Sawyer (10 page)

From all accounts, that was true. Of course, most of the information Cassidy had on that subject had come from Willy, a man she didn’t trust.

“I have to go,” her brother said, his voice edged with anger. “My pain meds are kicking in, and I’m getting sleepy. I suggest before you call me again with accusations, you get your facts straight first.”

“Facts are exactly what I want to get straight,” Sawyer said. “Come to the Silver Creek sheriff’s office tomorrow morning so you can answer some more questions.”

That brought on some more profanity, but Bennie issued a terse, “Fine. See you then.”

Bennie hung up, leaving Cassidy to stand there and stare at the phone. A dozen emotions were going through her, but first and foremost was anger. Bennie might truly have had something to do with the kidnapping.

“I’m sorry,” Sawyer said.

No scowl or glare. He was staring at her now, and all those previous emotions had been replaced with sympathy.

“How can I find out if Bennie had a connection to the Finley brothers?” Even though it hurt just to ask the question, Cassidy had to know.

“I can call my cousin Kade. He’s FBI, too, and he’ll be able to check Bennie’s phone records.” Sawyer waited until she gave him the nod before he took the house phone from her and made the call.

The part of her that had spent years protecting her brother hated that this had to be done, but she had to know the truth. Especially since April was dead, possibly because of the failed kidnapping attempt.

Sawyer finished his call with Kade, hung up the phone and pulled Cassidy to him. It wasn’t the heated kissing session like before. He held her for what turned out to be a few precious seconds before his phone rang again.

Cassidy glanced at the screen, expecting to see the unknown-caller ID that had popped up before. But it was Nate Ryland’s name, instead. She’d never met him but knew he was Sawyer’s cousin and that he was a lieutenant with the San Antonio P.D. She held her breath, hoping the cops had managed to find Diane and that she’d been rescued.

“Well?” Sawyer greeted the moment he answered.

“We spotted the two kidnappers running from one of the warehouses,” Nate started. “They got away. So we went inside, but the place was empty.”

“Maybe Diane got out ahead of the kidnappers?” Sawyer suggested.

“Maybe.” Nate paused, a long time. “But it doesn’t look good. The phone she was using is here. Crushed to bits. Some of the crates have been turned over. Looks like there was a struggle.”

Sawyer cursed. “Any sign of Diane?”

“None. But there’s blood on the floor.”

Chapter Twelve

Sawyer stared at the photos of the warehouse. The toppled crates. The crushed phone.

And the blood.

Since it had been more than twelve hours since they’d last heard from Diane, Sawyer figured one of two things had happened. The kidnappers had injured her when they’d taken her captive again. Or it was worse than that.

Maybe they had killed her.

They already had one unsolved murder on their hands, and he hated that they might have another. Especially when those murders could be connected right back to Cassidy, Emma and him.

Cassidy finished her phone call and peered at him from over the top of a coffee mug that Grayson had scrounged up for her. “The nanny said Emma was fine.”

Good. That was something at least.

Sawyer had hated to leave the baby, but she was in good hands with the nanny-bodyguard and the two agents. He wished he could say the same for Cassidy. Sawyer had wanted her to stay at the safe house, too, while he drove into town to question her brother. But she had insisted on coming along.

And he couldn’t blame her.

If it were his brother in the hot seat, Sawyer would have done the same. The trouble was, he wasn’t sure Cassidy could handle much more stress, and here he was about to add what would be a tense interrogation.

He heard the footsteps in the hall, and seconds later his cousin Mason appeared in the doorway. “Just got the test results back. It was Diane’s blood in the warehouse.”

Even though it was exactly what Sawyer had expected, he still cursed. He’d held out some hope that the woman had managed to injure one of her kidnappers, but no such luck.

“It’s not much blood,” Mason went on. “Not nearly enough to indicate a fatal wound.”

No, but they both knew she could have been taken elsewhere to bleed out.

“Kade faxed this to you,” Mason added, dropping several pages onto the desk that Sawyer was using as his makeshift office. “Bennie’s phone records.” And he shot Cassidy a look that almost seemed to say
brace yourself
before he strolled away.

The phone records got Cassidy’s attention, because she hurried around to his side of the desk. “Rex Ross,” Sawyer said when he saw the name. According to the note Kade had made, Ross was the bar owner who Bennie had mentioned the night before. The one he owed money to.

“Bennie called him at least a dozen times,” Cassidy pointed out. Looking over his shoulder, she leaned closer. Too close. Until her breasts touched his back. “Sorry,” she mumbled.

Sawyer looked up at her. “If we start apologizing for every little touch, we’re not going to be doing much else than saying I’m sorry.”

Of course, that didn’t stop him from reacting to that accidental touch. And despite everything else going on, he was reminded again of the heat. Reminded too of the stupid kissing session. Stupid because he’d done it and equally stupid because he wanted to do it again.

Sawyer was still trying to push those kissing thoughts aside when he saw Cassidy’s eyes widen. He followed her gaze to another name on the list.

Chester Finley.

