Silence in the Dark (33 page)

He pressed the call button and explained what he wanted when someone answered.

Out in the hall a few minutes later, Angel waited for Danny to explain.

“I don’t think Maria was ever really in danger,” Danny said. “I think it was Bailey all along.”

“What are you talking about?” Angel said. To know his daugh
ter wasn’t the object of kidnappers . . . he couldn’t wrap his mind around it.

Danny folded his arms across his chest. “The weekend before she was to return to the States, Bailey visited a friend in the small village where she was a missionary. She encouraged her friend to continue teaching these Bible classes—the same classes Bailey was forced to abandon because she crossed the local priest. Her mission board pulled her out after this priest put rattlesnakes in her car. Her friend is dead, probably at the hands of the priest.”

Edward frowned. “Was he a real priest?”

“I don’t think so. More shaman than anything else.”

Angel had heard of men like Danny spoke of.

“Sometimes these priests have a lot of control over villagers, and they don’t like their authority challenged,” Edward said. Then he took a card from his coat and handed it to Angel. “I have things to attend to. Call me if Maria becomes ill again.”

When Edward was out of hearing range, Danny gave him an apologetic shrug. “Sorry if telling my dad you were here at the hospital with Maria caused you grief.”

“No. Perhaps I was wrong about him, and perhaps not, but I do see a different side of him when he is with Maria. Did the sheriff come to see you?”

Danny’s face darkened. “He picked up my gun, said he’d have it back by morning.”

Angel nodded toward Solana’s room down the hall. “Who’s the guy sitting outside by the door wearing a big gun?”

Danny’s lip curled. “Wade Hatcher, Ben’s chief deputy. He’ll be here until our guns are returned.”

“Good.” Angel slapped Danny on the back. “You can go home and get a good night’s sleep.”

“Are you crazy? I’m not trusting anyone to guard Bailey except me. Now go see Solana so I can get back in there.”

24

I
t was too early Saturday morning for Ben Logan to be babbling such nonsense. Bailey stared at him. The man had lost his mind. “What do you mean, you want Danny to go down to the jail to answer a few questions?”

The sheriff turned to her, his face drawn and unreadable. “Bailey, stay out of this.”

Danny planted his feet wide. “I’m not leaving Bailey at this hospital by herself.”

A slow flush crept up Ben’s neck. “You don’t understand—you don’t have a choice. A 9mm Glock registered to you was found under a clump of leaves on Franks’s property. It was the gun used to kill him. You’ll either come voluntarily, or I’ll handcuff you.”

“Ben, if I’d killed Franks, I would not have left my gun there. Someone is framing me.”

“You know Danny didn’t kill Franks,” Bailey said. She’d hoped morning would bring fewer problems, not more.

“I don’t know anything right now.” Ben ran his hand over his face. “If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t be standing here arguing with you two.” He eyed Danny. “Which is it going to be?”

“What about Bailey? Will you leave a deputy outside the door?”

“Tyrone Walker will replace Wade in an hour.”

“Don’t leave the room until I get back,” Danny said. “It shouldn’t take long to clear this up.”

“I won’t unless I’m accompanied by Wade.” When the door closed behind them, Bailey rocked back on her heels. What if he couldn’t clear it up? She didn’t for a second believe Danny had killed Geoffrey.

Solana coughed, and she turned around.

“I’m so sorry,” Solana said.

“Yeah, me too. Are you feeling better?”

“Yes. I’m ready to go home, but first a shower.” She swung her legs over the side of the bed. “Thank you for staying with me last night. Were you able to sleep?”

“I’m just glad you’re better, and yes, I slept after I convinced Danny we would be safe with a deputy outside the door.” He’d gone home a little after midnight when he’d realized she wouldn’t sleep if he didn’t. But he’d returned at daybreak.

Her phone beeped a message. A text from Joel, saying he was on his way to their room. She noticed her battery was down to 20 percent and hoped it stayed up until she returned home. She texted Danny, explaining he might not be able to reach her by phone. She helped Solana to the bathroom, and a few minutes later Joel arrived.

