Love Under Two Benedicts(58)
“Matt and I would go out as often as we could when we were kids. Since he came back home from Chicago, we’ve picked up the habit again. Most Sundays we go for a nice long ride. This next Sunday, we’ll all three go together.”
“What was she like? Matthew’s wife?”
“I only met her once, and I didn’t like her. I think he fell in lust with her, and she fell in lust with the family fortune.”
“Huh.” Kelsey never gave much thought to the fact that the Benedicts were extremely wealthy. Knowing Susan as she did, it was hard to think of the Benedicts as being rich.
“Matthew refers to the years he was in Chicago as his rebellious stage.” Steven stopped then, his gaze somber. “I thought I’d never get the chance to meet you.”
What an odd thing to say. Kelsey turned to ask him what he meant when a gunshot exploded, kicking dust up by her horse’s hooves.
* * * *
“The Rangers are going to send an alert to the truck stops and service centers between Coleman and here,” Adam said. “Beyond that, there’s not much we can do to find Ginny.”
They entered Lusty city limits, and in moments, Matthew pulled the cruiser to the curb in front of the sheriff’s office.
“I’ll follow up, speak to some of them by phone,” Matthew said as he got out of the car. “Let them know Ginny isn’t a criminal. I don’t want them spooking her away.”
Once inside the building, Adam went to his desk, tossing his hat on the rack as he passed. “Matt. There are a lot of people who think that when a mother deserts her son, it’s a pretty criminal act.”
Matthew looked over at his best friend and understood that Adam wasn’t seeing the situation the same way that he, Steven, and Kelsey were.
“She was in an impossible situation and did what she could to keep her son safe. The little guy was clean, healthy, and happy. He’s not an abused kid, Adam. Every indication is that Ginny loves Benny and has been a good mother to him. I think Ginny left Deke because the reality of having given her son up got through to her like nothing else could.”
Adam scrubbed his hands over his face. “Okay. That letter pretty much speaks to her intent. I guess we’ll have to wait and see. If she shows up here, we’ll talk to her and then reassess the situation.”
“Thanks. We feel pretty strongly about this. Kelsey does, especially.”
He sat down at his own desk and turned on his computer. First, he’d check his e-mail and then he’d contact the Waco police. Just before they drove over to Coleman, the Waco PD called Adam and told him they had seized the mall’s surveillance tapes. Matthew was hoping they’d had some luck there.
As soon as he saw the e-mail from the Austin P.D., Matthew opened it. He’d nearly forgotten about the request he’d put in to Patrick Carmichael yesterday. The detective had sent the case file as a download attachment.
Matthew hadn’t expected any surprises as he read, but he got a couple of them. The first rocked him.
“She witnessed the shooting.” He looked over at Adam when that man swore and didn’t wonder that he didn’t have to explain himself.
“No wonder it took her so long to open up about it.”
“I thought she meant that she’d just waited outside in the car when it happened and saw them after the gunman escaped. But she actually saw it happen.” Matthew kept reading.
He got his second shock, and this one made all the pieces fall in to place.
“Son of a bitch. I know who’s trying to kill her.”
Before he could explain to Adam, his cell phone rang. He looked at the call display. Seeing his brother’s name inexplicably sent a chill down his spine.
Chapter 19
Kelsey refused to go back to the house. She knew neither Steven nor Matt were happy with her implacability. That was just too damn bad.
She wasn’t too happy about Steven’s refusal to go to the clinic either.
“It’s only a graze, honey. I’m fine.” He’d hugged her, and she’d finally started breathing again. Eventually, the internal shaking had stopped. Then the fear disintegrated under a barrage of red, hot fury.
Some son-of-a-bitch had taken a couple of shots at them, wounding Steven.
Her gaze found her men among the twenty or so people combing the slight rise on the edge of town between the general store and the ranchland. Matthew’s brown uniform stood out, as did Steven’s hastily bandaged arm.
She sat in the back of Matthew’s cruiser, with one of his fathers in the front seat and the other in the back beside her.
“Unless that bastard picked up his shell casings, they should be finding something soon,” Caleb Benedict said.