Page 30 of Christmas Ransom

“That was the Butte Police Department. They heard the message I left on Samantha Elliot’s voice mail,” Davy said. She felt her eyes widen in alarm and tried to swallow. “She was attacked and her office destroyed. When I told them why we’d been anxious to talk to her...” He met Carla’s gaze. “They think her attack might be related to the robbery and murders. She’s in serious condition in the hospital. They don’t think she’ll make it.”

She lowered herself into a chair as her legs threatened to give out under her. “This is his doing.” The shock of the horrifying reality of this situation ricocheted through her. “He’s covering his trail.” She felt her eyes widen as her pulse thundered in her ears. “He knows that I told the federal agents about the tattoo.” She felt tears burn her eyes. She’d drawn a picture of the man’s tattoo and now the woman who’d inked it could die. “This is all my fault.”

Davy moved to her, kneeling down in front of her to grasp her shoulders. “None of this is your fault.”

“I told the agents about the tattoo. He knows I told. That’s why that woman—”

“There’s only one way he would know that you told the agents,” James said. “J either works at the hospital or he knows someone who does.”

“Which means he’s local,” Davy said as he rose.

“There was no one with aJname on the list though that fit the description,” Carla pointed out. She felt as if she were trapped in a nightmare and couldn’t wake up. But somehow she had to. They had to figure this out. They had to find him and stop him before... She shook off the rest of that thought as a tremor moved through her.

“Then more than likely he knows someone who does. Someone close to him. Just not with a name that starts withJ,” Davy said.

“I have to find him,” she said as she pushed herself up from the chair. “If he applied for a loan at the bank and I turned him down...” His name had to be there. It was the only hope she had right now. She glanced at the time and wondered if her boss had those names. She felt as if the clock were ticking. She quickly made the call. He had the names and would meet her in ten minutes. “I need to go.”

“I’m taking you in my truck,” Davy said.

She started to point out that it was just a few blocks, but she saved her breath. He wasn’t going to let her even walk down the street until the man was caught.

That’s why she had to do everything possible to make that happen for both her sake and Davy’s.

DAVYWASSURPRISEDthat the meeting at the coffee shop was so short. Carla had gone in, ordered coffee and was joined only minutes later by an older man. They’d spoken for a few moments before he’d slipped her a manila envelope and she’d gotten up and left. Davy had been waiting for her parked at the curb, after earlier going in a few shops with her as she finished her Christmas shopping as if there wasn’t a killer after her.

“I need to go by my house again,” she said as she climbed into his pickup now. “If we’re going to your brother’s, I need more clothes. Sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize. I’m happy to take you.” He started the engine, just grateful that there was no talk of going back to her house to stay.

She snapped on her seat belt and without another word opened the envelope and began to go through what looked like copies of loan forms. She made sure he couldn’t read them, but he thought he already knew.

“People you turned down for a loan?” he asked.

She shot him a look, and for a moment, he thought she might not answer. “This is highly irregular.”

“So is a bank robbery and you almost dying and having a killer after you,” he said.

Carla rolled her eyes. “Well, when you put it that way. Still, it would be best if you didn’t know.” She glanced at the sheets of paper she’d been given. “I thought maybe one of them might jog my memory. Only a couple have names that begin with aJ. My boss gave me all of the requests over the past month. They’re people I remember. He’s not in here,” she said and pushed the copies back into the envelope. “Neither are their spouses.”

He could see how disappointed she was. She’d been counting on the man’s name being in there. He hated that it was another dead end.

She sighed. “Also I need to go by the gift store. I have to do a little more Christmas shopping since my plans have changed.”

“Under the circumstances, the last thing you need to do is go shopping for my family.”

She shot him a look.

“Fine, but know I’ll be at your side the entire time.”

“Have you always been this stubborn?”

“Yes, but I think you already know that.” Their gazes met and he could feel the chemistry sparking between them. He knew her as well as she knew him. They’d both been each other’s firsts. They’d reveled in each other and the sex and had basically been crazy in love their entire last year of high school.

Then everything had gone south when he’d told her that he wasn’t following her to college. He was joining the rodeo circuit. That had been the end for her. The end for them.

They’d parted, but so much of that passion was still simmering between them. He could feel it, stronger than ever. If she felt it, she didn’t let on. But then, neither did he. He was home only for Christmas and then it was on the back of a bronco. They’d be fools to start up anything again. Letting her go way back then had been hard enough. He didn’t want to do that to himself again—let alone to her.

“Stubbornness is something we have in common, among other things.” He was no longer talking about stubbornness, and from her expression, she knew it.

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