Surrendering to the Sheriff (7 page)

As if he had all the time in the world, Palmer looked at the screen. At the image of the SUV taking the turn toward his property. If he was concerned one bit about what Kendall was asking, he didn’t show it. Instead he smiled at Joplin when the lawyer joined them.

“Aiden’s on a witch hunt,” Joplin warned Palmer. “Beware.”

Kendall shot Joplin a glance that could have frozen the desert a couple of times over. “The man in that SUV tried to kill us.”

Her terse glance and comment caused Joplin to step back. “I should be going. I am free to go, right?” he asked Aiden. “Or do you plan to arrest me for something?”

“No plans, yet,” Aiden snarled. “But it’s early. Give me a few hours, and I’ll see what I can come up with.”

Joplin got his snarky look back and stormed out. Good. One pain down. Another to go. But Aiden wanted some answers from this one first before he went anywhere.

“Why don’t we take this into the interview room,” Aiden said to Palmer and his lawyers. Not really a suggestion. He hiked his thumb toward the hall and got them moving in that direction.

Aiden would have preferred that Kendall skip this, and he tried to let her know that with a raised eyebrow, but she just raised one of her own.

“You’re just not gonna let go of this bad blood between us, are you?” Palmer grumbled as they filed into the interview room. “That feud with your daddy was a long time ago.”

Yeah, it was. In fact, it’d happened twenty-five or so years ago when Palmer basically stole some Braddock land by falsifying old records. Something Aiden had never been able to prove, but he was certain that it’d happened.

“No, I wasn’t planning on letting go of it,” Aiden grumbled back. “I kind of like hanging on to bad blood.”

Kendall’s gaze came to his, and Aiden wanted to kick himself. Later, he’d have to let her know that their bad blood was going to have to get a whole lot better because of the baby.

Maybe that was possible.

Maybe.

“Bad blood aside,” Aiden said, his attention back on Palmer now, “I’m more interested in why that hired gun in the SUV paid you a visit.”

“He didn’t visit me.” Palmer didn’t hesitate. “I wasn’t at my ranch last night or this morning.”

One of the lawyers extracted a piece of paper from his briefcase. “That’s a receipt for Mr. Palmer’s hotel room. He stayed in San Antonio on the Riverwalk last night and just got back. We came straight here.”

Aiden figured Palmer would try something like this. That bad blood and Palmer’s previous scummy dealings always made Aiden think the worst. Including that receipt.

“You got a guilty conscience or something?” Aiden asked the man. “Is that why you brought a receipt with you?”

Palmer shrugged. “I figured if you were calling me in, I’d need an alibi.”

“That’s not an alibi,” Aiden informed him. Best to go with the direct approach and repeat Kendall’s question. “It just means you possibly weren’t at your ranch when the traffic camera recorded this. Did you hire that guy in the SUV to destroy evidence and then kill Kendall and me?”

Palmer’s eyes widened, just slightly and for only a fraction of a second. “Are you okay?” he asked Kendall.

“No,” she snapped. “Did you hear that part about somebody trying to kill us? Well, it was the man in the SUV that was on the road leading to your ranch.”

Palmer glanced at the other lawyer, and the guy quickly took out a phone. To call the ranch, Aiden realized, because he asked to speak to Leonard Graves, one of Palmer’s top dogs who was an overseer at the ranch.

“Did Mr. Palmer get any visitor in a black SUV?” the lawyer asked. A moment later, he ended the call and shook his head. “No visitors.”

Maybe Graves was telling the truth, maybe not. Aiden’s deputies should already be out at the ranch by now so they could have a look for themselves.

“There are plenty of ranch trails on my property,” Palmer reminded Aiden. “As you well know, since you used to play out there as a kid.”

Ah, a dig about the land deal. That always seemed to come up. But Palmer was right about the ranch trails. There were plenty of them, and they coiled all around his property.

“That doesn’t explain why the kidnapper would go there,” Aiden pointed out.

“Maybe because he wanted to make me look guilty.” Palmer didn’t hesitate.

Again, Aiden couldn’t argue with what he was saying.

“Think about it,” Palmer continued. “Whoever hired that nut job must have known about the traffic camera. Must have known that it would show the SUV turning onto the road that led to my land. If I’d hired him, then the last place I would have told him to come was my ranch.”

“Unless the guy panicked when his partner was shot,” Aiden supplied. “Or maybe he was hurt, too. I fired into the SUV, and I might have hit him. Maybe the guy needed a doctor and didn’t have any other place to go but to the man who hired him.”

That got a rise out of Palmer. His jaw locked. His eyes narrowed. “And I suppose you’ll say I wanted him to force you to destroy some evidence to clear Jewell’s name?”

“Well, it did cross my mind. Did you?”

Palmer huffed, shook his head. “What evidence?”

