Page 34 of Fatal Deception
“The father’s second family is definitely something to look into,” Laurel agreed. She’d taken a seat on the edge of the desk she shared with him. “But the way they’re doing these things without leaving any clues, any evidence, it speaks to more local. Someone who knows the ins and outs of that ranch, of the system.”
“She’s got security, but it never seems to be where she needs it.” He chewed over that. Someone who knew the ranch well. Could it connect to the Kirks? All the trouble they’d had last year? It didn’t sit right, but he’d have to look in to it. “It just doesn’t add up.”
“My advice? Don’t try to make things add up. People’s motives don’t have to. Keep following the evidence. Anything from the crematorium yet?”
“No, still wading through the red tape. Whoever runs the cemetery lives in California, and the maintenance guy I talked to didn’t have any information. I’ve tried to figure out who made the stone, or engraved it, but I’m going to need records from the cemetery.”
“I’ll follow up on some of the phone calls tomorrow for you, see if it needs a woman’s touch.” She said that to irritate him like she always did, but he couldn’t be ungrateful for the help. “Put Vicky on the records stuff. She’s good at cutting through the red tape, and it’s hard for you to do cozied up on the Young Ranch.”
He snorted at the wordcozied. “Yeah, it’s a laugh a minute.”
Laurel studied him, and he didn’t like it. Especially when she changed the subject to something that made no sense.
“Did I ever tell you how I met my husband?”
“No, and you’ll be shocked to hear this—I don’t care.” Not that he wasn’t alittlecurious how the buttoned-up, professional, pain-in-his-ass Laurel had ended up with her bearded, tattooed,wild-looking husband.
She’d tell him anyway, but he kept up the image of not caring and went to his desk and pulled out his laptop. Booted it up and pretended like Laurel wasn’t still standing there.
“It was a case. I was a newly minted detective, and Grady’s half brother was suspected of murder. Clint’s a mess, but he’s no murderer.”
He kept his gaze on the laptop. “Super.”
“Grady was the opposite of me in every single way. Rival family even.”
This time he did look at her. “Only in these backward places do you have rival families.”
She grinned. “Bad news, Copeland, and I think you might already know this, though you’ll pretend not to. Youlovethis ‘backward’ place.”
He scowled back down at his computer. Maybe Bent County wasn’t so bad, but he wasn’t about to admit it out loud.
“So Grady and I worked together to get to the bottom of it,” she said, because Laurel never took a hint or even a direct no for an answer. “What do they call it? Forced proximity. One thing led to another, and here I am, all these years later. A husband and four kids under my belt.”
“Good for you.”
“It is. Really good. Because this job can be a black cloud, and it’s good to have a reminder—whether it’s family or friends—that thereisgood in the world.”
He looked up at her again. “Do I look like I need some kind of weird pep talk?”
She met his gaze, both serious, instead of their usual ragging on each other. “Yeah, you do.” She tapped her hand against the desk. “Email what you need done to Vicky. I’ll talk to her if she has any questions. And visit Hart at the hospital. You’re part of this community, whether you like it or not.”
He didn’t like it, he told himself, pulling up his inbox so he could write an email to Vicky. In fact, he hated it. Maybe he’d put in his two weeks. Head down south to sunshine and absolutely no ties. Yeah. That sounded good.
And even while he pretended, he knew he never would.
Chapter Eleven
The overjoyed parents were too besotted with their perfect, wonderful bundle to notice Audra limping. She got to sit and hold Fox in his perfect preciousness. She read an impatient and grumpy Magnolia a book for a little while to keep her occupied. She chatted with Thomas’s parents, and Vi’s dad, who carefully tiptoed around the subject of Audra’s father, his cousin.
All in all, it was nice. It was refreshing to be in a happy environment, with family and friends and love and hope and excitement. For a little while, she relaxed and didn’t think about being behind on chores or all the things happening to her thatseemedharmless but had a whole lot ofdeathin common.
She got sucked intolife, and it felt wonderful.
Just when she was starting to consider texting Copeland because it was clear Vi was getting tired, even if she said she wanted everyone to stay, he appeared.
He brought flowers with a little balloon that said It’s A Boy tucked into it. No doubt from the hospital gift shop, but it was still a sweet gesture. One that made Audra’s heart mushy again.
“Do you want to hold him?” Thomas asked, angling the bundle toward Copeland.