“Husband?” Judson challenged. “There was nothing in Yvette’s records about her being married.”
“Because she married the son of a bitch just two weeks ago,” Shane spat out. “Trevor, or Trev as she calls him, is a low-life gold digger who Mom met in rehab. My mother had just received a huge settlement that she got for being injured on the job, and I believe Trevor married her so he could get his hands on it. And I also think he might have taken the babies to try to set her up so that she’d be either arrested or killed.”
Judson took a moment to process what Shane was saying, and looked at Livvy to get her take on it. “I ran a background check on Trevor,” she said. “He’s got a record for DUI and extortion, but there are no red flags to indicate he’d arrange a double kidnapping.”
“He did it,” Shane insisted. “I think Trevor coerced my mother into coming here. Maybe even used drugs or booze. He could have taken the babies and then fled with Mom and them.”
“The witness didn’t see anyone else in the car with your mother,” Judson let him know.
Shane had a quick answer for that. “Trevor could have been hiding in the back seat. Or by then he could have had Mom drop him off somewhere.”
Judson had to at least admit that those were possibilities. After all, he’d thought he had seen that shadow or something, but there was no proof that anyone else had been with Yvette.
“There has to be an easier way for Trevor to get his hands on your mother’s money,” Judson reminded Shane.
“Well, he can’t outright kill her, because then he wouldn’t be able to profit from his crime. I’m in law school,” Shane added. “Trevor could also have triggered a relapse, something to send my mother over the edge, but he wouldn’t necessarily get the money if she was back in rehab.” He paused again, his forehead bunching up. “I think Trevor hoped the cops would kill her and then he’d be her beneficiary.”
“Do you have any evidence whatsoever that would back up any of this?” Judson asked.
Shane sighed again and shook his head. “But I know in my gut that he’s bad news and wants her dead. That’s where I’ve been all morning, out looking for her. I wanted to find her and try to convince her to leave Trevor. I need you to talk to him. I need you to force him to tell us where my mom is and what he did to her.”
“We’ll contact him and see what he has to say,” Judson assured him. “Do you have his address?” he added to Livvy.
She nodded. “It’s just outside of Bulverde. Grace and two deputies are on the way there now. They should be there soon.”
Good. Maybe they would find Yvette and could arrest her.
“My mother wouldn’t have taken those babies without some kind of prodding,” Shane insisted. “I’m sorry they were taken, sorry for the hell you must have gone through when they were missing, but my mom’s not responsible.”
The words had no sooner left his mouth than Judson’s phone rang and he saw Deputy Eden Gallagher’s name on the screen.
“Excuse me a second,” Judson said, stepping out of the room to take the call. “Eden,” he greeted when he was out of earshot. “Please tell me you found Yvette.”
“Not Yvette, but there’s a lot of blood,” Eden replied. “And a big, bloody butcher knife. From what I can see, someone could have been seriously injured or even murdered here.”
“But no body?” Judson pressed.
“No, no body, but the place isn’t empty. There’s someone here who might be able to give us answers.” Eden paused. “Her daughter, Jennifer. FYI, Jennifer has blood on her hands, and she was holding the knife when we found her.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Addie tried to focus just on taking care of the babies and not on the phone conversation that Judson had relayed to her a half hour earlier. But it was impossible for her to shove aside such important details.
Neither the Renegade Canyon PD nor the county sheriff’s office had found Yvette’s body. Or Yvette herself, if she was indeed alive. But they had found lots of blood at the woman’s house. And since they had also found Yvette’s daughter there as well, they were bringing her in for questioning.
Had Jennifer murdered her mother when she’d discovered that she’d abducted Lily and Rose? If so, then where was the body? Hopefully Jennifer would confess to that during interrogation, because as long as there was no concrete proof that Yvette was dead, the twins were still at risk. Yvette could return to the Horseshoe Ranch and try to take them again.
Of course, Addie wouldn’t let that happen now that she was aware of the possible risk. Neither would Judson. He had stayed with her throughout this horrific ordeal, and he showed no signs of leaving.
Addie was beyond thankful for that. She wanted all the protection she could get for the babies. But as usual, whenever she was around Judson, part of her brain always shifted to the attraction between them. It was always there, a not-so-gentle tugin her body that just wouldn’t go away. Well, not until her brain shifted to something else.
To their pasts.
Specifically, to conversations they’d had as teenagers.
They’d made a pact of sorts that they wouldn’t have families of their own because of the brutality of their own nightmarish childhoods. Instead, they had agreed to focus on helping other troubled families and kids. It was the reason she became a foster parent and Judson had become a cop.
Addie didn’t think either of them was anywhere near ready to ditch that pact and risk the fallout from those memories. Because, simply put, it was still too hard to deal with their pasts and keep up with the good things they hoped to accomplish in their lives.