“The bone fragments.” As he’d done with Joplin, Aiden watched for a response.

He got one.

The corner of Palmer’s mouth kicked up into a smile. “Well, I gotta say if I was into evidence tampering, that’s the lot I’d like to see destroyed. Without those bone fragments, the jury might not believe a man was even killed. And with Jewell’s pretty face and angelic eyes, they might be inclined to let her walk.”

In your dreams,
Aiden nearly snapped, but then he remembered Kendall was right there next to him.

“If my sister is cleared of these charges,” Kendall said, staring at Palmer, “it won’t be because of her looks. It’ll be because a jury will be convinced that she’s not capable of murder.”

“We’re all capable, sweetheart,” Palmer answered, and the
sweetheart
actually sounded like a term of endearment rather than sarcasm. “But I’m betting nobody in the county will want your sister to go to jail for ending the life of a miserable piece of cow dung like Whitt Braddock.”

Now, here was the point where most sons would have taken exception to their daddy being called cow dung. But the truth was, Whitt just wasn’t a good man. Not a good father, either. Well, not to Laine and him anyway. Shelby had barely been seven when their father was killed, and while he was alive, he’d always treated her like a princess. That was the reason Shelby was fighting tooth and nail to see Jewell convicted. Aiden was just in it for justice.

Any old justice.

So that he could finally put this behind him.

Maybe then his mother would get her head back on straight, and Laine and he would have some peace.

But justice still wasn’t going to change the fact that Palmer was right about this. Plenty of people wanted Whitt dead, and those same people didn’t want Jewell punished for doing it. That included somebody who might hire kidnappers and send one out to Palmer’s place just to make him look guilty.

Aiden silently cursed, because with that hotel receipt, it meant he didn’t have any hard evidence to suggest that Palmer had even caught a glimpse of the idiot in the SUV, much less had contact with him.

Palmer knew that, too, because he stood, the lawyer duo standing at the same time. “If there’s anything else, Aiden, just give me a holler.”

However, before they could make it to the door, it opened, and Leland stuck his head inside. The deputy lifted a pair of handcuffs and looked at Aiden.

“We got it, boss,” Leland said. “We got something we can use to make an arrest.” His attention went to their visitor. “Lee Palmer, you have the right to remain silent...”

CHAPTER EIGHT

Kendall watched as Leland led Palmer away toward the holding cell. Palmer cooperated, all the while barking out orders for his lawyers to find a judge who’d get him out of there ASAP.

And with Palmer’s money and connections, that would probably happen.

However, the evidence against him was pretty clear. First, the SUV driver going out to his ranch. Then the money trail Leland had found that linked a payment from one of Palmer’s accounts to the dead kidnapper, Montel Higgins. Strong evidence but still maybe not enough to keep Palmer behind bars.

“I got a bad feeling about this,” Aiden said.

So did Kendall.

It seemed, well, too obvious.

Palmer was shady, no doubts about that, but he wasn’t stupid. Sure, he wanted Jewell to go free, but if he was truly behind this, why wouldn’t he have better hidden his tracks? And Palmer definitely had the money to do that. He could simply have paid the kidnappers in cash, and there would have been no record of it.

“Maybe this is another case of reverse psychology?” Kendall suggested. Yes, she was reaching, but something wasn’t right.

Aiden shrugged. “Or maybe one of Palmer’s lackeys put this idiotic plan together and forgot to tie up a loose end or two.”

Maybe. If so, then perhaps Palmer would call off any other “surprises” he might have planned to get Jewell released.

“Now, about that statement,” Aiden added after a long breath.

She shook her head. “I need to see Jewell. I want to explain to her in person about the baby.”

“Oh, I think she’s already figured it out.” But then Aiden huffed. “All right. I’ll take you to the county jail, and after that you can do the statement, eat and then rest.”

Kendall shouldn’t have minded that Aiden gave the same importance to eat and rest as he did a mandatory statement about the kidnapping. It smacked of concern not for her exactly but for her condition. A red flag that Aiden was over his initial shock about the pregnancy and was now on to making plans.

Plans that would no doubt clash with the ones she’d already made.

Of course, she’d made those plans when Aiden didn’t know about the baby, when she thought it would be best if she just left him out of things. But there was no way he’d be left out of it.

And that meant she needed to figure out what to do.

Aiden didn’t say anything else until Leland had locked up Palmer in the holding cell. The lawyers hurried out of the building as if their tails were on fire, but they were probably just in a rush to find a judge or the DA, with the hopes of swaying one of them to let their boss out.

“Jeb, I need you to follow Miss O’Neal and me to the jail,” Aiden said, motioning to the deputy in the corner. The young man practically jumped to attention.

Kendall didn’t personally know him, but he looked barely old enough to be wearing a badge. Still, Aiden’s pickings were slim, as his other deputies were tied up at Palmer’s, and Leland had to man the office.

