Page 34 of The Sheriff's Baby

Six hours. That’s how long it’d been, and Joelle realized she’d slept nearly a full hour of that. Well, slept and dreamed anyway.

“The last update I got was that Molly was about seven centimeters dilated,” Duncan explained. “So, maybe it won’t be long now.” He paused a moment and eased a strand of hair off Joelle’s cheek. “Molly’s injuries aren’t serious, thank God. And the baby seems to be perfectly fine.”

Joelle felt the relief shove aside some of those remnants of the nightmare. “Good.” And she repeated it several times.

“Obviously, we haven’t been able to ask Molly about the kidnapping,” Duncan went on. “There’ll be time for that later after the baby’s born.”

She figured he was wishing he could question Molly since the woman might be able to tell them more than they already knew. And it occurred to her that Duncan might know a whole lot more than he had when she’d fallen asleep.

“Sonya is with Molly in labor and delivery,” Duncan went on before she could ask him for an update on the investigation. “Sonya went to childbirth classes with her and is Molly’s coach. It’s possible Sonya and Molly have been talking in between contractions.” He eased off the bed and lifted a white bag. “The hospital food didn’t look that good so I had this delivered from the diner. A grilled chicken sandwich, a fruit cup and milk. You should eat.”

Joelle’s stomach growled at the mention of food, and she realized that despite everything that’d gone on, she was in fact hungry. Duncan took out the items he’d mentioned, laying them out on the rolling table that he pulled over.

Apparently, she wasn’t the only one hungry because he took out another sandwich, a bag of chips and a bottle of water for himself. He hadn’t gotten his usual can of Pepsi, though, and she suspected that was because he knew it was her favorite as well but that she’d given up soda for the duration of the pregnancy.

“You’ve been here the whole time I’ve been sleeping,” she commented, already knowing the answer. Duncan wouldn’t risk leaving her, not when there were those two gunmen still at large. “Did you get any rest?”

He tipped his head to the chair in the corner. “Some.”

Which meant maybe a catnap at most. Since there was also a laptop on the chair, it likely meant he’d spent the bulk of those six hours working. Joelle felt a little guilty about that, but then she reminded herself that her resting had been necessary. Doctor’s orders. Yes, she and the baby were all right, but the doctor had said some sleep would remedy the effects of stress caused by the attack.

They ate in silence for a few moments, but she didn’t miss the glances he kept giving her. Often, she could pinpoint what was on Duncan’s mind just by looking at him, but there had to be plenty on his mind right now. Joelle plucked out one of the possibilities.

“Have you managed to ID the man who tried to kill me?” she asked.

“Not yet.”

She hadn’t thought it possible, but just admitting that tightened his jaw even more. Of course, everything about this bothered him because the attacks were aimed at her which meant they were also aimed at the baby.

“And we had to let Hamlin go,” Duncan added a moment later. “I can’t prove he didn’t send that fake text to himself. Hell, I can’t prove anything that’ll land him in jail.”

Yes, definitely plenty of frustration mixed with the worry and exhaustion. Not a good mix.

“Did you see the photos of my father in the yard?” she added.

Of course, she knew that he had. He wouldn’t have missed something that big at a crime scene, and even though he’d left with her to follow Molly in the ambulance, Duncan had likely gotten a glimpse of them. He’d probably had more than a glimpse by now since one of the other deputies would have bagged them for processing and sent him pictures of them.

He nodded and continued to study her. “The man we have in custody won’t talk about them, but I’m guessing he’s the one who put them there. Is that what caused you to drive the cruiser to that part of the yard?”

It was Joelle’s turn to nod. And to wince and shake her head. “It was a trap, and I fell for it. He was right there, hiding, waiting for me.”

“If you hadn’t driven over to them, he likely would have just come after you where you were parked,” Duncan was quick to point out. “It was a risky plan, what with cops and ranch hands all over the place.”

Yes, it had been risky. And it’d nearly worked.

“The man was wearing Kevlar beneath his shirt,” Duncan went on, “but he could have been shot elsewhere if someone had spotted him charging at you.”

That was also true. “Does that make him an idiot, cocky or desperate?” she wanted to know.

“Maybe all three.” He took a bite of his sandwich, motioned for her to do the same, and she did. “His name is Willie Jay Prescott,” he added after he’d washed the bite down with some of his water. “At least we think that’s his name. The lab got a match on the blood found at Molly’s, and it belongs to this Willie Jay. Since the guy who tried to take you had a cut on his arm, we’re guessing Molly wounded him and he left some blood behind.”

That made sense. Well, maybe it did. “There were at least three gunmen involved in the combined attack on me and in Molly’s kidnapping,” Joelle reminded him.

He made a quick sound of agreement. “When I’m able to talk to Molly, I’ll show her Willie Jay’s picture and ask if he was the one with her the whole time. It’s possible he wore a mask around her, but she might be able to ID him.”

Since Molly was a former cop, Joelle was betting the woman would be able to do it, too. Even though Molly would have been terrified during her captivity, she would have no doubt paid attention to the man holding her.

“My father’s killer or his accomplice is probably the one who took those photos,” she said. Again, this wouldn’t be a surprise to Duncan. “That means Willie Jay could have been the one who murdered him?”

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