Читать книгу Drury - Delores Fossen - Страница 12

Chapter Five

Drury waited. Something he’d been doing all night.

Patience had never been his strong suit, and that was especially true now. He wanted answers. Answers that he wasn’t getting. Well, he wasn’t getting the right answers anyway.

He’d certainly gotten a string of wrong ones.

No news on Jeremy. Nothing else on the kidnappers, either. Ronnie was sticking to his story about Caitlyn stealing his child. And CPS was pushing Grayson to disclose the location of the baby.

Grayson was staying quiet for now on anything about the baby, though he almost certainly knew that they were at the ranch. Drury wasn’t sure how long Grayson’s silence would last. Especially since CPS had said they would get protection for the little girl. If they did that, Drury wasn’t even sure it was a good idea for Caitlyn and him to keep her.

Unless the child turned out to be hers, that is.

If the baby was indeed her child, then there was no way Caitlyn would give her up. A match wouldn’t mean the baby was safe, though. Caitlyn, either. And that left Drury with another question for which he didn’t have an answer.

What then?

The logical part of him was saying he should step away from this. That his past with Caitlyn was just that—the past. But the illogical part of him put up an argument about it. Drury figured it had plenty to do with the old attraction. The one that was still there.

He threw back the covers and got off the sofa where he’d spent the night. Not sleeping, that’s for sure. The sofa was about six inches too short for his body, and the thoughts racing through his head hadn’t exactly spurred a peaceful sleep. He could still hear the shots. Could still see that look of terror on Caitlyn’s face.

Of course, the shooting had brought back the old memories. Of that same look of terror on Lily’s face before she’d died in his arms. Memories that he pushed aside. Like the attraction for Caitlyn, he didn’t want to cloud his mind with things from the past that he couldn’t change.

Since he didn’t hear Caitlyn stirring in the bedroom, he tried to be quiet when he went to the kitchen and made some coffee. The small counter was dotted with baby formula and other supplies. Something Lucas had managed to get for them before he’d left the guesthouse shortly after midnight. Later, Drury would need to thank him for helping. Grayson, too.

And that thanks would include them not mentioning that he shouldn’t be under the same roof with Caitlyn.

Drury sipped his coffee, went through his emails on the laptop that Lucas had also provided. No updates since the last time he checked other than Grayson was going to have the deputy at the hospital talk to Ronnie again. Maybe the man would cave on his story so that there’d be no question about Caitlyn’s innocence.

She already had enough strikes against her with his family of lawmen without adding that.

He heard a slight thudding sound in the bedroom, and Drury practically threw his coffee cup on the table and hurried to find out if anything had happened. Not that he had to go far. It was literally only a few steps from the kitchen. He drew his gun from his shoulder holster and threw open the door, bracing himself for the worst. But it wasn’t the worst.

Caitlyn was standing there naked.

Almost naked anyway. She was putting on an oversize bathrobe, and he got a glimpse of her body before she managed to yank the sides together and tie the sash.

“Sorry,” she whispered. Maybe an apology for the peep show. Or maybe because she’d clearly startled him. Caitlyn picked up the plastic baby bottle that she’d obviously dropped. “I’m on edge, too,” she added.

No doubt, but at the moment she didn’t exactly look on edge. Their gazes connected. Held. And he saw in her eyes something he didn’t want to see. The old heat.

Drury looked away and reholstered his gun. Since he was already there, he also checked on the baby. There’d been no time to get a crib, so the little girl was sleeping on the center of the bed where she’d likely spent most of the night. The covers on the floor told him that Caitlyn had probably slept there.

“I was afraid of rolling onto her during the night,” Caitlyn said. “She’s so little.” There was some fear in her voice, but he didn’t think it was from the danger but rather because it was true. The baby really was tiny.

“Did she sleep okay?” he asked.

Caitlyn nodded, then shrugged. “I guess she did. I don’t really know how often a baby should be waking up.”

Neither did Drury, but Caitlyn had gotten up twice in the night to warm bottles. Drury had asked if he could help. Especially since Caitlyn had had to walk right past him to get to the kitchen. But she’d declined his offer.

“Please tell me you have good news. Any good news,” Caitlyn said.

It took Drury a couple of moments to come up with something that could possibly be considered good. “Grayson is bringing in both Helen and Melanie for questioning.”

Caitlyn flexed her eyebrows. “I’m betting neither was happy about that.”

“They weren’t. Especially Helen. Grayson said she didn’t seem too concerned when he told her about the call we’d gotten from Jeremy.”

“She wouldn’t be. Jeremy and she haven’t been on friendly terms in years. Jeremy’s a hothead.”

Yeah, Drury had figured that out from the brief phone call. But the “hothead” was about to be labeled a missing person if they didn’t hear from him soon.

