“Under what circumstances?”
“The usual. Beaten. Raped. Then bludgeoned in the head. It’s not pretty.”
“Damn.” I shook my head. “Have you called the cops?”
“Not yet. We’re waiting for your go-ahead. We found her body wrapped in a tarp in an old barn about two hours south of Snow Creek. It was just luck that we stopped to look. We pretty much thought it would be a dead end.”
“Who owns the property?”
“That’s the funny part, Mr. Steel.”
“Uh…nothing about this is funny at all from where I’m standing.”
“Sorry. Bad use of the word funny. When you’ve seen as much crap as I have on this job, you get a little numb to it.”
“Just spit it out.”
“The unusual part is that the owner of the property is…you.”
The receiver slipped from my grip and thudded on top of Theo’s file. I hastily retrieved it.
“Say what?”
“It’s part of the Steel property. Just not part of the actual ranch.”
“Fuck. Seriously?”
“Seriously. I checked ownership of the legal description myself.”
“Listen,” I said, “do not call the police. You got me?”
“Mr. Steel, I have to—”
“How does a hundred grand sound to you?”
“Is this a bribe?”
“I really don’t like the word bribe, Mr. Morey,” I said. “Think of it more as payment for a service.”
“For me keeping my mouth shut. I see. And just what am I supposed to do with the body?”
“Leave it where it is. I’ll take care of it.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Do I sound like I’m kidding? Give me all relevant information now, over the phone. Do not write anything down. You got it? I’ll have the money wired to you after this phone call.”
“I’m going to hell, aren’t I?” he said.
“For taking money you can use for your family and the greater good? I doubt it.” I quickly jotted down where to find Patty’s body. “This conversation never took place,” I said to Morey.
“Got it.”
I ended the call and arranged for the wire transfer. Now…how to clean up this mess?
George Steel would know. I’d bet my fortune he’d cleaned up messes far worse than this one. I’d create a story, bring in Patty’s parents—after paying them off, of course—and convince both Ennis and Daphne that Patty had joined the Peace Corps and gone off to Africa, met someone, and never looked back.
Daphne was fragile. Murph’s death had nearly broken her, and they weren’t even close. Patty? I’d have to pull a Jonathan—keep Patty’s death from her like he’d kept Sage’s.
This would be my legacy—part of it, at least.
To protect those I loved from the evils in this world.
Daphne was too perfect for these evils, and I had the ability to protect her. My need to protect her was greater than anything I knew, and I’d felt it the first time I’d laid eyes on her.
I jerked out of my chair when someone knocked on the door. “Yeah?”
The knob turned. Daphne stood in the doorway. “Hi. I’m back.”
“Back?”
“From therapy?”
Right. Her appointment with Pelletier. I’d get the scoop from him. He was being well paid to help my wife…and to keep me informed. “How did it go?”
“I’m not sure. But I’d like to keep going.”
“Of course. How’s the baby?”
“He’s good. I’m going to feed him now. I just wanted to let you know I was back.”
“Okay, baby. I’m glad it went okay.”
She nodded and closed the door.
I drew in a deep breath.
Man, marriage was complicated.
Life was complicated.
At least it was when you were George Steel’s surviving heir. He’d left a fucking mess for me.
I had to step up my game. Patty was gone, and I had no idea who’d killed her or why. Same as I had no idea who’d killed Murphy or why.
PIs could find the bodies—and in Murph’s case, the body was already around—but not figure out who or why.
Which meant only one thing. Whoever was behind these deaths covered their tracks very well. Well enough that even George Steel couldn’t uncover them. He’d been on Murph’s death since it happened, and…nothing.
I had to become better than George Steel.
I had to create a legacy that could never be toppled and that was capable of anything.
Quickly I’d learned that type of legacy couldn’t be created doing things the legal or even the ethical way.
So I made a choice then and there.
A choice that I’d protect those I loved no matter what the cost.
Yes, I’d made that proclamation before, but this time I vowed to stop at nothing.
No matter the cost.
And it would be costly, but if I proceeded intelligently, my child wouldn’t pay the price for my sins.
Did you ever see a dead body?
I asked the question silently to my dead father as I slowly approached the lump covered in a blue plastic tarp.
Darkness had fallen, and the ray from my flashlight shone against the blue of the tarp.
I had to look. Had to make sure this was truly Patty Watson.