Settling an Old Score

by Delores Fossen

  “You’re here to have another go at me,” Oscar immediately snarled.

  “Jay Hamby,” Eli said, not responding to the man’s comment.

  As Ashlyn had done with Remy, she watched Oscar to see how he reacted to that name. But Oscar merely shrugged. “I know him. He’s a bouncer at a bar just up the street from my shop.”

  Eli didn’t say anything else. He just stared at Oscar and waited for the man to continue.

  Oscar finally cursed, and his mouth twisted as if he’d gotten a bad taste of something. “Let me guess—he’s the guy you shot and killed at Ashlyn’s place.”

  “How’d you know about that?” Eli fired back.

  “Word gets around.” Oscar cursed again, shook his head. “And now I get why I’m here. You think because I know...knew Jay Hamby that I hired him to take shots at you. I didn’t.”

  “Any reason I should believe you?” Eli asked.

  Oscar’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Yeah. Because it’s the truth.” He looked away from Eli and repeated some of that profanity he’d been spewing. “Someone’s trying to set me up. That’s the only explanation as to why all three hired guns could be connected back to me.”

  “Not the only explanation,” Eli assured him. “You could be guilty. Are you?”

  Oscar’s gaze came back to Eli. “No. And I’m not saying another word until my lawyer gets here.”

  Eli made a suit-yourself sound and walked away, leading Ashlyn back in the direction of Kellan’s office. Kellan was on the phone, and he held up his finger for them to wait a second while he finished. Ashlyn tuned in to the conversation when she heard Kellan say, “Ashlyn’s horses.”

  She certainly hadn’t forgotten about her horses or her small ranch, but it was a reminder that one of the animals could have been hurt. After Eli had shot the gunman, he’d gotten her out of there so fast that she hadn’t had time to check for herself.

  “Everything’s okay,” Kellan assured her as soon as he finished the call. “The CSIs are out at your place again, and I sent two of my ranch hands out to tend your livestock and get your things.”

  “Thank you.” She hadn’t realized just how thin her breath had gotten until she tried to speak. “I’d already packed a suitcase, but I left it on the floor in the kitchen.”

  He nodded and sent a text. No doubt to let his hands know where it was. “I’ve also arranged for Cora’s crib to be taken to Jack’s.” Kellan scrubbed his hand over his face. “I considered moving all of you back to Eli’s since it’s bigger, but I think it’s safer if she stays put.”

  Ashlyn felt the same way, but there was something in Kellan’s weary eyes that made her realize there was more.

  “The CSIs found Hamby’s car,” Kellan added several moments later. “It was parked on a side road just up from Ashlyn’s. There are signs that two people were in the vehicle. Two fast-food bags and drinks. Hamby also had a burner cell phone in it, and he got a call right after he was shot. It came from another burner.”

  Ashlyn followed the thread of that. “There’s a fourth gunman?”

  “Probably,” Kellan admitted. “Either that or the person who hired him could have been in the vehicle. If so, that rules out Remy, because he has an alibi. He said he was at a doctor’s appointment, and I just confirmed that.”

  “Any prints or trace in Hamby’s car?” Eli asked.

  “Plenty. Along with the receipt for the fast food. It’ll take them a while to sort through all of it, but we might get lucky.”

  Maybe, but she wondered if whoever had hired Hamby would be careless enough to leave evidence behind.

  Kellan tipped his head to the man in the suit who came in the front door. “Oscar’s lawyer. I’ll get started with the interview, and when I’m done, I’ll press the CSIs to get us anything they can from that car.” He started out but then stopped, his gaze connecting with Eli’s. “Dominick should be in soon. You want to interview him?”

  “Absolutely. I want to ask him about his secret bank account and that big withdrawal.”

  Ashlyn knew it would take more luck to pin Dominick down on that. Especially if he had indeed hired those gunmen.

  As soon as Kellan walked out, Eli took hold of her hand and moved her out of the doorway. Out of view from the windows, too. She hadn’t needed a reminder of the danger, but that gave her one anyway.

