give that any thought. “But I want to know if there’s a connection. It’s possible Crossman used Malcolm to spy on April while she was in WITSEC.”

  April didn’t nod exactly, but he saw the agreement in her eyes. And the chill that went through her. She’d said she hadn’t exactly trusted Malcolm, but it had to make her sick to think that one of Crossman’s henchmen could have been so close to her at such a vulnerable time.

  “I didn’t find any obvious connection to Crossman,” Jericho said. “But there’s something about this guy that’s just not right. Perfect credit, perfect driving record. Hell, he even had a perfect grade point average in college. Everything in his background lines up in perfect detail.”

  Normally, a good clean record didn’t bother Chase, but it did in this case. “You think he’s living under a created identity?”

  “Maybe. But if so, he’s not in WITSEC, and he’s not an undercover cop or in any other form of law enforcement that I can find. That means if he’s living under a false identity, he’s likely doing it for his own reasons.”

  And Chase figured those reasons probably weren’t good ones. “Were you able to get his financials?”

  “Some. Lots of money in and out of his accounts. Hard to tell if he’s getting regular payouts from someone like Crossman. But I’ll do some more digging.”

  “Thanks,” Chase told him, and he took the final turn to the hospital. “Anything new with the prisoner this morning?” Not that he expected Gene Rooks to start blabbing, but Chase could hope the man had had a change of heart.

  “Nothing yet, but Rooks is with his lawyer now. And no, I can’t trace the lawyer back to Crossman or Renée. Already tried.” Jericho paused. “The lab called on that blood they found in Quentin’s house. It wasn’t his, and it’s not a match to anybody in the system.”

  April shook her head. “But Quentin was shot.”

  “Not there at his place. Or if it was there, he didn’t leave any blood behind. I questioned Quentin about his injury, but he’s being very vague. If you get answers from him, I want to hear them.”

  “Of course. Any news about Renée?”

  “She’s still at large. Still nothing on those bugs and cameras the CSIs gathered from your house. There were no prints or trace on them, but they’re trying to find the location where the images and recordings were being sent.”

  “They can do that?” Chase asked.

  “They can try. Don’t get your hopes up. I think our best bet at finding out who’s behind this is to get what you can from Quentin.”

  Chase believed that as well, and he ended the call when he pulled into the hospital parking lot. He spotted Jax right away under the awning at the drop-off area, and Jax motioned for him to park right by the door. Good. Because Chase didn’t want April out in the open any longer than necessary.

  “How’s Quentin?” April immediately asked him.

  Jax didn’t answer right away and didn’t waste any time near the door. Firing glances all around, he got them moving out of the reception area and up the hall. “He’s fine. The doc said he’ll be released this afternoon.”

  April didn’t seem relieved about that, and Chase knew why. Being released could mean Quentin would be in even more danger since they weren’t sure yet if they could trust the marshals.

  “Who’ll be protecting him?” April pressed.

  Jax seemed annoyed, not with the question exactly but with the answer. “Me. The other deputies weren’t exactly jumping to volunteer.”

  Chase didn’t blame them. Quentin had been business partners with a cop killer. That wouldn’t put the man on any popularity lists with law enforcement.

  “Thank you,” April said as they made their way down the hall.

  “No need for thanks. I’m hoping Quentin will lead us to some information about who kidnapped Bailey.” Which meant Jax thought Quentin might have played a part in that, too.

  Chase didn’t have to guess which room Quentin was in because the uniformed hospital security guard was posted outside the door. He opened it for them, and Jax went in ahead of April. Probably to make sure the area was still safe. It was. Only Quentin was there, and he was in the bed hooked up to an IV.

  April didn’t rush toward him, but Chase did get her inside the room so he could shut the door. He could have sworn the temperature in the room dropped with the frosty looks April and Quentin were giving each other. Seeing that was a first for Chase. April had always jumped to defend her brother and had always acted like a mother hen whenever she was around him.

  “I’m glad you came,” Quentin greeted, his attention going straight to her stomach. “I heard you had the baby.”

  “Who told you?” she snapped.

  Quentin’s frost intensified. “It doesn’t matter. I’m sorry someone tried to kidnap her.”

  “They didn’t try. They succeeded. Chase and I just got her back last night.” She glanced away from him. “Deanne’s dead.”

  “Yes, I found out about that, too.” Something flickered through Quentin’s eyes. Grief maybe? Or it could be fake grief. “Who killed her?”

  “We don’t have an ID on him yet, but he was working with a man named Gene Rooks,” Chase answered. “Do you know him?”

  The icy look he’d given his sister was a drop in the bucket compared with the one Quentin gave Chase. “Are you accusing me of something?”

