Read Online A Lawman's Justice (Sweetwater Ranch Book 8) by Delores Fossen - Free Book Online Page A

waist, had her sit on the bed and closed the curtains.
    “Wait here,” he insisted before hurrying through the rest of the house to look out each window.
    No one was out there, thank God.
    “Someone could have painted that while we were at the sheriff’s office yesterday,” Seth reminded Shelby when he went back into her bedroom. “Or even earlier.”
    He’d checked the house when they’d arrived, but he certainly hadn’t looked at that area of the yard other than to look for any signs of a gunman. It was a reminder that he needed to move Shelby to a safer place. One where idiots couldn’t get this close to her.
    “This person wants me scared,” she whispered. “They’re succeeding. I’m scared.”
    Seth figured it took a lot for her to admit that. He wasn’t usually a fan of giving in to fear, but in this case, it served a purpose. It could make Shelby more cautious. More agreeable to a plan that she wasn’t going to like much.
    “I want you to go somewhere,” he said. “Somewhere other than here, where you’ll be safe.”
    Despite her admission of fear, she still shook her head, just as Seth figured she would. “But once the men who kidnapped us are found—”
    “They’re still at large.” That was the first round of bad news. He dragged in a deep breath before he continued with things she definitely wasn’t going to want to hear. “Hance is already out on bail. He’ll be charged with violating the restraining order, but he probably won’t get any jail time for it.”
    Shelby stayed quiet a moment. Processing. “I see.”
    Since the string of bad news would only strengthen his argument for her to leave and go to a safe house, Seth continued, “Cooper brought in both Meredith and Annette for questioning last night. Both claimed they were innocent. Both even agreed to let Cooper examine their bank records so they could prove that they haven’t paid out money for hired guns and kidnappers.”
    Seth could dismiss the women’s claims of innocence, but according to Cooper, they’d both fully cooperated. Both had even provided alibis for the time Shelby and he had been kidnapped. Of course, it’d been hired goons who’d done that, but he still didn’t have any proof to warrant arresting Meredith or Annette.
    Shelby sat there, clearly trying to steel herself. It didn’t appear to be working. This next bit of news wouldn’t help with that.
    “The FBI looked through phone records to determine who made that anonymous call to you, the one that lured you to the warehouse. It was made from a burner cell. No way to trace it, and it was the same number used to call Hance.”
    “Hance could have made the call to himself,” she pointed out quickly.
    Seth nodded. Hard to rule that out.
    She stared at him. “There’s more?”
    “Yeah.” And this time Seth eased down on the foot of the bed so they’d be eye to eye. “The CSIs finished processing the barn where we were tied up. They found more rope, a butcher knife and paper masks. This time of you and me.”
    “Oh, God.” She pressed her fingers to her mouth for a moment and then repeated it.
    That’d been his reaction, too. Yes, he’d figured someone wanted to do them bodily harm, but those masks, knife and ropes meant someone had planned to kill them there and stage the bodies as the others had been.
    If Seth went with the most obvious theory, that meant someone had tried to get Shelby, Hance and him to the warehouse. Together. Maybe so Hance could be set up to take the fall for murdering them. Or maybe Hance had hoped for some reverse psychology to make himself look innocent.
    “Do you have any good news whatsoever?” she asked.
    He had to give that some thought. “We’re alive.”
    A burst of air left her mouth. Almost a laugh, but there was no humor in it. She stood as if ready to bolt, but Seth took hold of her arm to stop her.
    Not the best idea he’d ever had.
    Because she whirled around, his grip on her wrist stopping her, but it