Cassidy made a soft gasp and put her hand over her throat. “Why would Bennie have contacted him?”

“It was an incoming call,” Sawyer pointed out. “Made about four days ago. It doesn’t look as if Bennie answered it.” Still, it didn’t answer the question of why Chester had called Bennie in the first place.

Cassidy stepped away, and he could see her fighting to hang on to her composure. Fighting to make sense of this, too. “Chester was on that landscaping crew,” she said. “So maybe he called Bennie under the pretense of that, when he really wanted to get some information that would help him with the kidnapping.”

That was a good theory, but if he wanted to give Bennie the benefit of the doubt—and he would for Cassidy’s sake—then Sawyer could see a different angle. “Chester might have called Bennie to make him look guilty of participating in the kidnappings. It could have all been a setup.”

Cassidy thought about that a moment. Nodded. And looked way more relieved than she should have. It was a thin theory at best. Especially when Sawyer turned to the second page of calls. Again, one name immediately snagged his attention.

Dr. Diane Blackwell.

There were at least a dozen calls, both incoming and outgoing, and unlike the unanswered one from Chester, Bennie had most definitely answered these. Some of the phone conversations had lasted more than a half hour.

Funny that neither Diane nor Bennie had mentioned it.

Did that mean April’s allegations were true, that Bennie had indeed had an affair with Diane? And if he had, then why the heck had he denied it? Bennie already looked guilty enough without adding lies that could easily be traced.

Sawyer took out his phone and called Grayson, who was working from home. “What’s the latest on Chester Finley?” Because if Bennie and Diane weren’t offering up the truth, maybe Chester would.

“He’s still not answering questions, but he said if we could prove his brother was safe, then he’d cooperate.”

Interesting. And Sawyer wasn’t sure what to make of it. “Is Chester worried the cops will find and kill his brother, or is this about something else? Maybe Chester doesn’t trust the other kidnapper involved?”

“Sounds that way to me. We’re beefing up our efforts to find Diane and his brother. Once we have Joe in custody, I figure Chester will try to work out a plea deal to save his brother and his own butt.”

That would be a best-case scenario—the brothers talking and handing over the person who’d orchestrated all of this. And Sawyer didn’t think either Chester or his brother had been the mastermind. No, they weren’t the sort for that. They were hired muscle, and that meant someone had done the hiring.

Sawyer was about to ask Grayson if there were any other updates, but he heard the bell jangle over the front door. Cassidy peered out from the door.

“It’s Bennie,” she said softly.

There was plenty of dread in her voice, and Sawyer knew how she felt. Even though he’d investigated Bennie with the hopes of making an arrest, he was no longer that anxious to put Cassidy’s brother behind bars.

Another side effect of that kissing session.

And his feelings for her.

Yeah, he had them, all right, and they’d come at a damn inconvenient time. He’d lost his objectivity. His focus. Heck, maybe his mind.

Cassidy stared at him. “You look angry.”

“I am,” Sawyer admitted, and he gathered up the phone records and stepped around her so he could face Bennie. Her brother didn’t look any happier to see Sawyer than Sawyer was to see him.

For that matter, neither did Cassidy.

She certainly didn’t go to her brother and hug him as she’d done the last time Bennie had arrived at the sheriff’s office. And that was a little surprising, considering that Bennie’s face still showed the bruises and cuts he’d gotten while being held captive.

Well, a theoretical captive anyway.

With everything they’d learned, Sawyer had to accept that Bennie might have orchestrated the whole thing. If so, Sawyer wasn’t sure he could stop himself from adding more cuts and bruises to Bennie’s face. After all, the kidnapping could have gotten Cassidy killed.

“This way,” Sawyer told Bennie, and he hitched his thumb toward one of the interview rooms.

“I don’t know why I had to come back to this place,” Bennie complained, but he followed Cassidy and Sawyer into the room.

Sawyer was about to insist that Cassidy stay out of this, but Bennie’s whole lack of concern for her reared its ugly head. If Bennie was guilty, she needed to hear it from her brother’s own mouth. Then Sawyer could turn him over to one of his cousins so they could do the official interrogation.

And maybe make an arrest.

“There’s no need for you to worry about my debts,” Bennie went on, his attention fastened to Cassidy. “I’ve been in touch with the bar owner and worked out a payment plan.”

“With Rex Ross,” Sawyer provided.

Bennie flinched. Then his mouth tightened. “You’ve been spying on me?”

“No, but we have been going through your phone records.” Sawyer dropped the pages on the table in front of them.

One look at them and Bennie slowly sank into the chair. “You saw the calls I made to Diane.” He spoke to Cassidy not to Sawyer.

“You said you weren’t having an affair with her,” Cassidy reminded him.

“And I wasn’t.” Even though he’d only been seated for a few seconds, Bennie sprang to his feet. “What—do you believe him now over me?” In this case, the
him
was Sawyer, and Bennie stabbed his stiff index finger in his direction.

Cassidy didn’t jump to assure him. She folded her arms over her chest. “I’m merely asking—are you having an affair with Diane?”

