The Missing McCullen

by Rita Herron

  “I don’t believe it.” Cash’s voice cracked. “Is this some kind of sick joke?”

  “We wouldn’t kid about something this serious,” Ray said curtly.

  “Of course, we want to run DNA to confirm,” Maddox said matter-of-factly.

  “We can also use that test to prove you didn’t father Tyler,” BJ said.

  Cash scrutinized each brother, one at a time, as if searching for the lies in their eyes. Then he turned to BJ, as if in the midst of the madness, she was the one he trusted.

  An awkward silence filled the room while Cash absorbed what they’d told him.

  “I don’t know what to say,” he finally muttered.

  Ray cleared his throat. “What did the social workers or your foster parents tell you about your past?”

  Cash shrugged. “Nothing. Just that someone abandoned me on the steps of a church.”

  “Did they mention that you had a twin?” Brett asked.

  Cash shook his head, his face strained with shock. “No, nothing about any siblings or family.”

  “Like Maddox said, we’ll check DNA,” Ray said, “but if you are a McCullen, you have a twin.”

  Cash dropped his head into his hands and rubbed his forehead. When he looked up at them, pain darkened his eyes. “That’s the reason you posted my bail? Because you think I’m a Mc...Cullen?”

  Maddox exhaled. “Yes. And if DNA proves you are, we’ll do everything we can to help you.” Maddox hesitated, his voice hard when he continued. “Although, brother or not, if you killed that woman, we won’t cover for you.”

  Cash stood, his pulse pounding. “I didn’t kill her. And I sure as hell didn’t take Tyler. I don’t care what happens to me, but I want you to find that little boy.”

  Maddox and his brothers traded another conspiratorial look. Then Maddox went to his desk. “Then let’s take that DNA sample and send it to the lab. It sounds like we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

  * * *

  CASH’S HEAD WAS reeling as Maddox swabbed the inside of his cheek. The last thing in the world he’d expected to hear was that these men thought he was related to them.

  Or that he had a twin.

  Shock mixed with bitterness. All these years he’d been alone, had no family, no one who gave a damn about him. But he might have three brothers and another one out there somewhere who, like him, had no idea who he was.

  Had his twin found a home with a family? Maybe his life had been better than Cash’s.

  Or maybe he wasn’t a McCullen at all and this conversation was a big mistake.

  He wouldn’t get his hopes up.

  Still, he needed help to clear himself.

  Maddox bagged the swab. “We’ll have that run ASAP. Now, we need to address the charges and the evidence against you.”

  BJ lifted a finger. “I phoned Sheriff Jasper. He forwarded a photo he found of you and Sondra together, Cash.” She removed her phone from her pocket and showed him the text. “It looks like the two of you are cozy.”

  Cash’s eyes widened. “I don’t know who took that, but it’s not what it seems.”

  “You and Sondra are in each other’s arms,” BJ said.

  Cash studied the photograph again. “She was upset that day,” he said. “Her father sent her away for a while to hide the pregnancy, but she came back and announced that she was keeping the baby. Elmore pressured her to give Tyler up for adoption, said he’d make arrangements to keep it quiet so she could resume her place in society by his side.”

  He made a sound of disgust. “She didn’t give a flip about society. She came crying to me because she knew I grew up in foster care, and that I’d be sympathetic.”

  “And you were?” Brett said quietly.

  “Damn right I was.” Anger gripped him. “I always figured my mother gave me up because she was a teenager or didn’t have money to raise me. Lester Elmore had plenty of money and a big house and could have hired a damned nanny for Sondra if he wanted. There was no reason to give that little boy to strangers when Sondra wanted to keep him.”

  “You didn’t sleep with her?” Maddox asked bluntly.

  “No,” Cash said just as bluntly. “Never.”

  Maddox set a laptop on the table in the middle of the seating area. “I asked for copies of the evidence Sheriff Jasper had against you, and received a copy of the video camera footage. It showed you entering the motel where Sondra’s body was found.”