“This shouldn’t take long,” Aiden said to Leland.

As Aiden had done earlier before they started the drive to the sheriff’s office, he looked out the window, no doubt making sure no one was waiting there. Once he opened the door, he hurried her to his truck. The drive was short, only about five miles and just outside town, but Jeb stayed right behind in a patrol vehicle.

“I’ll be with you when you talk to Jewell,” Aiden said out of the blue.

“No need. She’ll probably be upset.”

His glance was more of an
I beg to differ
look. “Sure, Jewell will be upset, and that’s why I’ll be there. We got in that hotel bed together, and there’s no need for you to catch the flak for it on your own.”

Kendall opened her mouth to argue that she didn’t need Aiden as a crutch, but the truth was, she sort of did. Her nerves were raw, right near the surface, and the scrambled eggs and toast she’d had for breakfast were no longer feeling so great in her stomach. Another argument with Aiden wouldn’t help, and besides, Jewell would probably want to see him anyway.

Not to yell at him, though.

Jewell wasn’t the yelling type. But there’d likely be plenty of hurt in her eyes when she learned that her little sister had slept with the man trying to convict her of murder.

Aiden parked in his reserved spot right next to the county jail, and he gave his deputy a signal indicating that it was okay for him to return to the office, where Kendall was sure Leland would need some help processing Palmer.

The county jail wasn’t a modern facility but rather a converted mental hospital that’d been built back in the 1920s. However, the rough limestone facade was definitely prison gray, and there were coils of razor wire ribboning around the top of the high metal fence.

Even though Aiden was the county sheriff, his deputies didn’t staff the jail. The guards and warden were civilians, contracted and paid by the county. Still, Aiden’s badge got Kendall and him in quickly through the two sets of security doors.

“We don’t have an appointment,” Aiden said to the guard at the final checkpoint. As part of protocol, Aiden handed the guard his primary and backup weapons, since only the guards were allowed to be armed beyond this point. “But we need to speak with Jewell McKinnon.”

The bulky bald guy grumbled something about that not being a problem and motioned for them to follow him. “I’ll get her for you.”

The guard then put them in the visitors’ room to wait while he brought Jewell out to them. Of course, they’d have to talk to her through the thick Plexiglas panel, but at least they’d be face-to-face.

“I hate that Jewell’s here,” Kendall said under her breath.

She hadn’t exactly planned to say that aloud, but it was something Kendall felt every time she’d visited her sister over the past six months. Everything about the place was depressing from its concrete walls, its gray floors and the lingering smell of disinfectant and sweat.

“The trial’s in less than two months,” Aiden reminded her.

But that might only be the start of more jail time. And if Jewell was convicted of murder, she’d be moved to a prison much farther away.

They sat in the seats in front of the Plexiglas, but Aiden turned to her. “So, what will you say to your sister when she asks what we’re going to do about the baby?”

Twenty-four hours ago, the answer would have been easy. She was leaving town to start a new life. But now her plans would likely have to be amended.

“I still think my leaving is a good idea. For your family’s sake,” she added when she felt his arm tense beside her.

“Your house in Sweetwater Springs is twenty minutes from Clay Ridge,” he reminded her.

Yes, but her law office was in Clay Ridge, where she might run into a Braddock or two. Of course, she’d run into Aiden no matter where she ended up.

“How big a part do you think you want in this baby’s life?” she asked.

All right, the wording was terrible. As a lawyer, she probably should have come up with something that wouldn’t have lit a new fire in Aiden’s eyes. And this time, the fire wasn’t from the heat of that stupid morning kiss. She’d riled him again.

Aiden didn’t exactly jump to answer. Perhaps because he was mulling over what to sling back at her. But he didn’t get a chance to say or sling anything. The fluorescent lights flickered, snapping and crackling above them, before they clicked off.

Since there were no windows, the room instantly went pitch-black.

Kendall reached for Aiden’s arm, but he was already reaching for her. “It’ll be okay,” he assured her. “The generator will kick right in.”

There was no one else in the room with them, but Kendall heard one of the guards shout out some kind of code. Probably procedure for emergencies like this.

The seconds crawled by. There were more shouted orders from the guard. She recognized the voice as the same one who’d ushered them into the visiting area. She also heard footsteps scrambling around on the tile floors.

“Hell.” Aiden got to his feet. “The power shouldn’t be off this long.”

Kendall agreed, but she didn’t get a chance to voice it, because the alarms started clanging through the room. So loud. Much louder than a home security system, and the pulsing blare seemed to rattle the concrete block walls.

He pulled out his phone, cursed. It took her a moment to realize they had no cell service in this part of the building. The reinforced walls made it a dead zone for phone reception.

Aiden moved between her and the door, and even though she couldn’t see him that well, she felt him automatically put his hand over his holster, but the gun wasn’t there. He’d had to surrender it to the guard.

