Stockyard Snatching

by Barb Han

  Her arms came up to his chest, her palms flat against his pecs.

  As if they both suddenly realized where they were and that someone could walk through that door at any second, they pulled back, hearts pounding in rhythm.

  Chemistry sizzled between them, charging the air.

  Tommy walked in and his tense expression signaled more bad news.

  “Two things,” he stated. “First, Morton’s body has been found floating in the lake on the Hatches’ property. He’d been fatally shot, but the perp tied a bag of heavy rocks around his midsection.”

  “Amateurs?” Dallas asked.

  “It would appear so,” Tommy agreed. “And it looks like they did this on the spur of the moment, using whatever they could find.”

  “What else?” Dallas was trying to digest this news. He was the one who’d gotten Morton involved in this case and now the PI was dead. Guilt sat heavy on his chest as he tried to take a breath.

  “The other news—” he glanced from Dallas to Kate “—is that more pictures were found at Lentz’s place. A lot of them.”

  “And that would confirm his fixation on Kate,” Dallas said, which was the logical assumption. But he had a gnawing feeling that the guy was innocent. Dallas wanted him to be guilty. That would tie this whole troubling case up with a bow. Lentz would be arrested. Kate and Jackson would be safe. Problem solved.

  And yet Dallas worried this was more complicated.

  Babies were going missing. Investigating Safe Haven had most likely cost Morton his life. Anger pierced Dallas, leaving a huge hole in his chest.

  Kate took a step back, grabbing the desk to steady herself. “What kind of pictures?”

  “Just like the ones you saw earlier,” Tommy said. “And there were ones with markings across Jackson’s face.”

  Kate gasped again, looking stunned. “I can’t believe Allen would do something like that. I know I saw the photos with my own eyes, but it doesn’t make any sense.”

  As much as Dallas didn’t like the guy, part of him agreed with Kate. This was too easy. “Does Allen have any enemies? Did he get into a fight with anyone lately?”

  Someone could be setting up Lentz. But who? And why?

  Her lips pressed together and Dallas forced himself not to stare. Thinking about that kiss was inappropriate as hell and yet there it was anyway.

  “The baby keeps me busy. I don’t really socialize with anyone outside of work, so I couldn’t say for sure about his personal life.” She shot an apologetic look toward Tommy. “He didn’t talk about having any arguments and no one’s been around the soup kitchen.”

  “Kate!” The anguish in Allen’s voice shattered the silence in the hallway. “Let me talk to Kate. Those aren’t my pictures. I don’t know where they came from. I’m being set up.”

  Dallas heard one of the deputies shuffling Lentz down the hall, most likely to a jail cell.

  “I would never do something like this. I love Jackson,” the man shouted, and it visibly shook Kate.

  She glanced around the room. “I honestly don’t know what to say. I have no idea who would do this to him, and even though those pictures completely creep me out, I still can’t believe he would do something like this.”

  Dallas rubbed his chin. “It would have to be someone with access to his computer at work and at his home.”

  Kate gripped the desk. “There’s one person I can think of who would have access to both, but there’s no way he would do anything like this.”

  Dallas nodded, urging her to keep talking.

  “My handyman, Randy Ruiz,” she finally said and then bit her bottom lip.

  “I’ll check him out.” Tommy typed the name into the system. “We ran Lentz earlier and his background check came up clean, by the way.”

  “And Ruiz?” Dallas asked.

  “He has a record,” Tommy noted, staring at his computer screen.

  “I know. I knew that when I hired him. But that was a long time ago, and good people deserve a second chance,” Kate said. “He’s never been so much as late to work, let alone missed a day. He has a wonderful family.”

  And a rap sheet, Dallas thought.

  Tommy locked gazes with him. “Ruiz has a history of burglary.”

  “So he would know how to get in and out of a house without anyone seeing him,” Dallas confirmed.

  “He wouldn’t have had to. Allen gave him a copy of his keys so he could fix a leaky pipe in his downstairs bathroom,” Kate declared.

  Dallas could only imagine how difficult it must be to have to think about the possibility that people she trusted would do something to hurt her. The employees at the ranch were more family than most of Dallas’s cousins.

  “We need to bring in Ruiz for questioning,” Tommy said.

  * * *

  “I’M SO SORRY this is happening, Randy,” Kate said to her employee as he was led into the sheriff’s office.

  “Someone tried to hurt you and little Jackson?” Randy asked, concern lines bracketing his mouth.

  “Yes. This morning,” she said.

  “That’s why you weren’t at work today?”

  She nodded.

  “Mrs. Zilker was worried. Allen told her everything was fine and to take the day off,” Randy said.

  Dallas couldn’t help but notice the prison tattoos on the handyman’s arms when he took off his jacket. The guy was a five-foot-nine wall of solid muscle. He had clean-cut dark hair and a trim mustache. His genuine worry made him seem far less threatening. And even though his job could have him snaking out a toilet at a moment’s notice, his jeans looked new and had been pressed. He definitely fit the bill of someone who cared about doing a good job.

  Kate nodded. “I told the sheriff how much you love your job and what an exemplary employee you are,” she said to Randy. “I’m so sorry you have to come here and answer questions.”

  “I’m not,” he said emphatically. “If this helps them find the guy who tried to kidnap Jackson, then I want to do everything I can to help.”

  Kate thanked him.

  Based on his serious expression, he meant every word. And that pretty much ruled him out as a suspect, because with his record, Dallas would’ve thought he’d be offended. His genuine lack of self-concern said he would jump through any hoop if it meant figuring out who was trying to hurt Kate.

  But the interview wasn’t a total loss. They’d ruled someone out and it was possible that Randy had seen or heard something that could help them figure out if anyone else in the office was involved.

  Tommy shot a sideways glance toward Dallas and he immediately knew that his friend thought the same thing.

  “I heard about what happened to Allen,” Randy said, shaking his head, his slight Hispanic accent barely noticeable.

  Interesting word choices, Dallas noted.

  “I made mistakes in the past, but I’m a family man now,” he said to the sheriff. “Don’t waste your time looking at me.”

  “All I need is for you to answer a few questions so we can figure out who did this,” Tommy replied, a hint of admiration in his eyes.

  “Allen’s a good guy,” Randy said. “He would never do anything to hurt Miss Kate or her baby.”

  Dallas believed that to be true, too. It was almost too easy to pin this on Lentz. And that made Dallas believe that the guy might have been set up.

  “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.”

  * * *

&n
bsp; KATE 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.