  Cash’s stomach roiled. How could he possibly disprove all this physical evidence?

  Maddox pointed to the screen. “Look at it, Cash. Tell me what you see and what you remember.”

  Cash scooted his chair closer to the computer, and the others gathered around to look. A sick feeling churned in his gut.

  Shadows hovered around the outside of the room, the moon barely a sliver in the sky, making it appear eerily dark.

  The camera time indicated it was after midnight, twelve fifteen to be exact.

  But there he was. Standing at the edge of the bushes by the motel room, a Stetson pulled low on his head, his face cast downward as if avoiding the camera.

  The sheriff had been sure it was him, but how could he be when his face was in the shadows?

  He mentally retraced what he remembered from that night. He was wearing jeans and the shirt he’d been arrested it. In the photo, it looked like the same shirt, but something was different.

  “Is there any way you can enhance the picture?” Cash asked.

  Maddox shrugged as if to say no, but Ray tapped some keys and enlarged the shot.

  “The time on the photo says twelve fifteen.” Cash drummed his fingers on his thigh. “Sondra called me about ten. She was upset and asked me to meet her. I got to the tavern around ten thirty.”

  “What happened next?” BJ asked.

  “I ordered a whiskey and drank it.”

  “Did you talk to anyone?” Maddox asked.

  Cash strained to remember. “The bartender. I think his name was Henry.”

  “Anyone else?” Ray asked.

  He struggled to recall, but the details were fuzzy. “Not anyone in particular. The bar was packed. Sondra rushed in and was frantic. We ordered drinks, then she wanted to go outside to talk.” He rubbed his forehead, his fingers tracing the jagged scar, a reminder of where he’d come from. He’d let his hair grow a little shaggy, but nothing could hide it. “I remember heading into the alley and then...everything goes black.”

  Ray clicked a few more keys, and zoomed in on his head in the camera shot.

  Cash’s heart hammered. It was difficult to see his face with the Stetson on, a hat exactly like his, but...his scar...where was it?

  “Do you see what I see?” he asked.

  Maddox grunted. “What?”

  “That’s not me,” Cash said.

  “It sure as hell looks like you,” Brett said.

  Cash removed his hat, laid it on his lap and pushed the hair away from his forehead. His scar ran from the top of his skull in a jagged, curvy line and wrapped around behind his right ear.

  “By God, you’re right,” Ray said. “The man in this video footage has no scar.”

  “He looks shorter, too,” Maddox pointed out.

  For the first time since his arrest, hope shot through Cash. The picture proved he wasn’t at the door of the motel during the time frame of Sondra’s death.

  Which meant that someone had framed him for murder.

  Chapter Seven

  Questions bombarded Cash.

  The idea that he had a twin struck him like a fist in the gut. Did his twin know about him? Could he have been at the motel?

  Or was another man pretending to be him?

  Who hated him enough to set him up for murder?

/>   And how had he ended up in that room next to Sondra’s dead body? Had someone knocked him out or drugged him and put him there?

  “I’m going to find our other brother,” Ray said. “And I’ll figure out who this is in the picture.”

  “It’s time we talk to Elmore,” Maddox said. “If he received a ransom demand, maybe it’ll lead us to Sondra’s killer.”

  Emotions ping-ponged inside Cash. He didn’t know how to respond. All his life he’d been on his own.

  Did these men really believe him? Were they actually going to help him?

  Brett walked over to the bar where Mama Mary had left the food and coffee. “I say we chow down before you go. Mama Mary went to a lot of trouble for us.”

  “You know she loves it,” Ray said with a twinkle in his eye.

  “She’s been with us since we were kids,” Maddox said to Cash. “She took care of us when Mama died.”

  Envy stirred inside Cash. These men looked slightly different but had similar features—strong jaws and high cheekbones, tanned skin, dark hair—just like his own. Yet they’d grown up together, had wrestled as boys, had shared memories with their parents. Had bonded.

