Page 36 of Targeted in Silver Creek

“You’re okay. Thank God, you’re okay,” Isabel said, her words rushing out. “I need to see Evan just to make sure he’s all right, too.”

“He’s sleeping, and I don’t want him disturbed.” Hanna could hear the cold edge in her voice and didn’t have plans to warm it up any time soon.

Isabel must have sensed the iciness, as well, because she let go of Hanna and backed up a few steps while she studied her face. Behind Isabel, Jesse went through the routine of locking up again—something Hanna was thankful for since she didn’t want any other hired guns using this visit as a ploy to launch another attack.

“What’s wrong?” Isabel asked.

Hanna nearly laughed. “You mean other than the obvious? Two gunmen came to my home, probably to try to kill Jesse or me, and one of them fired shots that could have hit Evan.” Her voice had gotten louder with each word until Hanna nearly shouted the last part.

Isabel frantically shook her head. “You’re acting as if I had something to do with that. I didn’t.” And she aimed a scalding glare at Jesse when he went to Hanna’s side. “You’re responsible for this—”

“Hush and answer some questions,” Hanna said. She didn’t shout this time, but she returned the glare that her mother had aimed at Jesse.

That caused Isabel’s shoulders to snap back. “What is it you think I’ve done?”

“Oh, where to start,” Hanna grumbled. “How about you explain why you just left the rehab facility without telling anyone? And why you haven’t answered your phone. And while you’re at it, explain why you did that when you should have been giving a Silver Creek deputy a statement about the investigation that could have prevented the shooting here today.”

All right, so she hadn’t totally gotten her voice under control; Hanna could hear the hard snarl in her tone. But it must have worked because Isabel didn’t launch into more glaring and didn’t aim any accusations at Jesse.

“I panicked,” Isabel finally said, and she looked both disgusted with herself and ashamed. “I thought Deputy Ryland was there at the facility because I was a suspect in your attack. I had nothing to do with that,” she stressed.

Hanna would put that last part on hold and stated the obvious. “If you’re innocent, why run? Why not stay put, answer the deputy’s questions, and clear your name?”

“Because he’s a Ryland,” Isabel railed. The venom had returned. “Maybe not in name, but he was raised by them. He’s loyal to them. They’ve always had it in for me, and I wasn’t going to sit there while Deputy Sheldon made false accusations.”

Jesse lifted his hand as Hanna started to fire off another question, stunning Isabel by reciting the Miranda warning. That certainly didn’t improve Isabel’s mood, and she was spitting mad by the time he’d finished. But Hanna was glad he’d done it. If her mother did say something incriminating, she definitely wanted it used against her, to make sure she was punished for any wrongdoing.

“One of the things Deputy Sheldon intended to ask you about were some phone calls you got from Marlene. And before you say you didn’t get them,” Jesse added when Isabel opened her mouth, “you should know that we’ve seen the phone records and we know the calls were made.”

Isabel closed her mouth and her jaw tightened. Hanna was pretty sure she’d been about to lie. “So what if Marlene and I talked? I told you we’re in the same social circles, and every now and then we talk about parties, events and such.”

Jesse kept his lethal cop’s stare on her.

“All right,” Isabel admitted grudgingly. “And sometimes I vented to her about Hanna and you, about how I didn’t want the two of you together.”

“Why Marlene?” Jesse persisted. “Did you believe she could do something to make sure Hanna stayed away from me?”

“No,” her mother blurted. “Of course not. Like I said, I was just venting.”

“The timing of that venting is suspicious,” Jesse pointed out, not easing up on his stare. “One long phone call the day before Hanna was shot and two more the day after. It seems odd to me that you’d beventingabout Hanna and me being together when your daughter was in the hospital fighting for her life.”

Isabel’s breath was gusting now and on a loud groan, she turned and sank down onto the sofa. “I felt guilty because I’d told Marlene those things. I was scared I was going to lose my daughter and my grandson, and I needed someone to talk to.”

“And you chose to call someone in your social circle rather than a friend,” Jesse reminded her.

“I don’t have many friends,” Isabel admitted on a heavy sigh. “And Marlene lives in Silver Creek, so she knows my history with your family. Some of my acquaintances don’t.”

The woman stopped, stayed quiet a moment. When she lifted her gaze to meet Jesse’s, it was obvious she had calmed down some. Not Hanna though. Nothing her mother had said cleared her of suspicion.

“Look, I didn’t have anything to do with the shooting and I’ve got nothing to do with the militia,” Isabel insisted. “And I don’t know why you think I’m connected to any of this. Those phone calls have nothing to do with what’s going on. This is just you trying to poison my daughter’s mind so she’ll go back to you. Well, that’s not going to work—”

“Stop,” Hanna said when the images and sounds started to fly through her head. Memories, maybe. Of her mother’s face when she’d been angry like this. Maybe when Hanna had told her she was pregnant with Jesse’s child?

No.

Not then. In the flash that Hanna got, she was already mega pregnant, so that was an argument they’d have had months earlier. This was something else. But it wasn’t anything she could put her finger on.

“What is it?” Isabel slowly got to her feet. “Are you in pain? Did you—”

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