The Missing Mccullen

BJ waited, hoping he’d elaborate, but he didn’t.

She tapped a picture of a bloody hunting knife the sheriff had found at the scene. “This isn’t your knife?”

Cash cursed. “Yes, it is, but I didn’t kill Sondra with it.”

“Then why was it lying on the floor beside her?”

“I have no idea.” He leaned his head on his hands and inhaled several deep breaths. “Think about it. If I had killed her, you think I’d be dumb enough to leave a weapon behind with my fingerprints on it?”

No. But she had to ask.

Still, this man was a stranger to her. She wasn’t certain she could trust her instincts, either, not after the mess she’d made with Davis.

* * *

THE PICTURE OF Sondra covered in blood made Cash’s stomach roil.

The lawyer cleared her throat. “You knew Sondra well, didn’t you, Cash? You were friendly?”

He gave her a scathing look. “We were friends. Period.”

“According to the sheriff’s notes and his interview with Mr. Elmore, you were more than that.”

Cash shook his head. “Not true.”

“You weren’t lovers?” she asked bluntly.

Cash shifted. “I answered that already. We were just friends.”

“They why did her father think you two were involved?”

He made a low sound in his throat. “Sondra may have implied that we were.”

The lawyer tapped her manicured nails on the table. A reminder that his were ragged and had been bloodstained, that the cops had forensics that would work against him.

Even though he’d washed them, in his mind’s eye, he could still see Sondra’s blood.

“I see,” she said wryly. “And you allowed her father to believe a lie?”

“I didn’t like it. I told her that.” Cash shrugged. “But I didn’t dispute it.”

“You two argued about the issue?”

“Not really. She begged me not to say anything and I agreed.”

Cash rolled his fingers into fists. If he admitted that he and Sondra had argued the afternoon she died, he’d give this lawyer a motive.

“Why did Sondra allow her father to believe you were the boy’s father? And why would you let her do that?”

“Elmore’s a paranoid jerk who warned all of his employees, including me, to keep their hands off of his daughter. He wanted to keep her in some kind of bubble, but she was rebellious.”

The woman raised a brow. “Rebellious as in she dated the hands to make him angry?”

“Sometimes.”

“If she was so rebellious, why didn’t she just move out?”

Cash shrugged. “First of all, Elmore controlled her trust fund. But I think she was secretly hoping her father would come around and accept Tyler.”

“She dated you to get back at her father?”

“I told you, we never dated,” he said firmly. “She was too young for me.”

“But she got pregnant and told Elmore you were the father.”

Cash heaved a weary breath. God, she was a professional interrogator. “Yes. But the boy wasn’t mine. Do the DNA test and you’ll see.”

“We’ll get to that.” She glanced at her file, then back up at him. “So who was the child’s father?”

He wished to hell he knew. “She never told me.”

“Why not? You said you were close.”

“I don’t know why. She just didn’t want to talk about him.” Cash tensed. He was painting himself into a corner.

“Tell me more about your relationship then.”

“She was like a kid sister to me,” he said. “She used to come out to the barn and yammer on like a teenager. Mostly venting about her father and how overprotective he was. He pressured her to give up the baby after it was born so she wouldn’t shame the family.”

“But she kept the child?”

“Yeah, she was tenderhearted. Loved animals and kids.” She’d cried on his shoulder about that decision. Cash had promised to provide emotional support if she kept the child and raised it on her own.

Yet he’d let her down and she was dead.

“Elmore allowed you to stay on after Tyler was born?”

Cash gritted his teeth. “No, he fired me, then bad-mouthed me to other ranchers. Finally, I found a job on a small spread not too far away.”

“You still saw Sondra and Tyler?”

“Mostly Tyler. Sometimes she dropped him off so we could spend time together. Said he needed a male role model.” Cash had been surprised she’d chosen him for the job. But hey, the kid didn’t have a daddy and Cash related to that.

Images of the little boy tagging along behind him taunted Cash. Tyler loved horses and riding. He constantly talked about joining the rodeo.

“Cash?”

BJ’s soft voice dragged him from the memories. God, what if something had happened to Tyler? “Tyler’s three now. He’s a pistol.”

“Do you think Sondra intentionally got pregnant? Maybe she thought this man would marry her if they had a child.”

