Page 28 of The Sheriff's Baby

The sun was fully up now, but the morning mist was still hovering over the pasture grass, giving the place an eerie, otherworldly feel. The mist hung around the house, too, and while it wasn’t dense enough to conceal a shooter, she couldn’t help but think of the smoke. And the fire that had destroyed her house. It was possible the kidnapper would do that here, too.

Slater cursed again, and Joelle soon saw why. There was a man at the end of the long driveway that led to the house. He was standing next to a black truck.

Hamlin.

“What the hell is he doing here?” Duncan grumbled, taking the question right out of her mouth.

“He’s armed,” Slater was quick to point out.

Joelle had noticed that as well. Hamlin had a gun in his right hand, and he jerked as if about to aim it at them. He didn’t, though. Nor did he relax the grip he had on the weapon.

Her first thought was he was the kidnapper, and this was that showdown they’d expected. But she was betting none of them had expected the man to be out in the open like this.

Slater pulled the cruiser to a jarring stop just a few feet away from Hamlin. “Do you see anyone else?” he asked, his gaze already combing the house and grounds.

Joelle and Duncan were doing the same thing. Looking for hired guns that Hamlin might have brought with him, but there was no one visible in any of the second-floor windows or the barn.

Duncan lowered his window a fraction. “Stay put, Hamlin,” he called out when the PI began to walk toward the cruiser. “And drop your weapon.”

Hamlin glanced at his gun and scowled. Then, he huffed. “What the hell is this? Did you set me up or something?”

“Drop your weapon,” Duncan repeated. His voice had a bite to it, but he added even more with the repeat.

On another huff, Hamlin tossed the gun on the ground and lifted his hands in the air. “I haven’t done anything wrong,” the PI protested.

“Then, why are you here?” Duncan demanded.

“Because you texted me and asked me to come.” Hamlin’s response was quick. Maybe rehearsed.

“I didn’t text you,” Duncan informed him, and Joelle noticed that Duncan was continuing to look for anyone else.

Hamlin shook his head. “But you did. My phone’s in my pocket. I can show you.”

Duncan didn’t take him up on that offer, probably because he knew the text had been sent by someone else to set this all up. But what wasthis? “We’re here looking for a kidnapped woman, and the kidnapper gave us this location.”

That put some alarm in Hamlin’s eyes, but since Joelle was plenty skeptical when it came to the PI, she figured that, too, could have been rehearsed. “I don’t know anything about that, and I haven’t seen anyone else since I got here.”

“He could be telling the truth,” Slater whispered. “Brad, Kate or the kidnapper could have arranged for Hamlin to come here to muddy the waters. Of course, if it’s Brad or Kate, then it means they know all about Hamlin.”

Yes, which would mean they’d know he was investigating the sale of babies. And that he believed Kate was behind that. However, Brad could have arranged this, too, if he wanted the cops looking at someone else other than him for Shanda’s murder, the kidnapping and the earlier attack.

“There’s only a minute left on the kidnapper’s deadline,” Joelle reminded them. Though she wasn’t sure if that deadline applied any longer since they were, indeed, at the ranch.

Where there was seemingly no sign of Molly.

“Yeah,” Duncan muttered, and he seemed to take a breath of relief when there was the sound of sirens in the distance. Backup would be there soon. “Hamlin, get face down on the ground, and don’t block the road.”

Joelle looked at Duncan, but she already knew what he had in mind. He’d leave backup to deal with Hamlin, and the PI would no doubt be handcuffed so he wouldn’t be a threat. Good, because Joelle had the sickening feeling they already had enough threats to deal with.

And priority was finding Molly.

“Find out who’s in that cruiser and let them know what’s going on,” Duncan told her just as his phone dinged with a text. “Never mind. It’s Woodrow Leonard and Ronnie Bishop. They were on their way back from your place.”

That explained how they’d gotten there so fast. It would have put them miles closer since her house was only an eight-minute or so drive from here. And that was a reminder they were already out of time for finding Molly. Of course, the deadline might not mean anything since it could have simply been part of the ruse to get them here, but Duncan apparently wasn’t going to take the risk that those ten minutes had been part of the ploy.

“Joelle, text Woodrow or Ronnie and tell them to cuff Hamlin and take his gun,” Duncan instructed. “Tell them to be careful and watch for gunmen. Slater, drive closer to the house.”

She typed out the text, but Joelle also continued to glance around at their surroundings. Specifically, looking for any signs they were about to be shot at. But no bullets came.

---