Chapter 6 #2
Bailey scanned the paperwork. It was dated three years ago, and she wondered if that was before she and Clark were married.
If so, it would make sense that she wasn’t a beneficiary.
Although shouldn’t Clark have updated the agreement after they’d tied the knot?
Maybe he’d intended to but never got around to it.
With a sigh, she handed the document to Trevor.
“I’d like a copy of this,” Trevor said after a moment. “I think Bailey should have her lawyer review it.”
“Yeah, sure.” Howell stood, took the paperwork from Trevor, and left the office.
“Trevor, when did Clark and I get married?” She turned to look up at him. “I noticed the agreement was signed a little over three years ago.”
“You and Clark were only married for eighteen months before he died.” Trevor rested a hand on her shoulder. “That may explain why the document wasn’t updated to include you, but it should have been amended after your marriage. And I think as his wife you still have rights.”
“Maybe.” She tried to imagine how she’d felt at becoming a widow after only eighteen months of marriage. Especially being pregnant.
She must have grieved over the loss, and it seemed wrong that she couldn’t remember Clark. Her husband. The father of her baby.
Was that part of the reason her mind had shut down? Had her grief been too much to bear?
Maybe, but she couldn’t afford to be left in the dark. Grief or not, she desperately needed to remember Clark and the rest of her past soon.
Before the gunman found them again.
Trevor was glad to have at least one piece of the puzzle surrounding Clark’s passing.
Yet he wasn’t sure why the investment group wasn’t investigated more closely.
Sounded to him that a 20 percent ownership in the pub was enough of a motive to kill Clark.
Especially since the money had not gone to Bailey.
None of that explained coming after Bailey now, though. Why try to kill her seven months after Clark’s death? Unless they were concerned about her coming after them for her share of the money.
And how much cash were they talking about? Trevor found it hard to believe it was more than a couple hundred thousand dollars at the most.
They’d need to get a financial evaluation done on the Sweet Water Pub to know for sure. Maybe it wasn’t even that much.
Archie was stretched out behind Bailey’s chair. Smoky was near Kendra. They both lifted their heads when Tom returned, handing Trevor a copy of the agreement. He folded it and tucked it into the inside pocket of his jacket. “Do you know anything about the Plymouth Properties group?”
“Not much. That was my next step.” Tom returned to his seat. “I’ll see what I can dig up today.”
Trevor nodded, intending to ask his brother-in-law Griff to do the same. The FBI might have more resources to get the answers they needed. “Okay, is there anything else you can tell us? What about the gas station video?”
“We’re still combing through the video of the gas station closest to Bailey’s home.
” Tom grimaced. “I wish I had more. All we know is that a guy wearing a black hat and black clothes driving a black truck has tried to kill you. A name, a make and model of the truck, or a license plate would be helpful.”
Trevor narrowed his gaze. “And if I had that, I’d tell you. The guy’s reckless shooting at us makes it difficult to get details. Oh, wait. Here’s the shell casing Archie found.” He tugged the brass from his pocket.
“Thank, I’ll get this to the lab. And I’m not judging you,” Howell said. “It’s just that telling my officers to look for a black truck won’t help if we can’t narrow the search down to a particular make and model.”
“I’m aware.” Trevor took a step back. “We’ve provided our statements and gave you the shell casing. Now we need to find a safe place to stay. We’ll be in touch.”
“When you talk to Griff, have him call me.” Tom gave him a knowing look. “I promise there won’t be a turf war. We both want the same thing, to find and get this guy behind bars.”
“I will.” He gave the cop an appreciative nod. “Thanks.”
Bailey stood as Archie scrambled to his feet. He let her out of the office first, then followed with Archie. Kendra and Smoky followed.
“Joel’s here,” Kendra said, showing Trevor her phone. “He’s at the car rental place. He’ll meet us here with a new ride soon.”
“Great. I need to feed Archie while we wait.”
“I’ll grab food from the SUV.” Kendra left the police station, returning a few minutes later with a couple of collapsible bowls and a container of food.
He set them out for Archie and gave him the hand gesture to eat.
Archie pounced on his food with enthusiasm.
He stroked the dog’s back, then turned to Kendra.
