The Missing Mccullen. Rita Herron

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СКАЧАТЬ told you she didn’t,” he said, his irritation mounting.

      She fell silent for a moment. “If you didn’t kill Sondra, it’s possible that this other man did. Was Sondra afraid of him?”

      Cash scrubbed his hand over his chin. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

      “Tell me about the night she died,” BJ said.

      He’d been struggling to recall Friday evening, but the entire night was a fog. “She was upset when she called me, but she didn’t explain. I assumed she and her daddy had had an argument, but I guess she could have fought with Tyler’s father.”

      BJ pursed her lips. “She must have had a good reason to keep his identity a secret. He could be married or a prominent figure in the community. He had something to lose if word leaked he had a child.”

      “That’s what I figured.” Cash’s heart hammered. The only way to clear himself was to find Sondra’s killer. “What if she’d decided to come clean about him? Or maybe she needed money or help.”

      “Makes sense. If he didn’t want his identity exposed, he could have killed her to keep her quiet.” BJ crossed her legs, drawing his attention to their long slender shape. She must have noticed, because a second later she uncrossed them and leaned forward. “We need to know his name.”

      “If I knew his name, trust me, I’d tell you.” Fear made his throat thick. “If your theory is right and he didn’t want the boy, he could have killed him.”

      Her frown deepened. “It would be pretty coldhearted to kill a child.”

      Cash nodded. He couldn’t allow himself to even think about losing Tyler. But he didn’t want to go to prison for a crime he hadn’t committed. Offering another suspect could help his case.

      “I’ll try to get ahold of Tyler’s birth certificate,” she suggested.

      Cash nodded again. “Look into Elmore, too. Maybe someone had a grudge against him and kidnapped Tyler for blackmail money.”

      BJ cleared her throat. “True.”

      “I tried to tell Sheriff Jasper this, but he didn’t believe me.” Cash didn’t like any of the scenarios that flashed through his mind. “A few of the ranchers had squabbles with him, but I don’t think they’d resort to kidnapping.”

      “I’ll ask around,” BJ agreed.

      “Has Elmore received a ransom call?” Cash asked.

      She shook her head. “Not that I know of, but I’ll talk to him.”

      Emotions thickened his throat as he pictured the times he’d played horseshoe with the little guy. Then another time when Tyler had climbed a tree, but was too afraid to climb down, so Cash had rescued him.

      That little boy had dug a hole in Cash’s heart.

      They had to find him and make sure he was safe.

      * * *

      BJ TAPPED HER fingernails on the table again. “There’s another possibility, Cash. Do you have any enemies? Someone who would frame you for murder?”

      Turmoil hardened Cash’s face. “Elmore disliked me, but I haven’t seen him in a while. Other than him, I can’t think of anyone.”

      BJ’s lungs squeezed. She’d come here skeptical about this man’s innocence. But he couldn’t fake the fear in his eyes or voice—he was sincerely worried about that child.

      Still, she had to remain objective and consider every possibility.

      “The sheriff thinks that you took Tyler and planned to blackmail Elmore.”

      “That’s ridiculous. Besides, I didn’t have to kill anyone to execute that plan, if that was really my intent.”

      “You must have hated him for firing you and blackballing you. You could use the money to buy your own place.”

      “I did want my own spread, I’ll admit that.” Anger sizzled in his eyes. “But not bad enough to hurt Sondra. I know what it’s like to grow up without a family. I loved Tyler and would never have taken his mama away.”

      The pain in his voice was too raw to not be real.

      “Tell me what happened then,” BJ said. “How did you wind up in that motel room with Sondra’s blood all over you?”

      He released a frustrated sigh. “Like I told you, she called me, upset, and I met her at the tavern.” He rubbed his chin. “I got there and ordered a drink. She came and...we walked outside for a minute. Then everything goes blank.”

      “Someone knocked you out?”

      “I don’t know.” Confusion clouded his eyes. “Either that or I was drugged.”

      An excuse or the truth? “Unfortunately, it’s too late to test your blood for drugs.”

      “I realize that, but it’s the only explanation I can think of.” His expression turned grim. “Seriously, one minute I was talking to her, the next I woke up in the room with Sondra, and she was dead.”

      BJ studied him. Shock and sorrow radiated from his eyes. If he was a liar, he was a damn good one.

      But the security camera had captured his face outside that motel room. “You woke up and found her, then what?”

      He lifted his shoulders in a defeated shrug. “I called 911, and then I phoned Sondra’s father. I...thought I was doing the right thing.”

      He had done the right thing. That is, if he hadn’t sliced Sondra’s throat.

      But BJ couldn’t imagine him killing a woman in cold blood.

      Maybe a crime of passion?

      She needed to question the ranch hands and find out if Cash was violent. If they thought he’d had an affair with Sondra.

      If he wanted to get back at Elmore.

      Another possibility hit her, one she didn’t want to consider. But one the DA definitely would.

      What if Cash was in love with Sondra, and wanted to marry her and adopt Tyler? She could have met with him to tell him to leave her alone. Maybe she’d even fallen for another man and planned to cut Cash out of the boy’s life. He could have flown into a jealous rage.

      Indecision warred with the instinct that Cash was telling the truth and needed help. That either Cash or Elmore had enemies.

      That one of those enemies had killed Sondra and kidnapped Tyler to get revenge.

      But what had they done with Tyler?

      * * *

      CASH COULD SEE the wheels turning in the lawyer’s head. She was trying to decide whether he was innocent or guilty.

      He wasn’t sure which way she was leaning.

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