Читать книгу The Missing Mccullen - Rita Herron - Страница 13

Chapter Six

Tension vibrated through the room as Cash faced the McCullen men. If these men were his enemies, he had a right to know.

Sheriff McCullen and his brothers exchanged odd looks, an awkwardness heating the air.

“Why did you bail me out and bring me here?” Cash demanded. “What do you want from me?”

The sheriff cleared his throat. “I’m Maddox, and this is Brett and Ray.”

“I know who you are,” Cash said between gritted teeth.

“You do?” Ray said, brows raised.

“Of course.” Cash frowned. “Everyone in this part of Wyoming knows the McCullens own Horseshoe Creek.”

The men traded looks again.

“What else do you know about us?” Maddox asked.

Another inquisition? “The story about your father’s murder was all over the news.” He folded his arms. “Now, answer my question. Why did you bring me here? Are you in cahoots with Elmore?”

Surprise flared on the men’s faces. “Why would you ask that?” Ray said.

“Because you don’t know me and I don’t know you,” Cash said. “Yet you posted my bail. Maybe you’re working with him or whoever’s framing me.”

“Good God,” Ray said. “You can’t be serious.”

“I work for the people of Pistol Whip and this county,” Maddox said stiffly. “My job is to uphold the law. I can’t be bought.”

The lawyer touched Cash’s arm. “Cash, trust me, they aren’t here to hurt you. They want the truth, the same as you and I do.”

He whirled around, his pent-up rage exploding. “Look, lady, in my experience, no one comes out of the woodwork to help someone, especially not someone like me. Not without his or her own agenda.”

A heartbeat of silence passed. A knock sounded, and Mama Mary appeared with a tray. Her bubbly smile seemed at odds with the tension in the air.

“Hey, boys. I have food and coffee.”

Cash crossed the room to the window and stared out at the horses galloping on a hill in the distance, while Mama Mary set the food on a bar by the wall.

“Thanks, Mama Mary.” Brett gave her a hug. “You’re the best.”

Heat flushed Cash’s neck. Everything he’d read about the McCullens indicated they were honest folks. So why all the secrecy?

Mama Mary closed the door of the study as she left, and Maddox gestured toward the sitting area. “Sit down, Cash, and we’ll explain.”

He jammed his hands into the pockets of his jeans as the McCullens seated themselves.