Page 24 of Tracking Down the Lawman's Son

Luca sighed. “If you’re still going to the sheriff’s office for Manny’s interview, we’ll have to leave soon.”

He already knew though that Bree hadn’t changed her mind about this. If she had, she would have already called Coral to cancel. But like him, Bree wanted to be at the sheriff’s office to hear what Manny had to say. Bree wouldn’t actually be in the interview room though. Duncan had made an exception when they’d questioned Sandra, but with Manny, they had to play by the rules.

Bree stood, giving Gabriel a kiss before she handed the baby to Luca so he could do the same. They made their way downstairs where Duncan was already letting Coral into the house. Coral immediately went to Bree and hugged her.

“I’ve been so worried about you,” Coral said, but she conjured up a smile when she looked at Gabriel. “And I’ve missed this little man. How is everything?” she asked.

“The investigation’s still in progress,” Bree said. It was the standard response cops often doled out, but in this case, it was the truth. And about all that could be said since they couldn’t voice suspicions about a local doctor. Not without proof anyway, and at the moment, they didn’t have that.

Joelle, Sandra, Slater and Ruston were all downstairs, and Sandra was holding Izzie. Woodrow was there, too, and he was no doubt waiting to make the drive with them to the sheriff’s office.

“I made Mom an appointment to see her doctor at the hospital clinic,” Joelle volunteered. “I talked to him, and he wants to run some labs on her just to make sure she’s okay.”

Luca and Bree both made quick sounds of agreement. Not Sandra though. She was obviously reluctant.

“Woodrow can stay with Sandra at the hospital, and Carmen will meet them there,” Duncan explained, glancing at Luca and Bree. “Then, the three of us can go to the sheriff’s office.”

It’d be a snug fit in the cruiser with five people, but it was better than making two trips. They were leaving backup at home with the babies, too, since Joelle, Slater and Ruston would be staying behind.

Luca wished they’d had a dozen cops available to guard his son and Izzie. Not enough manpower for that, but the ranch hands had been put on alert to keep an eye out for anything suspicious.

Sandra handed Izzie back to Joelle and kissed Gabriel as Luca was passing the baby to Coral. Bree’s mother patted Luca’s arm in a gesture she had done many times before she went missing. He muttered a thanks. Then silently said a prayer that they’d make this trip without incident. That included nothing going wrong at the ranch, either.

Duncan said his goodbyes to Joelle and his daughter, and he quickly got them out of the house and into the cruiser parked at the foot of the porch steps. Sandra, Luca and Bree went in the back seat with Bree in the middle. Duncan took the wheel with Woodrow at shotgun.

“I asked Austin PD to go ahead and put out an APB for Tara,” Duncan explained once they were on the road. “They’ll check with her family and friends, too.”

If the woman had truly gone on the run, she might not go to places where she’d readily be found. But what had spooked her? Had it simply been Bree’s phone call, or had something else alerted her? Luca was hoping Manny might be able to provide some insight.

All five of them kept watch as Duncan made the short drive to the hospital where Carmen was indeed waiting for them, so Woodrow and Sandra got out. Then, Duncan continued up the street to the sheriff’s office. They breathed a whole lot easier once they had made it to the private entrance outside Duncan’s office.

The moment they stepped in, Luca saw the man in the small waiting area. When he immediately stood, Luca slid his hand over his gun until he got a good look at the guy’s face and realized it was Manny. Luca recognized him from his driver’s license photo and the background info he’d accessed.

Tall and with a lanky build, Manny was only thirty-three which made him the same age as Luca. He’d owned the Hush, Hush for seven years, since the death of his father. He didn’t exactly look the part of a business owner though, more of a rocker with his blond hair that fell past his shoulders. His faded, ripped jeans and plain black tee had that rocker vibe as well.

There were two deputies in the squad room, Sonya Grover and Ronnie Bishop, and even though they were both on their computers, Luca could tell they were also keeping an eye on Manny.

“He’s already gone through the metal detector,” Ronnie volunteered. “And he consented to a search. He’s not armed.”

Good. Though it wouldn’t have been very smart for Manny to come in here armed.

“I’m early,” Manny muttered. He also seemed nervous and was rubbing his hands down the sides of his jeans. “Bree,” he greeted. “Please tell me you’ve found Tara and the person who tried to kill us.”

She muttered an “I’m sorry” and shook her head. Luca noticed her wince a little from the movement. She hadn’t said anything about being in pain, but he figured the stitches had to hurt.

“This is Sheriff Holder and Deputy Vanetti,” she explained. “They’ll be conducting the interview.”

“And you’ll be there, too, right?” Manny asked.

“No—” she started.

“But I want you there,” Manny insisted, glancing at Luca and Duncan to plead his case. “Bree’s the only one who knows what I’m going through right now. Someone tried to kill us,” he spelled out.

“Yes, but I’m not a cop,” she reminded him.

“You’re a lawyer,” Manny argued. “And I can have a lawyer with me, right?”

Bree sighed. “I can’t be your lawyer.”

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