Grayson by Delores Fossen Read Free Book Online Page A

The others, he put in his in-basket so he’d have them for other law enforcement agencies. Then, he sat at his desk, placing the original picture right next to him, and he fired off that request message to the Ranger crime lab.
    While he did that, Eve took herself back to that photo session. It had been routine, something she’d done dozens of times.
    “Four days ago,” she said softly. “That’s when my hang-up calls started.”
    That got Grayson’s attention. He stood and stared at her, and Eve knew what he was thinking. Was there something in the photo that had caused the hang-up calls, the fire at the cottage and the shooting?
    Was the killer in the photo?
    Eve rifled through her equipment bag and came up with a small magnifying glass. She handed it to Grayson, and he used it to zoom in. She hurried beside him so she could take a look, as well.
    Unlike the rest of the spectators, the woman wasn’t looking at the bull rider. She had her attention on the man wearing a baseball cap on her left. Her face was tight, as if she was angry. Very angry. And the man had his hand gripped on to her arm.
    “I’m pretty sure that’s the guy who shot at us today,” Grayson mumbled, tapping his finger to the guy in the baseball cap.
    Eve sucked in her breath. She hadn’t gotten a good look at him, but the build was right. So was that baseball cap.
    Grayson turned back to his keyboard. “I’ll ask the lab to put the entire picture into the facial recognition program. It’s the fastest way for us to get an ID.”
    Good. Eve wanted that. But she also wanted to get out of there and on the road. It was already past noon, and time was running out. She took out her cell to call for a car rental, but before she could make the call, Grayson’s phone rang.
    “Sheriff Ryland,” he answered, and she knew from his expression that whoever was on the other end of the line was telling him something important. Was it possible the Rangers had already managed to ID the dead woman? Eve prayed they had. Because the sooner that happened, the sooner Grayson could proceed with the investigation.
    “Yeah. I’ll let Eve know,” Grayson mumbled several seconds later. “What about the search? Any sign of the gunman?” He paused. “Keep looking.”
    “What happened?” she asked the moment he hung up.
    “That was the fire chief.” Grayson pulled in a long breath. “He said he’s positive someone tampered with both your brakes and the gas line that led to the cottage. Plus, there was a tracking device on your car.”
    Eve had tried to brace herself for bad news. After all, it was a logical conclusion about the brakes and gas line, but it still sent an icy chill through her. So did the fact that someone had tracked her out to the cottage.
    God, did someone really want her dead because she’d taken a photo?
    “Do you park your car in a garage in San Antonio?” Grayson asked.
    “No. I use the lot adjacent to my condo.”
    In other words, her vehicle had been out in the open. Not just there but at her downtown office, as well. Obviously, someone could have planted that tracking device at any time in the past four days. And during those four days, the person had no doubt watched her, plotting the best way to get the picture and eliminate her.
    She held on to Grayson’s desk to steady herself.
    Grayson cursed, moved out of his chair, grabbed her arm and forced her to sit down. “I hope now you realize that going back to San Antonio is a bad idea.”
    Yes. She did. But that wouldn’t stop her. “Then I’ll go to Austin. I’m sure they have fertility clinics there.”
    Grayson didn’t curse again, but the look he gave her showed the profanity he was choking back.
    “I don’t expect you to understand.” She got to her feet and squared her shoulders. She looked him straight in the eye. “You’re burned out with the whole idea of fatherhood so how could you understand that for me having a baby, my baby, is the most important thing in