The Missing McCullen
Page 1
A loner seeks redemption…a single mother seeks the truth
Defense attorney BJ Alexander is crafty, brilliant, and deeply scarred by the loss of her husband and child. Hired by the McCullen family, who believe Cash Koker to be their lost brother, BJ commits to the case—and vows not to become entangled with her devastatingly handsome client. Unfortunately, Cash is no stranger to hardship, and their mutual attraction is overwhelming. But nothing can prepare him when charges are mistakenly brought against him. Cash insists he’s being framed, and it’s up to BJ to find the truth. Because not only is Cash’s life at stake, but so is that of a missing little boy…
The Heroes of Horseshoe Creek
She’d vowed never to get involved with a client. Not to trust any man.
Except…how could she resist this sexy, strong man who would give his life for a little boy?
“How about you?” she asked softly.
Cash’s eyes darkened with pain, then flickered with something akin to desire. “I’ll be all right when we find Tyler.”
An image of her own son, pale and lifeless, taunted her. BJ looked down, battling tears. “Me, too. I just hope and pray…” She let the sentence trail off, unable to voice her worst fears out loud.
“Hey,” Cash murmured. “Don’t give up. I’m not.”
He was talking about Tyler. And she hadn’t given up on finding him.
But there was no bringing back her son. It was too late.
The grief she’d lived with since she’d lost him welled up and threatened to bring her to her knees again.
She looked up into Cash’s eyes and was moved by his tenderness. Desperate for his touch, for comfort, she pressed her hand over his chest. His heart pounded, strong and alive, beneath her palm.
She leaned into him, and he brushed her hair from her cheek. “BJ?”
“Shh, just hold me for a minute.”
He made a low sound in his throat as if he was struggling not to touch her. Then his eyes darkened, and he pulled her up against him.
THE MISSING
McCULLEN
USA TODAY Bestselling Author
Rita Herron
USA TODAY bestselling author Rita Herron wrote her first book when she was twelve but didn’t think real people grew up to be writers. Now she writes so she doesn’t have to get a real job. A former kindergarten teacher and workshop leader, she traded storytelling to kids for writing romance, and now she writes romantic comedies and romantic suspense. Rita lives in Georgia with her family. She loves to hear from readers, so please visit her website, ritaherron.com.
Books by Rita Herron
Harlequin Intrigue
The Heroes of Horseshoe Creek
Lock, Stock and McCullen
McCullen’s Secret Son
Roping Ray McCullen
Warrior Son
The Missing McCullen
Bucking Bronc Lodge
Certified Cowboy
Cowboy in the Extreme
Cowboy to the Max
Cowboy Cop
Native Cowboy
Ultimate Cowboy
Cold Case at Camden Crossing
Cold Case at Carlton’s Canyon
Cold Case at Cobra Creek
Cold Case in Cherokee Crossing
Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.
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CAST OF CHARACTERS
Cash Koker—He has no idea he’s a McCullen until he’s arrested for murder—will he clear his name and live up to the McCullen legacy?
BJ Alexander—The McCullens hire her to defend Cash on murder charges. But finding out the truth could get her killed.
Sondra Elmore—She lied about Cash being her son’s father—now she’s dead and her son has disappeared…
Tyler Elmore—The three-year-old little boy is missing—who took him?
Lester Elmore—He wanted Sondra to give Tyler up for adoption—did he have something to do with her murder and the boy’s disappearance?
Sheriff Jim Jasper—He’s determined to lock Cash up and throw away the key.
Diane Stuckey—She was Sondra’s best friend—or was she?
Ronnie Thacker—He was stalking Sondra. Did he kill her?
Dale Nix—Elmore caused him to go bankrupt—would he kill Elmore’s daughter and take Tyler for revenge?
Hyatt Spillman—He planted suspicion on Cash. Was he involved in the murder/kidnapping?
Drew Cooper—Tyler’s half brother. His mother was also murdered—did the boys’ father kill both women?
Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Excerpt from No Darker Place by Debra Webb
Excerpt from Tough Justice: Countdown (Part 1 of 8) by Carla Cassidy
Prologue
Ray McCullen faced his brothers, Maddox and Brett, with a knot in his stomach. For months they’d been searching for twin brothers who’d been kidnapped from their parents at birth.
They would be thirty this month.
He had good news and bad news. “I found one of the twins.”
Maddox balled his hands into fists. “You don’t sound happy about it.”
“Where is he?” Brett asked.
“The babies were left at a church about an hour from Pistol Whip. Apparently, one of them was adopted, but the other was sickly and wound up being placed in foster care. A nurse took him in for a while, and named him Cash Koker.”
“Where is he now?” Maddox asked.
