leave. No. She wouldn’t give Bobby Joe the satisfaction of seeing her run, but Rayna figured there’d be a lot more sleepless nights in her future.
Egan was still on the phone when the medics got out of the ambulance and started for the porch. Rayna went out to tell them they could leave, but she spotted another vehicle. A familiar one.
Whitney’s red Mustang.
“You called her?” Court asked.
Rayna shook her head, but it didn’t surprise her that Whitney had heard about what happened and then had driven out to see her. They’d been friends since third grade, and even though that friendship had cooled a little after Rayna had gotten involved with Bobby Joe, Whitney had usually been there for her. Whitney was also one of the few people who’d stood by her when Rayna had been on trial.
Her friend bolted from the car and ran past the medics to get to Rayna. Whitney immediately pulled her into her arms for a hug. An uncomfortable one because Rayna felt the pain from her ribs, and she backed away.
“I came as fast as I could get someone to cover for me at work.” Whitney’s words rushed together. “My God, you’re hurt.” She reached out as if to touch the wound on Rayna’s hand, but she stopped. “It must be bad if the ambulance came.”
“No. They were just leaving.” Rayna made sure she said that loud enough for the medics to hear.
“They’re not leaving,” Court snapped, and he motioned for them to wait. No doubt so he could try to talk Rayna into going with them.
Whitney volleyed puzzled looks between Court and her. “Is, uh, anything going on between you two? I mean, you’re not back together, are you?”
“No,” Court and Rayna answered in unison, but it did make Rayna wonder what Whitney had picked up on to make her think that.
Whitney released her breath as if relieved. Maybe because she knew Rayna wasn’t ready for a relationship. Especially one with Court McCall.
“What happened here?” Whitney asked, glancing inside.
“Someone broke in,” Rayna settled for saying. She planned to give Whitney more information later, but her friend filled in the blanks.
“And you think it was Bobby Joe,” Whitney concluded. But she immediately shook her head after saying that. “It seems to be more than that going on. I mean, what with Warren being shot.”
Court made a sound of agreement. “Do you have a key to Rayna’s house? And no, I’m not accusing her of anything,” Court quickly added to Rayna. “I’m just trying to figure out how the intruder got in.”
“No key,” Whitney answered. “Bobby Joe wouldn’t have one, either. Rayna changed all the locks after she was acquitted. She had the windows and doors wired for security, too. Did she tell you that she has guns stashed all around the house?”
Rayna gave Whitney a sharp look to get her to hush. But it was too late. After hearing that, Court was probably even more convinced that she was about to go off the deep end.
“So, are you coming with us?” one of the medics called out. He sounded, and looked, impatient.
Rayna knew him. His name was Dustin Mendoza. A friend of Bobby Joe’s. Of course, pretty much every man in McCall Canyon in their midthirties fell into that particular category.
“No,” Rayna repeated.
She figured Court was about to do some repeating as well and insist that she go. He didn’t. “I’ll drive Rayna to the hospital. I need to ask her some more questions about the break-in.”
Dustin didn’t wait around to see if that was okay with her. He motioned for his partner to leave, and they started back for the ambulance.
“I also think you should consider protective custody,” Court said to her. “The intruder obviously knows how to get in your house, and he could come back.”
That had already occurred to Rayna, but it chilled her to the bone to hear someone say it.
“You can stay with me,” Whitney suggested. “In fact, I can take you to the hospital.”
It was generous of Whitney, and Rayna was about to consider accepting, but Court spoke before she could say anything. “That could be dangerous. For Whitney. If this intruder is still after you, he could go to her place while looking for you.”
That drained some of the color from Whitney’s face. Obviously, it wasn’t something she’d considered when she’d made the offer.
“It’s okay,” Rayna assured her. “I can make other plans.”
She didn’t know what exactly those plans would be, but she might have to hire a bodyguard. And put some distance between her and the McCalls. Whatever was going on seemed to be connected to them. Rayna didn’t think it was a coincidence about the timing of Warren’s attack, the break-in and the dead woman.
Egan finally finished his call, and the moment he turned to walk toward them, Rayna knew something was wrong.
“Is it Dad?” Court immediately asked.
Egan shook his head. “It’s the waitress. Janet Bolin. She’s dead. Someone murdered her.”
Another murder. Two women killed only hours apart. There was no way Court could dismiss them as not being connected.
But connected to what?
Rayna. His father. Or maybe both.
He put on a clean shirt that he took from his locker and thought about that possible connection while he made his way back into the squad room, where Rayna was waiting. Or rather where she was pacing. He nearly reminded her that she should probably be sitting down. That was what the doctor had wanted anyway when he’d come to the sheriff’s office to examine her. Rayna wasn’t having any part of that though. And he couldn’t blame her. It was hard to sit still with all this restless energy bubbling up inside him.
“Anything?” she asked the moment she saw him.
Court took a deep breath that sounded as weary as he felt. “There’s no gunshot residue on your hands.” He’d swabbed her hands as soon as they’d gotten to the sheriff’s office but hadn’t been able to run the test right away because of all the other calls.
And changing his shirt.
Court had figured he’d worn his father’s blood long enough and no longer wanted it in his sight.
Rayna didn’t huff, but it was close. “Tell me something I don’t know. Of course there wasn’t gunshot residue on my hands, because I didn’t fire a gun.”
He almost pointed out that she could have cleaned up afterward, but plain and simple, that probably hadn’t happened. And it wouldn’t explain how she’d gotten all those wounds. So, Court did as Rayna asked and gave her something she almost certainly didn’t know.
“Janet
