“Rocky could have gotten out here, too. I didn’t see anyone following us, but it’s possible he overheard us at the town hall.”
Definitely possible, and he could have arrived after them and slipped into the woods. He would have had plenty of time to set up a shooting while Leigh and he had been searching inside Kali’s house.
But Rocky couldn’t have been responsible for the blood drops on the porch.
No. Not enough time for that so maybe Rocky had an accomplice.
Leigh took out her phone, probably to start the calls and texts that a sheriff needed to make when she’d just been under attack, but she stared at the screen a moment and put it away. That’s when Cullen noticed that her hands were trembling a little.
“I don’t want to go back to the office,” she murmured. “I don’t want my deputies to see me like this.”
It didn’t surprise him that she’d held things together while she’d been talking to Kali. That was the job for Leigh. But with the pressure she had coming at her from all sides, she wouldn’t want anyone to think she was weak. And Leigh would definitely see trembling hands as weak.
Since his own house still hadn’t been cleared by the CSIs, Cullen drove her home, and he hoped like the devil that they wouldn’t have any visitors. Leigh didn’t need another round with Austin, Rocky or Jeb tonight. Didn’t need to tangle with him, either, and that’s why he’d give her some space so that maybe she’d be able to get some sleep.
Leigh kept her eyes open, still watching for the gunman, but she lay her head back against the seat. Not relaxing. No. She’d balled her trembling hands into fists, and she was no doubt reliving each and every one of the bullets that’d come at them.
“Rocky’s not that good of a shot,” she said, getting his attention. “He barely qualifies at the shooting range when he has to take his annual test. What about Austin? Is he into guns?”
Cullen sighed, wishing that she’d been able to turn off her mind at least for this short drive but apparently not. Besides, it was a darn good question.
“Austin collects guns,” Cullen explained. “I’ve never seen him fire one, but people who collect usually know how to use them. That doesn’t mean that he’s a good shot though.”
She made a sound of agreement. “And Kali? I didn’t see any guns in her house.”
“Don’t have a clue if she can shoot or not. But her father is a rancher so she’s probably been around firearms.” He paused. “Will your brother have Kali and Austin tested for gunshot residue?”
“Probably, but GSR doesn’t always show up. And these shots likely came from a rifle so there might not be any GSR on their clothes.”
So, it could be another dead end, but at this point any and all evidence could fall into that category.
Cullen pulled to a stop in front of Leigh’s house, and he was pleased when exterior security lights flared on. It made it much easier for them to see that her yard was empty. Still, Cullen didn’t take any chances.
When they went inside, they both shed their coats and checked to make sure no one had gotten in. The place was just as they’d left it to go to the meeting at the town hall.
Leigh used her phone to reset the security system, and then she just stood there in the hall. She did the same when her phone rang. She stared at the screen as if debating if she should answer it. Groaning softly, she finally hit the answer button and put the call on speaker.
“Jeb,” she said. “What do you want?”
“I want to make sure you’re okay and that you’re not alone.”
She took a couple of moments before she responded. “Cullen’s here. He’s staying the night again.”
Cullen figured that would earn her a lecture from Jeb, but it didn’t. “Good,” Jeb said. “Because it’s not a good idea for you not to have some backup.”
“Backup,” she repeated. There was both weariness and a little surprise in her tone. “So, you no longer believe I should be arresting him?”
“No.” Jeb paused, sighed. “I heard about the shooting. Heard, too, that Cullen was with you again. If he was behind these attacks, he wouldn’t keep putting himself in the line of fire like that.”
Leigh sighed as well. “He’s not behind the attacks nor the murders. You might have put him in the same tainted light as Bowen, but Cullen’s not—”
“I did do that,” Jeb admitted. “And I’m sorry.”
Leigh pulled back her shoulders. Cullen had a similar reaction because Jeb was not the sort of man to admit a mistake. Worse, this conversation was starting to sound like a last-ditch effort to mend the rift between Leigh and him.
“What’s wrong?” Leigh demanded. “Are you sick?”
Jeb’s laugh was quick and dry. “I don’t have to be sick to tell you that you were right about Cullen. Right about the way you’ve handled the investigation. Right about a lot of things,” he added in a mutter.