Page 22 of Targeted in Silver Creek

Part of her hoped they were long gone and were now out of the state. Especially Bull. But that would be just a different kind of nightmare since she would always be looking over her shoulder to see if he had returned to finish the job he’d started. No. It was best for the cops to find him and figure out what the heck had actually happened when she’d been shot.

“I’ve been going through Marlene’s financials,” Jesse explained. “I highlighted some areas that need more digging. Any luck with her phone records?”

“Possibly,” Theo answered. “She had no calls to or from the prison, but she did get two from an unknown caller shortly after Bull’s escape. They were both very short, only lasting a couple of seconds, which means she could have realized they were spam and ended them.”

Jesse nodded. “True. Is there a pattern of her getting calls from anyone who might be connected to Bull or the militia?”

“No, but I figure she’d use burners for that so they couldn’t be traced.” Theo paused, shifted his attention to Hanna. “Marlene did get calls from your mother. One the day before you were shot and two more the day after.”

That tightened her stomach into a hard knot. “They were long conversations?”

“Long,” Theo verified. “The one before the shooting lasted nearly a half hour. I’ll need to go to the rehab facility in San Antonio to talk to your mother about exactly what was said during those calls.”

He wasn’t asking permission, and Hanna hadn’t expected him to do that. The interview needed to be done, and Isabel had to come clean with what she knew. Hanna also thought of something else that should happen, something that might give them a few answers.

“My phone kept a record of my texts for the past year, but there are only two months of calls,” she explained. “I’m wondering if someone can access those earlier calls, the ones I received prior to the shooting, to see if any of them...well, are unusual. If there are any flags.”

That obviously got both Theo’s and Jesse’s attention. “You mean something like Marlene contacting you? Or Bull?” Jesse prompted.

She nodded then shrugged. Then sighed. “Maybe it’s nothing. I mean, we know why I came to the ranch that night. I had ultrasound pictures and forms from the hospital in the car with me, and I’d told the nurse that I would take them out to you right away to get them signed, but maybe there was another reason I was there—”

“I’ll have your calls checked,” Jesse assured her, and he took out his phone to fire off a text that would get that started.

“Just how fragile is your mom’s health?” Theo asked her while Jesse finished his text. “Because I need to know how much I can push to get answers.”

“She seemed physically fine when she was here earlier, but go through Dr. Warner,” she suggested. “Maybe even have him present during the questioning. He can perhaps keep her calm.”

Of course, he could also put a stop to the interview if Isabel became too agitated, but they couldn’t risk bringing on another stroke. Even if her mother had done something to instigate the shooting, she had indeed had a stroke, and a second one might be a lot more serious. It could kill her. Hanna didn’t want that. However, if Isabel had played even a small part in what had happened, she expected her to have to pay for that in some way.

And maybe she had.

Hanna didn’t doubt that Isabel loved Evan, and it was probably eating away at her to know that she’d inadvertently put her grandson and daughter in harm’s way. She had possibly done that anyway, but it was just as likely that Marlene had been blowing smoke with hersomething she could do to help.

“Grayson got the crime lab to go through another enhancement of the footage from the security camera the night of the shooting,” Theo went on. “It’s ready if you want to take a look at it.”

It took Hanna a moment to realize Theo had meant that offer for both Jesse and her. She had to swallow hard and tamp down the blasted panic. Not now. This could be important, critical to getting to the truth, and that’s why she nodded.

“Yes, I’d like to see it,” she attested.

But Jesse didn’t budge. “You’ve looked at the enhanced footage?” he asked his cousin.

Theo shook his head. “It just came in a half hour ago. You can access it through the online case file.”

His gaze stayed on Jesse and something unspoken passed between them. Hanna was betting it had to do with her. Theo probably thought it a good idea for Jesse to review the footage to make sure it was something she could handle.

“I’ll take a look at it then,” Jesse muttered.

She heard what he wasn’t saying. That he would look at it and decide if it was something she should see. But Hanna didn’t want him making a decision like that for her. She couldn’t risk Jesse trying to shield her from something that could help them uncover the truth.

Theo nodded, sliding glances at both Jesse and her before he continued. “Agent Shaw came by the sheriff’s office after he left here.” He was obviously moving on to the rest of the updates he’d planned on giving Jesse. “He’s still pushing to get Hanna put in protective custody.”

“Push back,” Jesse advised.

“Oh, we are. The ATF has no jurisdiction when it comes to Hanna or Evan. Shaw can squawk all he wants, but he can’t change that.”

“Any indications that Shaw’s dirty?” Hanna came out and asked.

Theo shrugged. “Not dirty, but he toes the line a lot. He’s had two complaints filed against him for excessive force, and there’s talk that he’s bent the law a couple of times. Nothing to do with Bull or the militia, but it’s possible Shaw’s done unauthorized wire taps to get info on an investigation.”

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