  If he was their brother, he’d lost years of being with them.

  How would his life have been different if he’d grown up on Horseshoe Creek? If he’d had family? Someone who gave a damn.

  If he was their brother. That was still the operative word. He still couldn’t believe it.

  Maddox motioned to BJ and him. “Come on and grab a plate.”

  BJ stepped to the bar, poured a cup of coffee and choose a sandwich from the tray. Cash’s stomach growled. He’d hardly eaten since the arrest. The grub Sheriff Jasper had shoved in the cell could hardly be called food.

  Cash poured himself a cup of coffee, then chose a hearty roast beef sandwich.

  “Take all you want,” Brett said. “Mama Mary will be offended if we don’t clean this tray.”

  The men’s affection for the older woman was obvious.

  He grabbed a second sandwich, then scooped potato salad into a bowl and carried his plate and coffee over to the long table at the far end of the study. He sat awkwardly, waiting on the McCullens to fill their plates.

  The scene was almost surreal. He’d come here suspicious of their motives, but as far as he could tell, they’d been honest. And now they were sharing a meal like...a real family.

  Cash’s throat closed. He’d never had a real family.

  What if he wasn’t one of them?

  Or what if he was and he let them down? Would they claim him as blood kin if he ended up in prison for the rest of his life?

  * * *

  BJ SIPPED HER COFFEE, well aware of Cash’s discomfort. She felt slightly awkward herself.

  This family was nothing like her own. Her father was stiff and formal. She’d been raised by nannies and housekeepers who were stuffy and rigid, not loving and friendly like Mama Mary, who felt more like a family member than an employee.

  Maddox folded his hands prayer-style. “Let’s say grace.”

  Following the men’s lead, she folded her hands and bowed her head. Cash took a second longer, his posture stiff, as if saying a blessing was a foreign concept to him.

  Maddox blessed the food, then the men dug in with gusto. Cash finally relaxed, and judging from how quickly he scarfed down his food, he hadn’t eaten in days.

  He’d been locked up by Jasper, who had made no bones about his dislike for Cash.

  “Did Sondra say anything to you about Tyler when she met you at the bar?”

  Cash wiped his mouth with a napkin. “No, we barely talked. It was loud in the bar so she pulled me outside.”

  “Then you blacked out?” Ray asked.

  Cash exhaled, then rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah. I thought someone might have hit me in the back of the head, but there’s no bump.”

  “You could have been drugged,” BJ pointed out. Maddox cursed. “Jasper should have had your blood tested, but he didn’t.”

  “What about Sondra’s friends? Did she have a close girlfriend she might have left Tyler with?” BJ asked.

  “She had more guy friends than girlfriends,” Cash said. “But she kept in touch with some girl named Diane.”

  “You know her last name?” Maddox asked.

  Cash shook his head.

  “I saw a post with her on Facebook,” BJ said.

  “Jasper probably talked to her, but we’ll follow up.” Maddox polished off his food.

  “He won’t like your interference,” BJ said.

  “I don’t care,” Maddox said. “I don’t trust him. I know a judge who will agree with me, too.” He stood, shifting back and forth, obviously antsy. “Besides, the murder occurred in Sheriff Jasper’s jurisdiction but technically the Elmore’s live in mine so I have to investigate the kidnapping.”

  So he could justify his involvement.

  “I’m going to question Elmore myself.” BJ turned to Cash. “I think you should go, too. I want to see Elmore’s reaction.”

  “I need to check on Rose and the baby first.” Maddox pushed back from the table.

  “We have some new quarter horses coming in. I have to be here,” Brett said.

  Ray set down his fork. “I’ll work on identifying this guy in the camera. We find him, he can fill us in on what really happened that night.”

  BJ’s mind raced. What if that man was his twin and he’d set him up? Although why would he do that?

