Page 8 of The Sheriff's Baby

She ended the call and stood to face Duncan. He definitely didn’t look to be the bearer of good news, and that caused her heart to sink again. She prayed he wasn’t about to tell her Molly was dead.

“We haven’t found Molly yet,” Duncan immediately said, probably picking up the worst-case-scenario vibe from her expression. “Some of the reserve deputies are canvasing the area around her house to find out if anyone saw anything.”

The late hour wouldn’t help with that, but maybe Molly had managed to scream or something. If so, that would have already been reported, but Joelle had to hang on to the hope that they’d get a viable lead.

“The CSIs are going through Molly’s house and the stolen car left at your place,” Duncan continued. “They’re still looking for her vehicle, too.” Even though it wasn’t necessary for him to identify whatherhe was referring to, he tipped his head to the exam room where the medical staff had taken the mystery woman. “She didn’t have any ID on her.”

“And there’s no missing person’s report matching her description,” Joelle provided.

Duncan nodded. “Apparently, she drifted in and out of consciousness when she was in the ambulance so when we’re able to speak to her, she might be able to tell us who she is. And why she issued that warning,” he tacked onto that.

Yes, that was vital for the safety of their baby, and Joelle reminded herself that there were a lot of people working to get answers and make sure thatsafetyhappened.

“Do you think this woman and the warning are directly connected to Molly?” Joelle came out and asked.

Duncan’s gaze locked with hers. Something they usually avoided because of the heat that was always there between them. Heat that came despite any and everything going on. There’d always be an intimate connection, especially now that she was carrying his child, but because she was so worried about Molly, it was easier for Joelle to shove that heat aside.

“Yes,” he admitted. The sigh he added was long, heavy and weary. “That’s why I made a call to the FBI. I wanted to see if they were aware of any black market baby rings or perpetrators in the area who could be targeting pregnant women. Nothing like that is on their radar, but they’re checking to see if this is someone from out of state.”

Joelle had tried to maintain a stoic expression, her cop face. She tried not to let the possibility of something like that give her this jolt of fear. But it did. Mercy, it did.

Duncan muttered some profanity and took hold of her arm. Probably because she looked ready to collapse. Joelle was almost certain that wouldn’t happen, almost, but she allowed him to help her back into one of the chairs, and he sank down on the one beside her.

“Deep breaths,” he advised her. “Count to ten. Tell me the latest names you’re considering for the baby.”

Part of her resented Duncan for seeing the weakness in her and knowing she needed help. Part of her also resented that such measures might be necessary to keep herself from spiraling. But the resentment was really for herself, for feeling this clawing terror all the way to the bone. Those sort of emotions didn’t help. In fact, they could hurt, and she didn’t want anything else that could hinder them in this investigation.

“I’ll be all right,” she muttered, hoping it was true.

The sound Duncan made let her know that he wasn’t so sure of that at all, and she might have launched into more attempts at convincing him if her phone hadn’t rang. “It’s my sister again,” she muttered, and even though Joelle wasn’t in the mood to talk to her, she had to answer it or it would cause Bree to worry even more than she was already was.

“Bree,” Joelle greeted. “I’m all right.”

“So you say.” Her sister’s sigh was plenty loud enough for Joelle to hear. “I’ll believe it when I see it. I’m coming home, but I can’t get there for at least a couple of days.”

Joelle groaned. Bree was a lawyer working on a special task force in Dallas, six hours away, and she knew Bree had used all her vacation time and then some when she’d come home after their father’s murder and disappearance. Since Joelle figured she stood no chance whatsoever of convincing Bree she was fine and didn’t need her sister to be there, she went with a different tactic.

“Everyone in the sheriff’s office is tied up with the investigation,” Joelle spelled out. “And right now Saddle Ridge isn’t the safest place to be.”

“I’m coming home,” Bree insisted, and then she paused. Sighed again. “I need to see you. There are things I want to talk to you about.”

Joelle didn’t like the sound of that, especially since she and her sister communicated at least weekly either by phone call or text. “Is something wrong?” Joelle came out and asked.

It was a valid question. Like her, Bree had been devastated with what had happened to their parents. Added to that, Bree had broken up with her longtime boyfriend, Luca. Then again, Luca and Bree had had an on-again, off-again thing going on since high school. Since Bree was often involved in high-profile legal cases for the state and was gone a lot, both Luca and she had had other relationships. But something had happened between Luca and Bree to make her sister pull the plug and now things were permanently off.

Or so Bree had said.

Luca wasn’t offering up anything so Joelle wasn’t sure what had happened. Maybe it was something similar to what had gone on between Duncan and her. Too much pain and grief. Too much guilt. Too much, period.

“I should be home by early next week,” Bree added a moment later. “In the meantime, you stay safe. I love you, Joelle.”

“I’ll certainly try,” Joelle assured her. “And I love you, too,” she said, ending the call just as the door to the exam room finally opened.

It wasn’t the mystery woman who came out, of course, but it was a familiar face. Dr. Chase Benton, one of the doctors who worked at Saddle Ridge General Hospital.

Dr. Benton spotted them and walked their way as Duncan and she headed to him. “Is she awake?” Duncan immediately asked.

“She is, for the moment anyway,” the doctor said, but there was caution in his voice. He stepped in front of Duncan when he started toward the exam room. “I’m well aware that you need to see her,” he quickly added. “I’ve heard what’s going on, and I understand you have to question her, but you should know that she’s still unable to stay awake for more than a couple of seconds. Unable to tell me her name as well. I suspect she’s been drugged, and that the drugs combined with a head injury are the reasons she’s lapsing in and out of consciousness.”

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