“The whispers, the whispers that I finally realized meant that lawyer who defended him bribed the jury. So, of course, he has to die, too. But then — then — even better, to make him suffer first. To have his son fall in love and have his heart broken. For the father to watch that — that was what he deserved. So, I started that right away. Found Gable and got him to love her.
“It gave me time to plan how to kill them.
“The lawyer would be harder, because he wasn’t here a lot. But I could take time for that, because he would be in pain from his son’s pain, once I had my plan. I could focus first on the murderer. I trailed him. That wasn’t always easy. I had to be careful not to get too close, because other workers from the ranch would follow him places for their boring, boring jobs. At least those started in the morning. That was better than when he went places at night and I’d get so tired. But I stayed awake enough to see him go to that bar and sometimes into town to buy liquor.
“That’s when I knew it would be simple. Just set up a road block one night and when he stopped, shoot him. Right away. I didn’t need to talk to him. I just needed him dead.
“But a week before I had it planned someone else killed the murderer. Someone else…
“I went out there to see his dead body. But I couldn’t. They had it covered. Which was more than they did for Leah. I’ve seen the crime scene photos and they didn’t even cover her. And him — the lawyer — he was there crying about how that murderer was treated like an animal.
“And I realized I’d been wrong. I didn’t just need them dead. I’d needed to kill them. I lost York, but I won’t make that mistake again.”
Them.
Sharply, I asked, “What have you planned for Nelson Clay Lukasik?”
Her eyes widened unnaturally. “Who?”
I wasn’t playing that game. “The rumors say he bribed jurors to get Furman York off. Wouldn’t you like to know if that was true?”
“Of course. Wouldn’t you?”
“I would. I intend to find out. But what about your daughter?”
She turned those unplugged Lady of Shalott eyes on me. “What about her?”
“She loves Gable Lukasik.”
She shook her head. Three, four, five times before she said, “No. She doesn’t. She’s part of the plan.”
* * * *
The guys had landed in Sherman and were driving to my house. “Taking off” had meant the plane.
Waiting messages for Diana and me announced that when we left the apartment.
We would have stayed there if I’d feared anything physical between mother and daughter. On the other hand…
I called Shelton.
Diana nodded approval. Then we got into our separate vehicles.
She wouldn’t have been so happy if she’d known the call rolled over to the front desk and Ferrante — gleefully — said he wasn’t available.
Gee seemed inclined to take the phone from me and give Ferrante an alternative answer.
It was possible Shelton wasn’t available, considering he had a murder investigation going. Didn’t matter. There wasn’t time to thrash that out or to thrash Ferrante.
I called Richard Alvaro’s personal cell phone and barely let him get the H of hello out.
“You need to get to—” I gave the apartment address. “—and question the mother and daughter there—”
“Elizabeth—”
“—about Furman York’s shooting. Immediately. The mother is the younger sister of Leah Pedroke — the woman York was accused of murdering. Not only are they integral to a murder investigation, they’re dangers to themselves, each other, and others.”
“Elizabeth—”
“I am deadly serious. And I do mean deadly, Deputy Alvaro. If you don’t do this and something happens to either of these women or someone else, you won’t be able to live with it. You hear my voice. Do I mean this?”
The slightest hesitation, then a firm, “Yes.”
The call clicked off.
I met Gee’s gaze and breathed.
* * * *
Still, I found a spot to park behind a hedge that allowed a view of the apartment without giving an arriving deputy’s vehicle a view of my SUV.
Alvaro made it in three and a half minutes — good, even for Sherman.
When he went in the building, we pulled away.
Silence continued until we reached my house.
In addition to Gee’s vehicle, Tom’s truck was there, Mike’s SUV — they must have picked it up on the way from the airport — along with Diana’s, then the cars of my parents and Jennifer’s mother.
“Gee, if you’d like to come in, talk…”
“No. Thank you. I need to return to O’Hara Hill. I work tonight. I… I will take time to consider what we learned — what you discovered. Thank you, Elizabeth. Thank you, very much.”