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Jackson’s suggestion made sense. Easy to imagine her mother bringing her new baby daughter to show the man who’d fathered her. “Do you think he killed her to avoid paying child support?”

Jackson grimaced. “I don’t know… That’s a coldhearted thing to do.”

“Yeah.” She glanced over as Creed entered the room. Then she turned her attention back to the computer screen. “I hate thinking about how much my mother must have suffered. Being a pregnant teenager is bad enough without having any support from the baby’s father.”

Jackson put a hand on her arm. “Nina, don’t jump to conclusions. We don’t know who your biological father is, or if he’s the reason she went to Dallas. Maybe she went there to live with her brother, your Uncle Mark? It’s possible she walked in on a drug deal in progress and things went south from there.”

Drawing a slow, deep breath, she realized he was right. The alternate theory of her mother going to live with her brother and getting caught in his troubles made sense. Especially now that she knew Uncle Mark had spent twenty years in prison.

“Maybe my uncle killed the man who attacked my mother?” She frowned, then added, “Although that would be considered self-defense or defense of others, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes, but we don’t know exactly how things went down.” Jackson gestured to the laptop. “You’ll need to get the police report from twenty-eight years ago, when your uncle was arrested.”

“I can do that.” She felt lighter knowing they had several angles to work. “It could be that my mother escaped, only to collapse and crawl to the local fire station. I’ll also need to talk to the detective who has her case now.”

“What did I miss?” Creed asked, finishing the last of the coffee. He glanced at her as he set about making another pot. “Sounds like you’ve made some progress.”

“I did.” Nina quickly filled Creed in on everything she’d learned. “Now that I know my mother delivered me in Temple, I can dig into the high schools in the area to identify her friends and maybe even a boyfriend.”

“That’s a good place to start, but she may not have graduated high school,” Jackson warned. “Be prepared for anything, Nina. I don’t want you to go into this with preconceived ideas. I know it’s hard with your personal connection to the case, but things may not have been great for your mom back then.”

Again, he was right. She wanted to paint a rosy picture of her biological parents, but knew the truth was likely far different.

“I won’t.” She gave him a slight nod. “I’ll keep an open mind.”

“Any word from the ME’s office?” Creed asked, dropping into the seat across from them.

“Not yet.” Jackson reached for the room service menu. “Let’s order breakfast. I’ll call him back if we haven’t heard anything within the hour.”

Nina pulled the computer closer, quickly reviewing her notes from last night. She brought up a map of Temple, easily finding the only hospital in the small town. Again, she couldn’t help but wonder why no one had come forward to identify her, if her mother had lived that close to Dallas?

It seemed inconceivable that Anna Lange had been a Jane Doe for twenty-eight years.

“Nina? What would you like?” Jackson’s question poked through her troubling thoughts.

“Two eggs over easy, with toast and hash browns.” She managed a smile. “Thanks.”

A few minutes after Jackson placed their order, his phone rang. She jumped, spilling her coffee. She felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment, but thankfully it didn’t seem as if the guys noticed.

“It’s the ME’s office,” Jackson said as he hit the button to answer. She was glad to note he’d put the call on speaker. “Ranger Jackson Woodlow.”

“This is Dr. Kraft. I understand you’re looking for the autopsy report on Mark Lange.”

“Yes, sir, have you completed your exam?” Jackson held her gaze, almost as if he was wondering if she could handle hearing this. She gave a small nod to indicate she’d be okay.

“I have, yes. Mr. Lange died of a gunshot wound to the right temple. There are powder burns on his skin that indicate the barrel of the weapon was pressed firmly against the temple when the gun was fired.” There was a brief pause. “Too firmly, if you want my opinion. I noticed there were some calluses on Mr. Lange’s left hand. I don’t have concrete proof that he was left-handed, but when I consider the pressure of the weapon on his temple, I have ruled his death as inconclusive. It’s very possible his death is the result of foul play.”

Murdered. Dr. Kraft hadn’t said the word, but she knew her uncle had been murdered.

A wave of nausea swirled in her stomach. How many people had to die before they understood what was going on?

* * *

Jackson wasn’t shocked by the ME’s conclusions but wished they had more concrete evidence to point to murder. “Is there a way to get Lange’s medical records to see if being left-handed is documented anywhere?”

“I have requested the records, but most of them are from the state penitentiary. In my experience, the prison system isn’t very good at providing thorough documentation.” Dr. Kraft’s tone sounded apologetic. “If there is family in the area, you should ask them about that.”

“I’ll see what we can do.” Jackson purposefully kept his comment vague. The only family they were aware of was Nina, since her DNA only matched her Uncle Mark and nobody else. She likely had no idea if her mother or her uncle were left-handed. “Anything else of note?”