Texas Forever (The Tylers of Texas 6)

“Plenty of people would’ve seen Will in town,” Rose said. “The folks at the bank, the ones in the Blue Coyote, and anybody who saw him in passing could have figured out that he’d be going home later.”

“But they wouldn’t have known he was in town until they saw him.” Erin had put down her fork, her meal forgotten. “The person who ambushed and shot my dad had to plan ahead. Whoever it was would’ve needed to know where Dad was going and when he planned to be back, so they could be ready.”

“Ay, Dios mío!” Carmen’s fork clattered onto the table. Her face had gone pale. “I forgot until just now. That day, as Mister Will was leaving in his truck, the office phone rang. By the time I got in there to answer it, he’d driven away.”

“But you did answer the phone, right?” Lauren asked.

“Yes.” Carmen paused, struggling with the memory. “There was a man on the phone. He asked to talk to Will—called him by name. I said Mister Will had gone to town. Then he asked how soon Mister Will planned to be back. I told him”—her voice broke—“I told him he shouldn’t be more than a couple hours. Oh, no!” Breaking into sobs, Carmen pressed her hands to her face. “What if I shouldn’t have said that? What if it was my fault—my fault that Mister Will died?”

Erin sprang out of her chair and wrapped an arm around the cook’s shoulders. “No, Carmen! It wasn’t your fault. You did what anyone would have done.”

Sky rose from his place and moved around the table. “Listen to me, Carmen,” he said. “Nobody is blaming you for this. But maybe you can help us. Did the man give you his name? Did you even recognize his voice?”

“I . . . don’t know.” Carmen’s sobs were ebbing. “At the time, I didn’t give it a second thought.”

“Take your time.” Sky offered her a glass of water. “Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was just a call. What did he say when you answered the phone?”

Carmen sipped the water, her eyes closed. “It’s coming back,” she said. “He was friendly. He knew my name. He said ‘Hello, Carmen, this is . . .’ Sorry.” She shook her head. “I’m trying.”

“It’s all right. Take your time,” Sky said.

She opened her eyes. “I remember now,” she said, pausing as if to make sure. “It was the neighbor, the man who runs the syndicate ranch—Mr. Cardwell.”

* * *

Vivian passed the bowls of pasta and meat sauce around the table and waited for the first verbal blow to fall. For as long as she could remember, Hunter had used the evening meal as a forum to lay down the law to his wife and son. Over the years, she’d grown accustomed to his criticism and sarcastic barbs. But lately—over the past week or so—they’d gotten steadily worse. Lectures had become vicious rants, most of them over trifles.

Was something wrong with him, or were these dark spells her fault? Hunter had always insisted that she brought out the worst in him. At some point, she’d begun to believe it.

She was adding Italian dressing to the salad when Hunter started in on Kyle. When her husband was finished with their son, it would likely be her turn.

“I heard on the news that Maddox was released from jail this morning,” he said. “It appears that his alibi checked out after all. He’s been cleared of all blame.”

“Uh-huh.” Kyle twirled a length of dripping spaghetti onto his fork and captured it with his mouth.

“Damn it, stop stuffing your face and listen to me!” Hunter snapped. “What kind of moron are you? You lied to the sheriff about seeing Maddox unload that tire from his rig. Now you’re in trouble and you don’t seem to give a shit.”

Kyle swallowed his food. “I didn’t lie. I made a mistake. There’s no law against that. It’s only perjury if you lie under oath.”

“Maybe you won’t be arrested. But anything you say or do reflects on our family. Nobody will ever trust us again. Hell, I could even lose my job over this. And what about the Tyler girl? You said you were going to fix that.”

Kyle shrugged. “I gave it a shot. But that’s over and done with. Erin’s with Maddox, and she won’t even talk to me. But you won’t care, once you hear what she told me about the Rimrock’s money troubles.”

“I knew that Will Tyler was having a struggle,” Hunter said. “But if you were to marry the girl, you might be in a position to ask the syndicate for help.”

“No, I mean like big money troubles. She’s going to lose the ranch. The bank will foreclose after the first of October. Once that’s done I’m betting they’ll sell the property to the syndicate.”

“Well, if that’s what happens, maybe the syndicate would hire you to manage the place.” Hunter waited for a response. When it didn’t come, he pressed his son harder. “Why not? You’ve got the degree and the experience.”

“Great,” Kyle said. “Then I’d have a chickenshit job just like yours.”

Hunter lunged to his feet, upending his chair as he stood. Vivian stifled a scream as his big hand slammed the side of his son’s head. Kyle reeled sideways, choking and cursing before he righted himself.

“Kyle, are you all right?” Vivian was genuinely scared for him.

“No,” Kyle whimpered. “I think my eardrum’s busted. My head’s ringing. Need to lie down.”

“Don’t be a bawl baby. Stay here like a man and finish your food.” Hunter sat down again and poked his spaghetti with a fork. “If you can call this slop food. Vivian, why in hell’s name can’t you learn to cook pasta al dente? You always boil it to mush. And it’s cold. Why can’t you serve it hot?”