  “There are too many puzzle pieces,” she said. “In the meantime, you and I—maybe Cora, too—are in the crosshairs of a killer.”

  He didn’t argue with her. Couldn’t. Because it was true, a frustration that they both felt. That frustration was in every muscle of his body when he pulled her into his arms. As he’d done in the kitchen, he brushed a kiss on the top of her head. A kiss of comfort.

  And it worked.

  Ashlyn could practically feel some of the tension slide right out of her. Of course, the heat came in its place. No surprise there. She’d been dealing with it for much too long.

  He pulled back just a little and looked down at her with those smoky gray eyes. They weren’t stormy now but had some of the same fire that she was certain was in her own.

  “Yeah,” he said as if he’d known exactly what she was thinking—and feeling. “If we were still in high school, I would just coax you into taking a trip out to my truck. That won’t work this time, though.”

  “No.” Since he could be dangerous. And also since sex should be the last thing on their minds. But Ashlyn wanted to make this moment a little lighter than spelling out those reminders. “Because we’re sensible adults now.”

  The corner of his mouth lifted, causing a dimple to flash in his cheek. Yes, a dimple. It was another weapon in the arsenal of Eli Slater, hot cowboy. But the smile didn’t last long.

  “Soon, we’re going to have a brief talk about this,” Eli drawled, his voice all smoke and heat. “And then we’ll deal with it. I’ve got some ideas as to how we can do that.”

  Now she smiled, and even though she figured it was a mistake, Ashlyn brushed her mouth over his. Again, not a full-fledged kiss, but it could have qualified as foreplay. Short foreplay. They moved away from each other when they heard a familiar voice in the squad room.

  Dominick.

  Ashlyn whirled around, and the first thing she noticed was that Dominick had seen her in Eli’s arms. She silently groaned. She didn’t especially want to keep her feelings for Eli secret, but she figured it wasn’t going to please Dominick. Of course, nothing would likely please him at this point.

  “I see you’ve found a way to keep yourself busy,” Dominick snapped. “And where’s Cora while you’re here with Slater?”

  “Cora’s safe,” Ashlyn settled for saying.

  With his lawyer right on his heels, Dominick came closer. “I want to see her, to make sure you’re not lying to me.”

  “Uh, you’re here for an official interrogation,” Eli interrupted. “Not to visit a baby. So you can just cut the demands. The only rights you have are to remain silent and have your attorney present. That’s it.”

  Dominick’s icy gaze cut to Eli. “I’m here because Ashlyn has talked you into harassing me. What the hell do you want this time?”

  Eli stepped out and used his fingers to motion for Dominick to follow him, but Eli made sure that he was between Dominick and her. On the way to the interview, he recited Dominick his rights. That only added more steel and ice to Dominick’s expression.

  “You’ll have to wait in the observation room,” Eli whispered to her. “I need to keep this official.”

  She nodded, though she would have preferred to confront Dominick face-to-face. Still, she’d be able to see him and gauge his reaction. It was obvious he was more upset now than he had been during his other visit.

  So was she, Ashlyn realized.

  Dominick’s demand to see Cora had cut her to the bone. And also riled her. If he truly w
as so interested in the baby’s safety, then why would he insist on seeing her at a time like this? She’d already known Dominick was pigheaded and used to getting his way, but he had also claimed to love Cora. If that was true, he sure wasn’t putting his granddaughter first.

  Ashlyn flipped the switch to get the audio, and she listened while Eli worked his way through some preliminary questions. Dominick didn’t hesitate when questioned about his alibi during the time of the latest attack. He said he was in a meeting with four other people. She didn’t doubt it, either. If he was behind this, then he would have made sure of a strong alibi.

  “Tell me about your secret bank account,” Eli threw out there the moment Dominick had answered the previous question.

  Dominick visibly stiffened, opened his mouth. Probably to claim there was no such account. But then he stopped and had a short whispered conversation with his lawyer.

  “It’s not a secret,” Dominick said when he faced Eli again. “It’s an account I’d set up so I’d have funds to buy my wife gifts and such. That way, whatever I bought her would be a surprise. After she died, I didn’t close it. Sentimental reasons,” he added with a smirk.