“Solana is better?”

“Yes, but Ben’s taken Danny in for questioning.”

“Questioning for what?”

She wasn’t ready to tell anyone that the bullet that killed Geoffrey came from a gun Danny owned. “Something about Geoffrey Franks.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

“No.”

“If he’s not here, you need someone to take you home.”

She hadn’t even thought about that. And Danny didn’t leave the keys to his SUV with her. “Surely he’ll be back by then.”

“Well, I’ll hang around, just in case.”

“How about your dad? Isn’t the surgery this morning?”

“Mother’s there, and that’s all that matters to him.”

“Have you seen Maria?”

“Yes,” he said. “She looks much better too. If Solana doesn’t need you, why don’t you go see for yourself? I’ll come with you.”

Bailey did want to check on Maria, and Solana didn’t need her. “I think I’ll take you up on that.”

After she explained to Solana where she would be, Bailey asked Wade to accompany her to room 235.

Just before they reached Maria’s room, Joel stopped. “I need to call Edward. I’ll be in shortly.”

She nodded and knocked on the door before pushing it open. “How’s our patient this morning?”

Angel turned from the window with Maria in his arms. “Much better. They’ve taken the IV out, and we’ve put on the overalls you brought yesterday, except a button is missing.”

Maria laid her head on his shoulder, and the button-less strap dangled on her arm. The child still looked terribly pale.

“Let me see if I can find a safety pin,” Bailey said. She rummaged in her purse and held one up. “Bingo!” Maria was still as she pinned the corduroy strap. “Are you ready to go home?”

She nodded. “Can we go now?”

Bailey pretended to think. “I think you have to go downstairs for a test first.”

“Where’s Wade?” Angel asked as he settled Maria on the bed.

“Outside the door.”

He nodded approval. “Have you had word from Danny?”

“You know about that?”

“He called.”

“You know he didn’t do it.”

“I agree, but why did the bullet match his gun?”

She’d been trying to figure that out herself. “Someone must have taken his gun.”

“Who wanted this man dead?”

“I figure his Mexico contact . . . or Jonas Gresham, the man he’s supposed to testify against.”

The phone on the table rang, and Angel answered it. Bailey finger-brushed Maria’s hair while he talked.

“Can it not wait?” he said into the phone.

“What’s the problem?”

He held up his finger. “Yes, I understand, but—”

The door opened and a porter pushed a wheelchair into the room. He glanced at the chart in his hand. “I’m looking for a Miss Maria Montoya.”

Angel hung up the phone. “Can this wait? I have to go to the business office.” He turned to Bailey. “They won’t discharge her or Solana until someone signs to pay.”

“Why don’t I go down with Maria?”

He frowned. “I don’t think—”

“Wade will go with us.”

“I’d really like to get out of here as soon as possible.” Angel glanced from Bailey to the porter, then nodded. “As long as the deputy accompanies you. I’ll be there as soon as I sign the papers.”

A few minutes later, Bailey and Maria rode the elevator down with Wade. “I hope all this protection is overkill.”

“So do I,” the deputy replied.

The porter parked them outside x-ray next to the dressing room. “Someone will be with you—”

Three loud pops cut off his words.
Gunshots.

Wade jerked out his gun and wheeled around.

A security guard ran past as hallway doors closed.

“What’s going on?” Wade yelled.

“Some idiot is firing a gun in the parking lot.”

Wade looked at her as more shots rang out. “Get into the dressing room and stay quiet until I come back.”

With her heart slamming against her ribs, Bailey picked up
Maria and slipped inside the small cubicle, closing the door behind them.

“Are the bad guys after us again?” Maria whispered.

“I hope not, honey. I hope not.”

“Bailey! Where are you?”

“Joel?” He wasn’t Danny or Angel, but he was better than nothing.

The door jerked open. “Come on,” he urged. “We need to get out of here.”

