Page 38 of Protecting the Newborn

“I heard Devin talking on the phone,” Allie went on. “And I heard him say he was coming to Saddle Ridge, and he said all that stuff about me being in trouble.” The anger increased with each word. “I knew then he was coming to see you, to whine about me using a little.”

“And you followed him?” Gracelyn pressed.

Allie nodded. “I took a taxi, and trust me, that ate up a lot of what little cash I have left, but I didn’t want Devin to come here and tell you a bunch of lies about me.”

“Why would he do that?” Ruston asked.

“Because he’s a selfish SOB, that’s why,” she was quick to say. “He never once asked about our baby.”

Ruston checked the time. Allie had been here for going on ten minutes, and this was the first time she’d brought up Abigail. Added to that, she hadn’t mentioned her in the phone call she’d made to Gracelyn.

“So, did Devin tell you lies about me?” Allie asked.

Gracelyn shifted closer to her sister, a signal that she was going to deal with this answer. “He said you were using again and that he kicked you out. He thought you’d hooked up with your former drug dealer.”

Allie huffed again. “There was no hooking up. I used, yes, but it was from a small stash I’d left at Devin’s last year. I guess he didn’t find it, because it was still there.”

“Terry Zimmer,” Gracelyn threw out there, and she no doubt wanted to groan because she couldn’t have missed the flicker of surprise in her sister’s eyes.

“I don’t know who that is,” Allie insisted. It was a lie and not a very good one at that.

“I believe you do,” Gracelyn said, somehow managing to keep her voice level. “We’ve already told you that immunity can’t even be considered until you tell us the truth about everything.”

“I did tell the truth,” Allie howled.

“No, you didn’t,” Gracelyn argued. “You know Zimmer, and you have to tell me if he’s connected to the reason you need immunity.”

“I don’t know him,” Allie practically shouted, springing to her feet. “I don’t...” She stopped and locked gazes with Gracelyn, who wasn’t pulling a visible punch. She was staring at her sister the way she would a murder suspect.

“The truth,” Gracelyn repeated. “That’s the only chance you have of me helping you. Lie again, and you’ll be arrested.”

Allie flung gazes at all three of them, and for a moment, she looked like a trapped animal ready to fight her way out of there. Then a sob tore from her throat, and she sank back into the chair.

“I didn’t kill Marty. That’s the truth,” Allie stated. “And Zimmer isn’t my dealer. In fact, I’d never met him until two days ago, when I went to see Marty.” She lowered her head, shook it. “You’re going to be so upset when you hear this. Really, really upset,” she emphasized, “but I swear, at the time I thought it was the only option I had.”

Hell. Ruston figured anything that came after this part of the explanation couldn’t be good.

“What option?” Gracelyn insisted.

Allie sobbed again, and the tears returned, but thankfully that didn’t silence her. “I thought Devin was going to take care of me, but when he didn’t, I knew I was going to need some money. A lot of money so I could get away and have a fresh start. I’d heard Marty had connections, so two days ago I went to see him.”

Gracelyn pulled in a sharp breath. “Why?” And there was a lot of emotion and strain in that one word.

Allie swallowed hard. “Because I had heard that he sometimes acted as a go-between for people looking to adopt. Good people,” she tacked on to that. “I wouldn’t want my baby going to just anyone.”

Duncan and Ruston both cursed. Hell. She’d planned on selling Abigail.

Gracelyn stayed put in the chair, but her eyes had narrowed. “Say it,” she demanded. Not yelling, but there was a dangerous edge to her voice.

“All right.” Allie threw an indignant stare right back at her sister. “A couple wanted to adopt the baby, and they were willing to pay my expenses. You know, for carrying her for nine months.”

“How much?” Gracelyn asked. That dangerous edge went up a notch.

“Ten thousand,” Allie spit out as if she wasn’t the least bit ashamed of it. “I knew you wouldn’t just hand Abigail over, not without asking me a lot of questions, and I told Marty that. He said there was a way to get her. A fake kidnapping, but it wouldn’t actually be a kidnapping because she’s my daughter.”

Ruston wasn’t sure how Gracelyn managed to just sit there and not spew every word of profanity she knew. Maybe because this had shaken her to the core. Allie had been planning on selling that precious baby. And that was just the tip of the iceberg.

Gracelyn held up a hand, maybe to steady herself. Maybe to signal that she wanted to continue the questioning. “How did Marty know where the baby was?”

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