  “I’m only asking a question. You have a guilty conscience?”

  Quentin growled out some profanity under his breath. “No, I just know how you are. You’ve been on a vendetta to get me for years.”

  Chase tapped his badge. “Just doing my job. I’m funny like that.”

  His attempt at smart-mouthed humor didn’t soften Quentin’s glare one bit. And it wasn’t moving this conversation in a direction it needed to go. “Did you have anything to do with the kidnapping and attack on April and me that took place yesterday?”

  “Of course not. Why would you think such a t
hing?” The denial was loud and intense enough. But that didn’t mean Chase was buying it.

  “Because you could be broke enough to be desperate.”

  Quentin dodged his gaze. Definitely not a good sign. “I do need money, but there’s no way I’d kidnap my own niece to get it.”

  The room went completely silent for several moments.

  “How’d you even know I’d had the baby?” April asked, taking the question right out of Chase’s mouth. “And while you’re explaining that, tell us how you found out about the kidnapping and that Deanne was dead.”

  Quentin huffed. Then, he sighed. “When I was attacked last night, the man said my niece had been taken and that if I didn’t cooperate and pay up, I’d never see her.”

  Chase went through each word of that, but there were some huge gaps in the information. Chase tipped his head to Quentin’s bandaged shoulder and went to April’s side. “Who shot you?” he asked Quentin.

  “I don’t know. Maybe it was you?” Quentin countered.

  That got Quentin a huff from not only just Chase but Jax and April, too. She went closer to the bed and stared down at her brother. “Tell us everything that happened so we can try to prevent any further attacks.”

  Quentin held the stare for several moments and then eased his head back onto his pillow. “Someone broke into my house yesterday. A man wearing a ski mask. He told me my niece had been kidnapped and that he would take me to her. I didn’t believe him. We fought, and I’m pretty sure I managed to cut him with a kitchen knife. I couldn’t get to my gun so I ran out the back, and that’s when he shot me.”

  That explained the blood on the floor at his house. However, it didn’t mean Quentin was telling the truth. “What happened then?” Chase asked.

  “I kept running. I wasn’t sure who to trust so I didn’t call the marshals. I haven’t trusted them right from the start. So, I made my way here, figuring April would be with you.” He paused, glancing at them. Or rather glancing at how close they were standing to each other. “I was right.”

  Quentin seemed to be implying there was something going on between April and him. Something more than just Bailey.

  And he was right.

  The old attraction was indeed still there, and anyone within a hundred yards of them could likely see it. Chase wanted to believe he could keep pushing it away, but it just kept coming back. That’s why he needed to concentrate on the investigation. Because losing focus now could put Bailey right back in danger.

  “Tell me about Renée,” Chase insisted.

  Quentin blinked as if surprised or just plain uncomfortable by the change in subject. “What does she have to do with this?”

  “Maybe everything,” April answered. “She was with Bailey when we found her.”

  More than a blink that time. Quentin’s head came off the pillow. “You think she’s the one who kidnapped your baby?”

  April shook her head. “We’re not sure what her role was in all this. Tell me about Renée,” she repeated, sounding more like a cop than a sister.

  Quentin took a deep breath. “I met her at the bar and we had an affair. A short one because she turned out to be a little too high maintenance for me. I’m talking dozens of calls and texts each day. I know she’s in love with me, but I just don’t feel the same way about her. I haven’t heard from her, though, since I went into WITSEC.”

  “Does Renée know Crossman?” Chase asked.

  If Quentin was faking the surprise from that question, then he was very good at it. “You don’t believe she’d team up with Crossman?” He cursed, not waiting for the answer. “Renée knows him, all right. She met Crossman at the bar.”

  Of course. Crossman spent a lot of time at the bar Quentin owned so it was logical that Renée and he would run into each other. Chase hoped those encounters hadn’t led to some unholy alliance.

  Chase glanced at Jax, who was already taking out his phone. “I’m on it,” Jax said, stepping back into the hall and shutting the door behind him.

  “On what?” Quentin demanded. “Who’s he calling?”

  “The jail,” Chase answered. “If Renée visited Crossman, we can maybe get access to their conversations. It’s possible Crossman put her up to doing the kidnapping.” But then, it was just as possible that Renée was acting on her own. “Was Renée ever pregnant with your child?”

  Quentin’s eyes widened. “She said she was. Did Renée have a baby?”

  “No.” But that was the only part of the explanation that Chase managed because the door opened again, and when Jax stuck in his head, Chase knew something was wrong.

