Page 54 of Murder at Rescue Ridge

“Yes,” she admitted.

He set his coffee mug down. “Do you think they’re still out there?”

“I know they are.”

“Waiting for…what? You?” he asked. “We can let Sandy know so she can alert the other deputies along with the highway patrol.”

“That’s probably a good idea,” she said. “Although, I gave her as much information as I could about them already, and she can’t be everywhere.”

Conrad left the room and then returned a few moments later with a shotgun in hand. “This should help level the playing field.”

“I can’t let you use that,” she said. “You’ll end up in jail for real this time.”

“Self-defense,” he quipped, skimming her cuts and bruises. “And I wouldn’t shoot an innocent person. Ever.”

Nikki sighed. They wouldn’t find the person who killed her father sitting around the ranch. They still haven’t had a chance to study the crime scene to search for evidence. She wanted more than anything to make one hundred percent certain her mom was okay. As much as their relationship was complicated, this was the woman who’d raised her. If she lost her mom, Nikki would be an orphan. The thought struck harder than a physical blow.

“What about Beau?” she asked. “Shouldn’t we split up? You follow Beau, I check on my mom?”

Conrad was shaking his head before she finished her sentence.

“Not an option,” he said.

They would be exposed once they left the relative safety of the ranch. Was the risk worth taking?

18

“Hold on a minute,” Conrad said to Nikki. He walked to the hall closet and retrieved a pair of baseball caps along with scarves. He returned to the kitchen to find Nikki packing up food supplies. “Put this on.”

She stopped long enough to take the hat and place it on her head. The scarf was next.

It was broad daylight outside. Conrad could use one of the Sturgess vehicles rather than his own truck. Would that still make him a moving target?

“What’s the plan once we get to your mom’s house?” he asked Nikki.

She froze.

“I haven’t thought that far ahead, to be honest,” she admitted.

“Maybe we should take a step back and evaluate the situation with clear minds.”

“You’re right,” she said. “I know you’re right. That’s logical, and I’m freaking out.”

“Since the twins are already in Austin, what if they stop by instead of us going there?” The idea might work. “They could check on your mom and give her a message from you.”

Nikki chewed on the inside of her cheek. “It could work.”

“It’s going to take us a while to drive down to Austin. The twins are probably on their way back by now. Heath won’t know who they are, so he won’t have a bone to pick with them.”

“What excuse could they use for going to the house?”

“We can think on that while we drive to Mrs. Wayne’s house,” he said.

Her forehead wrinkled in confusion. “Mrs. Wayne?”

“She would know all her husband’s favorite fishing spots,” he said. “One by one, we can knock them out. See what we can dig up.” He regretted using those last few words almost the minute they came out of his mouth. He hoped like hell Lukas Wayne was alive and not buried near a lake.

Nikki contemplated the idea for all of two seconds. “It’s better than sitting here, doing nothing but wringing our hands together.”

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