Why would anyone? We have everything we could ever want, right here on the ranch.
Still, I’m an attorney, so I play devil’s advocate. “I left, Murphy. I went to Denver.”
“And now you’re back,” he says.
“As a favor to my mother.”
“Because your mother couldn’t find anyone else to be assistant city attorney in this small town? Right.”
“Because my mother wanted a good attorney.”
“And you’re the only good attorney in Colorado.”
“For Christ’s sake.” I stand again. “This is getting nowhere.”
“I swear to God I’m not trying to piss you guys off.”
“Then you must just have a flair for it,” Dale says quietly.
“Maybe,” Brendan says, “but that’s not why I asked you here. I like you guys. Both of you. I always have. I personally have no problem with any of the Steels. But the fact is that my great-uncle died in the middle of giving a toast at your grandfather’s wedding. No one talks about it, but it happened. It’s why my father came here to Snow Creek. He wanted to find out the truth. Why his uncle, who he was named after, died so suddenly at twenty-two years old.”
“What did he find out?” I ask.
“Nothing. That’s my point. No one knew a damned thing.”
“But he stayed here.”
“He did. He fell in love with the small-town life and opened the bar. He married a townie, my mom, and this is home now.”
“So what’s the issue, then?” I ask.
“The issue is this,” Brendan says. “A young man dropped dead at a wedding, and no one ever talks about it.”
“Because it’s kind of a downer,” I say.
“It is. I won’t deny it.” Brendan tucks a stray strand of red hair behind his ear. “But I’ve wondered for a long time if there’s more to the story. More that maybe got covered up, and that’s why what I found is so interesting.”
“This is starting to get tedious,” Dale says. “Tell us what you’ve got, or we’re out of here.”
“Yeah, definitely,” I say. “Dale and I have a lot to talk about, and we’re not going to do it here.”
Dale gives me a side-eye. Nice try, bro. You’re not getting off the hook.
“My dad didn’t build this place. It was already here, and the guy who owned it was a liquor distributor in Grand Junction. He ran a small bar here and staffed it with locals. As a distributor, he could get the liquor at less than wholesale, and he did even better by stocking the place with surplus stuff.”
“And we care about this because…?”
“Because the guy’s name was Jeremy Madigan.”
Dale cocks his head. “Madigan. Why does that name ring a bell?”
“It didn’t ring a bell to me at first,” Brendan continues, “but I found some documents that were hidden under the floorboards.”
“You just happened to be looking under the floorboards?” Dale says.
“I’m redoing the floors, genius. Putting in new hardwood.” Brendan gestures to an area rug. “See for yourself.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” I say. “Just who the hell is Jeremy Madigan?”
Chapter Eight
Callie
“They’ve been up there a long time.” I gesture to the staircase leading to Brendan Murphy’s apartment.
“Who?” Rory asks.
“Donny and Dale. They went up to Brendan’s place.”
“I’m pretty sure they’re not having a threesome.” She laughs.
“Ooo! Shut up. They’re brothers. That’s gross.”
“Just trying to lighten your mood, sis. You’re so down in the dumps.”
The fact that Rory’s relationship is on the rocks and she’s not as down in the dumps as I am isn’t lost on me. Time to do something. Get off my ass and stop the stupid pity party. It’s no one’s fault. It just is.
“I have to admit. I love the idea of working for the city attorney’s office as an investigator. Or in any capacity, really. I’ll answer the damned phones. I just want to get my foot in the door.”
“And get closer to Donny Steel.”
“That’s a perk. I won’t deny it.”
“Head over tomorrow. Put on your best power suit and waltz right in there and ask Jade Steel for a job. She knows what our family has been through with the fire. She already feels terrible about it.”
“What if there’s no job available?”
“Show her how indispensable you are. Make her hire you.”
“I’m not going to go in and convince her to hire me if it means firing someone else. That’s not cool.”
“She won’t. Jade wouldn’t fire anyone to hire someone. Convince her she needs two investigators. You’re qualified.”
“Being qualified won’t help if there’s no job available. Come on. How many crimes does a little town like Snow Creek have? There are only so many accidents to investigate. We have a police department of two.”
“Three. We have a police department of three. And my God, Callie. The city covers part of the unincorporated county as well. Just go in and ask for a job. What’s the worst that can happen?”
“She can tell me to fuck off.”