“Someone had tampered with the security cameras in the parking garage where Jeremy made that call,” he explained. “There’s no footage for fifteen minutes before the call or for a half hour afterward.”

She stayed quiet a moment. “You think Jeremy could have really been kidnapped?”

Drury had to lift his shoulder. “You know him better than I do. Would he fake a disappearance?”

“Yes,” Caitlyn said without hesitation. “If it benefited him in some way. And this possibly could if he thought he was a suspect in the attack last night.” But then she shook her head. “Of course, he wouldn’t have had any part in her birth.” She glanced at the baby.

“Because he wouldn’t want to share his inheritance.” Drury remembered Caitlyn mentioning that. “But if he’s worried about splitting an inheritance, wouldn’t he try to smooth things over with his mom?”

“Helen can’t cut him out of the estate. That’s in the terms of his late father’s will. Jeremy will inherit everything unless Grant has an heir.”

Drury figured the estate had to be worth millions. Still, it took a coldhearted SOB to go after a child because of money. If that’s what Jeremy had done. Considering the bad blood between him and his mother, Helen might have used this as an opportunity to get rid of Jeremy, her sole surviving son.

Especially if the woman thought she had a new heir. Grant’s baby.

“I was about to take a shower.” Caitlyn fluttered her fingers toward the adjoining bathroom. “That’s why I wasn’t dressed when you came in. I was going to put her in the carrier on the bathroom floor, but could you watch her?”

Drury nodded. And hoped the baby didn’t wake up. Unlike his cousins, he just wasn’t comfortable holding a newborn.

“I won’t be long,” Caitlyn added, and she hurried into the bathroom.

He sank down on the edge of the bed and studied the little girl’s face. He could see Caitlyn’s mouth and chin. Or at least he thought he could. No resemblance to Grant, though, and it surprised him a little to realize that even if he had seen it, it wouldn’t have made him uneasy. His beef had never been with Grant.

But rather Caitlyn leaving him to be with Grant.

Of course, it was his own stupid fault for handing Caitlyn his heart when he knew he was the wrong man for her. She’d told him right from the get-go that she couldn’t get involved with a lawman. Not after her lawman father’s violent death. Even after they’d started an affair, she had continued to tell Drury that it could never be more than temporary between them.

Too bad he hadn’t believed her.

Caitlyn was right about not being too long. She stayed in the shower only a couple of minutes, and it took her even less than that to dress. She hurried out while combing her wet hair.

She smelled like roses.

The soap, no doubt, but it was something he wished he hadn’t noticed.

“Thanks,” she said.

Since it was time for him to get the heck out of the bedroom, Drury stood, but the moment he did, the baby squirmed a little and made a fussing sound. He stepped back so that Caitlyn could go to her and take her in her arms.

They made a picture together. And Drury had no trouble seeing the love for the child in Caitlyn’s eyes.

“I know,” Caitlyn said, following his gaze to the baby. “I shouldn’t get so attached. But I’ve always wanted a child, so it’s hard not to have deep feelings for her.”

An understatement. Caitlyn had really wanted a child. Something she’d made clear when they were together.

Something that had driven a wedge between them, too.

Heck, it still made him take a step back now.

Too many memories. More of those old ones that he wanted to forget. But couldn’t. Because he hadn’t just lost his wife the day she’d been murdered. He’d lost the child that she’d been carrying.

“Will you still help me with a safe house?” she asked. “An unofficial one, of course. I don’t think you want to use FBI channels.”

Neither did he. “I’ll help with the house.” Hell, he’d ended up helping with plenty of things he didn’t want to help with, but despite their past he was still a sucker for a damsel in distress, and at the moment Caitlyn was in a lot of distress.

She mumbled another thanks. “I was going to get started on contacting some bodyguards, and I was hoping I could use your laptop to get some phone numbers.”

He nearly offered her a protection detail. But he was also toeing the line on the law. Heck, he’d probably crossed over that line, and he didn’t want to bring any of his fellow agents or family into this.

“The laptop’s on the table in the kitchen,” he said.

She gathered the blanket around the baby and headed that direction. Drury followed, but before he even made it there, his phone buzzed, and he saw Grayson’s name on the screen. He considered not putting the call on speaker, just in case this was more bad news, but he’d end up telling Caitlyn about the conversation anyway.

“You’re on speaker,” Drury warned Grayson right off, though he doubted that would change anything Grayson had to say.

“Good. Because Caitlyn needs to hear this. I’ve arranged for the doctor to examine the baby. Yeah, I know. It’s a risk, but she needs to be checked out.”

“I agree.” A weary sigh left Caitlyn’s mouth. “And it’s something I should have remembered to do.”

