Texas Baby Pursuit. Margaret DaleyЧитать онлайн книгу.
and that was still the best possibility. “He may have risked coming back if there was something left behind at the crime scene that could connect him to the kidnapping.”
“Yes, that’s what I’ve been thinking because he punched you. A neighbor or reporter wouldn’t have gone to that extreme and risk being arrested.”
“Deputy Jones handled the crime scene. As far as I know, nothing was found other than the footprints and tire tracks, and the pacifier I discovered in the backyard.”
Dallas parked behind her sheriff’s car in his sister’s driveway. “It wouldn’t hurt to look around again while we’re here. Which window was the guy looking in?”
“I think the dining room. Everything happened so fast.” Rachel scanned the crowd of people hanging around. There were two camera crews from different television stations in San Antonio as well as local folks she recognized.
“We need to recheck for anything out of the ordinary, especially with Lenora and Paul here now.”
“I agree.” Rachel stepped down from the SUV and headed toward the Howards’ house. Working with Dallas seemed to come so naturally. She was glad he was here to help because this would be her first big test as the county sheriff.
One of her deputies stood on the front porch and another one should be at the back door. She’d hated taking time away from the investigation to go to the hospital, but at least she’d had a chance to see what else Michelle could remember and make sure she would recover. “Did Michelle say anything about the kidnappers having a gun?”
“No. She was drowsy. I was happy to get what I could out of her. But I wouldn’t be surprised if one or both had a gun. Did the guy that hit you have one?”
“I didn’t see one, but when I was trying to stem the flow of blood from her wound, it looked like the kind of damage a handle of a revolver could have done.”
His tanned complexion whitened. “Not that I’m complaining, but if he had a gun, why didn’t he shoot her rather than hit her?”
“The noise. They still had to get away without anyone seeing them.” Rachel entered his sister’s house first and strode into the living area that connected with the dining room and kitchen, checking the placement of the windows on the side of the house where she’d seen the Peeping Tom and deciding she was right. The dining room was where the man had been looking inside.
Dallas came up behind and leaned toward her. “Which window was he peeking into?”
She pointed at the one on the left in the dining room. “There.” She glanced over her shoulder, his face close to hers. A whiff of lime wafted to her. “Which doesn’t surprise me. If the couple charged into your sister’s home, the fastest way to nab Brady was through the living and dining room into the kitchen and out onto the back porch. From what you said earlier I got the impression that Brady wasn’t with her when she went to the front door.”
“Right. He was asleep on the pallet on the screened-in porch.”
“The getaway car was most likely parked behind the property on the dirt road. Why didn’t Michelle see them walking across the backyard?”
“I’m not sure. Possibly because she might have been on the floor with Brady, and the screened part is only the top half. They might not have seen her, either. Or one went to the front to distract Michelle while the other snatched Brady.” He looked toward the hallway to the bedrooms, spying his brother-in-law making his way toward them. “Paul, is Lenora awake and able to talk to us?”
She hadn’t even heard Paul coming down the corridor. Her total attention had centered on Dallas. The pain in his gaze drew her to him. The thought of losing her baby pierced through her heart like a red-hot lance. Paul and Lenora were living a parent’s worst nightmare.
“I’m getting her a glass of water. She should be able to talk after that.” The defeat in Paul’s voice filled the silence.
“We’ll be out on the porch,” Rachel said.
Paul nodded. “That’s where Deputy Jones is.” He walked past them toward the kitchen. “Dottie called and told me how Michelle was doing. I’m glad she’ll be all right.”
“Thanks.” Dallas followed his brother-in-law into the kitchen, asking what his mother said concerning his daughter.
Rachel paused in the dining room and panned the area that held a table and six chairs and a display cabinet between the two windows. Thick, brown carpeting covered the floor. The only thing on the table was an artificial flower arrangement. She moved from one chair to the next, pulling it out and seeing if anything was on the seat. Nothing. Then she knelt and looked under the cabinet and table. A glint caught her attention near a chair. She crawled to it and saw a short gold chain with a heart charm on it buried in the long fibers of the rug.
She quickly put on gloves and picked up the bracelet. On the heart were the initials DN. Was it Lenora’s? The letters didn’t match her name. Until she found out, it would remain in the evidence bag she dropped it into. Usable latent prints might be on it. She hoped it was a clue that would lead them to Brady. Was the bracelet the reason the guy had been peeping in the dining room window? She wanted it to be a clue, but it was still possible the man might have nothing to do with the case.
Rachel quickly pushed to her feet, a few seconds of light-headedness hitting her. She had a mild concussion, nothing like Michelle’s, but she needed to watch for any signs her concussion was worsening. She strolled into the kitchen as Paul was leaving.
Across the room Dallas looked at her, their eyes bound together for a few seconds. He broke visual contact first and sauntered in the direction of the door that led to the porch.
“I found something in the dining room.”
He stopped and peered back at her, one brow raised.
She covered the distance between them and withdrew the small evidence bag from her pocket. “It’s a bracelet with a heart charm that has DN engraved on it. Does this look familiar to you?”
He held it up and examined it closely. “No. I’ve never seen Lenora with it or my mother or even Michelle. She spends a lot of time here.”
“Then this could be what the guy who hit me came back for.”
“Possibly. We need to show it to Lenora and Paul. It could belong to one of their friends I’m not familiar with.”
“I will.”
At the rear exit, Rachel stood in the doorway and slowly swept her gaze around the porch. Three walls were half screened on the top while the bottom was brick. The area had been childproofed and had a baby swing in a corner. When she focused on the coverlet on the wooden floor, her throat tightened at the sight of the blood on it and the cell phone Michelle used to call Dallas.
“I asked Deputy Jones to process for latent prints and search for any evidence but to leave the room as it is. I wanted you to see it when you weren’t concentrating on getting your daughter to the hospital.”
“Thanks. You’re right. I wasn’t paying much attention once I saw Michelle.”
Deputy Jones appeared at the back door and came into the room. “You’re gonna have one nice shiner there, sheriff.”
“That’s because the Peeping Tom clocked me with a one-two punch.” She waved her hand at her jaw then her eye.
“I don’t even have to look in a mirror to remind me that the guy got in two packed punches. Except for taking up the blanket and phone, are you finished in here?”
“Yes, ma’am. The area along the dirt road has been searched, but other than the tire tracks and boot prints, that’s all we found. I had a couple of deputies comb the back and front yards, but they didn’t find anything. Another deputy went to talk to Houston Fowler.”
“Good. Let me know if Fowler has any information that will help this case. I