Page 40 of Deputies Under Fire
The deputy made some glances around them, and his nerves were definitely showing. There were thick woods here, like more of the area outside of town, but there were a few trees surrounded by tall grass.
It was the perfect place to plant an IED.
Of course, if the killer still wanted Rory and her dead, this would be a good opportunity to use a sniper to gun them down. That was obviously a pressing concern for Rory because he didn’t take any more time with Garrison, and they went straight to Ike and Judson.
“Garrison will fill you in on potential problems,” Rory told Judson, and he hiked his thumb in the direction of the cruiser. “You’re coming with us,” he added to Ike.
Eden expected Ike to balk. He didn’t. For once, Ike didn’t lash out with any of his usual venomous remarks. With his gaze seemingly frozen on the dead man, he just got off the tailgateand followed them to the cruiser. Ike was placed in the back seat, and they took the front.
This wasn’t an ideal place for questioning a murder suspect, but as acting sheriff, Rory should stay on the scene until at least some of the other responders arrived. After that, they could take Ike to the police station, where he’d need to be formally interviewed by someone other than Rory or her.
“I know Livvy read you your rights yesterday,” Rory began, “but let me repeat it.” And that’s what he did.
Again, Ike didn’t lash out. Didn’t demand a lawyer. But he did ask a question the moment Rory had finished with the Miranda warning.
“Who is he?” Ike still had that frozen look of shock in his eyes.
“You don’t know?” Rory countered.
That seemed to snap Ike out of his trance, and his gaze fired to Rory. “I wouldn’t have asked if I already knew. Who the hell is he?”
Rory stared at his father a long time as if trying to suss out if this was an act. “Carter Rooney.”
Eden carefully watched Ike’s face for signs of recognition, but she didn’t see any. Just the opposite. If Ike was faking all of this, then he was doing a stellar job of it.
Ike repeated the dead man’s name a couple of times as if trying to jog his memory, and then he shook his head. “I don’t know him,” he concluded.
She and Rory exchanged a glance before he continued. “So how did you end up here at the crime scene of someone you didn’t even know?”
“I got a call,” Ike said after a long pause. “I don’t know who from. It said ‘unknown caller’ on the screen, but I answered it, anyway. Sometimes, it’s a horse seller who isn’t in my contacts. Anyway, the person was whispering, like they were trying todisguise their voice, and he said if I wanted to stop Tyler from dying that I’d get here to the sign fast and save him.”
Every muscle in Eden’s body tightened. “Tyler,” she blurted.
The panic came, roaring through her, and then she felt Rory take hold of her hand and give it a gentle squeeze. “Tyler’s safe,” he reminded her. “Grace and Dutton won’t let anyone get near him.”
She mentally replayed every word of that until it finally sank in. Their baby was all right. Using Tyler’s name had merely been a threat. Still, it was going to take a while for her nerves to settle.
“Of course, I had to come,” Ike went on several moments later. “I mean, he’s my grandson no matter what’s gone on between the three of us.”
That wasn’t exactly an outpouring of grandfatherly love, but Eden believed his concern for Tyler was the real deal. And Ike had come here even though he must have known there was a possibility he’d be facing down a killer. That didn’t erase the ugliness that’d gone on between them, but Eden would always be thankful for his response.
Well, if Ike was telling the full truth, that was.
“Why didn’t you call the police station? Or us when you got a call like that?” Rory asked.
“Because the caller said if I did, then I’d never see Tyler alive again.” He stopped and cursed. The words were vicious and filled with rage. “That SOB was going to hurt a baby because of me. I couldn’t let that happen,” he muttered. “I had to hurry here and try to save him.”
“What did you see when you got here?” Rory continued after a long pause. Hearing that about Tyler had likely shaken him, too.
“Not Tyler, that’s for sure. Or the two of you.” Ike paused. “I thought maybe…well, I thought the killer had taken both of you, too.”
So he’d expected to find all of them being held hostage. Or already dead. Again, that was the case if he was telling the truth, and Eden hadn’t heard anything from him yet that felt like a flat-out lie.
“I drove up to the sign and stopped when I saw the body,” Ike added to his explanation.
“Did you touch the body or anything around it?” Rory asked quickly.
“No, hell, no. I could see he was dead. Blood everywhere. And his eyes.” He didn’t shudder, but it was a similar reaction. “There was no life in those eyes.”
