Her Grave Secrets (Rogue River #3)(12)

She huffed and strode past him out the door.

Zane glared at James. “What the f*ck did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“Bullshit. You’ve been moping around here for months. Was it Katelyn all this time?”

James looked away. “This is personal.”

“Damn right it is. But your sister is my business now, and I care about the people in her family even though I currently want to kick you in the head. How could you do that to Debra?”

“I didn’t!” James insisted, glowering at Zane. “I kissed Katelyn once. I was drunk.”

“Do you know how many times I’ve heard ‘I was drunk’ as an excuse?”

“It didn’t go further than that. I told her the next day it was a big mistake and apologized. But she keeps coming around. Yesterday she went to my house to ‘drop something off’ for me. She gave Debra a package for me that had her underwear in it. Can you believe that?”

“Does Debra know what happened?”

“She does. I told her after dinner at Patsy’s . . . you were there; you saw how upset she was. I came clean, and she forgave me after giving me hell. But Katelyn keeps doing these little things to harass me. It’s giving me an ulcer.” He rubbed at his stomach. “I’m not sure why, but she scares me.”

“I know what you mean. I go on high alert when she comes in the room,” Zane agreed. “She’s like a starving panther looking for something to eat.”

“No shit. I admire the man who falls for her one day and manages to keep her satisfied.”

Zane wasn’t sure that was possible. “This is what’s been on your mind since last spring? It’s just been Katelyn?”

“Isn’t that enough?” James plopped down in his desk chair as if he’d just run a marathon. He waved at a seat for Zane. “It’s exhausting when she has you in her sights.”

“Nothing else on your mind?”

James stared at him. “What’s going on?”

“Even your dad knew something was up. He mentioned it in his May journal.”

James withered in his chair. “He tried to talk to me about what was bugging me, and I pushed him away. I thought I could handle her on my own. Shit.”

Zane studied him. “He was also concerned about Roy. Your father said he was taking a lot of time off and didn’t have a good reason. I think he was worried Roy had a medical issue he didn’t want to discuss.”

“I’m glad you found his journals and got them to my mom. She was concerned they’d disappeared.”

“Yes, I recall you looking in my office for them.”

James gave a half-grin. “Yeah, I might have stepped over a line with that. Sorry about that.”

“Did you know of anything going on with Roy? Was there a medical issue?”

James frowned. “I agree he wasn’t himself last spring, but he didn’t give me any hint of an issue. Does this have to do with his death? Shocked the hell out of me to find out he’d been shot. I figured we’d discover him in a beach hut in Mexico somewhere.”

“He wanted to go to Mexico?”

“Beats me. Don’t people go to warmer climates when they retire?”

“He had the funds for that?”

“I don’t know. I guess not. He’d have to sell his place first, I assume.” James wrinkled his forehead. “Why do you ask?”

“You ever see him with a new boat or fishing equipment?”

James thought for a second. “Nah. He’s always said he wanted a boat but couldn’t afford one.”

“What if I told you there’s a shiny new boat on his property? Along with other new toys?”

He stared. “I’d ask where he got the money.”

“Me too.”





CHAPTER SIX





Stevie glanced at the small dog in the front passenger seat of the patrol car. The dog was delighted with the car ride, and Stevie could have sworn she was smiling. It was quite a change from the cowering, terrified pooch she’d coaxed out from under the abandoned trailer on the edge of town fifteen minutes ago.

Someone had called in a stray dog, concerned because he’d seen the dog cross the highway three times. This was out in the country. Usually a loose animal was a common sight and generally everyone knew what animals belonged to whom, but this was a stray that the caller said had been in the area for a few days and that he didn’t recognize. He’d tried to catch her and given up. He didn’t have leftover shrimp to tempt the dog.

One whiff of Stevie’s shrimp and the small black-brown-and-white dog became her best friend. She had the look of a teenager, with awkward long limbs, making Stevie wonder about her age, but that skinniness could have been from lack of food. The stray gave a doggy sigh and curled up on the car seat, laying her head on her paws, but keeping full attention on Stevie. Every time she glanced at the dog it was staring at her with its large black eyes.

Uh-oh. Mom will know what to do with her.

Her mother’s barn of animals always had room for one more. Patsy kept some of the animals, the different or difficult ones that no one wanted, but placed several of the animals in other homes. She had a knack for pairing dogs and boys, horses and teenage girls, and cats and senior citizens. She always seemed to know who had a bit of love to spare and room in their heart.