Page 21 of Child In Jeopardy

“But you let that thug get to her,” Leonard said. His voice cracked. “A thug who must have raped Stephanie since he fathered her baby.”

Thayer fired a quick glance at Lana and Slater to see if they’d spilled. Both shook their heads, indicating they hadn’t.

“What makes you think Stephanie had Buck’s baby?” Slater came out and asked.

Judging from the way his face went tight again, Leonard was sorry he’d admitted knowing that. Slater made a mental note to check and see if anyone in Austin PD was continuing to feed Leonard information.

“That horrible man was the father of Stephanie’s baby?” Pamela asked, and the woman seemed genuinely shocked. She turned her wide eyes toward Marsh as if checking to see if he knew.

Marsh shook his head. “Did he rape Stephanie?” he immediately wanted to know. But he didn’t wait for an answer. He groaned and closed his eyes for a moment. “Did he?” he repeated, posing the question first to Leonard and then to Lana.

“I don’t know,” Lana admitted.

“It would explain so much,” Marsh went on. “There was no reason for Stephanie to go into hiding the way she did unless she was scared of Buck.”

Slater had to admit that rang true with him. But it might have only been a part of it. “And maybe she didn’t want to face you and her parents.”

Another flash of anger crossed Leonard’s face, but Pamela and Marsh didn’t have the same reaction. Marsh groaned, stepped away and pressed his forehead against the wall. Pamela went to him, patting his back.

“I don’t know why Stephanie wouldn’t have gone to the police,” Pamela murmured. “Instead, she went to Lana, and now she’s dead. Lana could have been killed, too,” Pamela quickly tacked onto that, but the arrow had already found its mark. Some of the color had drained from Lana’s face, and she was no doubt going through another round of guilt over her sister’s murder.

“Did Buck confess to killing Stephanie?” Marsh asked when he turned back around to face them.

Slater had to shake his head. “He said no comment.” Slater debated if he should say more and then decided to go for it. “He claimed he had an accomplice.”

That got the expected reactions from the three visitors. Shock, followed by concern. Leonard’s concern, though, quickly morphed into what seemed to be his default reaction. Anger.

“You should call in the Texas Rangers,” Leonard snarled, snapping toward Lana. “And I can arrange for private security for you—”

“I can arrange my own security,” Lana interrupted.

Leonard made a show of rolling his eyes. “Clearly, that’s worked out well for you. How close did you come to dying today, Lana?”

“Close,” Lana admitted, and she didn’t wither under her father’s intense glare. “But I’m not handing over my safety to you.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Leonard demanded.

Again, Lana didn’t verbally respond. She just stared at her father, waiting. It was a good ploy, and Leonard lost the waiting game because he muttered more profanity.

“I don’t know what it is you think I’ve done, but you’re wrong,” Leonard grumbled.

“If you’ve got the resources to find out the identity of the man who fathered Stephanie’s baby, then I figure you know a whole lot more,” Lana spelled out. “Enough that you could have maybe stopped Buck from killing Stephanie.”

“No.” Leonard’s denial was fast and loud. It took him a couple of seconds to rein in his temper. A temper so fierce that it made Slater believe this was a man who was capable of murder. Or at least capable of getting someone to commit murder for him.

But why would Leonard want Stephanie dead?

Was he so consumed with his image and reputation that he thought she was better off dead? If so, then he could have joined forces with Buck, who had his own strong motive for wanting Stephanie eliminated. But then, that left the baby. Slater didn’t want to think Leonard or even Buck capable of harming a child. And maybe that hadn’t been the plan. The baby could have simply been given to someone who had no idea of his paternity. That would mean, though, eliminating anyone who might spill the secret down the road.

Such as Lana.

Yes, the theory of Leonard and Buck teaming up might work, but the teaming could have been done with Marsh and Buck. Or Buck and Pamela. Slater silently groaned. Because the accomplice could be someone else, and maybe the trio in this room were indeed innocent.

“Did any of you know Buck?” Slater came out and asked.

Marsh was the first to respond. “I didn’t know him, but after I saw a picture of him, I think he might have been at parties that Stephanie and I attended. He seemed familiar.”

“But you never spoke to him or vice versa?” Slater pressed.