  “Sentimental reasons,” Eli repeated. No smirk, but he sounded plenty skeptical. “The account had a lot of layers of security on it for something that’s supposed to be legal and aboveboard.”

  Dominick calmly lifted his shoulder. “My late wife was very good at snooping.”

  “Yeah.” Eli’s skepticism went up a notch, but Ashlyn knew that with the woman dead it wasn’t something they could prove. “Do you use the account for things other than surprise gifts?”

  Now a faint smile crossed Dominick’s lips. “Yes. Recently, I withdrew funds to do some remodeling at my house.”

  “Really?” Eli challenged. “You used cash for that?”

  “Yes. I thought it’d make things easier for the contractor. And before you ask, there was nothing illegal about it.”

  “You’ve got receipts?” Eli pressed.

  “I can get them.” Dominick no longer smiled or looked smug. The anger was creeping back into his expression and tone.

  While Eli continued to press him on that, Ashlyn took out her phone and called Sue Malloy, the nanny Dominick had hired for his visits with Cora. Even though Ashlyn had never left Cora with the woman, Sue had given Ashlyn her number.

  “Ashlyn,” Sue said the moment she answered. “I was surprised when I saw your name on my phone screen. I heard about the attack. Are Cora and you okay?”

  “Yes. We’re fine. But that’s not why I’m calling.” She paused, tried to figure out how to say this. She didn’t want to put the woman on defensive. “Have you recently been at Dominick’s house?”

  “I have,” she readily admitted. “He converted one of the bedrooms to a nursery. You know, in case he got the overnight visits approved for Cora. He wanted her to have her own room, and he asked me to make sure it had everything she might need.”

  Considering that Dominick was a suspect in attempted murders, that tightened Ashlyn’s stomach, but she reminded herself that he could be innocent. He hadn’t lied about the bank account, and while it still didn’t seem aboveboard, he had told the truth about the renovation.

  “Is there a problem?” Sue asked.

  “No. I was just checking. Thanks.” And she ended the call before Sue could press her for more info.

  This time when Ashlyn looked at Dominick through the glass, she did so with less anger and nerves. Maybe he was innocent about everything other than wanting more time with his granddaughter. If so, she’d owe him an apology, but she wasn’t about to do that until the person who’d hired those gunmen had been caught.

  She heard the footsteps in the hall and automatically tensed again. But it wasn’t a threat that her body was preparing for. It was Gunnar. He glanced through both observation windows. Kellan was still in interview with Oscar. Eli with Dominick.

  “Any idea how close they are to wrapping things up?” Gunnar asked.

  “It shouldn’t be long on Dominick. I’m not sure about Oscar.” She hadn’t been listening to that interrogation.

  “Good. Because Eli’s going to want to hear this.” Gunnar went to the interview room door and knocked. “The tail we had on Remy just called, and he says something suspicious is going on and that Eli should get out there right away.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Eli took one look at Ashlyn and Gunnar, and he knew something was wrong. Something that was going to delay finishing his interview with Dominick. He stepped out into the hall with them, shutting the door in case this was news about that hidden bank account.

  “The reserve deputy, Manuel Garcia, we had on Remy followed him to a small farmhouse about ten miles from here,” Gunnar explained. He glanced down and read from a note he was holding. “The place belonged to Remy’s grandmother. It’s in his name now, but it’s been empty for a couple of years since the grandmother got moved into a nursing home.”

  Eli took a moment to process that but figured there had to be more or Gunnar wouldn’t have pulled him out of the interview. “What happened?”

  “Garcia parked on a trail so he could keep watch, and he saw Remy go to the backyard. He says that Remy then dropped down and started crying in front of what Garcia thinks is maybe a headstone. You know, a grave.”

  Beside him, Ashlyn made a sharp sound of surprise. “Are any of his relatives buried there?” she asked.

  Gunnar shook his head. “There’s no burial record for anyone at that location, and Garcia figured the way that Remy was carrying on that it probably wasn’t a pet.” Gunnar paused. “I thought you’d want us to go there and check things out.”