“Thanks. Now that Archie has been cared for, what about a rental property?” Having the Sweet Water Pub agreement had him changing his mind about the need to stay in Cody.
Maybe they were better off heading somewhere else.
Yet the threat of snow was a factor they couldn’t ignore.
He couldn’t risk harming Bailey or her unborn child.
“Hang on.” Kendra worked her phone, then nodded. “Yep, that cabin Joel used a few months ago has been approved. You and Bailey can stay there for the next few days.”
He glanced at Bailey. “What do you think? Should we stay in town? Or head to Greybull?”
“Have I been in Greybull?” Bailey glanced between him and Kendra. “The doctor suggested I stay in familiar surroundings. I’m sure a cabin doesn’t count, but being in the city where I lived might help.”
“I’m sure you’ve been in Greybull, but I know you’ve never lived there.” He sighed. “Okay, we’ll stick with the cabin for now. We can always head to Greybull later.”
“Okay, I’m texting you the information,” Kendra said.
His phone dinged, and he quickly memorized the info. Then he powered down his phone and handed it to his sister. “We’ll need to grab groceries and disposable phones before heading out to the cabin.”
“Yeah, I figured.” Kendra took his phone. “What about Bailey’s device?”
“I left it at the café.” He wished he’d have tossed it in the garbage, but it was too late now. “We’ll buy her a replacement once this is over.”
“I’m sure I can buy my own phone,” Bailey said.
He wasn’t about to argue, instead leading the way outside with Archie. Joel pulled up in a black SUV that looked similar to the make and model they normally used, without the crate area in the back.
“Thanks, Joel.” He opened the driver’s side door. “I can take it from here.”
“I think I should come with you,” Kendra said with a frown.
“No, sis. There’s no need for you to do that.” He exchanged a look with Joel and knew his older brother agreed with him. “We’ll be safe at the cabin. I’ll text you our new phone numbers when I have them.”
“I have a pair here for you to use.” Joel gestured to the bag on the passenger seat.
“I brought them along. Also, there’s extra K9 gear in the back, including food and the vest and booties you requested for Archie.
Last but not least, I threw in a laptop computer.
Figured you may need to do some research while at the cabin.
Don’t worry, it can’t be traced to us. It’s a brand-new device. ”
He was humbled by his brother’s thoroughness. Joel, well, all his siblings really, had learned a lot from being in similar situations throughout the past months. “Thanks. All we need now is groceries.”
“I wish you’d let one of us go with you.” Kendra frowned. “I’m not helpless. I can shoot a gun as well as any of you.”
“I never said you were helpless.” He knew Kendra was sensitive to the fact that they’d tended to protect her.
“I just think we’ll blend in on our own.
Besides, you and Joel need to drive the two SUVs back to the ranch.
” When she still scowled, he added, “I promise to call you first if I need backup.”
“Okay.” She finally relented. “Although I really wish you’d all stop treating me with kid gloves. I admit it was my fault I fell down that ravine last year, but that could have happened to anyone.”
He knew she was right about that. “Nobody holds that fall against you, Kendra.”
“Could have fooled me,” she groused. Then she shook off her sour mood and gave Bailey a quick hug. “Take care of yourself. Come on, Joel. I’ll drive you back to the rental car company.”
“Keep in touch, bro.” Joel gave him and Bailey a nod. “We’re here if you need us.”
“We should be fine now that we’re completely off-grid.” At least, he hoped so. Trevor went around to open the passenger door for Bailey. Then he told Archie to jump into the back seat. It wasn’t as safe as having the K9 in the crate area, but being fired upon wasn’t exactly a better option.
“Your family seems nice.” Bailey glanced at him as they pulled out of the parking lot of the police station. “It must be wonderful to have so many brothers and sisters.”
He chuckled. “Sure, if you like living in chaos. I will say the twins, Joel and Justin, were always close to me and Kendra. The four of us played together and hung out together even as adults.”
“Nine kids.” Bailey smoothed her hand over her pregnant belly. “Looks like I’ll only have one. But she’ll be the most loved little girl in the world.”
He tipped his head to the side. “You remember you’re having a girl?”
