Page 23 of Protecting the Newborn

“The shots didn’t come into the house,” Ruston stated. “They all seemed to be aimed at your cruiser.”

Ruston hadn’t emphasized the wordseemed, but Gracelyn thought it was a good addition to his explanation. Because if Charla or Tony had indeed orchestrated this, then maybe the shots hadn’t even come near them.

“I heard you say the ranch hands spotted the sniper and were in pursuit,” Charla piped in.

She, too, was still gulping in her breath and looking a little shell-shocked. But Gracelyn had had to do that a time or two herself when undercover and playing a role. Undercover cops had to be good actors, and that could be exactly what Tony or Charla were doing now.

It was Duncan who answered. “Yes, the hands are looking now,” he confirmed, “but I have other deputies on the way. They’ll set up roadblocks. We might get lucky if the shooter’s still in the area.”

Tony nodded, and he was visibly steadier when he looked at Ruston and her again. “We have a lot to talk about,” he said, sounding very much like a boss now.

“If you’re here to demand I come into headquarters—” Ruston started.

“I’m not,” Tony interrupted. “Well, I was, but I’m sure as hell not demanding it now. It’s obviously not safe to try to get you into San Antonio. You either,” he added to Gracelyn. “How’s the baby? Is she safe?”

“She’s with two cops,” Gracelyn answered, rather than spell out that the baby was in the house. If Abigail was indeed the target, then there was no need to advertise her whereabouts. “Cops that I trust,” she couldn’t help but add.

Something flashed in Charla’s eyes. Anger, maybe. And she looked ready to demand to know if that was some kind of dig. It was, of course. But Tony spoke before she could.

“I understand your distrust of the police after what happened on your last assignment,” he said. His voice was oh so sympathetic. Perhaps too much so. “But we need to talk to you about the attack last night. Ruston emailed me a brief report, but we’ll need your account, too.”

Charla took up the explanation from there, turning toward Duncan. “We understand that this is your jurisdiction,” she said to Duncan, “but we have three dead bodies, and that needs to be investigated.”

Duncan glanced at Ruston, and Ruston nodded. That was apparently the only cue Duncan needed.

“We can do the interviews here,” Duncan said, speaking boss-to-boss with Tony. He motioned for them to all take a seat. “And since the investigations overlap, it’d be a good time for you and your detective to answer some of my questions, too.” That wasn’t a suggestion. Duncan was in all-cop mode now.

Charla opened her mouth, and Gracelyn was betting she was about to protest, but she hushed when she met Tony’s gaze. Apparently, Charla also responded to subtle cues.

“All right,” she said, holstering her gun and reaching into her pocket.

That had Gracelyn reaching for her gun. And Charla noticed. Her eyes widened, then narrowed. “Really?” Charla snarled.

“Really,” Gracelyn snarled right back. She didn’t add more because she didn’t want this to turn into a sniping contest. Not when she wanted those answers from Charla and Tony.

Charla made a show of taking her phone from her pocket and holding it up for Gracelyn to see. “I need to record this interview.”

Duncan holstered his own gun, took out his phone and sat in one of the chairs. “And I’ll record your responses.” He clicked on the record function. “In fact, I’d like to start. Sheriff Duncan Holder conducting interview of... State your names for the record,” he insisted.

Charla and Tony were clearly not pleased to be on the other end of what would likely turn out to be an interrogation, but they both gave their names and sat on the sofa across from Duncan.

Duncan stated the date and time and continued. “Someone blew Detective Ruston McCullough’s cover while he was on assignment at a house in my jurisdiction, and it nearly got him and Gracelyn Wallace killed. Who did that? Who’s responsible for not securing the location of an undercover officer?”

Gracelyn had to suppress a smile. She was so glad Duncan had taken over the bad-cop role, and he’d almost certainly done that on purpose so that Tony and Charla’s venom would be aimed at him. Of course, some of that venom would no doubt still come at Ruston and her. And she welcomed it. Because angry people often let things slip.

“That’s being investigated,” Tony answered. Yes, there was ire, all right. “We’re still in the preliminary stages of that, but it’s my theory that no one in my department was responsible. I trust the cops who work for me.”

“Including Ruston?” Duncan asked.

Tony blinked. “Of course.”

“Then that means you don’t believe he was responsible in any way for his cover being blown,” Duncan quickly concluded.

Tony shook his head, maybe objecting to thein any waypart, but Duncan didn’t give him a chance to voice that.

“For the record, Lieutenant Franklin indicated nonverbally that he did not believe Detective Ruston McCullough compromised his undercover identity. Is that right?”

“That’s right,” Tony muttered.

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