Once inside, we settled in for what could be a long haul.
“Do they expect you at your office?” I asked.
“They come to either place. Once they realize I’m not there, they’ll come here.”
I nodded. Not much to do but wait.
In the meantime, I inspected his residence for any indication of surveillance equipment.
“I’ve already checked from top to bottom,” he said. “There’s nothing.”
“You sure?”
“I’m a PI, Steel. Of course I’m sure.”
Good point. He probably could ferret it out easier than I could.
“How soon after a transfer do they come around?”
“Within twenty-four hours. Usually sooner.”
I nodded. “Good. We’ll be ready.”
“What do you plan to do?”
“Unmask them, for one.”
“They’ll have guns.”
I nodded to my ankle. “So will I, and so will you.”
“Already armed,” he said. “The problem isn’t my ability to defend myself. It’s the fact that there’s always three of them.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Three?”
“Yeah. Always three big guys wearing black ski masks.”
No. Couldn’t be.
Larry was in law school in Arizona. Tom was a new father and law student in Boulder. And Theo… Well, I never knew for sure where Theo was. And why wouldn’t they want me to figure out who had killed Murph and Patty? Who had threatened my son? Besides, if they wanted my money, they’d ask.
Except…the last time they’d asked, I’d made it clear they were cut off.
No.
I was grasping at straws. The number three didn’t automatically mean the Future Lawmakers.
So why did my mind automatically gravitate to them?
They’d been my friends. I’d invested in their success.
But now they were getting into drugs. Perhaps they’d been into drugs all along. Time to give my father’s files another perusal. Too bad I hadn’t brought them with me. I longed for something to do.
“Got any books around here?” I asked Morey.
“A shelf in the extra bedroom.” He gestured toward a short hallway. “Help yourself.”
I rose and walked toward the room. A small shelf of paperbacks stood beside the bed. Mostly commercial fiction, and none of it looked interesting. I finally grabbed the thinnest one. If Morey was correct, the derelicts would be here soon. No sense getting invested in a long novel.
Twenty-four hours later, we were still waiting.
“I don’t get it,” I said.
“Don’t ask me,” Morey replied. “Though I can’t say I’m sad they didn’t show.”
“I’m sure you’re not, but I need to find out who these people are. They’ve been stealing my money and keeping me from finding out the truth.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass about the money. I want the fucking truth. I want to know who killed my friends and why.”
“You still think that woman had something to do with it?”
“Wendy? I wouldn’t rule her out.”
“She’s out now, right?”
“Yeah. In Denver, back in school. I’ve got someone watching her twenty-four seven.”
“Someone you trust?”
I regarded him. “I’d say yes, but until yesterday I thought I could trust you.”
“Good point.”
My piece itched against my ankle. I could pull it out and threaten Morey. He could easily be playing me.
But I wasn’t George Steel.
At least not yet.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Daphne
I missed Brad. He hadn’t called, but he’d warned me he might not be able to for a day or two. Why worry? I had my wonderful baby and a friend visiting. Life was good.
I’d already devoured one of the creative writing books Ennis and I had found in town yesterday, and I wanted to write. I wanted to describe the beauty of the ranch and how it made me feel. So I strapped baby Jonah into his stroller and decided to take a walk on one of the paths outside the ranch house.
But what would I write on?
I laughed aloud. Ennis and I should have purchased some notebooks while we were in town. I left little Joe in Cliff’s care to search for what I needed.
This place had everything. Surely there was some paper around the house. Mazie was out in her greenhouse, and Ennis had gone into town. Belinda was in the kitchen, but she wouldn’t know where anyone kept paper.
I started a search.
I opened every drawer I found. Even stationery for writing letters would do. I wasn’t picky. After coming up empty-handed, I headed into Brad’s office.
I normally stayed out of this room. It was where Brad worked, and I had nothing to do with that. But if there was one place where surely I’d find some paper, Brad’s office was it.
The folder with Ennis’s recommendations for our winemaker sat on top of Brad’s desk. To the right of it sat a yellow legal pad. “Perfect,” I said aloud.
Brad had scribbled some notes on the pad, though. I shouldn’t take it. But where there was smoke, there was fire. Or rather, another legal pad. I opened the large drawer on the bottom left of his desk first.
I cocked my head.
A notebook sat in the drawer.
A pink notebook that seemed vaguely familiar.