Page 29 of Outlaw Ridge: Hayes

“Oh, he does,” Molly replied. “Grady Thorton’s most recent employment was as a bouncer at the Bluebonnet Brews in downtown San Antonio. And the owner of that pub is none other than Jemma’s stepbrother, Brooks Winslow.”

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Chapter Nine

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“Brooks,” Jemma repeated when Hayes relayed to Owen and her what he’d just learned about the dead gunman. “Obviously, we’ll need to talk to him again.”

And she wondered this time if he’d be in a semi-cooperative mood. She doubted it, especially when confronted with the fact that someone who worked for him had tried to kill Hayes and her just hours ago.

“Hours,” she muttered. Hard to believe it had happened that recently. The fatigue was making it feel as if it’d been a heck of a lot longer.

“Yeah,” Owen said, and he seemed to understand exactly how she was feeling.

Of course, he did.

He had to be experiencing much worse than she was since he was also likely dealing with a whole of pain. And Ruby was aware of that, too. Even though she was working on something on her tablet, she was standing right next to Owen and keeping a close eye on him.

“Once I have more info on this dead bouncer turned gunman, I’ll deal with getting Brooks back in here for questioning,” Owen insisted. “That way, if he has to be arrested, it’s better if I do it.”

True. It was never good to have a family member involved in something like that. Especially when the family members had such an antagonistic relationship as Brooks and she did.

“Hayes and you can go out to Duane’s school,” Owen went on. “And, yes, take Aiden with you. Treat it like the dangerous ops that it possibly is and have a look around. Maybe talk to the students. But don’t you personally do the search of the buildings or grounds. Leave that to CSIs and the forensic team.”

Not having to search would definitely cut down on the time they were at the school. Still, they’d have to be on guard every second there. Not just because Duane might be a killer but because he might also be using his students to help him carry out these sick attacks.

Owen checked the time, wincing a little when he turned his arm to look at his watch. “Both the CSIs and the forensic team should already be in place at the school and the park, and they’re doing an aerial search with some kind of new equipment that might detect buried bodies.”

That could come in handy if the three missing hikers were indeed buried there. Of course, the three could be anywhere except on the actual hiking trails. If they had been there, they would have almost certainly been spotted before now.

“Do a quick in and out at the school,” Owen went on, “and then come back here, and both of you get some rest. That’s an order.”

“I hope that rest part applies to you, too,” Ruby was quick to say.

“It does,” Owen assured her, and he leaned over and brushed a kiss on her cheek.

Ruby frowned at the PDA but then relented with a sigh. It was obvious she loved her man and was worried about him. Jemma was worried, too, and that meant the sooner Hayes andshe got back, the sooner that maybe all of them could get some much needed downtime.

“Don’t hesitate to call for backup if you need it,” Owen added to Hayes and her as they made their way into reception.

Jemma didn’t balk at putting back on the Kevlar and the helmet. Hayes geared up as well, and he texted Aiden to let him know the plan, that he’d be following as he’d done on their trip to her family estate.

Hayes and she hurried out to the cruiser, and Jemma held her breath with each step. No shots came at them this time, but there was a sniper still at large, and she knew he could strike again at any moment.

Maybe even at the school.

Securing the area around the inn was a piece of cake compared to the school and the surrounding county park. There were plenty of places for a sniper to lie in wait. And that got her thinking about the area and those three missing hikers. About any possible connection there might be to their suspects.

“Can you pull up a map of the park?” Jemma asked Hayes as she drove away from the inn. “Cordelia used to have a place that she called her country estate. I don’t have the address, but it was named Briarcliff.”

Hayes immediately took out his phone. “You think it could be near the trails? Or Duane’s school?”

“Maybe. I’ve never been there, but I recall her saying once that sometimes hikers or campers strayed onto her property.”

Hayes tapped away at his phone, and judging from the sound he made, he’d found something interesting. “Briarcliff is indeed right by the park, less than a half mile from one of the main trails. But it’s on the opposite side from Duane’s school.” He paused, looked at her. “Are you thinking Cordelia might have murdered those hikers and then covered her tracks with the county dispatcher?”

Jemma wanted to blurt out a “Yes,” but that was because of her personal feelings for Cordelia. But she just couldn’t see her stepmother killing strangers when there would be no monetary or personal gain for her.

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