Page 8 of Child In Jeopardy
“Why?” Slater said, voicing the question that was running through his head. Both Lana and Duncan looked at him. “Why would Stephanie’s killer want to come after Lana? What’s your theory?”
Both Lana and Duncan considered that for several moments, and it was Lana who spoke first. “Johnson said he would take care of me and the kid,” she said. “So maybe that means someone is trying to cover up the fact that Stephanie had a child.”
Slater and Duncan made quick sounds of agreement. “Who would want to do that?” Duncan asked her.
“My parents,” she readily admitted. “And maybe the baby’s father.” Lana shifted her attention back to Slater. “Duncan’s already taken a DNA sample from the baby. That might give us some answers. Fast answers,” she emphasized, “since the lab will be using rapid analysis. We could have results in a matter of hours.”
True, but there was no need for him to spell out that the only way they’d get a match was for the baby’s father to already have his DNA in the system. That could happen if the guy hada criminal record or a job that required such info, but the vast majority of people weren’t in law enforcement databases.
They all turned toward the doorway when Sonya stepped in. She was holding her laptop. “The facial recognition program came up with a hit,” she said, turning the screen so they could see it. On the left was the image they’d gotten from the security camera, and on the right was the mug shot of a beefy bald man.
Lana made a soft gasp. “That’s him.” She repeated her words while she was making an obvious effort to rein in her emotions. Hard to do that while she was looking right at her sister’s killer. “Who is he?”
“Buchanan, aka Buck, Holden,” Sonya provided. Placing the laptop on the corner of Duncan’s desk, she opened a file of notes that she likely planned on using to do a report. “He’s thirty-nine and was arrested three years ago for stalking. He got probation.”
“Stalking?” Slater questioned. “That’s a huge escalation to murder, impersonating a police officer, and breaking and entering.”
Sonya nodded. “I’ll do a thorough background check since there could be something else. Maybe something expunged from his record,” she added. “A year ago, he and his younger brother inherited about thirty million when their parents were killed in a car accident, so unless he’s blown through it, he’s got plenty of money for legal fees.”
“Since he’s likely rich, maybe Stephanie and this Buck Holden ran in the same social circles?” Duncan suggested.
“Maybe,” Lana said, but she didn’t sound very convinced. “He doesn’t look like Stephanie’s usual type, though. She went more for the guys who were hot enough and good-looking enough to be on those calendars...” Her words trailed off when her attention slid to Slater, probably because she recalled that Stephanie had gone for him.
Slater refused to be flattered by what she’d just said. And he wanted to refuse to notice the slight flush that colored Lana’s cheeks. It was better to focus on other things. No shortage of those, because he had plenty of questions flying through his head. How had he gotten involved with Stephanie? And why had he killed her if they hadn’t been involved?
“I’ll go through all of Stephanie’s social media posts and see if there’s any mention of Buck,” Lana said after clearing her throat.
“I’ll do the same for Buck’s posts, if there are any,” Sonya tacked onto that.
That would likely take some time, but there was something else that had to go at the top of their to-do list. “Lana will have to give a statement to Austin PD,” Slater spelled out. “That won’t be a fast in-and-out since this is a murder investigation. And they’ll want her to give the statement in person. Added to that, Lana will have to get into the past eight months or so of Stephanie’s life at the safe house.” He looked at her. “Did you bend or break any laws to arrange that for her?”
“No,” she insisted, but then she paused. “There might be some legal questions about Stephanie using an alias when she had the baby. Questions, too, about those documents I gave you.”
Slater had to agree on that, but since Lana hadn’t done those documents, the blame for it would be on Stephanie. And she wasn’t alive to defend her actions or to be charged with any wrongdoing.
“I can take Lana to Austin,” Slater went on, “but with Buck at large, it might not be the safest trip.”
“You’ll have backup,” Duncan was quick to say, but then his attention went to the baby. He sighed. “Since we don’t know who his bio-father is, Austin PD might take custody of him until it’s all sorted out and then hand him over to the surviving parent.”
Lana shook her head. “I don’t believe Stephanie would have wanted that. She was hiding. And it’s a good bet that she was doing that because she was terrified of the bio-father.”
No one in the room could argue with her, and it was possible the baby’s dad had been the one to murder Stephanie. Either that, or he’d hired someone like Buck to do it. No way did Slater want Cameron in clear view of a killer or his henchman.
Lana turned to him. “For now, can you just keep it to yourself that Stephanie wasn’t your surrogate?” Slater groaned, but she talked right over that. “Yes, I know it’s withholding evidence, but this way, we can control who has him. We won’t have to hand him over.”
His heart wanted to go along with that. Mercy, did it, but he couldn’t. Slater tapped his badge to remind her she was talking to a cop. “That’s obstruction of justice.”
She huffed, closed her eyes a moment and then pled her case to Duncan. “All right, then can someone keep Cameron safe here in Saddle Ridge while I’m in Austin? Safe,” she emphasized. “Because it’s not just Buck we have to worry about. That call he made at my house means he’s working for someone or with a partner.”
“Cameron can stay at the ranch with Joelle and me,” Duncan readily agreed. “We have a baby and a full-time nanny, and I can bring in a reserve deputy to help keep watch.”
Slater could tell that still wasn’t ideal for Lana, but then there were no ideal scenarios as long as Buck was at large and free to kill. Still, Lana knew both Duncan and Joelle, and Lana and she had even been friends in school. Added to that, Joelle was a deputy as well and had the training to protect the newborn.
“All right,” Lana finally said, brushing a kiss on the top of the baby’s head before she eased him back into the carrier. “Do you need a statement from me, too?” she asked Duncan.
Duncan didn’t get a chance to answer, though, because of the sounds of voices. One of which was loud and insistent, and even though it’d been years since he’d heard this particular voice, Slater instantly recognized it.
Lana’s mother, Pamela Walsh, and she was calling out Lana’s name.