  Maddox folded his napkin and placed it on his plate. “If you get an address, call me and I’ll pick him up.”

  “Thank you for lunch,” BJ said.

  “Yes, thanks,” Cash said. “And please thank Mama Mary for me. That’s the best meal I’ve had in a long time.”

  “Hell, if you think that was good, you should taste Mama Mary’s chicken ’n dumplings,” Brett said.

  Maddox rubbed his belly and Ray muttered an Amen.

  BJ’s heart melted at the uncertainty in Cash’s eyes. For a man who’d never had a family, becoming part of this close-knit group could be something special.

  But they needed the DNA test first. And they had to prove Cash’s innocence and find Tyler.

  She didn’t know the child, but she was worried sick about him.

  With Jasper’s stubbornness about Cash’s guilt, they’d already lost precious time tracking down the child.

  She only hoped Tyler didn’t end up like Sondra.

  * * *

  CASH TAMPED DOWN any smidgen of hope that he belonged to this family. Things like that didn’t happen to people like him.

  Loser. That’s what his foster father used to call him.

  Not that he cared about that bastard’s opinion. But he had believed it as a kid.

  Then he’d met this social worker named Darma who’d told him he could wallow in pity or be the man he wanted to be.

  He’d taken her advice and learned ranching skills. He’d even enrolled in business classes to help him if he ever could afford his own spread.

  Mama Mary bustled in to get the dirty dishes, and he thanked her for the food.

  She looked him up and down for a moment, as if trying to decide if he was who they thought he was, then her plump cheeks turned rosy with her smile. “You’re certainly welcome, Mr. Cash. It’s nice to meet you.”

  Nice to meet him? He was under arrest.

  He tipped his hat. “You, too, ma’am. You’re a fine cook.”

  Her smile widened, the dimples in her cheeks deepening. “I don’t have to wait on DNA. You’ve got more of your mama in you than the other boys.” She pressed a hand to his cheek. “She was a good woman and loved the other three boys. But when that doctor told her she lost those twins, it tore her up som
ething bad.”

  Cash had always wondered if his mother regretted giving him up. If she’d thought about him over the years, or missed him, or even remembered him on his birthday.

  If he’d been kidnapped at birth and was part of this family, it meant his mother had loved him. That she’d grieved when he’d been taken.

  Sadness welled in his chest.

  BJ stepped back. “We’ll meet Maddox at Elmore’s,” she said. “It’ll take time to get those warrants. I’m anxious to see if Elmore has received any word about Tyler.”

  She led the way through the house and outside.

  Maddox had taken him off guard with that blessing. Cash didn’t pray often.

  But he said a silent prayer that Tyler was still alive, and that he’d been found as they headed to her car.

  * * *

  BJ CALLED SHERIFF Jasper as she slid into the driver’s seat. The phone rang four times, then his voice mail picked up. “Sheriff Jasper, it’s BJ Alexander. Call me with an update on the Amber Alert.”

  She ended the call and drove from the ranch toward Elmore’s, grateful Maddox was on top of the search for Tyler. Horseshoe Creek was a huge operation, but the wide-open spaces, land and animals created a homey feeling.

  Her father’s city estate was large and had never felt like home, whereas the McCullen farmhouse felt warm and welcoming.

  Cash looked grim. His mind must be churning with dozens of questions about the case and Tyler, and about the McCullens and the possibility that he was part of that family.

  Finding Tyler had to take precedence, though. “Did Sondra mention someplace she’d go if she moved from her father’s?”

  Cash swung his gaze her way. “She used to talk about the beach, but that was a long time ago.”

  She changed tactics. “Let’s talk about Elmore. Did he have any enemies that you know of?”

  Cash removed his hat and ran one hand through his hair. Another scar—this one a cigarette burn on his hand.

  She dragged her gaze from it, knowing what it meant. He’d been abused.

  An image of a little boy who looked like Cash taunted her. Then an image of a big man pressing a lit cigarette to him to punish him...