“Thanks for that,” he said, tipping his head to the arm she’d just rubbed.
Her next sigh was louder, and despite their situation, it made him smile. This attraction was really messing with both of them.
Cullen waited until she’d gone in with Jamie before he called Mack, and as expected, the ranch hand answered right away.
“I was about to call you,” Mack said. He heard the man drag in a deep breath. “I took one of the horses over to the east trail. Just to have a look around. I wasn’t far from the house when I found an SUV. There’s damage to the front end so I bet it’s the one used to ram into the sheriff’s cruiser.”
Yeah, that was a safe bet. “I’m guessing no one was inside it?”
“No one,” Mack verified. “I didn’t touch it, because I knew the CSIs would want to process it so I just let them know. They’ll probably be calling the sheriff about it.”
Again, that was a safe bet.
“It’s one of the Triple R’s vehicles,” Mack added a moment later.
Hell. Of course it was. If the killer wanted to add another twist to muddy the waters even more than they already were, then it made sense to use one of Cullen’s own SUVs. There were several on the ranch, along with a large number of trucks, and the vehicles were parked all around. There probably wouldn’t have been keys in the ignition, but someone capable of killing could likely know how to hot-wire a car.
“Boss, if you’re thinking one of the hands could have done this,” Mack said, “you’re wrong.”
“I wasn’t thinking along those lines. But it could have been someone who had been at the party. Someone who maybe stayed back when I thought they had left.”
That would be something a killer would do—stay around to tie up any loose ends. Hell, for that matter the killer could have hidden in one of the rooms in the house. No one had done a head count to make sure all the guests had been accounted for.
And that led Cullen back to Austin.
Kali, too, since she and Austin hadn’t left the party together. Plus, either one of them would have known where the SUVs were kept.
“If Austin or Kali show up at the ranch, let me know and then bring them straight in for questioning,” Cullen instructed Mack. “Also, I need two more hands out to the hospital parking lot to stand guard. Jamie got a threatening phone call that shook him up.”
“Will do.” There was concern and some alarm in Mack’s voice. “Look, I can get into town if you want me there with him.”
“No, I’d rather you stay at the ranch and put out any fires that might pop up.” Because after all, it was possible the killer was still nearby.
It was an unsettling thought that grew even stronger when Cullen saw Austin coming up the hall toward him.
“I have to go,” Cullen told Mack, and he ended the call so he could give Austin the once-over.
His friend looked like hell. Dark shadows under his eyes. Scruff that went well past a fashion statement, and it looked as if he’d grabbed the jeans and T-shirt he was wearing off the floor of his room. His coat was unbuttoned and flapped against his sides with his hurried strides.
“I still haven’t been able to find my phone so I accessed my office messages and found all these calls from Leigh and you,” Austin said right off. “What the heck’s going on?”
Cullen wasn’t sure where to start, and it turned out that he didn’t have to make a decision about that. Leigh must have heard Austin’s voice, because she came out of Jamie’s room.
“What the heck’s going on?” Austin repeated to Leigh.
She glanced around and motioned for him to follow her. Leigh led Austin to a small visitors’ room just a few doors down from Jamie’s room. Cullen went with them since he had every intention of hearing what Austin had to say. However, he waited in the doorway so he could see if someone tried to get into Jamie’s room. Leigh and Austin took seats at the small metal table.
“I’m going to read you your rights,” Leigh said to Austin, and she proceeded to do just that.
Austin sat in what appeared to be stunned silence before he turned his accusing gaze on Cullen. “You believe I killed Alexa?” Austin came out and demanded.
“I have questions, and I have to make sure all the legal bases are covered,” Leigh insisted before Cullen could speak. “You want to call a lawyer?”
“Do I need a lawyer?” Austin fired back, but he immediately waved that off. “Let’s just clear all of this up. And I can clear it up,” he insisted.
The angry fire in Austin’s eyes was just as much for Cullen as it was for Leigh. Cullen didn’t mind. There’d be fire in his own eyes if it turned out that Austin had indeed had any part in this.
“Let’s start with your whereabouts during the party,” Leigh started, and she took out her phone and put on the recorder. “Were you on the patio of the guest room at the Triple R?”