Her eyes widened. “I—don’t know. I mean, that just came out of my mouth without me thinking about it.” She gripped his arm. “Am I having a girl?”
“You are,” he confirmed.
“That’s wonderful.” She shot him a hopeful look. “Do you think I’m starting to remember?”
“Maybe.” He patted her hand. “Keep trying to relax, okay? That may be the best thing you can do.”
“I’ve been trying to relax.” There was an edge to her voice. “It’s not my fault some crazy man keeps shooting at me.”
“True enough.” Trevor hoped that having a rental car would help them avoid the driver of the black truck. That is, if his theory of the guy knowing the Sullivan SUVs was correct. And they no longer had their usual phones either.
Still, he kept a wary eye on the rearview mirror as he drove through town.
As before, he took the back roads whenever possible.
He found the grocery store closest to the northwest side of town without difficulty.
He couldn’t leave Archie in the car, though, as the vehicle wasn’t equipped with their standard safety precautions.
He shoved the gearshift into park, then glanced at Bailey. “I need you to stay out here with Archie. I won’t be long. I’ll just grab the basics and be out as quickly as possible.”
Apprehension darkened her eyes, but she nodded. “Okay. Will you get me prenatal vitamins? I’m supposed to take one each day.”
“No problem.” He pushed out of the car and strode quickly inside. Trevor went up and down the aisles as quickly as possible, then had to run back to get the vitamins. He sighed in relief when he returned fifteen minutes later to find Bailey and Archie waiting patiently.
So far, so good, he thought as he stored the groceries in the back. Now to get her to the cabin where they could hide out for—he wasn’t sure how long it would take the Cody police to find this guy. Even with Griff’s help.
Tom had been right to point out they had little to go on. The more he thought about Plymouth Properties, the more he was starting to think this could be a murder-for-hire scheme.
Black Hat was a local, though, that much he was certain of. Okay, maybe the Sullivan name was well known throughout the state, but his friendship with Miles wasn’t known beyond the local community.
“I wish I could remember your sister.” Bailey’s tone was wistful. “It seems like I could use a friend.”
He nodded. “I know Stacy is a friend of yours too.” At her blank look, he added, “Stacy White. She works with you at City Hall.”
“Oh.” She shrugged. “Maybe if I saw her, I’d recognize her.”
“I can show you a few pictures,” he offered. “We’ll use the laptop Joel left in the back. Social media is generally useless, but in this case, it may help.”
“That would be great.” Bailey straightened in her seat, then her expression fell. “I left the photo of me and Miles in your SUV.”
“Well, that didn’t work to help you remember, right? So don’t worry about it. I’m sure we’ll get it back.”
They drove for a while in silence. A few trucks passed them on the road, but they didn’t slow down or seem to pay them any attention. When they reached the road that would take them to the cabin, he put the SUV in four-wheel drive, as a plow hadn’t been by recently.
The cabin itself wasn’t far. He pulled in, eyeing the untouched snow surrounding the property. At least they’d know if anyone tried to approach the place.
“Let’s get you inside.” He got out and trudged through the fresh powdery snow to open her door. Then he let Archie out too. “I’ll turn up the thermostat, start a fire, and then grab the groceries.”
“Okay.” Bailey followed him and Archie inside. “It’s nicer than I thought.”
“Yeah.” He was about to head over to the thermostat when she caught his hand. He glanced at her in concern. “Is something wrong?”
She bit her lip. “I can’t stop thinking about the fact that someone I know is trying to kill me.”
“You’re safe here.” He drew her close. “We’re off-grid.”
She leaned against him. “I wish . . .” Her voice trailed off.
He bent his head to brush a chaste kiss on her temple. “Don’t worry about anything. Just get some rest, okay? The more you rest, the more likely your memory will return.”
She didn’t move for a long moment. Then she drew back and surprised him by leaning up to press a light kiss along his cheek. “You’re an amazing man, Trevor Sullivan.”
He hoped she wouldn’t notice his ears turning red. Bailey didn’t remember him, so her sweet admission shouldn’t matter. Maybe once her memory returned, she’d regret her impulse to kiss him.
But he wouldn’t regret it. It was all he could do to take a step back, rather than gathering her close for a real kiss.