The door slammed in Marlee’s face, the locks sliding back into place in quick succession. There was a very good chance this woman could be part of the criminal ring, but that’s not what Marlee’s gut told her. Marlee had a feeling she was hiding. The alias—and not one that took a lot to uncover as fake—the locks, the dog, and the fact that the woman never left the house and seemed paranoid told her everything.
Marlee turned and walked down the road back toward the truck. She knew the woman was watching, so she didn’t stop next to Cooper. As she passed their hiding spot, she glanced over to find him gone. When she reached the truck, she found him waiting for her.
“Well?” he asked.
She shrugged her shoulders. “She could be the one, but my gut is telling me that she’s hiding. It was too easy to discover her fake name.”
“But not easy enough to uncover her real one.”
“That is a good point. A really good point. Most times, name changes done to escape an ex are done well enough to get the person a new life, but not so well done as say, witness protection. It takes a PI or the authorities to uncover those real names. Yet, none of us were able to do that today.”
Cooper pulled her against him and wound his arms around her. “What do you want to do? It’s your call.”
“We’re in this together. All of us. I’ve made some mistakes on this one, and I’d rather not make any more. I want to get everyone’s thoughts on this.”
Cooper took out his phone and sent a text. “Consider it done. Caleb and Jace are going to get some pictures of the house. Ryan went into work, but everyone else will meet us back at the East Ranch.”
They climbed into the truck and drove off. On the way, Marlee began thinking about Stephanie. She hated asking Stephanie for favors, but this was serious. Especially if Ryan and Danny couldn’t find out the woman’s real name. By the time Marlee and Cooper reached the ranch, she had made up her mind to call Stephanie in the morning if Ryan and Danny still couldn’t get a name.
Cooper held the back door open for her to enter the house. Abby was coming down the stairs, pushing the sleeves of her light blue sweatshirt up to her elbows. She smiled at them and motioned for them to follow her into the kitchen after they’d hung up their coats on the hooks. Cooper then hung his hat and sat Marlee’s backpack that held her computer on the floor.
“I’ve got coffee ready,” Abby said.
Cooper grunted as he raked his hand through his dark brown locks. “Think we might need something stronger.”
Abby turned and opened a cabinet, then pulled out a couple of bottles of liquor. “Pick your poison.”
“I’ll take mine added in the coffee,” Marlee said as she walked around the island to get a mug.
Abby waved her away. “Sit, sit. I’ll get whatever you need.”
“You don’t need to wait on us,” Cooper told her.
Abby smiled at him. “Now, you know me better than that, Cooper Owens. This is my house, and y’all are my guests. Besides, both of you have been working this case really hard. Rest for a minute. I just got a text from Clayton. He and the others will be here in about five minutes.”
Marlee blew out a breath and eagerly reached for the mug of coffee Abby handed her. She then added a shot of bourbon to it. The jolt of caffeine and liquor was the exact combination she needed.
After Abby gave Cooper his cup, she looked at Marlee. “This job takes a toll on you.”
“It does,” Marlee agreed. “However, I forget all about that when I’m able to give a family closure.”
“I keep telling her she needs to hire others to help,” Cooper said.
Marlee smiled at him and lowered the mug. “I have to admit, you’re right. I’ve done this for too long on my own. Having you and the others helping has shown me what needs to change.”
“That’s good news,” Abby said as she leaned back against the sink, holding her own cup of coffee, though hers didn’t have any alcohol in it. “I’m gathering by the expressions on both your faces that tonight didn’t go well.”
Cooper lifted his brows briefly. “That’s an understatement.”
“I spoke with the woman inside the house. I wanted to see if I could determine if she was who we were after or not,” Marlee said.
Abby waited a moment before she said, “And?”
Marlee took a drink of the coffee and shrugged. “I can’t give a definitive answer. Part of me says that she’s running from someone. The five locks on the doors, the guard dog, and the way she never left the house, or even opened the door all the way, points to all of that. But then I think about how no one has been able to uncover her real name.”
“Not even Danny or Ryan?” Abby asked in surprise.
Cooper shook his head. “Nope.”
“I see the conundrum,” Abby replied.
Lights outside caught Marlee’s attention through the large windows overlooking the barns out back. She turned her head and saw two vehicles pull up before the men made their way into the house. Clayton walked straight to Abby to give her a kiss before he took off his coat and hat and hung them by the door.
“Tell us you got some good pictures,” Cooper told them.
Jace held up the camera Danny had used earlier. “About to download them now. We walked all around the place, getting as close as we could without the dog barking.”
“Let’s get those pictures downloaded onto a computer,” Caleb said.
Marlee jumped off the stool and went to her backpack. She pulled out her laptop and opened it. Jace plugged in the camera, and within seconds, the pictures were downloaded. Marlee crossed her fingers that they found something to put the woman in either the criminal category or the innocent one.
Chapter 30
The bitch was getting close. Chuck’s fingers itched to have a weapon in hand so he could go after Marlee. Now that he was finished with Stella’s most recent request, he could devote all the time he wanted to Marlee. Except, she hadn’t been alone.
Chuck had been on his way to her motel to find her when he happened to see Cooper’s truck turn down a road very near where Stella’s house was located. That caught his attention quickly. Chuck had continued driving, but when he could, he turned around and followed Cooper. Chuck switched off his lights and rolled down his windows so he could listen as he slowly drove down the road. He even shut off the lights on his dashboard so nothing could be seen.
The wide-open pasture area made it easy for him to spot Cooper’s truck. Chuck pulled over and quickly killed the engine. He watched as both doors of the vehicle opened, and two people stepped out. It was easy to spot Marlee’s smaller frame and curly hair, even in the moonlight. Chuck waited until he saw them hide near a white house. It wasn’t long before he saw a few more shapes take form, setting up a perimeter.
As much as he wanted to get closer and hear what they were saying, he didn’t have to. Something about the house and its occupants had gotten Marlee’s attention, and she had somehow been able to rope Cooper and his friends into helping her. It was no longer just a single woman trailing Stella and her crew. It was a group.
That put a whole new spin on things. If they looked deeply enough, they could find something about Stella’s place that would make them take a closer look. Chuck wouldn’t let that happen. He started his truck and turned around, keeping his lights off until he was a safe distance away.