Tensing, Zach said, “Yeah.” This was a sensitive subject, but he wasn’t going to cover up, either. “On her fifth marriage, I think.”
“You think?”
“I keep my distance.”
His brother nodded. “Which one adopted you?”
“Number three. Lowell Carter. He was a good guy. The marriage only lasted four years, but he and I have stayed in touch. I worked for him summers during high school and then during college, too, after the divorce.” He hesitated. “Dad?”
Bran shook his head. “He died last year.”
Dead? Zach shook his head in shock.
“He was only sixty-two,” Bran continued, “but he had cancer. He tried to quit smoking a few times, but it never took. I, uh, wrote to the last address he had for Mom, but it came back.”
“We moved a lot,” Zach said even as he absorbed the news that his father was dead. There’d be no reunion . He was surprised to feel grief despite everything. He guessed he shouldn’t be. Even abused kids continued to love their parents, and he hadn’t been abused.
Dad’s death was a setback to his investigation, too. There’d be no chance to ask the hard questions now, although he hadn’t yet figured out how to ask your own father whether he’d committed an unspeakable crime. But he would have found a way.
If he’d come back five years ago, Dad would still have been here. Two years ago.
I wasn’t ready. Didn’t have the skills to tackle an investigation this challenging.
He shut down the niggling doubt in his pat explanation. Exploring subterranean fears held no appeal.
A curvy blonde squeezed into jeans that were too tight for her and button-up Western-style shirt delivered their pitcher and glasses and appeared a little miffed at their disinterest. They both ordered burgers and fries.
“You married?” Bran asked.
Zach shook his head. “Are you?”
“Engaged. Paige is a nurse in Mount Vernon. She’s kept her apartment so far.”
“One of you will have to commute.”
“She’s watching for openings at the hospital here in town.” Bran didn’t sound very interested. “Where are you living?”
Zach told him about the house he was buying.
“You’re planning to stay?” His brother sounded surprised.
“That wasn’t my plan.” Wasn’t? Isn’t.
“What was?”
“Like I said. Look into Sheila’s death. Make some money on the house. Get answers, get out of here.”
“And now?”
Zach took a long swallow of beer. “Still the same, except I’m not making myself popular on the job. The sheriff would really like to see me gone.”
Big brother leaned back with a frown. “Why?”
“Because I saw another deputy beat a guy to death the other day.”
“Right. Damn. You’re the new guy,” Bran said slowly. “There’s a second witness, too. A woman.”
“That’s right. I think she’ll stay the distance.”
Bran smiled. “Going by what I saw, I’d put money on it.”
“What you saw?”
“She came in yesterday morning. Nobody told you?”
Zach shook his head. “I’m off Sunday and Monday.”
“According to her, a threat was taped to the back door of her business. Instead of calling the city PD, she ripped it off the door and blew in, insisting she wanted Detective Delancy or nobody. Who’s a jackass,” he added as an aside. “She slapped it on his desk and as good as said Hayes wrote it. Said our department had no business investigating one of our own. That woman had fire in her eyes.”
Zach groaned.
“Then she told Delancy no threat would make her back off, and he could take it to the bank. Or words to that effect.”
Why hadn’t she called him? Damn it, he’d given her his number.
“What did it say? The threat?”
“‘Back off bitch or else.’ No comma. Red marker, slashed on the paper.”
“Sounds like Hayes, all right,” Zach growled.
Bran contemplated him. “I take it your stand is unpopular.”
He huffed out a laugh then nodded toward their approaching waitress. “Here comes dinner.”