“No,” Bennie howled. “Of course not. She was a married woman, and I wouldn’t have wanted to risk making enemies with her husband even if they are separated.”

“Then why call her?” Cassidy demanded.

“Diane wanted to discuss April, that’s all. She wanted some insight into April’s past because she thought that might help with her therapy.”

While that explanation sounded a little unconventional, Sawyer couldn’t dispute it. Well, not until he’d spoken to Diane anyway. Hopefully, the doctor was still alive and he’d be able to do just that.

“Why would Diane think you have insight into April?” Sawyer asked. “You hadn’t known her that long.”

Bennie lifted his shoulder, and his mouth settled into a pout, making him look like a kid. “I guess April talked about me a lot during their sessions. Mostly lies, I’m sure. She had a hard time telling the truth about anything.”

Still, April had convinced her shrink that Bennie had information that would help her recovery. Sawyer wasn’t sure he could buy that, but he moved on to the next subject.

He tapped the next name of interest. Chester Finley. “Why would he call you just days before the kidnapping?”

Bennie stared at it a moment. “I have no idea. I saw his name on my caller ID, didn’t recognize it, so I didn’t answer it. That number belonged to Chester Finley?”

Sawyer nodded and looked for any sign that Bennie was lying. He didn’t seem to be, but Sawyer reminded himself that Bennie had a lot of nasty habits, and that included breaking the law. He probably wouldn’t have any trouble lying to an FBI agent.

Bennie shook his head, huffed. “If I had any idea Finley was on the verge of kidnapping Cassidy and me, I would have taken the call and tried to talk him out of it.”

If that was true, Bennie would have almost certainly failed. There was too much money at stake for Chester and Joe to back off. But the question was—did the men have help from Bennie?

“You don’t believe me,” Bennie said, his nostrils flaring now. “Well, the person you should be looking at is Diane. I think April was right to be afraid of the doctor. Have you considered that Diane could be behind the kidnappings? A million dollars is a lot of motive, and Diane could have manipulated April into helping her.”

Yes, Sawyer had considered it, along with a lot of other angles. Still, it was one he shouldn’t continue to dismiss just because Bennie had reminded him of it.

Sawyer fired off a text to Kade and asked his cousin to check Diane’s financial records. He wasn’t sure just how deep Kade could dig, but maybe they could learn if Diane had any money problems.

Like Bennie did.

“Talk to me about this payment plan you have for your loan to Rex Ross,” Sawyer insisted.

“Nothing to talk about. Rex has agreed to let me pay him monthly from my trust-fund allowance.”

No way did that sound right to Sawyer. “Really? Bookies aren’t usually that accommodating.”

“Well, in this case the arrangement works in his favor. Until the debt’s paid off, Rex gets paid most of my trust fund, and he’s added a hefty amount of interest. I guess the profit he’ll be making was enough to make him agree to the payments.”

Cassidy huffed, put her hands on the table and leaned in until she was right in her brother’s face. “If that’s a lie or if there’s something you’re keeping from me, now is the time to tell me.”

Bennie’s eyes instantly narrowed, and he stood, slowly, without taking his gaze from his sister. “It’s clear whose side youʼre on. What, are you sleeping with Sawyer again?”

“That’s none of your business,” Cassidy snapped before Sawyer could say anything. “Now, what are you keeping from me?”

“Nothing,” he said through clenched teeth.

Bennie didn’t get a chance to add more because the jangling sound got everyone’s attention. The sound meant they had a visitor, and while that wasn’t at all unusual in the sheriff’s office, Sawyer didn’t want a kidnapper storming the place.

But it wasn’t a kidnapper.

Well, maybe it wasn’t.

Willy walked in, and his gaze went straight to the hall where Sawyer was now standing. “I found out something about Dr. Blackwell.”

Until Willy said that, Sawyer had been about to tell him to take a hike, but that stopped him. “What?” Sawyer snapped, walking closer.

But Sawyer wasn’t walking alone. He heard footsteps behind him, glanced over his shoulder and there was Cassidy and Bennie. The stay-put glare he shot them didn’t even make them pause.

Willy opened his mouth but then closed it when he spotted Bennie. “He’d better not be here to accuse me of anything.”

“If the shoes fits...” Bennie grumbled. Obviously, there was no love lost between the two.

“What’d you find out about Diane?” Sawyer pressed, ignoring the sharp looks Bennie and Willy were doling out to each other.

“I heard a lot of talk about Diane being strapped for cash because her hubby cut her off without a dime,” Willy continued. “I’ve also heard that she’s within weeks of losing her home and business because she’s got an expensive drug habit that she wants to keep hidden. I figure that gives her motive to team up with Bennie here to put together his own kidnapping.”

Bennie cursed. “I’m sick and tired of people accusing me of things I didn’t do.”

“Join the club,” Willy grumbled. “The only reason I’m here is to show Agent Ryland that there are folks with a bigger motive than me for these kidnappings. And April’s murder.”