Page 136 of Falling Stars

The sheriff pauses writing. “Baylee, was there anything else?”

“I’ve gotten hang-up calls from an unknown caller and a note that said ‘stupid bitch’ on my car a few weeks back.”

Mav turns me a little on his lap. “Baby, you never told me about that. When did you get a note?”

“A few days after my house was vandalized. I should’ve said something, but I hated letting this person get a rise out of me, and I figured if I ignored it, they might stop. Plus, the wind blew that note out of my hand, and I wasn’t going to run out into the dark parking lot to find it. At the time, I didn’t think one more piece of evidence would matter.”

He pulls me close and kisses my forehead. “I’m sorry this person has been such a dick to you.”

Reynolds gets my phone information and says he’ll look into the calls but that tracing an unknown number is tough. The walkie-talkie starts making noise, and he clicks the button. “Do you have any news?”

“We’ve issued the Amber alert, but Sean Cooper’s house is dark, and there’s no car parked in the driveway. And there’s a ‘For Rent’ sign in the front yard.”

What the hell? “Are you sure you have the right address?”

The sheriff confirms his deputy is at the address Sean gave me. He clicks his walkie-talkie again. “Let’s put out an APB for him.”

I stand and cross my arms, pulling the towel across my shoulders tighter. “Do you really think Sean stole Leo?”

His bushy brows pull together. “Baylee, in my experience, it’s usually the ex who kidnaps the baby.”

Kidnapped. Someone finally said it.

I bolt across the room and grab the trash, where I throw up.

If someone hurt my sweet son, I’ll never forgive myself.

50

MAVERICK

Baylee isquiet as I drive her car back to the ranch. She hasn’t asked why I’m back. It makes sense. She has a lot on her mind.

Just as we’re reaching the turnoff to the ranch, she shakes her head. “Let’s go back. Let’s try to retrieve the footage from the third camera.”

“Didn’t you do that already?”

“Maybe I did something wrong. I swear it worked when I installed it. I watched you and Rhett set up the first two, and I thought I could figure it out.” When she turns to me, the agony in her eyes breaks my heart. “Please, Mav. I can’t just sit in the camper all night and not do anything.”

With a nod, I make a U-turn. It’s after midnight when I pull into the alley behind her shop. She unlocks the door, flips on the lights, and beelines it to her desk in her back office.

I pull up a chair and sit next to her. “Let’s watch all the footage. Maybe we missed something. And if we can’t pull up the third camera, maybe we can find a tech company that can.”

“That’s a good idea.” She pulls her hair into a bun, and then her fingers move over the keyboard. “Here’s the first angle. It faces the left side.”

Rhett and I set up the two cameras so we could see the front of the salon, so this camera includes all the stations along one wall, the small receptionist’s desk, and the plate-glass window. I figured if someone tried to break in again, this way we might have some idea of who did it. We planned to install the third camera so it faced the back door, but the shipping got delayed.

Unfortunately, the only thing this angle shows is Baylee cleaning her station. When the lights go dark, we watch past the time Leo was stolen, and then she runs around the room flipping the lights on again and shouting his name.

Fuck. I can’t handle the turmoil in her voice. I wrap my arm around her. “We’re gonna find him.”

She closes her eyes briefly, but doesn’t say anything, just clicks on the second camera, which faces the stations on the right and the door. But we rewind too far. In this footage, three stylists work on clients, and when Rory crosses the room, Baylee frowns. “This isn’t right.” She closes out of the file and clicks on the one labeled with today’s date. The same footage pulls up. “This wasn’t today. Rory called in sick. Damn it. I assumed when the deputy pulled up the video, it was the correct one. I should’ve been watching over his shoulder.”

“Bay, this is a lot to process. You’re doing your best. Anyone looking at this would think it’s the correct video.” We triple-check the file. It has today’s date. But it’s the wrong footage. “Maybe someone tampered with it.” I call the sheriff to update him while she works on pulling up the third camera.

When I get off the phone, she’s angrily tapping at the keyboard. “I swear this worked a few days ago.”

“Maybe the third camera was tampered with too.”

---