“Sondra wouldn’t have done that.”

Disbelief tinged the lawyer’s eyes. “Did she tell the father about the baby?”

Cash nodded. “He didn’t want anything to do with Tyler.”

“So Sondra never revealed the boy’s father’s name?”

“I told you she didn’t,” he said, his irritation mounting.

She fell silent for a moment. “If you didn’t kill Sondra, it’s possible that this other man did. Was Sondra afraid of him?”

Cash scrubbed his hand over his chin. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

“Tell me about the night she died,” BJ said.

He’d been struggling to recall Friday evening, but the entire night was a fog. “She was upset when she called me, but she didn’t explain. I assumed she and her daddy had had an argument, but I guess she could have fought with Tyler’s father.”

BJ pursed her lips. “She must have had a good reason to keep his identity a secret. He could be married or a prominent figure in the community. He had something to lose if word leaked he had a child.”

“That’s what I figured.” Cash’s heart hammered. The only way to clear himself was to find Sondra’s killer. “What if she’d decided to come clean about him? Or maybe she needed money or help.”

“Makes sense. If he didn’t want his identity exposed, he could have killed her to keep her quiet.” BJ crossed her legs, drawing his attention to their long slender shape. She must have noticed, because a second later she uncrossed them and leaned forward. “We need to know his name.”

“If I knew his name, trust me, I’d tell you.” Fear made his throat thick. “If your theory is right and he didn’t want the boy, he could have killed him.”

Her frown deepened. “It would be pretty coldhearted to kill a child.”

Cash nodded. He couldn’t allow himself to even think about losing Tyler. But he didn’t want to go to prison for a crime he hadn’t committed. Offering another suspect could help his case.

“I’ll try to get ahold of Tyler’s birth certificate,” she suggested.

Cash nodded again. “Look into Elmore, too. Maybe someone had a grudge against him and kidnapped Tyler for blackmail money.”

BJ cleared her throat. “True.”

“I tried to tell Sheriff Jasper this, but he didn’t believe me.” Cash didn’t like any of the scenarios that flashed through his mind. “A few of the ranchers had squabbles with him, but I don’t think they’d resort to kidnapping.”

“I’ll ask around,” BJ agreed.

“Has Elmore received a ransom call?” Cash asked.

She shook her head. “Not that I know of, but I’ll talk to him.”

Emotions thickened his throat as he pictured the times he’d played horseshoe with the little guy. Then another time when Tyler had climbed a tree, but was too afraid to climb down, so Cash had rescued him.

That little boy had dug a hole in Cash’s heart.

They had to find him and make sure he was safe.

* * *

BJ TAPPED HER fingernails on the table again. “There’s another possibility, Cash. Do you have any enemies? Someone who would frame you for murder?”

Turmoil hardened Cash’s face. “Elmore disliked me, but I haven’t seen him in a while. Other than him, I can’t think of anyone.”

BJ’s lungs squeezed. She’d come here skeptical about this man’s innocence. But he couldn’t fake the fear in his eyes or voice—he was sincerely worried about that child.

Still, she had to remain objective and consider every possibility.

“The sheriff thinks that you took Tyler and planned to blackmail Elmore.”

“That’s ridiculous. Besides, I didn’t have to kill anyone to execute that plan, if that was really my intent.”

“You must have hated him for firing you and blackballing you. You could use the money to buy your own place.”

“I did want my own spread, I’ll admit that.” Anger sizzled in his eyes. “But not bad enough to hurt Sondra. I know what it’s like to grow up without a family. I loved Tyler and would never have taken his mama away.”

The pain in his voice was too raw to not be real.

“Tell me what happened then,” BJ said. “How did you wind up in that motel room with Sondra’s blood all over you?”

He released a frustrated sigh. “Like I told you, she called me, upset, and I met her at the tavern.” He rubbed his chin. “I got there and ordered a drink. She came and...we walked outside for a minute. Then everything goes blank.”

“Someone knocked you out?”

“I don’t know.” Confusion clouded his eyes. “Either that or I was drugged.”

An excuse or the truth? “Unfortunately, it’s too late to test your blood for drugs.”

“I realize that, but it’s the only explanation I can think of.” His expression turned grim. “Seriously, one minute I was talking to her, the next I woke up in the room with Sondra, and she was dead.”

