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Dela sat in a chair in her backyard, brooding about what they had gleaned from everyone’s reaction to Dory Thunder. If he was indeed her father, he wasn’t a good person. Did she want to know this about the man who gave her life? Or would it be better to stop pursuing his information?
“What are you thinking about?” Heath asked, carrying their dinner out on a tray. After their trip to visit with Mrs. Tapas, they’d shopped for groceries and Heath had barbequed pork chops. She’d made the salad and pulled rolls out of a bag.
He set a plate in front of Dela with her favorite dressing dripping off the lettuce leaves, a chop, and a roll. Then he placed a similar plate with two chops, salad with the dressing he liked, and two rolls in his spot at the small outdoor table.
Mugshot walked over. Drool hung from the corners of his mouth. He’d been drooling the whole time Heath was cooking the meat.
“Sit. I don’t want any drool to end up on my food,” she told Mugshot, motioning him to back up and sit farther away from the table.
They didn’t have a chance to talk on the drive home wearing helmets and buzzing down the interstate from the grocery store. After the way Mrs. Tapas had shot down any conversation about Dory, she’d been afraid to bring it up while in public buying groceries.
Dela peered across the table at Heath as he cut into his pork chop. “How does it make you feel knowing everyone wants to forget someone from your family?”
He stopped cutting and set the knife down. “I’m not sure. I mean, he is just a family member I picked up through my aunt’s marriage, but still, it would be nice to know why he has been erased from the Thunder Family.”
Dela stared at the food on her plate, unable to look Heath in the eyes as she said, “Part of me wants to quit looking into him. If he is my father and if he has done some unspeakable thing, I’m not sure I want to know.”
A hand grasped hers. She looked up into Heath’s face.
“You are Dela Alvaro. Nothing will change that. Even if this Dory is your father and he did something unspeakable, you are not him. You are the goodness that was in him and a lot of your mom. His past will not define who you have made yourself into today.”
His words bolstered her. Heath always knew what to say to make her feel better. Except when Robin was found raped and murdered. No one could console her guilt. A flash of it ripped through her as she thought about the call from Robin’s mother asking if Dela had seen her daughter. Telling Mrs. Red Bear she’d left Robin in Pendleton to find a way home that day was never far from Dela’s mind.
“Thank you. Let’s drop finding my father and focus on finding out who killed Athena.” She picked up her utensils and started cutting the meat.
“You said that Natalie had been punching out for Athena when she left work early. Was it because they were friends?” Heath asked.
“Natalie didn’t act like they were that friendly, but Rosie knows people and if she says they were friends, then I would think Natalie also knew about the blackmail.” Dela lifted the bite of pork chop to her mouth and said, “Tomorrow is my day off. It is also Natalie’s. I think I’ll go visit her at home.”
Heath nodded. “Just let me know what you learn.”
“Táa-minwa.”
♠ ♣ ♥ ♦
Dela usually took Sunday and Monday off unless a conference was running through Sunday. They were usually the slowest days and nights at the casino. Then Kenny took Tuesday and Wednesday off.
She woke Monday, dressed for a run, and she and Mugshot headed out as soon as Heath left for work. This time of year, when it could be in the 90s or 100 by noon, she liked to get her run in when the temperature was still friendly.
This July had started out mild but had quickly escalated in temperature and hot sun with little moisture. Not that they received a lot of rain in Umatilla County, the summers were usually dry. That’s what made it a good area for winter wheat crops. The moisture received in the winter made the grain grow.
She stared at a wheat field as she jogged by. The plants were turning color. She loved the smell of it when the grain was just about ready to harvest. The earthy, grain scent was something that reminded her of hot summers. The next field had cut grass hay. That was another smell she loved. And now she was able to smell the sweet grass and mix of clover every day when she fed Jethro. She wondered how she was such an outdoors type of adult when her childhood was spent mainly at her home or Grandfather Thunder’s. Unless she was participating in sports. She did every sport that she could. It kept her busy and she liked competing.
Now they had turned the corner and were headed back to the neighborhood where her house sat off to the side of all the others. It was just the way she liked it. No close neighbors.
Sweat dripped into her eyes as she approached the house. Mugshot caught up to her and woofed, doing his three-legged lope past her. That’s when she saw a car parked behind hers.
She stopped, pulled the bottom of her t-shirt up to wipe the sweat from her brow and eyes, and studied the car. It wasn’t familiar.
