“Yeah, but with only one letter and number different, it may not be enough.” He grimaced. “I think we should hit the road sooner than later.”
Hit the road? She swallowed a protest. The cabin was the first place she’d felt safe since leaving Chicago. She didn’t want to leave.
But she didn’t want Grady to be arrested for stealing a car either.
“I know it’s still early, but I don’t want to wait too long,” Grady said.
She was surprised to realize the time was five o’clock in the morning. She wondered how much sleep, if any, Grady had gotten. She’d awoken feeling better, until he’d mentioned the need to leave. “How is driving around in a stolen car any safer?”
“It’s not, but I have already spoken to my boss. Rex is going to have a rental car waiting for us in Madison.”
“Okay.” She decided there was no point in arguing. He’d obviously waited to wake her until he had a solid plan. “Do you want me to wake Lucy now, then?”
“Yeah, but first I have a question.” His gaze held hers. “Did you know Bobby Morton has a first cousin by the name of Randy Morton?”
Her jaw dropped. “No. I had no idea.”
“You didn’t meet him? Even at the funeral?” Grady pressed.
“No, I never met him.” Her cheeks flushed. “I, uh, didn’t attend the funeral. I mean, I would have paid my respects to the Morton family for their loss, but I wasn’t so sure Bobby’s parents wanted to see me. Not after my soon-to-be ex-husband had recklessly killed their son.”
“Okay, that makes sense. But if you ask me, I think Randy Morton also deserves to be investigated. Maybe his way of seeking revenge on your ex is to kidnap your daughter.”
She nodded slowly. “If I had known Bobby had a cousin...” Then she abruptly stopped herself. “Wait a minute, why didn’t Lieutenant Olson or Detective Kramer mention him? Surely they knew Bobby had a cousin with the same name.”
“That’s a good question.” Grady scowled. “Maybe they’ve already cleared him as a suspect, I’m not sure. But they should have mentioned him.”
Once again, she was concerned the local police didn’t have the expertise to investigate this. And what about the FBI? Agent Braun should have known Bobby had a cousin. Yet nobody had mentioned him as a possible suspect.
“I don’t like this, Grady. It feels like they’re all hiding something from me.” She shivered in the darkness. The warmth of the fire had faded, leaving a distinct chill in the air. “Either that, or they’re all grossly incompetent.”
“Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt,” Grady said. “I understand and share your concerns. I’m not happy about learning this information on my own either. Once we’re safe, we’ll follow up with FBI Agent David Braun again.” He offered a wan smile. “You may have to make good on your threat to go up the chain of command.”
“I have no problem with that.” She would do whatever was necessary to protect her daughter. She glanced back at the bedroom, then sighed. “You really want to leave now while it’s dark? We could wait until Lucy wakes up.”
“I think the sooner we get away from this cabin rental, the better.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, giving her a brief hug. “Get your coat and Lucy’s too. Once she’s ready, I’ll carry Lucy to the car.”
“Okay.” She decided not to question his judgment. She headed into the main living space and pulled on her long coat. Then she grabbed Lucy’s shoes, tucking them in a grocery bag. She headed back to the bedroom with Lucy’s coat and boots.
“Noo,” Lucy whined when she shook her daughter awake. “Leave me alone.”
“Come on, Lucy. We’re going to drive to a new city.” She managed to thrust one of her daughter’s arms into the coat. “Please, Lucy. We need to go.”
“No! Leave me alone!” Her daughter kicked her feet, making it impossible for her to slip on the boots.
“Lucy, stop it. We need to go right now.” Grady’s deep voice did the trick. Lucy stopped fighting, looking up at him with a frown.
“Why?” Lucy asked the question but didn’t resist when Lauren put her other arm in the coat sleeve and zipped it up. Then she slid both boots onto her daughter’s feet.
“Because it’s not safe to stay here.” Grady scooped Lucy into his arms and strode through the cabin. Lauren didn’t see the computer on the table. Presumably, Grady already had it out in the car, as the vehicle was running and ready to go.
It didn’t take long to reach the highway. They were headed southwest when she spotted twin headlights growing brighter as a car approached. Moments later, she saw the light bar across the top and grabbed Grady’s arm. “It’s a cop!”
“I see it.” Grady’s muscle tightened beneath her fingertips. When the light bar flashed on, red and blue lights swirling, she gasped, overwhelmed by a sense of dread.
This was it. They were heading to jail. She closed her eyes and prayed for God to protect them.
9