  “Quentin has a visitor,” Jax explained. “The guard’s already frisked him. No gun.” His attention went to Quentin. Then to April. “The guy says his name is Malcolm Knox and that he’s a close friend of yours. He wants to see both Quentin and you now.”

  * * *

  APRIL SUCKED IN her breath and held it a moment. And yes, it was indeed Malcolm who came through the door.

  There wasn’t a strand of his sandy-blond hair out of place, and he was wearing one of the pricey black suits that he favored. He was also carrying a huge bouquet of flowers.

  “April,” Malcolm said. He smiled at her as if this were a social visit.

  Chase wasn’t smiling, though. “Did you know he was coming here?” he asked her.

  She shook her head, glancing back at her brother, but Quentin had a startled expression that was similar to her own. “You know Malcolm?” her brother asked her.

  “Yes. And I take it so do you.” She folded her arms over her chest and snapped toward Malcolm. “Why are you here?”

  Malcolm didn’t seem put off by her brusque tone. He went closer to Quentin and placed the flowers on the table next to the bed. “I came to check on you. I was sorry to hear of your injury. Are you all right?”

  “I’ve been better.” Quentin was still studying April’s reaction. “What’s this all about?”

  Chase stepped between Malcolm and her. “Start talking. How did you even know Quentin and April were here?”

  Malcolm certainly didn’t extend a smile to Chase. “You’re the marshal. Bailey’s biological father.” He didn’t exactly add any endearment to that label.

  “Bailey’s father,” Chase corrected. No endearment for him, either.

  Part of April wanted to be flattered that Chase was jealous. After all, Malcolm was good-looking. But that wasn’t a jealous look Chase was giving the man. He was a marshal looking at a potential suspect.

  The very one Crossman had warned them about.

  “Get started on answering those questions I just asked,” Chase demanded. “How did you even know they were here?”

  “When I heard there was blood found at Quentin’s house, I hired a team of private investigators to start checking the hospitals. I thought if he was seriously hurt, he would need some help.”

  Chase shook his head. “Quentin wasn’t admitted here under his own name.”

  “I didn’t figure he would be,” Malcolm readily answered. “Not with April and him being in WITSEC. But I had the PIs check this particular hospital because I thought Quentin might try to come here. Because of your past connection to April.”

  Past? That was not the right thing to say.

  Malcolm wasn’t an idiot. At least she didn’t think he was. So maybe he was just pushing Chase’s buttons on purpose. And in Malcolm’s case, April was fairly certain that jealousy was involved here. She hadn’t done anything to lead Malcolm on. In fact, she’d been out and out rude to him on numerous occasions, but that hadn’t caused him to back off.

  “You knew I was in WITSEC?” she asked. “For how long?”

  “Practically from the first day I met you.” Malcolm paused, smiled again. But this time, there was discomfort in that smile. “I don’t a
llow many people into my life. I’ve been burned by those who are only after my money. So, after we met at the hospital, I ran a background check on you.”

  April glared at him. Both Quentin and Chase groaned, but it was Chase who responded. “Nothing would have turned up about April in a normal background check.”

  “My staff was thorough,” Malcolm said as if choosing his words carefully. “And soon they found Quentin.”

  Quentin didn’t just groan that time. He cursed and looked at her. “I had no idea he knew you. He never said.” Then, his gaze flew to Malcolm. “What the hell were you trying to do? Get information on April?”

  “I was trying to figure out a way to keep Bailey and her safe,” Malcolm said without hesitating.

  “It wasn’t your job to do that,” Chase pointed out.

  That put some fire in Malcolm’s otherwise ice-blue eyes. “Well, you didn’t do a very good job of it, did you?”

  April had known Malcolm only two months and she’d never seen his temper flare. She was certainly seeing it now. But then, so was Chase’s. She didn’t want this to turn into a man contest, not when they were so short of answers. Still, Malcolm was giving her the creeps.

  “Did you hack into WITSEC files to find me?” she asked, and April didn’t bother to make it sound friendly.

  Malcolm looked as if she had punched him. “Of course not. I wouldn’t have endangered you that way. The PIs used facial recognition software and matched it to some old photos of you they found on the internet.”

  The marshals had deleted as many photos as they could find, but April had always known there might be some still floating around. That was the main reason the marshals had wanted to place her in a different state, but April had always figured if someone wanted to find her hard enough, they could.

  And apparently Malcolm had.

  “April,” Malcolm said, coming closer to her. At least that’s what he tried to do, but Chase blocked his way. Despite that, Malcolm snagged her gaze from over Chase’s shoulder. “I know this all must seem strange to you, but what I felt for you was instant. Love at first sight.”