Page 34 of Outlaw Ridge: Hayes

“I can’t rule him out,” Jemma finally replied, getting nods from both Aiden and Hayes about that. “But as far as I’m concerned, he stays on the suspect list. By the way, he lawyered up when we spoke to him. We can try again, or we can schedule another formal interview.”

“I’ll schedule the formal interview…for tomorrow,” Owen added, and Hayes was pretty sure he heard Ruby mutter something to Owen that had him tacking on those last two words. “That’ll give us time to gather more info and get reports from the CSIs, the forensic team, and the medical examiners. We also need to continue the search for more bodies and keep looking for links between them and our suspects.”

Hayes figured it was smart to hold back, especially since they all needed some rest. Especially Owen.

“I also want to bring Cordelia and Brooks back in for questioning,” Owen added a moment later.

There was more muttering in the background. Probably Ruby again.

“Let me call Cordelia and set that up,” Jemma suggested. “She was cooperative the last time we talked, and that might continue.”

“Good,” Owen said. “Arrange it for first thing in the morning.”

“Will do,” Jemma assured him.

She ended the call with Owen and immediately gave the voice command to phone her stepmother. It rang three times and then went to voicemail. She left a message for Cordelia to contact her right away.

“Call Brooks Winslow,” Jemma instructed her phone.

Unlike Cordelia, Brooks answered on the first ring. “What happened to her? Where is she?” Brooks demanded the moment he was on the line.

Hayes didn’t care for either of those questions. “Are you talking about your mother or your ex-girlfriend, Hailey?” Hayes asked.

“My mother,” he blurted but then stopped. “Hailey?” Brooks questioned. “Does she have something to do with this?”

“Definethis?” Jemma insisted. “What happened?”

“I’m not sure.” Brooks groaned. “Something’s happened. Somethingbad. My mother is missing.”

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Chapter Eleven

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Jemma stood in the shower, hoping for a miracle. A miracle that the hot water and hotel soap would cure the fatigue and the dull throbbing in her head that sleep hadn’t managed to fix.

Of course, her attempt at sleep had been basically a string of cat naps, punctuated by nightmares from hell and times when Jemma had given up and just read reports on her laptop. During those awake times, she thought of Hayes, too. Hard not to think of him when he was in the room right next to her.

With an unlocked door between them.

The unlocking had been something they’d decided on when Owen had ordered them to bed and when they’d realized their rooms were connecting. Most of the security was in place for the inn, but there was still the risk of an attack, and Hayes had said he preferred not having to break down any more doors if something went wrong. She’d agreed, not realizing just how much temptation an unlocked door would be. It had been damn hard for her to resist not going to him when those nightmares had come at her like that.

Images of her fellow deputies. Of their lifeless, bloody bodies. Sounds of the gunshots that had nearly killed Hayes and her. Heck, even grisly images of Cordelia lying dead somewhere.

Or hiding out so she couldn’t be arrested.

Since those images and sounds were still repeating in her mind even now that it was morning, Jemma ducked her entire head under the shower and then cursed when the movement knocked down the bottle of shampoo, and it landed on her toes. That brought on more cursing, along with the water stinging her eyes.

She managed to slide open the shower curtain, and Jemma was blindly reaching for the towel when she heard something. Someone running into the bathroom.

Hell. Had the killer come for her?

That was the first thing that flashed in her mind, and she felt that fresh slam of adrenaline. Jemma skipped the towel and instead reached for her gun that she’d left on the vanity that was only a few feet away from the shower stall. Her hand froze though when the person spoke.

“It’s me,” someone said.

Hayes.

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