“But the gunfire—”

“It’s in the front parking lot. My car is in the back. This way.” He pulled Maria from her arms and hurried to an exit door.

“But Angel will be here soon.”

“You want to wait around and see? He may be the one they’re shooting at. Now, come on!”

He had Maria—she had to follow him. She ran to catch up as he disappeared out the door.

Joel waited outside. “Over here.”

When she reached his car, he’d already opened the door and put Maria in the back. “Get in and stay down.”

Bailey climbed in behind her and held the crying girl tight as the car careened out of the parking lot. A few minutes later, she raised up. “Where are we?”

“Almost to where we turn off to go into town.”

She looked out the back of the car. A van appeared in the distance.

“Get down,” Joel said. “Someone is coming up fast.”

She ducked down.

“I’m scared,” Maria whimpered.

She wanted to soothe the child, tell her everything was going to be fine, but her mouth wouldn’t work. Instead she pulled her closer.

An impact jerked the car to the right. Bailey screamed.

The van rammed their car again. She fell forward as Joel slammed on his brakes and the car shuddered to a stop. “Be very quiet,” she whispered to Maria. She ran her hands over the carpet, looking for something, anything to help defend them.
Nothing.

A man in a ski mask jerked the driver’s side door open. “Get out!”

Bailey crouched on the floorboard, shielding Maria with her body. If they were after the child, they wouldn’t get her without a fight. When the door opened, Bailey sprang at the man wearing a ski mask, knocking him down. He dropped his rifle, and she scrambled for it.

Arms jerked her backward.
“Estás un fierabrás.”

Two more seconds and he would have known just what a spitfire she was.

“You,” he said to Bailey. “Face to the ground.”

“Don’t hurt Maria,” she pleaded.

Danny paced the sheriff’s office.

“Let’s go over this again,” Ben said. “You’re claiming someone took your gun from your SUV or your office and killed Franks. If you had guns in your vehicle, why didn’t you keep it locked?”

“Because it’s Logan Point and no one has ever stolen anything from me. I always figured if someone wanted something from my car, it wouldn’t matter if it was locked or not.”

After the fact, it sounded crazy even to him. “It’s the only explanation I have. I didn’t kill the man. And you didn’t find any gunpowder residue on my hands.” Ben had to believe him. “The gun wouldn’t be that hard to steal whether it was in my SUV or office. Anyone could have taken it.”

“Any particular person you can think of who would know that’s where you kept the gun?”

He raked his hand through his hair. “Bailey, Solana. And Angel.”
He rubbed his jaw, and his day-old beard prickled his fingers. “But no way Angel killed Franks. That’s why I took him out there that afternoon—to see if he or Franks reacted at all.”

“So you thought it might be him.”

Danny shrugged the question off. “I wanted to make sure, but neither of them knew the other. But what if either Jonas Gresham or one of his boys saw me there with the gun? The oldest boy works at the plant, and he could have taken the gun.”

Ben leaned back in his chair. “That’s pretty far-fetched. Who else knows you keep the gun in your car?”

“My dad . . .” Danny searched his memory. “Charlie, probably Kate, Joel, Edward Montoya—”

The sheriff sat up straight. “Why would Joel and Montoya know?”

“Ian told me he mentioned my habit of carrying a gun in the SUV in one of our meetings with them.”

Ben’s cell phone rang and he answered it. A second later he said, “I’m on my way.”

“What’s wrong?”

“There’s a sniper in the hospital parking lot.”

Bailey.
“I’m going with you.”

Ben eyed him, then nodded curtly. “Stay out of the way.”

As they sped to the hospital, Danny called Angel. “What’s going on there?”

“There’s a shooter in the parking lot. I’m looking for Maria and Bailey now.”

“Call Bailey’s cell!”

“I did, and it goes to voicemail. I should never have left them.”

Ice water raced through his veins. “You left them?”

“It was a trick. But Wade was with them—I thought they’d be safe.”

“Is the shooter still there?”