Cold Case Investigation, page 8
Hawk focused on driving, but he felt Anna’s gaze on him. She was quiet. Hell, even the puppy in the back was quiet. He’d spent a lot of years trying to treat that one moment like a learning experience: you never could predict the next moment in your life or what a person would do.
At eighteen, he hadn’t been prepared for the cold callousness of his own father. All these years later, he understood there were a lot worse things to be. But that didn’t ease or heal the hurt.
“You’re telling me all this so I’ll feel sorry for you and marry you,” Anna said softly, surprising him.
Because if Anna wasn’t evidence of that life is unpredictable lesson, he didn’t know what was. She never did or said quite what he expected.
And he didn’t hate it when it was her.
In this moment, specifically, because she was right on the money. And there was no point lying about it. “Mostly.”
He pulled into the entrance of the Hudson Ranch. All centuries of roots and vast landscapes she belonged to. When he belonged to nothing and no one.
Except the child she carried.
“I can’t say it’s going to work, but I respect it as a solid tactic.”
“Gee, thanks.”
She flashed him a smile, and nothing about this woman made sense because in the midst of too many old memories, new problems and pressing danger, he smiled back.
* * *
ANNA STEPPED INTO the living room and immediately recoiled at the tension in the room. It was old, ugly and familiar. Even Pita stopped like he could feel it, too.
It was like stepping back in time. Cops in the house. Questions without answers. Worry and fear and no answers.
Except she wasn’t a child any longer. In fact, was carrying what would become her child. And she knew this was not a future she wanted for her kid. Tension and questions that never got answered.
She looked at the source of it all—Thomas Hart—not that it was his fault. But he’d obviously been the question asker who had Cash looking furious and Izzy burrowed into his side with two of her puppies on her lap.
Anna had stopped at the threshold because of that wall of tension, but Izzy caught sight of her and jumped up and ran over to her. Anna was surprised by the exuberant greeting. No matter how much Anna enjoyed Izzy and vice versa, they saw each other too much for excited greetings.
“Terrorizing my family, Hart?” Anna said, smoothing a hand over Izzy’s braid. It wasn’t fair to lay any blame on his shoulders.
But she didn’t really care about fair right now.
Hart shared an unreadable look with Hawk, then met Anna’s accusatory gaze.
“I’m doing my job and investigating the attempted murder case. Part of that investigation requires me to ask a few questions of the people who know you well, who might be able to give us some leads on someone who might have wanted to kill you.”
It was all calm, almost even pleasantly stated. But Anna knew too many cops. How they thought. What they meant. She’d give Hart credit for being able to put a nice little mask on all that.
But wanted to kill you was meant to put her in her place.
“Ms. Hudson, I was hoping to question each of your family members alone. It’s best if they’re not influenced by worrying over your feelings. You’re an investigator. You understand.”
She hated that he was using that tactic, but she also knew she’d do the same in his shoes. “Yeah, I understand.”
“Steele, why don’t you—”
“I’m going to be in the room. It’s my investigation, too.”
Hart’s mouth firmed, but he didn’t mount an argument.
Which, of course, left room for Cash to stand and mount one. “Izzy’s done. You want to go another few rounds with me? Fine. But my daughter is leaving with Anna.”
“Mr. Hudson, this isn’t an interrogation,” Hart said gently. “We’re simply trying to—”
“I know what you’re trying to do. She’s eleven. She’s done.” Cash gave Anna a nod, and though Anna wanted to argue at being ordered around, she also wanted to get Izzy out of this ugly situation Anna had been in more times than she could count.
Anna turned, a hand on Izzy’s shoulder, but Izzy hesitated.
“What about my mom?” she whispered up at Anna. But it clearly wasn’t enough of a whisper. Anna felt Hawk tense next to her. But Hart didn’t hear it, and it didn’t appear Cash did either, so Anna just kept moving Izzy toward the kitchen, tugging Pita behind her on his leash.
Leaving the men behind, her heart beating heavy in her chest. She didn’t dare look back at Hawk.
She hadn’t thought of that little altercation with Chessa around Christmas. It couldn’t have anything to do with this, so it just... It hadn’t even been a thought.
Hawk would no doubt think she had been purposefully keeping something from him. It shouldn’t matter to her if she had or not. Family came first.
Not Hawk Steele.
But she hadn’t been hiding. She hadn’t thought of it as possibly connecting. It couldn’t connect.
She tried to tell herself that as she crouched so she could be eye to eye with Izzy, though it didn’t take much crouching these days. The girl was growing like a weed.
“Izzy, that thing with your mom...” Anna didn’t know how to explain it. None of this was fair, but she’d been in an unfair situation when she’d been younger than Izzy. She tried to treat Izzy like she would have wanted to be treated then.
“I didn’t want to say anything in front of Dad,” Izzy said, blue eyes filling with tears. “He gets so upset when I talk about Mom. I know he doesn’t want me to see it, but I see it. And I just... The detective asked about people who’d hurt you, and I know Mom hurt you, Aunt Anna. I just...”