“You’ve had a lot on your mind lately.” There was a touch of sarcasm in Grayson’s tone. “I want you two to take the baby to the hospital. And don’t worry, she won’t be near Ronnie. The doctor will meet you in his private office to do the exam. I’ve arranged for Lucas and one of the deputies to escort you there.”

Escort was a nice way of saying back up in case someone tried to gun them down again.

“Anything new from Ronnie?” Drury asked.

“Nothing. He’s lawyered up and is refusing to cooperate with us. Not CPS, though. He’s still pressuring them to give him the baby. Which they won’t do,” Grayson quickly added. “Not without DNA proof anyway, and it’ll be tomorrow before we have that.”

“The DNA will show that Ronnie’s not the father,” Caitlyn said like gospel, and Drury hoped that was true.

He didn’t exactly relish the idea of handing over a child to someone who’d shot at him. Of course, that wouldn’t happen anyway unless Ronnie was cleared of all charges.

“Ronnie said he can prove the baby is his,” Grayson went on. “Because he can describe the birthmark on her ankle. Does she have a birthmark?”

“She does,” Caitlyn admitted. “But Ronnie could have easily seen it when he had her.”

“That was my theory, too. By the way, Melanie’s on her way in,” Grayson added a moment later. “Drury, if you want to be here for the interview, you could have Lucas or someone else stay with Caitlyn and the baby.”

It was tempting. “When will she be there?” Drury asked.

“Within the hour.” He paused. “I have plenty of questions for her now that I’ve read the police report for Grant’s car accident. Melanie’s purse was found in the vehicle.”

Drury had read the report, too. Not recently. But shortly after Grant had died. Why? He didn’t know. It was a way of picking at those old wounds, but he hadn’t been able to stop himself. So, yeah, he knew about Melanie’s purse.

Obviously so did Caitlyn. “Melanie claimed that Grant and she had been together that night, but when he dropped her off at her place, she forgot her purse.” She frowned. “The police cleared her as a suspect, but you think Melanie could have had something to do with his death?”

“Do you?” Grayson asked right back.

She certainly didn’t jump to deny it. Caitlyn took a moment and gently rocked the baby even though the little girl was no longer fussing. “Possibly. Jeremy is still my top suspect for that. If it wasn’t an accident, that is. But I suppose Melanie could have been upset with Grant about something.”

“You don’t know?” Grayson pressed.

“No. By then Grant and I were separated. That’s why I was a suspect at first, but I was cleared, too, because it was ruled an accident. Added to that, I had an alibi.”

“A ruptured appendix,” Drury mumbled.

Caitlyn’s gaze raced to his, and she looked a little surprised that he knew that. When it came to her, Drury always seemed to know a little too much. Like that she’d nearly died herself that night and was in emergency surgery at the same time her estranged husband swerved off the road and hit a tree. Since there’d been other skid marks nearby, the cops had first thought someone had run him off the road, but the CSIs hadn’t been able to prove that the marks were made the exact same time as the accident.

“I just want to know as much about Melanie as possible before I question her,” Grayson went on. “Does she have any hot buttons?”

“Me,” Caitlyn answered. “Until I filed for divorce, she was harassing me. She hates me. That’s why I told Drury that I didn’t think she had anything to do with the baby or Conceptions Clinic.”

Grayson made a sound to indicate he was withholding judgment on that. “I’ll let you know if I find out anything from her, and I’ll have Lucas give you a call once he’s on his way there. By the way, Lucas didn’t tell me exactly where you were on the ranch, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

So would Drury. The fewer people who knew, the better.

Drury ended the call, and since Caitlyn had said she wanted to use his laptop, he turned it in her direction. She glanced at the baby. Then at him.

“I’ll get the carrier from the bedroom,” she said, not giving him a chance to decline to hold the baby. Not that he would have. But Caitlyn must have realized that it wasn’t something he wanted to do.

Several moments later, she came back into the kitchen, the baby already snuggled into the carrier, and she set the carrier on the table next to the laptop.

“For a bodyguard search, try starting with Sencor Agency in San Antonio,” he suggested.

She muttered a thanks and got started on that just as Drury’s phone buzzed again. Not Grayson this time but rather his brother Mason, who lived at the main house on the ranch.

“We have a visitor,” Mason growled the moment Drury answered. “She’s at the security gate pitching a fit. I didn’t tell her either of you were here, but she’s insisting on seeing Caitlyn.”

Even though Drury didn’t have the phone on speaker, either Caitlyn heard or else she noticed the alarm on Drury’s face because she slowly got to her feet.

“Who is it? Melanie?” Drury asked.

“No. It’s Caitlyn’s mother-in-law, Helen. And along with demanding to see Caitlyn, she says she wants her grandbaby right now.”