Page 61 of Protecting the Newborn

And he’d taken her to the baby farm.

Ruston didn’t want to think about what kind of mental torture that was for her. He didn’t want to think about what her captor might be doing to her either. That would only shatter what little focus he had, and right now, that focus was what he needed to get to her in time.

He used the hands-free system while he sped down the road, and he called Duncan. “Where are you?” Duncan immediately asked.

“I got a call from the man who’s got Gracelyn. He’s taking her to the baby farm.”

Ruston heard Duncan slam on his brakes. He was obviously changing directions as well, and since he didn’t ask for the address, it meant he already knew the location. Then again, just about everyone in local law enforcement did.

“Did you recognize the guy’s voice?” Duncan asked.

“No, because he was using a voice distorter,” Ruston was quick to say. “He wants the username and password that Zimmer had tatted on him. He says I’m to come alone or Gracelyn will die.”

Of course, Ruston knew the plan would be to kill both Gracelyn and him once he had what he wanted. Ruston had to figure out a way, fast, to make sure that didn’t happen.

“How the hell did that...?” Duncan started, but he stopped and cursed. “Zimmer might have told someone about the tats, someone who then passed along that info to the killer. Or else the ME’s office has a leak,” he concluded.

Either was possible, but Zimmer didn’t seem as if he trusted anyone enough to share that kind of info. But Ruston immediately rethought that. He could have trusted Tony or Charla. Especially Charla since he’d been her confidential informant.

“I’m guessing the ME filed a report,” Ruston said, “and it was either hacked or accessed.”

The hacking would point to Devin. The accessing to either Charla or Tony. Which meant they still couldn’t use this to confirm the identity of the killer. But Zimmer had likely known that, or had had such strong suspicions, anyway, that he’d then put in that file.

“I can text you the username and password,” Duncan said, the hesitation coating his voice. “But we don’t know what’s in that file yet. Heck, we don’t even know where the file’s been stored. The techs say it’s like looking for a tiny needle in a massive cyber haystack.”

“I’m guessing the killer knows that,” Ruston concluded. “So, he could have knowledge of where the file is. Maybe he got that from something he found when he killed Zimmer.”

Maybe, though, the killer would have to do the same search of that cyber haystack as the tech guys. If so, it’d be a race to see who got there first. If the killer did, then he’d certainly erase everything. But all of that would take time.

Time that Gracelyn didn’t have.

“I’m about three miles out from the baby farm,” Ruston explained. “Once I’m closer, I’ll turn off my headlights. They’ll know I’m coming and will be looking for me, but I’m hoping to get close, park and then go on foot.”

Duncan cursed again. “I’m at least five miles out. I would ask you to wait for me, but I know you won’t. I wouldn’t if it were Joelle being held.”

“I can’t wait,” Ruston confirmed. “But when you get here, do a silent approach. I don’t want to give the killer any excuse to pull the trigger.”

“Will do,” Duncan confirmed. “I’ll text you the username and password after I hang up. Be careful, Ruston.”

“I will.” And he would. But that might not be nearly enough. “You, too.”

Ruston ended the call and had to slow down to take the final turn toward the baby farm. He drove way too fast on the poor excuse for a road, and as he’d told Duncan, he turned off his headlights when he was about a half mile out. That certainly didn’t make driving any easier, but at least there was a moon tonight, and the meager light might stop him from running off the road.

Might.

He rethought that when he hit a deep pothole, and he had to grapple with the steering wheel to stay out of the deep ditches that were on both sides of him.

And that was when he saw it.

The movement from the corner of his eye. Someone running, not on the road but through the grassy area adjacent to it.

His heart crashed against his ribs when he realized it was Gracelyn. Her hands were cuffed in front of her, and she was firing glances behind her. Someone was chasing her.

Since there was no way he could drive to her, Ruston stopped and got out. He couldn’t call out to her because he didn’t want to alert the killer to their positions. Instead, Ruston jumped over the ditch and started toward her.

He knew the exact moment when she spotted him. Her head whipped up, and she changed directions. She ran to him.

She didn’t get far before a shot rang out.

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