Page 140 of Falling Stars

When she peers over my shoulder, I point at the ground. “Down there. Almost under the seat. What do you see?”

“A baby toy.” Her eyes widen and she turns to me. “Is that the rattle you made Leo?”

“I think it is.” I yell for Maverick, and he and his brothers rush to my side. I point at the toy.

“I can break the window,” Mav says, but Beau shakes his head.

“Then you can’t use that evidence in court. It’s better if we call the sheriff. I don’t want these assholes to get away with this.” Beau dials him and tells him to come to the church parking lot ASAP.

When the cruiser arrives a few minutes later, the service iswrapping up. People are filtering out and making their way to their vehicles.

The sheriff takes a look at the car I’m pointing at, and his brows lift. “That’s the Ashburys’ town car.”

Right then, Nicole and her father, Judd, walk up. He frowns when he sees us huddled around his vehicle. “What’s going on?”

I’m about to lay into him when Mav wraps his arm around me and whispers, “Let the sheriff talk to him.”

I grit my teeth, but I hear what he’s saying. Maybe I shouldn’t go guns a-blazing at the man.

The sheriff nods at Judd Ashbury. “Howdy, Judd. We got ourselves a situation. Maybe you can help us.”

Nicole rolls her eyes. “Daddy, we’re late for brunch.” Then she turns to Mav and bats her ridiculously long fake eyelashes at him. “Hey, there, Mav. You’re more than welcome to join us if you’d like.”

Focusing his attention on the sheriff, Mav pulls me closer and ignores her. My eyes narrow on Maverick’s ex.

What if Nicole’s the one who stole Kira’s coat? They have similar blonde hair. She easily could’ve passed for Kira, though Kira’s a little taller. Nicole would’ve known Mav dated Kira because of his Instagram posts. And it’s obvious Nicole hates me.

Judd shakes the keys in his hand. “What’s going on?”

The sheriff leans over and peeks into the back seat. “I’m not sure if you heard, but little Leo Reyes went missing, and I have reason to believe that’s his rattle on the floor of your car.”

“Impossible. That belongs to my nephew Aaron.”

Reynolds nods agreeably, but then taps the glass. “Then would you mind opening the door?”

Ashbury takes his time unlocking it.

As he does that, I ask, “Do you have any children in your family named Leo?”

When he doesn’t answer, the sheriff presses him, and he relents. “No. We typically use family names.”

“Good to know, because my son’s rattle has his name on it. It’s a one-of-a-kind rattle because I crocheted it. It’s a brown and light tan rattle with his name on the handle. One eye is bigger than the other because, well, I’m not great at crocheting.”

When the door opens, the sheriff pushes Judd aside and leans in. He pulls out my son’s rattle.

“That’s it.” I cover my mouth. “That’s Leo’s.”

“I don’t know how that got in my back seat,” Ashbury huffs. “I’ve never seen that before in my life.”

“I thought it belonged to your nephew,” Reynolds says.

“This is ridiculous,” Nicole barks as she pulls out her phone. “I’m calling the Attorney General. He’s a family friend. This is harassment, Sheriff.”

Reynolds chuckles. “Give him my regards.”

I seethe. “Where wereyoulast night, Nicole?”

“I was at a cheer dinner. You can check with my students,” she sneers.

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