“I know.” And she hated that Izzy was keeping a secret, but... It would kill Cash. That Chessa had been sneaking around the ranch, trying to find Izzy. That Anna was pretty sure she’d been high on something when she’d almost, almost gotten her hands on Izzy. “If I’d thought of...” Anna shook her head. It didn’t matter what she’d thought of. “That thing with your mom has nothing to do with this. It was a real smart line of thinking, though. I’m impressed. It didn’t even occur to me.” Anna tried to smile encouragingly. “But you don’t need to worry about that. What we’re dealing with isn’t about your mom, or her and me fighting.”
Which was what adults had said to her for years after her parents had disappeared. You don’t need to worry about that. Back then, it had made her so mad. Now she understood why the adults in her life had been frustrating. Danger and confusion were no places for a kid.
Before Anna could think of something better to say, Cash stormed out. It was a carefully contained storm, but it was all thunder and lightning nonetheless.
And Anna felt...guilty. Even though this particular situation wasn’t her fault. There was that old situation she’d kept from him and...
“Cash—”
“I don’t want to hear an apology from you, Anna. This isn’t your fault. Someone tried to...” His gaze darted to his daughter. “...hurt you. We need to get to the bottom of it. My frustration over how that cop handled it isn’t on you.” He moved over to Izzy, ran his hand over her braid. “Or you, sweetheart.”
Izzy smiled up at him, but it was wobbly. Anna felt wobbly herself. Because Hawk wasn’t going to let this line of questioning go, and it was going to hurt Cash beyond measure.
And it put them no closer to figuring out who wanted her dead.
Chapter Ten
Hawk sat through the rest of the questions with Anna’s family. He asked a few of his own. No one said anything of any note. Louisa had noted the tire slashing story from high school Anna had already told him. Mary had mentioned a cold case client who’d asked Anna out and been politely refused a few years back. Palmer had a few names from the rodeo of men Anna had rebuffed, but thought it was a bad thread to tug since none of the men had pressed the issue.
They didn’t get a chance to talk with Jack, but Hart said he’d make an appointment at the Sunrise sheriff’s office tomorrow morning that Hawk could attend.
Maybe had demanded to attend.
“You’re kind of overstepping your bounds, don’t you think?” Hart asked, sounding almost casual as he slid his pen and notebook into his pocket.
So Hawk maintained the fake casualness and didn’t tense or shoot back the words piling up in his throat. He kept his voice deceptively mild. “My bounds are figuring out who started that fire, same as yours are to figure out who wants her dead.”
“Yeah,” Hart agreed. It seemed like he was going to voice a “but” but he never did. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Yeah.” Hawk didn’t offer to walk Hart out. He didn’t offer a goodbye. He just turned and left the room.
He needed to find Anna. Because Izzy had said something to her, and Hawk needed to find out what. Needed to understand what secret she was keeping from him.
He couldn’t delve into why he was keeping that little piece of information from Hart. It was silly and probably put Anna in extra danger. Hart should share every piece of information there was, just like Hawk. Two sets of eyes, two investigators, were better than one.
But no amount of rational thinking changed Hawk’s course of action, because he knew Anna would be hurt by him telling Hart and he just...couldn’t.
Anna wasn’t in the kitchen with Mary and Izzy. She wasn’t in her room, which was empty. It still wasn’t quite dinnertime yet, so the Hudson clan was scattered hither and yon doing whatever a cold case investigative business did.
He looked through the whole house and didn’t find her. He stepped outside. It was too damn cold for her to be gallivanting out around the ranch. And she was nowhere to be seen in the front.
Just about when his nerves were pulling tight enough to snap, he heard something. More from the back of the house, but still outside. He followed the wraparound porch all the way back to where there was a porch swing.
Anna and Palmer sat on it, chatting and laughing as it swung gently. Anna had a thick coat on—one he was pretty sure was Palmer’s—and a blanket tucked around her.
No doubt Palmer was sitting with her because she shouldn’t be alone, and because it was damn cold, but there was also a genuine contentment there. Brother and sister, happily enjoying each other’s company.
Because she was always taken care of here—the Hudsons took care of one another. With or without parents. Anna certainly didn’t need Hawk’s help with anything, and neither would their kid. That was clear.
It was a painful, terrifying thought. One he couldn’t sit with because Anna looked over as if sensing him here.
Palmer looked over too, then slid off the swing. “Well. This feels a little too third wheel for me.” He walked past Hawk and gave him a little nudge toward Anna.
As if Hawk needed one. He walked over, though he didn’t sit. Because Anna’s gaze was firmly out on the mountains in the distance. Not him.
Her roots. Her family. This life she had that was perfectly capable—and willing—to do anything for a kid who wasn’t even here yet.
“Where’s my dog?” he offered, hoping his voice didn’t sound as affected as it felt.
“Cash was having a training session with the other puppies, so I figured Pita could use some sibling time. And some work on following orders.”