Her heart was already in her throat, and that didn’t help. Was this some kind of prison break?

As far as she knew, Jewell was the only murder suspect on the women’s side of the jail, but this wasn’t Club Med, and there were other inmates who’d been charged and in some cases convicted of serious felonies.

They waited for what seemed an eternity and finally heard footsteps headed their way. Kendall pulled in her breath, held it, and the door creaked open. It was the bald guard, and he had a flashlight in his left hand, his gun in his right.

“Follow me,” he barked.

But Aiden didn’t jump to do that. “Why hasn’t the generator kicked in?”

“A malfunction.” He glanced back over his shoulder. “Now come on. I need to get you two out of here.”

Still, Aiden didn’t move. “What was your name again?”

Judging from the huff the guy made, he didn’t like that question. Kendall wasn’t sure she did, either. She wanted to get out of there, but she also wanted to make sure Jewell was okay. After all, this was the guard who was supposed to be bringing her to them. Did that mean Jewell was outside her cell in the dark where she could be hurt if this was indeed a prison break?

“Who are you?” Aiden repeated.

But he didn’t answer.

The guard took aim and fired at them.

*

A
IDEN
BARELY
HAD
time to react.

Just as the shot cracked through the air, he pushed Kendall out of the way, praying that he hadn’t hurt her in the process. He wasn’t hit, and he launched himself at the guard. It was the best he could do, since he wasn’t armed, and Aiden somehow had to stop him from firing again.

Aiden collided with the guy who was a heck of a lot bigger than he was, but it was thankfully enough to off-balance the gorilla, because they both crashed to the floor. The flashlight went flying, but the guard managed to hang on to his gun. It didn’t help when the guard slugged him.

Damn, that hurt, and Aiden could have sworn he saw stars.

What the heck was going on here?

Clearly, this was a rogue guard, maybe involved in a prison outbreak. But why had he shot at them? Maybe because Aiden was the county sheriff?

He didn’t have much time to dwell on that, because he got another punch to the face. Aiden landed a couple of punches as well, but what he couldn’t seem to do was knock that gun out of the guard’s hand.

The guard cursed him. Profanity that Aiden gave right back to him, and the struggle landed outside the visiting room and into the small caged booth where the guards waited during visits. Normally, there were plenty of lights and security cameras, but it was now as dark as the rest of the facility.

Even over the sounds of the struggle and the blare of the alarm, Aiden could hear a voice coming from the communicator clipped to the guard’s collar. He didn’t hear every word, but Aiden caught enough to realize this guy had some help.

“The plug’s been pulled. Get out of there now!” the voice said.

The guard cursed him again and kicked like a mule to get Aiden off him. He scrambled to his feet, turning to fire another shot. Aiden had no choice but to dart out of the way.

And it was just enough for the guard to sprint right out of the booth.

Aiden wanted to go after him, to pulverize the moron for the attack, but he wouldn’t dare leave Kendall alone. Especially as she might have been hurt. That gave him another jolt of adrenaline. He scooped up the flashlight and hurried back to the visiting room.

He didn’t have to look hard for Kendall. She was right there in the doorway. She’d picked up a chair and was holding it like some kind of weapon. Thank God she hadn’t tried to use it on the guard, because he would likely have shot her.

“Let’s go,” Aiden said. Balancing the flashlight, he managed to get her death grip off the chair.

“Is it safe?” she asked, her voice trembling like the rest of her.

“I’ll make it safe.”

That was possibly a flat-out lie, but Kendall had already been through enough to hear the truth. A truth that didn’t matter, since he didn’t have a lot of options here. It definitely wasn’t safe for them to stay in a room where they could be trapped—again. Their best shot was to get the heck out of Dodge.

“Stay low and behind me,” Aiden ordered.

He turned the flashlight to the floor and got them moving. Slowly. And he tried to pick through all the shadows and sounds to figure out what was going on. He didn’t dare call out for the guards because they might be on the bald guy’s side. But in addition to looking out for rogue guards, he also needed to make sure Kendall and he weren’t attacked by escaping prisoners.

Because the security booth was now empty, Aiden paused there and used the flashlight to locate his weapons and to check the hall to his left. It led to the cells, and if he remembered correctly, there were eight prisoners there in the women’s wing. On the men’s side, there was triple that number.

While he could hear hurried footsteps, there were no gunshots. That was something at least. Kendall had already dodged enough bullets to last a lifetime.

“This way,” Aiden instructed.

He’d take Kendall up the main hall, to the next security checkpoint. After that, it wouldn’t be much farther to get her out of the building. However, they’d made it only a few steps when he heard a voice.

“No!” someone shouted.

“Jewell,” Kendall immediately said, and she would have bolted in that direction if Aiden hadn’t held her back.