The only way to see who it was would be to go up and ask them. She walked to the car and the door opened. A woman in a fashionable, flowy dress unfolded out of the driver’s seat. She had a familiarity to her build and her hair, but Dela couldn’t place who she reminded her of.
“Ms. Alvaro?” the woman asked.
“Yes, and you are?”
“Vivian Sanders.” The woman smirked and said, “Yes, I am Gus’s wife. But if he keeps messing up as he has lately, I won’t be for much longer.”
Dela liked this woman. “Come in. We’ll sit out back and talk.” Dela led the woman into her house and through to the backyard.
“Cute place,” Vivian said, without any sarcasm.
The compliment meant a lot to Dela since she’d overseen the renovations to the house after she’d purchased it at a reduced cost due to all the things that needed to be repaired. “Thank you. It was a mess when I bought it.” Dela motioned for the woman to sit. “I’ll grab us something to drink. Do you prefer iced tea or lemonade?”
“Lemonade, please.” Vivian’s gaze drifted around the yard which still needed a lot of work.
Dela hurried into the kitchen, poured the drinks, and hurried back out. She was curious about this woman’s visit.
Settling on a chair across from her visitor, Dela asked, “Why did you come looking for me?”
The woman sipped her drink as she studied Dela. Placing the glass on the table, she said, “My husband seems to think you are a threat to him.”
Dela smiled. She liked thinking the man she’d been scared of six months ago, now was scared of her. “In what way?”
“You managed to get him to stop selling illegal drugs and now he seems to think you are a threat to our marriage.” Vivian picked up her glass of lemonade. “No offense, but you aren’t his type so I know it isn’t because he’s going to leave me for you.”
Dela snorted and put her iced tea on the table. “You’re right about that. I don’t like lecherous men. Your husband makes me want to gag every time I see him with an arm around someone half his age and his other hand cupping another woman’s ass.”
Vivian’s nostrils flared. “Where do you see this happening?”
“At Harry’s Saloon. Vivian, if you don’t mind me calling you by your first name...”
“I don’t, go ahead.”
“Why are you still married to that pig?” Dela sipped her tea and watched the emotions that flit across the powdered face and in the thickly mascaraed eyes. Anger, anguish, determination. It was the latter that interested Dela. This woman had a backbone and seemed to have brains. What was she determined to do? Kill the woman blackmailing her husband to save her marriage? She hardly thought so. Maybe to keep from losing more than she could get in alimony. That seemed more plausible.
“I stayed with him until Evelyn graduated and went away to college because I didn’t want to haggle over custody. Even though Gus wouldn’t have wanted Evelyn around, he would have dragged both of us through the courts just because.” She sipped her drink. “The last two years, because I wanted to learn more about how much money he had and how I could get my hands on it in a divorce proceeding.” She held the glass in her hand and smiled at Dela. “I’m ready to make that move now that he isn’t encumbered with illegal activities. I knew he was up to something but until that man who cooked meth for him was killed, I didn’t really know what he'd been doing to add money to the bank account. He told me it was government contract jobs. But when I looked into that, I couldn’t find a record of anything paid to his company.”
“He had two men cooking meth that he was distributing. I’m really surprised the Feds didn’t go after him. They knew. The tribal police couldn’t do anything to Gus because while one of the men cooking for him was a tribal member, there was a corrupt tribal cop who kept all of that hushed up.” Dela still fumed when she thought of how many people Detective Jones had coerced and threatened to keep quiet about the meth being cooked on the reservation.
“I see. Well, I’m glad he’s through with that now.” Vivian sipped more lemonade. “The reason I’m here is my daughter believes you may have something I can use to help wring more alimony out of my husband.”
Dela didn’t owe Gus Sanders any favors. “He has been sleeping with your best friend’s daughter. I believe her name is Darla.”
Vivian nearly bolted out of the chair. “That cradle-robbing jackass!” She glared at Dela. “Darla? Really? My best friend’s daughter who is a year younger than Evelyn? Oh. My. God.” She picked up the lemonade, downed it, and stood. “Thank you so much for this information. I’ll make sure he pays for this indiscretion fully.” She held out a hand. “You are welcome to come see me any time. I’ll be living in the house on the hill when the dust settles from this divorce battle, I can guarantee you that.” She smiled. “Darla’s grandfather is Judge Peterman.”
Dela grinned back at the woman. She didn’t have a doubt Vivian would make sure that her lawyer had Judge Peterman oversee the divorce hearing.