BJ studied him. Shock and sorrow radiated from his eyes. If he was a liar, he was a damn good one.

But the security camera had captured his face outside that motel room. “You woke up and found her, then what?”

He lifted his shoulders in a defeated shrug. “I called 911, and then I phoned Sondra’s father. I...thought I was doing the right thing.”

He had done the right thing. That is, if he hadn’t sliced Sondra’s throat.

But BJ couldn’t imagine him killing a woman in cold blood.

Maybe a crime of passion?

She needed to question the ranch hands and find out if Cash was violent. If they thought he’d had an affair with Sondra.

If he wanted to get back at Elmore.

Another possibility hit her, one she didn’t want to consider. But one the DA definitely would.

What if Cash was in love with Sondra, and wanted to marry her and adopt Tyler? She could have met with him to tell him to leave her alone. Maybe she’d even fallen for another man and planned to cut Cash out of the boy’s life. He could have flown into a jealous rage.

Indecision warred with the instinct that Cash was telling the truth and needed help. That either Cash or Elmore had enemies.

That one of those enemies had killed Sondra and kidnapped Tyler to get revenge.

But what had they done with Tyler?

* * *

CASH COULD SEE the wheels turning in the lawyer’s head. She was trying to decide whether he was innocent or guilty.

He wasn’t sure which way she was leaning.

“Miss Alexander, even if you decide not to represent me, please make sure the police search for Tyler. If Jasper thinks I did something with him, he may be dragging his feet, thinking I’ll confess. Tyler could be in danger.”

“I’m sure he’s doing everything he can to find him,” she said. “An Amber Alert has been issued and NCMEC, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, has been notified.”

Cash still didn’t trust Jasper.

An image of the precocious three-year-old teased his mind. Tyler liked to trail ride with him. He could feel the little boy’s arms locked around his waist, hear him giggling when the horse broke into a canter.

He even had a Western shirt like one of Cash’s and wore it when they were together.

Miss Alexander gathered the photos of Sondra and stuffed them in her briefcase. She stood, her posture rigid, her lips pressed into a thin line.

“Don’t take Jasper’s word for it.” Cash touched her arm.

She went stone still and stared at his fingers as if he’d burned her. He released her abruptly.

Just like Elmore, she’d put him in his place with a condescending look.

Hell, he’d never be good enough for a man like Elmore or a woman like her.

It didn’t matter, though. All that mattered was making sure little Tyler was safe.

“Please,” he said in a gruff voice. “Find Tyler. He needs your help more than I do.”

Her gaze locked with his, and he swallowed hard. He could lose himself in those damn beautiful eyes.

But those eyes were cold and serious, assessing.

“Don’t worry. I’ll alert authorities to look for Tyler,” she said, her voice cracking slightly. “We’re meeting with the judge in an hour for a bail hearing.”

Hope and despair crawled through Cash. He badly wanted out of this jail. But he was broke. All he had was a little bit of savings for the ranch he’d been dreaming about.

He was determined to have his own spread someday. Then he’d never have to bow down to bigwig ranchers like Elmore again.

“I appreciate you coming,” he said, biting back his pride. “But I can’t make bail.”

She angled her head to look at him, her mouth forming a thin line. “Your bail money and my fee have been taken care of.”

Without another word, she left, and closed the door behind her.

Cash’s heart hammered as the lock clicked into place. Who the hell had paid her? And who was posting his bail?

His ranch hand buddies didn’t have money. And he didn’t have family to turn to.

He refused to take charity, too.

But what choice did he have? He needed to find out who’d set him up. He sure as hell couldn’t do that from the inside of a cell.

And he trusted her a hell of a lot more than he would some court appointed attorney who might know Elmore or be in his pocket.

* * *

BJ LEFT CASH with unanswered questions. The sheriff frowned at her, but stepped into the room to escort Cash to the cell.

She needed to speak to Maddox before she revealed Cash’s connection to the McCullens.

The pain in his eyes ripped at her. She was still straddling the fence about his innocence or guilt, although she was leaning on the innocent side.

One thing she knew for sure, though. He loved that little boy.

And he was seriously worried about him.

Which roused her own fear for Tyler.

She rushed into the restroom, grabbed a paper towel and wetted it just as the first wave of dizziness assaulted her.

