Page 14 of Tracking Down the Lawman's Son
She didn’t ask what Duncan and her brother were doing. Because Bree knew. They were going to go in pursuit of the person who’d just tried to kill them.
Chapter Five
Luca set the bag of baby supplies on the floor next to the sofa in the break room of the sheriff’s office where Coral was feeding Gabriel a bottle. Bree was right there, clearly not wanting to take her eyes off their son, but Luca also knew she would soon have to do that. Because there was no way she would miss her mother’s interview.
Bree, her siblings and every cop in the building—including Luca—wanted to hear what Sandra had to say. It could be critical for not only the events of the past eleven months but also for what’d happened today. Bree being run off the road, Sandra taking Gabriel.
And the shooting.
That was at the top of Luca’s list of things he needed to know. Since Duncan and Slater hadn’t been able to find the shooter, it meant there was a possibility it could happen again. This time, they might not get so lucky, and someone could be hurt. Luca didn’t intend to let that happen, and it was the reason he hadn’t let Bree and Gabriel out of his sight since those shots had been fired into the barn.
Of course, he’d have to allow it eventually because he didn’t want the baby in the interview room where tempers might flare, but Coral would stay just up the hall with Gabriel. No baby monitor, not after what’d happened to the one at Bree’s. But if there was any trouble, Luca would be able to get to Gabriel in a matter of seconds.
“It’s time?” Bree asked him.
Luca nodded. After they’d all arrived at the sheriff’s office, Duncan had told them to take thirty minutes so they could getCoral and the baby settled. So they could settle their own nerves, too. That would also give Duncan time for an EMT to come in and give Sandra a quick exam. Other than some cuts and bruises and the sore ankle, Bree’s mother hadn’t seemed injured, but if she was telling the truth about being held captive for eleven months, then she needed at least a cursory exam that would no doubt be followed by a complete physical once she’d given her statement.
“Your mother, Slater, Joelle and Duncan are already in the interview room,” Luca added. He knew that because he’d glanced in the room after he’d retrieved the baby supplies from Carmen, who’d picked them up from Bree’s place. Everyone was sitting and waiting for the EMT to finish. “Ruston is on his way from San Antonio, but he said for us not to wait for him.”
Since Ruston was a San Antonio detective, he understood the urgency of getting any and all info. In this case though, there were plenty of emotions mixed with that urgency. Yes, Sandra could possibly give them answers, but she was still Joelle, Bree, Slater and Ruston’s mother. A woman who’d been missing for almost a year.
A woman who, despite her denial, could have murdered their father or at least have knowledge of that murder.
Yeah, no way to take the emotions out of that.
Bree brushed a kiss on the top of Gabriel’s head. Luca did the same. And after giving their son one last look, they left to go to the interview room. Luca stopped just outside the closed door and looked at Bree to gauge how worried he should be about her.
Worried, he decided.
She looked exhausted and no doubt was. Spent adrenaline was a bear to deal with and sapped plenty of energy. Added to that, she still had those stitches from her car crash. There’d been way too little time for her to process that before they’d realizedGabriel was missing. Then, the gunshots had added to the hellish day.
And it wasn’t over.
Bree still had to deal with her mother, and the nightmarish memories the woman’s reappearance would stir up for her. Then, there was the part he’d go ahead and tell her now.
“I’m staying with Gabriel and you,” Luca spelled out. “You can consider it protective custody, but I’m staying.” He steeled himself for an argument where she could point out that one of her siblings could provide that protection.
But no argument came.
“Good,” she muttered. “No one will protect Gabriel better than you.”
“I feel the same way about you,” he assured her.
Their gazes connected. Held. He saw the faith she had in him about this. And he hoped she saw the same in him. They would indeed do whatever it took to keep their son safe. But like a hit of adrenaline, there’d be a price to pay. The close quarters were going to test barriers that Bree likely didn’t want tested. Still, no price was too high to pay for their little boy.
The door opened, breaking their connected gazes, and Luca and she stepped back so the EMT, Shaun Gafford, could come out. Luca knew him well since they’d been in the same grade at school.
“She’s got some bruises on her arms, hands and legs,” Shaun explained, “but other than that, she’s good.” He paused, looked at Bree. “How about you? You got meds in case those stitches start to throb?”
Bree nodded. “Dr. Bagley phoned in a script.”
At the mention of Nathan’s name, Luca remembered the call Bree had gotten from him shortly after they’d found Gabriel and her mother in the barn. Maybe Nathan had just been concerned about Bree and Gabriel, but after what Bree had revealed aboutthe doctor’s stalking, Luca made a mental note to keep tabs on Nathan to make sure he didn’t resume those stalking attempts.
They stepped into the interview room that was a decent size, but usually there weren’t this many people present. Duncan, Slater, Joelle, Sandra, Bree and him. Then again, there was nothing “usual” about this situation. Sandra was seated with Joelle by her side, but Duncan and Slater were standing. Bree and Luca stayed on their feet as well.
“I just got a call about the silver truck,” Duncan said. “Woodrow and Carmen found it where Sandra said it would be. And they saw paint flecks on the bumper. It’s being taken in now for processing. According to the plates, the vehicle belonged to a man named Alan Smith, but Woodrow says the guy’s been dead for nearly a year now, and that his son sold the truck to a woman who paid cash for it. Woodrow has the buyer’s name. But it’s Ann Wilson so it’s probably bogus.”
Probably. But it was something Luca would check for himself.