through her.
She followed him to the spot where the car had crashed and burned. He pulled a flashlight from his pocket and began scanning the ground near the site, looking for anything the police might have missed.
Sage followed behind him, the images of the fire taunting her. She’d imagined them finding Benji’s burned body so many times that she felt sick inside.
But they hadn’t found him, and that fact gave her the will to keep going.
The next two hours, she and Dugan walked the scene, searching shrubs and bushes, behind rocks, the woods by the creek and along the river and creek bank.
Finally, Dugan turned to her. “He’s not here, Sage. If he was, we would have found something by now.”
Relief surged through her. “What now?”
“Maybe the news story will trigger someone to call in.”
She nodded, and they walked back to their vehicles. “I have a couple of leads to check out,” Dugan said. “I found some information on the fake IDs and discovered that at least one of Lewis’s aliases was married. I’m driving to Laredo to see if I can talk to the woman.”
Sage’s stomach lurched. So Ron had not only lied to her but proposed to her when he’d already had a wife.
* * *
D UGAN WAS RELIEVED when he didn’t discover a grave. Knowing there had been a search team after the crash had suggested the area was clean, but Gandt had led the team and Dugan didn’t trust him.
The sheriff had obviously taken the accident at face value and hadn’t had forensics study the car, or he might have found a bullet hole and realized the accident wasn’t an accident at all. Unless Lewis was shot after he left the burning vehicle...
“Let me go with you to see the woman,” Sage said.
Dugan frowned. “If she’s covering for her husband, she might not want to talk to us.”
“You think she knew what he was doing? That he had other women?”
Dugan shrugged. “Who knows? If he’s run the same scam in other cities, she might be his accomplice. Or...she could have been a victim like you were.”
“Just a dumb target he used.”
“You aren’t dumb, Sage,” Dugan said. “Judging from the number of aliases this man had, he was a professional, meaning he’s fooled a lot of people.”
“He also could have made a lot of enemies.”
“That, too.” More than one person definitely had motive to want him dead.
Sage’s keys jangled in her hand. “Follow me back to the inn and then let me ride with you. If she was a victim, then she might talk to me more easily than you.”
Dugan couldn’t argue with that. “All right.”
Ten minutes later, she parked and joined him in his SUV, and he drove toward Laredo. “How did you find out about her?” Sage asked.
“My buddy with the rangers plugged the aliases into the police databases. Lewis had a rap sheet for fraud, money laundering and embezzlement.”
“He did time?”
“No. In each instance, a woman bailed him out. Then he disappeared under a new name.”
“It sounds like a pattern.”
“Yes, it does,” Dugan agreed.
Sage leaned her head against her hand. “I still can’t believe I was so gullible.”
“Let it go, Sage,” Dugan said gently.
“How can I? If I hadn’t allowed Ron—or whatever his name was—into our lives, Benji wouldn’t be gone.” Her breath rattled out. “What kind of mother am I?”
Dugan’s chest tightened, and he automatically reached for her hand and squeezed it. “You were—are—a wonderful mother. You loved your son and raised him on your own. And my guess is that you never once considered doing anything without thinking of him first.”
Sage sighed. “But it wasn’t enough. I let Ron get close to us, and he took Benji from me....”
Dugan reminded himself not to let emotions affect him, but he couldn’t listen to her berate herself. “I promise you we’ll find him, Sage.”
Of course, he couldn’t promise that Benji would be alive.
Tears glittered in Sage’s eyes, but she averted her gaze
She followed him to the spot where the car had crashed and burned. He pulled a flashlight from his pocket and began scanning the ground near the site, looking for anything the police might have missed.
Sage followed behind him, the images of the fire taunting her. She’d imagined them finding Benji’s burned body so many times that she felt sick inside.
But they hadn’t found him, and that fact gave her the will to keep going.
The next two hours, she and Dugan walked the scene, searching shrubs and bushes, behind rocks, the woods by the creek and along the river and creek bank.
Finally, Dugan turned to her. “He’s not here, Sage. If he was, we would have found something by now.”
Relief surged through her. “What now?”
“Maybe the news story will trigger someone to call in.”
She nodded, and they walked back to their vehicles. “I have a couple of leads to check out,” Dugan said. “I found some information on the fake IDs and discovered that at least one of Lewis’s aliases was married. I’m driving to Laredo to see if I can talk to the woman.”
Sage’s stomach lurched. So Ron had not only lied to her but proposed to her when he’d already had a wife.
* * *
D UGAN WAS RELIEVED when he didn’t discover a grave. Knowing there had been a search team after the crash had suggested the area was clean, but Gandt had led the team and Dugan didn’t trust him.
The sheriff had obviously taken the accident at face value and hadn’t had forensics study the car, or he might have found a bullet hole and realized the accident wasn’t an accident at all. Unless Lewis was shot after he left the burning vehicle...
“Let me go with you to see the woman,” Sage said.
Dugan frowned. “If she’s covering for her husband, she might not want to talk to us.”
“You think she knew what he was doing? That he had other women?”
Dugan shrugged. “Who knows? If he’s run the same scam in other cities, she might be his accomplice. Or...she could have been a victim like you were.”
“Just a dumb target he used.”
“You aren’t dumb, Sage,” Dugan said. “Judging from the number of aliases this man had, he was a professional, meaning he’s fooled a lot of people.”
“He also could have made a lot of enemies.”
“That, too.” More than one person definitely had motive to want him dead.
Sage’s keys jangled in her hand. “Follow me back to the inn and then let me ride with you. If she was a victim, then she might talk to me more easily than you.”
Dugan couldn’t argue with that. “All right.”
Ten minutes later, she parked and joined him in his SUV, and he drove toward Laredo. “How did you find out about her?” Sage asked.
“My buddy with the rangers plugged the aliases into the police databases. Lewis had a rap sheet for fraud, money laundering and embezzlement.”
“He did time?”
“No. In each instance, a woman bailed him out. Then he disappeared under a new name.”
“It sounds like a pattern.”
“Yes, it does,” Dugan agreed.
Sage leaned her head against her hand. “I still can’t believe I was so gullible.”
“Let it go, Sage,” Dugan said gently.
“How can I? If I hadn’t allowed Ron—or whatever his name was—into our lives, Benji wouldn’t be gone.” Her breath rattled out. “What kind of mother am I?”
Dugan’s chest tightened, and he automatically reached for her hand and squeezed it. “You were—are—a wonderful mother. You loved your son and raised him on your own. And my guess is that you never once considered doing anything without thinking of him first.”
Sage sighed. “But it wasn’t enough. I let Ron get close to us, and he took Benji from me....”
Dugan reminded himself not to let emotions affect him, but he couldn’t listen to her berate herself. “I promise you we’ll find him, Sage.”
Of course, he couldn’t promise that Benji would be alive.
Tears glittered in Sage’s eyes, but she averted her gaze
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