Three-year-old Tyler Elmore was missing.

She’d had no idea when she took the case. All she was told was that Cash Koker had been arrested for murder.

Panic gnawed at her as she recalled Cash’s last words. He wanted her to look for the little boy. He’d chosen that over his own release.

Even though he’d denied being the child’s father, he was frightened for him.

Tears blurred her eyes, and she removed the rainbow drawing she kept with her. Her son had been obsessed with rainbows and had made this one for her for Mother’s Day.

Time faded and she was back with her son.

“Mommy, tuck me in.”

She wiped her hands on the dish towel, then went to Aaron’s room. He was in his cartoon pj’s, snuggled with his stuffed lion, holding his favorite book. She crawled on the bed and he nuzzled up against her as she began to read.

Seconds later, he fell asleep on her arm.

Two days later—the call that had shattered her heart. A highway patrol officer.

Her ex had taken Aaron on a camping trip, but they’d had a terrible accident.

Neither one of them had survived.

BJ wiped the tears from her eyes, folded the drawing and put it back in her pocket. It hurt too much to think about Aaron’s little innocent face looking up at her as if she’d protect him from the world, when she’d failed.

If Tyler was in danger, she had to help.

She left the bathroom, then walked up front to talk to Sheriff Jasper. “Has Mr. Elmore located his grandson?”

A vein throbbed in the lawman’s neck. “No, all the more reason you tell us what that Koker guy did with Tyler.”

BJ bit the inside of her cheek. The sheriff definitely had made up his mind about Cash. He’d probably lynch him if he didn’t think he’d get caught.

“My conversation with my client is confidential, although I don’t believe he took the child or knows where he is. He seems genuinely concerned. If you haven’t followed up on the Amber Alert, do so immediately.”

“I know how to do my job.” Jasper’s sarcastic tone implied she didn’t. “You just need to push Koker to talk.”

Anger mushroomed inside BJ. “I told you he didn’t take the boy. Have you spoken with Mr. Elmore to see if he received a ransom call?”

“He hasn’t.”

BJ tensed. That wasn’t a good sign. “For a moment, let’s just say I’m right, Sheriff. The first forty-eight hours are critical for a missing child case.” She tapped her watch. “Every minute counts. So while you’re sitting here on your butt, whoever abducted Tyler is getting farther and farther away.”

Which meant they might not get the little boy back alive.

That terrified her more than anything.

Chapter Three

BJ stopped at the diner in town and ordered coffee and a muffin. Her stomach was too knotted to eat much, but she needed something before Cash’s bail hearing.

She ran a search on her computer and found articles about Lester Elmore and his ranch, along with a story on his success. A photo of Sondra accompanying her father to a state fund-raiser when she was seventeen revealed the depth of the young woman’s beauty. Her father was looking at her in adoration.

Her Facebook page revealed a photo of Sondra and Tyler. The kid had sandy-brown hair, was freckle-faced and so adorable that tears pricked her eyes. “Where are you, little guy?”

She quickly searched Sondra’s friends and posts, hoping to find a clue as to someone Sondra may have left the boy with but came up empty. Although she had a close girlfriend named Diane who’d ridden with her when Sondra had been into showing horses. Those posts were dated two years before though.

She punched in Sheriff Maddox McCullen’s phone number, sipping her coffee while she waited. The phone rang three times, then a male voice answered. “Sheriff McCullen speaking.”

“Sheriff, it’s BJ Alexander.”

A heartbeat passed. “Call me Maddox. You met Cash Koker?”

“I did,” BJ said.

“What do you think?” Maddox asked.

BJ hesitated. “I don’t think he has a clue that he has brothers or any family.”

Maddox heaved a sigh. “I figured as much. If he did, he would have probably called or shown up at Horseshoe Creek.”

Cash didn’t strike her as the type to ask for handouts. “The bail hearing is soon.” BJ fidgeted. “Have you read the sheriff’s report?”

“No, but when I spoke to Sheriff Jasper, he was adamant that he had the right man.”

“He’s made up his mind,” BJ said. “I don’t think he’s even considered that Cash might be innocent.”

“So he’s not investigating or looking for another suspect?” Maddox said with disgust.

“No.”

“Do you think Cash is guilty?” Maddox asked.

