Page 43 of Her Baby, Her Badge

Dutton knew security systems could be compromised, but he still doubted that’s where the killer was. It was just far easier to hide in the woods. Added to that, if things went wrong for the killer, it’d be harder to escape from the church. Duttonwas betting the SOB had a vehicle stashed nearby. A vehicle that hopefully the deputies would see and disable so the killer couldn’t use it to make a getaway.

“We just pulled onto the dirt road,” Livvy added. “Nothing out of the ordinary so far. What about you? What’s your location?”

“Nearly there, about a half mile out,” Grace answered and then paused. “I want Judson and Eden to stay in their cruiser so they can watch the road. Rory and you should put on Kevlar and ease your way through the woods, so you’ll have a visual of the church. Watch every step, though. Remember, this guy’s already used explosives and pepper spray. So far, he hasn’t fired any shots, but that doesn’t mean he won’t this time.”

Livvy made a sound of agreement, and they ended the call just as Grace took the turn onto the main road that led to the church. It didn’t take long before the church itself came into view, since it was perched on a hill. Grace had to take the final turn before he saw the cemetery.

And he cursed.

Dutton had known there were a lot of graves here, but it suddenly seemed like hundreds and hundreds. And they weren’t all low headstones, either. Some were actual mausoleums that would be the perfect place for launching an attack.

Grace slowed the cruiser as they approached the church, and both of them started combing the area, looking for both Bailey and the person who’d taken her. The driveway between the church and cemetery was gravel, and the rocks and dirt crunched under the tires of the cruiser. Not a deafening sound, but a distracting one that Dutton hoped wasn’t drowning out other noises they should be hearing.

Such as Bailey calling for help. If she was alive, that is.

Or a killer moving toward them.

Hard not to react to that, but Dutton tried to keep his breathing and heartbeat level. He hoped Grace was able to do the same.

Grace continued the slow speed, inching the cruiser past the church, where they examined both the doors and the windows. Nothing was open, and nothing seemed out of place.

“He might have tied her to a tree,” Grace muttered, a reminder that it wasn’t just the church and cemetery they had to check, but also the woods.

Dutton looked there, too, while Grace stayed on the narrow, rough road that threaded between the headstones in the center and to the far back of the cemetery. Most people didn’t use the road when they visited a departed loved one. They parked by the church and walked, but he suspected the road was for maintenance vehicles and gravediggers.

As the cruiser crept along, it meant a new area to search, and with each passing moment, the adrenaline just kept revving up. His body was obviously preparing for a fight that Dutton hoped didn’t happen. He didn’t want Grace and their baby in the middle of a gunfight.

He looked up and saw they were approaching the end of the road ahead. Once they reached it, Dutton suspected Grace would just turn around and keep driving through the cemetery until the killer made contact with them.

Or attacked.

The SOB sure wasn’t going to make this easy, and Dutton was about to curse again when he saw something. A flutter of movement at the end of the road and on the right. Grace obviously saw it, too, because she hit the brakes and motioned toward the blond-haired woman.

Bailey.

Not tied to a tree but rather a tall column headstone. Her captor had used thick rope that coiled around her body twiceand was no doubt tied in the back, where she couldn’t reach it. Her hands were cuffed in front of her, probably with her own handcuffs, and for good measure, her feet were tied as well.

She was gagged but very much alive because she was struggling to get loose while she had her wild-eyed gaze fixed on the cruiser. That eased the knot just a little in Dutton’s gut, but he knew the woman was far from being safe.

He had to fight his instincts to bolt from the cruiser and rescue her. Which was no doubt what her captor hoped he’d do, with Grace in tow, so all of them could die.

Grace used the hands-free to send a text to Livvy.We found her at the far back of the cemetery. She’s alive.

Maybe they would relay that to Wilson. Of course, if Wilson had orchestrated this, then he already knew.

“Why not put her in the middle of the graves, where it’d be harder for us to get to her?” Dutton muttered.

Grace made a sound of agreement. “Because this is both a trap and a way to torture all three of us,” she answered almost idly and then made some quick glances over her shoulder. “Keep watch because I’m going to back up and try to get closer to Bailey. I’ll have to run over some graves to do it, but I don’t think the dead will object if it can save a life.”

She threw the cruiser into Reverse, which caused some even more frantic movements from Bailey. Probably because she thought they were leaving. But Grace merely backed up a few yards and then drove forward, the right bumper of the cruiser scraping against a marble headstone while the tires crushed several artificial-flower arrangements.

“We’re not getting out of the cruiser,” Grace said while she got closer to Bailey. “What are the chances you can untie her and pull her through your window?”

“I’ll make it work.” He had to because there weren’t a lot of options here. And it had to be done fast. Because he was certain that time wasn’t on their side.

Dutton kept hold of his gun, kept watch around them, too, but he fumbled in his jeans and came up with a pocketknife. The moment Grace was level with Bailey, she stopped the cruiser. So close that the passenger-side door was only a couple of inches from the woman.

He lowered the window and had to put his gun on the dash. Grace would cover him, but it would still be possible for a gunman to shoot through the now-open window and hit both Grace and him. That’s why Dutton worked as fast as he could.

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