“That he could.” Hawk stood there and waited. And waited. Because he could feel the tension coiling into her. Guilt. Finally she visibly swallowed and slowly brought her gaze from the mountains to him.
He’d expected some kind of challenge. A self-righteous determination she was right to keep something from him. Lectures. Maybe he even expected her to use that heat between them to distract him from the topic at hand.
Which might have worked, he hated to admit.
Instead, she looked like she was about to cry. “Hawk, whatever you think you heard, I promise you—it has nothing to do with someone trying to kill me.”
He felt twin pangs—anger that she would just make that determination without explaining anything to him, and the desperate need to stop her from looking so heartbreakingly sad.
He decided to hold on to anger, best he could. It felt safer. “Well, how about I be the judge of that, since you didn’t want to share it with the police officer investigating the attempted murder on you.”
“Hawk.”
“You said you weren’t keeping anything from me.”
“And I’m not. This was nothing. It was family stuff. It never occurred to me it might connect. I promise.” She seemed so desperate for him to believe her. Like it mattered that she kept his trust.
And that it did...mattered to him.
Hell, he was screwed. He took the seat Palmer had vacated, rested his elbows on his knees and looked out at those majestic peaks. He kept his feet firmly planted on the ground, though. No swinging for him. He’d tried to build himself into one of those mountains—strong and immovable. If he looked at her, he was sure he’d crumble.
“This would kill Cash. Just gut him,” Anna said quietly. Quiet enough he felt compelled to look and risk that crumble.
“I’m not Cash, Anna. I’m not asking you to tell Cash. I’m asking you to tell me. For the investigation. If nothing else, it’s another name I can cross off the list.”
“Chessa’s name wasn’t on the list to begin with.”
But he knew that name because Hawk had made sure to know all the players. “So this is about Cash’s ex-wife?”
She blew out a breath and looked away again. “Nothing is about Chessa, because the whole...thing Izzy was talking about happened years ago. It doesn’t relate.”
“How many years?”
She swallowed, eyes big and swimming with hurt as she expressly did not make eye contact. “Last...year.”
Hawk swore and nearly got up off the swing, but Anna grasped his arm.
“She was lurking around the ranch. I happened to be the one who found her. She said she wanted to see Izzy, was trying to get her hands on Izzy. I told her to beat it. She got a little...handsy. But she’s just not... It’s not like she had a weapon. She was maybe high and tried to punch me. I dodged, gave her a good knock, but—”
“So you got into a physical fight with someone, less than a year ago, who was unstable and potentially on drugs, and it didn’t occur to you that it might connect?”
She shook her head, and damn it, one of those tears slipped over. “No, it didn’t.”
The worst part was, he believed her. No matter what kind of fool that made him. “We cannot ignore that kind of possibility. I have to at the very least look into her.”
“It doesn’t make sense. Why would she want to hurt me? She knows any one of us would stop her from getting her hands on Izzy. Cash most of all, so it’s not... It wouldn’t be personal to me.”
“You don’t think she’d hurt you to hurt Cash?”
Anna blinked, again as if the thought hadn’t occurred to her. “That... It wouldn’t make sense. There are better targets than me. Izzy chief among them.”
“You were literally lecturing me a few hours ago on how things didn’t make sense and backward things are sometimes just backward.”
She sighed, closing her eyes and leaning her head against the swing’s back. “Do you have to remember everything?”
“Comes with the territory.”
She blew out a breath. “Is there a way to make sure Cash doesn’t know Chessa is in the mix?”
“I’ll do everything I can.”
She turned to him, wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. “Thank you.” She pulled back and studied him. “Not sure I would have pegged you for such a good guy, Hawk.”
“I think I’ll take that as a compliment.”
She smiled, her arms still draped over his shoulders. She was so beautiful it made him ache. “This is something, Blondie. I don’t know what, but it isn’t just because of the kid.”
She was quiet for a long moment, studying him with those hazel eyes. He didn’t know what she was looking for, what she saw, but she swallowed. “Isn’t it?” she asked on a whisper.
“No.” No, because it had been like this from the first. And just like the first, he couldn’t think from wanting her. So he leaned forward and kissed her. And just like the first time, it was a bolt that made everything else disappear. All that existed in this world was them. The way she tasted like something dark and decadent, but her arms around him felt like sunlight after a long, hard winter.
Someone cleared their throat. Once, maybe twice. It took Hawk a few moments to fully engage with sounds other than the little world of kissing they’d created for themselves.
He managed to move his head away from her and look toward the noise.
Jack Hudson stood there looking like any father of a teenage daughter might in finding said daughter wrapped up in the arms of the town juvenile delinquent.
Too bad they were all adults, and Jack wasn’t anyone’s father.
“Dinner is ready,” he said flatly. “And we have some things to discuss.”
“Did you want to grill him on his intentions?” Anna asked, sliding off the swing and throwing the blanket over her shoulder. Hawk followed her over to where Jack stood and figured he might as well start expanding his campaign.