Ray turned to the whiteboard where they’d listed clues regarding the boys’ whereabouts. He tacked a photo on the board.
“I used age progression software and a special program I have to locate doppelgangers. This is him.”
Maddox studied the photo. “He looks like a McCullen. Same stubborn jaw. Dark hair.”
“He’s got your high forehead and dark eyes, Maddox,” Brett said.
Maddox cleared his throat. “The DNA matched?”
Ray nodded. “Yeah, his was in the system, but I still want another test done for verification.”
“I agree,” Maddox said.
“Does he know about us?” Brett asked.
“I don’t think so.”
Maddox crossed his arms. “You said his DNA was in the system. Does that mean what I think it means?”
Ray gave a quick nod. “He has a record. Got into some trouble as a juvenile, then a couple of bar brawls in his twenti
es.”
“Hell, so did I. Is that it?” Brett asked.
Ray grunted. “Afraid not.” He tacked another photo on the board. This picture was a mug shot. “Our long-lost brother has just been arrested for murder.”
Chapter One
“I didn’t kill anyone.” Cash Koker flexed his hands on the scarred wooden table of the interrogation room, barely resisting the urge to punch Sheriff Jim Jasper in the jaw.
He’d answered these damn questions a dozen times already, but for some reason, the bastard thought he could browbeat Cash into admitting to murder.
There was no way in hell he’d confess to a crime he hadn’t committed.
The bloodstains beneath his fingernails mocked him. Blood that belonged to Sondra, the woman he allegedly had killed.
“Just look at her picture,” Sheriff Jasper said. “She was young and beautiful, but you took her life away from her.”
Cash swallowed hard as he glanced at the image. Sondra was twenty-two, with pale skin and blond hair that fell to her shoulders.
That hair was tangled and bloody in the photograph. Her throat had been cut, her eyes wide in shock and horror. Blood soaked her thin white blouse, and her hands, which she’d obviously used to fight her attacker.
“I didn’t kill her,” Cash said again. “I cared about Sondra. We were friends.”
“Friends?” Sheriff Jasper crossed his beefy arms and leaned back in his chair. Although he was only a few years older than Cash, the cocky man thought he owned the town. He also got around. Apparently women thought he was attractive.
Cash didn’t like anything about him.
“Sondra’s daddy said there was a lot more to it than friendship,” Jasper said snidely.
Cash chewed the inside of his cheek. Mr. Elmore was a paranoid, pompous, demanding jerk who was rich as sin but barely paid his ranch hands minimum wage. He couldn’t keep help because he was cheap and damn difficult to work for.
“In fact, Elmore claims that you knocked up his daughter, and that you denied paternity. He says you slit Sondra’s throat to keep her from filing for child support.”
Cash thumped his boot on the floor. “He’s wrong. I’m not the little boy’s father. You know as well as I do that a DNA test can prove it.” Although, he had grown attached to the spunky three-year-old.
“Then who is the father?”
Cash sighed. “I don’t know. Sondra never told me.”
Jasper grabbed him by his shirt collar and practically yanked Cash across the table. “Listen to me, you good-for-nothing piece of trash. Lester Elmore is a respected rancher around here. He doesn’t lie.” He shoved another picture in front of Cash’s face. “Neither does the evidence. We’ve got Sondra’s blood under your nails, and a video cam clip from last night showing you entering the motel where she died.”
Cash shifted, his mind racing for answers. The last thing he remembered was meeting her at the bar, because she’d been upset. He’d had a drink and they’d walked outside.
The rest of the night was a damn blank.
Hours later, he’d woken up in a motel room beside Sondra’s dead body. He’d been in shock, panicked, and had called an ambulance. He’d also called Sondra’s father.
It hadn’t occurred to him that the man would accuse him of murder.
“You could ease your conscience by telling me what happened,” the sheriff growled. “Or let me guess—you had a lover’s quarrel, and she threatened to cut you out of the kid’s life. Am I getting close?”
Cash went stone still. Nothing he could say would convince this man that he was innocent.
Worse, the evidence was damning. Given it, and the fact that Elmore owned half the town, they could lock him away and he’d never see the light of day again.
“You are way off base,” Cash said matter-of-factly. “I told you—we weren’t lovers.” In fact, he would never have gone to a motel with Sondra. They didn’t have that kind of relationship. “Why aren’t you looking at Elmore? He probably had enemies.”
“Elmore is not the problem,” Sheriff Jasper snapped.
“But I didn’t do anything,” Cash’s mind raced. “You should be looking for someone else with a motive. Sondra said some guy named Ronnie was bothering her.”
Sheriff Jasper raised a brow. “Stop trying to put the blame on someone else, and tell me what you did with Tyler. If Elmore gets his grandson back, he might go easier on you.”