BJ stared into her coffee, willing an answer to come to her. “I’m not sure,” she said honestly. “He claims that he cared about Sondra, but denies that they were lovers. Sondra had a three-year-old little boy. That child is missing.”

Maddox murmured something beneath his breath. “The sheriff thinks Cash did something with the kid?”

“Yes, but I don’t.”

Maddox’s gruff voice jerked her from her thoughts. “What did Cash say about the boy?”

BJ massaged her temple where a headache pulsed. Kids were her soft spot. Sometimes she missed her own son so badly she could hardly breathe.

“Finding Tyler seems more important to Cash than his own defense.”

“Hmm. Interesting.” Maddox paused. “Who is the boy’s father?”

“He claims he doesn’t know.” BJ sighed and recounted her conversation with Cash. Maddox was paying her, but she still had to be careful with client/attorney privilege.

“So Cash is either lying or someone drugged him and framed him,” Maddox said matter-of-factly.

“Exactly.”

Only to clear him, she’d have to prove it.

“Ray’s still looking for the other twin. I’ll have the DNA tests run on Cash and compare them to Tyler’s. And I’ll dig up what I can find on the Elmore family,” Maddox offered. “Then I’ll have that camera footage analyzed.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Meanwhile she’d talk to Elmore and get hold of Tyler’s birth certificate.

After the bail hearing, she’d pay a visit to Cash’s current boss and the place where he’d been living. There might be something in his room to tell her more about Cash.

Good or bad, she had to know before she committed to his defense.

* * *

CASH WISHED TO hell he’d had a shower and clean clothes before standing in front of the judge. But he’d had no choice. The sheriff had confiscated his clothing as evidence and given him a county jumpsuit.

Sheriff Jasper shot him a sinister glare as he shoved him in the back of the police car.

Cash had racked his brain to figure out who was bailing him out, and who’d paid for the lawyer, but he didn’t dare ask Sheriff Jasper.

He kept his mouth shut on the short drive to the courthouse. Outside, dark clouds hovered as if a storm was gathering on the horizon.

“Judge’ll go easier on you if you tell us where the kid is,” Sheriff Jasper growled.

Cash choked back a curse. He had to remain calm or the bastard would make things worse for him. “If I knew where he was, I’d tell you.”

The sheriff grunted. “If he turns up dead, we’re gonna fry you.”

Sweat trickled down the side of Cash’s face. Outside, the trees swayed in the wind. Even with the breeze, it had to be a hundred degrees.

“Instead of blaming me, why don’t you search for Tyler?” Cash said. “If he’s with Sondra’s killer, he could be in danger. Then that’s on you, not me.”

Jasper met his gaze in the rearview mirror. Anger slashed the man’s jaw. “I got the man who killed his mother right here.”

Cash sent him a mutinous look, but remained silent. No use defending himself. Jasper had one mind-set—send him to prison.

They reached the courthouse, and the sheriff parked, then lumbered to the back door to let Cash out. The handcuffs and manacles around his ankles jangled as he walked, but he forced his head up high.

Still, humiliation washed over him as he entered the building. The pretty lawyer lady was waiting. She maintained that professional mask, every damn strand of hair tucked into place.

Did she really believe he was innocent, or was she just doing a job?

It didn’t matter. As long as she cleared him, he’d find a way to repay her. Then he’d find Tyler and make sure the kid was safe.

Seconds later, Cash took a seat beside her, his nerves on edge as the bailiff announced the judge’s entrance. Silence descended for a moment as the judge, a tall, imposing man with suspicious eyes, reviewed the case file.

Finally, he pounded his gavel and called the session to order. His gaze penetrated Cash like he was pond scum.

Cash’s gut churned as the charges were read.

BJ gestured for Cash to stand and he inhaled a breath, willing his legs not to give way.

“Your honor, my name is BJ Alexander. I’m representing Cash Koker. Due to the fact that he has no priors, and that he’s not a flight risk, we’re requesting bail be set at ten thousand dollars.”

A dark chuckle rumbled from the fiftysomething district attorney. “Your honor, Mr. Koker has been arrested for a brutal murder. Although Miss Alexander claims he’s not a flight risk, Mr. Koker has no ties to the community and no family. According to his work history, he’s traveled from town to town, even state to state, working odd jobs on different ranches.”