Page 60 of Moonlight Over Montana

Momma, can you come get me? I’m scared. I was in an accident with Cash and he’s talking all crazy. I need you…

She handed her phone to Jed, then wiped her hand on a paper towel and picked up her handbag. “I’m going in.”

Jed handed her back the phone. “Give me two seconds to call Tye. He can radio the police that are inside the hospital and make sure Susie is safe.”

Maggie didn’t want to wait, and if Cash was talking crazy, that wasn’t a good sign. Maybe he had a head injury and he wasn’t thinking clearly. She tapped the side of the door, unable to concentrate on what Jed was saying. Her only thoughts were sending strength to her child somewhere in that building.

“Got it.” Jed pushed open his door. “Tye just pulled in and he’s alerting the cops inside. We’ll go in with him.”

Finally. Maggie leaped from the truck and ran across the parking lot, only stopping long enough to make sure Jed was with her.

Tye opened the door to the emergency department and the three of them walked into an empty waiting area. He crossed the room and stopped in front of a man behind a desk. “Sheriff Blackstone. We spoke on the phone.”

“Let me get someone.”

“Where’s Susie?” The fear that had subsided returned. And she jotted off a quick text.

I’ll see you soon. XO.

A law enforcement officer strode in their direction. He walked up to Maggie. “Are you Maggie Brady?”

“Yes, I’m Susie’s mother. Is she alright? I got a text from her a minute ago and she said Cash is talking crazy and she’s afraid.”

He looked at Tye. “He’s been quiet every time we’ve gone in to discuss the accident. We should all go in together. Assess the situation and go from there. But one question, does Mr. Gordon have joint custody or visitation rights?”

“No, he walked out three days after Susie was born and we haven’t seen or heard from him since.”

With a brisk nod, he said, “Come with me.”

Maggie clung to Jed’s hand as the police officer led the way. Tye was behind them. The examination room was brightly lit, and Susie was sitting on the edge of a gurney. An older version of the man she remembered was lying on the other.

“Momma?” Susie’s voice cracked and as she slid from the bed, Cash jumped up and jerked her back. Fear filled her eyes and the tears followed.

He sneered, “What are you doing here, Maggie? You just couldn’t stand that Susie wants to spend some time with her dear old dad?”

Jed put pressure on her hand; could he feel her trembling? “When I heard she’d been in a car accident, I needed to make sure she was alright. You know, lay eyes on her for myself.”

“I told Susie you had become the worst kind of mother, overbearing, not wanting your kid to spread her wings. But she’s got me now.”

Susie tried to wrench her arm from his grip, but the fabric of her chambray shirt pressed deeper into her arm as he tightened it, dots of red seeped into the fabric.

“She’s always had you, Cash. You just needed to reach out.” Maggie took slow halting steps in his direction, and Jed was keeping the same pace. But the anger coming off Cash in waves was palpable.

“After that precious diner burned and you moved her to a ranch with strangers, I had to step in. No telling what those cowboys might do to my sweet angel.” He nodded in Jed’s direction. “I’ve been watching you and I see the way you’ve been looking at my kid.”

“Let her go, Cash.”

Jed’s voice was low, and Maggie had never heard this tone before, flat and laced with anger. If they could keep Cash focused on them, the officers should be able to get into position where they could come between Cash and Susie.

“Mr. Gordon, please release your daughter. It looks like her arm is bleeding.”

“I take care of my own. Not like you, Maggie. You were so careless, you left the fryolator on and burned your business and house down in one swoop.”

“How did you know about the fryolator?” Maggie didn’t need to ask any more questions. The horror of the situation had become crystal clear. “You jimmied the back door.”

He grinned like a maniac. “Who knew you’d invest in good locks.” His gaze darted around the room and stopped when he saw a tray of medical instruments. A gleam in his eyes only made his grin scarier. He lunged, dragging Susie with him, and grabbed what looked like an X-ACTO knife. He held it against Susie’s collarbone.

The air whooshed from Maggie’s lungs when she saw a prick of Susie’s blood and heard her cry out. “Momma?”

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