Cash’s pulse jumped. “What the hell are you talking about? You don’t know where Tyler is?”
The sheriff shoved him backward so hard the chair legs clacked on the floor. “Don’t act dumb, Koker. If you took that kid, you’re going down for kidnapping and murder.”
Panic streaked through Cash. Someone had kidnapped Tyler?
* * *
Three days later
BJ ALEXANDER HAD made a lot of mistakes in her short career as an attorney. She just hoped coming to Cash Koker’s defense wasn’t one of them.
But her father and Joe McCullen had been friends, and now that Joe was dead, her father had asked her to help his sons find out more about their long-lost brother.
Possible long-lost brother, she amended.
She slipped from the safety of her small sedan, letting the warmth of the summer day chase away the chill inside her as she studied the sheriff’s office.
The building was a one-story, ancient brick structure with mud caking the brick. She’d called ahead and Sheriff Jasper had filled her in on the arrest.
Cash Koker had been locked up for murdering a young woman named Sondra Elmore. Apparently, Cash had once worked for Sondra’s father on the Wagon Wheel Ranch.
Cash insisted he was innocent.
Like she hadn’t heard that before.
A year ago, she’d represented a man named Davis Turner, who claimed he’d been framed for murder. After losing her ex-husband and son, she’d been in a bad place. Vulnerable.
Davis was charming, convincing, and seemed compassionate. She’d broken the cardinal rule of not getting involved with a client and had allowed their relationship to become personal.
She had gotten him acquitted in record time.
Two days later, she realized he’d played her. She’d overheard him talking to his mistress on the phone. He’d admitted he was guilty.
Worse, he was a free man because of her, and he couldn’t be retried for killing his wife.
She’d hated herself for being so naive. Hated that she may have put another person in danger by helping a killer walk.
She wouldn’t make that mistake with this case. If she took it.
Despite her father and Joe McCullen’s friendship, that was a big if.
Cash Koker had to convince her he was innocent.
Resolved, she opened the door to the sheriff’s office and entered. A tiny older woman with gray hair sat at a reception desk. Her name tag read Imogene.
BJ identified herself. “I’m here to meet with Cash Koker.”
A tough-looking man in a sheriff’s uniform, probably in his midthirties, appeared in the doorway. He might have been handsome if his scowl wasn’t so off-putting.
He hitched his thumb toward the back. “You the attorney gonna represent that scumbag in there?”
BJ stiffened. It sounded as if the sheriff had already convicted Cash.
Did he have concrete evidence proving Cash was guilty?
* * *
CASH HAD TO get out of this cell.
He’d been here all weekend, shut off as if he was one of the most wanted people in Wyoming.
Dammit. He hated to be confined. Small spaces triggered bad memories of being locked in the closet when he was a kid in foster care.
He lurched up from the cot and paced the cell. He’d r
acked his brain all weekend, struggling to piece together what had happened Friday night. Had someone drugged him?
Was he with Sondra when she was murdered? How did he end up in a motel with her?
And what about Tyler? Where was that precious little guy?
Panic seized him at the scenarios that flashed through his head. He’d had his share of bad knocks in foster care and knew the dark side of the human mind. Knew the depravity that existed, and how difficult it was for a little kid to defend himself against those bigger than him.
He bit the inside of his cheek, battling despair. Maybe the sheriff had it wrong. Sondra had been upset when she’d called him to meet her. She could have dropped Tyler with a friend for safekeeping.
If so, wouldn’t that person have come forward when news of her murder was revealed? Surely Elmore and the sheriff had posted an Amber Alert by now and had people searching.
If Sondra’s killer had kidnapped Tyler, though, there was no telling what he’d do to the little boy.
Elmore had money. He’d probably made enemies. If someone wanted to get back at him, killing Sondra and kidnapping her child was the way to do it.
Cash dropped onto the cot and lowered his head into his hands. He’d called the lawyer in town, but got the message machine. So far no one had shown up.
Hell, for all he knew the man was in Elmore’s pocket.
The door connecting the sheriff’s front office and the cells screeched open. Cash braced himself for another interrogation.
The sheriff stomped toward him, but he wasn’t alone this time.
A young woman with hair as black as coal and skin like ivory followed him. Cash couldn’t help himself—his gaze swept over her, from those sexy black stilettos, to the curves hidden beneath her stuffy suit, to the wary look in her startling green eyes.
His body instantly hardened. After all, he was a man. And any man would appreciate her femininity.
Although whatever reason she was here, she didn’t look happy about it.
He lurched up from the cot and raked a hand through his hair, well aware he looked scruffy and hadn’t showered in days. Even though he’d washed his hands, the scent of Sondra’s blood still lingered on his skin, and he wore drab prison clothes.
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