  “I do.” Eli had to give the logistics of that some thought. “Get the cruiser ready, and I’ll let Kellan know what’s going on.”

  Eli was about to tell Ashlyn that she’d be staying there at the sheriff’s office, but then he considered that she would be there with two of their prime suspects. Of course, Kellan would protect her, but his brother already had his hands full with the interviews.

  “You want to come with Gunnar and me?” Eli asked her.

  She gave each of the interview doors a glimpse and then nodded.

  Eli hoped like the devil that it wasn’t another mistake, but this could be a “damned if he did, damned if he didn’t” situation. Rather than stand there and lose time, he went in and had a quick chat with Kellan. Once he got the green light from his brother to leave, Eli headed toward the front.

  Gunnar and Ashlyn were already there, waiting for him, and they rushed out and into the cruiser. Gunnar took off as they all kept watch around them. However, keeping watch wouldn’t be easy with this trip because it was already starting to get dark.

  Great.

  Just what he didn’t want—more obstacles to keeping Ashlyn safe.

  “A grave,” Ashlyn said. She still sounded shocked about that. “Maybe it’s some kind of memorial for Marta?”

  Yeah, that had been his first thought, shortly followed by the possibility that it could be a ploy to throw them off the scent that Marta might be alive. If Remy showed them a memorial like that, he might believe it would convince them to stop looking for the woman.

  It wouldn’t.

  But maybe Remy was desperate.

  Eli heard Gunnar’s phone ding with a text, and the deputy passed it back to Eli so he could read it. What he saw on the screen had Eli cursing.

  “Garcia says that Remy’s walking away from the headstone,” Eli relayed to Gunnar and Ashlyn before he handed it back to Gunnar. “It looks as if Remy is about to leave.”

  Eli wanted Remy on scene, and there was little chance they would make it there in time before he left, so Eli took out his own phone. He didn’t have Remy’s number in his cell so he went through dispatch to have them call the man. Eli wasn’t sure Remy would eve
n answer, but he did on the fourth ring.

  “Who the hell is this?” Remy snapped.

  “Eli Slater. Just checking to see how you are.” Eli didn’t bother to sound sincere since Remy wouldn’t have believed him anyway.

  “How the hell do you think I am?” Remy countered, and Eli had no trouble hearing the man’s sob.

  “Did something happen?” Eli pressed. “Are you okay?”

  Remy didn’t jump to answer that time, and then he cursed much as Eli had done just seconds earlier. “I see a car. You had someone follow me.” It wasn’t a question. “You SOB. You put a tail on me.”

  “Yeah, I did,” Eli readily admitted. “Now, you want to explain to me who’s buried in that grave you were just crying over?”

  That only brought on more cursing, and Eli waited him out while he mouthed for Ashlyn to use Gunnar’s phone to keep track of Remy through Garcia. If Remy tried to leave, he wanted Garcia to stop him.

  “You had no right to follow me,” Remy finally said.

  “I beg to differ. The badge gives me that right. Now tell me who’s in the grave, or I’ll get a bulldozer out there tonight, and I’ll have it dug up.”

  “You can’t!” Remy shouted. He repeated that a couple more times and broke down into another sob.

  Ashlyn nudged Eli to show him Garcia’s text message. Remy’s pacing in the backyard. He’s not heading back toward his car.

  Good. He wanted Garcia to have backup before he tried to restrain Remy. The man could be armed. Heck, and he could be dangerous.

  “I won’t let you dig it up,” Remy insisted.

  “Then tell me who’s buried there.” Of course, Eli would have it dug up anyway, no matter what Remy told him.

  Remy sobbed several more seconds, which Eli considered a good thing. Each second brought them closer to the place.

  “She’s here,” Remy finally said on a choked breath. “Marta’s here.”

  Eli felt the stillness slide through him. “Marta’s buried in that grave?”

  Again, Remy paused, cried. “Yes. She’s here. I couldn’t have her buried so far away. I needed to be able to come and talk to her. I needed her to be close to me.”