Page 34 of Protecting the Newborn

Since both Duncan and Ruston had moved closer, she showed them the message, and she fought the urge to fire off a quick response.

“It could be a hoax,” she muttered. “Devin or someone else could have gotten access.” Still, there was no way she could just ignore this. She typed in her number. And waited.

Gracelyn didn’t have to wait long.

Within a couple of seconds, her phone rang, and she saw Unknown Caller on the screen. Holding her breath, she answered it.

“Gracelyn,” the caller said, the single word rushing out with a long breath.

“It’s Allie,” Gracelyn whispered to Duncan and Ruston. The relief came, washing over her. Temporarily, anyway. And then came the worry.

“Allie, where are you?” Gracelyn asked. “Are you all right?”

“No. I’m not all right at all.” A hoarse sob tore from her sister’s throat. “I’m here in Saddle Ridge, and I have to see you right now.”

Gracelyn had so many questions, but she started with an obvious one. “Why are you in Saddle Ridge?”

“I’ll tell you when I see you.” Allie sobbed again. “When can we meet? I can come to wherever you are.”

Gracelyn debated how to respond, and she went with the truth. “I’m at the sheriff’s office.” She thought that might get Allie to hang up. Or change her mind about meeting with her.

It didn’t.

“Okay,” Allie finally said. Her voice broke on that single word. “I’ll be there in about thirty minutes. I need help, Gracelyn. I need a deal with the cops. I need immunity.”

Gracelyn opened her mouth to ask why Allie would need those things, but her sister had already ended the call.

Chapter Nine

Ruston watched Gracelyn pace across the interview room, and he could practically see the nerves coming off her. He was in the same boat, but he was trying to tamp down the worst of his worries.

That this was some kind of ruse for gunmen to try to murder Gracelyn.

Yes, they were in a police station with at least four cops in the building, but if Allie was desperate—and she was a killer—then she might have come here to try to go after her sister.

Ruston had no intention of letting that happen.

Duncan was on the same page with that, because right after Allie had ended her call, he’d gone to his office to let the other deputies know that Allie would be coming in. Or rather she had said she’d be coming in. If she did arrive, she’d be treated like a dangerous suspect and would be thoroughly searched before she got anywhere near Gracelyn.

“Immunity,” Gracelyn muttered.

Yeah, Ruston hadn’t missed that part. Immunity probably meant Allie had committed a crime and had useful information that she hoped to trade so the cops could catch a bigger fish. But if this was about murder, immunity probably wasn’t going to be an option.

And that meant they might have to arrest Allie on the spot.

That thought had no doubt already occurred to Gracelyn, and it had to be contributing to the nerves.

“Has Allie ever been to Saddle Ridge before today?” Ruston asked, hoping the conversation would help settle her before Allie showed up. That thirty-minute arrival was ticking down fast.

“Not that I know of,” Gracelyn said, “but I’m sure she heard me mention you were from here.”

Yeah, and that meant Allie had made the connection between Gracelyn and him when such a connection shouldn’t have been obvious, since before yesterday, they hadn’t seen each other in months. But it might have been obvious to Allie if she’d known they had been attacked and had had to flee with Abigail.

One way Allie could have known that was to be directly involved in the attack, but Ruston was hoping that hadn’t happened. That instead she’d come by the information from someone else. Like Devin.

“Even though Devin claimed he doesn’t know where Allie is,” Ruston pointed out, “he could have been lying. He could have been with her when he arranged the meeting and told Allie he was coming here to see us.”

Gracelyn nodded, and she seemed to latch on to that. But the hope didn’t stay on her face long. Probably because she was well aware of her sister’s checkered past. Also, there were those parts about needing immunity and cutting a deal.

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